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| Dell postpones meeting on buyout as more votes needed Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:09 AM PDT  By Nadia Damouni and Anna Driver NEW YORK/ROUND ROCK, Texas (Reuters) - Dell Inc postponed a shareholder vote on its chief executive's $24.4 billion buyout offer to Wednesday after failing to get enough support to seal the deal, despite winning over several large investors at the eleventh hour. The adjournment of the meeting on Thursday, called minutes after shareholders gathered at Dell's headquarters in Texas to decide on what could be the largest buyout since the financial crisis, buys time for co-founder and CEO Michael Dell to persuade naysayers to switch sides. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia jails top opposition leader; Putin denounced as dictator Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  By Gabriela Baczynska KIROV, Russia (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in jail for theft on Thursday, an unexpectedly tough punishment which supporters said proved President Vladimir Putin was a dictator ruling by repression. Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner who led the biggest protests against Putin since he took power in 2000, hugged his wife Yulia and his mother, shook his father's hand and then passed them his watch before being led away in handcuffs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Determined Mursi supporters plan rallies across Egypt Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:02 PM PDT  By Noah Browning and Crispian Balmer CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for mass protests on Friday in its campaign to reverse the army's overthrow of the elected Islamist president, but it also gave a first sign of willingness to negotiate with its opponents. The rallies aim to show Mohamed Mursi's supporters are not ready to accept the new military-backed government. However, a Brotherhood official also told Reuters on Thursday that the movement had proposed a framework for talks mediated by the EU. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dreamliner fire probe focuses on beacon, Boeing shares rise Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:49 AM PDT  By Rhys Jones LONDON (Reuters) - British regulators investigating the fire on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner identified the plane's emergency locator beacon as a likely source of the blaze and said on Thursday it should be switched off, spurring a rally in shares from relieved investors. Boeing said the beacon could be removed in about an hour from its newest model plane, which was grounded for more than three months earlier this year due to a battery issue that regulators said was unrelated to the fire on an Ethiopian Airlines jet in London a week ago. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portugal government beats no-confidence vote, crisis talks go on Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  By Andrei Khalip and Shrikesh Laxmidas LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's center-right ruling coalition easily defeated a motion of no confidence in parliament on Thursday, demonstrating restored unity after an internal rift earlier this month set off a political crisis. The crisis is far from over as emergency talks continue between the three main parties in an effort to reach a broad agreement to keep an EU/IMF bailout on track, but the vote at least removes one element of uncertainty. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple, Google, dozens of others urge surveillance disclosures Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:15 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Dozens of companies, non-profits and trade organizations including Apple Inc, Google Inc and Facebook Inc sent a letter Thursday pushing the Obama administration and Congress for more disclosures on the government's national security-related requests for user data. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. committee to probe North Korean arms ship seized by Panama Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 09:23 AM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council sanctions committee will examine the case of a North Korean ship that was intercepted by Panama and found to be carrying arms from Cuba, Britain's U.N. envoy said on Thursday. Panama stopped the North Korean ship last week and seized its cargo. Authorities discovered missile equipment, MiG fighter jets and other arms aboard that Cuba said were "obsolete" Soviet-era weapons being sent to North Korea for repair. "Thanks to good work by Panama, (the) U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| World pays tribute as 'improving' Mandela turns 95 Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 09:53 AM PDT By Peroshni Govender PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa and the world showered tributes on Nelson Mandela on Thursday as the anti-apartheid leader turned 95 in hospital and his doctors reported he was "steadily improving" from a six-week lung infection. The country has been on edge since the former president and father of the multi-racial 'Rainbow Nation' established at the end of apartheid in 1994 was admitted to hospital on June 8 with recurring lung problems that kept him in a critical condition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factory, labor market data offer bright signs for economy Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:34 AM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for jobless benefits fell last week and factory activity picked up in the Mid-Atlantic region in early July, signs of a stronger economy that could help push the Federal Reserve to ease its monetary stimulus. Thursday's data bolsters the view that economic growth could pick up after a dismal first half of the year in which consumers were smacked by tax hikes and deep cuts in the federal budget. ... Full Story | Top |
| Extortion victim of mob boss 'Whitey' Bulger found dead Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:19 AM PDT  By Richard Valdmanis and Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - The dead body of a potential witness, who had hoped to testify about how mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger forced him at gunpoint to sell a liquor store, was found in a suburb of Boston, authorities said on Thursday. Stephen Rakes, who once sued the FBI for failing to protect him from one of Bulger's extortion schemes, was found on Wednesday afternoon in Lincoln, Massachusetts, about 16 miles northwest of Boston, according to the Middlesex Country District Attorney's office. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sees lower-than-expected Obamacare insurance costs Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 08:23 AM PDT  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hoping to gain the high ground in an escalating war of words over Obamacare, the U.S. administration on Thursday forecast sharply lower than expected insurance costs for consumers and small businesses in new online state healthcare exchanges. A report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said data from 10 states and the District of Columbia shows preliminary 2014 premiums on the lowest-cost mid-range "silver" plans in those marketplaces to be 18 percent lower on average than earlier administration and congressional estimates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel approves Comey to be next FBI director Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 08:03 AM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved President Barack Obama's nomination of James Comey, an independent-minded Republican and former deputy U.S. attorney general, as director of the FBI. The nomination now goes to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm Comey as early as next week to replace Robert Mueller, who has led the bureau since shortly before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. All eight committee Republicans joined the panel's 10 Democrats in sending the nomination to the full Senate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive - Japan survey ships prepare for deployment, tension with China rises Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:01 AM PDT  By Aaron Sheldrick and Ben Blanchard TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan has ordered geological survey ships to prepare for possible deployment to the East China Sea after it detected Chinese drilling near the disputed maritime border, a source with direct knowledge of the order told Reuters on Thursday. A plan by Chinese state-run oil firms to dramatically expand gas drilling in the disputed East China Sea, which threatens to further damage ties between Asia's two biggest economies, was first reported by Reuters on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| India to probe school meal scheme after 23 children die Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:30 AM PDT  By Annie Banerji GANDAMAN, India (Reuters) - The Indian government announced on Thursday it would set up an inquiry into the quality of food given to school pupils in a nationwide free meal scheme after at least 23 children died in one of the deadliest outbreaks of mass poisoning in years. Within minutes of eating a meal of rice and potato curry in the eastern state of Bihar on Tuesday, the children began to fall ill, a cook at the school at the centre of the outbreak told Reuters from her hospital bed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biden hints at possibility of a presidential run in 2016 Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 07:17 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden says he might run for president in 2016, and one of the factors he will consider in making his decision is whether he has as much energy then as he does now. Biden, 70, gave his thoughts on the possibility of a race for the Democratic presidential nomination in an interview with GQ magazine. Most Democrats have their eyes on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, watching to see if she launches a second run for the White House, and Biden's comments reflected a view that he wants to be in the discussion as well. ... Full Story | Top |
| Trayvon Martin's mother felt 'disgust" over Zimmerman verdict Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:44 AM PDT  MIAMI (Reuters) - The mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager who was shot dead in Florida last year by volunteer watchman George Zimmerman, said on Thursday she was "stunned" and felt "disgust" when a jury found her son's killer not guilty. "I couldn't believe it," Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, told "CBS This Morning." "I just knew that they would see that this was a teenager just trying to get home. This was no burglar. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas governor signs strict abortion law that sparked protests Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 12:09 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday signed into law tough new restrictions on abortion, including a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy, marking one of the biggest victories in a decade for opponents of the procedure in the United States. Perry, a Republican, signed the measure flanked by invited political supporters and anti-abortion activists, who gave him a standing ovation as he entered the room. "It is a very happy and celebratory day," said Perry, who thanked anti-abortion activists for helping to "support the health of Texas women. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abbas convenes key Palestinians, may resume talks with Israel Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:16 AM PDT  By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - As Palestinian leaders discussed a possible U.S-brokered resumption of peace talks on Thursday, the Israeli government denied a shift in its conditions that might help end a three-year stalemate. President Mahmoud Abbas began briefing fellow PLO leaders in Ramallah on his meetings this week with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has extended his stay in the region and appears to be hoping for some movement toward talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian refugees demand help from Kerry at Jordan camp Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:01 AM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan (Reuters) - Syrian refugees angrily told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday that the United States should set up a no-fly zone and safe havens in Syria to protect them. Visiting a camp that holds roughly 115,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan about 12 km (eight miles) from the Syrian border, Kerry spent about 40 minutes with half a dozen refugees who vented their frustration at the international community's failure to end Syria's more than two-year-old civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| German finance minister chides Greeks for seeking debt cut Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 09:57 AM PDT  By Renee Maltezou and George Georgiopoulos ATHENS (Reuters) - Greeks should stop lobbying for more debt relief, Germany's finance minister said on a visit to Athens on Thursday that forced a lockdown of the city center and a ban on protests against the deeply unpopular champion of austerity. Wolfgang Schaeuble's motorcade drove through empty streets cordoned off by thousands of riot policemen and devoid of any protesters. It was his first trip to Greece since its debt problems kindled the euro zone crisis four years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House backs deal to hold down student loan rates Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:05 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama supports compromise legislation holding down interest rates on student loans and was involved in Senate negotiations, a senior administration official said on Thursday. Senators reached a deal on Wednesday to temporarily hold interest rates on student loans at lower levels, as they raced to get the measure completed before an August deadline, a Senate aide said. A Democratic official said the measure would not raise money from charging students higher rates and would set a cap to protect students from future rate increases. ... Full Story | Top |
| India school tragedy raises questions for Gandhi's food plan Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 04:57 AM PDT  By Sruthi Gottipati and Mayank Bhardwaj RAIPUR/PATNA, India (Reuters) - The deaths of at least 23 Indian children poisoned after eating a free school meal has triggered an outcry over food safety just as the ruling Congress party is set to launch an ambitious plan to feed 800 million poor, with an eye on elections due within a year. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's national subsidized food project includes free school meals and expands existing handouts to make it probably the biggest welfare initiative since India gained independence in 1947. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Republicans could see more bruising Senate primaries Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:18 AM PDT  By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Liz Cheney's decision to challenge Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi in a Republican primary next year sets up the type of divisive, intraparty fight that Republican leaders vowed to avoid after the 2012 elections. The move this week by Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is unlikely to open the door for a Democrat to win the Senate seat in Wyoming, which is heavily Republican. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seventeen arrested at California Trayvon Martin rally: report Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:29 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Seventeen people were arrested in California late on Wednesday after a protest against the acquittal of a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with murdering unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin turned rowdy, according to news reports. Officers arrested the protesters at a rally in Victorville, 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Eight of those arrested were juveniles, and most of the arrests were made on charges of unlawful assembly, the newspaper reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Opponents of Dell buyout say don't delay vote Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:52 AM PDT  By Greg Roumeliotis and Ross Kerber (Reuters) - Opposition to Michael Dell's bid to take his computer company private grew on Wednesday, and billionaire Carl Icahn argued Dell Inc had no right to delay a shareholder vote, even if the deal looked more likely to fail. Holders of nearly 30 percent of Dell stock oppose the $24.4 billion offer by founder Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake, which is now scheduled for a vote in Austin, Texas on Thursday morning. That includes shareholders who say they will vote against the buyout or have been reported to oppose it. ... Full Story | Top |
| China hits U.S., South Korea with solar material duties, skirts EU decision Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:45 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Commerce Ministry issued preliminary anti-dumping duties on imports of U.S. and South Korean solar-grade polysilicon on Thursday, but made no decision on tariffs on European Union exports of the raw material used to make solar panels. Beijing's move, a widely expected hit on U.S. and South Korean producers, coincides with difficult talks between the EU and China to defuse a conflict over alleged dumping of Chinese solar panels in Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama steps in to push health plan as critical date draws near Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fending off delays and a barrage of political criticism of his signature healthcare law, President Barack Obama on Thursday touted benefits Americans already are reaping from the law and vowed to work through setbacks to fully implement it. "Generally speaking, what we've seen is that healthcare costs have slowed drastically in a lot of areas since we passed the Affordable Care Act," Obama said at a White House event, surrounded by individuals who have seen their health insurance costs drop. ... Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu spokesman denies Israel open to 1967 border formula Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 05:01 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman denied on Thursday Israel had agreed to a formula for new talks with Palestinians based on the border of their future state being drawn along lines from before a 1967 war, with agreed land swaps. An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that if the Palestinians accepted the formula, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry could announce the relaunch of peace talks. He would describe the future Palestine as existing alongside a "Jewish state" of Israel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb explodes outside mosque in Bahrain Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 01:40 AM PDT ABU DHABI (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded outside a Sunni Muslim mosque as worshippers attended late-night prayers in a district where members of Bahrain's royal family live, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. No one was reported hurt in the attack in Riffa south of the capital Manama late on Wednesday, in what government officials said was an attempt to inflame sectarian tensions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Panama calls in U.N. to inspect North Korean arms ship Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:57 AM PDT By Lomi Kriel PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama said on Wednesday it had called on the U.N. Security Council to investigate a North Korean ship caught smuggling arms from Cuba, piling more pressure on Pyongyang over a possible breach of U.N. sanctions. Panama stopped the ship last week and seized its cargo after a stand-off with the North Korean crew in which the captain tried to slit his own throat. Authorities discovered missile equipment, MiG fighter jets and other arms aboard that Cuba said were "obsolete" Soviet-era weapons being sent to North Korea for repair. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: GM delays Chevy Cruze debut by a year - sources Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 04:44 PM PDT  By Ben Klayman and Deepa Seetharaman DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co has delayed the launch of the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze by a year due to engineering changes and a desire to squeeze more sales from the small car before it is redesigned, people familiar with the U.S. automaker's plans said. The next version of the Cruze, which had originally been scheduled to debut in late 2014, will now begin production in December 2015, said the sources, most of whom asked not to be identified in discussing GM's plans. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. vague on whether Obama will go to Moscow amid Snowden flap Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 04:40 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is deliberately leaving it vague as to whether President Barack Obama will attend talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin if the saga involving former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden is unresolved. Putin has invited Obama for face-to-face talks in Moscow ahead of a St. Petersburg summit in September with leaders of the G20 nations, and the White House announced on June 17 that Obama would both attend the summit and go to the Russian capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Goldman director Gupta fined, banned in SEC case Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 03:21 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. director Rajat Gupta was ordered to pay a $13.9 million civil penalty and banned from serving as an officer or director of a public company for having illegally passed corporate secrets to former hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, a top U.S. regulator said on Wednesday. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said the order was issued earlier in the day by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan, who also oversaw Gupta's related criminal trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea demands Panama free seized ship carrying arms Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 03:11 PM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea demanded on Thursday the release of its ship held in Panama with what appear to be missile radar and other weapons loaded in Cuba, saying it was sailing under a legitimate deal and calling the initial suspicion of drugs on board "a fiction." "The Panamanian investigation authorities rashly attacked and detained the captain and crewmen of the ship on the plea of 'drug investigation' and searched its cargo but did not discover any drug," North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. suggests Egyptian military averted civil war Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 02:14 PM PDT  By Noah Browning and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt avoided a possible civil war this month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday, making it hard for Washington to conclude that the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was a military coup. The armed forces deposed the elected leader on July 3 after huge street protests against his rule, clearing the way for the installment this week of a new interim cabinet charged with restoring civilian government and reviving the troubled economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Bank of America's interest-rate exposure may be worse than rivals' Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 10:33 PM PDT  By Peter Rudegeair and Dan Wilchins NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's balance sheet suffered from rising bond yields in the second quarter, suggesting that the second-largest U.S. bank may be more exposed to interest-rate risk than some of its major rivals. The bank posted a profit for shareholders of $3.57 billion in the second quarter, but on its balance sheet the picture was not as good - its net worth fell by $6.26 billion as a result of investment losses. Rivals JPMorgan Chase & Co and Citigroup Inc both managed to increase their net worth as measured by their book value. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate clears way for Perez confirmation as labor chief Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 08:20 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate moved on Wednesday toward approving Thomas Perez to serve as the Obama administration's new labor secretary, overcoming accusations from some Republicans that he is a crusading ideologue. Six Republicans joined Democrats in a vote to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to limit debate on Perez. The chamber is expected to vote on his confirmation as early as Thursday. The 51-year old Perez now heads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greece approves scheme to fire thousands of public workers Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 03:57 PM PDT  By Renee Maltezou and George Georgiopoulos ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's shaky coalition government scraped through a vote on Wednesday on a bill to sack public sector workers as thousands chanting anti-austerity slogans protested outside parliament. The vote was the first major test for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's two-party coalition since losing an ally over the abrupt shutdown of the state broadcaster last month, which left it with a scant five-seat majority in the 300-seat parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Contaminated school meal kills 25 Indian children Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 04:04 PM PDT  PATNA, India (Reuters) - At least 25 Indian children died and dozens needed hospital treatment after apparently being poisoned by a school meal, sparking violent protests and angry allegations of blame. The children aged four to 12 fell ill on Tuesday after consuming a lunch of rice, soybean and lentils in the impoverished eastern state of Bihar. The school, at Mashrakh village in the district of Chapra, provided free meals under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the world's largest school feeding program involving 120 million children. ... Full Story | Top |
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