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| Samples taken from Arafat corpse for poison tests Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 11:21 AM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Forensic experts took samples from Yasser Arafat's corpse in the West Bank on Tuesday, trying to determine if he was murdered with the hard-to-trace radioactive poison, polonium. Palestinians witnessed the funeral of their hero and longtime leader eight years ago, but conspiracy theories surrounding his death have never been laid to rest. Many are convinced their icon was the victim of assassination by Israeli agents, and may have been poisoned wittingly or unwittingly by a Palestinian. They may remain convinced of that, whatever the outcome of this autopsy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rice meeting with senators fails to dampen criticism Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 11:05 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice on Tuesday failed to win over her harshest Republican critics in the U.S. Senate who are threatening to block her nomination if President Barack Obama chooses her for Secretary of State or another top post in his second-term Cabinet. Rice met for about an hour behind closed doors at the U.S. Capitol with Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte. They have openly criticized her for initial comments after the September 11 attack on the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptians challenge Mursi in nationwide protests Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 11:04 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands Egyptians protested on Tuesday against President Mohamed Mursi in one of the biggest rallies since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, accusing the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the main protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the uprising that toppled Mubarak last year. Clashes between Mursi's opponents and supporters erupted in a city north of Cairo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three parliaments to vote on Greek debt deal Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 11:03 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Three national parliaments in the 17-nation euro area will have to hold votes to approve an agreement among international lenders on reducing Greece's debt burden, a Reuters survey shows. The German Bundestag (lower house) will debate the issue this week and vote on Friday on the deal struck early on Tuesday to cut interest rates, extend the maturity of loans by 15 years to 30 and grant Greece a 10-year interest payment holiday. ... Full Story | Top |
| ACLU sues over policy barring women from ground combat Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 11:03 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union sued on Tuesday on behalf of four U.S. servicewomen to challenge a longstanding policy barring women from thousands of ground combat positions, citing the changing nature of warfare and fairness for career soldiers. The civil rights group argued in a legal complaint filed in federal court in Northern California that a military policy to bar women from combat roles on the basis of gender was unconstitutional. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to meet executives, go to Pennsylvania for fiscal push Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:55 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will launch a multipronged push this week to garner support for his proposals to solve U.S. fiscal problems, meeting with business executives at the White House and visiting a small business in Pennsylvania to press his case. Obama has sought to go on the offensive since his re-election on November 6 in the fight with Republicans over the "fiscal cliff" - a combination of tax increases and spending cuts that would go into effect next year if the two sides do not reach a deal to stop it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bitter struggle over Internet regulation to dominate global summit Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:53 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An unprecedented debate over how the global Internet is governed is set to dominate a meeting of officials in Dubai next week, with many countries pushing to give a United Nations body broad regulatory powers even as the United States and others contend such a move could mean the end of the open Internet. ... Full Story | Top |
| NASA ponders new missions for spare spy telescopes Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:49 AM PST  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., November 27 - NASA is looking for new ideas on what to do with two space telescopes left over from a once-secret U.S. spy satellite program. The U.S. space agency asked the scientific community on Tuesday for its input into possible missions for a pair of space telescopes donated last year to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the nation's spy satellites. "NRO offered us their leftover hardware if we want it. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" deal elusive, though positions soften Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:41 AM PST  (Reuters) - The Congress advanced by inches on Tuesday toward compromise on taxes and spending, but a firm deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" at the end of the year still seemed miles away, despite growing pressure from business interests for action. President Barack Obama was set to hold meetings with business leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday and then travel to a factory in Pennsylvania on Friday to press his case on taxes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Appeals court upholds New York gun licensing law Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:40 AM PST  (Reuters) - The state of New York can continue to require residents who want to carry a concealed handgun in public to obtain a special license, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York rejected a challenge brought by several Westchester residents and the Second Amendment Foundation against the state's handgun licensing scheme. Like numerous other states, New York imposes restrictions on individuals who wish to carry concealed firearms in public. ... Full Story | Top |
| WikiLeaks' Assange blames U.S. right for funding block Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:37 AM PST  LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused "hard-right" U.S. politicians on Tuesday of pressing European credit card firms to block more than $50 million of donations to the website that published thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables. Assange, speaking to reporters at the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he took refuge in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, said the credit card companies' action had forced WikiLeaks to reduce the volume of documents it posted online. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Libyan foreign minister wins integrity appeal Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:28 AM PST TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's proposed foreign minister was cleared to take office by an Integrity Commission on Tuesday after some members of parliament questioned how close the former ambassador to the United States had been to ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi. Ali Aujali was among eight of the 27 ministers nominated by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who were referred to the commission, which studies the backgrounds of public officials, after protests outside congress over the make up of the cabinet. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anger as Hungary far-right leader demands lists of Jews Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:26 AM PST  BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A Hungarian far-right politician urged the government to draw up lists of Jews who pose a "national security risk", stirring outrage among Jewish leaders who saw echoes of fascist policies that led to the Holocaust. Marton Gyongyosi, a leader of Hungary's third-strongest political party Jobbik, said the list was necessary because of heightened tensions following the brief conflict in Gaza and should include members of parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bombs kill 23 Shi'ite Muslims in Iraqi capital Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:21 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three car bombings killed 23 Shi'ite Muslims during mourning processions in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday, police and hospital sources said. Dozens more were injured in the explosions. They struck during the holy month of Ashura, of special significance to Shi'ites who are prime targets of al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate and other Sunni Muslim insurgents. Attacks on Iraqi Shi'ites tend to increase during Ashura, but Tuesday's was the first major one so far this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Euro zone debt forgiveness lies ahead in Greek mire Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:20 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Within minutes of euro zone finance ministers reaching a deal to cut Greece's debt late on Monday, commentators on Twitter were dismissing it as another exercise in "kicking the can down the road". To an extent that is true. Under the agreement, the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund will give Greece two more years to reach its budget goals and will find another 44 billion euros ($57 billion) to keep the country afloat in the meantime. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada's Carney named as Bank of England chief Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:19 AM PST  LONDON/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Britain named Canadian central bank chief Mark Carney on Monday to head the Bank of England, springing the surprise choice of a foreigner to push reform of its troubled financial system. A former Goldman Sachs investment banker who at the Bank of Canada guided the Canadian economy through the global economic crisis, Carney will succeed Mervyn King who retires in July. Carney, who already plays a leading role in setting global banking rules, defended his departure from Canada and signalled that bigger problems awaited him in London. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo rebels set conditions for Goma withdrawal Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:14 AM PST  GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday they would withdraw from the eastern city of Goma only if President Joseph Kabila agreed to their demands, which the Congolese government was quick to dismiss as a farce. The deadlock raises the risk that the eight-month-old insurgency could turn into an all-out war in a region dogged by nearly two decades of conflict that has killed more than 5 million people, fuelled by competition over mineral resources. The M23 rebels, who U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bangladesh mourns, calls factory fire "act of sabotage" Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:13 AM PST  DHAKA/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Bangladesh said a fire that killed 111 textile workers was sabotage, as protesters took to the streets for a second day on Tuesday and garment factories across the world's second-biggest clothes exporter stopped work to mourn. Meanwhile two other incidents this week, neither of which caused injuries, had local manufacturing leaders scrambling to assess whether their industry was under attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighter's release fuels fears of ethnic violence in Russia Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:11 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - An ethnic Dagestani martial arts fighter was spared jail on Tuesday by a Moscow court that found him guilty of the manslaughter of an ethnic Russian in a case that could fuel protests on the anniversary of nationalist riots. Riot police were on alert after the ruling and restricted access to Manezh square, scene of Moscow's worst ethnic violence in post-Soviet history on December 11, 2010. Police detained several nationalists outside the court where some were shouting chants urging people to gather in Manezh square again, RBC news agency said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez heads to Cuba for medical treatment Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:11 AM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Following a nearly two-week absence from the public eye, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel to Cuba on Tuesday for medical treatment, months after he underwent chemotherapy and radiation for cancer there. Chavez, 58, staged what appeared to be a remarkable comeback from an undisclosed type of cancer diagnosed in June 2011, and traveled frequently to Cuba for chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the subsequent months. In October, he was re-elected for a third term. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear agency says hackers stole information Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:03 AM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday information stolen from one of its former servers had been posted on a hacker site this week, and that it was taking "all possible steps" to ensure its computer systems were protected. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is investigating Iran's nuclear activity, said the information concerned contact details of experts working with the IAEA but it did not say who might have been behind the action. It alluded to a statement posted on a website (http://cryptome.org/2012/11/parastoo-hacks-iaea. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan says to resume security talks with South Sudan next week Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 10:01 AM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan will resume talks with South Sudan next week to discuss how to set up a demilitarized border zone, a condition for resuming southern oil exports through the north, state news agency SUNA said on Tuesday. In September, the neighbors agreed to end hostilities and revive oil exports after coming close to war in April, the worst violence since South Sudan seceded last year. Juba had shut down in January its oil production of 350,000 barrels a day after tensions over pipeline fees escalated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian Cossacks test their powers in Moscow street patrol Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:56 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - By tradition, Cossacks protected Russia's borderlands, but on Tuesday descendants of the Tsarist warrior caste patrolled a patch of central Moscow as part of a resurgence encouraged by President Vladimir Putin. A handful of men in high lambswool hats and epaulettes paced a slushy square around a major railway station, looking for illegal trade and other infractions in what they called a trial run for further patrols in the heart of the Russian capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers in talks to settle "Fast and Furious" lawsuit Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:55 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department and for congressional Republicans told a federal judge on Tuesday they were in talks to settle a suit stemming from Operation Fast and Furious, a botched probe into gun trafficking to Mexican drug cartels. While far from certain, a settlement would bring a quiet end to a political furor that stirred the passions of gun owners, ended some Justice Department careers and led Republicans to find U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek PM hails debt compromise, public skeptical Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:54 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomed a debt deal agreed by lenders to unlock aid, promising skeptical Greeks a new dawn after months of haggling under the threat of bankruptcy. Worn down by political squabbling and repeated austerity cuts, many Greeks reacted to the deal with disdain while the Syriza opposition party called it a "half-baked compromise" that would not solve the country's problems. "A very grey, a very dark period for Greece officially ended yesterday and it has ended for good," Samaras said in a televised statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seattle police plan for helicopter drones hits severe turbulence Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:53 AM PST SEATTLE (Reuters) - One of the latest crime-fighting gadgets to emerge on the wish lists of U.S. law enforcement agencies - drone aircraft - has run into heavy turbulence in Seattle over a plan by police to send miniature robot helicopters buzzing over the city. A recent push for unmanned police aircraft in several cities is being driven largely by grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including more than $80,000 the city of Seattle used to buy a pair of drone choppers in 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saskatchewan surplus to shrink as potash, oil revenues sag Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:42 AM PST (Reuters) - The Western Canadian province of Saskatchewan stuck with a lowered forecast for its 2012-13 budget surplus on Tuesday due to falling revenues from potash and crude oil production. Saskatchewan's rich resources of the fertilizer potash and crude oil have helped it mark up stronger economic growth than most of Canada's provinces, swelling the government's coffers and giving it the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country after Alberta. But the government said falling resource prices this year have cut its revenue, and now it expects to post a C$12. ... Full Story | Top |
| Days before vote, France backs state for "Palestine" at U.N. Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:39 AM PST PARIS/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it would vote in favor of Palestinian non-member status at the United Nations, an important boost in Palestinian efforts to secure greater international recognition. The Palestinians have lobbied for support from European countries for their bid at watered-down statehood at the U.N. set for two days time. While Israel has lobbied against them, the Palestinians are set for a sure victory in the 193-member world body made up mostly of developing countries long sympathetic to their cause. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lack of reform progress delays Bosnia's EU bid: Fuele Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:36 AM PST SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The failure of Bosnia's political leaders to make progress on reforms sought by the European Union will further delay the Balkan country's application for the membership of the bloc, the EU enlargement chief said on Tuesday. Bosnia has planned to apply for the membership of the 27-nation bloc this year but bickering among its ethnic Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim), Serb and Croat leaders has repeatedly stalled reforms since 2008, when the country signed its association contract with the EU. Disputes over the budget have forced yet another delay. ... Full Story | Top |
| AIDS fighting spirit flagging, will miss 2015 targets: charity Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:22 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world has lost momentum in the fight against the AIDS epidemic, with millions of new people infected last year, the ONE foundation said in a report given on Tuesday. The conclusion contrasts with a UN report last week, which found that an end to AIDS was in sight due to better access to drugs. But ONE says "the beginning of the end of the AIDS" remains out of reach, as the number of people newly infected each year still exceeds those who get treated for the first time. Global leaders last year committed to the "beginning of the end of AIDS" by 2015. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's nuclear stockpile grows but not yet in "danger zone" Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:20 AM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - An increase in Iran's higher-grade uranium stockpile is worrying but may arise from a bottleneck in making reactor fuel rather than a bid to quickly accumulate material that could be used for nuclear weapons, diplomats and experts say. The issue of when and how fast Iran might be able to build an atomic bomb if it chose to do so is closely watched in the West because it could determine any decision by Israel to launch pre-emptive strikes against the Islamic Republic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Business spending plans improve, fiscal cloud lingers Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:18 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gauge of planned U.S. business spending increased by the most in five months in October, raising cautious optimism the sharp cutbacks in capital investment during summer are abating. Fears of deep cuts in government spending and tax increases early next year, known as the fiscal cliff, had caused firms to hunker down and last month's rebound offered some relief. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, rose 1.7 percent last month after falling 0. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greece, markets satisfied by EU-IMF Greek debt deal Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:18 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Greek government and financial markets were cheered on Tuesday by an agreement between euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund to reduce Greece's debt, paving the way for the release of urgently needed aid loans. The deal, clinched at the third attempt after weeks of wrangling, removes the biggest risk of a sovereign default in the euro zone for now, ensuring the near-bankrupt country will stay afloat at least until after a 2013 German general election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain wants more frequent reviews of EU's Syria arms embargo Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:08 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain is pushing the European Union to hold frequent reviews of its arms embargo on Syria to make it easier in the future to arm rebels fighting to depose President Bashar al-Assad, diplomats said on Tuesday. The proposal, which is said to have been driven by Prime Minister David Cameron, marks a hardening of Britain's position and shows how the formation of a united Syrian opposition has galvanized overseas support for the rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany will back Greek aid but wary of hints at haircut Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - German lawmakers are likely to approve the release of Greek aid immediately despite suspicions that talks on a debt write-down have just been delayed until after Germany's 2013 elections. Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition and the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) said on Tuesday that the Greek deal agreed overnight would be put to the vote in the Bundestag lower house on Thursday or Friday. With both sides voicing support, approval is guaranteed but the question will be whether the chancellor can rely on her coalition or needs the votes of the SPD and Greens. ... Full Story | Top |
| German MPs should be briefed on Greek deal before vote: Steinbrueck Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament should not vote on a new funding deal for Greece until the government has provided all necessary information to lawmakers, Peer Steinbrueck of the main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) said on Tuesday. Germany's Bundestag lower house is expected to debate and approve the aid for Greece later in the week, though no definitive date has yet been set. Steinbrueck is the SPD's candidate for chancellor in next year's election. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Hans-Edzard Busemann) Full Story | Top |
| Greece appoints new debt agency chief: source Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has appointed banker Stelios Papadopoulos as new head of the country's Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA), a finance ministry official told Reuters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. Papadopoulos replaces Petros Christodoulou, who left the PDMA earlier this year to become a senior executive at National Bank of Greece, the country's biggest commercial lender. The debt agency oversaw the country's debt restructuring earlier this year and will conduct a planned debt buyback under its latest bailout. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas) Full Story | Top |
| Germany must veto Greek aid if haircut risk: Merkel ally Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - The German parliament cannot approve a new aid deal for Greece this week if lawmakers determine that it might pave the way for future losses on government loans to Athens, a senior parliamentarian from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said. Michael Meister, a deputy leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in the Bundestag lower house, told Reuters he expected the government to explain all aspects of the Greek deal that may not be fully clear, including the promise to take additional steps to reduce Greece's debt mountain at a future date. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek surplus would erase German haircut objections: Schaeuble Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's legal reservations about a further write-down of Greek public debt would cease to apply if the country were to reach a sustainable primary budget surplus, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday. He told reporters there was little time for maneuver before the December 13 deadline for a Greek debt buy-back, which is at the heart of a new debt sustainability plan agreed by euro zone finance ministers, but he was confident it would work. ... Full Story | Top |
| Infected and unaware: HIV hitting America's youth Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012 09:07 AM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - More than half of young people in the United States infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are not aware of it, according to a new report by government health officials that zeroes in on one of the remaining hot spots of HIV infection in America. Released on Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the report found young people ages 13 to 24 account for 26 percent of all new HIV infections in the United States. "The data are stark and worrying," Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
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