Thirty-one killed as militants attack Pakistan checkpoint
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – Militants attacked an isolated army checkpoint in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Saturday, with at least 31 people killed in the initial assault, subsequent crossfire and a rocket attack on a house, officials said. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in response to a U.S. drone strike in neighboring North Waziristan last month in which two commanders were killed. …
Suspect, 33 charged with aggravated assault in mass stabbing in Vancouver
VANCOUVER – Residents of a Vancouver apartment building, alerted by shouting and screams, locked their doors as a man stabbed people in what police believe was a completely random attack.
Friday, February 1, 2013
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Cory Conacher leads onslaught with 2 goals, assist as Lightning beat Jets 8-3
TAMPA, Fla. – Cory Conacher had two goals and an assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Winnipeg Jets 8-3 on Friday night.
Iran escalating efforts to destabilize region - Panetta
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta accused Iran of an intensified campaign to destabilize the Middle East by smuggling anti-aircraft weapons to militant allies, The Wall Street Journal repor ted on Friday. "There is no question when you start passing MANPADS around, that becomes a threat, not just to military aircraft but to civilian aircraft," Panetta told the newspaper in an interview. "That is an escalation." MANPADS are shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. …
TAMPA, Fla. – Cory Conacher had two goals and an assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Winnipeg Jets 8-3 on Friday night.
Iran escalating efforts to destabilize region - Panetta
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta accused Iran of an intensified campaign to destabilize the Middle East by smuggling anti-aircraft weapons to militant allies, The Wall Street Journal repor ted on Friday. "There is no question when you start passing MANPADS around, that becomes a threat, not just to military aircraft but to civilian aircraft," Panetta told the newspaper in an interview. "That is an escalation." MANPADS are shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. … seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
U.S. rushing treatment for Brazil fire victims
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The U.S. government is shipping emergency medical supplies to Brazil to treat survivors of a deadly nightclub fire who are suffering from exposure to cyanide gas released in the blaze, the Brazilian health ministry said on Friday. Officials say 119 people remain hospitalized after Sunday's fire at the Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil that killed 236. Brazilian doctors have said cyanide was among the toxic chemicals produced when fire consumed the soundproofing foam on the club's ceiling, contributing to the high number of fatalities. …
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The U.S. government is shipping emergency medical supplies to Brazil to treat survivors of a deadly nightclub fire who are suffering from exposure to cyanide gas released in the blaze, the Brazilian health ministry said on Friday. Officials say 119 people remain hospitalized after Sunday's fire at the Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil that killed 236. Brazilian doctors have said cyanide was among the toxic chemicals produced when fire consumed the soundproofing foam on the club's ceiling, contributing to the high number of fatalities. … seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
Mexico probes if blast was attack or accident, 33 dead
MEXICO CIT Y (Reuters) – Mexico's government vowed on Friday to find out whether an explosion that killed 33 people at the headquarters of its state-run oil monopoly Pemex was a deliberate attack or yet another stain on the company's poor safety record. Rescue workers continued to pull bodies from the debris on Friday and officials said the search would continue until everyone inside the Mexico City building was accounted for. …
Suicide bomber kills guard at U.S. embassy in Turkey
ANKARA (Reuters) – A far-leftist suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, officials said, blowing open an entrance and sending deb ris flying through the air. The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body after entering an embassy gatehouse. The blast could be heard a mile away. A lower leg and other human remains lay on the street. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left group which is virulently anti-U.S. …
Impaired penalty review prompts B.C. to grant penalty breaks 1,137 drivers
VICTORIA – More than 1,100 British Columbia motorists caught up in tougher drunk driving rules before part of the law was found unconstitutional will have some of their punishments overturned, but their drunk driving penalty still sticks.
Raonic gives Canada early lead at Davis Cup with singles win over Spain's Ramos
VANCOUVER – Milos Raonic gave Canada an early lead Friday in a Davis Cup tie with Spain.
MEXICO CIT Y (Reuters) – Mexico's government vowed on Friday to find out whether an explosion that killed 33 people at the headquarters of its state-run oil monopoly Pemex was a deliberate attack or yet another stain on the company's poor safety record. Rescue workers continued to pull bodies from the debris on Friday and officials said the search would continue until everyone inside the Mexico City building was accounted for. … Suicide bomber kills guard at U.S. embassy in Turkey
ANKARA (Reuters) – A far-leftist suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, officials said, blowing open an entrance and sending deb ris flying through the air. The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body after entering an embassy gatehouse. The blast could be heard a mile away. A lower leg and other human remains lay on the street. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left group which is virulently anti-U.S. … Impaired penalty review prompts B.C. to grant penalty breaks 1,137 drivers
VICTORIA – More than 1,100 British Columbia motorists caught up in tougher drunk driving rules before part of the law was found unconstitutional will have some of their punishments overturned, but their drunk driving penalty still sticks.
Raonic gives Canada early lead at Davis Cup with singles win over Spain's Ramos
VANCOUVER – Milos Raonic gave Canada an early lead Friday in a Davis Cup tie with Spain.
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Report: Man released in Turkey missing woman case
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A man questioned over the disappearance of a New York City woman in Istanbul has been released from police custody but may be called again to help authorities with their inquiries, a Turkish news report said Friday.
Time Warner Cable CEO Britt to step down by year end: report
(Reuters) – Time Warner Cable's longtime Chief Executive Glenn Britt will step down at the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources. A Time Warner Cable spokesman said in a statement that Britt "is under contract and if and when he decides to step down, we'll have an announcement." The 63-year-old executive, who has been CEO since 2001, could be replaced by Rob Marcus, the company's chief operating officer and president, the newspaper said. Marcus was promoted in 2010 and received a 38 percent increase in compensation in 2011 of $8.3 million. …
Venezuelan dramatists liken surreal turns in Chavez saga to soap opera
CARACAS, Venezuela – A president who vanishes for weeks in a mysterious battle with cancer. Supporters who chant their allegiance in the streets. And in the midst of it all, an announcement by the government that it detected a plot to kill his chosen successor.
R. Kelly, Bjork, Belle and Sebastian to headline 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago
CHICAGO – R. Kelly, Bjork and Belle and Sebastian are among the musicians headlining this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.
Outside palace, Egypt protesters, police clash
CAIRO (AP) -- Protesters denouncing Egypt's Islamist president hurled stones and firebombs through the gates of his palace gates on Friday, clashing with security forces who fired tear gas and water cannons, as more than a week of political violence came to Mohammed Morsi's symbolic doorstep for the first time.
Syrian rebels slam Assad inaction on Israeli raid
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian opposition leaders and rebels on Friday slammed President Bashar Assad for not responding to a rare Israeli airstrike near Damascus, calling it proof of his weakness and acquiescence to the Jewish State.
Pakistan opposition take aim at energy crisis ahead of elections
Pakistan is struggling with a worsening energy crisis that will be top of mind for many Pakistanis as they head to the polls later this year.
Dramatists liken Venezuela saga to telenovela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- A president who vanishes for weeks in a mysterious battle with cancer. Supporters who chant their allegiance in the streets. And in the midst of it all, an announcement by the government that it detected a plot to kill his chosen successor.
No priest, no sheik means no marriage in Lebanon
BEIRUT (AP) -- She was an English language tutor with an easy smile and an independent streak. He was a gym receptionist who wanted to better himself.
Egyptians work to reclaim a Tahrir tainted by sexual assault
The accounts always unfold similarly. They begin with a group of men surrounding a woman during a large protest in Tahrir Square, often after night falls. They form a tight circle, then attack.
Assassination attempt in Armenia threatens stability
YEREVAN (Reuters) – An assassination attempt on a presidential candidate in Armenia has thrown this month's election into doubt and could thre aten stability in the volatile Caucasus region that carries oil and natural gas to Europe. Paruyr Hayrikyan, an outsider in the February 18 presidential vote, was shot in the shoulder on Thursday night close to his home in the capital Yerevan. Doctors removed the bullet on Friday and said his life was not in danger. …
Man arrested at Newark Liberty Airport with loaded gun in carry-on bag
NEWARK, N.J. – Authorities have arrested a man at Newark Liberty Airport after screeners noticed a loaded gun in his carry-on bag.
Cuba, US spar over blame for poor ties
HAVANA (AP) -- A senior Cuban official sharply criticized U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday for suggesting Cuba was stuck in the past, saying the only anachronistic element of the relationship is Washington’s half-century-old economic embargo.
Suicide bomber kills guard at US Embassy in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- In the second deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in five months, a suicide bomber struck the American Embassy in Ankara on Friday, killing a Turkish security guard in what the White House described as a terrorist attack.
Anderson, Marleau and Vanek named NHL's three stars for month of January
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson and left-wingers Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres were named the NHL's three stars for the month of January.
Too many clients pose tough choices for Canada wealth advisers
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian financial adviser Taylor Hewson said it can be little awkward when he approaches clients of his father’s who haven’t been contacted in years. But most of the time, he comes away with an interested investor to add to his own business. As second-generation financial advisers in Regina, Hewson and his brother have full permission to mine his father’s list of old, less profitable or neglected clients as they seek to build a partnership and plan for eventual business succession. …
Credit Agricole takes $5 billion hit as banks struggle to move on
PARIS (Reuters) – Credit Agricole , France's No. 3 bank, announced a further 3.8 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in charges on Friday as banks st ruggle to move on from ill-timed deals before the 2008 financial crisis. The charges come less than three months after Credit Agricole unveiled 3.6 billion euros of writedowns with its third-quarter results and will plunge it to the largest annual loss since it went public in 2001. They also come a day after Deutsche Bank , Germany's biggest bank, announced almost $4 billion of charges. …
Nova Scotia RCMP deny they ignored allegations of domestic abuse in hitman case
HALIFAX – The RCMP in Nova Scotia are dismissing a reference in a Supreme Court of Canada decision that says they did not adequately respond to a woman’s calls for help before she tried to hire a hit man to kill the husband she said was abusing her.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A man questioned over the disappearance of a New York City woman in Istanbul has been released from police custody but may be called again to help authorities with their inquiries, a Turkish news report said Friday. Time Warner Cable CEO Britt to step down by year end: report
(Reuters) – Time Warner Cable's longtime Chief Executive Glenn Britt will step down at the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources. A Time Warner Cable spokesman said in a statement that Britt "is under contract and if and when he decides to step down, we'll have an announcement." The 63-year-old executive, who has been CEO since 2001, could be replaced by Rob Marcus, the company's chief operating officer and president, the newspaper said. Marcus was promoted in 2010 and received a 38 percent increase in compensation in 2011 of $8.3 million. … Venezuelan dramatists liken surreal turns in Chavez saga to soap opera
CARACAS, Venezuela – A president who vanishes for weeks in a mysterious battle with cancer. Supporters who chant their allegiance in the streets. And in the midst of it all, an announcement by the government that it detected a plot to kill his chosen successor.
R. Kelly, Bjork, Belle and Sebastian to headline 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago
CHICAGO – R. Kelly, Bjork and Belle and Sebastian are among the musicians headlining this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.
Outside palace, Egypt protesters, police clash
CAIRO (AP) -- Protesters denouncing Egypt's Islamist president hurled stones and firebombs through the gates of his palace gates on Friday, clashing with security forces who fired tear gas and water cannons, as more than a week of political violence came to Mohammed Morsi's symbolic doorstep for the first time. Syrian rebels slam Assad inaction on Israeli raid
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian opposition leaders and rebels on Friday slammed President Bashar Assad for not responding to a rare Israeli airstrike near Damascus, calling it proof of his weakness and acquiescence to the Jewish State. Pakistan opposition take aim at energy crisis ahead of elections
Pakistan is struggling with a worsening energy crisis that will be top of mind for many Pakistanis as they head to the polls later this year.
Dramatists liken Venezuela saga to telenovela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- A president who vanishes for weeks in a mysterious battle with cancer. Supporters who chant their allegiance in the streets. And in the midst of it all, an announcement by the government that it detected a plot to kill his chosen successor. No priest, no sheik means no marriage in Lebanon
BEIRUT (AP) -- She was an English language tutor with an easy smile and an independent streak. He was a gym receptionist who wanted to better himself. Egyptians work to reclaim a Tahrir tainted by sexual assault
The accounts always unfold similarly. They begin with a group of men surrounding a woman during a large protest in Tahrir Square, often after night falls. They form a tight circle, then attack.
Assassination attempt in Armenia threatens stability
YEREVAN (Reuters) – An assassination attempt on a presidential candidate in Armenia has thrown this month's election into doubt and could thre aten stability in the volatile Caucasus region that carries oil and natural gas to Europe. Paruyr Hayrikyan, an outsider in the February 18 presidential vote, was shot in the shoulder on Thursday night close to his home in the capital Yerevan. Doctors removed the bullet on Friday and said his life was not in danger. … Man arrested at Newark Liberty Airport with loaded gun in carry-on bag
NEWARK, N.J. – Authorities have arrested a man at Newark Liberty Airport after screeners noticed a loaded gun in his carry-on bag.
Cuba, US spar over blame for poor ties
HAVANA (AP) -- A senior Cuban official sharply criticized U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday for suggesting Cuba was stuck in the past, saying the only anachronistic element of the relationship is Washington’s half-century-old economic embargo.
Suicide bomber kills guard at US Embassy in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- In the second deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in five months, a suicide bomber struck the American Embassy in Ankara on Friday, killing a Turkish security guard in what the White House described as a terrorist attack. Anderson, Marleau and Vanek named NHL's three stars for month of January
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson and left-wingers Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres were named the NHL's three stars for the month of January.
Too many clients pose tough choices for Canada wealth advisers
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian financial adviser Taylor Hewson said it can be little awkward when he approaches clients of his father’s who haven’t been contacted in years. But most of the time, he comes away with an interested investor to add to his own business. As second-generation financial advisers in Regina, Hewson and his brother have full permission to mine his father’s list of old, less profitable or neglected clients as they seek to build a partnership and plan for eventual business succession. …
Credit Agricole takes $5 billion hit as banks struggle to move on
PARIS (Reuters) – Credit Agricole , France's No. 3 bank, announced a further 3.8 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in charges on Friday as banks st ruggle to move on from ill-timed deals before the 2008 financial crisis. The charges come less than three months after Credit Agricole unveiled 3.6 billion euros of writedowns with its third-quarter results and will plunge it to the largest annual loss since it went public in 2001. They also come a day after Deutsche Bank , Germany's biggest bank, announced almost $4 billion of charges. … Nova Scotia RCMP deny they ignored allegations of domestic abuse in hitman case
HALIFAX – The RCMP in Nova Scotia are dismissing a reference in a Supreme Court of Canada decision that says they did not adequately respond to a woman’s calls for help before she tried to hire a hit man to kill the husband she said was abusing her.
seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
Barclays boss forgoes bonus, Qatar deal probed
LONDON (Reuters) – Barclays Chief Executive Antony Jenkins has opted not to take a bonus for 2012, saying he should "bear an appropriate degree of accountability" for the difficult year the British bank endured. Jenkins is trying to restore Barclays' reputation since the revelation of its role in a global interest rate rigging scandal led to a $450 million fine and the departure of his predecessor Bob Diamond. Those efforts are unlikely to be a straight road. …
Gay says he wants to be the hard-working veteran the Raptors need
TORONTO, Cananda – Rudy Gay says it’s almost like he’s been drafted all over again.
Bolivian mining town famed for Carnival tops Rio - at least in size of iconic statue
ORURO, Bolivia – The Carnival celebrations in this Andean mining city already rival Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro for colour and culture, if not for size. Now Oruro has erected a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that’s a little taller than Rio’s famed Christ the Redeemer.
Bolivia mining town erects huge statue of Virgin
ORURO, Bolivia (AP) -- The Carnival celebrations in this Andean mining city already rival Brazil's Rio de Janeiro for color and culture, if not for size. Now Oruro has erected a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that's a little taller than Rio's famed Christ the Redeemer.
Turkish PM says outlawed Turkish Marxist group is responsible for US Embassy attack
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkish PM says outlawed Turkish Marxist group is responsible for US Embassy attack.
Exclusive: Venezuela seeks $4 billion China loan, $2 billion Chevron credit - sources
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela's government and state oil company PDVSA are in urgent talks over a long-expected $6 billion in loans from China and U.S. energy giant Che vron that would help relieve the nation's strained finances, sources close to the discussions said. Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said this week that PDVSA had no plans to issue any more dollar-denominated bonds, confounding widespread speculation that one was planned to address a chronic shortage of dollars for local businesses. …
Ex-CIA Rome chief gets jail term in "rendition" trial
MILAN (Reuters) – An Italian appeals court on Friday sentenced a former CIA station chief to seven years in jail for the kidnap of an Egyptian Muslim cleric during the U.S. government’s “war on terror” waged by former president George W. Bush. The Milan court also handed down two six-year sentences to two American officials for the same crime, the first of so-called “extraordinary rendition” operations organized by the United States. …
Haiti hosts mountain bike race from capital to coast for international cyclists
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – International mountain bikers are testing the peaks of Haiti in a competition the country helps may boost unconventional tourism.
Three Tory MPs ask RCMP to investigate some abortions as homicides
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says while some of his Conservative MPs may not agree, abortion is legal in Canada.
Regulator likely to free more airwaves for 4G
LONDON (Reuters) – Mobile phone operators Vodafone and Three have asked British regulator Ofcom for permission to re-use their existing airwaves for 4G services, following in the footsteps of larger rival EE. Britain got superfast mobile broadband late last year, long after countries such as the United States and Japan, when Ofcom allowed EE to run 4G services over its allocated spectrum. Ofcom said on Friday it had started a consultation over liberalising more of the spectrum that was previously licensed for 2G and 3G mobile services in response to the requests. …
Could France's empty office buildings ease its homeless crisis?
In the big, bright green communal kitchen, Samia Lacombe wipes the counter clean and takes some of the soup that she's made to her new neighbors down the hall.
Reid overcomes slow start to earn bronze medal at skeleton world championship
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland – Sarah Reid started off slowly but finished with a bang Friday.
Can Timbuktu stay pacified after Islamist rebels are run out?
Captain Yann of the French army's 6th Marine engineer battalion got into his jeep early in the morning, drove to the Djingareiber Mosque inside this city and, with a team of soldiers and other army personnel, started digging for bombs.
For Beckham in Paris, the chase of the paparazzi takes a new turn
PARIS – In London, the paparazzi hunt in packs, as David Beckham and other celebrities know well. When Beckham moved to Los Angeles, high-speed road chases by photographers were the norm until a Hollywood star became governor and set a few ground rules. The Parisians -- soon to have the star in their midst, playing for football club Paris-Saint Germain -- catch their prey from a distance, equipped with long lenses all the better to see you with.
Stalingrad victory offers Putin patriotic platform
VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) – Stalingrad will be back on the map for a few hours on Saturday, and Josef Stalin's face will be splashed on buses, as Russia remember s the epic battle that turned the tide of World War Two. President Vladimir Putin is expected in the city, now known as Volgograd, for a military parade to mark 70 years since the German surrender after the six-month Battle of Stalingrad, which became a symbol for Russians of patriotic sacrifice and unity. …
Canadian job market seen flat in January, jobless rate up
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s labor market likely came back to earth in January after gravity-defying job gains in the final months of 2012, with analysts predicting almost no new hiring in the month and a rise in the unemployment rate. The average forecast in a Reuters poll of market players was for 5,000 net new jobs in December compared with 31,200 in December. Statistics Canada considers that a flat reading and well within the margin of error for its household survey. Analysts see the unemployment rate ticking up to 7.2 percent from 7.1 percent. …
LONDON (Reuters) – Barclays Chief Executive Antony Jenkins has opted not to take a bonus for 2012, saying he should "bear an appropriate degree of accountability" for the difficult year the British bank endured. Jenkins is trying to restore Barclays' reputation since the revelation of its role in a global interest rate rigging scandal led to a $450 million fine and the departure of his predecessor Bob Diamond. Those efforts are unlikely to be a straight road. … Gay says he wants to be the hard-working veteran the Raptors need
TORONTO, Cananda – Rudy Gay says it’s almost like he’s been drafted all over again.
Bolivian mining town famed for Carnival tops Rio - at least in size of iconic statue
ORURO, Bolivia – The Carnival celebrations in this Andean mining city already rival Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro for colour and culture, if not for size. Now Oruro has erected a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that’s a little taller than Rio’s famed Christ the Redeemer.
Bolivia mining town erects huge statue of Virgin
ORURO, Bolivia (AP) -- The Carnival celebrations in this Andean mining city already rival Brazil's Rio de Janeiro for color and culture, if not for size. Now Oruro has erected a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that's a little taller than Rio's famed Christ the Redeemer. Turkish PM says outlawed Turkish Marxist group is responsible for US Embassy attack
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkish PM says outlawed Turkish Marxist group is responsible for US Embassy attack. Exclusive: Venezuela seeks $4 billion China loan, $2 billion Chevron credit - sources
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela's government and state oil company PDVSA are in urgent talks over a long-expected $6 billion in loans from China and U.S. energy giant Che vron that would help relieve the nation's strained finances, sources close to the discussions said. Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said this week that PDVSA had no plans to issue any more dollar-denominated bonds, confounding widespread speculation that one was planned to address a chronic shortage of dollars for local businesses. … Ex-CIA Rome chief gets jail term in "rendition" trial
MILAN (Reuters) – An Italian appeals court on Friday sentenced a former CIA station chief to seven years in jail for the kidnap of an Egyptian Muslim cleric during the U.S. government’s “war on terror” waged by former president George W. Bush. The Milan court also handed down two six-year sentences to two American officials for the same crime, the first of so-called “extraordinary rendition” operations organized by the United States. …
Haiti hosts mountain bike race from capital to coast for international cyclists
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – International mountain bikers are testing the peaks of Haiti in a competition the country helps may boost unconventional tourism.
Three Tory MPs ask RCMP to investigate some abortions as homicides
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says while some of his Conservative MPs may not agree, abortion is legal in Canada.
Regulator likely to free more airwaves for 4G
LONDON (Reuters) – Mobile phone operators Vodafone and Three have asked British regulator Ofcom for permission to re-use their existing airwaves for 4G services, following in the footsteps of larger rival EE. Britain got superfast mobile broadband late last year, long after countries such as the United States and Japan, when Ofcom allowed EE to run 4G services over its allocated spectrum. Ofcom said on Friday it had started a consultation over liberalising more of the spectrum that was previously licensed for 2G and 3G mobile services in response to the requests. …
Could France's empty office buildings ease its homeless crisis?
In the big, bright green communal kitchen, Samia Lacombe wipes the counter clean and takes some of the soup that she's made to her new neighbors down the hall.
Reid overcomes slow start to earn bronze medal at skeleton world championship
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland – Sarah Reid started off slowly but finished with a bang Friday.
Can Timbuktu stay pacified after Islamist rebels are run out?
Captain Yann of the French army's 6th Marine engineer battalion got into his jeep early in the morning, drove to the Djingareiber Mosque inside this city and, with a team of soldiers and other army personnel, started digging for bombs.
For Beckham in Paris, the chase of the paparazzi takes a new turn
PARIS – In London, the paparazzi hunt in packs, as David Beckham and other celebrities know well. When Beckham moved to Los Angeles, high-speed road chases by photographers were the norm until a Hollywood star became governor and set a few ground rules. The Parisians -- soon to have the star in their midst, playing for football club Paris-Saint Germain -- catch their prey from a distance, equipped with long lenses all the better to see you with.
Stalingrad victory offers Putin patriotic platform
VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) – Stalingrad will be back on the map for a few hours on Saturday, and Josef Stalin's face will be splashed on buses, as Russia remember s the epic battle that turned the tide of World War Two. President Vladimir Putin is expected in the city, now known as Volgograd, for a military parade to mark 70 years since the German surrender after the six-month Battle of Stalingrad, which became a symbol for Russians of patriotic sacrifice and unity. … Canadian job market seen flat in January, jobless rate up
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s labor market likely came back to earth in January after gravity-defying job gains in the final months of 2012, with analysts predicting almost no new hiring in the month and a rise in the unemployment rate. The average forecast in a Reuters poll of market players was for 5,000 net new jobs in December compared with 31,200 in December. Statistics Canada considers that a flat reading and well within the margin of error for its household survey. Analysts see the unemployment rate ticking up to 7.2 percent from 7.1 percent. …
seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
UK: No charges for Australian royal hoax DJs
British prosecutors said Friday they will not press charges against two Australian DJs over the royal hoax call that preceded a nurse's suicide.Two Australian DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and her …
French leader to visit Mali, talk of troop levels
PARIS (AP) -- President Francois Hollande says he'll suggest when France will reduce troop levels in Mali during a trip there Saturday, nearly four weeks after a French-led operation against Islamic extremists began in the vast West African nation.
For Beckham in Paris, flashbulbs burn differently
PARIS (AP) -- In London, the paparazzi hunt in packs, as David Beckham and other celebrities know well. When Beckham moved to Los Angeles, high-speed road chases by photographers were the norm until a Hollywood star became governor and set a few ground rules. The Parisians -- soon to have the star in their midst, playing for football club Paris-Saint Germain -- catch their prey from a distance, equipped with long l enses all the better to see you with.
Legal piracy? Antigua gets OK to start selling copies of US hit movies, songs
Antigua and Barbuda doesn't normally rank among threats to United States interests. The twin-island nation's population of 100,000 rivals that of Flint, Mich., and its $1 billion economy is about as much as New York City is spending to make infrastructure fixes like repairing bridges and filling potholes.
'Body' found on mural in NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's parliamentary office
OTTAWA – A body has been found in the Parliament Hill office of NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
Canadian Press NewsAlert: Appeal Court upholds Canada's marijuana laws
TORONTO – Ontario’s top court upholds Canada’s marijuana laws in medicinal pot case.
Mysterious YouTube video accuses Russia's Medvedev of treason
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Dmitry Medvedev is glimpsed exchanging confidential smiles with Barack Oba ma as sinister music plays. The dead body of Russian ally Muammar Gaddafi, driven from power by the West, is dragged through the dirt. A camera homes in on the prime minister sweating and shifting uneasily in his chair. The word 'treason' is uttered by a narrator. A more than hour-long Internet video employs methods reminiscent of the Soviet past in excoriating a prime minister already laboring in President Vladimir Putin's shadow. …
Nigeria says helicopter strike kills 17 Islamist fighters
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian authorities said on Friday security forces backed by helicopter gunships killed 17 militants and destroyed two training camps belonging to Islamist sect Boko Haram, one in a forest and one in a game reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for joint military and police forces in Borno state, said one soldier had also been killed in the firefights, which cast fresh doubt on a ceasefire declared by one purported Boko Haram commander this week. “The camp was properly … …
Colombian forces kill FARC commander close to chief negotiator
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian government forces have killed a FARC brigade commander close to the Marxist group’s chief peace negotiator, the defense minister said on Friday, as combat heats up after the expiration of a unilateral guerrilla ceasefire. Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said that Jacobo Arango, a FARC commander in a northwestern area straddling Cordoba and Antioquia provinces, a known drug route, was among six rebels killed in an assault on Thursday. “It’s a strike of great importance,” he told reporters. …
Russian WWII vet recalls the Battle of Stalingrad
MOSCOW (AP) -- The Soviet soldiers used their own bodies as shields, covering women and children escaping on ferry boats from a Nazi bombardment that killed 40,000 civilians in a single day. It was the height of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II.
U.S. holds key to improving Russia ties: Putin aide
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Strained Russian-U.S. ties will not improve unless Washington stops openly criticizing Moscow’s human rights record and supporting President Vladimir Putin’s foes, the top foreign policy official in the Russian parliament said. Relations between the Cold War-era rivals took a dive after Putin’s return to the Kremlin in May, undermining a 2009 initiative by President Barack Obama and Russia’s then-president Dmitry Medvedev, a more liberal Putin protégé, to “reset” ties. …
Germany says unfreezing Rwandan aid but to watch progress on Congo
KIGALI (Reuters) – Germany said on Friday it will unblock 7 million euros in frozen aid to Rwanda, which the U.N. accuses of helping arm rebels in neighboring Congo, but warned the African state will be under continued international pressure over its links with M23 rebels. Germany joined the United States and several other European states in partially suspending aid to Rwanda after U.N. experts said senior Rwandan military officials have equipped, trained and directly commanded M23 rebels who in November briefly seized the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. …
London's "intergalactic" Shard opens to love, rain and Boris
LONDON (Reuters) – A marriage proposal, strange similes and a stunning panorama marked the public opening of the viewing deck for western Europe's tallest tower on a wet Friday in London. The Shard skysc raper was described as an "intergalactic spear" and a "cocktail stick" by charismatic Mayor Boris Johnson, who cut the ribbon for the first public visitors atop the 310-metre futuristic tower looming over London bridge. One visitor chose the moment to propose to his girlfriend of five years. …
Police: Fla. tow truck driver arrested after phone pocket-dials 911 during drugs conversation
ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A conversation with two passengers landed a Florida tow truck driver in jail after his cellphone pocket-dialed 911 and dispatchers listened in.
Puerto Rico teeters on fiscal edge over pensions
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Office clerk Lillian Marti hopes to retire one day with a decent pension. Now, like many other employees of Puerto Rico's government, she's beginning to fear she might not get that chance.
UK's RBS to get Libor punishment next week: sources
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Bank of Scotland will next week agree a collective settlement with U.S. and British authorities for its part in a global rate rigging scandal, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The bank is expected to be fined between 400 and 500 million pounds ($793 million) for the attempted rigging of the London interbank offered rate (Libor) and other benchmark interest rates. Details of the punishments will be revealed on Tuesday or Wednesday, the sources said. RBS and the FSA declined to comment. …
Parting blows: Clinton blasts Russia for inaction in Syria
Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton leveled an angry blast at Russia Thursday, making clear that the United States sees Moscow as bearing most of the blame for the international community’s failure to broker any kind of peace deal for war-torn Syria.
Berlusconi's bid to halt tax fraud trial rejected again
MILAN (Reuters) – A Milan court on Friday rejected a new request from Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers to suspend a tax fraud trial involving the purchase of broadcasting rights by h is Mediaset media group until after the February 24-25 election. The decision prompted a defiant response from the former prime minister and his center-right party, who described as "scandalous" what they see as an interference with the parliamentary race. …
One victim still critical, two more out of care, after Vancouver stabbing melee
VANCOUVER – Major crimes investigators remained at a Vancouver apartment building through the night, trying to determine why a man ran through the hallways Thursday evening, randomly slashing residents.
British prosecutors said Friday they will not press charges against two Australian DJs over the royal hoax call that preceded a nurse's suicide.Two Australian DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and her … French leader to visit Mali, talk of troop levels
PARIS (AP) -- President Francois Hollande says he'll suggest when France will reduce troop levels in Mali during a trip there Saturday, nearly four weeks after a French-led operation against Islamic extremists began in the vast West African nation. For Beckham in Paris, flashbulbs burn differently
PARIS (AP) -- In London, the paparazzi hunt in packs, as David Beckham and other celebrities know well. When Beckham moved to Los Angeles, high-speed road chases by photographers were the norm until a Hollywood star became governor and set a few ground rules. The Parisians -- soon to have the star in their midst, playing for football club Paris-Saint Germain -- catch their prey from a distance, equipped with long l enses all the better to see you with. Legal piracy? Antigua gets OK to start selling copies of US hit movies, songs
Antigua and Barbuda doesn't normally rank among threats to United States interests. The twin-island nation's population of 100,000 rivals that of Flint, Mich., and its $1 billion economy is about as much as New York City is spending to make infrastructure fixes like repairing bridges and filling potholes.
'Body' found on mural in NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's parliamentary office
OTTAWA – A body has been found in the Parliament Hill office of NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
Canadian Press NewsAlert: Appeal Court upholds Canada's marijuana laws
TORONTO – Ontario’s top court upholds Canada’s marijuana laws in medicinal pot case.
Mysterious YouTube video accuses Russia's Medvedev of treason
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Dmitry Medvedev is glimpsed exchanging confidential smiles with Barack Oba ma as sinister music plays. The dead body of Russian ally Muammar Gaddafi, driven from power by the West, is dragged through the dirt. A camera homes in on the prime minister sweating and shifting uneasily in his chair. The word 'treason' is uttered by a narrator. A more than hour-long Internet video employs methods reminiscent of the Soviet past in excoriating a prime minister already laboring in President Vladimir Putin's shadow. … Nigeria says helicopter strike kills 17 Islamist fighters
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian authorities said on Friday security forces backed by helicopter gunships killed 17 militants and destroyed two training camps belonging to Islamist sect Boko Haram, one in a forest and one in a game reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for joint military and police forces in Borno state, said one soldier had also been killed in the firefights, which cast fresh doubt on a ceasefire declared by one purported Boko Haram commander this week. “The camp was properly … …
Colombian forces kill FARC commander close to chief negotiator
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian government forces have killed a FARC brigade commander close to the Marxist group’s chief peace negotiator, the defense minister said on Friday, as combat heats up after the expiration of a unilateral guerrilla ceasefire. Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said that Jacobo Arango, a FARC commander in a northwestern area straddling Cordoba and Antioquia provinces, a known drug route, was among six rebels killed in an assault on Thursday. “It’s a strike of great importance,” he told reporters. …
Russian WWII vet recalls the Battle of Stalingrad
MOSCOW (AP) -- The Soviet soldiers used their own bodies as shields, covering women and children escaping on ferry boats from a Nazi bombardment that killed 40,000 civilians in a single day. It was the height of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II.
U.S. holds key to improving Russia ties: Putin aide
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Strained Russian-U.S. ties will not improve unless Washington stops openly criticizing Moscow’s human rights record and supporting President Vladimir Putin’s foes, the top foreign policy official in the Russian parliament said. Relations between the Cold War-era rivals took a dive after Putin’s return to the Kremlin in May, undermining a 2009 initiative by President Barack Obama and Russia’s then-president Dmitry Medvedev, a more liberal Putin protégé, to “reset” ties. …
Germany says unfreezing Rwandan aid but to watch progress on Congo
KIGALI (Reuters) – Germany said on Friday it will unblock 7 million euros in frozen aid to Rwanda, which the U.N. accuses of helping arm rebels in neighboring Congo, but warned the African state will be under continued international pressure over its links with M23 rebels. Germany joined the United States and several other European states in partially suspending aid to Rwanda after U.N. experts said senior Rwandan military officials have equipped, trained and directly commanded M23 rebels who in November briefly seized the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. …
London's "intergalactic" Shard opens to love, rain and Boris
LONDON (Reuters) – A marriage proposal, strange similes and a stunning panorama marked the public opening of the viewing deck for western Europe's tallest tower on a wet Friday in London. The Shard skysc raper was described as an "intergalactic spear" and a "cocktail stick" by charismatic Mayor Boris Johnson, who cut the ribbon for the first public visitors atop the 310-metre futuristic tower looming over London bridge. One visitor chose the moment to propose to his girlfriend of five years. … Police: Fla. tow truck driver arrested after phone pocket-dials 911 during drugs conversation
ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A conversation with two passengers landed a Florida tow truck driver in jail after his cellphone pocket-dialed 911 and dispatchers listened in.
Puerto Rico teeters on fiscal edge over pensions
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Office clerk Lillian Marti hopes to retire one day with a decent pension. Now, like many other employees of Puerto Rico's government, she's beginning to fear she might not get that chance. UK's RBS to get Libor punishment next week: sources
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Bank of Scotland will next week agree a collective settlement with U.S. and British authorities for its part in a global rate rigging scandal, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The bank is expected to be fined between 400 and 500 million pounds ($793 million) for the attempted rigging of the London interbank offered rate (Libor) and other benchmark interest rates. Details of the punishments will be revealed on Tuesday or Wednesday, the sources said. RBS and the FSA declined to comment. … Parting blows: Clinton blasts Russia for inaction in Syria
Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton leveled an angry blast at Russia Thursday, making clear that the United States sees Moscow as bearing most of the blame for the international community’s failure to broker any kind of peace deal for war-torn Syria.
Berlusconi's bid to halt tax fraud trial rejected again
MILAN (Reuters) – A Milan court on Friday rejected a new request from Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers to suspend a tax fraud trial involving the purchase of broadcasting rights by h is Mediaset media group until after the February 24-25 election. The decision prompted a defiant response from the former prime minister and his center-right party, who described as "scandalous" what they see as an interference with the parliamentary race. … One victim still critical, two more out of care, after Vancouver stabbing melee
VANCOUVER – Major crimes investigators remained at a Vancouver apartment building through the night, trying to determine why a man ran through the hallways Thursday evening, randomly slashing residents.
seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
Swedish court orders retrial for convicted serial killer who withdrew confession
STOCKHOLM – A man once considered Sweden’s worst serial killer is a step closer to being exonerated of all of his convictions, in what’s become a major scandal for the country’s justice system.
Turkey: Embassy bomber connected to domestic group
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's Interior Minister Muammer Guler says a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive in front of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is most likely connected to a domestic left-wing militant organization.
US says warming climate threatens survival of snow-loving wolverine
BILLINGS, Mont. – The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the “mountain devil,” is being added to the list of species threatened by climate change -- a dubious distinction that puts it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals that could see their habitats shrink drastically due to warming temperatures.
Sweden orders retrial for convicted serial killer
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A man once considered Sweden’s worst serial killer is a step closer to being exonerated of all of his convictions, in what’s become a major scandal for the country’s justice system.
Brookfield Office results rise, 2013 growth seen
TORONTO (Reuters) – Brookfield Office Property Inc, one of the world’s leading office landlords, said on Friday its results for the fourth quarter and full year edged higher, and it expects further growth in 2013 as economic conditions improve. Brookfield, with properties in Manhattan, London and other big cities, said fourth-quarter funds from operations rose to $161 million, or 28 cents a share, from $151 million, or 26 cents, in the same quarter of 2011. The results matched analysts’ average forecast, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. …
32 die in Mexico oil company office building blast
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Rescuers searched for survivors Friday and authorities promised a thorough investigation after an office building blast killed 32 people and injured 121 at the headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos.
Suicide bomber attacks Pakistani mosque, 23 dead
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a Shiite mosque in northwestern Pakistan as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers, killing 23 people and wounding over 50 in the latest apparently sectarian attack in the country, police said.
Constellation attacks DOJ reasoning in move to block Modelo deal
(Reuters) – Constellation Brands Inc on Friday attacked the U.S. government's reasoning in suing to block Anheuser-Busch InBev's proposed $20.1 billion takeover of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo . Constellation, which would become the sole U.S. distributor of Modelo beers like Corona and Negra Modelo through a related $1.85 billion transaction, said Thursday's action by the Department of Justice "demonstrates its incomplete understanding of the proposed transaction." (Reporting By Martinne Geller in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Arabs, Tuaregs in Mali face hostility amid war
MOPTI, Mali (AP) -- Bawba Mint Baba Ahmed’s sewing teacher singled her out in front of the class, telling her: “You look like a rebel.” Others threatened to slit her throat, she says, drawing a finger across her neck.
At least 3 killed, 10 wounded in clash between Lebanese troops, gunmen near border with Syria
BEIRUT – A Lebanese police official says at least three people have been killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between the army and gunmen in a northeastern town near the border with Syria.
Britain to Argentina: No Falklands talks without locals
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain told Argentina on Friday it was unwilling to discuss the disputed status of the Falkland Islands unless talks included the local pro-British authorities there too, deepening a diplomatic spat over the South Atlantic archipelago. Britain set out its position after visiting Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman rejected a London meeting with his British counterpart William Hague on Thursday because he objected to the presence of Falkland islanders. …
Lebanese troops clash with gunmen; 3 killed
BEIRUT (AP) -- A Lebanese police official says at least three people have been killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between the army and gunmen in a northeastern town near the border with Syria.
Canada manufacturing PMI ekes out gain in January
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian manufacturing activity grew at a snail's pace in January, according to data released on Friday that bolstered forecasts that th e country's economy will get off to a sluggish start in 2013. The RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index was 50.5 last month after adjusting for seasonal variation, compared with 50.4 in December, when the index matched its the weakest reading since data collection began in October 2010. The index was still dangerously close to contraction, but held above the 50 mark that separates expansion from deterioration. …
Milan appeals court convicts 3 American in CIA kidnap case, throwing out earlier acquittals
MILAN – A Milan appeals court has convicted a former CIA station chief in Rome and two other Americans in the 2003 rendition kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric.
Earl Grey descendants sell English tea to China
TRURO, England (Reuters) – An estate owned by descendants of the 19th century British aristocrat for whom Earl Grey tea was named is turning history on its head by selling English tea to China. The Tregothnan estate in the southwestern English county of Cornwall started selling tea from its tiny plantation in 2005 and last year produced about 10 tonnes of tea and infusions. Although a drop in the ocean of global tea production, which the UK Tea Council estimated to be about 4. …
Lebanon army clashes with gunmen in Bekaa Valley, three dead
BEIRUT (Reuters) – At least three people were killed in clashes in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Friday after gunmen attacked a Lebanese army unit, security sources said. The sources said two soldiers and one gunman were killed and fighting was continuing in the area, near the northeastern town of Arsal. The region is close to the border with Syria where rebels are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. One resident who spoke to Reuters put the overall death toll from the fighting at five. …
Milan court convicts 3 Americans in CIA kidnapping
MILAN (AP) -- A Milan appeals court has convicted a former CIA station chief in Rome and two other Americans in the 2003 rendition kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric.
Death toll from Brazil nightclub fire climbs to 236
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A 20-year-old woman late Thursday succumbed to injuries from the nightclub fire in the southern Brazilian college town of Santa Maria, pushing the death toll from the disaster last weekend up to 236. Civil defense authorities in Rio Grande do Sul, the state where Santa Maria is located, said the victim suffered a heart attack while struggling with injuries that included burns on more than half her body. An additional 126 people remain hospitalized after the fire, which was caused by an outdoor flare lit by a musician performing at the Kiss nightclub. …
Mexico explosion: How will the Pemex blast affect the country's race for oil?
The deadly explosion that shook a national symbol of Mexico - its giant state-owned oil company - threatens to shake public confidence in an oil industry at a crossroads.
No charges over UK royal nurse hoax call
LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Friday two Australian radio hosts who made a prank call to the hospital treating Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate would face no criminal charges over the death of the nurse who answered the phone and later killed herself. Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged last December in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the hoax call from DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian at Australian radio station 2Day FM. …
STOCKHOLM – A man once considered Sweden’s worst serial killer is a step closer to being exonerated of all of his convictions, in what’s become a major scandal for the country’s justice system.
Turkey: Embassy bomber connected to domestic group
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's Interior Minister Muammer Guler says a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive in front of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is most likely connected to a domestic left-wing militant organization. US says warming climate threatens survival of snow-loving wolverine
BILLINGS, Mont. – The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the “mountain devil,” is being added to the list of species threatened by climate change -- a dubious distinction that puts it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals that could see their habitats shrink drastically due to warming temperatures.
Sweden orders retrial for convicted serial killer
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A man once considered Sweden’s worst serial killer is a step closer to being exonerated of all of his convictions, in what’s become a major scandal for the country’s justice system.
Brookfield Office results rise, 2013 growth seen
TORONTO (Reuters) – Brookfield Office Property Inc, one of the world’s leading office landlords, said on Friday its results for the fourth quarter and full year edged higher, and it expects further growth in 2013 as economic conditions improve. Brookfield, with properties in Manhattan, London and other big cities, said fourth-quarter funds from operations rose to $161 million, or 28 cents a share, from $151 million, or 26 cents, in the same quarter of 2011. The results matched analysts’ average forecast, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. …
32 die in Mexico oil company office building blast
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Rescuers searched for survivors Friday and authorities promised a thorough investigation after an office building blast killed 32 people and injured 121 at the headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos. Suicide bomber attacks Pakistani mosque, 23 dead
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a Shiite mosque in northwestern Pakistan as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers, killing 23 people and wounding over 50 in the latest apparently sectarian attack in the country, police said. Constellation attacks DOJ reasoning in move to block Modelo deal
(Reuters) – Constellation Brands Inc on Friday attacked the U.S. government's reasoning in suing to block Anheuser-Busch InBev's proposed $20.1 billion takeover of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo . Constellation, which would become the sole U.S. distributor of Modelo beers like Corona and Negra Modelo through a related $1.85 billion transaction, said Thursday's action by the Department of Justice "demonstrates its incomplete understanding of the proposed transaction." (Reporting By Martinne Geller in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Arabs, Tuaregs in Mali face hostility amid war
MOPTI, Mali (AP) -- Bawba Mint Baba Ahmed’s sewing teacher singled her out in front of the class, telling her: “You look like a rebel.” Others threatened to slit her throat, she says, drawing a finger across her neck.
At least 3 killed, 10 wounded in clash between Lebanese troops, gunmen near border with Syria
BEIRUT – A Lebanese police official says at least three people have been killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between the army and gunmen in a northeastern town near the border with Syria.
Britain to Argentina: No Falklands talks without locals
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain told Argentina on Friday it was unwilling to discuss the disputed status of the Falkland Islands unless talks included the local pro-British authorities there too, deepening a diplomatic spat over the South Atlantic archipelago. Britain set out its position after visiting Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman rejected a London meeting with his British counterpart William Hague on Thursday because he objected to the presence of Falkland islanders. …
Lebanese troops clash with gunmen; 3 killed
BEIRUT (AP) -- A Lebanese police official says at least three people have been killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between the army and gunmen in a northeastern town near the border with Syria.
Canada manufacturing PMI ekes out gain in January
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian manufacturing activity grew at a snail's pace in January, according to data released on Friday that bolstered forecasts that th e country's economy will get off to a sluggish start in 2013. The RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index was 50.5 last month after adjusting for seasonal variation, compared with 50.4 in December, when the index matched its the weakest reading since data collection began in October 2010. The index was still dangerously close to contraction, but held above the 50 mark that separates expansion from deterioration. … Milan appeals court convicts 3 American in CIA kidnap case, throwing out earlier acquittals
MILAN – A Milan appeals court has convicted a former CIA station chief in Rome and two other Americans in the 2003 rendition kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric.
Earl Grey descendants sell English tea to China
TRURO, England (Reuters) – An estate owned by descendants of the 19th century British aristocrat for whom Earl Grey tea was named is turning history on its head by selling English tea to China. The Tregothnan estate in the southwestern English county of Cornwall started selling tea from its tiny plantation in 2005 and last year produced about 10 tonnes of tea and infusions. Although a drop in the ocean of global tea production, which the UK Tea Council estimated to be about 4. …
Lebanon army clashes with gunmen in Bekaa Valley, three dead
BEIRUT (Reuters) – At least three people were killed in clashes in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Friday after gunmen attacked a Lebanese army unit, security sources said. The sources said two soldiers and one gunman were killed and fighting was continuing in the area, near the northeastern town of Arsal. The region is close to the border with Syria where rebels are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. One resident who spoke to Reuters put the overall death toll from the fighting at five. …
Milan court convicts 3 Americans in CIA kidnapping
MILAN (AP) -- A Milan appeals court has convicted a former CIA station chief in Rome and two other Americans in the 2003 rendition kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric.
Death toll from Brazil nightclub fire climbs to 236
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A 20-year-old woman late Thursday succumbed to injuries from the nightclub fire in the southern Brazilian college town of Santa Maria, pushing the death toll from the disaster last weekend up to 236. Civil defense authorities in Rio Grande do Sul, the state where Santa Maria is located, said the victim suffered a heart attack while struggling with injuries that included burns on more than half her body. An additional 126 people remain hospitalized after the fire, which was caused by an outdoor flare lit by a musician performing at the Kiss nightclub. … Mexico explosion: How will the Pemex blast affect the country's race for oil?
The deadly explosion that shook a national symbol of Mexico - its giant state-owned oil company - threatens to shake public confidence in an oil industry at a crossroads.
No charges over UK royal nurse hoax call
LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Friday two Australian radio hosts who made a prank call to the hospital treating Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate would face no criminal charges over the death of the nurse who answered the phone and later killed herself. Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged last December in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the hoax call from DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian at Australian radio station 2Day FM. …
seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
Bank scandal helps surge by Berlusconi ahead of Italy election
ROME (Reuters) – A growing scandal at Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world's oldest bank, has helped Silvio Berlusconi close the gap with the center-left frontrunners to five percent, its tightest so far, weeks before Italy's election, a poll showed on Friday. An SWG survey showed former premier Berlusconi's center-right coalition had gained 1.3 percent in a week and was now on 27.8 percent, compared to 32.8 percent for Pier Luigi Bersani's center left, which had lost 1.6 percent. …
Syria's regime and rebels each try use Israeli airstrike to their advantage
o A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
Canada revises December jobs data, changes minimal
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s economy created 31,200 net new jobs in December, revised down slightly from the 39,800 previously estimated, Statistics Canada said on Friday after adjusting for the latest seasonal factors. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.1 percent, the agency said. Statscan revised the data going back three years to take into account the seasonal patterns registered in 2012. It said the changes to employment growth were minor and there was no change in the overall trend. (Reporting by Louise Egan; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)
Suicide bombing at US Embassy in Turkey kills 2
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive Friday in front of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, killing himself and a guard at the entrance gate, officials said.
Australia protests to Japan about whaling ship
A support vessel for the Japanese whaling fleet is sailing in Australian waters in pursuit of anti-whaling activists, Australia said after protesting to the Tokyo government.Environment Minister Tony Burke …
TSX set to open higher after U.S. jobs data
(Reuters) – Canada's main stock index looked set to open higher on Friday, helped by better-than-expected euro zone manufacturing data and news that U.S. job growth grew modestly in January and that gains in the previous two months were bigger than initially reported. TOP STORI ES * China's vast factory sector managed only a shallow rebound at the start of 2013 and manufacturing in the euro zone remained weak, although there the worst may be over, a clutch of surveys suggested. * Canadian Oil Sands posted a 4. …
Saudi Arabia appoints Prince Muqrin as second deputy PM
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has a ppointed former intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz second deputy prime minister. Holders of the position have in the past gone on to become crown prince of the world's top oil exporter, where the ruling family controls most senior government posts and, in the absence of elections, wields near absolute authority. Muqrin, who is about 70, headed Saudi intelligence until he was replaced in July, and is the youngest son of the kingdom's founder Abdulaziz ibn Saud. …
Chevron profit rises on refining and asset swap gain
(Reuters) – Chevron Corp posted a rise in quarterly profit on Friday as its refining arm managed to improve earnings despite the crippling of the company's oldest refinery last August by a fire. The seco nd-largest U.S. oil producer said fourth-quarter net income rose to $7.2 billion, or $3.70 per share, from $5.1 billion, or $2.58 per share, a year earlier. The latest results included a gain of $1.4 billion from an asset exchange. Including that gain, earnings in the oil and gas production business rose 20 percent to $6. …
Rights allegations in Mali cloud visit by France's Hollande
BAMAKO/TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) – Human rights groups said on Friday a French-led offensive against Islamists in Mali had led to civilian deaths in airstrikes and ethnic reprisals by Ma lian troops, a day before President Francois Hollande was due to visit the country. France has deployed more than 3,500 ground forces in a lightning three-week campaign that has wrested control of northern Mali's towns from an al Qaeda-linked alliance. The aim is to prevent the Islamist fighters from using Mali's ungoverned desert north to launch attacks in neighboring African countries and the West. …
Armenian presidential hopeful shot, vote uncertain
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- A midnight shooting attack on a presidential candidate threw Armenia's election into disarray Friday, raising the prospect that the vote could be postponed.
Rodney Jackson hikes high into the Himalayas to help snow leopards
People who drive an hour to work might complain about their commute. Rodney Jackson used to walk for 12 days.
ROME (Reuters) – A growing scandal at Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world's oldest bank, has helped Silvio Berlusconi close the gap with the center-left frontrunners to five percent, its tightest so far, weeks before Italy's election, a poll showed on Friday. An SWG survey showed former premier Berlusconi's center-right coalition had gained 1.3 percent in a week and was now on 27.8 percent, compared to 32.8 percent for Pier Luigi Bersani's center left, which had lost 1.6 percent. … Syria's regime and rebels each try use Israeli airstrike to their advantage
o A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
Canada revises December jobs data, changes minimal
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s economy created 31,200 net new jobs in December, revised down slightly from the 39,800 previously estimated, Statistics Canada said on Friday after adjusting for the latest seasonal factors. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.1 percent, the agency said. Statscan revised the data going back three years to take into account the seasonal patterns registered in 2012. It said the changes to employment growth were minor and there was no change in the overall trend. (Reporting by Louise Egan; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)
Suicide bombing at US Embassy in Turkey kills 2
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive Friday in front of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, killing himself and a guard at the entrance gate, officials said. Australia protests to Japan about whaling ship
A support vessel for the Japanese whaling fleet is sailing in Australian waters in pursuit of anti-whaling activists, Australia said after protesting to the Tokyo government.Environment Minister Tony Burke …
TSX set to open higher after U.S. jobs data
(Reuters) – Canada's main stock index looked set to open higher on Friday, helped by better-than-expected euro zone manufacturing data and news that U.S. job growth grew modestly in January and that gains in the previous two months were bigger than initially reported. TOP STORI ES * China's vast factory sector managed only a shallow rebound at the start of 2013 and manufacturing in the euro zone remained weak, although there the worst may be over, a clutch of surveys suggested. * Canadian Oil Sands posted a 4. … Saudi Arabia appoints Prince Muqrin as second deputy PM
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has a ppointed former intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz second deputy prime minister. Holders of the position have in the past gone on to become crown prince of the world's top oil exporter, where the ruling family controls most senior government posts and, in the absence of elections, wields near absolute authority. Muqrin, who is about 70, headed Saudi intelligence until he was replaced in July, and is the youngest son of the kingdom's founder Abdulaziz ibn Saud. … Chevron profit rises on refining and asset swap gain
(Reuters) – Chevron Corp posted a rise in quarterly profit on Friday as its refining arm managed to improve earnings despite the crippling of the company's oldest refinery last August by a fire. The seco nd-largest U.S. oil producer said fourth-quarter net income rose to $7.2 billion, or $3.70 per share, from $5.1 billion, or $2.58 per share, a year earlier. The latest results included a gain of $1.4 billion from an asset exchange. Including that gain, earnings in the oil and gas production business rose 20 percent to $6. … Rights allegations in Mali cloud visit by France's Hollande
BAMAKO/TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) – Human rights groups said on Friday a French-led offensive against Islamists in Mali had led to civilian deaths in airstrikes and ethnic reprisals by Ma lian troops, a day before President Francois Hollande was due to visit the country. France has deployed more than 3,500 ground forces in a lightning three-week campaign that has wrested control of northern Mali's towns from an al Qaeda-linked alliance. The aim is to prevent the Islamist fighters from using Mali's ungoverned desert north to launch attacks in neighboring African countries and the West. … Armenian presidential hopeful shot, vote uncertain
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- A midnight shooting attack on a presidential candidate threw Armenia's election into disarray Friday, raising the prospect that the vote could be postponed. Rodney Jackson hikes high into the Himalayas to help snow leopards
People who drive an hour to work might complain about their commute. Rodney Jackson used to walk for 12 days.
seenewstoday.com : Top News updates
Canadian dollar declines ahead of U.S. jobs data
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar weakened on Friday, ahead of a U.S. jobs report which will be closely scrutinized for clues on the economic health of Canada’s main trading partner and for what it means for U.S. monetary policy. The U.S. non-farm payrolls report is expected to show modest growth in January, supporting a view that the U.S. economy continues to recover despite a surprise contraction in economic growth in the final three months of 2012. The employment report is central as the U.S. Federal Reserve has tied its monetary stance to improvement in the labor market. …
Egyptians march in fresh protests nationwide
CAIRO (AP) -- Thousands of Egyptians marched across the country, chanting against the rule of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, in a fresh wave of protests Friday, even as cracks appeared in the ranks of the opposition after its pol itical leaders met for the first time with the rival Muslim Brotherhood.
Exxon's quarterly profit rises 6 percent
(Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp , the world's largest publicly traded oil company, on Friday reported a 6 percent increase in quarterly profit, partly due to higher refining margins. The Irving, Texas company said profit in the fourth quarter was $9.95 billion, or $2.20 per share, compared with $9. 4 billion, or $1.97 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Oil and gas output fell 5.2 percent, Exxon said. (Reporting By Anna Driver; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Thousands of Iraqi Sunni protesters say no to Maliki
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) – Chanting "No" to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against the Shi'ite premier that are raising the specter of renewed sectarian unrest. Sunni Muslim outrage erupted in late December over what protesters see as abuses and discrimination against their minority sect since the fall of Saddam Hussein and the rise of the country's Shi'ite majority. …
Spain Rajoy will address corruption scandal on Saturday
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will speak publicly on Saturday regarding media reports alleging that he and other leaders of the ruling People 9;s Party received payments out of a slush fund fed by private donations. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Rajoy's conduct had always been exemplary. She was speaking at a weekly government news conference. (Reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Writing by Fiona Ortiz)
No charges over UK royal nurse hoax call
LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Friday two Australian radio hosts who made a prank call to the hospital treating Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate would face no criminal charges over the death of a nurse who answered the phone and was later found dead. Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was discovered hanging in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the hoax call from DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian at Australian radio station 2Day FM. …
UK detective jailed over Murdoch tabloid leak offer
LONDON (Reuters) – A senior British counter-terrorism police officer was jailed on Friday after becoming the first person to be convicted following a massive police investigation into alleged phone-hacking centered on Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers. Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, 53, was jailed for 15 months for misconduct in a public office after she was found guilty last month of offering to sell details about the phone-hacking inquiry to Murdoch's News of the World tabloid. "It was … …
EU's Ashton concerned at Iranian plans for advanced atom work
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union 9;s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told Iran on Friday to abandon its expressed intention to speed up nuclear work, saying that would violate the Islamic republic's international obligations. Iran has announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon. …
Syrian opposition says it will meet U.S., Russia jointly
AMMAN (Reuters) – A leading Syrian opposition source said the opposition would meet officials from the United States, Russia and the United Nations in Munich on Saturday to discuss a political transition for Syria. If confirmed it would be the first time that the United States and Russia, key players who have been at loggerheads over whether President Bashar al-Assad can have a role in a transitional government, had sat down together with the opposition. However, Russia's deputy foreign minister declined to confirm the proposal. …
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar weakened on Friday, ahead of a U.S. jobs report which will be closely scrutinized for clues on the economic health of Canada’s main trading partner and for what it means for U.S. monetary policy. The U.S. non-farm payrolls report is expected to show modest growth in January, supporting a view that the U.S. economy continues to recover despite a surprise contraction in economic growth in the final three months of 2012. The employment report is central as the U.S. Federal Reserve has tied its monetary stance to improvement in the labor market. …
Egyptians march in fresh protests nationwide
CAIRO (AP) -- Thousands of Egyptians marched across the country, chanting against the rule of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, in a fresh wave of protests Friday, even as cracks appeared in the ranks of the opposition after its pol itical leaders met for the first time with the rival Muslim Brotherhood. Exxon's quarterly profit rises 6 percent
(Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp , the world's largest publicly traded oil company, on Friday reported a 6 percent increase in quarterly profit, partly due to higher refining margins. The Irving, Texas company said profit in the fourth quarter was $9.95 billion, or $2.20 per share, compared with $9. 4 billion, or $1.97 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Oil and gas output fell 5.2 percent, Exxon said. (Reporting By Anna Driver; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) Thousands of Iraqi Sunni protesters say no to Maliki
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) – Chanting "No" to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against the Shi'ite premier that are raising the specter of renewed sectarian unrest. Sunni Muslim outrage erupted in late December over what protesters see as abuses and discrimination against their minority sect since the fall of Saddam Hussein and the rise of the country's Shi'ite majority. … Spain Rajoy will address corruption scandal on Saturday
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will speak publicly on Saturday regarding media reports alleging that he and other leaders of the ruling People 9;s Party received payments out of a slush fund fed by private donations. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Rajoy's conduct had always been exemplary. She was speaking at a weekly government news conference. (Reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Writing by Fiona Ortiz) No charges over UK royal nurse hoax call
LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Friday two Australian radio hosts who made a prank call to the hospital treating Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate would face no criminal charges over the death of a nurse who answered the phone and was later found dead. Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was discovered hanging in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the hoax call from DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian at Australian radio station 2Day FM. …
UK detective jailed over Murdoch tabloid leak offer
LONDON (Reuters) – A senior British counter-terrorism police officer was jailed on Friday after becoming the first person to be convicted following a massive police investigation into alleged phone-hacking centered on Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers. Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, 53, was jailed for 15 months for misconduct in a public office after she was found guilty last month of offering to sell details about the phone-hacking inquiry to Murdoch's News of the World tabloid. "It was … … EU's Ashton concerned at Iranian plans for advanced atom work
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union 9;s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told Iran on Friday to abandon its expressed intention to speed up nuclear work, saying that would violate the Islamic republic's international obligations. Iran has announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon. … Syrian opposition says it will meet U.S., Russia jointly
AMMAN (Reuters) – A leading Syrian opposition source said the opposition would meet officials from the United States, Russia and the United Nations in Munich on Saturday to discuss a political transition for Syria. If confirmed it would be the first time that the United States and Russia, key players who have been at loggerheads over whether President Bashar al-Assad can have a role in a transitional government, had sat down together with the opposition. However, Russia's deputy foreign minister declined to confirm the proposal. …
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