NEW ORLEANS – A person familiar with the deal says oil giant BP has agreed to pay a criminal penalty in the billions of dollars for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. TSX may open lower on U.S., Middle East concerns
(Reuters) – Canada's main stock index looked set to open lower on Thursday, driven by uncertainty over U.S. budget negotiations and an escalation of violence in the Middle East. TOP STORIES The holy grail of conservative tax policy – the theory that lower ta x rates will generate stronger revenues by turbo-charging economic growth – has sprung back to life and is stirring controversy again in Washington. … Gaza militants kill 3 Israelis with rocket fire
Militants in the Gaza Strip pounded southern Israel with rocket fire on Thursday, killing three people as the Israeli military pressed forward with a second day of intense air raids and naval attacks on militant targets. With Israel threatening to invade the Palestinian territory, the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas in four years showed no signs of letting up. US stock futures mixed as retail revenues fall just shy of expectations
NEW YORK, N.Y. – U.S. stock futures are mixed as a pair of retail giants post better-than-expected profits but saw revenue fall just short of expectations.
Greek protesters storm German meeting, target diplomat
ATHENS (Reuters) – Public sector workers stormed a building where Greek and German officials were meeting in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Thursday an d pelted a German diplomat with water bottles in a protest over austerity measures. Riot police used teargas and truncheons to break up a crowd of 250 city employees outside the building and formed a shield around German Consul Wolfgang Hoelscher-Obermaier as he entered. Protesters chanted "It's now or never!" and held up mock gravestones and banners proclaiming "Fight until the end!". … Maize added to help Ensus use poor quality wheat
LONDON (Reuters) – A poor quality British wheat harvest this year has led biofuels producer Ensus to add around 20 to 30 percent imported European Union maize to its feedstock, wheat and animal feed manager Stewart Easdon told Reuters. High disease levels following the wettest June since records began more than a century ago and a lack of sunshine in the key grainfill period damaged the quality of this year’s harvest. …
What's the status of Egypt's Christians?
WITH THE SELECTION OF A NEW POPE on Nov. 4, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church again has a spiritual leader as the country goes through a turbulent transition that has been particularly difficult for Christians. Tawadros II, the 118th pope, must fill the shoes of a beloved former leader (he died in March) at a time when sectarian attacks have increased, many are fearful of the rise of Islamist politicians, and the church’s political role is being debated.
US socialite's climb halted by unfolding generals scandal; 'very close to Gen. Petraeus'
TAMPA, Fla. – Jill Kelley’s climb up the social ladder may be as spectacular as her fall.
Killings on restive Corsica raise French fears
France pledged Thursday to restore order in Corsica, a day after a prominent shopkeeper was killed on a busy street on the Mediterranean island long troubled by violent separatists and organized crime.
Gunmen kill six in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Gunmen have killed six people in a village in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state, a government official said on Thursday, in a region with a history of inter-ethnic violence. The attack late on Wednesday was in a village in the Zango Katak region in Kaduna state, witnesses said, an area at the heart of post-election violence last April that left hundreds dead and thousands displaced. Largely Muslim Northern Nigeria has been beset by violence for more than two years and it worsened when President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian southerner, won the election last year. …
Manulife pushes back earnings target, names Rooney COO
TORONTO (Reuters) – Manulife Financial Corp pushed back its earnings target by about a year on Thursday, citing economic volatility and hedging costs, and promoted Paul Rooney, currently the head of the Canadian division, to chief operating officer. “The company is establishing financial targets of C$4 billion in core earnings and 13 percent core return on equity in 2016, and a leverage ratio of 25 percent over the long-term,” Manulife said in a statement released ahead of its institutional investor day in Toronto. …
Growth worries, U.S. fiscal fears hit shares
LONDON (Reuters) – World equity markets fell for a seventh day on Thursday, hit by evidence that Europe's debt crisis has stalled economic growth and by persistent concern over the budget problems in the United States. Stock index futures p ointed to a slight recovery on Wall Street later, though data on the jobs market, consumer price inflation and business activity in New York and Philadelphia could have a big impact on sentiment. … Russia warns of tough response to U.S. human rights bill
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia warned on Thursday that the U.S. Congress will damage relations with Moscow if it passes legislation designed to punish Russian officials for human rights violations, and threatened a firm response. U.S. lawmakers may vote on Friday on a measure directing the government to deny visas to Russian officials involved in the detention, abuse or death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in jail in 2009, and freeze any assets they have in U.S. banks. “Such a step will unavoidably have a negative effect on the whole range of Russian-U.S. …
North Sea oil output to rise in December - revised programmes
LONDON (Reuters) – North Sea oil output from 12 production streams is set to rise by 5.5 percent in December as oilfields return from maintenance, which may weaken a source of support for Brent oil prices. Output is set to average 2.03 million barrels per day (bpd), based on the latest revisions to loading schedules compiled by Reuters on Thursday, up from 1.925 million bpd in November. The increase is partly a result of the return from a prolonged period of maintenance of Nexen’s Buzzard oilfield, the largest of the fields that contribute to the Forties crude blend. …
Russia ready for NATO talks on conventional forces cuts
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is ready for talks with NATO on limiting conventional military forces in Europe as long as the Western alliance does not bring politics into the picture, Russia’s new envoy to NATO was quoted as saying on Thursday. Alexander Grushko’s remarks indicated Russia is prepared to return to discussions about limits on non-nuclear forces five years after President Vladimir Putin suspended compliance with the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. …
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