NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A former Rutgers University student was sentenced on Monday to 30 days in prison for bias crimes after he spied on his roommate's gay encounter in a case that drew national attention to bullying. Dharun Ravi, 20, had faced a maximum of 10 years behind bars for his conviction for using a webcam to invade the privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, and another man in their college dorm room. ...
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A former Rutgers University student was sentenced on Monday to 30 days in prison for bias crimes after he spied on his roommate's gay encounter in a case that drew national attention to bullying. Dharun Ravi, 20, had faced a maximum of 10 years behind bars for his conviction for using a webcam to invade the privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, and another man in their college dorm room. ...
By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The percentage of U.S. teenagers with "pre-diabetes" or full-blown type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in recent years -- though obesity and other heart risk factors have held steady, government researchers reported Monday. The good news, the researchers say, is that teen obesity rates leveled off between 1999 and 2008 -- hovering between 18 percent and 20 percent over the years. Rates of high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) also remained steady. ...
By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The percentage of U.S. teenagers with "pre-diabetes" or full-blown type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in recent years -- though obesity and other heart risk factors have held steady, government researchers reported Monday. The good news, the researchers say, is that teen obesity rates leveled off between 1999 and 2008 -- hovering between 18 percent and 20 percent over the years. Rates of high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) also remained steady. ...
The head of the U.N nuclear watchdog, in Tehran on a key mission that could lead to the resumption of probes on whether Iran has secretly worked on a nuclear weapon, said Monday that he met with Iranian leaders amid a "good atmosphere."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The insider-trading trial of former Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta, who is accused of spilling secrets about the investment bank, began on Monday with the government saying it would call a former top Goldman banker and a current board member as two of its first witnesses. Gupta is accused of leaking stock secrets to Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, his erstwhile friend and business associate. Rajaratnam was convicted of insider trading last year and is now in prison. Jury selection started Monday morning in Manhattan federal court before U.S. ...
BERLIN (Reuters) - A European growth pact and deeper political integration in the euro zone could bolster the currency union, but there must be no softening of the bloc's fiscal pact on budget discipline, ECB policymaker Joerg Asmussen said on Monday. Presenting a vision for Europe over the next 10 years, Asmussen, who joined the ECB's Executive Board this year after serving as German deputy finance minister, said the right crisis response was "not less, but more Europe" and that fiscal union was ultimately the right path. ...
Greece's newly installed caretaker prime minister conferred with party leaders Monday ahead of this week's European Union summit that's expected to focus on ways of kick starting economic growth across the continent.
Greece's newly installed caretaker prime minister conferred with party leaders Monday ahead of this week's European Union summit that's expected to focus on ways of kick starting economic growth across the continent.
The Supreme Court has refused to hear a Boston University student's constitutional challenge to a $675,000 penalty for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs on the Internet, but his lawyer says there's still a chance the amount could be reduced.
Demonstrators forced their way into the office of Mali's interim president on Monday and attacked the elderly leader, who was later brought to a local hospital unconscious, a witness and one of the president's collaborators said.
ALBIREH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Hundreds of Islamist gunmen fired in the air on Monday as they laid to rest a Sunni Muslim cleric whose killing ignited street battles that brought the bloodshed of Syria's uprising across the border into Lebanon. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, an opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was shot dead a day earlier at a Lebanese army checkpoint in a part of Lebanon where Sunni sympathy is with Syria's rebels. ...
ALBIREH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Hundreds of Islamist gunmen fired in the air on Monday as they laid to rest a Sunni Muslim cleric whose killing ignited street battles that brought the bloodshed of Syria's uprising across the border into Lebanon. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, an opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was shot dead a day earlier at a Lebanese army checkpoint in a part of Lebanon where Sunni sympathy is with Syria's rebels. ...
President Barack Obama plans to deliver the commencement address to the U.S. Air Force Academy, his fourth service academy graduation speech in four years.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq climbed 2 percent on Monday as stocks rebounded from their worst week in a year while investors dumped newly floated shares in Facebook and redeployed capital to more established names such as Apple . The Dow Jones industrial average gained 106.37 points, or 0.86 percent, to 12,475.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 16.34 points, or 1.26 percent, to 1,311.56. The Nasdaq Composite gained 57.10 points, or 2.05 percent, to 2,835.89. (Reporting By Edward Krudy; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
BOCHUM/BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - The head of German carmaker Opel, under pressure from parent General Motors to end losses, refused to promise workers at its plant in Bochum on Monday that their jobs would be safeguarded after 2014. The plant, located in the rust-belt Ruhr region devastated by coal mine closures, is expected to shut after the company chose to build the next generation of its popular Astra compact in Britain and Poland where wages are cheaper. ...
(Reuters) - Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp agreed to buy electrical equipment maker Cooper Industries Plc for $11.8 billion in cash and stock, its biggest-ever acquisition, a move that will lower Eton's taxes by shifting its incorporation to Ireland. Cleveland, Ohio-based Eaton will pay $72 per share for Cooper: $39.15 in cash and the rest in stock. Eaton shareholders will control almost three-quarters of the new Eaton Global Corp Plc. Cooper shares were up 27 percent at $70. ...
The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, under fire for what fellow commissioners called an intimidating, even bullying style, announced his resignation Monday.
The only man convicted for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing was buried Monday with little fanfare near the Libyan capital with just under 100 family members and passers-by in attendance.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Jurors resumed deliberations on Monday in the federal campaign finance case against former U.S. Senator John Edwards, who is accused of using political funds to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the presidency. Legal experts have said the outcome of the trial could expand the scope of what qualifies as campaign contributions in future elections. A jury of eight men and four women in Greensboro, North Carolina, considered the case for about 5 1/2 hours on Friday before breaking for the weekend. ...
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Jurors resumed deliberations on Monday in the federal campaign finance case against former U.S. Senator John Edwards, who is accused of using political funds to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the presidency. Legal experts have said the outcome of the trial could expand the scope of what qualifies as campaign contributions in future elections. A jury of eight men and four women in Greensboro, North Carolina, considered the case for about 5 1/2 hours on Friday before breaking for the weekend. ...
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Jurors resumed deliberations on Monday in the federal campaign finance case against former U.S. Senator John Edwards, who is accused of using political funds to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the presidency. Legal experts have said the outcome of the trial could expand the scope of what qualifies as campaign contributions in future elections. A jury of eight men and four women in Greensboro, North Carolina, considered the case for about 5 1/2 hours on Friday before breaking for the weekend. ...
NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi will stand trial in Mauritania for illegally entering the country, judicial sources said on Monday. The move would delay efforts to have him face international justice. Senussi's arrest in the West African state in March started a three-way tug-of-war among Libya, France and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the extradition of one of the most feared members of Gaddafi's fallen regime. "Abdullah al-Senussi has been interviewed for the first time by the state prosecutor. ...
NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi will stand trial in Mauritania for illegally entering the country, judicial sources said on Monday. The move would delay efforts to have him face international justice. Senussi's arrest in the West African state in March started a three-way tug-of-war among Libya, France and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the extradition of one of the most feared members of Gaddafi's fallen regime. "Abdullah al-Senussi has been interviewed for the first time by the state prosecutor. ...
(Reuters) - Analysts are likely to pepper Wells Fargo & Co with questions about its investment portfolio at the bank's investor day on Tuesday, after JPMorgan Chase & Co disclosed a surprise investment loss this month. Wells Fargo faces the same pressure as JPMorgan and every other U.S. bank right now: boosting income is tough when loan demand is weak and lending margins are tight. Deposits have been flooding into the bank, and it has struggled to find good places to invest them. ...
President Barack Obama and fellow NATO leaders solidified plans Monday for an "irreversible transition" in Afghanistan, affirming their commitment to ending the deeply unpopular war in 2014 and voicing confidence in the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead for securing their country even sooner.
SANAA (Reuters) - President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi vowed on Monday that Yemeni security forces will step up their efforts to clamp down on militants after a suicide bombing at a military parade rehearsal in Sanaa killed 90 people. "Our armed forces and security forces will become tougher and more determined in pursuing terrorists," the state news agency Saba quoted Hadi as telling victims' families in a condolence message. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Michael Roddy)
LONDON (Reuters) - British bank Barclays is selling its near-20 percent stake in U.S. asset manager BlackRock, worth $6.1 billion, as tougher global regulations have cut the attraction of such holdings. Barclays has held the stake for almost three years, a legacy of BlackRock's $15 billion purchase of Barclays Global Investors, but Basel III regulations mean banks have to hold more capital against minority stakes in asset managers and other firms, making it less profitable. ...
The European Union has given Google "a matter of weeks" to propose remedies to antitrust concerns arising from its alleged dominant position in the online search market.
VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief held extensive and useful talks in Iran on Monday and expects them to have a positive impact on a six-power meeting with Tehran later this week, Iranian media said, but there was no sign of a breakthrough deal. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano paid a rare visit to Tehran after voicing hope for Iranian agreement to cooperate with an IAEA investigation into suspected atomic bomb research - a possible gesture from Tehran to try to get international sanctions relaxed and deflect threats of war. ...
VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief held extensive and useful talks in Iran on Monday and expects them to have a positive impact on a six-power meeting with Tehran later this week, Iranian media said, but there was no sign of a breakthrough deal. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano paid a rare visit to Tehran after voicing hope for Iranian agreement to cooperate with an IAEA investigation into suspected atomic bomb research - a possible gesture from Tehran to try to get international sanctions relaxed and deflect threats of war. ...
(Reuters) - U.S. retailers believe this life left in their brick-and-mortar stores and they're trying new ways of making them more inviting by pampering customers - both the two- and four-legged kinds. PetSmart Inc , for instance, will offer overnight dog accommodations at more stores. Macy's Inc is offering a "virtual concierge" kiosk, and handbag maker Coach Inc is opening up dozens more men's sections this year. These are just some services retailers are trying to keep stores relevant as they try to compete with mobile devices, the Internet and daily deals. ...
SANAA (Reuters) - A suicide bomber with explosives strapped under his uniform killed more than 90 people at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, an attack which will alarm Washington as its involvement in the front-line state deepens. Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, facing a growing campaign by an al Qaeda affiliate in the country, said security forces would become 'tougher and more determined in pursuing terrorist elements'. ...
SANAA (Reuters) - A suicide bomber with explosives strapped under his uniform killed more than 90 people at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, an attack which will alarm Washington as its involvement in the front-line state deepens. Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, facing a growing campaign by an al Qaeda affiliate in the country, said security forces would become 'tougher and more determined in pursuing terrorist elements'. ...