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| Senate nears deal on Obama nominees, filibusters Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 12:44 PM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the Senate backed away Tuesday from a potentially historic crackdown on filibusters in exchange for a Republican agreement to stop using them to block some long-stalled nominations made by President Barack Obama. While the deal was not final Tuesday afternoon, both sides were optimistic they would reach an agreement to avert a bitter showdown over the procedural tactic used for years by minority parties to block decisions by the party in control of the Senate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Stranded fugitive Snowden seeks temporary asylum in Russia Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 12:00 PM PDT  By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden applied for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday after three weeks holed up at a Moscow airport trying to avoid prosecution in the United States on espionage charges. The White House said Snowden is "not a dissident" and should be expelled and returned to the United States to face trial. Snowden is seeking refuge in Latin America after leaking details of U.S. government surveillance programs, but has not risked taking any flight that might be intercepted by the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| Black preachers calling for wide protests to press for Zimmerman charges Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 10:30 AM PDT  By David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Black preachers said on Tuesday they were planning peaceful protests in 100 cities across the United States this weekend to press for federal charges in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Standing outside the U.S. Justice Department building in Washington, the preachers pledged to hold the protests near federal buildings and said action was justified because of what they see as the civil rights questions surrounding the death. A Florida jury on Saturday found George Zimmerman, 29, not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2012 shooting. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Egypt cabinet sworn in without a single Islamist Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 11:15 AM PDT By Maggie Fick and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed leaders swore in a new interim cabinet on Tuesday after a night of street violence, with not a single minister representing either of the main Islamist groups that have won five straight elections since 2011. Seven people were killed overnight and more than 260 wounded in running battles between supporters of toppled president Mohamed Mursi and the security forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Inflation shows signs of stability after downward drift Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 11:09 AM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices picked up in June and underlying inflation pressures showed signs of stabilizing, keeping on course expectations the Federal Reserve will start reducing its bond purchases later this year. While inflation remains benign, the increase last month should help ease worries among some Fed officials that price pressures in the economy were too low. "Inflation is carving out a bottom. ... Full Story | Top |
| Panama detains North Korean-flagged ship carrying suspected weapons Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 11:21 AM PDT  By Lomi Kriel PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama detained a North Korean-flagged ship headed to the Panama Canal from Cuba and said Tuesday it was carrying suspected missile equipment hidden under tons of brown sugar, after a standoff in which the ship's captain tried to commit suicide. President Ricardo Martinelli said the undeclared weapons were detected when Panamanian authorities stopped the ship, suspecting it was carrying drugs. "We found containers which presumably contain sophisticated missile equipment. That is not allowed. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House says Snowden should return to U.S. for trial Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 10:22 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday that former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, who applied for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday, should be expelled and returned to the United States to face trial on espionage charges. "He is not a human rights activist, he is not a dissident. He is accused of leaking classified information," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of Snowden. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to meet Abbas, may visit camp for Syrian refugees Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 10:20 AM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began a round of discussions in Jordan on Tuesday in his push to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and address the crisis in Syria. Meeting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Kerry raised the possibility of visiting a refugee camp housing some of the 400,000 refugees who have fled to Jordan to escape Syria's civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pressure grows on Merkel to take U.S. to task over spying Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 10:08 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced pressure on Tuesday to toughen her stance against the United States over its spy program, after her interior minister failed to convince lawmakers he had received answers during a trip to Washington. Hans-Peter Friedrich briefed a confidential parliamentary committee in charge of intelligence issues about his talks in the United States last week, saying these were just the start of a long process of discussion and investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian crash train engineer is witness, not suspect: lawyer Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 09:28 AM PDT  By Peter N Henderson (Reuters) - The engineer of the runaway train that exploded in a small Quebec town, killing 50 people, is a witness rather than a suspect in the investigation of the disaster, and is devastated by what happened, his lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday. Lawyer Thomas Walsh said the engineer, Tom Harding, has spent 10 hours talking to police, and three or four talking to investigators at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, who are probing the causes of the July 6 calamity in the town of Lac-Megantic, North America's deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU bar on aid to Israelis in West Bank stokes Israeli anger Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 09:56 AM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Allyn Fisher-Ilan BRUSSELS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The European Union said on Tuesday it will bar financial assistance to Israeli organizations operating in the occupied territories, a move Israel's prime minister denounced as meddling in bilateral relations with the Palestinians. Guidelines adopted by the EU's Executive Commission in late June and expected to be published this week make clear that, from next year, Israeli "entities" operating in the territories will not be eligible for EU grants, prizes or loans. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK Dreamliner fire probe confirms looking at Honeywell part Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 09:08 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British investigators said on Tuesday a transmitter made by U.S. firm Honeywell was one of several components that may have caused a fire on a Boeing Dreamliner in London last week. "We can confirm that Honeywell have been invited to join the investigation," a spokesman for Britain's Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) said on Tuesday. "The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) is one (of) several components being looked at in detail as part of the investigation and it would be premature to speculate on the causes of the incident at this stage. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Drug kingpin's capture spurs hope Mexico can subdue violent cartels Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 09:55 AM PDT  By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The dramatic capture of the boss of the Zetas drug cartel provides fresh evidence that Mexican authorities are starting to win their protracted fight against a gang that has done more than any other to stain the country's name with its brutality. But even with Miguel Angel Trevino now in custody, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto still has the difficult task of taming other cartels even as he creates a new militarized police force to take over the fight waged for years by the military. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain's socialists threaten Rajoy with no-confidence vote Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 06:29 AM PDT  By Fiona Ortiz MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's opposition Socialists said on Tuesday they would call a symbolic vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy if he refused to appear before Parliament to answer questions about a deepening scandal over party financing. Rajoy's ruling centre-right People's Party has an absolute majority in Parliament and unless there were significant defections from members of his party, he would survive the vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria rebels reinforce key suburb in Damascus battle Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 06:20 AM PDT  By Oliver Holmes and Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels poured reinforcements into a key Damascus suburb on Tuesday in an attempt to push back government troops who have renewed their campaign to secure the capital and build on battlefield gains elsewhere in the country. Fighting centered on Qaboun, a rebel-held district where Syrian troops backed by tanks and artillery had made inroads on Monday as part of efforts to consolidate control over Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad's power base. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan's Bashir leaves Nigeria, ICC calls for arrest Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 07:14 AM PDT  ABUJA (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has left Nigeria, where his presence at an African Union HIV/AIDS summit defied International Criminal Court (ICC) calls for his arrest on charges of genocide and war crimes, officials said on Tuesday. His press secretary and Nigerian hosts both denied reports in the local media that he had left early fearing arrest. Monday was the main day of the two-day summit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan translator links U.S. forces to civilian killings Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 04:34 AM PDT By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan interpreter for U.S. special forces arrested on accusations of torturing and killing civilians has denied involvement in the murders to Afghan investigators, and said he was always acting on orders from his U.S. military handlers. Afghan authorities detained Zakeria Kandahari six weeks ago following allegations he was involved in atrocities against civilians in Wardak, a strategically important province close to Kabul. In a record of the interview being prepared by military investigators and obtained by Reuters, Kandahari said he had worked for U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo army helicopters pound M23 rebels near Goma Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 05:59 AM PDT  By Chrispin Mvano MUTAHO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congolese government forces supported by helicopters attacked M23 rebel positions near the eastern city of Goma on Tuesday in a third day of heavy fighting that has forced hundreds of villagers to flee their homes and raised tensions with Rwanda. The clashes have also focused attention on the role of the United Nations, which is deploying a new force with a mandate to attack rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands of Greeks join strike against public sector layoffs Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 04:42 AM PDT  By Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Greek workers walked off the job on Tuesday and rallied in front of parliament in a noisy protest against government plans to fire public sector employees to satisfy foreign lenders. The 24-hour general strike against a new scheme to transfer or fire state workers comes a day before parliament votes on a series of reforms that must be passed before the European Union and International Monetary Fund can disburse more financial aid. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico captures leader of brutal Zetas drug cartel Monday, Jul 15, 2013 11:38 PM PDT  By Dave Graham and Alexandra Alper MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government said on Monday it captured the brutal leader of the Zetas drug cartel in an early-morning raid, marking the biggest victory for President Enrique Pena Nieto in his fight against gang violence. Marines arrested Miguel Angel Trevino, aka Z-40, after intercepting his pick-up truck with a helicopter a few miles (km) from his home town of Nuevo Laredo on the U.S. border, government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said in Mexico City. "Not a single shot was fired," Sanchez reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimmerman trial juror drops plan to write a book Monday, Jul 15, 2013 11:16 PM PDT  MIAMI (Reuters) - One of the six jurors in the George Zimmerman trial has abandoned her plans to write a book explaining why she found him not guilty of murder in the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, her literary agent said on Monday. The jury's decision triggered protests across the United States by activists who said Martin was targeted because he was black. Unidentified juror B37 had signed with Martin Literary Management, an agency based in Mercer Island, Washington, the firm's president, Sharlene Martin, said in a statement on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pro-Assad militia kills Syrian reconciliation team in Homs Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 01:46 AM PDT  By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least six mediators sent to try to reconcile warring sectarian groups in the province of Homs, where people on opposing sides in Syria's war had until now been able to coexist, residents said on Tuesday. The negotiators were from the National Reconciliation Committee, which the government set up to foster talks in a two-year conflict that has taken more than 100,000 lives. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Police probe possible links between terrorism suspect and Boston bombing Monday, Jul 15, 2013 07:45 PM PDT  By Tim McLaughlin BOSTON (Reuters) - A Boston-area man accused of threatening to blow up an airplane allegedly had all the materials needed to build a pressure-cooker bomb before this kind of weapon was used in the Boston Marathon attack in April, according to comments made by the man's mother in a recently unsealed police affidavit. While investigators working with the FBI are looking to see if there are any links between the two cases, they have drawn no conclusions, according to two law enforcement sources. Prosecutors and the FBI declined to comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimmerman's lawyer calls prosecutors 'disgrace' to profession Monday, Jul 15, 2013 07:55 PM PDT  By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - George Zimmerman's chief defense lawyer on Monday called Florida prosecutors "a disgrace to my profession" for holding back evidence for months and pledged a new effort to impose sanctions against them. Mark O'Mara and co-counsel Don West argued the self-defense case that helped Zimmerman win an acquittal of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges on Saturday for the 2012 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The law requires prosecutors to share evidence with defense attorneys, especially if it helps exonerate defendants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain giving Syrian rebels protection against chemical weapons Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 02:59 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is to give Syrian rebels equipment to protect themselves against chemical and biological weapons as "a matter of special urgency", saying it would allow them to potentially survive a sarin gas attack. In a written statement to parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain would deliver 5,000 escape hoods, nerve-agent pre-treatment tablets and chemical weapons detector paper to the Syrian National Coalition on or after August 3. "There is evidence of attacks using chemical weapons in Syria - including sarin," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seven killed, over 250 wounded in Cairo clashes overnight Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 03:01 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Seven people were killed and 261 wounded in Cairo when supporters of Mohamed Mursi clashed with the deposed president's opponents and security forces overnight, the head of Egypt's emergency services said on Tuesday. Mohamed Sultan told Reuters two people had been killed at a bridge in central Cairo and five more in the capital's Giza district. (Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Writing by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| South Korea accuses North of cyber attacks Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 06:32 AM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea accused North Korea on Tuesday of mounting cyber attacks on the websites of its presidential office and other government agencies, saying it had identified signature malicious computer codes and an internet address. The cyber attacks took place last month, on the anniversary of the beginning of the 1950-53 Korean War which left the peninsula divided between the rival countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asiana says it will sue TV station after pilot name gaffe Monday, Jul 15, 2013 10:47 PM PDT  By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Asiana Airlines said Monday it will sue a TV station that incorrectly reported racially offensive names of four pilots onboard the flight that crash-landed in early July at San Francisco International Airport. An anchorwoman at KTVU, a Fox affiliate based in Oakland, California, fell victim on Friday to an apparent prank and reported four bogus pilot names, including "Sum Ting Wong" and "Wi Tu Low," during the noon newscast. Within hours, the broadcast footage had gone viral on the Internet, drawing widespread criticism and ridicule. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia, China block U.N. condemnation of Iran missile tests Monday, Jul 15, 2013 03:33 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council committee is split over whether Iran's missile tests last year violated U.N. sanctions imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Australia's U.N. envoy said on Monday. That division effectively rules out any expansion of sanctions against Tehran over the tests for the time being, U.N. envoys said on condition of anonymity. Diplomats said it was Russia, backed by China, that refused to declare Tehran's missile launches a violation of the U.N. restrictions, as a U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Initially split Florida jury heard Zimmerman call for help Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 04:45 AM PDT  By Daniel Trotta and Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jurors in the trial of George Zimmerman were originally split whether the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin amounted to murder, but most agreed it was Zimmerman, not Martin, calling for help in the background of an emergency call, a juror told CNN. The six-woman jury acquitted Zimmerman, ending a trial that became a national story about race in America. The unnamed juror, number B-37, said no one on the jury believed that race played a role in the shooting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge to rule on dismissing most serious charge in U.S. WikiLeaks trial Monday, Jul 15, 2013 07:09 PM PDT  By Medina Roshan FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A military judge trying the soldier accused of the biggest leak of classified material in U.S. history heard arguments on Monday over two defense motions that could result in the most serious charge against him - aiding the enemy - being dropped. U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, is charged with disclosing more than 700,000 classified files, combat videos and State Department cables to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senators meeting on Obama nominees ends without deal Monday, Jul 15, 2013 07:16 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senators met privately for more than three hours on Monday but failed to reach an agreement to avert a showdown over Republicans' power to block President Barack Obama's executive-branch nominees with procedural hurdles known as filibusters. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid still left open the possibility of stripping Republicans of their filibuster power. But following the meeting, Reid told reporters: "We've had a very good conversation. The conversation is going to continue tonight." He added that votes on the Obama nominations were still scheduled for Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Reid warns of using Senate 'nuclear option' on filibusters Monday, Jul 15, 2013 03:49 PM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned Republicans on Monday that if they do not permit seven of President Barack Obama's executive-branch nominees to be confirmed, he would move to strip Republicans of their power to stop such nominations with procedural hurdles known as filibusters. Republican Senator John McCain said he and about 10 other lawmakers were trying to reach a bipartisan compromise, but it was unclear if they could get one before the Senate was set to begin voting on the nominees on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace with Arabs Monday, Jul 15, 2013 01:26 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss his effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks with Arab officials in Jordan on Wednesday, according to the State Department, which declined to comment on whether a resumption may be at hand. Kerry will leave Washington on Monday night to fly to Amman to see officials from Jordan and the Arab League, which put forward a peace proposal in 2002 that offered full Arab recognition of Israel if it gave up land seized in a 1967 war and accepted a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees. ... Full Story | Top |
| Attorney General Holder calls shooting of Trayvon Martin 'unnecessary' Monday, Jul 15, 2013 03:41 PM PDT By David Ingram and Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday called the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin "unnecessary," raising questions about whether he believed the shooter, George Zimmerman, acted in self-defense. A jury in Sanford, Florida, found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter after a three-week trial in which defense lawyers argued that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot Martin in self-defense. Zimmerman, 29, has gone into hiding since the verdict. ... Full Story | Top |
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