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| Egypt's constitution approved in vote, say rival camps Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:08 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - A constitution drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly was approved by a majority of Egyptians in a referendum, rival camps said on Sunday, after a vote the opposition said drove a wedge through the Arab world's most populous nation. The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power in a June election, said 64 percent of voters backed the charter after two rounds of voting that ended with a final ballot on Saturday. It cited an unofficial tally. An opposition official also told Reuters their unofficial count showed the result was a "yes" vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police probe motive in deadly Pennsylvania shooting spree Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:06 PM PST  (Reuters) - Investigators are searching for a possible motive in a shooting spree that left four people dead in rural Pennsylvania, including two apparent neighbors of the gunman, state police said on Saturday. The violence erupted on Friday when a man with a pistol fatally shot three people in Frankstown Township, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, before he was killed in a shootout with state troopers as he tried to flee in a pickup truck, authorities said. Officials identified the gunman as Jeffrey Lee Michael, 44. ... Full Story | Top |
| FEATURE-In Vietnam, anti-Chinese protesters find a new outlet - soccer Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:01 PM PST HANOI, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Under the watch of plainclothes police, midfielder Nguyen Van Phuong unleashed a powerful left-foot drive into the top corner. Dissidents cheered from the sidelines. "Down with China," some shouted. Phuong pumped his fist. As tensions between Beijing and Hanoi escalate over the South China Sea, Vietnamese anti-China protesters who face repeated police crackdowns are finding a new form of political expression: soccer. "People don't feel scared playing soccer," said Phuong, the team captain, after a practice match in the capital, Hanoi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Violence, fear & suspicion imperil Pakistan's war on polio Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 06:31 PM PST  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani health worker Bushra Bibi spent eight years trekking to remote villages, carefully dripping polio vaccine into toddlers' pursed mouths to protect them from the crippling disease. Now the 35-year-old mother is too scared to go to work after masked men on motorbikes gunned down nine of her fellow health workers in a string of attacks this week. "I have seen so much pain in the eyes of mothers whose children have been infected. So I have never seen this as just a job. It is my passion," she said. "But I also have a family to look after ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan's Abe heaps pressure on BOJ to set 2 percent inflation target Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 05:35 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's next premier, Shinzo Abe, renewed pressure on the central bank to adopt a 2 percent inflation target, saying that he will try to revise a law guaranteeing its independence if his demand is not met. He also said he will pick someone who agrees with his views on the need for bolder monetary easing to succeed BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa when his term expires in April next year. "At this month's policy meeting, the BOJ said it would examine (setting an inflation target) at its next meeting" in January, Abe said on television on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Early signs show Egypt's new constitution passing Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 03:35 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Early indications showed Egyptians approved an Islamist-drafted constitution after Saturday's final round of voting in a referendum despite opposition criticism of the measure as divisive. An official from the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, which backs Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, said that after nearly 4 million votes had been counted there was a majority of 74 percent in favor of the constitution. Exit polls from the opposition National Salvation Front also showed the constitution passing, an official said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama starts Hawaiian vacation, leaving Washington on ice Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 03:35 PM PST  KAILUA, Hawaii (Reuters) - Taking what promised to be a very brief Christmas break from the ongoing struggle to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, President Barack Obama relaxed with his family on Saturday at a beach retreat in Hawaii. Congress was to return to Washington next Thursday and Obama has pledged to work with lawmakers to strike a deal to avoid the economic shock from tax and spending measures set to take effect on January 1 if a deal can't be reached, which many economists say could push the U.S. economy back into recession. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy dissolves parliament, Monti mulls future Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 03:11 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's head of state dissolved parliament on Saturday and opened the way to a February election, with doubts growing over whether outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti will participate in what promises to be a bitter campaign. Monti resigned on Friday a couple of months ahead of the end of his term of office, after his technocrat government lost the support of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party. For weeks, speculation has swirled over what role Monti will play in the election, which cabinet confirmed would be held over two days on February 24-25. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Stop-gap fix most likely outcome of "fiscal cliff" talks Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 03:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "fiscal cliff" deadline is days away and the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama have left town for Christmas. But even if they were still here, it wouldn't have mattered, according to Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. He says they were going nowhere to resolving the disagreement over how to fix the nation's fiscal problems. Last month's dreams of a "grand bargain" of tax hikes and spending cuts seem long gone. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida governor asks Obama to block possible ports strike Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 02:56 PM PST  MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida's Republican governor wants President Barack Obama to invoke federal law and order a cooling-off period if nearly 15,000 longshoremen walk off the job in a looming strike that would be a big blow to the state's economy, according to a letter he sent the president this week. The International Longshoremen's Association union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance grouping of shippers and ports have been bargaining since March but reportedly remain far from a deal covering cargo handling at 15 ports on the U.S. Gulf and eastern coasts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt president appoints upper house of parliament members Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 02:34 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi announced names of 90 new members he appointed to the upper house of parliament, state media reported, and a presidential official said the list was mainly liberals and other non-Islamists. Two thirds of the 270-member upper house were elected in a vote early this year, with one third appointed by the president. Mursi, elected in June, had not named them till now. Mursi's Islamist party and its allies dominate the assembly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka arrests 100 Chinese for cyber fraud, police say Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 02:06 PM PST COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Saturday arrested at least 100 Chinese nationals accused of an internet fraud scheme targeting people in their home country, a police spokesman said. The accused, all in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, are suspected of hacking into computers in China and then demanding their owners transfer them money, police spokesman Prishantha Jayakodi told Reuters. Chinese police requested help from Sri Lanka, he said. Officials at the Chinese embassy in Colombo were not available for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fifty-six arrested for raid on Kenyan coastal village Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 01:57 PM PST  MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Fifty-six people have been arrested on suspicion of killing 30 villagers, including women and children, on the coast of Kenya, police said on Saturday. Friday's violent clash fuelled international concern over security in the east African state ahead of elections next year. Raiders, settled farmers from the Pokomo ethnic group, attacked semi-nomadic Orma pastoralists with guns, machetes and spears. ... Full Story | Top |
| No new vote in Venezuela if Chavez sworn in late: official Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 01:42 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela will not call fresh elections if Hugo Chavez's cancer prevents him from taking office by January 10, the head of Congress said on Saturday, despite a constitutional mandate that the swearing-in take place on that date. Chavez is recovering in Cuba from a six-hour cancer operation that followed his October re-election. The socialist leader has not been heard from for nearly two weeks, raising doubts as to whether he will be fit to continue governing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Modest discounts, fiscal cliff deter last-minute shoppers Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 01:30 PM PST  NEW YORK/WESTBURY, New York (Reuters) - Retailers may not see a sales surge this weekend as ho-hum discounts and fears about imminent tax hikes and cuts in government spending give Americans fewer reasons to open their wallets in the last few days before Christmas. The acrimonious debate in Washington over how to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" is one of a number of concerns weighing on shoppers, experts said, as consumers head to malls on the last Saturday ahead of the holiday - typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gun enthusiasts pack shows to buy assault weapons Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 01:25 PM PST  ALLENTOWN, Penn./KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Gun enthusiasts thronged to shows around the country on Saturday to buy assault weapons they fear will soon be outlawed after a massacre of school children in Connecticut prompted calls for tighter controls on firearms. Reuters reporters went to gun shows in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Texas, and found long lines to get in the door, crowds around the dealer booths, a rush to buy assault weapons even at higher prices and some dealers selling out. The busiest table at the R.K. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi website editor could face death for apostasy-rights group Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 12:54 PM PST RIYADH (Reuters) - The editor of a Saudi Arabian website could be sentenced to death after a judge cited him for apostasy and moved his case to a higher court, the monitoring group Human Rights Watch said on Saturday. Raif Badawi, who started the Free Saudi Liberals website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, was arrested in June, Human Rights Watch said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran a central issue for my next term: Netanyahu Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 12:52 PM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran's perceived nuclear threat against Israel will be the central issue concerning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if he is re-elected in a month's time, the Israeli leader said on Saturday. Netanyahu has set out a mid-2013 "red line" for tackling Iran's uranium enrichment project. The West says this programme is aimed at developing the means to build atomic bombs. Tehran denies this, saying it is enriching uranium for civilian energy. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Kerry, Obama picks foreign policy leader, loyal stalwart Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 12:23 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry gave up his presidential dreams after a narrow loss to Republican George W. Bush in the 2004 U.S. election, but forged a new identity as a congressional leader on foreign policy - and dutiful supporter of President Barack Obama. Obama rewarded the five-term Massachusetts senator on Friday by nominating him to succeed Hillary Clinton as U.S. secretary of state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's cabinet denies central bank governor resigned Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 11:35 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's cabinet on Saturday denied a report that central bank governor Farouk El-Okdah had resigned. After a long period of speculation that the governor wanted to leave his post, state television had said Okdah had quit and his former deputy, Hisham Ramez, had been appointed to the post. "It is not true," cabinet spokesman Alaa Hadidi told Reuters when asked about the reported resignation. "I am officially denying it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu lauds Kerry nomination for U.S. secretary of state job Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 11:18 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the appointment of his personal friend John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state and described him as "a known supporter of Israel's security". President Barack Obama nominated Kerry on Friday, calling the veteran U.S. senator the "perfect choice" as America's top diplomat. Netanyahu said in a statement: "I congratulate John Kerry on being chosen for the position of U.S. Secretary of State. Kerry is very experienced and is a known supporter of Israel's security. ... Full Story | Top |
| Omanis hope first local vote is stepping stone towards change Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 11:12 AM PST MUSCAT (Reuters) - Hoping for jobs and democratic change, voters in Oman cast ballots in their first municipal election on Saturday, a sign of modest reform in response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring. The small Gulf oil producer, ruled since 1970 by Sultan Qaboos, sits opposite Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for nearly a fifth of globally traded petroleum. Its only other elections are for the Shura Council, a body that has some limited legislative powers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama tries to rescue fiscal talks for post-Christmas deal Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 09:45 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday tried to rescue stalled talks on a fiscal crisis after a Republican plan imploded in Congress, but there was little headway as lawmakers and President Barack Obama abandoned Washington for Christmas. In remarks before flying to Hawaii for a break, Obama suggested reaching a short-term deal on taxes and extending unemployment insurance to avoid the worst effects of the "fiscal cliff" on ordinary Americans at the start of the New Year. "We've only got 10 days to do it. So I hope that every member of Congress is thinking about that. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic rebels in defiance, seize another town Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 09:21 AM PST BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in the Central African Republic said on Saturday they had seized another town in a push towards the capital Bangui in defiance of calls from regional leaders to halt their advance and accept peace talks. The rebels said the call for negotiations was another excuse for President Francois Bozize, who seized power in a coup in 2003, to buy more time and cling to power. "The people of the Central African Republic ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy president dissolves parliament after Monti's resignation Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 09:17 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italy's head of state dissolved parliament on Saturday following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti, paving the way for a national election in February. "I have just signed the decree for the dissolution of parliament," President Giorgio Napolitano told reporters after consulting with political leaders. Monti resigned on Friday, a couple of months ahead of the end of his term of office, after his government lost the support of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's vice president quits amid crisis Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 08:35 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's vice president resigned from his post on Saturday, saying he wanted to quit last month but had only stayed on to help President Mohamed Mursi tackle a political crisis. Mahmoud Mekky, a well-known judge before he took the post, played a leading role in hosting "national unity" talks called by Mursi, although the main opposition politicians stayed away. Mekky previously said he would step down once a new constitution being put to a vote was approved, as the post of vice president was not outlined in the charter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope visits jailed butler to grant pre-Christmas pardon Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 08:16 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict made a surprise pre-Christmas visit to the jail holding his former butler on Saturday and pardoned him for stealing and leaking documents that alleged corruption in the Vatican. The pope and Paolo Gabriele spent about 15 minutes together before Gabriele was freed and allowed to return to his wife and children in their Vatican apartment, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said. "What they said to each other will remain a secret between them ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Poverty and fear of gangs drive young immigrants to U.S. Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 08:14 AM PST  WORCESTER, Mass./PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) - Diego Canil Ordonez was just 16 years old when he realized he needed to get out of Guatemala after gang members arrived at the store where he worked to shake down his boss for money. His boss didn't show up for work the next day, but the gang members did. They demanded cash from Canil Ordonez, who had seen his job at the store as a step up after spending years shining shoes to support his family, starting at age 9. ... Full Story | Top |
| China to open world's longest high-speed rail line Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 08:06 AM PST  BEIJING/ZHENGZHOU, China (Reuters) - China will open the world's longest high-speed rail line next week when a link between Beijing and the southern metropolis of Guangzhou is inaugurated, officials said on Saturday, underscoring its commitment to a trouble-plagued transport scheme. The 2,298-km (1,428-mile) line, parts of which are already in operation, will begin full service on Wednesday, halving travel time to less than 10 hours on trains which will run at 300 kph (186 mph). ... Full Story | Top |
| Taliban bomb kills nine including minister at Pakistan rally Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 08:05 AM PST  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban Islamic militants bombed a political rally in Pakistan's northern city of Peshawar on Saturday, killing nine people including a provincial minister, officials said, the latest in a string of high-profile attacks. The provincial minister for local government, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, died of his wounds at Lady Reading Hospital, the hospital's chief executive Arshad Javed said. Police official Ibrahim Khan said one policeman had been killed and several were among the 30 people injured. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four dead, 3 police hurt in Pennsylvania shootings Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:49 AM PST  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A man with a pistol fatally shot three people on Friday in rural western Pennsylvania, one of them in a church, before he was killed in a shootout with state troopers as he tried to flee in a pickup truck, authorities said. Three state troopers also were injured in their confrontation with the gunman in Frankstown Township, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, shortly after 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), state police said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian civil war at stalemate, Assad won't go: Russia Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:42 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's civil war has reached stalemate and international efforts to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit will fail, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. Mainly Sunni Muslim rebels seeking to overthrow Assad are fighting on the edge of the capital Damascus and expanding southwards from their northern strongholds in Aleppo and Idlib into the central province of Hama. ... Full Story | Top |
| India police use water cannon, tear gas as gang-rape protests intensify Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:39 AM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian police used batons, tear gas and water cannon to turn back thousands of people marching on the presidential palace on Saturday in intensifying protests against the gang-rape of a woman on the streets and on social media. The 23-year-old victim is battling for her life in hospital after she was beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus on a busy New Delhi street last Sunday. Five people have been arrested. The protesters, largely college students, are demanding the death penalty for the accused and safety assurances for women. ... Full Story | Top |
| Breadlines and fuel shortages as winter grips Aleppo Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:35 AM PST  ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - In Syria's once-affluent merchant city of Aleppo, a 60-year-old man wrapped in several layers of clothes queues alongside his shivering grandchildren for bread - a daily and often fruitless ritual that consumes most of his day. Shielding himself from the rain in Bustan al-Qasr, a rebel-held district in the south-west of Syria's biggest city, Alaa el-Din Hout says shortages of food and fuel are driving his family and many other residents to desperation. "We're starving. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel rival attacks Germany's soaring arms exports Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:27 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Peer Steinbrueck, set to challenge Angela Merkel as German leader next year, criticized her centre-right government on Saturday for letting arms exports surge and vowed to end that if his centre-left opposition wins power. The former finance minister, nominated to lead the Social Democrats (SPD) into September's election against Merkel, said it was a scandal that Germany has become the world's third largest arms exporter on her watch. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran says seizes explosives on Pakistan border Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:24 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has seized 20 bombs and other explosives on its border with Pakistan, a police official was quoted as saying on Saturday. He called on Islamabad to control its border regions properly. Iran's impoverished southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, bordering Pakistan, faces serious security problems including bombings and frequent clashes between police and drug dealers and bandits. "Border agents learned that subversive groups wished to enter our territory," said Ahmad Reza-Radan, Iran's deputy police chief, according to the Mehr news agency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Belgium may hand Arnault tax file to Paris: press Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 07:11 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Belgian tax authorities may hand French tycoon Bernard Arnault's file to their Paris counterparts for closer scrutiny of Brussels-based companies linked to his LVMH luxury empire, according to media reports. John Crombez, Belgium's minister for fraud prevention, said any information on local "mailbox companies" held by France's richest man should be shared with Paris, newspaper De Tijd reported on Saturday. Belgian legal and government officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia says neither side will win Syrian civil war Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 06:55 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said neither side can win the war in Syria, and that China and Russia would be unable to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit if they tried. Russia has been rowing back since the Kremlin's Middle East envoy was quoted this month as saying the rebels could defeat Assad and that Russia was preparing for a possible evacuation of its nationals, the strongest signs yet that it was positioning itself for a post-Assad Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran defense minister says NATO missiles harm Turkey security Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 06:54 AM PST  DUBAI (Reuters) - The installation of Patriot anti-missile batteries sent by NATO members to bolster Turkey's defenses against a possible missile attack from Syria will only harm Turkey's security, Iran's defense minister was quoted as saying on Saturday. NATO approved Turkey's request for the air defense system earlier this month, in a move meant to calm Ankara's fears of being hit by Syrian missiles. Iran has strongly supported its Arab ally President Bashar al-Assad of Syria as he attempts to suppress a 21-month-old uprising against his rule. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria crisis envoy Brahimi to visit Damascus soon: source Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 06:05 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will visit Syria in the next few days and is expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad, government officials and some opposition factions, a source in the Arab League said. The source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters no date for such a visit had been announced but said he expected it would be "during the coming few days". A revolt against four decades of rule by Assad's family has now run for 21 months, killing more than 40,000 people. ... Full Story | Top |
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