| | |
| Michigan judge orders withdrawal of Detroit bankruptcy petition Friday, Jul 19, 2013 12:21 PM PDT  DETROIT (Reuters) - A Michigan judge on Friday ordered Detroit's state-appointed emergency manager to withdraw the federal bankruptcy petition he filed for the city on Thursday. Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's order said the 2012 Michigan law that allowed Governor Rick Snyder to approve the city's bankruptcy filing, the largest municipal bankruptcy filing ever in the United States, violated the Michigan Constitution. ... Full Story | Top |
| SEC says Steve Cohen failed to supervise two of his traders Friday, Jul 19, 2013 12:03 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday accused hedge fund mogul Steven A. Cohen of failing to supervise two employees who are facing insider trading charges. The SEC's action said Cohen failed to supervise former portfolio manager Mathew Martoma and SAC Capital Advisors executive Michael Steinberg. The SEC charges are part of a long-running probe of Cohen and his $15 billion hedge fund by regulators and federal investigators in which nine one-time SAC employees have been charged or implicated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says 'Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago' Friday, Jul 19, 2013 12:25 PM PDT  By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday jumped into the debate over the acquittal of the man who killed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, declaring that Martin "could have been me, 35 years ago," and urging Americans to understand the pain that African-Americans feel over the case. Obama came into the White House press briefing room to offer his thoughts on the case involving George Zimmerman, the Florida man who was found not guilty of murder on Saturday after shooting 17-year-old Martin during a struggle. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel, Palestinians lay groundwork for new talks: Kerry Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:44 AM PDT  AMMAN (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinians have laid the groundwork for a resumption of peace talks after an almost three-year stalemate, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday. "We have reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," he told reporters in Jordan, and added: "The agreement is still in the process of being formalized. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia opposition leader freed on bail, protests rattle Kremlin Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Gabriela Baczynska KIROV, Russia (Reuters) - Russia unexpectedly freed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on bail on Friday, bending to the will of thousands of protesters who denounced his five-year jail sentence as a crude attempt by President Vladimir Putin to silence him. Putin's spokesman called the protesters "mobs" and warned that the rallies were illegal. In a highly unusual ruling that points to Kremlin uncertainty over how to handle Navalny's case, a judge approved the prosecution request to free him pending his appeal so that he can run in a Moscow mayor election on September 8. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi supporters rally in Egypt, army shows muscle Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:40 AM PDT  By Ulf Laessing and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi took to the streets of Egyptian cities on Friday to demand the reinstatement of the Islamist leader. However, Egypt's armed forces, which shunted the country's first freely elected president from office less than three weeks ago, looked in no mood to make concessions, putting on a show of force in the hazy skies above Cairo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit faces long road through bankruptcy, officials say Friday, Jul 19, 2013 10:33 AM PDT  By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Ricky Snyder and Detroit's emergency manager Kevyn Orr sought on Friday to assuage residents' concerns over the city's bankruptcy proceedings while acknowledging that a lengthy court battle awaits. "We're the comeback state in Michigan, but to be a great state we need… Detroit on the path to being a great city again," Snyder, a Republican, said at a press conference. On Thursday Detroit, a former manufacturing powerhouse and cradle of the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-CIA official detained in Panama heading back to U.S. Friday, Jul 19, 2013 12:14 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, who was convicted in Italy of kidnapping an Egyptian Muslim cleric and detained in Panama this week, was headed back to the United States, a State Department spokeswoman said on Friday. The former spy was among 23 Americans sentenced in absentia by an Italian judge in 2009 for the abduction of the cleric. Lady was given a nine-year jail term. "It is my understanding that he is in fact either en route or back in the United States," said Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman. ... Full Story | Top |
| SEC rejects settlement with fund manager Phil Falcone Friday, Jul 19, 2013 10:29 AM PDT  By Emily Flitter NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted to reject a deal its enforcement division had struck with once high-flying hedge fund manager Philip Falcone and his hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners, according to a regulatory filing on Friday by Falcone's publicly traded company Harbinger Group Inc. The SEC has not released any public explanation of the decision, which the commission made in a closed-door meeting on Thursday. SEC spokesman Kevin Callahan did not respond to a request for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| One Asiana victim killed by a vehicle, not plane crash: coroner Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:54 AM PDT  By Gerry Shih SAN MATEO, California (Reuters) - A teenage passenger on the Asiana Airlines jet that crashed in San Francisco died from injuries sustained after being run over by a motor vehicle, most likely a fire truck at the scene, local officials said on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| World powers see Iran's Rouhani as chance for nuclear deal Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:00 AM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Six world powers see a chance that Iran's relatively moderate new president, beset by sanctions and worried about unrest in the region trickling home, may be more amenable to compromise in a long-standing nuclear dispute, a senior Western diplomat said. The powers - Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and the United States - are hoping years of economic pressure will finally force Iran to scale back its nuclear work, which they suspect aims at allowing Tehran to make bombs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi associates found guilty on sex charges Friday, Jul 19, 2013 10:25 AM PDT  By Ilaria Polleschi MILAN (Reuters) - Three associates of Silvio Berlusconi were sentenced to jail terms on Friday by an Italian court that found them guilty of aiding and abetting prostitution by procuring girls for paid sex with the former prime minister. Berlusconi has already been sentenced to seven years with a lifetime ban on holding public office in a related trial for paying for sex with former nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, alias Ruby the Heartstealer, when she was a minor. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. working to declassify more on secret programs already leaked Friday, Jul 19, 2013 10:22 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence officials are working to declassify information on programs that have been partially disclosed, a senior official said on Friday, referring to telephone and internet surveillance programs leaked by former security contractor Edward Snowden. Robert Litt, general counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said he was optimistic that the intelligence community could make "a lot of progress" in declassifying the information. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| SAC says charges against Cohen have 'no merit' Friday, Jul 19, 2013 11:20 AM PDT  (Reuters) - The charges against billionaire hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen have "no merit" and Cohen will fight them "vigorously," said a spokesman for Cohen's firm SAC Capital Advisors in a statement to the media on Friday. The statement came in response to charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that Cohen failed to supervise two employees who are accused of insider trading. (Reporting By Emily Flitter; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| Canada investigators want rule changes after deadly rail crash Friday, Jul 19, 2013 12:12 PM PDT  By Julie Gordon (Reuters) - Canadian investigators issued their first recommendations on Friday after a devastating train wreck in Quebec, urging that trains hauling dangerous goods not be left unattended, and pushing for stricter guidelines on railway braking systems. Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigators probing the July 6 disaster in the lakeside town of Lac-Megantic said the "braking force" applied to the train, which was hauling 72 tanker cars of crude oil, was insufficient to hold it in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia says knows of no plan for Snowden to seek citizenship Friday, Jul 19, 2013 08:52 AM PDT  NOVOGORSK, Russia (Reuters) - The Kremlin is unaware of any plans by fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to seek Russian citizenship, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Friday. Snowden, who is wanted in the United States on espionage charges, is holed up at a Moscow airport. A Russian lawyer who helped him file an application for temporary asylum in Russia this week said Snowden had not ruled out seeking citizenship. "Citizenship? This is the first I've heard of it. ... Full Story | Top |
| GSK sends three executives to China to handle crisis Friday, Jul 19, 2013 07:39 AM PDT  By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline has sent its head of emerging markets and two other top executives to China to lead the drugmaker's response to an unfolding crisis over alleged bribery and corruption. Abbas Hussain, GSK President Emerging Markets, was dispatched by Chief Executive Andrew Witty, along with the group's global head of internal audit and a senior legal official, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bomber kills 20 in Iraqi Sunni mosque Friday, Jul 19, 2013 06:49 AM PDT BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, killing at least 20 people in the middle of a sermon on Friday. The explosion took place in the town of Wajihiya in the ethnically and religiously diverse province of Diyala, which has seen an increasing number of attacks in recent weeks. It was unclear who was behind the blast, the latest in a campaign of attacks that has raised fears of a return to full-blown sectarian conflict in a country where Kurds, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have yet to find a stable way of sharing power. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel pressed on U.S. spying row before German election Friday, Jul 19, 2013 05:58 AM PDT  By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to reassure German voters on Friday that Germany is not a "surveillance state" and said she was pressing Washington for answers on reports of intrusive snooping by U.S. intelligence. Revelations about the U.S. National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance programs have filled German newspapers in the last two weeks and have become a headache for Merkel ahead of a September 22 election in which she is tipped to win a third term. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy government survives vote on Kazakh case Friday, Jul 19, 2013 04:56 AM PDT  By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano survived a no-confidence vote on Friday, averting a political crisis that could have brought down the fragile coalition government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta. Alfano, secretary of Silvio Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom party (PDL) which governs in an uneasy partnership with its traditional rivals in Letta's center-left Democratic Party (PD), faced calls to resign over the hurried deportation of the family of a dissident Kazakh oligarch in May. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry heads to West Bank to push for renewed peace talks Friday, Jul 19, 2013 04:40 AM PDT  AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due to travel to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, U.S. and Palestinian officials said, in a last-ditch effort to clinch a renewal of peace talks with Israel. Kerry met Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman on Friday and had been consulting Israeli officials by telephone, a U.S. official said, but did not say if a breakthrough was near. ... Full Story | Top |
| Policeman releases manhunt photos of accused Boston bomber Friday, Jul 19, 2013 08:19 AM PDT  (Reuters) - A U.S. policeman said he released photographs of accused Boston marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, including one with a red dot of a sniper rifle's laser sight on his forehead, to counter a "fluffed and buffed" image of him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Sean Murphy took the photographs during the manhunt for Tsarnaev, the younger of two brothers accused of killing three people and wounding more than 260 at the Boston Marathon on April 15 by detonating two pressure-cooker bombs. The elder brother was killed in the hunt. ... Full Story | Top |
| G20 backs fundamental reform of corporate taxation Friday, Jul 19, 2013 03:30 AM PDT  By Tom Bergin and Maya Dyakina LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The G20 backed a "fundamental" rethink of the rules on taxing multinational corporations on Friday, taking aim at loopholes used by companies such as Apple and Google to avoid billions of dollars in taxes. The group of leading economies released an action plan drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that said the existing system didn't work, especially when it came to taxing companies that trade online. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit files for bankruptcy, stage set for court fight Friday, Jul 19, 2013 06:45 AM PDT  By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history on Thursday, setting the stage for a costly court battle with creditors and opening a new chapter in the long struggle to revive the city that was the cradle of the American auto industry. The bankruptcy, if approved by a federal judge, would force Detroit's thousands of creditors into negotiations with the city's Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to resolve an estimated $18.5 billion in debt that has crippled Michigan's largest city. ... Full Story | Top |
| How GlaxoSmithKline missed red flags in China Friday, Jul 19, 2013 06:39 AM PDT  By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - With more compliance officers in China than in any country bar the United States, British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Plc seemed well-positioned to do things right. But despite conducting up to 20 internal audits in China a year, including an extensive 4-month probe earlier in 2013, GSK bosses were blindsided by police allegations of massive corruption involving travel agencies used to funnel bribes to doctors and officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit files for bankruptcy, stage set for court fight Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:52 PM PDT  By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit filed the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history on Thursday, marking a new low for a city that was the cradle of the U.S. automotive industry and setting the stage for a costly court battle with creditors. The bankruptcy, if approved by a federal judge, would force Detroit's thousands of creditors into negotiations with the city's Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to resolve an estimated $18.5 billion in debt that has crippled Michigan's largest city. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela slams U.S. over 'repressive regimes' remarks Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:58 PM PDT  By Daniel Wallis and Enrique Andres Pretel CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demanded the United States apologize on Thursday after the Obama administration's nominee for envoy to the United Nations said there was a crackdown on civil society in the South American country. Maduro has often clashed with Washington since winning an April election following the death of his mentor, socialist leader Hugo Chavez. He said Samantha Power's comments to a Senate confirmation hearing had been aggressive and unfair. "I want an immediate correction by the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Moody's eases off threat of U.S. rating cut, affirms Aaa Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:14 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service on Thursday raised the U.S. sovereign outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the country's triple-A rating, citing steady growth despite reduced government spending. The rating agency's move eased the threat of a cut to the world's biggest economy. Moody's said the federal government's debt trajectory is on track with criteria the rating agency previously laid out, even without further budget measures from Washington. ... Full Story | Top |
| Falling ad rates, Motorola losses dent Google results Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 04:57 PM PDT  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc on Thursday reported second-quarter results short of Wall Street's estimates as weakening prices for the Internet company's ads and widening losses from its Motorola mobile phone business weighed on the bottom line. The falling ad prices surprised analysts and investors, who expected recent changes to the web search company's advertising system to help mitigate the effects of an industry-wide shift to mobile advertising. Shares of Google, which had risen to all-time highs in recent weeks, slid roughly 4 percent to $872. ... Full Story | Top |
| Microsoft profit misses as Surface tablets languish; shares drop Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:19 PM PDT  By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Thursday reported lower-than-expected quarterly earnings as slow personal computer sales ate into its Windows business and the company took an unexpected $900 million charge for its inventory of unsold Surface tablets. The stock fell 5 percent after hours from 5-year highs. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. concerned over North Korean arms ship, Panama awaits U.N. Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:58 PM PDT  By Lomi Kriel and David Adams PANAMA CITY/MIAMI (Reuters) - A United Nations team is due to arrive in Panama next month to inspect a North Korean ship which was seized carrying arms from Cuba, a potential breach of U.N. sanctions that the United States said was "incredibly concerning." Panama on Wednesday asked for the U.N. Security Council to examine the ship, the Chong Chon Gang, whose cargo of Soviet-era weaponry is suspected of being in violation of a U.N. arms embargo that covers all exports by Pyongyang and most imports. The five-member team of U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abbas delays decision on peace talks, Kerry to fly home Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 05:19 PM PDT  By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians put off a decision on Thursday on whether to resume peace talks, with a senior official saying Israel needed to meet their terms before negotiations could resume. The Palestinian stance suggested that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's sixth peacemaking visit to the region since March was likely to end inconclusively on Friday, when an aide said he would fly home after talking to both sides once more. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dell postpones meeting on buyout as more votes needed Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 02:56 PM PDT  By Nadia Damouni and Anna Driver NEW YORK/ROUND ROCK, Texas (Reuters) - Dell Inc on Thursday postponed a shareholder vote on CEO Michael Dell's $24.4 billion buyout offer, after he won 11th-hour backing from several large investors but still fell short of enough votes to seal the deal. The meeting was called and then adjourned minutes later, after shareholders gathered at Dell's headquarters in Texas. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. overhauling intelligence access in bid to prevent another Snowden Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 03:03 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart ASPEN, Colorado (Reuters) - The United States is overhauling procedures to tighten access to top secret intelligence in a bid to prevent another mega-leak like the one carried out by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, a top Pentagon official said on Thursday. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told a security forum that the government was already moving to better isolate intelligence so that all of it isn't accessible in one place, and to implement a "two-man rule" - similar to procedures used to safeguard nuclear weapons. "When are we taking countermeasures? ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Beacon focus of Boeing fire probe; investors remain on edge Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 11:58 PM PDT  By Rhys Jones and Alwyn Scott LONDON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - British aviation investigators identified an emergency beacon made by Honeywell International Inc as a likely source of last week's blaze on a Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner and called for it to be turned off, spurring a rally in Boeing shares by relieved investors. Concerns about the carbon composite jet soon resurfaced, however, after a Japan Airlines 787 returned to Boston's Logan airport a with a possible faulty fuel pump. A spokesman for the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy PM urges backing for government in no-confidence vote Friday, Jul 19, 2013 03:08 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta urged parliament to back his deputy in a no-confidence vote on Friday which threatens to throw his fragile coalition into a political crisis. "What I am asking you for is a new vote of confidence in the government which I have the honor to lead," he told the Senate before a vote on the motion against Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who is also deputy prime minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida lawmakers urge overhaul of 'Stand Your Ground' law Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 10:06 PM PDT  By Tom Brown FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida must either repeal its "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law or enact sweeping changes to avert more tragedies like the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, Democratic leaders of the state's legislature said on Thursday. A Seminole County jury on Saturday acquitted George Zimmerman of second-degree murder and manslaughter, with one juror citing Stand Your Ground as a factor in reaching her legal conclusion that Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, acted in self-defense. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. overhauling intelligence access to try to prevent another Snowden Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 08:54 PM PDT By Phil Stewart ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - The United States is overhauling procedures to tighten access to top-secret intelligence in a bid to prevent another mega-leak like the one carried out by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, senior U.S. officials said on Thursday. The National Security Agency, which Snowden worked for as a Hawaii-based contractor, said it would lead the effort to isolate intelligence and implement a "two-man rule" for downloading - similar to procedures used to safeguard nuclear weapons. "When are we taking countermeasures? ... ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. concerned over North Korean arms ship, Panama awaits U.N Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 06:49 PM PDT  By Lomi Kriel and David Adams PANAMA CITY/MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.N. team is due to arrive in Panama next month to inspect a North Korean ship which was seized carrying arms from Cuba, a potential breach of U.N. sanctions that the United States said was "incredibly concerning." The five-member team of U.N. experts will arrive on August 5 to examine the ship, Panamanian government officials said. The military cargo is suspected of being in violation of a U.N. arms embargo that covers all exports by Pyongyang and most imports. North Korea is under a host of U.N., U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia jails top opposition leader; Putin denounced as dictator Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 02:13 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 |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment