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| Nasdaq to pay $10 million to settle SEC charges from Facebook snafu Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:15 PM PDT  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nasdaq OMX on Wednesday agreed to pay $10 million, the largest penalty ever levied against a stock exchange, to settle civil charges stemming from mistakes made during Facebook's initial public offering last year, U.S. securities regulators said on Wednesday. In its administrative proceeding against the stock exchange operator, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Nasdaq's "ill-fated decisions" on the day of the IPO led to a series of regulatory violations. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. congressmen in Russia on Boston bombing fact-finding mission Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:13 PM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. congressmen will meet security officials in Moscow this week to find out whether the FBI could have done more with Russian intelligence on the Boston bombing suspect to prevent the attack, one of the lawmakers said on Wednesday. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and the intelligence community face scrutiny over criticism they failed to see the danger from Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar - the prime suspects in the twin bombings that killed three people and injured over 170 at the Boston Marathon. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. drone kills Pakistan Taliban No 2 : security officials Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:06 PM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed the No. 2 of the Pakistani Taliban in the North Waziristan region on Wednesday, three security officials said, in what would be a major blow to the militancy. The drone strike killed seven people, Pakistani security officials said, including Taliban deputy commander Wali-ur-Rehman, in the first such attack since a May 11 general election in which the use of the unmanned aircraft was a major issue. It was also the first reported U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya lawyer says London murder suspect freed on British advice Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:50 AM PDT By Joseph Akwiri MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A Kenyan lawyer who in 2010 represented a man suspected of hacking a British soldier to death in London last week said on Wednesday the suspect was freed from arrest in Kenya three years ago on the recommendation of the British High Commission. Britain's authorities face questions about what they knew about the activities of two Britons of Nigerian descent suspected of butchering Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old veteran of the Afghan war, in broad daylight in a London street. ... Full Story | Top |
| Total boss may face trial over alleged Iran oil bribes Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:41 AM PDT By Muriel Boselli and Jonathan Stempel PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. and French legal authorities cracked down on Total on Wednesday with $398 million in fines and plans to bring the oil company and its boss to trial for alleged corrupt payments in Iran. Investigations into the affair by the U.S. financial regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) date back to 2003 and relate to oil and gas contracts awarded in the oil-rich Gulf country in the 1990s and early 2000s. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. finds unapproved genetically modified wheat in Oregon Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:40 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A strain of genetically engineered winter wheat that was never approved for U.S. sale or consumption was found sprouting on a farm in Oregon, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday. The wheat was developed years ago by biotechnology company Monsanto Co but never put into use in the face of worldwide opposition to genetically engineered wheat. The most recent field test of such wheat was in 2005. (Reporting by Charles Abbott, editing by Ros Krasny and Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| UN rights body condemns Syria at heated debate Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:38 AM PDT By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations urged Syria on Wednesday to cease heavy weapons attacks on civilians in the rebel-held town of Qusair, in a heated debate that underlined deep divisions among powers even as they seek to convene peace talks in the coming weeks. The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution brought by Qatar, Turkey and the United States, but Damascus and allies Russia and Iran warned that the condemnation could undermine peace efforts to resolve the two-year conflict. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition says peace talks must mean Assad exit Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:36 AM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition said on Wednesday it would only take part in planned international peace talks if a deadline was set for a settlement that forces President Bashar al-Assad to leave power. In its first official reaction to the Geneva conference being prepared by the United States and Russia, the opposition coalition adopted a declaration calling for "binding international guarantees" for any resolution of Syria's two-year-old conflict. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. calls on Hezbollah to pull fighters out of Syria Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:35 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department called on Lebanon's Hezbollah militia on Wednesday to withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately, saying their involvement on the side of President Bashar al-Assad signaled a dangerous broadening of the war. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned the declaration last weekend by the leader of the Lebanese guerrilla movement, Hasran Nasrallah. He confirmed his combatants were in Syria and vowed they would stay in the war "to the end of the road." "This is an unacceptable and extremely dangerous escalation. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK says informed U.N. chief of more Syria chemical attacks Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:34 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Britain has written to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about additional suspected chemical weapons attacks by Syrian government forces in March and April, British U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said on Wednesday. "We continue to inform the Secretary-General and Mr. Sellstrom of any information as, and when, we get it," he said, referring to the Swedish head of a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team, Ake Sellstrom. He declined to provide details, but a U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon parliament to vote on election delay amid violence Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:26 AM PDT By Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese politicians are expected to vote on Friday on a proposal to postpone a June parliamentary election until late next year because of deteriorating security and political deadlock, lawmakers said on Wednesday. Speaking after meeting parliament speaker Nabih Berri, they quoted him as saying conditions were not conducive for holding a vote in Lebanon, which has been rocked by violence fuelled by the civil war in neighboring Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
| Some IRS employees misuse travel credit cards : U.S. watchdog Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:22 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service must be tougher on employees who abuse government-paid travel cards, a watchdog said on Wednesday, the latest bad news for an agency reeling from a scandal over its scrutiny of Tea Party groups. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said that although delinquency rates are low, the tax agency should beef up the penalties against IRS workers who misuse individually billed travel cards. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy wounded in New Orleans shooting to celebrate birthday in style Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:18 AM PDT By Mark Guarino NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A 10-year-old boy who was wounded by gunfire at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans, the second time in a year he has been shot, is celebrating his 11th birthday in style this week with a limousine ride and a pool party courtesy of a luxury hotel. Ka'Nard Allen was one of 20 people hit by bullets during the shooting on May 12, police said. The impact of gun violence on the boy, who was also shot and wounded at his 10th birthday party, has prompted many in New Orleans to respond with help. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-High-risk Santa Fe derby to be played behind closed doors Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:17 AM PDT BUENOS AIRES, May 29 (Reuters) - Sunday's Santa Fe derby at relegated Union against Colon will be played behind closed doors after crowd violence at the bitter rivals' previous clash in November, the provincial government said on Wednesday. Argentina's soccer derbies, known as "clasicos", tend to be among the worst hit by violence between rival barras bravas (hooligan gangs) or clashes with police. "The measure has been taken after careful study of incidents caused by both sets of fans," the government said in a statement on its website (www.santafe.gov.ar). ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says it has no preconditions for peace talks Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:17 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's government has no preconditions for attending planned peace talks aimed at ending the country's two-year conflict, but is awaiting more details about the meeting, its foreign minister said on Wednesday. Walid al-Moualem, speaking from Damascus, told the Beirut-based television channel al-Mayadeen his government had yet to decide on the makeup of its delegation to take part in the proposed talks in Geneva. "We will go with good intentions, with hopes that we reach a (deal) ... we will go to Geneva with no preconditions," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. vice president warns Brazil not to lag behind on trade Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:12 AM PDT  By Paulo Prada RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden encouraged Brazil on Wednesday to open its economy further to keep up with free trade trends worldwide, at the start of a visit aimed at boosting business between the two largest economies in the Americas. Much of the future relationship with the United States will depend on whether Brazil, whose economy still remains relatively protected by high tariffs and other barriers, can make trade easier, Biden said in a speech to local authorities and business leaders at a wharf by Rio's port. Citing U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Despite north Lebanon truce, Alawite fighters keep finger on trigger Wednesday, May 29, 2013 11:06 AM PDT By Laila Bassam TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - The battle-scarred streets of this hilltop enclave have fallen quiet, but fighters say the shaky truce is a mere pause in a conflict that has just begun and which threatens all Lebanon. Jabal Mohsen, a minority Alawite district of the northern port city of Tripoli, has for decades been at the ready for sporadic clashes with the impoverished, majority Sunni Muslim Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood that sprawls beneath it. The latest violence, the heaviest in years, broke out about 10 days ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear investigation could be foiled by clean-up: diplomats Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:59 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog acknowledged on Wednesday it might not find anything if allowed access to an Iranian military facility, in an apparent reference to suspected clean-up work there, diplomats said. Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the comment during a closed-door briefing where he showed satellite imagery indicating Iran had now partly paved the site, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian commercial lending rises in first quarter: PayNet Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:50 AM PDT By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Commercial borrowing by small and medium-sized businesses in Canada climbed in the first quarter, driven by robust domestic and global demand, a PayNet survey showed on Wednesday. PayNet, which tracks commercial financing for millions of North American small and medium-sized businesses, said its Canadian Business Lending Index rose to 194, the highest level since it was created in 2005. The index rose 4 percent in the first quarter from the fourth quarter and was up 29 percent year-over-year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Human error led to U.S. Marines' death in mortar mishap: probe Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:48 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The failure of Marines to follow correct procedures during a live-fire exercise in March led to the mortar blast that killed seven Marines and wounded eight service members, according to findings of an investigation partly made public on Wednesday. The explosion at Hawthorn Army Depot in western Nevada was one of the deadliest military training accidents on U.S. soil in recent years. The Marines were killed when a 60-mm mortar round detonated "in the immediate vicinity of the mortar section's firing position," according to a Marines Corps statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans assail Eric Holder on leak testimony Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:39 AM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Republican lawmakers asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday to clarify testimony he gave Congress this month about his role in the targeting of journalists in a leak probe. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and colleague James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin sent a letter to Holder saying recent media reports "appear to be at odds with your sworn testimony. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House says no-fly zone for Syria remains on table Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:36 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that President Barack Obama has not ruled out the idea of a no-fly zone over Syria in response to the ongoing conflict there. "Every option available to the president remains on the table when it comes to our policy towards Syria. That of course includes the possibility of a no-fly zone," White House spokesman Jay Carney told a news briefing. (Reporting By Laura MacInnis; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Ghana transfixed as court case throws elections into doubt Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:32 AM PDT By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's Supreme Court must decide in the coming months whether or not to overturn December elections that handed the presidency to John Mahama, in a rare case of African judicial vigour that has transfixed the country. Proceedings in a packed courtroom, where opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo is challenging the outcome of the 2012 poll, are broadcast live on the radio and blare from cars and buses as the population of 25 million tunes in for the latest developments. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen appeals for funds for Guantanamo prisoners rehab center Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:23 AM PDT By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's human rights minister appealed to the United States and Gulf Arab countries to help fund a $20 million rehabilitation centre that Sanaa says will stop Yemenis released from Guantanamo Bay prison going back to militant activities. Washington halted the repatriation of Yemeni prisoners in 2010 after a man trained by al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen attempted to blow up a U.S.-bound plane in 2009 with a bomb concealed in his underwear. Last week U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition says peace talks must guarantee Assad's exit Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:21 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition coalition said on Wednesday it would only take part in a planned peace conference in Geneva if a deadline was set for an internationally-guaranteed settlement based on President Bashar al-Assad leaving power. In its first official reaction to the conference being prepared by the United States and Russia, the coalition voted to adopt a declaration seen by Reuters that said it was committed to the aim of removing Assad and his most senior officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Vincent and Bruno tie the knot, a first in France Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:20 AM PDT By Catherine Bremer MONTPELLIER, France (Reuters) - Two men married each other in the southern French city of Montpellier on Wednesday, in the first same-sex wedding in a country rocked by protests against and for the reform. Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau exchanged vows in the city hall before the mayor, relatives and friends as dozens of riot police stood guard outside to ensure the ceremony was not interrupted by protestors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rhode Island governor to switch from independent to Democrat: media Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:18 AM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Rhode Island's Independent Governor Lincoln Chafee plans to join the Democratic party, Politico.com reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources close to the governor. Chafee spokeswoman Christian Vareika contacted by Reuters had no immediate comment. The smallest U.S. state was hard hit by the financial crisis and has struggled to recover. As of April its unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, the 6th highest in the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council set to blacklist Syria's Nusra militants Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:15 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is set to blacklist Syria's Islamist al-Nusra Front on Friday as an alias of al Qaeda in Iraq, a move that will subject the group to sanctions including an arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze, diplomats said. It's unlikely members of the Security Council's al Qaeda sanctions committee will object to the proposal submitted by Britain and France, diplomats said on condition of anonymity. All 15-members of the sanctions committee must agree for Nusra to be listed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia hands suspended jail terms to 20 people over US embassy attack Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:11 AM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court sentenced 20 people to two-year suspended jail terms for involvement in a deadly attack on the U.S. embassy last year, their lawyer said on Wednesday. Four people were killed and dozens injured when police opened fire to quell hundreds of protesters who smashed windows, hurled petrol bombs and stones and started fires at the embassy in the capital Tunis last September. Islamist protesters had targeted the compound over a film made in the United States, which portrayed the Prophet Mohammad as a fool and a womaniser. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council boosts peacekeeping force in Abyei Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:11 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council approved on Wednesday an extra 1,126 troops for a U.N. peacekeeping force in the flashpoint Abyei region, claimed by Sudan and South Sudan and a base for several armed groups. The 15-member council extended for six months the mandate of the mission, known as UNISFA, and boosted to 5,326 the number of troops, provided by Ethiopia, in the province, prized for fertile land and oil reserves. "The presence of armed groups inside the Safe Demilitarised Zone remains a considerable security concern," U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| CNN veteran Larry King to host Kremlin-funded TV show Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:10 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - CNN veteran Larry King will host a new show on Kremlin-funded TV station Russia Today next month, RT said on Wednesday. The English-language station, beamed to 630 million viewers worldwide, said it would launch "Politics with Larry King" in June. The show will be produced by Ora TV, an online broadcaster founded by King and Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim last year, and recorded in RT America's Washington, DC, studio and Ora TV's Los Angeles studio. RT said it also signed a deal to air the online talk show "Larry King Now", which has been hosted by web broadcasters ... Full Story | Top |
| Attack on Red Cross in eastern Afghanistan kills one guard Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:52 AM PDT  By Hamid Shalizi and Rafiq Sherzad JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Insurgents attacked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, killing an Afghan guard in the second major assault on a humanitarian organization in less than a week. Seven staff members, believed to be the total number of foreign workers at the ICRC in Jalalabad, were rescued by Afghan police during the attack, which involved a suicide bomber and three gunmen, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| School database loses backers as parents balk over privacy Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:50 AM PDT By Stephanie Simon (Reuters) - A $100 million database set up to store extensive records on millions of public school students has stumbled badly since its launch this spring, with officials in several states backing away from the project amid protests from irate parents. The database, funded mostly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is intended to track students from kindergarten through high school by storing myriad data points: test scores, learning disabilities, discipline records - even teacher assessments of a child's character. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's president sends controversial NGO law to parliament Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:49 AM PDT  By Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi submitted to parliament on Wednesday a controversial bill regulating NGOs and human rights groups but said it did not impose restrictions on their activities. An earlier draft had drawn criticism from activists, Western governments and the United Nations human rights chief, who said it was more stifling than regulations under the deposed President Hosni Mubarak. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian army seizes strategic air base near Qusair: media Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:45 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad seized an air base in a village near the town of Qusair on Wednesday, in a major blow for rebels in their battle with government forces backed by Hezbollah fighters, state media said. Assad's troops and Hezbollah fighters already surround Qusair from three sides. Taking control of Dabaa village, to the north, would put the strategic town under siege from four sides and cut a main reinforcement line for the rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Plight of Syrian refugees stranded near Jordan border worsens Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:44 AM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Syrian refugees stranded near the closed border with Jordan, including mothers and babies, are running out of food and many need medical treatment, aid workers and refugees said on Wednesday. Jordan closed its northern border about 10 days ago after offering refuge to hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have fled violence since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011. Syrians trying to enter through unofficial border crossings have also been turned back. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights body condemns Syria and demands halt to Qusair attacks Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:32 AM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - The main United Nations human rights body condemned Syria and its use of foreign fighters on Wednesday and called for a halt to its attacks with missiles and other heavy weapons on civilians in the town of Qusair. The 47-member Geneva forum adopted a resolution brought by Qatar, Turkey and the United States with a vote of 36 states in favor, one (Venezuela) against and eight abstentions. Two delegations were absent for the vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. decries 'hostage-taking' in trade talks, sees hope on IT deal Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:25 AM PDT  By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - A global agreement to cut red tape in world trade, which could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars to the world economy, is being stymied by some countries' "hostage-taking", a top U.S. trade official said on Wednesday. Diplomats at the World Trade Organization have become increasingly pessimistic about striking a global trade deal at a meeting in December in the Indonesian resort of Bali, despite deliberately setting an unambitious target in hopes of reviving confidence in moribund global trade talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bank of Canada holds rate-hike bias, eyes on Poloz Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:18 AM PDT  By Louise Egan and Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada clung on Wednesday to its year-long message that its next move on interest rates would be a hike, staying the course in the final decision under outgoing Governor Mark Carney and leaving any change in stance to his successor. As expected, the central bank held the key policy rate at 1 percent, extending a nearly three-year freeze on rates, the longest since the 1950s. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yields on Kenya's 182-, 364-day T-bills fall at auction Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:07 AM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - The weighted average yield on Kenya's 364-day Treasury bills fell to 9.383 percent at an oversubscribed sale on Wednesday from 10.108 percent last week, the central bank said. At the same sale, the average yield on the 182-day Treasury bills also fell to 8.840 percent from 9.430 percent last week. The bank received bids worth a total 15.8 billion shillings for the 7 billion shillings worth of debt it had offered on the 364-day and 182-day Treasury bills. The bank accepted bids worth a total of 6.7 billion shillings. ... Full Story | Top |
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