Rio slums: From no-go to must-buy

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Five years ago, Rio de Janeiro's "favela" hillside slums had such a bad rap that they were virtual no-go zones, where drug lords laid down the law and outsiders set foot at their peril.But since 2011, police have seized control of dozens of favelas from drug gangs, and things have changed so dramatically that some of the slums are now seen as hot real estate investments — so...

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Allies lead pro-Chavez rallies across Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's absent, cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation on Sunday to defend Hugo Chavez's populist "revolution," with a top ally alleging that far-right factions were seeking violent instability.The opposition says the government's indefinite postponement of Chavez's inauguration, which was to have occurred on Thursday, is...

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Venezuela: Chavez is responding to treatment

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation Sunday, hours before the government announced that Hugo Chavez is responding favorably to treatment for a respiratory infection.The rallies came amid complaints by the opposition that it was unconstitutional for the government to indefinitely postpone the socialist leader's inauguration,...

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Venezuelan lawmakers meet to choose new leaders

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan lawmakers are meeting to select a new president of the National Assembly in a session that could give clues to the future of the country amid uncertainty about ailing President Hugo Chavez.Just five days remain until Chavez's scheduled inauguration on Thursday and officials are suggesting the swearing-in could be delayed.National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello...

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Chavez party proposes same legislative chief

Chavez party proposes same legislative chiefCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Allies of President Hugo Chavez are proposing to keep the same National Assembly president — a man who could be in line to step in as a caretaker leader in some circumstances.Saturday's session could give clues to the future of the country amid uncertainty about the health of ailing President Hugo Chavez.Just five days remain until...

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Chavez allies re-elect legislative chief

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Allies of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez on Saturday chose to keep the same National Assembly president — a man who could be in line to step in as a caretaker leader in some circumstances.The vote to retain Diosdado Cabello as legislative leader signaled the ruling party's desire to stress unity and continuity amid growing signs the government plans to postpone Chavez's...

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US troops arrive in Turkey for Patriot missiles

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. troops have started to arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles meant to protect the NATO ally from potential Syrian warheads, the U.S. military said Friday.The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are each deploying two batteries of the U.S.-built defense system to boost ally Turkey's air defenses against any spillover from Syria's nearly 2-year civil war. The Patriot...

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Church of England ends ban on gay bishops

The Church of England has lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate, threatening to reignite an issue that splits the 80-million-strong global Anglican community.The issue of homosexuality has driven a rift between Western and African Anglicans since a Canadian diocese approved blessings for same-sex couples in 2002...

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UK police charge Nepalese man with torture

 British police said Friday they have charged a serving colonel in the Nepalese army with two counts of torture allegedly committed during the Himalayan nation's civil war. The case has touched off a diplomatic spat, with the Nepalese government summoning the U.K. ambassador in Kathmandu to protest.Kumar Lama, 46, was arrested Thursday at a residential address in the English town of St. Leonards-on-Sea,...

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UK police charge Nepali colonel accused of torture

LONDON/KATHMANDU (Reuters) - British police charged a Nepali army colonel on Friday with two counts of torture during the Himalayan nation's decade-long civil war, despite the Nepali government's demanding his immediate release.Nepal summoned the British ambassador earlier on Friday to express its "strong objection" to Kumar Lama's detention.Rights groups accuse both the security forces and former...

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Northern Irish fighting rages on as rioters branded "a disgrace"

BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police came under attack by pro-British loyalists on Friday as the province's first minister branded rioters "a disgrace" and said they were playing into the hands of rival militant nationalists.Rioting began a month ago after a vote by mostly nationalist pro-Irish councillors to end the century-old tradition of flying the British flag from Belfast City Hall every...

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RIM’s biggest problem: It’s still scrambling to catch yesterday’s hottest mobile app

The moment I first realized that RIM (RIMM) was truly in enormous trouble was back in 2010 when I heard then co-CEO Jim Balsillie downplay the importance of apps. Yes, you read that correctly. Balsillie actually told attendees at a Web 2.0 summit in 2010 that the Internet itself was the most important “app” for mobile devices and contended that the “Web needs a platform that allows you to use your...

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Without an ‘iTV,’ Apple’s growth could shrink to the single digits by 2015

Another analyst believes that Apple is losing its shine. Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research on Thursday trimmed his price target for the company, citing concerns that growth may be slowing. The analyst believes that iPhone sales will remain strong for at least the next two years, however Apple (AAPL) is expected to lose overall market share “if it does not bring out a lower-price device” in the...

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Windows already threatening iPhone in Southern Europe

Kantar Worldpanel’s report for November came out and much has been made of the iPhone market share surge in the United States. What I find interesting in the November numbers is just how ice cold the iPhone has gone in so many international markets, from Australia to Brazil to Southern Europe. The iOS market share showed hefty declines outside in many major markets: down 5.4 percentage points in Australia...

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RIM shares dive as fee changes catch market off guard

 Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd plunged more than 20 percent on Friday on fears that a new fee structure for its high-margin services segment could put pressure on the business that has set the company apart from its competitors.It was the stock's biggest, single-day, percentage price drop since September 2008. But shares were still nearly 80 percent above the year's low, which...

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TSX ends flat as RIM buckles, gold miners bounce

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index ended little changed on Friday as gold miners gained on safe-haven buying amid U.S. budget uncertainty, while BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd plunged more than 20 percent.The index's materials sector, which includes miners, rose 0.4 percent. Even though the price of gold was near its lowest level in four months, the gold-mining sub-sector added...

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Obama: U.S. now recognizes Syrian opposition coalition

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama granted U.S. recognition on Tuesday to a Syrian opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, a move aimed at ratcheting up pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave power. Obama announced his decision in an interview with ABC News on the eve of a meeting of Syrian opposition leaders and their international allies...

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U.S. military to increase presence in Philippines

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. and Philippine officials are expected to agree on an increase in the number of U.S. military ships, aircraft and troops rotating through the Philippines, Filipino officials said, as tensions simmer with China over its maritime claims. Senior U.S. and Philippine officials met on Wednesday in Manila to discuss strengthening security and economic ties at a time of growing tension...

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Turkish ex-leader's body shows poison, death cause unclear: media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The exhumed body of Turkey's late President Turgut Ozal, who led the country out of military rule in the 1980s, contained poison but the cause of death was unclear, local media reported an autopsy as showing on Wednesday. There have long been rumors that Ozal, who died of heart failure in 1993 aged 65, was murdered by militants of the "deep state" - a shadowy group within the...

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Israel to withhold Palestinian funds until March

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will withhold tax revenues from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's administration until March at least in response to his statehood campaign at the United Nations, Israel's foreign minister said. Under interim peace deals, Israel collects some $100 million a month in duties on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank -- money that is badly...

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