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| Canada allowed widespread NSA surveillance at 2010 G20 summit: report Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 09:06 AM PST  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada allowed the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct widespread surveillance during the 2010 Group of 20 summit in Toronto, according to a media report that cited documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp is the latest potential embarrassment for the NSA as a result of Snowden's leaks, although it remains unclear precisely what information the agency was looking for during the summit. Snowden has already revealed the agency spied on close allies such as Germany and Brazil, prompting heated diplomatic spats with Washington. The CBC report, first aired late on Wednesday, cited briefing notes it said showed the United States turned its Ottawa embassy into a security command post during a six-day spying operation by the top-secret U.S. agency as President Barack Obama and other world leaders met that June. Full Story | Top |
| Iran shakes up foundation controlled by Ayatollah's business empire Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 11:19 AM PST  By Steve Stecklow LONDON (Reuters) - A multi-billion dollar organization controlled by Iran's supreme leader shook up the management of its charity division, appointing as its new chief a man involved in the confiscation of thousands of properties from Iranian citizens. Aref Nozori was named director general of the Barakat Foundation, Iran's state news agency reported on Wednesday. The foundation is a unit of a massive business empire controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that is known as Setad Ejraiye Farmane Hazrate Emam. The report by the Islamic Republic News Agency stated that Setad's president, Mohammad Mokhber, had ordered the appointment of Norozi, who once headed Setad's real-estate division and served on the boards of several Setad-linked companies. Full Story | Top |
| Afghan president condemns U.S. airstrike that killed a child, two women Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 11:49 AM PST  Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai said U.S. forces had bombed a home in Helmand killing a small child and wounding two women on Thursday and condemned the attack as another sign of disregard for civilian life, his spokesman said. The strike could not have come at a worse time, as Karzai is engaged in a stand-off with the American government over a bilateral security agreement that will help shape the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Ex-UBS banker Weil agrees to be extradited to U.S. Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 09:09 AM PST  By Valentina Accardo BOLOGNA, Italy (Reuters) - Raoul Weil, a former UBS banker charged by U.S. authorities five years ago for allegedly helping rich Americans dodge taxes via secret Swiss bank accounts, has agreed to go to the United States to face trial after being arrested in Italy, Weil's lawyer and judicial sources told Reuters. Italian authorities have not received a formal request for extradition, but have received indications that such a request is on the way, the sources said. Full Story | Top |
| Bank of England cuts mortgage support to avoid housing bubble Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 09:54 AM PST  By David Milliken and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England moved to head off the risk of a housing bubble in Britain on Thursday, making a surprise announcement that it would put the brakes on a scheme launched last year to help boost mortgage lending. Britain's economy and its housing market have staged an unexpectedly strong turnaround since the FLS was launched by the BoE and finance ministry in July 2012 in an effort to spur the long-delayed recovery by unblocking credit markets. It's better to shift into neutral," BoE Governor Mark Carney said. Another - much-criticized - government program to aid the housing market, Help to Buy, remains in place. Full Story | Top |
| IAEA says may need more money to help implement Iran nuclear deal Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 08:44 AM PST  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog will probably need more money to verify the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, its chief said on Thursday, and it would take some time to prepare for the task. Yukiya Amano also said Iran has invited the agency to visit the Arak heavy-water production plant on December 8, the first concrete step under a new cooperation pact aimed at clarifying concerns about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Both agreements indicate how Iran is acting quickly to address fears about its nuclear program after the election in June of a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, as new president on a platform to smooth its troubled relations with the world. The International Atomic Energy Agency can mobilize expertise and staff from within the organization for an increased workload in checking whether Iran is complying with the interim accord with the major powers to curb its nuclear program, IAEA Director General Amano told a news conference. Full Story | Top |
| The 'eye sniper' and the girl protesters: Egypt's tale of two trials Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 10:30 AM PST  By Michael Georgy and Abdel Rahman Youssef CAIRO (Reuters) - Two high-profile Egyptian trials, both arising from years of turbulent protests, have delivered sharply contrasting sentences in the space of just a few months. The verdicts stunned the opposition and rights campaigners, even by the standards of a crackdown in which security forces have killed hundreds of Islamists and arrested thousands since the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July. We could not believe that Egypt would lock up its girls with the excuse that they are a threat to security," said Ramadan Abdel Hamid, whose 15-year-old daughter Rawda and wife Salwa were among those sentenced. "Is this what is going to calm Egypt?" As army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi implements a promised roadmap towards elections, the United States is watching closely and has repeatedly urged the interim government to treat its opponents with restraint. Full Story | Top |
| No gold bars but higher salaries for London bankers with bonus cap Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 09:54 AM PST  By Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - In the 1990s, London-based investment banks rewarded top employees with gold bars, fine wine and oriental carpets to dent the impact of higher payroll taxes. Now, with public anger at banking excess near all time highs, they are looking at less flashy ways to cope with curbs on bonuses, including a new monthly allowance. European rules due to take force in January say bankers' bonuses cannot exceed annual salary, or twice that if shareholders approve, to curb the sort of excessive risk-taking blamed for the 2008-09 financial crisis. At least 10,000 bankers, most of them in London, take home more than half a million euros ($678,700), according to industry sources, more than 10 times the average wage in wealthier European states. Full Story | Top |
| EU leaders set for tough table-talk with Ukraine's Yanukovich Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 10:34 AM PST  By Natalia Zinets and Adrian Croft VILNIUS (Reuters) - The European Union told Ukraine it was risking its economic future by rejecting a free-trade deal in favor of closer ties with Russia, hours before a likely frosty encounter on Thursday evening between EU leaders and President Viktor Yanukovich. Yanukovich flew into the Lithuanian capital Vilnius in time for a dinner in honor of the Eastern Partnership, the EU's four-year-old outreach program for former Soviet republics, including Ukraine. He had been expected to sign a far-reaching free-trade and political association deal with the EU at the Vilnius summit, the result of years of negotiation. But last week, following intense pressure from Moscow and growing concerns about Ukraine's dire economic situation, Yanukovich announced he was not ready to sign the EU deal yet and would instead focus on reviving economic dialogue with Russia. Full Story | Top |
| Americans mark Thanksgiving Day with travel, parades, shopping Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 08:44 AM PST By Barbara Goldberg NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans gathered on Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving, stuffing turkeys for family feasts, braving high winds and the bitter cold along parade routes and starting their holiday shopping one day earlier this year. Mother Nature gave New York City a break with winds just below the level that would have grounded Snoopy, Sonic the Hedgehog and other giant helium balloons in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "On Thanksgiving, I'm grateful I can still run five miles (eight km) so it's a great way to start the day since I'll be in the kitchen for the rest of it," said Patty Orsini, 54, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey. Shoppers got their earliest jump ever on the pre-Christmas shopping season, with "Black Friday" deals being offered before Thanksgiving tables were even set. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: UBS shrinks advisory team for rich in emerging markets Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 08:04 AM PST  By Katharina Bart and Dinesh Nair ZURICH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Swiss lender UBS is scaling back corporate advisory and investment banking services for ultra-rich clients in some emerging market countries to reduce overlap with other departments, three sources familiar with the plan said. The move comes one year after Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti said UBS would let go 10,000 staff and eventually derive profits almost solely from its private banking unit, which caters to the financial needs of the wealthy. At the private bank, where it is not unusual for client relationships to be forged over generations and personalized service is prized, such cuts are far trickier. The private banking unit being reduced, UBS's Corporate Advisory Group (CAG), offers services such as advice on mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings, financing options and structured equity products to individuals and entrepreneurs with at least $25 million in investable assets. Full Story | Top |
| Embattled Thai PM easily survives no-confidence vote, protests persist Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 04:37 AM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra easily won a no-confidence vote in parliament on Thursday but failed to pacify anti-government protesters who rejected calls for talks and massed by the thousands in the capital. Waving multi-colored flags, blowing whistles and blocking traffic, protesters rallied outside the heavily barricaded national police headquarters, urging police to join their bid to topple Yinglick and her billionaire brother, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The numbers of the protesters appear to have dwindled since the start of the week, raising questions over what's next in a conflict that broadly pits Bangkok's middle classes against the mostly rural supporters of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup. Yingluck, who won a 2011 election by a landslide to become Thailand's first female prime minister, called on the protesters to clear the streets and enter into talks to avoid confrontation, saying Thailand's economy was at risk after demonstrators occupied the Finance Ministry on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Iran sanctions deal sparks hunt for vintage plane parts Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 10:02 AM PST  By Tim Hepher, Parisa Hafezi and Praveen Menon (Reuters) - While foreign ministers raced to Geneva for a crucial phase of talks over Iran's nuclear activities earlier this month, passengers with the country's national airline faced a little-noticed drama on the other side of the world. As a 37-year-old Boeing 747 climbed out of Beijing bound for Tehran, the Iranian crew received a cockpit alert that one of the jumbo jet's four Pratt & Whitney engines was on fire. The Iran Air pilots shut the engine down, activated a fire suppression system and flew back to the Chinese capital. Both the November 8 incident and the actions taken to remedy it, as reported by accident database Aviation Herald, highlight the juggling act needed to keep Iran's fleet in the air after years of sanctions and challenges in procuring parts. Full Story | Top |
| Steam, water may show North Korea trying to restart reactor: IAEA Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 08:46 AM PST  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear agency said on Thursday it had seen releases of steam and water indicating that North Korea may be seeking to restart a reactor that experts say would be capable of making plutonium for atomic bombs. North Korea announced in April that it would revive its aged research reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex but said it was seeking a deterrent capacity. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the Vienna-based IAEA continued to monitor developments at Yongbyon, mainly through satellite imagery. "Activities have been observed at the site that are consistent with an effort to restart the 5MW(e) reactor," he told the IAEA's 35-nation board, referring to the Yongbyon research reactor. Full Story | Top |
| Australian diplomacy tested by Indonesia, China rows Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 12:27 AM PST  By Lincoln Feast SYDNEY (Reuters) - When Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott swept to power in September's general election, his promise of a foreign policy that was "more Jakarta than Geneva" raised hopes of a new era of engagement with powerful Asian neighbors. Less than three months into the job, Abbott's conservative government is embroiled in the worst diplomatic rift with Indonesia since the turn of the century and China, its biggest trade partner, is complaining bitterly about Australian comments regarding fresh tensions in the East China Sea. The deterioration of relations between Australia and key regional powers has fuelled fears that trade, investment and security will suffer and have helped ensure a swift end to any post-election honeymoon enjoyed by Abbott's government. "They are dealing with both an Indonesia and a China that are stronger than they understood." Tensions with China escalated after Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop described Beijing's weekend move to impose a new airspace defense zone over disputed islands the East China Sea as "unhelpful" and summoned China's ambassador to explain. Full Story | Top |
| The second coming of Obamacare website - will it work? Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 10:12 PM PST  President Barack Obama's healthcare law is facing its biggest test this weekend since its disastrous October 1 launch, as Americans find out whether the administration has met a self-imposed deadline to fix its insurance shopping website. Another major outage of glitch-ridden HealthCare.gov could spell more political trouble for the president, who was forced to apologize for the botched rollout and admit burdening Democratic Party allies in their bids for re-election to Congress in 2014. If the website does not work on Saturday's deadline, that could turn off millions of uninsured Americans, especially young and healthy consumers whose participation in the new insurance exchanges are critical for keeping costs in check. Obama officials are confident that this second coming of HealthCare.gov will be much improved from the October 1 debut. Full Story | Top |
| EU leaders set for frosty dinner with Ukraine's Yanukovich Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 04:09 PM PST  By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders will come face-to-face with Viktor Yanukovich on Thursday for the first time since the Ukrainian president spurned their offer of a free-trade deal and decided to seek closer ties with Russia instead. In a meeting that promises to be one of the frostier moments of political theatre this year, Yanukovich plans to attend a dinner in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius to honor the Eastern Partnership, the EU's four-year-old program of outreach to former Soviet states. Ukraine had been expected to sign a far-reaching free-trade and political association deal with the EU at the Vilnius summit, the result of years of negotiation. But last week, following intense pressure from Moscow and growing concerns about Ukraine's dire economic situation, Yanukovich announced he wasn't ready to sign the EU deal yet and would bolster links with Russia. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says to continue building at Arak nuclear site despite deal Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 12:20 PM PST Iran will pursue construction at the Arak heavy-water reactor, Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif was quoted as saying on Wednesday, despite a deal with world powers to shelve a project they fear could yield plutonium for atomic bombs. France, one of the six powers that negotiated Sunday's landmark initial accord with Iran to curb its disputed nuclear program, said in response to Zarif's statement that Tehran had to stick to what was agreed in the Geneva talks. The uncompleted research reactor emerged as one of several big stumbling blocks in the marathon negotiations, in which Iran agreed to restrain its atomic activities for six months in return for limited sanctions relief. Iran says it would produce medical isotopes only. Full Story | Top |
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