Reuters: Top News

Exclusive: EU cites Chinese telecoms Huawei and ZTE for trade violations

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:25:43 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Europe's top trade official for the first time late on Friday officially cited Chinese mobile telecommunications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE Corp for violating anti-dumping and anti-subsidy guidelines.

U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer

Sat, 18 May 2013 05:06:01 GMT

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States chided Russia for sending missiles to the Syrian government as plans for a peace conference promoted by Washington and Moscow were hit by diplomatic rifts over its scope and purpose.

Commuter trains collide in Connecticut, injuring up to 60 people

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:10:25 GMT

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (Reuters) - A commuter train traveling eastbound from New York City derailed near the Connecticut suburb of Fairfield during the evening rush hour on Friday and collided with a westbound commuter train, injuring up to 60 people, three critically, officials said.

IRS chief declines to identify employees involved in scandal

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:54:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The outgoing head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service angered Republican lawmakers on Friday by resisting their demands that he identify who at the tax-collection agency had inappropriately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

Train derails in Connecticut, at least 20 people hurt

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:58:39 GMT

(Reuters) - Some 20 to 25 people were injured on Friday when a train derailed near Fairfield, Connecticut, but there were no reports of fatalities a police spokesman said on Friday.

Oil price probe widens, senator wants Justice Department help

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:58:36 GMT

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A European probe into possible oil price manipulation expanded with the investigation of a small niche trading house in the Netherlands, while a key U.S. senator on Friday called for the Justice Department to join the investigation.

IRS chief declines to identify employees involved in scandal

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:51:21 GMT

Pentagon chief vows to 'fix' military's sexual assault problem

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:32:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered top military chiefs on Friday to redouble their effort to address the problem of sexual assault, saying the frequency and perceived tolerance of the crime was eroding the military's ability conduct its mission.

Unemployment rates drop in most states, Illinois climbs

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:22:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unemployment rates dropped in 43 out of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia in April from a year before, according to Labor Department data released on Friday.

House bill to have more stringent immigrant controls: aides

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:22:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan plan brokered in the House of Representatives will be tougher on illegal immigrants living in the United States than a Senate counterpart, congressional aides said on Friday.

After tough week, Obama tries to change the subject to jobs

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:20:53 GMT

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday sought to turn the spotlight from controversies threatening to swamp his agenda back to his top priority - the economy - and announced he will try to cut in half the time it takes to get federal approval for large job-creating projects.

U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:18:11 GMT

SAC Capital won't fully cooperate with government: letter

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:04:17 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven A. Cohen's hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors told investors on Friday it would no longer cooperate "unconditionally" with the U.S. government's insider trading investigation.

Nigeria bombs Islamists, U.S. sounds alarm

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:55:19 GMT

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian warplanes struck militant camps in the northeast on Friday in a major push against an Islamist insurgency, drawing a sharp warning from the United States to respect human rights and not harm civilians.

Illinois Senate approves marijuana for medical uses

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:12:55 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois Senate on Friday voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state in the nation after California to allow the drug's use for medical purposes.

Two blasts at Iraqi Sunni mosque kill 43

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:32:42 GMT

BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two bombs exploded outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in the Iraqi city of Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks in a month-long surge in sectarian violence.

Bahrain forces raid top cleric's house: opposition

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:41:39 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Bahraini security forces raided the house of top Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on Friday, the opposition said, an act likely to enrage the island's majority Shi'ite population which is at loggerheads with its Sunni rulers.

Protesting Egyptian police block Gaza crossing

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:38:56 GMT

GAZA (Reuters) - Egyptian police blocked the crossing into the Gaza Strip on Friday in protest against the kidnapping of seven of their colleagues by Islamist gunmen, witnesses said.

Colombian president hints he will run for re-election in 2014

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:31:18 GMT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hinted on Friday that he would seek re-election next year to ensure continuity of his policies - including peace talks with Marxist FARC rebels - though he did not explicitly announce his candidacy.

May consumer sentiment highest in nearly six years

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:51:14 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans felt better about their economic and financial prospects in early May as consumer sentiment rose to the highest level in nearly six years, an encouraging sign after other recent data had suggested broader U.S. growth is cooling.

Former Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at age 87

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:49:39 GMT

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander who led Argentina during the bloodiest period of a "dirty war" dictatorship and was unrepentant about kidnappings and murders ordered by the state, died on Friday at age 87.

Mine union threatens to bring South Africa to 'standstill'

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:32:39 GMT

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - The leader of South Africa's biggest platinum mining union threatened on Friday to bring Africa's No. 1 economy "to a standstill" and demanded a meeting with President Jacob Zuma, ramping up the rhetoric in an 18-month labor crisis.

Turkey detains prime suspect in car bombings

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:24:04 GMT

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained a man they believe to be one of the main perpetrators of car bombings that killed more than 50 people near the Syrian border, officials said on Friday.

Obama: U.S. preserves diplomatic, military options on Syria

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:07:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he reserved the right to resort to both diplomatic and military options to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but insisted that U.S. action alone would not be enough to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Japan PM sets targets in latest growth strategy tranche

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:58:59 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - The latest tranche of Japan's growth strategy will aim to triple infrastructure exports and double farm exports by 2020, as well as boost private investment, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday.