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| Police have video of Toronto mayor, won't detail contents Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:42 PM PDT  By Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) - Police said Thursday they have obtained a video "consistent" with media accounts that it shows Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine, but they would not confirm the contents of the video. Ford, who has denied he smokes crack, said he could not comment on the matter because the video is evidence in a separate case before the courts. In the first official link between Ford and a high-profile Toronto drugs investigation, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair on Thursday identified the mayor as a subject in a video recovered during the probe. "I can tell you that the digital video file that we have recovered depicts images which are consistent with those that had previously been reported in the press," Blair said. Full Story | Top |
| Kenyan warplanes bomb al Shabaab strongholds in Somalia Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:42 PM PDT By James Macharia NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Kenyan military said its warplanes bombed targets held by al Qaeda-linked Islamists in Somalia on Thursday, in retaliation for an attack on a Nairobi mall that killed at least 67 people. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said they destroyed a training camp used by the members of the al Shabaab Islamist group who attacked the Westgate Mall on September 21. A Kenyan drone strike killed two leading members of al Shabaab on Monday. "This was part of a broader mission by the AMISOM (the U.N.-backed African peacekeeping mission in Somalia), targeting where the Shabaab were training. Full Story | Top |
| German lawmaker meets Snowden, will deliver message to Berlin Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:40 PM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - German Greens lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele met fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden in Moscow on Thursday, his office said in a statement, and would give details of the meeting on Friday. It said Snowden, an ex-National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who disclosed secret U.S. internet and phone surveillance programs, had given Stroebele a letter addressed to the German government and federal public prosecutor. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian lawyer says Snowden to start website job Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:40 PM PDT  By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has found a job working for a website in Russia, where he was granted asylum after fleeing the United States, a Russian lawyer helping him said on Thursday. "Edward starts work in November," lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said, according to state-run news agency RIA. Snowden, 30, a former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed secret U.S. internet and phone surveillance programs, fled to Hong Kong and then to Russia in June. President Vladimir Putin rejected U.S. pleas to send Snowden home to face charges including espionage, and the temporary asylum he was granted in early August can be extended annually. Full Story | Top |
| In Syria blast mystery, Israel silent on report of strike Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:39 PM PDT BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Reports of an explosion at a Syrian military base late on Wednesday have prompted speculation of a new Israeli attack on Syria but Israeli officials would not confirm a report on CNN that their jets had carried out a strike. But Israeli officials declined comment. "We're not commenting on these reports," a spokesman for the Israeli Defence Ministry said. One Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he thought that Israel had indeed carried out a strike. Full Story | Top |
| Fannie Mae sues nine banks over Libor Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:36 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage finance company Fannie Mae sued nine of the world's largest banks on Thursday, accusing them of colluding to manipulate interest rates and seeking more than $800 million of damages. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the company accused the banks of manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, as well as other interest rate benchmarks. Fannie Mae said this manipulation caused it to lose money on interest-rate swaps and other transactions. It is also seeking punitive damages. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. attorney opens review of Georgia teen's wrestling mat death Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:33 PM PDT By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - A federal prosecutor launched a formal review on Thursday to determine if the death of a Georgia teenager found in a rolled-up wrestling mat in his school gym in January warrants a criminal investigation. An official autopsy concluded that the suffocation of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was accidental, but the teen's parents have called for a further probe because they suspect foul play. "I am convinced that sufficient basis exists for my office to conduct a formal review of the facts and investigations surrounding the death of Kendrick Johnson," said Michael Moore, the U.S. attorney for Georgia's Middle District. He said he would ask the FBI to open a civil rights or any other appropriate criminal investigation, should his review find that sufficient evidence exists to proceed. Full Story | Top |
| Key U.S. senators strongly criticize Obama's Syria policy Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee strongly criticized the Obama administration on Thursday for lacking a plan to resolve the war in Syria. "I just don't get a sense that we have a strategy," said Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, the panel's chairman, during a contentious hearing on Syria policy. Noting the war's human cost and recent gains by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, several senators made clear their disappointment at the administration's failure to carry through with promises of military aid for the rebels. "I think our help to the opposition has been an embarrassment and I find it appalling you would sit here and act as if we're doing the things we said we'd do three months ago, six months ago, nine months ago," said Senator Bob Corker, the panel's top Republican. Full Story | Top |
| Murdoch editors Brooks, Coulson had affair, British hacking trial told Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:25 PM PDT  By Kate Holton and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, former editors of Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid, had a six-year affair at the time their reporters hacked phone messages of politicians and royalty, a London court heard on Thursday. Revealing their close ties, prosecutor Andrew Edis said the intimacy of their relationship indicated both knew as much as the other about the criminal activities of senior journalists on the paper. Brooks and Coulson are on trial accused of conspiring to hack into phones of high-profile public figures or those close to them and also making illegal payments to public officials, charges they deny. What effect did it have?" Edis told the court. Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street edges up in wake of Fed; Exxon a boost Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:24 PM PDT  The Dow was up about 3 percent as the month drew to a close, while the S&P 500 was up about 5 percent and the Nasdaq rose 4.5 percent. But it removed a phrase from a previous statement expressing worries about credit conditions after a spike in bond yields, which investors interpreted as a sign the Fed could begin tapering earlier than expected. "The Fed removed that language, and that leaves tapering on the table for December," said Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading, referring to the Fed's eventual trimming of asset purchases. The Fed's accommodative monetary policy in recent years has contributed to stocks' rally, and investors worry about the timing of a pullback by the Fed. The Dow Jones industrial average inched up 27.50 points, or 0.18 percent, to 15,646.09. Full Story | Top |
| Storms spook some U.S. cities into postponing Halloween fun Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:21 PM PDT By Timothy Ghianni NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Forecasts for heavy rain and strong winds spooked dozens of U.S. cities and towns into postponing Halloween trick-or-treating on Thursday as a storm system that flooded parts of Texas churned north toward the Great Lakes. Local officials in parts of at least four states in the path of the storm - Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee - said they decided to put off the customary practice of children in costumes going from house to house collecting candy. "I think it's a good idea," said Tara Dudzik, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande shows soccer clubs red card on tax Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:12 PM PDT * President says clubs won't be exempt from super tax * Clubs threaten match blackout by refusing to play * Tax will affect 14 of the 20 Ligue 1 soccer clubs (Adds clubs' reaction) PARIS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande has finally found an interest group he can say 'no' to. The Socialist leader told soccer club owners on Thursday he has no intention of repealing or exempting them from a 75 percent tax on players' salaries above one million euros ($1.36 million) per year, despite clubs threatening to refuse to play later this month. The Union of Professional Football Clubs (UCPF) said in a statement: "Club representatives have not been heard despite several constructive proposals (such as the non-retroactivity of the tax). TAX RISES The proposed "eco-tax", meant to raise up to one billion euros a year for rail projects, will be suspended until the government has fine-tuned its application, Budget Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told the BFM TV channel. Full Story | Top |
| Wal-Mart in projects to make shoes, curtains, jars in U.S. Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:11 PM PDT  on Thursday announced three new manufacturing projects by suppliers in the United States to produce footwear, curtains and glassware as part of a broader commitment to "buy American." Bill Simon, Wal-Mart's U.S. president and CEO, made the announcement with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker at SelectUSA, a two-day event designed to promote investment and job creation in the United States. President Barack Obama, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and other top officials will also speak at the SelectUSA conference. Bentonville, Arkansas, based Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the world and with some 1.3 million employees in the United States, said the three projects would create 385 jobs. Elan-Polo Inc. will start production of injection-molded footwear in March at a factory in Hazelhurst, Georgia. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: For Merck, bringing cattle feed Zilmax back won't be easy Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:07 PM PDT faces significant challenges bringing its controversial feed additive Zilmax back to market in the United States and Canada, even after a vote of confidence from South Korea on Thursday. South Korea plans to begin accepting meat from cattle raised with the muscle-growing supplement early next year, a senior official in the country's food ministry said, opening the door to beef imports after a government risk assessment found the additive could be permitted at certain levels. To resurrect the once popular drug in the United States, Merck will need to shake this summer's controversy over animal welfare problems - and convince ranchers, feedlot customers and meatpackers that Zilmax was not to blame for some cattle that arrived at slaughter plants having difficulty walking and apparently in pain. It could be a tough sell: On Wednesday, agricultural giant Cargill Inc Full Story | Top |
| Google, Oracle, Red Hat experts to help fix Obamacare website Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:06 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Experts from top technology and Internet companies including Google Inc, Oracle Corp and Red Hat Inc have joined the Obama administration's effort to fix its troubled HealthCare.gov website, a U.S. official said on Thursday. Individuals from Oracle and Red Hat have expertise in site reliability, stability and scalability, according to a blog post by Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which is overseeing the effort. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ethiopian opposition says members beaten, illegally detained Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 12:03 PM PDT By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - An Ethiopian opposition group accused police and security officials of beating, illegally detaining and abducting more than 150 of its members between July and September this year. Addis Ababa, long seen by the West as a bulwark against militant Islam in the Horn of Africa, denies charges that it is quashing dissent. In a 39-page report launched on Thursday, the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) detailed what it said were "gruesome rights violations" committed against its supporters and members. "One hundred and fifty members and supporters of the party have been subject to severe beatings, illegal detentions and abductions by police and security officials," party chairman Negasso Gidada told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Senate committee approves antitrust whistleblower bill Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:59 AM PDT The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill on Thursday aimed at preventing retaliation against people who report criminal price-fixing to the Justice Department, the panel said in a statement. The bill, which will now go to the full Senate, was recommended in a July 2011 report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. That report had noted that whistleblowers had no legal recourse if they faced firing or other retaliation after reporting wrongdoing by their companies to the Justice Department, which prosecutes price-fixing. "Too often whistleblowers who risk their careers to expose waste, fraud and abuse are treated like second-class citizens," said Senator Chuck Grassley, the committee's top Republican. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. lawmaker subpoenas Sebelius for Obamacare documents Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:53 AM PDT  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior House of Representatives lawmaker subpoenaed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for documents related to the troubled launch of the Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, his office said on Thursday. Representative Darrell Issa, Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced he had subpoenaed Sebelius for information he and Republican Senator Lamar Alexander have sought since October 10. Republicans have sought to derail the healthcare overhaul since Obama took office in 2009 and have seized on recent technical issues to further attack the law. Full Story | Top |
| Emerging economies nearing half of global warming emissions Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:50 AM PDT Total greenhouse gas emissions by China and other emerging nations since 1850 will surpass those of rich nations this decade, complicating U.N. talks about who is most to blame for global warming, a study showed on Thursday. Developing nations accounted for 48 percent of cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2010, according to the study by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, research group Ecofys and the European Commission's Joint Research Center. "Discussions at the U.N. climate negotiations tend to focus on which countries have contributed most to climate change," the study said. The biggest emitters since 1850, taken as the start of widespread industrial use of fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases when burnt, were the United States, China, the European Union and Russia, it said. Full Story | Top |
| Former Newark Mayor Cory Booker sworn in as U.S. senator Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:46 AM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats welcomed a new colleague to the Senate on Thursday, newly elected Cory Booker, and the additional vote Booker gives them in the Senate. Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath to Booker, 44, elected this month as the first black senator from New Jersey. A Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School graduate who is widely seen as a rising political star, Booker fills the Senate seat vacated by the death in June of fellow Democrat Frank Lautenberg, who was 89. Minutes after being sworn in, Booker cast his first vote - to end one of these roadblocks against Obama's nomination of Melvin Watt as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Full Story | Top |
| Bomb attacks across Iraq kill at least 16 Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:39 AM PDT Bombs exploded across Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people, police and medical sources said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but Sunni Islamist militants including al Qaeda, have been regaining ground in Iraq, seeking to undermine the Shi'ite-led government. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki flew to the United States this week seeking military supplies to counter insurgents who have pushed the civilian death toll above 3,000 so far this year. In the latest violence, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a group of people who had gathered to assess the damage from two earlier blasts in the town of Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad, killing four people, police and medics said. Full Story | Top |
| Iran and big powers end expert talks without comment Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:37 AM PDT Iran and six world powers ended an expert-level meeting over Tehran's disputed nuclear activities on Thursday, but there was no immediate word on whether they had come any closer to an elusive breakthrough deal. The two-day meeting was meant to prepare for the next round of political negotiations on November 7-8, building on a diplomatic opening created by the election of Hassan Rouhani as new Iranian president. Rouhani, a pragmatist and a former chief nuclear negotiator for Iran, took office in August promising to try to resolve the dispute after years of confrontation and secure an easing of sanctions that have damaged Iran's oil-dependent economy. Western diplomats had said the talks at the U.N. complex in Vienna could help define the contours of any preliminary agreement on scaling back Iran's uranium enrichment in return for an easing of sanctions. Full Story | Top |
| Troika put return Greek visit on ice due to budget hole Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:35 AM PDT  By Martin Santa and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - International inspectors are set to put on hold a trip to Athens because they have been unable to bridge differences with Greece over how to close a 2 billion euro ($2.7 billion) hole in its 2014 budget, euro zone officials said. A team of officials from the IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank - known as the Troika - visits Athens regularly to check progress on its bailout commitments and decide whether to release the next tranche of loans. "There are growing differences between Athens and the Troika," one euro zone official said, adding that the planned trip was, for now, on ice. "The Greeks are saying: 'We are doing enough', and the Troika says they need new steps to close the budget," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Coke Femsa, Bimbo fall as Mexico poised to pass food, drink taxes Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:31 AM PDT By Elinor Comlay MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Shares of Mexico's food and drink companies fell on Thursday as Congress was poised to approve a 1 peso-per-liter tax on sugary drinks and an 8 percent tax on junk food as part of a wider tax overhaul. The Senate approved the plan, which aims to curb rising obesity levels as well as lift the poor tax take in Latin America's No. 2 economy, on Thursday morning, before sending the bill back to the lower house of Congress for final approval, expected later in the day. Shares of Mexico-based Coca-Cola Femsa, Coke's largest bottler in Latin America, were down more than 1 percent, while shares in bread and snacks maker Bimbo fell more than 2 percent in morning trading. Mexico, where obesity rates are now higher than in the United States, will be the first major soda market to tax high-calorie sodas, following a handful of other Latin American and European countries. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: EU, IMF coordinate on Ukraine as Russia threat looms Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:31 AM PDT  By Luke Baker and Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is in advanced discussions with the International Monetary Fund on providing standby financing to Ukraine should the country come under economic pressure from Russia later this year, senior EU officials have told Reuters. Ukraine is expected to sign a free trade and association agreement with the European Union at a summit in Lithuania on November 28-29, as long as it meets remaining conditions, including releasing former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko from prison. Ex-Soviet Ukraine's shift closer to the EU and away from Russia's sphere of influence has irritated Moscow, which has threatened to interrupt gas supplies to its neighbor and has demanded Kiev repay outstanding loans. For Moscow it cuts to the heart of a sense of diminished power in its backyard, with Ukraine seen by many in Russia as culturally and historically Russian. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to allow expanded electronic device use on flights Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:28 AM PDT  Airline passengers will soon be able to use electronic devices throughout their entire flight after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ended a long-standing ban on Thursday. Mobile phone calls remain barred under Federal Communications Commission rules. Delta Air Lines and JetBlue quickly filed plans with the FAA to show that their aircraft can tolerate radio signals from electronic devices, a condition required by the regulator. The change is likely to boost the use of gadgets such as Amazon Inc's Kindle readers or Apple Inc's iPad. Full Story | Top |
| Congo army hunts rebels deep into mountain bases Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:27 AM PDT  By Kenny Katombe BUNAGANA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo's army said on Thursday it was hunting rebels deep in the forests and mountains along the border with Rwanda and Uganda, the insurgents' last hideouts after they were driven from towns they seized during a 20-month rebellion. Peace talks between the government and M23 rebels resumed on Wednesday in neighboring Uganda but Congo's army appeared intent on crushing the most serious uprising in its mineral-rich east since a war ended a decade ago. Now is the time to bring peace." Artillery and small arms fire rang out on Thursday in the hills around Bunagana, a border town which the army retook the previous day, a Reuters reporter said. Eastern Congo has been caught up in a cycle of violence, exacerbated by the presence of rival ethnic militias and simmering disputes over land and minerals. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. IRS warns of telephone tax scam involving fake caller IDs Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:26 AM PDT The U.S. Internal Revenue Service warned on Thursday about a growing tax scam in which fraudsters display an IRS phone number on the intended victim's caller ID and demand money. Particularly targeting recent U.S. immigrants, the scammer typically tells the targets over the phone that they owe money to the IRS and demands payment via a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer, the IRS said. The victim's caller ID displays an IRS toll-free number in a deception known as caller ID spoofing. They may also send follow-up emails from a bogus IRS address. Full Story | Top |
| Canceled U.S. health plans are disruptive part of reform -Cigna CEO Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:23 AM PDT The hundreds of thousands of Americans whose individual insurance policies will be canceled as Obamacare takes full effect next year are experiencing a disruptive element of healthcare reform, the head of health insurer Cigna said on Thursday. In the past week, reports of pending plan cancellations have become a political problem for President Barack Obama, who promised years ago as he was pushing to pass the healthcare law that Americans who liked their health plans could keep them. Nearly half of U.S. consumers with individual health plans are also expected to qualify for tax credits to buy insurance on new state exchanges under Obamacare. Full Story | Top |
| Mauritania must wipe out persistent slavery, U.N. watchdog says Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:22 AM PDT Slavery is still being practiced in Mauritania, even though the West African country made it a crime against humanity last year, a U.N. human rights watchdog said on Thursday. Despite becoming the last country worldwide to abolish slavery, in 1981, Mauritania has the highest prevalence worldwide of slavery per head of population, according to the Global Slavery Index 2013. "Mauritania is one of those few countries in which slavery still exists, in which slavery is still practiced. The government seems to deny it, at the same time there is an Anti-Slavery Act," Cornelis Flinterman, a Dutch member on U.N. Human Rights Committee told a news briefing. Full Story | Top |
| Senate Republicans block Obama nominee for housing post Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:19 AM PDT  By Margaret Chadbourn WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked President Barack Obama's nominee to oversee mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, likely derailing his chances of securing the position. The defeat on a procedural vote for the nominee, Democratic Representative Mel Watt of North Carolina, came despite an aggressive White House push to round up support. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid switched his vote from yea to nay at the last minute to reserve the right to bring back Watt's nomination to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Only two Republicans - Senator Richard Burr, who is from Watt's home state, and Senator Rob Portman of Ohio - voted yea. Full Story | Top |
| Philadelphia trader gets 10 years for investment schemes Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:16 AM PDT By Matthew Goldstein NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philadelphia commodities trader and hip-hop promoter Tyrone Gilliams Jr., who portrayed himself as an up-and-coming philanthropist, was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in a federal prison for swindling investors out of more than $5 million. The 10-year sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts was 2.5 years less than the minimum recommended by the U.S. Probation Office under federal sentencing guidelines. Gilliams, 46, came to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan with about two-dozen family members and friends, including his father, a Philadelphia-area minister. Gilliams and his attorney Everette Scott were convicted in February following a jury trial of stealing money from investors, including a scheme involving a purported investment in U.S. Treasury Strips. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. October auto sales expected to show 12 percent rise Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 11:01 AM PDT  U.S. auto sales to be reported on Friday are expected to be up 12 percent from a year ago as the federal government shutdown did not greatly impact consumer purchases. Analysts forecast that the largest automakers in terms of U.S. sales will have double-digit percentage sales increases, with the possible exception of sales leader General Motors Co Pickup truck sales are expected to again show double-digit gains, but the pace may be slower than in recent months before the usual end-of-year flurry of truck buying, analysts said. The 16-day shutdown of most of the federal government did not keep sales down, several analysts said, including Alec Gutierrez of Kelley Blue Book. Full Story | Top |
| Pimco's Gross urges 'privileged 1 percent' to pay more tax Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:59 AM PDT  By Sam Forgione and Jennifer Ablan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, urged fellow members of the "privileged 1 percent," earning the highest incomes, to support higher U.S. taxes on carried interest and capital gains to help the economy. Gross, co-founder and co-chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co., said in his latest investment outlook letter on Thursday that the super wealthy "should be paddling right alongside and willing to support higher taxes on carried interest, and certainly capital gains readjusted to existing marginal income tax rates." Carried interest refers to a large portion of the investment gains realized by private equity managers and executives at some venture capital firms, real estate and hedge funds. Gross, who oversees roughly $2 trillion in assets, noted that billionaires Warren Buffett and Stanley Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital Management and one of the best performing hedge fund managers of the past three decades, have advocated similar proposals. Full Story | Top |
| Finland says government's data network hit by severe hacking Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:58 AM PDT  Finland's foreign minister said on Thursday foreign intelligence agents had carried out large-scale hacking into government communications, and a Finnish TV station said China and Russia were suspected. Erkki Tuomioja said the breach of the Foreign Ministry's data network was discovered in spring, and Finland's intelligence service was investigating it as a case of serious espionage. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani PM says talks with Pakistani Taliban are underway Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:52 AM PDT  Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday his country had started talks with the Pakistani Taliban to try to stop what he said was the killing of innocent people and members of the law enforcement agencies. The Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella group of factions operating independently from their Afghan Taliban allies, are fighting to set up an Islamic state in Pakistan. The Pakistani government has been trying to negotiate a peace settlement to end years of fighting, but the al Qaeda-linked group had previously said it was not open to talks. "The Prime Minister informed that the dialogue with the Taliban has started," the High Commission for Pakistan in London said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Microsoft, Infineon suits to proceed in Canada, not ADM Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:49 AM PDT  By Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - Consumers may join class action lawsuits against Microsoft Corp and Infineon Technologies AG over allegations of unfair pricing for computer products, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday. The high court refused to allow a class action to proceed against Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) and Cargill Inc over alleged price-fixing on high-fructose corn syrup used in soft drinks and baked goods. The Supreme Court, in linked decisions on Microsoft and Infineon, certified separate class actions against the companies. Full Story | Top |
| Evangelist Billy Graham to mark 95th birthday with message to America Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:48 AM PDT  By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Evangelist Billy Graham's voice is softer and his body weaker, but the man who helped transform Christianity in America and counseled U.S. presidents will reach out to the nation on his 95th birthday in an effort to revitalize the church. Graham, who has not preached publicly since 2006 because of frail health, has filmed a public message to air on national television on his November 7 birthday, giving fans a rare and possibly final opportunity to see the man dubbed "America's Pastor." "Our country is in great need of a spiritual awakening," Graham says in a program titled "The Cross." "With all my heart, I want to leave you with the truth." Graham's message is at the heart of what the Charlotte, North Carolina-based association bearing his name calls its largest evangelism effort in the United States in its 63-year history. "The students that I teach don't really know who Billy Graham is," said Anne Wills, a religion professor at Davidson College outside of Charlotte. Full Story | Top |
| California woman ticketed for driving with Google Glass Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:36 AM PDT A woman testing the prototype device Google Glass was ticketed in San Diego this week for driving wearing the glasses with a built-in computer and miniature display, in a case that has drawn the focus of technology enthusiasts on social media. The police officer gave her a second citation for driving "with a monitor" in violation of state law, according to California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Marc Hale. In a post to social networking site Google Plus, technology entrepreneur Cecilia Abadie said she was the driver stopped by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of speeding and she displayed her citation online. "A cop just stopped me and gave me a ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving!" Abadie wrote in the post. Full Story | Top |
| Syria meets deadline to destroy chemical production facilities Thursday, Oct 31, 2013 10:31 AM PDT  By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria has destroyed or rendered inoperable all of its declared chemical weapons production and mixing facilities, meeting a major deadline in an ambitious disarmament program, the international chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which won the Nobel Peace prize this month, said its teams had inspected 21 out of 23 chemical weapons sites across the country. Syria "has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, rendering them inoperable," it said, meeting a November 1 deadline for the work. The next target date is November 15, by when the OPCW and Syria must agree to a detailed plan of destruction, including how and where to destroy more than 1,000 metric tons of toxic agents and munitions. Full Story | Top |
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