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| UK's Cameron loses vote on EU budget after party rebellion Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:26 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron lost a parliamentary vote on the long-term European Union budget on Wednesday after members of his Conservative Party rebelled, dealing a damaging blow to the government. In a defeat that could undermine Cameron's authority, dozens of Conservative members of parliament defied him to support a call for Britain to demand a real terms cut in the EU budget from 2014 to 2021. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google denies 1 billion euro French tax claim Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:25 PM PDT PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Google denied a newspaper report on Wednesday that it had received a 1 billion euro tax claim from the French authorities. The weekly Canard Enchaine said in an unsourced report that the French Tax Administration was looking into whether Google's practice of charging French advertisers via its European headquarters in Ireland led it to underpay taxes in France. European Union rules on freedom of trade within the bloc generally allow firms to freely sell into one EU market from another. ... Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination, U.N. says Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:19 PM PDT  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar on Wednesday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas in western Myanmar in the past 10 days, according to the latest official toll. "This situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community," said a joint statement issued by Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Republican Christie tour storm-hit New Jersey Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:11 PM PDT  ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Governor Chris Christie put aside partisan differences on Wednesday to visit storm-swamped parts of New Jersey together and oversee relief efforts after the devastation of the storm Sandy. Obama and Christie lifted off by helicopter under cloudy skies for an hour-long aerial tour of affected areas. With them was Federal Emergency Management Administration director Craig Fugate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago's Cook County drops bullet tax, but keeps gun levy Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:07 PM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The top executive of the county that includes Chicago on Wednesday dropped a proposed tax on bullets but kept a plan to tax firearms to help defray healthcare expenses associated with the high rate of gun violence. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle dropped a proposed tax of 5 cents a bullet because the tax in some cases would have been more than the ammunition price itself. If approved by the board, the nation's third most populous county could be the first major U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Massive storm Sandy blamed for 64 deaths Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:03 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sandy, the massive story that tore through the U.S. East Coast is being blamed, so far, for the deaths of 64 people, many of whom were killed by falling trees or branches. The storm, at one point extending 1,000 miles in diameter, is making its way north over inland New York, Pennsylvania and into Canada. It knocked out power for millions and crippled transportation systems along the densely populated coastal region. ... Full Story | Top |
| GM sees European operations breaking even by mid-decade Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:57 AM PDT  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co posted a surprisingly strong profit on Wednesday on higher sales and vehicle prices, mainly in the United States, and said it was targeting a return to break-even levels in its European operations by mid-decade. Shares of the automaker rose more than 10 percent as investors welcomed better-than-expected results in North America, South America and the International unit that includes China, as well as a more defined roadmap for ending its European losses. GM's stock debuted at $33 a share when it re-entered the market in the fall 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton calls for overhaul of Syria opposition Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:54 AM PDT  ZAGREB (Reuters) - The United States called on Wednesday for a major overhaul of Syria's beleaguered opposition, saying it was time to move beyond the Syrian National Council (SNC) and bring in those who are "in the frontlines fighting and dying today". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, signaling a more active stance by Washington in attempts to form a credible political opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said a meeting next week in Qatar would be an opportunity to bring more people to the table and broaden the coalition against him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy cuts number of provinces in cost-saving drive Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:48 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government approved a law on Wednesday that will almost halve the number of provinces as part of a drive to cut the heavy cost of regional administrations. The decree, which will cut the number of provinces to 51 from 86 at present, is part of a broader effort to attack the bloated cost of Italy's local and regional governments, a notorious source of waste and inefficiency. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York's Bellevue Hospital evacuating about 500 patients: report Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:41 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's Bellevue Hospital Center, which has been operating on backup generators since the massive storm Sandy took out power across parts of the city, has evacuated about 500 patients, according to The New York Times. Bellevue is located near the East River in Manhattan, but is not in the worst part of the city's flooding. (Reporting by Paul Thomasch; Editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top |
| Contractor leaked test to guards at nuclear complex: watchdog Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:40 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Guards at the government's maximum-security facility for weapons-grade uranium were given a copy of a test and its answers before they were to take it, an official report by the Energy Department's Inspector General said on Wednesday. The test was prompted by a major security breach at the government's Y-12 nuclear facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in July, when an 82-year-old nun and two aging peace activists broke into the complex and vandalized it. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Bush-era trade deal with Panama goes into force Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:39 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. free trade agreement with Panama went into force on Wednesday, five years after it was originally negotiated, opening the way for increased U.S. exports as the Central American country continues its canal expansion project. Senior U.S. lawmakers and business groups welcomed implementation of the agreement, which was signed in June 2007 when George W. Bush was still president. "This trade deal will guarantee access to Panama's $20.6 billion services market and more than $15 billion in infrastructure projects ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombian peace talks push President Santos' popularity higher Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:33 AM PDT BOGOTA (Reuters) - President Juan Manuel Santos' popularity shot up 7 points to 58 percent thanks to Colombians supporting his peace talks with Marxist rebels to end five decades of war, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday. Yet while most are in favor of talks, more than half believe they will ultimately fail, according to the Gallup poll, painting a tricky picture for Santos as their success would almost assure him a second term if he decides to run in 2014. "There is a bipolarity, or schizophrenia if you will. ... Full Story | Top |
| Race remains tied less than a week before election Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:32 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney remain effectively tied as public opinion remains remarkably stable less than a week from Election Day, according to a Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released on Wednesday. Obama leads Romney among likely voters by a statistically insignificant margin of 47 percent to 46 percent, the online survey found. The numbers are unchanged from Tuesday and neither candidate has held a clear lead since early October. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan police fire teargas to disperse farm region protest Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:27 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in a farming region south of the capital on Wednesday, witnesses said. The demonstrators, protesting about the effects of a large agricultural project, blocked roads and threw rocks at police near the town of Wad Medani. Sudan has avoided the mass "Arab spring" protests that brought down governments in Egypt and Tunisia, but there have been sporadic small demonstrations over issues such as rising prices in the past year. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan police fire on student protest: witnesses Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:20 AM PDT JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese police fired live ammunition at students protesting against a suspected land-grab of school property in Juba, wounding two people including a teacher, witnesses said on Wednesday. Police denied shooting at students or teachers but said they had fired in the air to control the protesters, who had burned building materials and thrown rocks at police. Human rights groups often criticize South Sudan's security forces, composed mostly of former guerrilla soldiers, over rights abuses and have urged the newly-independent government to better control its police and ... Full Story | Top |
| In crucial Ohio, conservatives are an unruly force for Romney Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:17 AM PDT  MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (Reuters) - When Ohio voter Paul Presta opened his door to two election canvassers one recent Saturday he interrupted them in mid-sentence and asked Jim Lewis about an issue close to his heart. "Do you support the second amendment?" he asked, referring to the U.S. constitutional right to bear arms, and pointed at Lewis. Lewis grinned and lifted up his shirt slightly to give a glimpse of a Glock 9mm pistol tucked into his belt, for which he has a concealed carry permit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.'s treatment will "take time:" wife Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:17 AM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The condition of Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder earlier this year, is "about the same" after returning to the Mayo Clinic for treatment last week, his wife said on Wednesday. Sandi Jackson said her husband, who is up for re-election and has not been seen in public since early summer, will not campaign publicly ahead of the November 6 election. "He's going to stay there for the duration as far as we know right now," she told Reuters. "He's doing about the same," she said. "He's still at the hospital ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Reversal of fortunes sends Spaniards to Latin America Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:09 AM PDT  MEXICO CITY/MADRID (Reuters) - After joining the euro in 1999, Spain's economic boom made it the land of opportunity for millions of Latin American migrant workers. But since the decade-long boom turned to bust roughly four years ago, many of those immigrants have returned, joined by a growing number of disillusioned Spaniards who hope that Latin America, with its developing economies and low cost of living, has more to offer. Spaniards are traditionally reluctant to emigrate and they are among the least likely in Europe to go abroad for work. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indonesia scored over human rights in state visit Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:02 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of protesters denounced alleged torture in Indonesia and accused Britain of putting commercial interests ahead of human rights on Wednesday on the first day of a state visit by the Indonesian president. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a lavish royal welcome for the first Indonesian state visit to Britain in more than 30 years, but activists criticized the British government for valuing commercial ties over the rights of Indonesian minorities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Potash Corp appeals to Israel to allow deal for rival Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:49 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Potash Corp, the world's No. 1 fertilizer maker, is ramping up efforts to buy Israel Chemicals Ltd, appealing directly to Israel's prime minister to back a deal that would rank as the largest foreign takeover of an Israeli company. Conglomerate Israel Corp, which owns a majority in ICL, said that Potash Chief Executive Bill Doyle has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for a deal, while financial daily Calcalist said Netanyahu has instructed his staff and the finance ministry to examine it. ... Full Story | Top |
| French Communists defy Hollande on budget cuts Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:44 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The finance committee of France's Senate upper house rejected the law setting out government plans to hit a budget break-even by 2017 on Wednesday as its Communist members voted against it in protest at fiscal rigor across Europe. Even if the law is rejected by the full Senate, it can still be passed by France's lower house of parliament. But it showed the resistance among left-wing allies of Socialist President Francois Hollande to efforts to set public finances straight. ... Full Story | Top |
| Devastated Northeast crawls back after monster storm Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:42 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Wednesday after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding. Financial markets reopened with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after the first weather-related two-day closure since 1888, and packed buses took commuters to work with the city's subway system halted after seawater flooded its tunnels. The New York area's John F. ... Full Story | Top |
| Banks may quit UK if forced to separate - ICB author Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:37 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Banks could leave Britain if they are asked to fully separate retail and commercial operations from their investment banking activities, former Barclays Chief Executive Martin Taylor told MPs on Wednesday. The Independent Commission on Banking recommended last December that lenders formed barriers between their retail operations and riskier investment arms to offer consumers better protection in any future financial crisis. However, it stopped short of backing full separation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Firm linked to U.S. meningitis outbreak recalls all drugs Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:35 AM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Ameridose, the sister company to the U.S. pharmacy linked to a national outbreak of meningitis that has killed 28 people, on Wednesday announced it was recalling all its products, in a move to cooperate with U.S. and state regulators. The Westborough, Massachusetts-based company said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked it to improve its sterility testing processes. The company said it had not received any reports of adverse reactions to the products it is recalling. ... Full Story | Top |
| Williams sisters urge African women to play tennis Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:34 AM PDT  LAGOS (Reuters) - For many African-American celebrities, visiting Africa satisfies a yearning to return to their distant ancestral homeland. Not so for tennis player Serena Williams. "I'd love to say I'm from Africa, but we're from the United States and we're proud to be from there as well," she told reporters in Nigeria's business hub of Lagos on Wednesday, after a Nigerian reporter asked if perhaps she was originally from Nigeria. "But my Mom named my sister (Venus) after an African name," she hastily added. ... Full Story | Top |
| 90 percent of Europeans would vote for Obama: poll Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:33 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - More than 90 percent of northern Europeans would vote for President Barack Obama if they were able to cast ballots in the United Sates' election next week because they see Mitt Romney as too right wing, British pollster YouGov said on Wednesday. While U.S. polls show Obama and Romney are heading for a photo finish, European voters in seven northern European countries expressed overwhelming support for the Hawaiian-born 51-year-old White House incumbent. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. poised to hit debt limit before 2013 Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:33 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Wednesday that the nation would hit the legal limit on its debt near the year's end, although it can tap emergency measures to stave off a default and keep the government running into early 2013. As of Monday, the U.S. Treasury was $235 billion below the $16.4 trillion statutory ceiling on the amount it can borrow. That gives the government enough funds to pay its bills, including interest on its debt and retirement health benefits, until the end of the year, the Treasury said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya congress approves new PM's proposed government Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:30 AM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's General National Congress approved new Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government line-up on Wednesday but cut its session short as security forces fended off protesters outside. Zeidan presented a coalition cabinet on Tuesday, drawn from liberal and Islamist parties, to the national congress, which had rejected his predecessor's cabinet line-up. The assembly had met on Tuesday to vote but its session was postponed after protesters, angry with some of the nominations, stormed its headquarters. ... Full Story | Top |
| French police face retrial over deaths that sparked 2005 riots Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:25 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - France's highest court has ordered a retrial of police officers who were cleared of blame in the deaths of two teenagers seven years ago that triggered nationwide rioting. In a ruling that averts possible tension in the grim suburbs ringing many French cities, the court ordered a retrial to fully assess accusations that police failed to rescue two teenagers who fled inside an electrical substation and were electrocuted. The deaths in the night of October 27, 2005, sparked clashes between angry youths and riot police in the downtrodden suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois north of ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks patriotic computer geeks for help in cyber crisis Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:20 AM PDT  BOSTON (Reuters) - The Department of Homeland Security is considering setting up a "Cyber Reserve" of computer security experts who could be called upon in the event of a crippling cyber attack. The idea came from a task force the agency set up to address what has long been a weak spot - recruiting and retaining skilled cyber professionals who feel they can get better jobs and earn higher salaries, in the private sector. "The status quo is not acceptable," DHS Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute told Reuters in a recent interview. "We are not standing around. There is a lot to do in cyber ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City subways to reopen Thursday with limited runs, Cuomo says Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:18 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's subway system will resume limited operations on Thursday, four days after it was shut down ahead of the arrival of Sandy, the massive storm that brought unprecedented flooding to the world's financial capital, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Limited service on suburban commuter rail lines serving Long Island to the east and Westchester County and Connecticut to the north was to resume on Wednesday afternoon, Cuomo said at a press conference. Trains were to begin operating on the Long Island Railroad and Metro North Railroad systems at 2 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Romney limits attacks on Obama as U.S. recovers from Sandy Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:17 AM PDT  TAMPA (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney held back from his usual attacks on President Barack Obama on Wednesday, as his campaign offered a more upbeat message with the East reeling from the storm Sandy. As Obama travels to New Jersey to survey the damage with Republican Governor Chris Christie, Romney staged a show of strength in Florida, the most populous swing state where polls show him narrowly ahead. He was joined by two of the most important politicians in the state, Republican Senator Marco Rubio and former Governor Jeb Bush, at a rally in a Tampa airport hangar. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan dreams big with new airports despite crashes Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:17 AM PDT  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - After a Sudanese plane crashed at Khartoum's international airport last year, authorities didn't slow plans to build new airports and add more routes. They used the incident to shoot a video showing how safe flying in Sudan is, thanks to its skillful pilots. "Tower, the wheels are jammed. What shall I do?" the pilot says in the film, replaying for the cameras how he circled for an hour above Khartoum to empty his fuel talks while workers flooded the runway with foam. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tanzania sacks head of state-run power firm over graft Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:06 AM PDT DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania's state-run power company said on Wednesday it had sacked its managing director over allegations of embezzlement of public funds and abuse of office. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) board said an audit report confirmed Managing Director William Mhando flouted company regulations and was guilty of conflict of interest in awarding a tender to his own private company. "The Auditor and Controller General has found clear evidence of abuse of company procedures and abuse of office against the managing director," the company said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| British forests face threat from ash blight Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:00 AM PDT ASHWELLTHORPE, England (Reuters) - Britain is facing its worst ecological disaster in at least a generation, as a devastating fungus that has already wiped out most of continental Europe's ash trees, appears to have taken root in rural England, conservationists say. Over 100,000 trees have already been burned to try to stop the spread of Chalara fraxinea, more commonly known as ash dieback, and imports of foreign ash trees have been banned. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libyan security shoot in air to disperse congress protesters Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:49 AM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan security forces shot in the air to disperse a crowd of protesters outside the headquarters of the national assembly on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said. The General National Congress was meeting inside, voting to approve Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government line-up. Tuesday's vote was postponed after protesters, angry with some of the nominations, stormed the congress meeting hall. On Wednesday, about 100 protesters gathered again outside the building, which was guarded under tight security. (Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt detains 12 militants, including Tunisian, Libyan Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:47 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has detained 12 Islamist militants including a Tunisian and a Libyan suspected of having links to al Qaeda and planning attacks inside the country and abroad, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. Egypt, now run by an elected, moderate Islamist president, has been battling to quell Muslim militants particularly in its Sinai region that borders Israel and the Islamist-ruled Palestinian enclave of Gaza. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sacked for growing beards, Egyptian police demand jobs back Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:46 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Dozens of Egyptian policemen suspended from work in February for growing Islamic beards protested outside the Interior Ministry on Wednesday and called on President Mohamed Mursi to secure their reinstatement. The policemen had sought to challenge an unwritten rule that stopped members of the security forces from growing beards during the rule of President Hosni Mubarak, who used the police to crush Islamist groups he saw as enemies of the state. Mubarak was swept from power in February, 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey's Gul and Erdogan bicker over "double-headed" government Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:44 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's President dismissed suggestions by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that he had exceeded his authority over the handling of a banned protest march, highlighting increasingly open differences between the two. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for a decade and overseen unprecedented economic growth, is widely expected to stand for a newly-created powerful executive presidency at elections in 2014. Recent polls, however, present Abdullah Gul as the more popular figure, though he has not expressed any intention to run for the new post. ... Full Story | Top |
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