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| Exclusive: Obama orders curbs on NSA spying on U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:11 AM PDT  By Mark Hosenball (Reuters) - President Barack Obama recently ordered the National Security Agency to curtail eavesdropping on the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of a review of U.S. electronic surveillance, according to a U.S. official familiar with the decision. Obama's order is the latest known move by the White House to limit the NSA's vast intelligence collection, in the wake of protests by allies, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, over U.S. spying on foreign heads of state. The full extent of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| European banks pay heavy price for scandals Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:37 AM PDT  By Sara Webb and Katharina Bart AMSTERDAM/ZURICH (Reuters) - Four European banks paid a heavy price on Tuesday in a clean-up of the financial industry, with Rabobank fined $1 billion and three other major lenders preparing for possibly huge legal costs after a string of scandals. Dutch Rabobank said it would pay regulators in the United States, Britain and the Netherlands 774 million euros after 30 employees were involved in "inappropriate conduct" linked to interest rate manipulation. ... Full Story | Top |
| JPMorgan's $13 billion deal hits stumbling blocks: source Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:49 AM PDT  By Aruna Viswanatha and David Henry (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co's preliminary $13 billion deal to resolve federal and state probes into its mortgage bond business has hit two stumbling blocks, a person familiar with the talks said on Tuesday. In a draft settlement circulated late Sunday, JPMorgan sought a provision that effectively shut down any criminal inquires into the bank's packaging and sale of mortgage securities apart from an investigation from California prosecutors the bank has already disclosed, the person said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare official apologizes for website glitches Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:44 AM PDT  By David Morgan and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. agency responsible for the troubled new government-run healthcare website apologized on Tuesday for the difficulty people are having in obtaining insurance, but blamed the portal's woes on contractors and high traffic. Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said the website faces "complex technical issues" four weeks after it opened for enrollment. "We know that consumers are eager to purchase this coverage. ... Full Story | Top |
| Push for immigration action targets House Republicans Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 12:19 PM PDT  By Gabriel Debenedetti and Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. businesses, religious leaders and other supporters of overhauling the nation's immigration laws mounted a massive lobbying push on Tuesday to urge a reluctant House of Representatives to tackle the issue before the end of the year. More than 600 people from 40 states planned to meet one-on-one with lawmakers to encourage the House to act soon on a top priority of labor groups, Latinos and businesses ranging from apple growers to software companies. ... Full Story | Top |
| Can Merkel really be surprised the NSA spied on her? Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 09:23 AM PDT  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - When Angela Merkel was growing up in communist East Germany, she recalls her parents getting nervous whenever she talked for too long on the phone. "Hang up! The Stasi is listening and it's all being recorded," warned her mother, according to one biography. But somewhere along the line between her childhood behind the Iron Curtain and becoming chancellor of a united Germany, Merkel apparently lost her fear of eavesdropping. She called Barack Obama last week to demand clarification of reports that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defiant Israel returns to U.N. rights forum Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 09:19 AM PDT  By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Israel appeared before the main United Nations human rights body on Tuesday, ending a 20-month boycott of the Geneva forum which it accuses of bias against the Jewish state. Eviatar Manor, Israel's ambassador in Geneva, led its delegation to the session, held as part of the U.N. Human Rights Council's examination of U.N. member states every four years. "It was not an easy decision to make," Manor said in an opening statement to the talks. "But Israel's unfair treatment must come to an end. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. inspectors hold 'very productive' nuclear talks with Iran Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 10:33 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran held "very productive" talks this week on how to advance a long-blocked investigation into Iranian atomic activities and will meet again in Tehran next month, they said in a rare joint statement on Tuesday. The relatively upbeat announcement by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency may further buoy hopes for a negotiated solution to the international standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions after the June election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who is seeking to reduce tension with the West. The U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas attorney general asks court to reinstate abortion measure Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:16 AM PDT  By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court judge to immediately reinstate a restriction on abortion that a lower court judge had ruled unconstitutional, according to a court filing. A federal district court judge on Monday ruled unconstitutional a provision requiring physicians who perform abortions to have an agreement with a local hospital to admit patients. That was part of a sweeping new Texas law restricting abortions that was set to go into effect on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| A year after Sandy, thousands still can't return home Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 11:43 AM PDT By Dave Warner and Victoria Cavaliere SEASIDE PARK, N.J./NEW YORK (Reuters) - A year after Superstorm Sandy inundated the East Coast with record flooding that left 159 people dead, residents of hard-hit New Jersey and New York shore communities still have a ways to go in rebuilding damaged homes. New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, began his day at the beach town of Seaside Park, where homes were flooded by two to three feet of water when the storm roared ashore. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian deputy PM dismissed after U.S. talks Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 09:15 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's deputy prime minister, Qadri Jamil, was dismissed on Tuesday for leaving the country and acting without government permission after meeting U.S. officials in Switzerland, state media said. The sacked minister is a member of what President Bashar al-Assad calls the "patriotic opposition" - political parties that consider themselves rivals to the president but have not joined the 2-1/2-year revolt against his rule. "Jamil was dismissed because he left his center of work without prior permission and did not follow up on his duties ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain launches legal inquiry into U.S. spying allegations Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 08:03 AM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's public prosecutor launched a preliminary inquiry on Tuesday into reports that U.S. intelligence has spied on million of its citizens. Attorney General Eduardo Torres-Dulce authorized an information gathering process after El Mundo newspaper reported on Monday that the United States had tracked more than 60 million Spanish phone calls, his office said in a statement. Spain summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to discuss the allegations, which are similar to reports of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq's Maliki to seek U.S. arms, role on Iran and Syria Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 08:56 AM PDT  By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki flew to Washington on Tuesday, seeking urgent military supplies to fight an upsurge in sectarian violence spilling over the Syrian border. He will also present himself to President Barack Obama as a potential mediator for him with Iran and Tehran's Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad, Iraqi sources said - though U.S. officials played down the prospect of Maliki playing such a role. Two years after his last visit, as U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pistorius to face additional gun charges in murder trial Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 08:52 AM PDT  By Peroshni Govender JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius will face two additional gun-related charges at his trial for the murder of his girlfriend due to start in March next year, prosecutors said on Tuesday. Pistorius, who is on bail, says he acted in self defense mistaking his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot and killed her on Valentine's Day at his upmarket home in February. She was shot in the head, arm and hip. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya says some soldiers looted during Nairobi mall attack Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 07:38 AM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan soldiers sent to protect civilians looted shops while al Qaeda-linked militants killed scores of people during a siege at a Nairobi shopping mall last month, the army admitted on Tuesday. The head of the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) said two members of a special combat unit had been dismissed from the force and jailed and a third was under investigation, though he rejected reports of systematic, large-scale looting by troops. "Discipline is our core driving point and we are not playing with this issue. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt and Brotherhood should pursue reconciliation: minister Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 07:57 AM PDT  By Michael Georgy CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed government and the Muslim Brotherhood should seek reconciliation because only an inclusive political process, not security crackdowns, can bring stability to the country, a senior minister said on Tuesday. The most populous Arab state has been shaken by violence since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood in July and announced a plan for new elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. House panel chairman subpoenas Obamacare contractor Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 06:53 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa on Tuesday subpoenaed Obamacare contractor, Quality Software Services Inc (QSSI), for documents related to the federal government's troubled website, Healthcare.gov. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by David Brunnstrom) Full Story | Top |
| Iraqi PM flies to U.S., seeking arms to fight militants Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 07:35 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki travelled to the United States on Tuesday to press for urgent help and arms to combat the worst upsurge of violence in years. Nearly three years since the last U.S. troops withdrew, Sunni Islamist militants are waging a campaign to destabilize the Shi'ite-led government that came to power after former dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. ... Full Story | Top |
| China suspects Tiananmen crash a suicide attack- sources Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 05:20 AM PDT  By Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities investigating what could be Beijing's first major suicide attack were searching for two men from Muslim-dominated Xinjiang on Tuesday after three people suspected to be from the restive region drove a SUV into a crowd at Tiananmen Square and set it on fire. They killed themselves and two tourists on Monday in the square, the heart of China's power structure and the focal point of the mass 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations brutally crushed the military. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge in Brotherhood trial withdraws, case indefinitely adjourned Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 05:05 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The trial of three senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leaders on charges of inciting violence was halted on Tuesday after the judge said the court felt "unease" over the case. Judge Mohamed Amin Fahmi al-Qarmouty announced the decision at the start of the session and referred the case to another court. The case against Mohamed Badie, General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, and his deputies Khairat al-Shater and Rashad Bayoumy is part of a campaign against the Islamist movement waged by the authorities since the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi on July 3. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leaders of South African 'Boer Army' plot receive long jail terms Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 06:08 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Five leaders of a "Boer Army" white supremacist plot in South Africa to assassinate Nelson Mandela and drive blacks out of the country were sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday after a trial lasting more than 10 years. A Pretoria High Court handed down sentences ranging from 20 to five years to others of the 21 defendants of the "Boeremag", a rag-tag militia of apartheid loyalists accused of a botched 2002 coup attempt in Africa's biggest economy. This had including charges of causing explosions. Some of the sentences were suspended. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama may ban U.S. intelligence collection on allied leaders Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 05:55 AM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama may ban U.S. spying on allied leaders as part of a review of intelligence gathering, a senior Obama administration official said on Tuesday amid a diplomatic uproar over the National Security Agency's surveillance ability. A week after reports surfaced that the eavesdropping extended to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, Obama is under pressure to take steps to reassure Americans and allies. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's top court urges judicial independence, end to interference Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 03:59 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China must rid its courts of corruption and stop officials interfering in decisions, a paper on reforms by the top court said on Tuesday, referring to a judicial system that answers to the Communist Party and almost never sides with defendants. The paper, published on an official website managed by the Supreme People's Court, comes ahead of the third plenum of the ruling Communist Party's 205-member Central Committee next month, a key meeting of party elite where economic and social reforms are expected to emerge. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. spy chiefs face Congress amid spying rift with Europe Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 10:41 AM PDT  By Tabassum Zakaria and Deborah Charles WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. intelligence officials appeared at a congressional hearing on Tuesday amid a public uproar that has expanded from anger over the National Security Agency collecting the phone and email records of Americans to spying on European allies. But the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, warned that collecting foreign intelligence was important to protecting Americans and allies from terrorism. "Every nation collects foreign intelligence. ... Full Story | Top |
| BP ups asset sales, dividend as big oil Q3 kicks off Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 02:16 AM PDT  By Andrew Callus LONDON (Reuters) - BP Plc kicked off the quarterly results season for top global oil firms with some good news for the sector's beleaguered investors - a forecast beating result, a dividend hike, and a promise to sell more assets and return the proceeds to shareholders. The world No. 5 by value among investor-controlled oil and gas groups also reassured investors that capital spending next year would stay steady at $24-$25 billion - a slight tightening from previous guidance of $24-$27 billion for the years up to 2020. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: From Russia to labor shortages, Latvia faces stern tests in euro Tuesday, Oct 29, 2013 02:12 AM PDT  By Alistair Scrutton and Aija Krutaine VALKA, Latvia (Reuters) - From his office near Latvia's border, Valka deputy major Viesturs Zarins can see the future. It's down the road, right at the supermarket and past the derelict house. Across a disused border post lies Estonia, a euro currency nation that Latvia will next year emulate. From a quirk of history this town is split between the two countries, where some street vendors deal in euros and others in Latvian lats. Latvia's adoption of the euro on January 1 may encourage investment and lower borrowing costs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Skelton, former military expert in U.S. Congress, dies at 81 Monday, Oct 28, 2013 08:56 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. congressman Ike Skelton, a 17-term Democrat who capped his career as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, died on Monday, according to U.S. lawmakers. He was 81. Skelton died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, with his wife Patty and his sons at his side, said Skelton's longtime colleague and staff member, Russell Orban. Skelton had entered the hospital about a week ago with a cough, but grew weaker as other complications developed, said Orban, who was present when Skelton died. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House sees need for 'constraints' on NSA spying Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:28 PM PDT  By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House moved on Monday to reassure U.S. allies and Americans concerned about the sweeping nature of the National Security Agency's surveillance practices by acknowledging that more constraints are needed to ensure that privacy rights are protected. Amid a growing uproar in Europe and a protest by a key U.S. senator, officials said they would review intelligence collection programs with an eye to narrowing their scope. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple's results disappoint ahead of holiday quarter Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Bill Rigby (Reuters) - Apple Inc's profit and margins slid despite selling 33.8 million iPhones in its September quarter, and greater China revenue climbed just 6 percent even though two smartphone models hit store shelves in its second-largest market last month. The unremarkable quarterly numbers prompted some disappointed investors to cash in recent gains in the stock, which slid 5 percent at one stage after-hours on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge blocks part of Texas law restricting abortion Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:46 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday blocked the provision of a sweeping new Texas abortion law that requires doctors performing the procedure to have an agreement with a local hospital to admit patients, handing a partial victory to supporters of the right to abortion. The Texas law was the most fiercely debated proposal to restrict such procedures in the United States this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Red Sox on brink of championship after beating Cards Monday, Oct 28, 2013 09:08 PM PDT  By Larry Fine ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Boston broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of seventh-inning runs to support another brilliant outing by starter Jon Lester in a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday that put the Red Sox on the brink of winning the World Series. The victory gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven and a chance to clinch the Major League Baseball crown with a win at Boston's Fenway Park in Game Six on Wednesday. A ground-rule double by catcher David Ross plated one run and a single by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury knocked in another off St. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate banking panel eyes November 14 for Yellen hearing: Senate aide Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee is considering holding a hearing on Janet Yellen's nomination to head the Federal Reserve on November 14, a Senate aide said on Monday. President Barack Obama nominated Yellen on October 9 to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the U.S. central bank when his term ends on January 31. The banking committee needs to vet the nomination before it can go to the full Senate for final consideration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen police halt fireworks causing rumors of U.S. embassy attack Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:50 PM PDT  SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni police moved in to halt a firework display at a wedding party near the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Monday that triggered rumors of an attack on the mission, a security guard and a Yemeni diplomat in Washington said. They said security guards around the mission in Sanaa fired some shots in the air. "The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was not attacked, nor was there any bombing in the vicinity of the Embassy," said Mohammed al-Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni embassy in Washington in a twitter message. He said some people who had set off the fireworks were arrested. ... Full Story | Top |
| Penn State to pay $59.7 million in Sandusky child sex abuse settlement Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Barbara Goldberg and Daniel Trotta (Reuters) - Penn State University agreed to pay $59.7 million to 26 victims of convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, settling the bulk of claims in a major step to move beyond a scandal that upended one of U.S. college football's most lucrative teams. The university said in a statement it reached the settlements in the wake of Sandusky's conviction in June 2012 for sexually abusing boys while he was an assistant football coach and after he retired. "We hope this is another step forward in the healing process for those hurt by Mr. ... Full Story | Top |
| German parliament to meet over U.S. spying scandal Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:31 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament will hold a special session on reports the United States tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone and left-wing parties demanded a public inquiry calling in witnesses including former U.S. intelligence operative Edward Snowden. Her conservative party, now in talks with the opposition Social Democrats on forming a new governing coalition after the September 22 election, said it would not stand in the way of any parliamentary committee investigating the espionage affair. Reports last week that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Storm death toll rises as wind, rain batters northern Europe Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:22 PM PDT By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Anthony Deutsch LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Hurricane strength winds battered northern Europe on Monday, killing more than a dozen people, cutting power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train journeys. At least seven people died in Germany while there were four deaths in Britain and fatalities in the Netherlands, Denmark and France as the storm brought down trees, blew roofs off houses and turned over trucks, causing chaos across much of the region. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fernandez's government downplays electoral setback in Argentina Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:26 PM PDT  By Anthony Esposito and Alejandro Lifschitz BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - President Cristina Fernandez's government sought on Monday to downplay a sobering defeat in Argentina's mid-term elections, asserting that its ability to govern has not been diminished even though voters shrank her majority in Congress and erased her chances of seeking a third term in 2015. The government's coalition took a beating in Sunday's elections, leaving her with only a slim majority in both legislative chambers. ... Full Story | Top |
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