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| Israel, Palestinians strive for peace deal within nine months Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:42 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Tuesday gave themselves about nine months to try to reach an agreement on ending their conflict of more than six decades in U.S.-brokered peace talks. The two sides held their first peace negotiations in nearly three years in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, a diplomatic victory for Secretary of State John Kerry, but one that foreign policy analysts believe has low chances of success. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait's ruler pardons people convicted of insulting him Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:39 PM PDT  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's ruler said on Tuesday he was pardoning all the people convicted of insulting him, after a year-long crackdown on politically sensitive comments about Gulf Arab state's leadership. Dozens of Kuwaitis have been charged with insulting Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, especially online, and those convicted for a variety of offences against the ruler have been sentenced to up to 11 years in jail. People charged have included political activists of both sexes, as well as prominent opposition politicians. Some have already been acquitted by the court of appeal. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU regulator intensifies scrutiny of Google search results Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:34 PM PDT  By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators sharpened their scrutiny of how Google ranks its web search results, asking rivals whether their lower rankings affected the number of visitors to their sites, a European Commission questionnaire showed. The two-page document seen by Reuters came after the EU competition authority demanded more concessions from the world's most popular search engine earlier this month to allay concerns that it blocks competitors in search results. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran bids for key position on U.N. disarmament committee Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:29 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran is campaigning for a key position on a U.N. General Assembly committee that deals with disarmament and international security amid strong criticism from Israel and others who accuse Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran is competing against Kuwait to be the rapporteur of the U.N. General Assembly's First Committee for its 68th session, which begins in October, U.N. diplomats said. The rapporteur reports on the proceedings of the 193-member committee. A spokesman for Iran's U.N. mission confirmed the country's bid on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Accused tipper to SAC hedge fund arrested in insider-trading probe Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:24 PM PDT  By Emily Flitter and Dan Levine (Reuters) - A securities analyst accused of leaking secret information in 2009 about a potential partnership between Yahoo and Microsoft to an SAC Capital Advisors hedge fund manager and other traders was arrested and charged in California, prosecutors said on Tuesday. Sandeep Aggarwal, who worked as an analyst covering technology stocks before moving to India to start his own internet company, was arrested on Monday by FBI agents in San Jose while visiting the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge OKs trial for former Penn State officials in Sandusky scandal Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:13 PM PDT  HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - There is enough evidence to try former Penn State officials, including ex-president Graham Spanier, for covering up the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, a judge ruled on Tuesday. After a two-day hearing, Judge Harrisburg District Judge William Wenner ruled that a criminal trial can be held for Spanier, 65, former athletic director Tim Curley, 59, and former senior vice president Gary Schultz, 63. Sandusky, 69, a former assistant football coach, was convicted in June 2012 of 45 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 boys. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-prime minister Keita holds wide lead in Mali vote Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  By David Lewis and Adama Diarra BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita holds a comfortable lead and could win an outright first-round victory in the West African nation's high-stakes presidential election, the minister of territorial administration said on Tuesday. The announcement of partial results will likely fuel tensions between Keita's supporters and his rivals, who say they will challenge the results if there is no second round. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's top court hears crucial Berlusconi appeal Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:59 AM PDT  By Roberto Landucci and Barry Moody ROME (Reuters) - Italy's supreme court on Tuesday began hearing Silvio Berlusconi's last appeal against a jail sentence and ban from public office in a case which could endanger the country's shaky coalition government if the conviction is confirmed. On the first day of the hearing, public prosecutor Antonello Mura rejected most of Berlusconi's arguments that a lower appeal court verdict convicting him of tax fraud was flawed, but requested a reduction of his ban from public office to three years from five on technical legal grounds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spanish train driver was on the phone at time of crash Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:44 AM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - The driver of the train that derailed in northwestern Spain last week, killing 79 people, was talking on the phone with state train operator Renfe at the time of the accident, a court said on Tuesday after analyzing the train's data recording devices. The initial reading of the so-called black boxes said driver Francisco Garzon received a call from Renfe minutes before the accident to discuss the path to Ferrol, the final destination for the high-speed train that departed from Madrid on Wednesday with 218 passengers aboard. ... Full Story | Top |
| New EPA chief takes on critics of U.S. agency's policies Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:38 AM PDT By Richard Valdmanis and Valerie Volcovici CAMBRIDGE, Mass./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Delivering her first speech as the top U.S. environmental steward, Gina McCarthy on Tuesday pre-empted a frequent mantra of the agency's critics - that the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations disrupt the economy and cost jobs. The benefits derived from rules to address climate change and protect the environment far outweigh their costs, McCarthy said. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 18 as EPA administrator. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gazan in Israeli custody was abducted in Egypt, Palestinians say Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:36 AM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank released a report on Tuesday quoting a Palestinian held by Israel as saying he had been snatched while visiting Egypt's Sinai region last month. The report by the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners could embarrass Israel and the Egyptian government, which is struggling to impose order in the lawless Sinai desert. ... Full Story | Top |
| North African instability a concern for NATO: military chief Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:32 AM PDT  MONS, Belgium (Reuters) - Instability in north Africa is a concern for NATO which is keeping a close eye on events in Egypt and its neighbors, NATO's top military commander said on Tuesday. Egypt, a large recipient of U.S. military aid, has been torn by violence and political upheaval since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi this month. Tunisia's moderate Islamist government is resisting opposition calls to quit and violence is on the increase in Libya. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to propose 'grand bargain' Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:28 AM PDT By Steve Holland CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (Reuters) - President Barack Obama proposed a "grand bargain for middle-class jobs" on Tuesday that would cut the U.S. corporate tax rate and use billions of dollars in revenues generated by a business tax overhaul to fund projects aimed at creating jobs. His goal, as outlined in a speech at an Amazon.com Inc facility in southeast Tennessee, is to break through congressional gridlock by trying to find a formula that satisfies both Republicans and Democrats. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO commander hopes for post-2014 Afghan plan by late this year Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:27 AM PDT  By Adrian Croft MONS, Belgium (Reuters) - NATO hopes to deliver a detailed operations plan for its smaller post-2014 mission in Afghanistan, including numbers of soldiers involved, by late this year, NATO's new top military commander said on Tuesday. NATO plans to keep a slimmed-down training and advisory mission in Afghanistan after 2014, when most foreign combat troops will have left after handing over responsibilities for fighting Taliban insurgents to Afghan security forces. The United States and other NATO allies have been slow to provide detailed numbers of troops for the post-2014 ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy prosecutor asks top court to reduce Berlusconi ban Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:21 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - An Italian public prosecutor on Tuesday asked the country's top court to reduce former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ban from public office for tax fraud to 3 years from 5, but to confirm a one year prison term. The supreme court is hearing Berlusconi's last appeal in a case which could threaten the survival of Italy's shaky coalition government if his conviction is confirmed. Berlusconi was sentenced to four years in jail by the lower court but this has been reduced to one year under a 2006 amnesty. ... Full Story | Top |
| Serbian PM moves to oust finance minister, risking election Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:18 AM PDT  By Maja Zuvela BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic moved to oust his finance minister on Tuesday, rattling the year-old coalition and risking a snap election that would almost certainly delay talks on joining the European Union. Dacic told a news conference he had proposed to his coalition partners that the government move on "without (Mladjan) Dinkic and his URS (United Regions of Serbia) party." The biggest party in the coalition, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), said it would respond to the proposal on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU Commission clears way for Bayer acne pill sales in France Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:11 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday that the Bayer acne pill Diane 35 was safe for use, a seal of approval which will oblige France to allow sales of the product. France is the only European Union country where sales of the treatment were suspended earlier this year after four deaths over the past 25 years were linked to its use. "The product is entitled to be sold on the market in France," Frederic Vincent, the Commission's spokesman for health affairs, said commenting on the EU executive's decision to approve the drug. ... Full Story | Top |
| Union, rather than army, may be Tunisia opposition's decisive ally Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:09 AM PDT  By Erika Solomon and Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - More than any threat of military force, the power of Tunisia's main trade union may be what pushes the Islamist-led government to accept opposition demands for it to quit. Inspired by the army-backed removal of Egypt's Islamist president, the secular opposition in Tunisia has taken to the streets to demand a new government. Thousands of its supporters have been joined by ordinary Tunisians fed up with rising instability and economic stagnation. All this had seemed to leave the ruling Ennahda party unmoved - until Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guantanamo prisoners clamor for 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:08 AM PDT  (Reuters) - The "Fifty Shades of Grey" series of erotic novels are the favorite reading material among "high-value" prisoners at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba, a U.S. congressman said. Representative Jim Moran of Virginia was among congressional delegates who last week toured Camp 7, the top-security facility that holds more than a dozen "high-value" prisoners, including five men charged with plotting the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. "Rather than the Koran, the book that is requested most by the (Camp 7 detainees) is 'Fifty Shades of Grey. ... Full Story | Top |
| EADS board discusses reorganization, rebranding plans Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:05 AM PDT  By Tim Hepher and Cyril Altmeyer PARIS (Reuters) - The board of EADS gathered on Tuesday to vote on a reorganization that will see the European aerospace group adopt the name of its main Airbus subsidiary, industry sources said. By retrenching to three units instead of four, the restyled "Airbus Group" aims to sharpen efforts to double its margins by mid-decade to catch up with rival Boeing and get a lift from one of Europe's best known brands. ... Full Story | Top |
| Private Manning acquitted of aiding enemy in WikiLeaks case Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:04 AM PDT  By Medina Roshan FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A military judge on Tuesday found U.S. soldier Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy - the most serious charge among many he faced for handing over documents to WikiLeaks. But Col. Denise Lind, in her verdict, found Army Private First Class Manning, 25, guilty of 19 of the other 20 criminal counts in the biggest breach of classified information in the nation's history. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan forces to need help long after NATO mission ends: Pentagon Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:02 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite their growing effectiveness, Afghan forces will need support from the United States and its allies even after the NATO combat mission ends next year, according to a new Pentagon report that implicitly warns against a "zero-option" of total withdrawal. U.S. officials have said the United States could potentially pull out all of its troops from Afghanistan next year, amid tensions between President Barack Obama's administration and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pfizer settles U.S. marketing case dating to Wyeth conduct Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:00 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc will pay $490.9 million to resolve accusations of illegal marketing of the drug Rapamune dating to Pfizer's 2009 acquisition of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. Wyeth trained its national Rapamune sales force to promote the use of the drug in situations not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the department said in a statement. (Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| Portugal PM wins confidence vote, vows to meet bailout goals Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 11:00 AM PDT  By Andrei Khalip and Daniel Alvarenga LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's prime minister ruled out any backtracking on its bailout terms on Tuesday as his revamped government easily won a confidence vote intended to show it has repaired an internal rift over austerity. Speaking to parliament before the symbolic vote, Pedro Passos Coelho also said the economy was giving signs of nearing a turnaround after a long, deep recession, showing the country was taking the right path out of its debt crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bloomberg's ban on big sodas is unconstitutional: appeals court Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:58 AM PDT  By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial plan to keep large sugary drinks out of restaurants and other eateries was rejected by a state appeals court on Tuesday, which said he had overstepped his authority in trying to impose the ban. The law, which would have prohibited those businesses from selling sodas and other sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces (473 ml), "violated the state principle of separation of powers," the First Department of the state Supreme Court's Appellate Division said. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Boxing' Mugabe lays down the gloves on Zimbabwe election eve Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:57 AM PDT  By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - Setting aside weeks of campaign trail acrimony, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe buried the hatchet with political rival Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday, the eve of a hotly contested election that remains too close to call. Flanked by his defense minister and two stuffed lions in the colonial grandeur of State House in Harare, the 89-year-old leader likened the run-up to the July 31 vote to a boxing bout that ends in a handshake, not bloodshed. "I've got my fair share of criticisms and also dealt back rights and lefts and upper cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ben & Jerry's, porn producer settle lawsuit over DVD titles Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:45 AM PDT By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A southern California pornography studio has reached an agreement with Ben & Jerry's not to release DVDs and other X-rated products whose names pay homage to the company's ice cream flavors. The agreement made public on Tuesday resolves a trademark infringement lawsuit that Ben & Jerry's filed last September against Caballero Video, also known as Rodax Distributors Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Miami gunman downloaded computer files on explosives, sex Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:45 AM PDT  By Kevin Gray MIAMI (Reuters) - A gunman who went on a shooting rampage in an apartment building had been forced to resign from his job at a Miami college after authorities found he downloaded files with links to bomb making, counterfeiting and killing with bare hands, according to documents released by the school on Tuesday. Pedro Alberto Vargas, 42, set his apartment on fire, shot and killed six neighbors, and took 2 others hostage in the worst Miami area shootings in three decades. ... Full Story | Top |
| Security headaches dampen investor enthusiasm in Libya Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:36 AM PDT  By Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The men, some of them armed, arrived at the gates of the Al Hani General Construction Company compound on the outskirts of the Libyan capital and forced their way into the site. The 30 former employees charged towards the company's offices, where they demanded wages and other payments they said were due from the North African country's 2011 war, when many firms stopped work. They threatened two senior employees with a pistol. They kidnapped one of them before freeing him several hours later. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish troops use teargas to stop smugglers entering from Syria Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:25 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish soldiers shot into the air and fired teargas this week to prevent hundreds of people described by the military as smugglers from trying to cross into Turkey from Syria. In two separate incidents on Monday and Tuesday, groups of up to 2,000 people have approached the border with the "attempt to engage in smuggling", the army said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia's FARC wants leftist involved in freeing U.S. captive Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:23 AM PDT  By Helen Murphy and Nelson Acosta BOGOTA/HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels said on Tuesday they are waiting for the government to allow a leftist politician to be involved in coordinating the release of a former U.S. marine kidnapped last month before setting him free. President Juan Manuel Santos has refused to allow Piedad Cordoba, a former senator specifically requested by the FARC, to be involved in the release of American Kevin Scott Sutay, who was seized as he trekked across dangerous jungle in eastern Colombia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Virginia governor to return all gifts to campaign donor Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:21 AM PDT  By Gary Robertson RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said Tuesday he would return all gifts he received from Star Scientific Inc Chief Executive Jonnie Williams in response to a gift-giving scandal that has engulfed the last year of his administration. He made the comments in a radio interview with Washington station WTOP. Last week McDonnell, a Republican, said he had repaid $120,000 in loans from Williams, a major campaign donor. He also apologized for the embarrassment the gifts and loans to him and his family had caused Virginia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Obama Chief of Staff officially runs for Illinois governor Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:11 AM PDT  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, the son and brother of former mayors of Chicago, formally announced on Tuesday he is running for governor of Illinois in 2014. Daley had said on June 11 he was exploring a bid. "I'm committed to running for governor, there is no exploratory piece of this anymore," Daley said in a video posted by his campaign on Tuesday. The announcement sets the stage for a fight for the Democratic nomination for governor between Daley and Governor Pat Quinn. ... Full Story | Top |
| Harry Byrd Jr., oldest former U.S. senator, dies at 98 Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:07 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The oldest former U.S. senator, Harry Byrd Jr., whose family had deep ties to newspaper publishing in his home state of Virginia, died on Tuesday at age 98. Byrd died at his home in Winchester, according to an obituary in the Winchester Star newspaper, which is now run by his son. Byrd, a conservative Democrat who entered Congress in 1965 to fill the Senate seat his father had held for more than three decades, later won re-election as an independent after breaking with the Democratic Party. He retired from Congress in 1983. ... Full Story | Top |
| Quartet urges Israelis, Palestinians to avoid undermining talks Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 10:05 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators urged Israelis and Palestinians on Tuesday to avoid actions that undermine new peace negotiations. Senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held their first talks this week since 2010. "The Quartet ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia's biggest union tells Islamist-led government to quit Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 09:59 AM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's largest labor union called on Tuesday for the dissolution of the Islamist-led government and the interior minister offered to resign as a political crisis deepened. Softening its rejection of demands for the government's departure, the Islamist Ennahda party said it was ready for a new government, but opposed any move to disband an elected body that has almost completed work on a new draft constitution. "We are open to all proposals to reach an agreement, including a salvation or unity government," Ennahda official Ameur Larayedh told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda dismisses U.S. charges it backs Congo rebels Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 09:56 AM PDT By Richard Lough and Edmund Blair NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rwanda dismissed on Tuesday U.S. charges that it was supporting M23 rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and said leveling accusations would not help pacify the region. Western donors halted some aid to Rwanda last year after U.N. experts said Kigali was backing rebels in eastern Congo, a region racked by fighting since the 1990s that has in part been fuelled by a struggle to control rich mineral deposits there. In a report last month, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to investigate Afghan's accusations troops murdered civilians Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 09:55 AM PDT  By Dylan Welch and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S. Army has launched an investigation into claims that its special forces abducted and killed Afghan civilians, allegations Washington has denied, a NATO spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The spokeswoman, U.S. Colonel Jane Crichton, said the commander of ISAF, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, U.S. General Joseph Dunford, had ordered the investigation after an Afghan translator accused the U.S. soldiers had worked with. Accusations of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Home prices rise in May, though pace slows Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 09:54 AM PDT  By Leah Schnurr NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. home prices rose in May, suggesting the housing market recovery pushed ahead during the spring buying season, though the pace of gains slowed in what analysts said could be a sign of things to come. Home prices gained 1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas. That was shy of economists' forecast for a 1.5 percent increase and marked a slower pace than April's 1.7 percent rise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Peugeot bailout gets EU green light Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013 09:52 AM PDT  By Laurence Frost and Foo Yun Chee PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - PSA Peugeot Citroen won EU approval for a 7 billion euro ($9.28 billion) state-backed debt rescue, keeping the French automaker afloat as it struggles to rein in losses. The European Commission said it had approved the financing aid, granted last year, on condition that Peugeot keeps debt in check and pays a higher rate as its financing business improves. "This is a balanced result which offers the PSA group the chance to make a new start on a sound basis," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
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