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| Suicide bomber kills guard at U.S. embassy in Turkey Friday, Feb 01, 2013 11:29 AM PST ANKARA (Reuters) - A far-leftist suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, officials said, blowing open an entrance and sending debris flying through the air. The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body after entering an embassy gatehouse. The blast could be heard a mile away. A lower leg and other human remains lay on the street. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left group which is virulently anti-U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House expects Hagel to be confirmed despite rocky hearing Friday, Feb 01, 2013 10:15 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Friday he believes former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who had a rocky confirmation hearing on Thursday, will be confirmed by the Senate as U.S. defense secretary. Carney told reporters he believed the number of votes in favor of Hagel's confirmation had increased a day after Hagel came under withering fire from Republican senators for his prior comments on Iraq and Iran. "We expect the Senate to confirm Senator Hagel to the position of secretary of defense," said Carney. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jobs, factory data point to steady economic growth Friday, Feb 01, 2013 10:48 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employment grew modestly in January and factory activity touched a nine-month high, supporting views the economy's mild recovery remained on track. Other data on Friday also suggested that the surprise contraction in economic activity in the last three months of 2012 was largely a fluke, not a trend. Two of the nation's big automakers reported better-than-expected sales last month. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 157,000 last month and revisions showed 127,000 more jobs created in November and December than previously reported, the Labor Department said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico blast kills at least 32, flagging Pemex safety woes Friday, Feb 01, 2013 10:28 AM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Rescue workers pulled out more bodies from debris at the headquarters of Mexican state oil giant Pemex on Friday after a powerful explosion killed at least 32 people and threw a spotlight back onto the state-run company's poor safety record. Scenes of confusion and chaos outside the downtown tower block in Mexico City have dealt another blow to Pemex's image, just as Mexico's new president is seeking to court outside investment for the 75-year-old monopoly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bomb kills 22 near mosques in northwest Pakistan Friday, Feb 01, 2013 06:02 AM PST  HANGU, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 22 people on Friday in a crowded market outside two mosques from separate Muslim sects in Pakistan's restive northwest, police and hospital officials said. Two of the dead were policemen. Forty-eight people were wounded in the attack in a narrow lane in the town of Hangu that houses both a Shi'ite and a Sunni Muslim mosque. Officials said the anti-Taliban Sunni Supreme Council often holds its meetings in the Sunni mosque, which made it a possible target. ... Full Story | Top |
| Protestors target president's palace in Egypt unrest Friday, Feb 01, 2013 09:50 AM PST  CAIRO/PORT SAID, Egypt (Reuters) - Opponents of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi hurled petrol bombs at his palace on Friday as protesters returned to the streets of Egypt demanding his overthrow after the deadliest violence of his seven months in power. Youths threw about two dozen petrol bombs and launched fireworks at the outer wall of the presidential compound in Cairo as night fell and thousands of peaceful demonstrators had dispersed. Police fired water cannon and tear gas at the crowd. The roof of a building in the compound appeared to catch fire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek political parties to testify over bank loans Friday, Feb 01, 2013 09:59 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek prosecutors have ordered the two main ruling parties to testify in an investigation into more than 200 million euros in loans they received from banks, officials said on Friday. The investigation - which is examining whether the loans are legal and whether any wrongdoing was involved - could embarrass the fragile conservative-led government, which relies on aid from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition says it will meet U.S., Russia jointly Friday, Feb 01, 2013 08:54 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - A leading Syrian opposition source said the opposition would meet officials from the United States, Russia and the United Nations in Munich on Saturday to discuss a political transition for Syria. If confirmed it would be the first time that the United States and Russia, key players who have been at loggerheads over whether President Bashar al-Assad can have a role in a transitional government, had sat down together with the opposition. However, Russia's deputy foreign minister declined to confirm the proposal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rights allegations in Mali cloud France Hollande's visit Friday, Feb 01, 2013 10:52 AM PST  BAMAKO/TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) - A French-led offensive against Islamists in Mali has led to civilian deaths from air strikes and ethnic reprisals by Malian troops, human rights groups said on Friday, a day before President Francois Hollande was due to visit the country. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch cited witness reports of extrajudicial killings by Malian government soldiers of dozens of civilians in the towns of Sevare and Konna. At least five civilians were killed in a helicopter attack on the first day of France's military intervention, Amnesty also said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ed Koch, New York's colorful longtime former mayor, dies Friday, Feb 01, 2013 11:00 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ed Koch, the voluble three-term mayor who helped bring New York back from the brink of fiscal ruin in the 1970s and came to embody the city with his wry, outspoken style, died on Friday at the age of 88. As mayor from 1978 to 1989, the forceful, quick-witted Koch, with his trademark phrase "How'm I Doin?," was a natural showman and tireless promoter of both himself and the city. He could also be a deeply polarizing figure. Koch died of congestive heart failure at about 2 a.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli silence on Syria is strategic Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:51 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Military secrets are not readily divulged anywhere. But in Israel the blanket silence that envelops officials after an event like Wednesday's mysterious air strike on Syria reflects a deeper strategy involving both deterrence and outreach. Beyond customary concern to safeguard spies and tactics for a government currently engaged in a graver confrontation with Iran, Israelis see such reticence as allowing their foes to save face and thus reduce the risk of reprisal and escalation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dell nears buyout that could top $24 billion: sources Friday, Feb 01, 2013 11:18 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dell Inc is edging closer to an agreement to sell itself to a buyout consortium led by Michael Dell, its founder and chief executive, and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners in a deal that could top $24 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The buyout consortium is negotiating taking Dell private at $13 to $14 per share, two of the people said. This translates into an equity valuation for the Round Rock, Texas-based company of between $22.6 billion and $24.4 billion. Dell shares were up 2.5 percent at $13.57 in afternoon trading. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande to visit Mali Saturday Friday, Feb 01, 2013 02:53 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande will visit Mali on Saturday, his office said. Hollande, who sent French troops to repel an advance by Islamist rebels in the West African former colony, will be accompanied by his ministers for defense, foreign affairs and development, his office said in a statement that gave no further details. France's Liberation newspaper reported earlier that Hollande would travel to Mali on Friday night. (Reporting By Brian Love; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Full Story | Top |
| U.S. manufacturing surges, Chinese recovery more modest Friday, Feb 01, 2013 07:51 AM PST  NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing growth quickened in January and hiring across the economy increased in late 2012, but Chinese factories only managed a slight rebound as the new year began, suggesting that world economic growth remains sluggish. The euro zone economy, meanwhile, likely contracted again at the end of last year, though surveys on Friday suggested the worst of the region's downturn may be over. Surveys conducted by the financial information firm Markit and the Institute for Supply Management both showed U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans assail Pentagon nominee Hagel at confirmation hearing Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:29 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers attacked Chuck Hagel on Thursday at a contentious hearing over his nomination to become the next U.S. defense secretary, questioning his judgment on war strategy and putting him broadly on the defensive. In one of the most heated exchanges, Senator John McCain aggressively questioned Hagel, interrupting him and talking over him at times. He voiced frustration at the former Republican senator's failure to say plainly whether he was right or wrong to oppose the 2007 "surge" of U.S. troops in Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: France, Africa face tough Sahara phase of Mali war Friday, Feb 01, 2013 01:26 AM PST  BAMAKO/DAKAR (Reuters) - The French or African troops who hunt down the Islamist fighters holed up in the mountains and deserts of northeast Mali may find a resilient enemy capable of fighting back with a concealed arsenal of surprising firepower. France's initial success in its three-week old intervention in its former colony has gained Paris plaudits at home and abroad as a welcome blow struck against radical jihadists threatening Africa and the West. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt opposition to protest after deadly week Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:26 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi have called mass demonstrations on Friday, raising the prospect of more bloodshed despite a pledge by politicians to back off after the deadliest week of his seven months in office. Protests marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak have killed nearly 60 people since January 25. It prompted the head of the army - the institution that effectively ran Egypt for six decades until Mursi's election - to warn that the state was on the verge of collapse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defiant Iran plans to speed up nuclear fuel work Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:12 PM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon. In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran said it would introduce new centrifuges to its main enrichment plant near the central town of Natanz, according to an IAEA communication to member states seen by Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. skeptical about Argentina-Iran "truth commission" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:28 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced doubt that Argentina and Iran's planned "truth commission" would bring to justice those responsible for the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center. Argentine courts have said Iran was behind the attack on the Jewish center, which killed 85 people. The commission agreement, announced over the weekend but subject to the approval of Argentina's Congress, outlines plans for Argentine officials to interview suspects in Iran rather than in a third country, as originally proposed by Argentina. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia rebels free oil workers, 11 killed in combat Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:35 PM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed three kidnapped oil contractors, but six guerrillas and five government soldiers were killed across the country as peace talks continued abroad. The kidnappings and other violence came days after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, made clear during peace negotiations in Cuba that it would continue to capture armed forces, possibly hampering the talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Teenage student wounded in Atlanta school shooting Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:58 PM PST  ATLANTA (Reuters) - A 14-year-old student was wounded on Thursday in a shooting outside a middle school in Atlanta and police said another student was arrested in the latest outbreak of gun violence in a U.S. school. The afternoon shooting occurred outside Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither the wounded student nor the suspected shooter were identified by authorities. Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis and Police Chief George Turner said at a news conference that multiple gunshots were fired from a small-caliber handgun outside the main school building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senators assail Obama's Pentagon nominee, question judgment Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers harshly attacked Chuck Hagel on Thursday at a contentious hearing over his nomination to become the next U.S. defense secretary, questioning his judgment on war strategy and putting him broadly on the defensive. In one of the most heated exchanges, influential Senator John McCain aggressively questioned Hagel, interrupting him and talking over him at times. He openly voiced frustration at Hagel's failure to say plainly whether he was right or wrong to oppose the 2007 surge of U.S. troops in Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Explosion rocks Mexican oil giant Pemex offices, injures 20 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:33 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - An explosion rocked the Mexico City headquarters of state oil giant Pemex on Thursday, killing one person, injuring more than 20 others and causing extensive damage to the building. A local emergency official said one person had died in the blast and 22 others were injured. Another four people were trapped inside the skyscraper, the official said. The blast, which media reports said was caused by machinery exploding, occurred in the basement, emergency officials said. Pemex initially said the building had been evacuated because of a problem with its electricity supply. ... Full Story | Top |
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