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| Poll: Majority of U.S. primary dealers see Fed slowing bond buying in Sept Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:57 PM PDT  By Chris Reese NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is likely to begin shrinking the size of its debt purchase program, intended to prop up economic growth and support the labor market, by September of this year, according to the majority of economists at large Wall Street firms. Economists at Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan specifically cited the government's announcement earlier on Friday of stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs growth for June as a factor in bringing forward their expected timing of the Fed slowing. Goldman and J.P. Morgan are two of 21 U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition suffers setbacks on ground, in Egypt Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:49 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state forces backed by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah hammered the central city of Homs on Friday, activists said, sparking concern from United Nations officials over thousands of civilians trapped in the city. President Bashar al-Assad's forces have been using heavy air raids and artillery strikes to push their offensive around the capital and the strategically located Homs, which spans central Syria's eastern and western international borders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wisconsin governor signs into law new abortion restrictions Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:48 PM PDT  MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Friday signed into law new abortion restrictions that opponents said could lead to the closing of two of the state's four abortion clinics. Walker's office said in an emailed statement that he signed the law requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before they get an abortion. It also requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five Egyptian police killed in attacks in Sinai town -sources Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:37 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Five Egyptian police officers were gunned down in separate incidents on Friday in the North Sinai town of El Arish, medical sources said, after Islamist gunmen killed a soldier in a separate attack in a nearby town overnight. The police officers were shot by gunmen while they were guarding a government building, a checkpoint on the southern outskirts of the town, and the hospital, the sources said. It was not clear whether the attacks were coordinated and in reaction to the army's overthrow of elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers for George Zimmerman ask Florida judge for acquittal Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:33 PM PDT  SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Lawyers for George Zimmerman asked a judge on Friday to consider acquitting the former neighborhood watch volunteer of second-degree murder charges in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, arguing the state failed to meet its burden of proof. The motion came as prosecutors prepared to rest their case in Seminole County court after nine days of witness testimony aimed at undermining Zimmerman's claim that he shot and killed Martin in self-defense. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three shot dead in Cairo, Islamist protests spread Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:29 PM PDT  By Tom Perry and Alexander Dziadosz CAIRO (Reuters) - At least three protesters were shot dead on Friday outside the Republican Guard barracks in Cairo where deposed President Mohamed Mursi is being held, security sources said, as angry Islamist supporters confronted troops across Egypt. As darkness fell, thousands of pro- and anti-Mursi demonstrators gathered in parts of Cairo. Soldiers and special forces backed by armored personnel carriers attempted to keep small groups from the two factions apart. ... Full Story | Top |
| FCC gives official nod to deals by SoftBank, Sprint, Clearwire Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:23 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Friday announced its official approval of two related deals by Sprint Nextel Corp, SoftBank Corp and Clearwire Corp. The regulatory approval was the last hurdle for SoftBank's $21.6 billion bid to buy 78 percent of Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. wireless provider. Sprint's bid to buy out the portion of wireless company Clearwire that it doesn't already own faces a vote by minority shareholders on July 8. "Today is a good day for all Americans who use mobile broadband services," FCC's Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senior Egypt cleric demands politicians' release Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:18 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The head of Egypt's leading Islamic institution demanded the release of political prisoners on Friday after the arrests of several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood following the army's overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Ahmed al-Tayeb, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, also called for the release of "prisoners of conscience" and political activists, the state news agency MENA said. The agency later said two senior Brotherhood leaders, Saad El-Katatni and Rashad al-Bayoumi, had been ordered freed by the prosecutor, pending investigation on allegations of inciting ... Full Story | Top |
| Iceland parliament declines Snowden's citizenship bid Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:14 PM PDT  By Robert Robertsson REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - A bid by Edward Snowden for Icelandic citizenship failed when the country's parliament voted not to debate it before the summer recess, lawmakers said on Friday, with options for the U.S. fugitive narrowing by the day. The vote leaves Snowden - believed to be staying in a transit area at a Moscow airport - with one option fewer as he seeks a country to shelter him from U.S. espionage charges. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian hardline Islamist presidential candidate arrested Friday, Jul 05, 2013 12:08 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian hardline Islamist presidential candidate was arrested on Friday and accused of inciting violence as thousands of Islamists marched across Cairo to protest against the ouster of deposed President Mohamed Mursi, security sources said. Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail was arrested at his home, the sources said, but no other details were immediately available. Abu Ismail was disqualified from the presidential race that brought Mursi to power in June 2012 after reports that his late mother had held a U.S. passport. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting in central Cairo, amid protests Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:54 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Fighting broke out in central Cairo on Friday evening between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed, witnesses said. A group of Islamist supporters of Mursi gathered outside the national broadcasting headquarters on the banks of the Nile, about a kilometer (half a mile) from Tahrir Square, where Mursi's liberal opponents have set up camp. Television images showed groups of youths running. Some threw fireworks which landed among groups of rival protesters. (Reporting by Patrick Werr, Amr Abdallah Dalsh and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mike Collett-White) Full Story | Top |
| Mali army back in Tuareg rebel town Kidal under peace pact Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:49 AM PDT BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's army re-entered the Tuareg separatist rebel stronghold of Kidal on Friday, touching off protests by some residents, after a peace agreement was reached between the government and insurgents last month. Inhabitants of the remote northern desert town said some 200 Malian soldiers aboard 20 pick-up trucks arrived at Kidal's military camp. Supporters of the MNLA rebels gathered to protest outside the base, where scuffles broke out with locals who supported the return of Malian troops, residents said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Governments to target tech giants' tax avoidance: draft Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:45 AM PDT  By Gernot Heller and Tom Bergin BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) - Western governments are set to target a range of tax loopholes used by technology giants including Apple, Amazon as part of an international drive to tackle corporate tax avoidance, a draft action plan seen by Reuters said. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which advises its mainly rich nation members on economic and tax policies, has been charged by the G20 group of countries with formulating measures to stop big companies shifting profits into tax havens. ... Full Story | Top |
| Column: Who will get credit for Britain's economic turnaround? Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:41 AM PDT  By Anatole Kaletsky (Reuters) - Mark Carney, the former head of the Bank of Canada who has just taken over as governor of the Bank of England, presided Thursday over his first monthly meeting of Britain's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The meeting produced no change in monetary policy, yet Carney is already being hailed as Britain's economic savior. The BBC even paid him the greatest compliment that any middle-aged white male could wish for, when it compared his appearance and hairstyle to George Clooney's. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian PM sacks ally of oil boss Sechin Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:28 AM PDT  By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday sacked a senior resources official, believed to be a close ally of Igor Sechin, the boss of state oil firm Rosneft, in a move analysts said was a sign of growing confrontation between the two men. In an order published on Friday Medvedev dismissed Alexander Popov, the head of Rosnedra, an agency responsible for granting licenses to develop natural resources. Popov was an aide to Sechin when Sechin oversaw Russia's energy sector as deputy prime minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| Petronas seeks export permit for Canadian LNG project Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:26 AM PDT  CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The Canadian unit of Malaysia's Petronas said on Friday it has asked regulators for a license to export nearly 20 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year from a C$11 billion ($10.4 billion) export facility it plans to build at the north end of British Columbia's Pacific Coast. The company has applied to Canada's National Energy Board for the license, which would begin in 2019 and run for 25 years. Petronas, which last year bought Canada's Progress Energy Resources Corp in a controversial C$5. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senior Egypt Brotherhood leaders ordered freed: MENA Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:11 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's public prosecutor ordered the released on Friday of two leading figures in the Muslim Brotherhood who were arrested following the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, the state news agency MENA said. The two were Saad El-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's political wing and former speaker of parliament, and Rashad al-Bayoumi, one of the Brotherhood's deputy leaders. Both were arrested on Thursday. They remain under investigation for inciting violence. (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
| The case against Zimmerman: Far from clear, undercut by blunder Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:10 AM PDT  By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) - As the prosecution winds up its case against George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin, the accused murderer has been called a truth-teller by the chief detective on the case and allowed to present his story without cross-examination. While some experts have credited prosecutors with building the best case possible out of sometimes murky evidence, they generally see the case as falling short of proving second-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt. ... Full Story | Top |
| Trayvon Martin's mother says she's certain her son cried for help Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:04 AM PDT SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Trayvon Martin's mother said in court on Friday she recognized the voice of her son screaming for help in an emergency call on the night the black Florida teenager was shot dead by neighborhood watchman George Zimmermann. Sybrina Fulton's testimony came as the state was preparing to wrap up its murder case against Zimmerman after nearly two weeks of testimony. The prosecution has sought to expose inconsistencies in his account of the fight in Sanford, Florida, in February last year that ended with Martin's death. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top U.S. military officer calls Egyptian counterpart Friday, Jul 05, 2013 11:03 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, spoke with his Egyptian counterpart on Thursday, a spokesman said on Friday, in a demonstration of continued relations with Egypt's military following the ouster of President Mohamed Mursi. No further details were provided about Dempsey's conversation with Lieutenant General Sedki Sobhi, chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces. A spokesman said Dempsey had also spoken with Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, on Thursday and Friday. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: EU to fine Yazaki, Leoni, two other car parts makers - sources Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:59 AM PDT By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will next week penalize four car parts makers including Yazaki and Leoni for taking part in a cartel, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday, as part of a crackdown on price-fixing in the sector. The sources said Yazaki subsidiary S-Y Systems Technologies Europe GmbH will also be fined, along with Furukawa Electric Co . Yazaki is the world's No. 1 maker of so-called wire harnessing systems, which power up the electronic components linking the vehicle's computers to various functions. World No. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defense to take center stage in U.S. WikiLeaks court-martial Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:49 AM PDT  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For weeks, Private First Class Bradley Manning has been portrayed as an arrogant loner and a traitor who damaged U.S. security and put countless lives at risk by providing hundreds of thousands of secret files to WikiLeaks. Now, as his lawyers prepare to kick off their case, they will seek to convince the judge deciding the trial that Manning has been miscast by prosecutors. They are likely to argue, said legal experts, that he is a naive, well-intentioned 25-year-old who wanted to alert Americans to the reality of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Moody's places UK bank RBS's debt ratings under review Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:45 AM PDT  By Matt Scuffham LONDON (Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's has placed Royal Bank of Scotland's credit ratings on review for downgrade after Britain's finance ministry said it was considering breaking up the bank. The government, which holds an 81 percent stake, has appointed Rothschild to examine whether to transfer RBS's remaining toxic loans into a so-called 'bad bank' leaving the 'good bank' better placed to lend. Moody's said on Friday its decision was in response to the uncertainty for bondholders that resulted from the government's move. ... Full Story | Top |
| Special Report: Mursi's downfall Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:42 AM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Paul Taylor CAIRO (Reuters) - For Egypt's military chiefs, the final spur to rebellion came on June 26. That day top generals met Mohamed Mursi, the country's first democratically elected president, and spoke bluntly, telling the Islamist leader what he should say in a major speech he planned as protests against him intensified around the country. "We told him it has to be short, respond to opposition demands to form a coalition government, amend the constitution and set a timeframe for the two actions," an officer present in the room told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Blatter heads to Palestine for talks travel restrictions Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:33 AM PDT BERNE, July 5 (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter will head for the Middle East on Saturday to try to end Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian soccer players. Blatter said in an interview on FIFA's website (fifa.com) that he would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and then visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what he said would be the "most delicate" part of his mission. He will also meet the heads of the respective football federations, as well as visiting football development projects in both countries and a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's shadow hangs over Syrian opposition Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:30 AM PDT By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition hit deadlock on Friday in talks to elect a new leader, as the toppling of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood dealt a blow to its most influential faction. The stalemate is preventing the main players in the Syrian National Coalition from reaching a deal acceptable to their Saudi and Qatari backers, who want to strengthen the opposition to counter an onslaught by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria's civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hundreds of Mursi supporters march to Cairo TV center Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:29 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Hundreds of Islamist supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi marched to the national broadcasting center on the banks of the Nile in central Cairo as night fell on Friday. Witnesses said they crossed a Nile bridge close to Tahrir Square, the site of an encampment of Mursi's opponents. Troops with armored vehicles were stationed nearby. The army has said it intends to keep rival factions apart. The Islamist supporters turned away from Tahrir Square after they crossed the bridge and were congregated outside the television headquarters, known as Maspero. ... Full Story | Top |
| Appeals court rules California healthcare limits invalid Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:19 AM PDT By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ruled invalid a California law that eliminated coverage of some healthcare services for the poor, including adult dental, podiatry, optometry and chiropractic care. The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the federal Medicaid program for the poor prohibits the changes imposed by the California law. The decision could have budgetary implications for the nation's most populous state. A spokesman for Governor Jerry Brown had no immediate comment on the ruling. ... Full Story | Top |
| BMPS foundation supports legal action against banks, ex-managers Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:15 AM PDT  MILAN (Reuters) - The controlling shareholder of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena said Friday it wants to ask for damages against the lender's former managers and two foreign banks over loss-making derivative trades that brought it close to collapse. The bank has already started legal proceedings. It is seeking 1.2 billion euros in damages from two former executives and investment banks Nomura and Deutsche Bank over two 2008-09 trades it says were designed to conceal losses. The foundation that controls the lender said it supports the bank's decision to start legal proceedings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Swiss court allows Credit Suisse to hand client data to U.S. Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:13 AM PDT  ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's top court has ruled that the government can transfer the bank records of an American client of Credit Suisse to the U.S. tax authorities, giving a boost to the country's efforts to end U.S. investigations of Swiss banks. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court said in a statement on Friday it had rejected an appeal against a lower court's decision, ruling that requests for such assistance were admissible in cases of suspected tax fraud. The ruling comes as the Swiss government is trying to seal a deal to end U.S. investigations into the country's banks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brightening jobs picture may draw Fed closer to tapering Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:02 AM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Job growth was stronger than expected in June and the employment count for the prior two months was revised higher, cementing expectations for the Federal Reserve to start winding down its massive stimulus program as early as September. Employers added 195,000 new jobs to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.6 percent as more people entered the workforce. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt Brotherhood leader pledges 'lives' to restore Mursi Friday, Jul 05, 2013 10:00 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, told a protest rally on Friday that Mohamed Mursi must be reinstated as president following his removal by the army - "otherwise it's our lives". (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
| Two Egyptian police killed in Sinai town: sources Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:55 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Two Egyptian police officers were shot dead on Friday by unknown gunmen in the Sinai town of El-Arish in front of a government building, medical sources said, the latest of a string of security incidents in the lawless region. The police officers were guarding the building when the gunmen shot at them, the sources said. Islamist gunmen attacked armed forces guarding the El-Arish airport early on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain wants EU ministers to break Hezbollah deadlock Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:54 AM PDT  By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain has asked European Union foreign ministers to discuss putting Hezbollah's armed wing on the EU terror list amid signs that opposition to the move is weakening, diplomats said on Friday. A British drive to blacklist the militant Lebanese movement's armed wing was discussed twice by a special EU group last month, but British diplomats failed to win over a number of skeptical governments which fear the step would fuel instability in the Middle East. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Prince Harry qualifies as Apache Commander Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:47 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry has qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander after passing a grueling six-hour flying assessment with "flying colors", the Ministry of Defence said on Friday. Queen Elizabeth's grandson, known in the military as Captain Wales, spent three years training for the qualification, which places him at the very top of his profession, his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Tom de la Rue said. "This was a tremendous achievement for Captain Wales who passed with 'flying colors'," de la Rue said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Prince Harry qualifies as Apache Commander Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:47 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry has qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander after passing a gruelling six-hour flying assessment with "flying colours", the Ministry of Defence said on Friday. Queen Elizabeth's grandson, known in the military as Captain Wales, spent three years training for the qualification, which places him at the very top of his profession, his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Tom de la Rue said. "This was a tremendous achievement for Captain Wales who passed with 'flying colours'," de la Rue said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt Brotherhood leader demands Mursi reinstated Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:43 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, told a protest rally on Friday that he was ready to reach an understanding with the armed forces - but only after the movement's Mohamed Mursi was reinstated as president. As a military helicopter hovered low over the crowd, Badie called on the army not to fire on its own people and said that demonstrations were stronger than tanks. "Our bear chests are stronger than bullets," he said. He had earlier called for mass rallies to continue until the Brotherhood could carry Mursi "on our shoulders". ... Full Story | Top |
| French honorary consul in Benghazi survives gun attack Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:38 AM PDT BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - France's honorary consul in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi survived a gun attack on his car unharmed, officials said on Friday, in the latest assault on foreigners in the cradle of the North African country's 2011 revolt. The attack happened late on Thursday when Jean Dufriche was on his way back to his residence with his wife. "The consul was driving home when a car drove up and started shooting at their car," said Mohammed al-Hijazy, spokesman of the security operations room in Benghazi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Daimler says France blocking some new registrations Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:37 AM PDT  STUTTGART (Reuters) - France has blocked the registration of some new Daimler Mercedes cars which an EU source said was because of a controversial air conditioning coolant. French authorities have refused to register Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and SL cars assembled since June 12, even though German authorities have approved them, a Daimler spokesman said. Usually the approval in France follows on automatically from the German approval. "We have no explanation for why the registration in France was not yet accepted," the spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt Brotherhood leader Badie appears at protest rally Friday, Jul 05, 2013 09:25 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, appeared before Islamist supporters at a rally in Cairo on Friday which was called to protest at the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi, a member of the movement. Security sources said Badie had been arrested on Thursday. (The story was refiled to add name of the leader in body of text) (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
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