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Is GOP trying to sabotage economy to hurt Obama?
Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth.
Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio's past?
For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back.
Gay marriage could be big voting issue in Colorado
Minutes after President Barack Obama endorsed gay marriage on May 9, Colorado's Democratic governor choked back tears as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure defeated the day before by Republicans.
France's Hollande says G8 agree on Annan Syria peace mission
CAMP DAVID (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that G8 countries had agreed to continue supporting U.N. and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan's Syrian peace efforts. "I insisted that all the participants support Kofi Anan's mission so that observers can provide protection of the Syrian people from their leaders," Hollande said referring to U.N. personnel operating in the country. (Reporting By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau)
China activist Chen to study at New York University
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, will study as a fellow at New York University's School of Law, the institution said in a statement on Saturday. "I am very happy to receive the news that Chen Guangcheng is on his way to the U.S. I look forward to welcoming him and his family tonight and to working with him on his course of study," said Jerome Cohen, co-director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at the New York University School of Law. ...
Blind Chinese activist leaves Beijing for U.S.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. Chen's escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and subsequent stay in the U.S. embassy caused huge embarrassment for China and led to a diplomatic rift while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing for talks to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies. The U.S. ...
Small protest descends on Chicago mayor's home
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group of around 50 demonstrators descended on the home of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Saturday to protest the recent closure of mental health clinics as part of a series of rallies and marches timed to coincide with a NATO summit here. The protest on Chicago's north side included some former patients of six city-run mental health clinics that closed at the end of April to save $2.3 million as part of a drive to eliminate the city's $650 million budget deficit. ...
Italy's Monti shows G8 bank guarantee plan: report
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has taken a secret plan to create a European system of guarantees for bank deposits to the G8 summit, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said on Saturday, as savers' anxiety builds in debt-ridden euro zone countries. The proposal aims to guarantee bank deposits "with a view to ... stopping the hemorrhaging of funds from one country to another, from the south to the north," the newspaper reported, without citing any sources. The plan was discussed on Friday at the Group of Eight summit under way in the United States, it said. ...
Sri Lanka president rejects U.S. calls to close army bases
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected calls from the United States to close army bases in a former war zone as he celebrated the third anniversary on Saturday of the military's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels. Fighter jets flew over Colombo and thousands of soldiers paraded in the streets flanked by tanks to mark the 2009 end to the 25-year civil war, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Sri Lanka's foreign minister to demilitarize the north of the country and protect human rights. ...
Three anti-NATO protesters face terrorism charges
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three anti-NATO protesters arrested in a late-night raid days before start of the 60-nation summit have been charged with terrorism for possession of explosive devices, police and their attorney said on Saturday. But supporters of the three men arrested Wednesday evening at a residence in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago disputed the charges and said the police had confused beer-making equipment with explosives. ...
Obama says "more work to do" at G8 on euro zone
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Saturday that Group of Eight leaders had "more work to do" when asked whether they had come to any decisions about how to approach the euro zone crisis. "So far so good. We've got more work to do," Obama said in response to a journalist's question while the G8 leaders posed for a picture at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat in the Maryland countryside. (Reporting By Jeff Mason; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Nightmare foretold if Greece heads for euro exit
ATHENS/LONDON (Reuters) - In Athens, the homeless are on the streets in growing numbers, soup kitchens feed twice as many people as a year ago, and the poor are diving into garbage bins in search of scrap they can sell. Greece is close to breaking point as it struggles with austerity targets set by creditors, but this is just a foretaste of the nightmare of unrest, hunger and even anarchy that could engulf the debt-crippled nation if it is forced out of the euro. ...
Seven charged in major roundup of Irish militant suspects
LISBURN, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Seven Irish nationalists were remanded in custody in Northern Ireland on Saturday on terrorism charges, in one of the highest profile security roundups in the province in recent years. Four of the suspects, including a 37-year-old woman, were charged with attending a militant training camp and firing range near the town of Omagh. The other three were relatives of prominent Lurgan nationalist Colin Duffy, who was acquitted this year of charges related to an attack by militant group the Real IRA on the army's Massereene Barracks in Antrim three years ago. ...
Syria bomb kills 9, Damascus blames foreign plot
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb blew up at a Syrian military post in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing nine people, an attack that Syria said was the latest proof that an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad is a foreign plot. The official SANA news agency said the blast had been the work of a suicide bomber, and had killed nine and wounded about 100, including guards, at what it called military installations. It said residences had been damaged. ...
Obama wants new banking rules put in place soon
President Barack Obama says the big trading loss at JPMorgan Chase shows the need to finally put in place banking rules he signed into law two years ago. He also is calling on Congress to stop trying to weaken the regulations.
Yemen clashes kill 34 militants, soldiers: officials
ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 22 al Qaeda-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight during a new U.S.-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of the country, officials said on Saturday. Fighting erupted late on Friday and carried on into Saturday on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist militants, who have stepped up their campaign during months of political turmoil. Government troops, backed by U.S. ...
Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio's past?
For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back.
Motorcycle bomber kills 10 in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in an Afghan district close to the border with Pakistan, killing at least 10 people including children, officials said on Saturday. The attack comes one day ahead of a NATO summit in Chicago, where the coalition intends to spell out its role in Afghanistan after foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014. "The bomber blew himself up in a crowded market and it was powerful," said Sardar Mohammad Zazai, police chief of eastern Khost province. ...
Gay marriage could be big voting issue in Colorado
Minutes after President Barack Obama endorsed gay marriage on May 9, Colorado's Democratic governor choked back tears as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure defeated the day before by Republicans.
Sudan says receives "large amount" of hard currency
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's central bank has received "a large amount" of hard currency from abroad and plans to use it to stabilize the pound following the local currency's effective devaluation, the deputy central bank governor said in remarks published on Saturday. Deputy governor Badr el-Din Mahmoud told al-Sudani newspaper the central bank had received the foreign currency from "friendly" countries. "It arrived in the treasury of the central bank in the past few days," he said, without elaborating. ...
Merkel did not push Greece referendum idea: witness
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Greek President Karolos Papoulias what he thought of the idea of holding a referendum on Greek membership in the euro but did not push it, a journalist who said he overheard their conversation wrote on Saturday. A Greek government spokesman said Merkel raised the idea in a telephone call on Friday but Berlin swiftly denied that. The incident reignited anti-Merkel sentiment in debt-laden Greece where many accuse the German leader of exacerbating the crisis by being slow to act and then demanding austerity measures that are too tough. ...
Filipino Christian conservatives denounce Lady Gaga concert
Conservative Christian groups in the Philippines on Saturday marched near a shopping mall to demand the cancellation of Lady Gaga's two concerts next week, saying her songs carried "demonic" undertones. The protests in the heavily Catholic Philippines followed a decision this week by authorities in Indonesia, a secular state but with the world's largest Muslim population, to refuse her a permit to perform in Jakarta next month. ...
Obama to Congress: Put in place banking rules now
President Barack Obama says the big trading loss at JPMorgan Chase shows the need to finally put in place banking rules he signed into law two years ago. He also is calling on Congress to stop trying to weaken the regulations.
Bahrain, Qatar, UAE urge citizens to stay away from Lebanon
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates urged their citizens to stay away from Lebanon, citing security concerns in a country where fighting prompted by sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria has unsettled areas near a northern port. The three Gulf states' Foreign Ministries urged all those already in Lebanon - a favorite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists - to leave because of the "security situation" in the country, the official news agencies BNA, QNA and WAM reported. Heavy fighting has rocked Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli in the past week. ...
Obama says G8 in agreement on Iran nuclear program
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday leaders of the Group of Eight major economies are committed to continuing the current approach of sanctions, pressure and diplomatic discussions with Iran over its nuclear program. "All of us are firmly committed to continuing with the approach of sanctions and pressure in combination with diplomatic discussions," he told reporters at the G8 meeting at the presidential retreat in Camp David. ...
Greek euro exit could be fast if needed: Slovenia
LONDON (Reuters) - The message the euro zone is sending Greece ahead of its June election is there is a chance it could be forced out of the single currency union and that it could happen quickly if necessary, the finance minister of euro member Slovenia said on Saturday. This month's inconclusive election in the debt-stricken Mediterranean state has forced a second vote to be scheduled for June 17 and many feel the outcome could dictate the future shape of the bloc. Janez Sustersic told Reuters the final decision would be up to Greek voters but a euro exit was a real option. ...
G8 making progress on euro zone crisis, oil prices: UK
CAMP ROUND MEADOW, Maryland (Reuters) - Leaders of the Group of Eight major economies are making progress on addressing the two biggest threats to their economies - the euro zone crisis and very high oil prices, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Saturday. After an early morning bilateral meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Cameron said he detected a "growing sense of urgency that action needs to be taken" on the euro zone crisis. ...
Is GOP trying to sabotage economy to hurt Obama?
Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth.
Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio's past
For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back.
Bomb at Italian school kills teenager, wounds seven
BRINDISI, Italy (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in front of a girls' school in southern Italy on Saturday, killing a 16-year-old girl and wounding seven others, suspicion quickly falling on the local Mafia. The explosion, near the entrance of a school named after the wife of murdered anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, occurred as girls were arriving for the start of the school day, which in Italy includes Saturdays. ...
Could Overhauled Organizing Deliver Virginia to the GOP This Fall?
If you need proof that President Obama's team will run a formidable ground game in Virginia, consider this: At the 2012 kickoff rally in Richmond, organizers say they signed up 1,500 new volunteers from the 8,000 people in the crowd. But in addition to obvious dangers like a struggling economy, Obama’s team will face a new threat -- a better-prepared Republican Party coming off three years of victories in the state.
Sean Penn opens wallets for Haiti at Cannes gala
CANNES (Reuters) - The Cannes film festival took time out from the movies to raise money for Haiti on Friday night, with Sean Penn at the helm pleading the humanitarian cause at a celebrity gala. "Okay, room. Haiti is watching us tonight like you cannot believe," Penn told the black-tie crowd who had paid up to $100,000 for a table at the "Carnival in Cannes", just steps from the famous red carpet. ...
Italy's PM Monti vows to fight crime after school bombing
ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, in the United States for a Group of Eight summit, said the government was determined to fight crime and prevent a return to the country's "subversive tendencies" after a school bombing killed a 16-year-old girl and wounded at least seven others. Monti, in a written statement, said the government would fight "all types of crime" and that it would seek to prevent a return to Italy's violent and "subversive" past, marked by Mafia car bombings and politically motivated murders. ...
