Browse Events

Bernanke says more progress needed before stimulus pullback
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus is helping the economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.

Serbia, Kosovo agree way forward on plan to normalize ties
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Serbia and Kosovo agreed in principle on Wednesday on a plan to implement an historic accord to settle their relations, a step that strengthens Serbia's chances of getting the go-ahead next month to start talks on joining the European Union.

At tornado-hit school, colored stickers and pencils litter ruins
MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - A miniature bookcase with children's books spilling out is among the few furnishings still standing amid the tornado-torn rubble of what once was the Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma.

Army sergeant accused of videotaping female cadets in shower
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Army sergeant at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets in the shower, a defense official said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of sex-related incidents that has rocked the military.

Jodi Arias says feels betrayed; jury weighs death penalty
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Convicted killer Jodi Arias feels betrayed by an Arizona jury that found her guilty of murder in the brutal slaying of an ex-boyfriend, according to an interview aired on Wednesday as that same jury weighed whether to sentence her to death.

PepsiCo rethinks U.S. pricing to attract more everyday buyers
(Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc said it is tweaking its drink-pricing strategy in some parts of the United States, as it aims to wean consumers off the habit of buying soda only when it is on sale.

Wall Street declines as FOMC minutes raise concern over Fed tapering
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday with a selloff accelerating in late afternoon trade, after minutes from the latest U.S. Federal Reserve meeting showed some officials were open to tapering large-scale asset purchases as early as at the June meeting.

Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived
MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction.

Man hacked to death in London street in suspected militant attack
LONDON (Reuters) - A man was hacked to death in a street near an army barracks in London on Wednesday in what Prime Minister David Cameron said appeared to be a politically motivated attack.

Thrifty Merrimack developing new cancer drugs at lower cost
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Little known biotechnology company Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc has quietly built a large pipeline of experimental cancer treatments that it aims to deliver at a fraction of the cost spent by larger rivals.

Illinois pays down bills but backlog could rise again in August
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Higher-than-expected revenue from state income tax enabled Illinois to reduce its unpaid bills to $5.8 billion from $8.5 billion at the beginning of April, the state comptroller said on Wednesday while cautioning the improvement could be short lived.

Former Yahoo executive Shashi Seth to head Tribune digital
(Reuters) - Former Yahoo Inc executive Shashi Seth has joined Tribune Co to lead its digital ventures as the newspaper and broadcast company seeks new revenue sources.

Europe targets Switzerland in fight against bank secrecy
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe edged closer to lifting banking secrecy on Wednesday after Austria said it was ready to share data on foreign depositors but Vienna's support could fade should efforts to strike a similar deal with Switzerland fail.

Iran pushes ahead with nuclear plant that worries West
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is pressing ahead with the construction of a research reactor that Western experts say could offer it a second way of producing material for a nuclear bomb if it decides to make one, a U.N. report showed on Wednesday.

Russian punk band member starts hunger strike to protest court ruling
Berezniki, Russia (Reuters) - A member of the Pussy Riot band who was jailed over a protest against President Vladimir Putin in a Russian cathedral said on Wednesday she was starting a hunger strike after she was barred from a parole hearing.

Fed officials want more progress before bond tapering: minutes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many Federal Reserve officials earlier this month wanted to see more evidence that the economy was recovering before shifting toward a tapering of their bond purchase program, the Fed said on Wednesday.

Delta Airlines wants to stop Ex-Im help on big jets
(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc wants the U.S. Export-Import Bank to stop helping state-owned foreign airlines buy wide-body jets from Boeing Co , and would be willing to forgo such support for its own purchases if all such subsidies were eliminated, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Fighting in Sudan's Darfur region displaces 300,000: U.N. aid chief
OUTSIDE EL FASHER, Sudan (Reuters) - About 300,000 people have fled their homes due to a surge in fighting in Sudan's Darfur region this year and are now living in terrible conditions and short of food, the United Nations aid chief said on Wednesday.

Montreal tells 1.3 million residents to boil their drinking water
(Reuters) - Montreal, Canada's second-largest city, has asked 1.3 million people to boil their drinking water after a problem at one of the city's water treatment facilities.

Los Angeles voters approve limiting medical marijuana shops
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles, which has more storefront medical marijuana shops than any other U.S. city, will close hundreds of the dispensaries and hike taxes on those that will be allowed to remain under a ballot measure approved by a wide margin of voters.