By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY | Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:27am EST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict made six non-European prelates Roman Catholic cardinals on Saturday, chipping away at the old continent's domination of the elite group that will one day elect his successor. The new cardinals, ranging in age from 53 to 72, are from the United Sta...

ROME | Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:22am EST ROME (Reuters) - Several thousand students and teachers marched through central Rome on Saturday to protest against austerity measures imposed by Prime Minister Mario Monti's government that have cut into education spending. Appointed a year ago when Italy came close to a Greek-style debt crisis, Monti has pushed throug...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA | Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04am EST GAZA (Reuters) - Israel eased restrictions on Gaza fishermen on Saturday, further implementing a three-day-old truce brokered by Egypt after a week of fierce fighting, Palestinian officials said. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children headed back to school for the first time in 10 day...

By Mohammed Abbas LONDON | Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:56am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Saturday it hoped a conference on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East could take place "as soon as possible", after the United States said it would not be held next month. The U.S. State Department said on Friday that the conference could "not be conv...

By Gabriela Baczynska KRASNOYARSK, Russia | Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:25am EST KRASNOYARSK, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian scientist freed on Saturday after nearly a decade in jail for selling secrets to China accused Vladimir Putin's "court" of turning the Kremlin leader into a tsar and of using the legal system to punish opponents. Valentin Danilov, 66,...

HELSINKI | Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:04am EST HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia's long-time imaging chief Damian Dinning has decided to leave the loss-making cellphone maker at the end of this month, the company said in a statement. The strong imaging capabilities of the new Lumia smartphone models are a key sales argument for the former market leader, which has been ...

By Bill Trott Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:16am EST (Reuters) - Larry Hagman, who created one of American television's most supreme villains in the conniving, amoral oilman J.R. Ewing of "Dallas," died on Friday, according to a co-star. He was 81. Hagman died at a Dallas hospital of complications from his battle with throat cancer, the Dallas Morning News reported,...

Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:45am EST (Advisory: please note language in paragraph seven) By Louis Charbonneau and Susan CornwellUNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Susan Rice has had a series of diplomatic triumphs as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. President Barack Obama, an old friend, showed he has her back when last week he publicly challenged her Republican...

Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:21pm EST (Reuters) - The road troubles for the Los Angeles Lakers continued as they were beaten 106-98 by the Grizzlies in Memphis on Friday. The Lakers dropped to 0-4 on the road and 6-7 on the season as the Grizzlies (9-2) continued their early season impressive form.The Grizzlies, who are the top team in the Western Conference, were ruthles...

Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:00pm EST (Reuters) - The pressure mounts this week for the rejuvenated New Orleans Saints as they top a list of teams facing crunch time in their bids to secure a spot in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. The Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams that can...

By Erika Solomon BEIRUT | Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:35pm EST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria on Friday condemned Turkey's request for NATO to deploy Patriot defense missiles near their common border, calling it "provocative", after a spate of clashes there that has raised fear of the Syrian civil war embroiling the wider region. The 20-month-old uprising again...

By Andrew Longstreth NEW YORK | Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:28pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Not all manslaughter charges are created equal. If they were, the U.S. Justice Department might have filed just 11 charges when it brought a criminal case against two BP Plc employees last week, one for each of the 11 deaths in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Instead...

By Phil Wahba and Dhanya Skariachan NEW YORK/BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota | Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:07pm EST NEW YORK/BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota (Reuters) - Retailers declared their experiment with earlier store openings to kick off the holiday shopping season a success on Friday, with those new hours expected to be a Thanksgiving night staple for more retailer...

By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK | Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:59pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Volatility is the name of this game. With the S&P 500 above 1,400 following five days of gains, traders will be hard pressed not to cash in on the advance at the first sign of trouble during negotiations over tax hikes and spending cuts that resume next week in Wash...

By Phil Wahba and Beth Pinsker Gladstone VALLEY STREAM, N.Y./BROOKLYN, New York | Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:58pm EST VALLEY STREAM, N.Y./BROOKLYN, New York (Reuters) - Malls across the United States teemed with shoppers looking for Black Friday bargains, but many in the New York area sat out the madness, too busy coping with the lingering effects of Sup...

By Jessica Wohl CHICAGO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:54pm EST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nine people were arrested near a Walmart store in California on Friday as part of national protests for the rights of hourly workers, even as the world's largest retailer enjoyed what it said was its best ever start to the holiday shopping rush. Hundreds of protesters, incl...

By Christine Kearney NEW YORK | Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:19pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gay cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain" may have been considered a risky film to make, but director Ang Lee said his new movie, "Life of Pi," a 3D exploration of faith about a boy stranded on a boat with a Bengal tiger, is his riskiest yet. The film, which was released...

By Marwa Awad CAIRO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:01pm EST CAIRO (Reuters) - Angry youths hurled rocks at security forces and burned a police truck as thousands gathered in central Cairo to protest at Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to grab sweeping new powers. Police fired tear gas near Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled H...

By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:53pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As conflict erupted in Gaza last week, Israel's officials and supporters embarked on what proved a successful diplomatic and media campaign to ensure the United States remained right behind them. Israel's ambassador to Washington Michael Or...

By Kim Dixon WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:12pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Saxby Chambliss this week became the latest Republican lawmaker to loosen his ties to Grover Norquist, the anti-tax lobbyist famous for getting elected officials to sign a "taxpayer protection pledge." The rebellion, albeit a modest one, comes as Republicans prep...

By Phil Wahba and Jessica Wohl NEW YORK/CHICAGO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:47pm EST NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - An early start to the holiday shopping season boosted retailers as customers came with their families and loaded up carts Thursday night, while later shoppers seemed more focused on sale items. In a departure from the norm, stores like Targ...

By Jessica Wohl CHICAGO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:31pm EST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Protesters demanding higher wages and better healthcare for Walmart hourly workers converged on the retailer's stores across the United States, though there was no evidence they disrupted operations for the start of the crucial holiday shopping season. OUR Walmart, an organ...

By Ben Berkowitz, Michelle Conlin and Jonathan Allen Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:12pm EST (Reuters) - After another day of pumping out their swampy, moldy houses, neighbors in Breezy Point in New York City huddled at the quaint generator-powered firehouse Wednesday night, stamping their feet to stay warm. Neighbors picked at food from tin cans and sipped soups fro...

By Erika Solomon BEIRUT | Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:07pm EST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria on Friday condemned Turkey's request for NATO to deploy Patriot defense missiles near their common border, calling it "provocative", after a spate of clashes there that has raised fear of the Syrian civil war embroiling the wider region. The 20-month-old uprising again...

By Edmund Blair and Marwa Awad CAIRO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:03pm EST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to assume sweeping powers caused fury amongst his opponents and prompted violent clashes in central Cairo and other cities on Friday. Police fired tear gas near Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that top...

By Charlie Dunmore and Luke Baker BRUSSELS | Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:00pm EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on Friday on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries balked at far deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. European Co...

By Leah Schnurr NEW YORK | Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:52pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose for a fifth day during a holiday-shortened, thinly traded session on Friday as investors picked up recently beaten-down shares of large technology companies. Market participants were also encouraged by signs of progress in talks about releasing aid to debt-sad...

By Maria Sheahan FRANKFURT | Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:50pm EST FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) has earmarked 50.2 billion euros ($64.7 billion) of investments over the coming three years as it accelerates plans designed to help it become the world's largest car maker by the end of the decade. As the company strives to replace Toyota Mot...

By Terry Baynes Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:41pm EST (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a case that could determine when a company is liable for harassment by its employees. The case turns on the definition of a single word - "supervisor" - under a federal civil rights law that prohibits racial, religious or sexual harassment in the wo...

By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM | Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:37pm EST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Both on the diplomatic and military front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will draw some comfort from his offensive against Gaza as he switches his gaze once more to his main strategic challenge -- Iran. Israel views Iran's nuclear program as an existenti...

By Tom Bergin LONDON | Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:38am EST LONDON (Reuters) - BP unveiled a reorganization of its oil and gas production operations on Friday, reversing a change it enacted after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The latest move is partly intended to free Chief Executive Bob Dudley up from close oversight of day-to-day operations so he can he...

By Edmund Blair and Marwa Awad CAIRO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:33am EST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decree exempting all his decisions from legal challenge until a new parliament was elected caused fury amongst his opponents on Friday who accused him of being the new Hosni Mubarak and hijacking the revolution. Mursi's aides sa...

By Leah Schnurr NEW YORK | Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:05am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street was set to start an abbreviated session modestly higher on Friday on signs of progress in talks about releasing aid to Greece, and with the U.S. retail sector in focus as the holiday shopping season begins. The U.S. equity market was closed Thursday for the Th...

By Phil Wahba and Jessica Wohl NEW YORK/CHICAGO | Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:04am EST NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The shopping frenzy known as "Black Friday" kicked off at a more civilized hour, with shoppers welcoming decisions by retailers such as Target Corp and Toys R Us Inc to move their openings to Thursday night. They also seemed to show little c...

KIEV | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:47am EST KIEV (Reuters) - Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko's trial for tax evasion was adjourned again on Friday until December 18 because the former prime minister, hospitalized for back trouble, could not attend. Tymoshenko, the main political foe of President Viktor Yanukovich, was sentenced to seven years ...

By Richard Hubbard LONDON | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:41am EST LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hit a three-week high on Friday on signs of progress in negotiations to get fresh aid cash to Greece and after an influential German survey found business sentiment had improved. The euro climbed 0.2 percent to $1.2906, on course for its second week of gains again...

By Frank Jack Daniel NEW DELHI | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:35am EST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is stamping its own map on visas it issues to holders of new Chinese passports that contain a map depicting disputed territory within China's borders, the latest twist in tension in Asia over China's territorial claims. China's new microchip-equipped passport...

By Mike Collett-White LONDON | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:33am EST LONDON (Reuters) - The Beatles audition tape rejected by a record label executive in arguably the biggest blunder in pop history has resurfaced and will go on sale at a London auction next week. Ted Owen of The Fame Bureau, an auction house specializing in pop memorabilia, said the 10-son...

By Nastassia Astrasheuskaya MOSCOW | Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:05am EST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed Pussy Riot punk protester Maria Alyokhina has been moved to a single-person cell at her own request because of tensions with follow prisoners, Russia's federal penitentiary service said on Friday. Alyokhina, 24, is serving a two-year sentence for a raucous ...

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL | Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:54am EST SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean software mogul Ahn Cheol-soo gave up on Friday his bid to become president and endorsed another opposition candidate, setting the stage for a close race with conservative favorite Park Geun-hye to lead Asia's fourth largest economy. Opinion polls had sh...