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Fitch downgrades Greece on debt swap plan

ATHENS (Reuters) - Fitch cut Greece's long-term ratings on Wednesday to its lowest rating above a default, becoming the first ratings agency to make the widely expected downgrade after the country announced a bond exchange plan to ease its massive debt burden. ...

Boeing says flaw could affect 55 Dreamliners

By Harry Suhartono SINGAPORE (Reuters) - About 55 of Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jets could have a recently discovered flaw in the fuselage, the company said on Wednesday, while reiterating that the world's first...

U.S., French journalists killed in Syria

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Erika Solomon AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - American correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday when rockets fired by...

Tibetans mark new year under shadow of immolations

By Michael Martina LANGMU, China (Reuters) - Tibetans in northwest China marked a tense traditional new year with prayer, the sounding of a gong and subdued defiance on Wednesday, in the wake of a...

At Arizona debate, Santorum to get his turn in spotlight

By Steve Holland MESA, Arizona (Reuters) - After months on the sidelines, Rick Santorum finally gets his chance at center stage in a debate of Republican candidates on Wednesday, and the increased scrutiny that...

Obama urges corporate tax cut, closing loopholes

By Kim Dixon and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama launched a dialogue with corporate America on Wednesday over business tax reform, offering his first clear plan to cut the corporate tax...

Obama to propose corporate tax rate of 28 percent

By Kim Dixon WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday will propose cutting the top tax rate for corporations to 28 percent, and pay for it by eliminating dozens of tax loopholes companies...

Obama to float corporate tax overhaul Wednesday

By Jeff Mason and Kim Dixon WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury Department on Wednesday will roll out a corporate tax reform plan from President Barack Obama, administration officials said on Tuesday, with expectations low...

Obama corporate tax plan to be unveiled Wednesday

(Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department will roll out President Barack Obama's corporate tax reform plan on Wednesday, administration officials said on Tuesday. The plan will follow such principles as "fairness" that Obama laid...

Comcast to take on Netflix with Web video service

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, became the latest major name to take on Netflix Inc on Tuesday when it announced plans for an online video service offering a library of TV shows and movies. ...

Iran defiant as UN nuclear talks fail

By Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi VIENNA/TEHRAN (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog ended its latest mission to Iran after talks on Tehran's suspected secret atomic weapons research failed, a setback likely to increase...

UN watchdog says nuclear talks with Iran failed

By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it had failed to secure an agreement with Iran during two days of talks over disputed atomic activities and that the...

Dell shares fall on earnings miss, outlook

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc forecast fiscal first-quarter revenue below Wall Street's expectations, stoking fears the PC industry has not fully emerged from its downturn and sending the company's shares more than 4 percent lower. ...

Dell revenue slightly above Wall Street view

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc reported revenue that was slightly higher than Wall Street expectations, partly due to strength in its enterprise business. The world's No. 3 maker of personal computers said revenue...

MF Global failure creates tax crunch for farmers

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - With the tax man breathing down his neck, Ohio farmer Tony Rohrs is scrambling to figure out how much money he made last year in an account at...

EU leaders to ask G20 to back higher IMF funds

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will call at a summit next week for the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) to agree in April to substantially boost funds available to the International Monetary Fund, draft conclusions of the meeting showed. ...

FDA acts to stem shortages of two cancer drugs

By Anna Yukhananov (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration plans to address a potentially life-threatening shortage of two leading cancer drugs by allowing one of them to be imported from abroad and rushing...

Exclusive: China, India plan Iran oil cuts of 10 percent or more

By Chen Aizhu and Nidhi Verma BEIJING/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - China, India and Japan are planning cuts of at least 10 percent in Iranian crude imports as tightening U.S. sanctions make it difficult for...

Barnes & Noble sales rise, launches cheaper Nook

By Phil Wahba (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc posted strong sales in both its Nook and printed books businesses over the holiday quarter, holding its own in its bruising fight with Amazon.com Inc's...

Barnes & Noble sales rise, launches cheaper Nook tablet

By Phil Wahba (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc posted a better-than-expected holiday-quarter profit, even as investments to keep its Nook e-reader competitive with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle hurt results. ...

Barnes & Noble profit down, cuts Nook prices

(Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc posted a lower holiday-quarter profit as investments to keep its Nook e-reader competitive with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle continued to hurt its results. The No. 1 U.S. bookstore chain...

Wal-Mart holiday price cuts hit profits

By Jessica Wohl (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's holiday price cuts hurt its fourth-quarter profit and it plans to offer more discounts in the coming months, a move that is expected shrink margins further. ...

Wal-Mart holiday profit just short of Street view

By Jessica Wohl (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's fourth-quarter profit came in just short of Wall Street's expectations, sending its shares down 2.6 percent, as it cut prices to win over U.S. shoppers during...

Wal-Mart won back shoppers in holiday season

By Jessica Wohl (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc won over shoppers during the holiday season, with its Walmart U.S. division posting a 1.5 percent rise in sales at stores open at least a year. ...

Wal-Mart posts solid quarter, U.S. sales up

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc won over shoppers during the holiday season, with its Walmart U.S. division posting a 1.5 percent rise in sales at stores open at least a year. The world's largest...

Shifting focus, Obama campaign targets Santorum on

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's re-election campaign regularly rips Mitt Romney, long viewed as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, for his economic policies. On Tuesday, it added Romney's...

In shift, Obama campaign targets Santorum on economy

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's re-election campaign regularly rips Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney for his economic policies. On Tuesday, it added former Senator Rick Santorum to its list of...

Strauss-Kahn held in French prostitution probe

By Pierre Savary LILLE, France (Reuters) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was questioned by police Tuesday over his dealings with an alleged prostitution ring run from the northern French city of Lille and...

Strauss-Kahn held by police in French prostitution probe

By Pierre Savary LILLE, France (Reuters) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was taken in for questioning on Tuesday by police investigating an alleged prostitution ring run out of the northern French city of...

Iran says would act against enemies if endangered

By Parisa Hafezi TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic's armed forces was quoted by...

Karzai urges calm as six die in Afghan Koran protests

By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for calm Wednesday after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests over the burning of...

Karzai urges calm as seven die in Afghan Koran

By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for calm on Wednesday after officials said at least six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests over...

Six killed, many wounded in Afghan Koran protests

By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests in Afghanistan which flared for a second day on Wednesday in several cities over the...

Four killed, dozens wounded in Afghan Koran burning

By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Four people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests in Afghanistan which flared for a second day on Wednesday in several cities over the...

Gunfire wounds 26 in Afghan protests over Koran burning

By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Gunfire wounded at least 26 people during fresh protests in several cities across Afghanistan over the burning of copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, at NATO's main...

Afghan demonstrators torch foreign compound in Kabul

KABUL (Reuters) - Demonstrators in the Afghan capital Kabul set fire on Wednesday to part of a housing compound used by foreign contract workers during a second day of violent clashes after copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, were burned at a NATO base. ...

U.S. Embassy in Kabul on lockdown amid protests

KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said on Wednesday its staff were on lockdown and all travel was suspended amid violent protests across the capital over the burning of Korans at NATO's main base in Afghanistan. ...

Several wounded in Afghan protests over Koran burning

By Mirwais Harooni HUDKHIL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Several people were wounded on Wednesday, witnesses said, when shots were fired as hundreds of angry Afghans gathered in a second day of violent clashes after copies...

Shots fired into Kabul protests against Koran burning

KABUL (Reuters) - Shots were fired into protesters in Kabul on Wednesday, and several people were wounded, during a second day of violent clashes after copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, were burned at a major NATO air base, Reuters witnesses said. ...

Afghans begin second day protest at Koran burning

HUDKHIL (Reuters) - Hundreds of Afghan protesters threw stones at police on Wednesday and security forces fired shots in the air in a second day of demonstrations after copies of the Koran, Islam's most holy book, were burned at a major NATO airbase. ...

Afghans protest over reported Koran desecration

By Samar Zwak BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - About 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign soldiers improperly disposed of copies of the Koran. ...

Afghans protest over reported Koran desecrations

By Samar Zwak BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - More than 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign troops had improperly disposed of copies of...

Insight: Laws leave cruise-ship victims at sea

By Tom Hals, Andrew Longstreth and Steve Stecklow (Reuters) - When Walter Henry Alderfer learned last month about the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Italy, it brought back bad memories. ...

Santorum calls Obama health program bad for marriage

By Samuel P. Jacobs STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum accused Democratic President Barack Obama's administration on Monday of implementing healthcare policies that discourage marriage and hurt families. ...

Top Olympus executive found dead in India park: report

(Reuters) - A top executive of Japan's scandal-ridden Olympus Corp has been found dead in a park outside New Delhi, an apparent suicide, The Times of India said on Tuesday, quoting police. Tsutomu Omori,...

As Republican campaigns spend millions, PACs rise in importance

By Alina Selyukh and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans raised and spent money for the presidential race at a frenetic pace in January, according to new financial disclosures that also show why Democrats...

Pro-Romney PAC spent $13.5 million in January

By Alina Selyukh and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney is struggling to regain control of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but his allies appear ready to offer him a strong...

Japan, U.S. near deal on Iran oil import cut

By Osamu Tsukimori and Yoko Kubota TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is close to agreement with Washington on the size of cuts refiners must make in imports of Iranian crude oil to win waivers from...

Japan says no decision yet on Iran oil import cuts

By Osamu Tsukimori and Yoko Kubota TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's trade and foreign ministers said on Tuesday they have not yet reached an agreement with Washington on how much Tokyo will cut Iranian crude...

Libyans queue for first vote in battle-hit Misrata

By Hamuda Hassan MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - People from Libya's battle-scarred city of Misrata queued up to vote in their first free election Monday, hoping to set a standard for the rest of the...

U.S. senators in Cairo want swift end to NGO case

By Patrick Werr CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. senators said in Cairo on Monday they hoped for a swift end to a row over U.S. pro-democracy activists accused of working illegally in Egypt and said...

U.S. official "optimistic" on global accounting move

By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. regulator was "optimistic" on Monday about finding a framework for the world's top economy to use global book keeping rules for investors to compare cross-border...

Saleh's deputy takes power in Yemen vote as sole candidate

By Joseph Logan and Mohammed Mukhashaf SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - A general took power in Yemen Tuesday as the sole candidate in a presidential election after a year-long uprising that ousted long-serving ruler Ali Abdullah...

Yemen election ensures Saleh's exit after 33 years

By Joseph Logan and Mohammed Mukhashaf SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen pushed Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after 33 years on Tuesday, voting to install his deputy as president with a mission to rescue the...

Yemen vote ensures Saleh's exit after 33 years

By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Joseph Logan ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen ushered Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after 33 years on Tuesday, voting to endorse his deputy as president, with a mission to rescue the...

Yemenis vote for post-Saleh era amid violence

By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Joseph Logan ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen sought to turn a new page in its troubled history Tuesday with the sole candidate to succeed ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh looking for...

Yemen's Saleh faces music after 33 years in power

SANAA (Reuters) - Ali Abdullah Saleh, who once compared his 33-year rule of Yemen to "dancing on the heads of snakes," formally steps down this week after Yemenis anoint a new president in an election many hope will give Yemen a chance for democracy. ...

North Korea raises alert for live-fire drill