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| Obama comes out swinging after debate - in swing states Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 05:56 PM PDT  MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hit rival Mitt Romney hard on women's issues as he headed back on the campaign trail on Wednesday after a spirited debate performance that re-energized his bid for a second term. A day after a much-improved performance in the second of three presidential debates, a revitalized Obama continued sparring with his Republican opponent, making fun of Romney's comment that he had received "binders full of women" to consider for cabinet positions when he was governor of Massachusetts. ... Full Story | Top |
| FBI arrests man for attempting to bomb New York Federal Reserve Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 06:34 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI on Wednesday arrested a Bangladeshi man in a sting operation on charges he attempted to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank with what he believed was a 1,000-pound (450-kg) bomb, federal authorities said. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. If convicted, he faces life in prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lance Armstrong steps down from charity, Nike drops him Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 03:53 PM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong stepped down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer support charity he founded, as Nike Inc dropped the disgraced cyclist over the doping scandal that will likely cost him his seven Tour de France titles. Armstrong's Livestrong foundation is best known for the more than 70 million iconic yellow rubbery wrist bands that have been distributed worldwide, but the scandal threatened to overshadow the group's wider work with cancer patients. So far, donations have actually increased despite the scandal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Meningitis deaths rise, FDA faces new questions Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 04:53 PM PDT  WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) - The death toll from a meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated steroids jumped to 19 on Wednesday, while U.S. lawmakers pressed federal health regulators to explain what they knew about the pharmacy that produced the drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said four more deaths had been confirmed in the last 24 hours, including two in Tennessee, the state hardest hit with eight deaths since the infections were discovered in late September. Virginia and Florida each reported one new death. ... Full Story | Top |
| Despite restrictions, corporations helped with Democratic convention Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 07:33 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Companies including Duke Energy Corp, Bank of America Corp and AT&T Inc spent millions of dollars to help stage last month's Democratic convention, technically complying with the party's restrictions on corporate funding, financial disclosures revealed on Wednesday. The convention, where President Barack Obama officially accepted his nomination on September 6, marked the first time the Democratic Party, seeking to set an example, had set limits on sources of funding. It banned donations from corporations and lobbyists and capped individual donations at $100,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sales stumbles raise fresh worry for corporate America Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 02:44 PM PDT  BOSTON (Reuters) - A flagging world economy took a toll on much of Corporate America in the third quarter, leading the likes of eBay Inc, American Express, IBM and Textron Inc to miss Wall Street's sales targets or warn that spending was slowing into the holidays. Those misses sparked concerns among investors that corporate America's year-long streak of profit growth could be nearing an end as CEOs run out of costs to cut and customers are increasingly wary about spending. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: How long can Google's shares stay airborne? Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 04:55 PM PDT  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's shares have clung tenaciously near record highs after a three-month, 30 percent rally fueled by rising optimism about Internet advertising, but Wall Street fears it may be running out of steam. Google stock has hovered near an all-time high of $774.38 since touching that peak on October 5. To break through that level, investors and analysts say it needs to run a gauntlet of risks that could undermine its status as technology's second-most valuable company. ... Full Story | Top |
| For Benghazi diplomatic security, U.S. relied on small British firm Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 06:46 PM PDT  WASHINGTON/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - The State Department's decision to hire Blue Mountain Group to guard the ill-fated U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, entrusted security tasks to a little-known British company instead of the large firms it usually uses in overseas danger zones. The contract was largely based on expediency, U.S. officials have said, since no one knew how long the temporary mission would remain in the Libyan city. The cradle of last year's uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, Benghazi has been plagued by rising violence in recent months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-presidential nominee George McGovern no longer responsive: family Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 04:02 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Former Democratic Senator George McGovern, remembered for a devastating defeat by Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election and his efforts to fight world hunger, was near death on Wednesday at a South Dakota hospice center, his family said. McGovern, 90, was admitted to a hospice suffering from a combination of medical conditions due to age that have worsened in recent months, his family said in a statement. "The senator is no longer responsive," the statement said. "He is surrounded by his loving family and close friends. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: White House review finds no evidence of spying by Huawei - sources Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 01:34 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A White House-ordered review of security risks posed by suppliers to U.S. telecommunications companies found no clear evidence that Huawei Technologies Ltd had spied for China, two people familiar with the probe told Reuters. Instead, those leading the 18-month review concluded early this year that relying on Huawei, the world's second-largest maker of networking gear, was risky for other reasons, such as the presence of vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. These previously unreported findings support parts of a landmark U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks up to 10 year prison sentence in Gupta insider case Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 02:43 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc board member Rajat Gupta deserves to spend eight to 10 years in prison for his "shocking" insider-trading crimes, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Wednesday. Gupta, who is also a former head of management consultancy McKinsey & Co, is set to be sentenced on October 24 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. He was found guilty in June of leaking Goldman boardroom secrets to his hedge fund friend Raj Rajaratnam, who is now serving an 11-year prison term for insider trading. ... Full Story | Top |
| FBI arrests man for attempting to bomb New York Federal Reserve Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 04:51 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI on Wednesday arrested a Bangladeshi man in a sting operation on charges he attempted to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank with what he believed was a 1,000-pound (450-kg) bomb, federal authorities said. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. If convicted, he faces life in prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| For Benghazi diplomatic security, U.S. relied on small British firm Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 02:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - The State Department's decision to hire Blue Mountain Group to guard the ill-fated U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, entrusted security tasks to a little-known British company instead of the large firms it usually uses in overseas danger zones. The contract was largely based on expediency, U.S. officials have said, since no one knew how long the temporary mission would remain in the Libyan city. The cradle of last year's uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, Benghazi has been plagued by rising violence in recent months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama comes out swinging after debate - in swing states Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 02:12 PM PDT  MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hit rival Mitt Romney hard on women's issues as he headed back on the campaign trail on Wednesday after a spirited debate performance that re-energized his bid for a second term. A day after a much-improved performance in the second of three presidential debates, a revitalized Obama continued sparring with his Republican opponent, making fun of Romney's comment that he had received "binders full of women" to consider for cabinet positions when he was governor of Massachusetts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia criticizes EU Iran sanctions, urges talks Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 11:48 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia criticized the European Union on Wednesday for imposing new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program and called for a fresh round of talks between world powers and Tehran as soon as possible. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing "deep concern" over EU sanctions imposed on Tuesday against major Iranian state companies in the oil and gas industry and the central bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia, FARC rebels begin peace talks in Oslo Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 01:22 PM PDT  BOGOTA/OSLO (Reuters) - Historic closed-door talks between Colombia and Marxist rebels began on Wednesday in Norway after FARC rebel and government negotiators arrived in Oslo in a bid to end almost half a century of armed conflict, Norwegian officials said. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is betting a decade of U.S.-backed blows against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has left the group sufficiently weakened to seriously seek an end to the war after so many failed attempts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Voters say Obama beat Romney in second debate Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 03:34 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Voters say that President Barack Obama performed better than Republican rival Mitt Romney by a substantial margin in their second debate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. Forty-eight percent of registered voters gave the victory to Obama, while 33 percent say Romney prevailed in the Tuesday debate, the online poll found. The poll reflects the broad consensus of debate observers who said Obama's forceful approach gave him the upper hand over Romney, who was widely seen as the victor in their first matchup on October 3. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Israel to hold major missile defense exercise Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 10:02 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States and Israel will hold a major missile defense exercise in Israel this month, sending a message of close cooperation as both countries weigh their options over Iran's nuclear program. The three-week exercise, the largest the allies have ever held, will simulate a variety of long and short-range missile attacks that Israel could face during a regional conflict, said the commanders in charge. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK committees to examine Starbucks tax strategies Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 07:33 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Two British parliamentary committees are due to quiz tax officials about how Starbucks was able to avoid paying tax on 1.2 billion pounds ($1.93 billion) of sales since 2009. Lawmakers said a Reuters report that showed Starbucks had been telling investors its UK unit was highly profitable while telling British authorities the unit was lossmaking, and thereby not liable for tax, undermined public trust in the tax system. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ahead of gay marriage votes, advocates skeptical of polling Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 10:16 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - In Maryland, Maine and Washington, voters appear to be warming to the idea of legal marriage of same sex couples, raising the likelihood that come Election Day at least one of those states will join six others that have approved gay marriage. That is, if the polls are to be believed. Gay marriage activists suspect voters - especially those who believe marriage should be only between a man and a woman - might be unwilling to voice their true feelings in polls. ... Full Story | Top |
| Housing starts surge in positive sign for economy Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 12:27 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Groundbreaking on new homes surged in September to its fastest pace in more than four years, a sign the housing sector's budding recovery is gaining traction and supporting the wider economic recovery. Housing starts increased 15 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 units, beating even the most optimistic forecasts on Wall Street, Commerce Department data showed on Wednesday. It was the quickest pace of groundbreaking since July 2008, though data on starts is volatile and subject to substantial revisions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama regains his footing in feisty second debate Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 02:17 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama put his re-election bid back on firm footing on Tuesday night with a strong debate performance that is likely to thrill his Democratic supporters and earn him a second look from the few voters who remain undecided. With the November 6 election three weeks away, Obama's second of three debates with Republican rival Mitt Romney represented one of the final chances to make an impression with voters. Obama made the most of it with a focused, aggressive effort. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Swiss banker pleads not guilty to new U.S. tax charges Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 09:48 AM PDT FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) - A former Swiss private banker pleaded not guilty in a U.S. federal court on Wednesday to new charges that he helped wealthy U.S. clients evade taxes when he worked at UBS AG. Christos Bagios, a Greek citizen and Swiss resident, was a senior banker at Swiss bank Credit Suisse AG, a rival of UBS, at the time of his arrest by U.S. authorities in January 2011. Bagios, who had earlier worked at UBS, is a central figure in a broad probe by the U.S. Department of Justice into offshore tax evasion services sold by Swiss and Swiss-style banks. ... Full Story | Top |
| BofA ekes out a profit despite settlement cost, charges Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 08:44 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp eked out a third-quarter profit even after taking $1.6 billion of litigation charges, as the second-largest U.S. bank set aside less money to cover bad loans. The bank posted a big jump in bond trading revenue, excluding accounting adjustments, and its mortgage banking revenue rose 25 percent. But it earned just $340 million during the quarter, down 95 percent from the same period last year, when it sold assets and recorded an accounting benefit. The results show Chief Executive Brian Moynihan is still haunted by acquisitions forged during the financial crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria pirates kidnap six Russians, one Estonian Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 10:31 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Pirates off the coast of Nigeria kidnapped six Russians and an Estonian during an attack on their ship on Monday, the French company operating the vessel said on Wednesday. Another nine crew members were safe after the ship reached the Nigerian port of Onne in the oil-rich Niger Delta, said a spokeswoman for Bourbon, which supplies vessels to the offshore oil industry. Pirate attacks are on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea, which is second only to the waters around Somalia for piracy. Attackers usually seize boats to steal their cargo then free the crew. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. freezes assets of three men linked to Taliban, militants Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 08:02 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday it had frozen the assets of three Pakistani-based individuals suspected of backing the Taliban and other militant organizations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including one man linked to a failed attack in New York. Treasury said it froze all U.S. assets and prohibited any U.S. individuals from doing business with Maulawi Adam Khan Achekzai, Aamir Ali Chaudhry and Qari Ayyub Bashir. ... Full Story | Top |
| Foxconn says underage workers used in China plant Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 10:52 AM PDT  TAIPEI (Reuters) - Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest contract electronics maker, has acknowledged hiring teenagers as young as 14 in a Chinese factory, in breach of national law, in a case that raises further questions over its student intern program. Labor rights activists in China have accused Foxconn and other big employers in China of using student interns as a cheap source of labor for production lines where it is more difficult to attract young adult workers to lower paid jobs. ... Full Story | Top |
| PepsiCo keeps 2012 outlook despite quarterly beat Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 08:12 AM PDT  (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, helped by higher prices and lower interest expense, in a sign the beverage and snack company is progressing on its turnaround. This has been a transition year for the maker of Diet Pepsi, Frito-Lay snacks and Tropicana orange juice as it ramped up advertising and streamlined its portfolio and workforce to improve performance, especially in its North American drinks unit, which was losing market share to Coca-Cola. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chip gear maker ASML buys Cymer for $2.5 billion Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 11:37 AM PDT  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - ASML, the world's leading provider of tools for making computer chips, is buying U.S. group Cymer for 1.95 billion euros ($2.5 billion) to get control of a light-based technology crucial to making smaller, smarter chips of the future. The Dutch company said that the cash-and-shares acquisition would speed up the development of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) semiconductor lithography, which will help produce chips to power future generations of smartphones and tablet computers. It is upgrading its machines to produce these smaller, faster chips. ... Full Story | Top |
| Swedish police re-open U.S. embassy, seize suspect letter Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 05:53 AM PDT  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Police have seized a letter which arrived at the U.S. embassy in the Swedish capital on Wednesday for examination and begun to allow people to return to the building after it was evacuated, officials said. Everyone apart from essential staff had earlier left the building, where about 150 people are employed, after a letter arrived with a mysterious substance inside. A fire service spokeswoman had said that police had told her a white powder had leaked in the building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria envoy says bloodshed could engulf Middle East Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 11:04 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The international mediator on Syria said on Wednesday its civil war risks spilling across borders to engulf the Middle East and appealed for a temporary truce he said could mark a small step towards defusing 19 months of conflict. Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.-Arab League envoy, has proposed that both President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel fighters seeking his overthrow hold fire during the Islamic feast holiday of Eid al-Adha that starts next week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three Turkish soldiers killed in PKK attacks on outposts Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 07:29 AM PDT DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Kurdish militants attacked military outposts in southeast Turkey overnight, triggering clashes in which three Turkish soldiers and three militants were killed, the governor's office said on Wednesday. Armed with mortars and rifles, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas launched the raids at Cukurca in Hakkari province, a mountainous area bordering Iraq and Iran, security sources said. One soldier was also wounded and operations were continuing in the region, the governor's office said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt uprising film depicts crippling social divide Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 07:39 AM PDT  ABU DHABI (Reuters) - When horse and camel riders attacked protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square during last year's uprising, Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah was struck by one of the most vivid examples of how Egypt's huge class divide is exploited by powerful elites. Nasrallah's "After the Battle" tells the story of how one of the horsemen struggles to come to terms with his role in the aftermath of one of the most violent incidents of the 18-day-uprising which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blind Chinese activist's brother sues police for barging into home Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 03:44 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - The eldest brother of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng said on Wednesday he is suing the police and the local government that oversees his village in northeastern China for barging into his house unlawfully after his brother's escape. Chen Guangfu told Reuters he was suing them for "scaling the walls of his home and for wrecking his home" just after midnight on April 27, the day after they discovered Chen Guangcheng had escaped. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU, U.S. to negotiate free-trade deal from spring 2013: officials Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 04:03 AM PDT  BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe and the United States are set to launch trade talks early next year to deepen the world's largest trading relationship, EU and U.S. officials say, potentially unleashing billions of euros of new transatlantic business. Together, the bloc and the United States account for about half the world's economic output and nearly a third of world trade. But a debt crisis in Europe and elusive American growth are pushing both sides to consider knocking down the final barriers to trade. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. servicemen arrested in Okinawa for suspected rape Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 03:28 AM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Two U.S. servicemen were arrested on Japan's southern island of Okinawa on suspicion of raping a Japanese woman, police said on Wednesday, a case that could again strain Tokyo's ties with its closest ally, Washington. The arrests come at a time when public opinion in Okinawa is at odds with Tokyo for allowing the U.S. deployment of Osprey hybrid aircraft on the island despite lingering concerns about their safety. ... Full Story | Top |
| New planet discovered in Earth's back yard Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 05:52 AM PDT  LONDON/CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronomers have found a new planet, the closest yet outside our solar system and just an astronomical stone's throw away at four light years, raising the chances of finding a habitable planet in Earth's neighborhood. Researchers say the new planet is too close to its sun to support known forms of life, with a surface temperature estimated at 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 Fahrenheit). But previous studies suggest that when one planet is discovered orbiting a sun, there are usually others in the same system. ... Full Story | Top |
| Euro gains as Spain dodges rating downgrade Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 03:22 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - The euro touched a one-month high against the dollar and Spanish government bond yields fell sharply on Wednesday after Spain clung on to its investment-grade debt rating. The decision by ratings agency Moody's came as expectations grow that Spain is close to formally requesting aid from its European Union partners, potentially allowing the region's central bank to begin buying its bonds. The euro was up 0.3 percent at $1.31, having earlier hit $1.3125, its highest level since September 17, while Spanish government 10-year bond yields dropped 24 basis points to 5.57 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
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