Reuters: Top News - Breaking News - World News

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RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday for elections before September, but rival Islamist group Hamas quickly rejected the move, underscoring a crippling division among Palestinians.

Source: Hamas rejects Palestinian Authority call for election

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ALGIERS (Reuters) - Thousands of police in riot gear blocked off the center of Algeria's capital on Saturday and stopped government opponents from staging a protest march that sought to emulate Egypt's popular revolt.

Source: Algeria police stifle Egypt-inspired protest

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext may call a merged company "DB NYSE Group," according to two people close to the negotiations, though the companies said no name for what could become the world's largest exchange operator has been picked.

Source: D.Boerse, NYSE narrow in on name as talks intensify

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers this week will test their strategy of stifling the Obama administration's financial reform law through oversight hearings when some of the biggest financial policymakers appear before Congress.

Source: Dodd-Frank ready for congressional close-up

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's 2012 budget plan would slash the deficit by $1.1 trillion over 10 years, officials said on Sunday, but Republicans were unimpressed and vowed to push for deeper cuts in spending.

Source: Obama budget to cut deficit by $1.1 trillion

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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy shrank slightly in the final quarter of 2010 but analysts expect a recovery this year as stronger exports to China and other parts of fast-growing Asia offset persistently weak domestic demand.

Source: Japan economy shrinks but exports may fuel recovery

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BEIJING, Feb 14 (Reuters) - China's trade surplus fell to its lowest in nine months in January after imports surged, supporting the government's case ahead of a G20 meeting that it is doing enough to spur domestic demand without speeding up currency appreciation.

Source: China trade surplus shrinks, supports government's G20 case

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has chosen retired diplomat Marc Grossman to replace the late Richard Holbrooke as the United States' special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a senior administration official said on Monday.

Source: Clinton picks new U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Pakistan

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BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese inflation hit a lower-than-forecast 4.9 percent in January, but price pressures excluding food were their strongest in at least a decade and will force the central bank to keep tightening monetary policy.

Source: China inflation data adds to tightening case

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CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's military said on Tuesday it hoped to hand over to an elected government in six months, while the Muslim Brotherhood said emergency law should be lifted and political prisoners freed now.

Source: Egypt army seeks 6-month handover, Mubarak ailing