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| Key Egyptian negotiator with IMF quits Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:40 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - A key Egyptian negotiator with the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday he has resigned as first deputy finance minister, in a potential blow to Cairo's prospects of an early IMF deal. Hany Kadry Dimian has been the crucial point man in Egypt's protracted and so far fruitless negotiations to obtain a $4.8 billion loan needed to help combat a severe economic crisis. "The only comment I can make for the time being is that yes, my term ends on April 30 according to my resignation, which I submitted in December," Kadry told Reuters by telephone. "My next move is not ... Full Story | Top |
| Far right stumbles again in Austrian state election Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:39 PM PDT  VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's far-right Freedom Party lost ground on Sunday at a third consecutive state election, further clouding its prospects for joining a national coalition after parliamentary elections due by September. Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party - which had stumbled badly in two other state votes this year, including in its heartland of Carinthia - fell below 10 percent in the western province of Tyrol, provisional results showed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Armed groups also targeted Libya's interior min, state media: PM Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - As well as surrounding the Libyan Foreign Ministry, armed groups also tried unsuccessfully to storm the Ministry of Interior and state news agency on Sunday, the prime minister said. "These attacks will never get us down and we will not surrender," Prime Minister Ali Zaidan told a press conference. (Reporting by Ghaith Shennib; Writing by Jessica Donati; Editing by Jon Hemming) Full Story | Top |
| Authorities seek "persons of interest" in U.S. tied to Boston bombing Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:24 PM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Congressional intelligence leaders said on Sunday that authorities are pursuing "persons of interest" in the United States in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, and asked for more help from Russian spy agencies. Congressman Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Of Representatives intelligence committee said better cooperation from Russia was needed in Washington's probe of the two suspected bombers' recent contacts and activities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi backs down, to seek compromise on judges Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:17 PM PDT  By Paul Taylor and Omar Fahmy CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi and top judges agreed on Sunday to seek a compromise to defuse a battle over Islamist attempts to force out thousands of judges that have deeply polarized the Arab world's most populous nation. Mursi's Islamist allies had proposed legislation to purge more than 3,000 judges at a stroke by reducing their mandatory retirement age to 60 from 70 to sweep away senior jurists appointed under autocratic former President Hosni Mubarak. ... Full Story | Top |
| Still stuck on central-bank life support Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 12:06 PM PDT  By Alan Wheatley, Global Economics Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) - Five years after the onset of the global financial crisis, the world economy is in such a chronic condition that the European Central Bank might cut interest rates this week and the Federal Reserve is likely to indicate no let-up in the stimulus it is providing the U.S. economy. With the euro zone economy in recession, momentum is building for the ECB to lower interest rates for the first time since July 2012, according to senior sources involved in the deliberations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Boston bomb suspects' parents retreat to village, cancel U.S. trip Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:42 AM PDT  By Maria Golovnina UNDISCLOSED LOCATION IN NORTH CAUCASUS, Russia (Reuters) - The parents of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects have retreated to a village in southern Russia to shelter from the spotlight and abandoned plans for now to travel to the United States, the father of the suspects told Reuters on Sunday. Speaking in the garden of a large house, Anzor Tsarnaev said he believed he would not be allowed to see his surviving son DzhokharŸ, who was captured and has been charged in connection with the April 15 bomb blasts that killed three people and wounded 264. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy prosecutors aim to hasten Finmeccanica graft trial: source Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:32 AM PDT  MILAN (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors investigating allegations of corruption by Finmeccanica in the sale of 12 helicopters to India believe their evidence is strong enough to warrant an urgent trial without preliminary proceedings, a legal source with direct knowledge of the situation said. Prosecutors in the city of Busto Arsizio will ask a judge to order that Finmeccanica's former chairman, Giuseppe Orsi, and other suspects skip preliminary hearings and are sent directly to trial, the source said. Pre-trial hearings can last for months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bank of Cyprus converts portion of uninsured savings to equity Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot lender Bank of Cyprus said on Sunday it had carried out a conversion of uninsured cash deposits in the bank into equity, one of the conditions of international lenders to offer the cash-starved island financial aid. The process, known as a 'bail-in', made depositors in the bank pay for its recapitalization, after the institution was hit by massive losses from its exposure to debt-crippled Greece. Bank of Cyprus, the island's largest bank, said it had converted 37.5 percent of deposits exceeding 100,000 euros into "class A" shares, with an additional 22. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iceland seeks end to austerity with new center-right government Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:17 AM PDT  By Balazs Koranyi and Robert Robertson REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's center-right parties began talks on Sunday to form a new government, promising to end years of austerity and provide debt relief to households, and only arguing about which one of them should lead the government. Fed up with years of belt tightening and soaring debt, Icelanders ousted the Social Democrats on Saturday, handing the biggest defeat to any ruling party since independence from Denmark in 1944 and offering a new chance to the very parties that presided over its economic rise and collapse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fire breaks out in Bangladesh building where 377 die Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:16 AM PDT  By Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - Fire broke out on Sunday in a garment factory that collapsed in the Bangladeshi capital, complicating attempts to find any survivors of a disaster that has killed 377 people. Fire service officials said the blaze had been started by sparks from cutting equipment used by rescuers. Police said the owner of the factory, Mohammed Sohel Rana, was arrested on Sunday trying to flee to India, as hopes of finding more survivors from the country's worst industrial accident began to fade. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two policemen shot as new Italy government sworn in Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 11:02 AM PDT  By Gavin Jones and Roberto Landucci ROME (Reuters) - Enrico Letta was sworn in as Italy's new prime minister on Sunday and immediately faced an emergency after an unemployed man shot two police officers outside his office. The 49 year-old gunman, from the poor southern region of Calabria, told investigators he had planned to attack politicians but had found none within range. One of the officers was shot in the neck, hitting his spinal cord, and he was in a serious condition, surgeons said. The other was shot in the leg. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. lawmakers press Obama to take action on Syria Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 10:33 AM PDT By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican senators on Sunday pressed U.S. President Barack Obama to intervene in Syria's civil war, saying America could attack Syrian air bases with missiles but should not send in ground troops. Pressure is mounting on the White House to do more to help Syrian rebels fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which the Obama administration last week said had probably used chemical arms in the conflict. ... Full Story | Top |
| German finance minister calls anti-euro party's policy "insane" Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 10:03 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - A core policy of a new anti-euro party was criticized as "economically insane" by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in an interview published on Sunday. Support for the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), which wants Germany to quit the euro and reintroduce the deutsche mark, is at 2 percent, according to a survey by Emnid pollsters also released on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator Paul stirs business ire over blocking of tax treaties Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 09:56 AM PDT By Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Rand Paul is coming under pressure from some multi-national businesses to drop his opposition to tax treaties between the United States and other nations. Citing privacy concerns about Americans' tax data, Paul, a Republican and libertarian, has single-handedly blocked Senate action on treaties with Hungary, Switzerland and Luxembourg that have been signed by authorities on both sides, but have been awaiting Senate review since 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's PM says concerned about claims of torture in UAE Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 09:32 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron is concerned about allegations that three Britons charged with drug offences in Dubai have been tortured, his office said on Sunday, two days before the president of the United Arab Emirates visits Britain. Grant Cameron, Karl Williams and Suneet Jeerh have been held in the UAE since taking a holiday there in July 2012. Police said they had found a form of synthetic cannabis in their hire car. They are due to hear a verdict in their case on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt opens alcohol-free hotel in popular Red Sea resort Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 09:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian tourism managers celebrated the opening of an alcohol-free hotel at the popular beach resort of Hurghada over the weekend, a move they hoped would lure conservative Muslim tourists to a region popular with foreign and local visitors. Le Roi Hotel is one of the first "dry" hotels to open on Egypt's Red Sea coast, and comes as liberals voice concerns that Islamists who came to power last year were seeking to limit personal freedoms and impose conservative ideology. ... Full Story | Top |
| One year on, France's Hollande says he will weather poll slump Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 08:17 AM PDT  By Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) - France's Francois Hollande said he was undeterred by a first year in power marked by economic slowdown and a record slump in his personal popularity, arguing his 5-year presidency would achieve results over time. In comments to correspondents from Reuters and Agence France Presse a week before the anniversary of his May 2012 election win over Nicolas Sarkozy, Hollande shrugged off polls showing his popularity rating around 25 percent, after the sharpest fall for any president in over half a century. "I'm aware how serious the situation is. ... Full Story | Top |
| British PM's party turns on anti-EU rival before vote Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 08:14 AM PDT  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ruling Conservatives derided the rival UK Independence Party as a "collection of clowns" on Sunday as they tried to stop supporters switching to the surging anti-European Union movement in local elections this week. Thursday's vote in England and Wales offers parties a chance to test the political climate before a national election in 2015 at a time when Conservative strategists fear UKIP will split the center-right vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rocky trail for Kremlin's conflict-zone ski resorts Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 08:13 AM PDT  By Alissa de Carbonnel ELBRUS, Russia (Reuters) - Police checkpoints, pot-holed roads and a billboard that shows the Earth in flames and warns "Terrorism is a threat to humanity" might put off visitors to Russia's ski resort at Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court may limit use of race in college admission decisions Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 08:09 AM PDT  By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court set the terms for boosting college admissions of African Americans and other minorities, the court may be about to issue a ruling that could restrict universities' use of race in deciding who is awarded places. The case before the justices was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white suburban Houston student who asserted she was wrongly rejected by the University of Texas at Austin while minority students with similar grades and test scores were admitted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy gunman wanted to shoot politicians: prosecutor Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 08:05 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The gunman who shot two police officers and a passerby outside the Italian prime minister's office in Rome on Sunday told investigators he had acted out of anger with politicians, one of the prosecutors working on the case said. "His intention was to strike politicians, deputy Rome prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani told reporters after the shooting, which took place as the new government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta was being sworn in at the nearby presidential palace. ... Full Story | Top |
| Algeria president shows no permanent damage from minor stroke: APS Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 07:38 AM PDT  By Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was transferred to France for medical tests on Saturday night after suffering a minor stroke that Algeria's official news agency said had caused no permanent damage. Bouteflika, who has ruled over the North African oil and gas producer for more than a decade, had a "transient ischemic attack" or mini-stroke on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen surround Libyan foreign ministry to push demands Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 07:37 AM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Gunmen surrounded Libya's foreign ministry on Sunday calling for a law banning officials who had worked for deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi from senior positions in the new administration. At least 20 pick-up trucks loaded with anti-aircraft guns blocked the roads while men armed with AK-47 and sniper rifles directed the traffic away from the building, witnesses said. Tension between the government and armed militias have been rising in recent weeks since a campaign was launched to dislodge the groups from their strongholds in the capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudanese protesters stone government convoy after rebel attack Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 07:36 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Residents of a provincial Sudanese city set government offices on fire and threw rocks at local officials on Sunday, accusing them of failing to protect them from a rebel attack the day before, witnesses said. Insurgents from Sudan's Darfur region stormed Um Rawaba in North Kordofan state on Saturday, witnesses said. State media said late in the evening authorities had regained control of the city, located some 500 km (300 miles) from Khartoum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court orders detention of Bosnia federation head in graft probe Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 07:34 AM PDT  SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A Bosnian court on Sunday ordered that the president of the country's autonomous Muslim-Croat federation and four other officials be detained for a month after prosecutors said they took bribes to arrange pardons for convicts. Federation President Zivko Budimir was arrested on Friday along with 19 others in the most high-profile anti-corruption drive in Bosnia since independence more than two decades ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bulgaria's center right on track for election win: poll Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 06:39 AM PDT  SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's center-right GERB party is on course for election victory on May 12 despite resigning from the government after mass protests against low living standards in February, a poll showed on Sunday. The state-funded NPOC survey put ex-premier Boiko Borisov's GERB at 23.6 percent and the Socialists at 17.7 percent. On this basis, however, a hung parliament looked likely since a party needs over 43 percent of votes for a majority. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq watchdog suspends 10 TV channels for inciting violence Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 06:24 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has suspended the licenses of satellite news network Al Jazeera and nine other channels, accusing them of inciting violence through their coverage of recent sectarian clashes. The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) regulator criticized their reporting of violence triggered by a security forces raid on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in Hawija on Tuesday. None of the channels was immediately available for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senior Egypt officials in Iran for Syria talks Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 06:05 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Senior aides to Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi made a rare visit to Tehran for talks with Iran on an Islamic initiative to seek a peaceful solution to Syria's civil war, the two sides said on Sunday. Tehran is Syria's closest ally and has provided money, weapons, intelligence and training for President Bashar al-Assad's forces, while Egypt has given political support to the opposition Syrian National Coalition fighting to oust him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya to help ease Egypt crisis with $1.2 billion oil deal Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 06:04 AM PDT By Jessica Donati and Ghaith Shennib TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will soon start shipping oil to neighboring Egypt on soft credit terms, two senior Libyan officials said, as Cairo struggles to pay for energy imports and avoid fuel shortages. The officials told Reuters that Tripoli would supply Cairo with $1.2 billion worth of crude at world prices but on interest free credit for a year, with the first cargo expected to arrive next month. Egypt has slid into economic crisis since president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya to help ease Egypt crisis with $1.2 bln oil deal Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 05:46 AM PDT  By Jessica Donati and Ghaith Shennib TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will soon start shipping oil to neighbouring Egypt on soft credit terms, two senior Libyan officials said, as Cairo struggles to pay for energy imports and avoid fuel shortages. The officials told Reuters that Tripoli would supply Cairo with $1.2 billion worth of crude at world prices but on interest free credit for a year, with the first cargo expected to arrive next month. Egypt has slid into economic crisis since president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jewish women eye further court fight for Western Wall rights Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 05:29 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Women seeking equal prayer rights at the Western Wall are planning a further challenge to Jewish Orthodox tradition at the site after a court ruling bolstered their cause, an activist said on Sunday. The Women of the Wall movement hopes to have its members read from a Torah (holy scriptures) scroll at the Jerusalem site, a ritual reserved under Orthodox practice for men only, when it holds its monthly prayer session there on May 10, according to Anat Hoffman, a leader of the group. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy minister says Rome shooting "isolated act" Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 05:25 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The shooting outside the Italian prime minister's office in Rome as a new government was being sworn in on Sunday appeared to be an isolated incident, newly installed Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said. "An initial examination of the incident suggests that this can be considered as an isolated act," Alfano told reporters, adding that further checks were being carried out. He said there was no cause for concern about the overall security situation in Italy but added that protective measures had been stepped up at potential targets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Deutsche Bank has "zero tolerance" for tax evaders: CEO Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 05:20 AM PDT  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank has "zero tolerance" for customers seeking to evade taxes by holding assets in foreign accounts managed by the lender, Co-Chief Executive Juergen Fitschen told German radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. "Tax evasion is a crime," Fitschen said in an interview. "It's unacceptable." Germany's biggest lender has restrictive policies for dealing with its customers' overseas assets and all employees working in the area are aware of it, Fitschen said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria's neighbors cautious about U.S.-led intervention Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 05:00 AM PDT  By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's neighbors, wary of stirring a conflict that could spill back over their borders, would be reluctant partners in a U.S.-led intervention but are ultimately likely to support limited military action if widespread use of chemical weapons is proven. The White House disclosed U.S. intelligence on Thursday that Syria had likely used chemical weapons, a move President Barack Obama had said could trigger unspecified consequences, widely interpreted to include possible U.S. military action. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany's Greens lurch left in bid to beat Merkel Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 04:15 AM PDT  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Greens lurched to the left at a party congress in Berlin over the weekend by endorsing a "soak-the-rich" campaign for new taxes, a risky attempt to win power in September's election that upset the party's pragmatist wing. Ignoring warnings against raising too many taxes at once from their most successful leader, Greens state premier Winfried Kretschmann, the 800 delegates voted to push to raise the top income tax rate to 49 percent from 42 percent and introduce an annual 1.5 percent wealth tax on assets above a million euros. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rome mayor says shooting not act of terrorism Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 03:56 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The shooting outside the Italian prime minister's office on Sunday could not be described as terrorism although the bitter political climate of the past few months has increased tensions, the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno said. "It's not an act of terrorism but certainly the climate of the past few months has not helped," Alemanno told reporters. A man was arrested after the shooting in which two police officers and a passerby were wounded just as the new government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta was being sworn in at the presidential palace around a kilometer (mile) away. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunshots fired near Italy prime minister's office, injuries Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 03:37 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Gunshots were fired in front of the Italian prime minister's office in Rome on Sunday as the new government of Enrico Letta was being sworn in at the president's palace around a kilometer away, RAI state television reported. It said there were injuries and quoted a witness who said that she had heard at least eight shots fired. (This story is corrected with day to Sunday from Saturday) (Reporting by James Mackenzie; editing by Mark Heinrich) Full Story | Top |
| Italy's new economy minister aims to cut taxes and spending Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 03:26 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italy's new economy minister Fabrizio Saccomanni plans to cut taxes and public spending and lower borrowing costs, according to an interview published on Sunday in daily la Repubblica. Saccomanni, formerly deputy governor of Italy's central bank, was sworn in as minister on Sunday as part of Prime Minister Enrico Letta's new coalition cabinet, a mix of center-right and center-left politicians and technocrats like Saccomanni. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two Italian police hurt in shooting near prime minister's office Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 03:01 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - A man was arrested on Sunday after shooting and wounding two police officers outside the Italian prime minister's office in central Rome, police said. One of the wounded law enforcers had been shot in the neck and was in a serious condition, a police official said. The shootings took place as Prime Minister Enrico Letta's new cabinet was being sworn in at the president's palace around one kilometer away. (Reporting by Roberto Landucci, writing by Gavin Jones) Full Story | Top |
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