Romney's Bain playbook unclear as attacks grow
The core of his presidential candidacy under attack, Mitt Romney has yet to shape a playbook to defend a quarter-century in the business world that created great riches for himself and great hardship, at times, for some American workers.
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Obama's preference for talks with Iran faces test
President Barack Obama's preferred path to end the Iranian nuclear standoff faces a stern test this week when world powers sit down with Iran in another bid to press it to meet international demands to prove it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Failure will strengthen calls for military action.
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Obama stands by hits on Romney's Bain Capital days
President Barack Obama sought to undermine Mitt Romney's key rationale for his presidential candidacy Monday, sharply attacking his Republican challenger's background as a venture capitalist and arguing that profit-making alone is not a qualification for the White House.
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U.N. observers see Syrian forces kill two: rebels
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian police killed two people on Tuesday when they opened fire on a crowd who came out to welcome United Nations observers in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, a rebel official said. "As soon as the U.N. convoy entered al-Busaira, a jubilant crowd of hundreds came out to welcome them. It was not minutes before they came under fire," Abu Laila, a Free Syrian Army official, said by phone from the town. "The observers immediately left al-Busaira. ...
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Israel wary of expected IAEA - Iran deal
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel eyed with suspicion on Tuesday an expected deal between the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran on investigating Tehran's nuclear activity, citing an Iranian track record of evading and limiting international inspections. "Iran has proven over the years its lack of credibility, its dishonesty -- telling the truth is not its strong side -- and therefore we have to be suspicious of them all the time, and examine the agreement that is being formulated," Civil Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said on Israel Radio. ...more
Five killed in restaurant blast in Syrian capital
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Five people were killed when an explosive device detonated at a restaurant in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media and activists said. The northern Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun where the bomb went off has been a centre of protests demanding the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule and has also seen fighting between Assad loyalists and rebels. State television blamed the explosion on "terrorists," a term the Syrian government uses when referring to the armed opposition. ...more
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U.N. observers see Syrian forces kill two: rebels AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian police killed two people on Tuesday when they opened fire on a crowd who came out to welcome United Nations observers in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, a rebel official said. "As soon as the U.N. convoy entered al-Busaira, a jubilant crowd of hundreds came out to welcome them. It was not minutes before they came under fire," Abu Laila, a Free Syrian Army official, said by phone from the town. "The observers immediately left al-Busaira. ...more
Alawite interest lies in removing Assad: dissident
AMMAN (Reuters) - A dissident from President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect is urging his co-religionists not to fear for their fate if the Syrian leader falls, arguing the "end of totalitarianism" is the best guarantee for the survival of their community. The armed uprising led by Syria's Sunni Muslim majority has rallied around Islamist slogans that identify all Alawites with irregular "shabbiha" forces unleashed against protesters, leading some to fear they have no future without Assad. A wave of sectarian killings in the protest hub of Homs reinforced those fears earlier this ...more
Spaniard missing in Yemen found dead, suicide suspected
SANAA (Reuters) - A Spanish embassy guard reported missing in Yemen last week has been found dead after an apparent suicide, a Western diplomat said on Tuesday, nearly a week after he failed to board a flight bound for Madrid. The man's disappearance on his way to the airport last week prompted speculation he may have been kidnapped by tribesmen or Islamist militants, who have exploited instability in Yemen to gain a foothold there. "He was discovered by Yemeni police this morning. We believe it was suicide," said the diplomat. ...more
Obama's preference for talks with Iran faces test
President Barack Obama's preferred path to end the Iranian nuclear standoff faces a stern test this week when world powers sit down with Iran in another bid to press it to meet international demands to prove it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Failure will strengthen calls for military action.
more
Cory Booker 'Fit To Be Tied' After GOP's 'I Stand with Cory Booker' Email
NEW YORK ? For the second day, Newark Mayor Cory Booker scrambled to clarify his comments criticizing the Obama campaign?s assault on Mitt Romney?s job creation record at Bain Capital after he sent the Obama administration into full blown damage-control while the GOP continued to...more
North Korea to boost nuclear deterrent after U.S. pressure
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea vowed on Tuesday to bolster its nuclear deterrent in response to diplomatic pressure from Washington over a recent failed rocket launch. The United States, backed by the United Nations Security Council, has warned North Korea that it will face more sanctions if it undertakes what would be its third nuclear test. ...
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Obama dangles $400 million to spur school change
(Reuters) - Seeking to spur a bold rethinking of the American classroom, the Obama administration on Tuesday will propose divvying up $400 million among local school districts that devise new ways of reaching children, especially students from poor and rural families. The competition will reward districts that move away from the centuries-old model of a teacher standing at the front of a classroom, delivering the same lesson to all students, according to draft regulations released Tuesday. ...
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Gingrich's private ventures are going bankrupt
(Reuters) - ATLANTA - When he entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination in May 2011, Newt Gingrich was the prosperous head of a small empire commonly known as Newt Inc, which included both for-profit consultancies and nonprofit foundations. Altogether, these entwined ventures pulled in more than $110 million over the past decade. Now the vestiges of this empire are mired in debt, as is Gingrich's campaign fund. ...
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Administration sets criteria for new school grants
The Obama administration is inviting school districts to compete for $400 million in grants, taking its Race to the Top education initiative to the classroom level.more
What to Watch in Today's Primaries
Arkansas and Kentucky hold their state and presidential primaries today. A total of 81 delegates are at stake in the GOP presidential primary, which will undoubtedly bring Mitt Romney much closer to, although still slightly short of, the 1,144 delegates he needs to clinch the...more
Car blast in Sudan, one killed
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - One person was killed when a car exploded in the eastern Sudanese city of Port Sudan on Tuesday, residents and state media said. State news agency SUNA, showing a picture of the damaged front of the car, gave no reason for the explosion at the Red Sea port. SUNA said the dead driver was trader Nasser Awadallah Ahmed Said, 65. A Port Sudan resident said he belonged to the Ababda tribe, known for smuggling goods into Egypt. ...more
Fitch cuts Japan debt rating, outlook negative
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's sovereign rating was cut by one notch by Fitch on Tuesday as a political stalemate dims the chance that the country can curb its snowballing debt. Fitch lowered Japan's long-term foreign currency rating to A plus from AA. It cut the local currency ratings to A plus from AA minus. Both were cut with a negative outlook. Fitch warned that further downgrades are possible unless the government takes new fiscal policy measures to stabilise public finances and its ratio of debt to gross domestic product. The yen fell after the move, taking the dollar to a session high of 79. ...
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Somber Yemen parade takes place after huge bomb attack
SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni soldiers marched in a National Day parade on Tuesday, watched from behind a bullet-proof glass shield by the president, in a show of defiance one day after a bomber killed more than 90 troops in an attack on the ceremony's rehearsal. A sombre mood hung over the event, meant to celebrate the 1990 unification of north and south Yemen, but it passed off without any repeat of Monday's bloodshed despite militant threats to carry out more attacks. ...
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U.S. nuclear envoy: Iran must "urgently" cooperate with IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran must cooperate urgently with the U.N. nuclear watchdog in its investigation into Tehran's atomic activities, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. Robert Wood, the acting U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the statement shortly after the agency said it expected to sign a cooperation deal with Iran soon. "While we appreciate the efforts (by the IAEA) to conclude a substantive agreement, we remain concerned by the urgent obligation for Iran to take concrete steps to cooperate fully (with the agency)," Wood said. ...more
Mali's neighbors threaten sanctions for palace attack
BAMAKO (Reuters) - The 15-state ECOWAS West African bloc warned on Tuesday it would punish those responsible for orchestrating violence after hundreds of protesters stormed Mali's presidential palace and beat up interim leader Dioncounda Traore. Monday's attack on Traore was the latest setback for efforts to stabilize Mali after a March 22 coup and a subsequent rebellion by northern separatists and Islamists now in charge of two-thirds of the country. Traore received treatment in hospital for head injuries before moving to a secure location late on Monday. ...more
Greek banks expect to resume ECB funding: senior banker
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's largest banks will be able to obtain funding directly from the European Central Bank after they receive an 18 billion euros recapitalization this week, a senior banker at one of the four banks receiving the funding said. The ECB said last week it had cut off some Greek banks from its liquidity operations because their capital had fallen too low. The banks expect to receive the 18 billion in the form of European Financial Stability Fund bonds by Friday, the banker said. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Writing by Peter Graff)more
German opposition closing in on Merkel party: poll
BERLIN (Reuters) - Support for Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SPD) has jumped since their victory in a regional election, a poll showed, highlighting the increased domestic pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel as she battles the euro zone crisis. The INSA survey, published by Bild newspaper on Tuesday, put the centre-left SPD on 32 percent, up three percentage points in just one week. Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) were just ahead on 33 percent, down one percentage point. ...
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U.S. Senate approves tougher Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate unanimously approved on Monday a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran. The sanctions add to a raft of punitive measures by the United States and the European Union aimed at shrinking Iran's oil revenues to force it to halt a nuclear program the West suspects is being used to build an atomic bomb. Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. ...more
U.S. Senate approves tougher Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate unanimously approved on Monday a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran. The sanctions add to a raft of punitive measures by the United States and the European Union aimed at shrinking Iran's oil revenues to force it to halt a nuclear program the West suspects is being used to build an atomic bomb. Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. ...more
Greek banks to get recapitalization by Friday: banker
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's four largest commercial banks will receive 18 billion euros ($23 billion) recapitalization funds by Friday, a senior Greek banker said on Tuesday. "We will get the money by Friday at the latest. Maybe we will get it tomorrow," said the banker, who declined to be identified. The funds are needed to recapitalize Alpha Bank, National Bank of Greece, EFG Eurobank and Piraeus Bank. ($1 = 0.7832 euro) (Editing by Dan Lalor)more
"Fiscal cliff" could derail U.S. recovery: OECD
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A sharp fiscal contraction next year could derail the U.S. economic recovery, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Tuesday as it urged the government to move only gradually to tighten its budget. A wave of U.S. spending cuts and tax hikes - dubbed the "fiscal cliff" - are set to take effect in January unless politicians agree on ways to delay at least some of them. Bush-era tax cuts and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed are both set to expire. In addition, $1. ...more
U.N. nuclear chief sees deal with Iran soon
VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said on Tuesday he expected to sign a deal with Iran soon to boost its cooperation with an investigation into Tehran's disputed atomic activity, although differences remained. Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), spoke a day after holding rare talks in Tehran and a day before Iran and six world powers will hold broader negotiations on the extent of Tehran's nuclear program. "(A) decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement ... ...
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Insight: Jerusalem expansion reaches point of no return
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Named for the crash site of an airforce plane shot down during the Six Day War in 1967, Givat HaMatos may yet prove the place where Palestinian hopes of a creating a capital in Jerusalem also plunge to earth. 'Airplane Hill' lies on the southern fringes of Jerusalem's city limits - rock-strewn land dotted with shabby, prefabricated bungalows and the occasional pine tree. Once a tranquil backwater, the area has become the focus of hectic activity in the last six months, with Israeli authorities releasing plans for 2,610 housing units and 1,110 hotel rooms. ...
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Greeks embrace some new myths about life with the euro
ATHENS (Reuters) - In a land of ancient myths, modern Greeks have created some of their own about their near-bankrupt country's future as an integral part of a Europe that will never kick them out. Solemn warnings from abroad that Athens cannot stay in the euro while rejecting the terms attached to the billions offered to pull Greece out of its financial hole are widely disbelieved in a land that considers itself the envy of foreigners. ...
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Old feud in Bush administration part of Ariz. race
Richard Carmona arrived in Washington a political novice in 2002 and left four years later scarred and frustrated. He didn't go quietly.
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Romney's Bain playbook unclear as attacks grow
The core of his presidential candidacy under attack, Mitt Romney has yet to shape a playbook to defend a quarter-century in the business world that created great riches for himself and great hardship, at times, for some American workers.
more
Greeks embrace some new myths about life with the euro
ATHENS (Reuters) - In a land of ancient myths, modern Greeks have created some of their own about their near-bankrupt country's future as an integral part of a Europe that will never kick them out. Solemn warnings from abroad that Athens cannot stay in the euro while rejecting the terms attached to the billions offered to pull Greece out of its financial hole are widely disbelieved in a land that considers itself the envy of foreigners. ...
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