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| U.S. to provide aerial refueling for French offensive in Mali Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 08:06 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to fly tankers to refuel French jet fighters and bombers attacking al Qaeda-affiliated militants who have established a foothold in northern Mali, U.S. defense officials said on Saturday. The decision, in response to an earlier French request, expands U.S. involvement, which so far has been limited to sharing intelligence and providing airlift support to carry a French mechanized infantry unit to Mali. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told his French counterpart, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, about the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leading Senate liberal Harkin of Iowa to retire Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 08:00 PM PST  DES MOINES (Reuters) - Senator Tom Harkin, a veteran Iowa Democrat and one of the most liberal senators, said on Saturday he will not seek re-election in 2014, putting at risk what was considered a safe Democratic seat. Harkin, 73, who has focused much of his nearly 40-year congressional career on farm policy, education and expanding rights for people with disabilities, is the third senator facing re-election next year who has announced his retirement, following Democrat Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. "It's somebody else's turn. ... Full Story | Top |
| N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg giving another $350 million to Johns Hopkins Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 07:03 PM PST  (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving $350 million of his multibillion-dollar fortune to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, in a gift that will bring his total lifetime donations to the institution to over $1 billion, the school said on Saturday. Bloomberg's giving to the university over the years makes him its largest-ever philanthropic benefactor, the school said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ontario Liberals pick province's first woman premier Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 06:16 PM PST  TORONTO (Reuters) - Ontario's Liberals on Saturday chose a former Cabinet minister to become the province's first female premier and first openly gay leader of a Canadian province. In her acceptance speech as the new provincial Liberal Party leader, Kathleen Wynne, 59, a former Ontario education minister, thanked her partner, Jane, for her support during a three-month campaign. Ontario was one of the first Canadian provinces to allow same-sex marriage. Wynne's victory means Canada's four most powerful provinces will all be led by women. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU, U.S. on verge of "difficult" free-trade negotiations Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 05:47 PM PST  SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union are wrapping up final preparations for talks on a free-trade agreement that would encompass half the world's economic output, Europe's trade chief said on Saturday, while warning of "difficult negotiations." EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht will travel to Washington on February 5 to put the finishing touches on a joint EU-U.S. report. He gave his clearest signal yet that Brussels and Washington are ready to embark on the accord. "Essentially the report is ready. ... Full Story | Top |
| Riots over Egyptian death sentences kill at least 32 Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 04:52 PM PST  PORT SAID, Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 32 people were killed on Saturday when Egyptians rampaged in protest at the sentencing of 21 people to death over a soccer stadium disaster, violence that compounds a political crisis facing Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Armored vehicles and military police fanned through the streets of Port Said, where gunshots rang out and protesters burned tires in anger that people from their city had been blamed for the deaths of 74 people at a match last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| French, Malian forces capture Gao rebel stronghold Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 04:45 PM PST  KONNA, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - French and Malian forces fighting Islamist rebels took control on Saturday of the rebel bastion of Gao, the biggest military success so far in an offensive against al Qaeda-allied insurgents occupying the country's north. The United States and Europe back the U.N.-mandated Mali operation as a counterstrike against the threat of Islamist jihadists using the West African state's inhospitable Sahara desert as a launching pad for international attacks. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU, Mercosur to unblock trade talks, hurdles remain Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 04:36 PM PST  SANTIAGO (Reuters) - EU leaders won a promise from Argentina and Brazil on Saturday to revive stalled talks on a free-trade deal that would be a major prize for Europe as it emerges from crisis, but disputes over key issues mean a breakthrough appears distant. At a summit in Santiago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the Europeans in a new push in the negotiations with the South American trade bloc Mercosur that is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez overcomes infection, still having treatment Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 04:02 PM PST  SANTIAGO/CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection, but is still being treated for breathing problems after cancer surgery in Cuba last month, a government minister said on Saturday. Official statements have sounded upbeat about the socialist president's condition in recent weeks, following rumors he was gravely ill in a hospital in Havana and might be unable to keep governing after being re-elected in October to a third term. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali's displaced hopeful of return home as rebels melt away Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 03:21 PM PST SEVARE, Mali (Reuters) - Refugees crowded excitedly around crackling radios at a camp in the central Mali town of Sevare on Saturday evening as French and Malian forces seized the Islamist rebel bastion of Gao. "I want very badly to go back home," said 19-year-old Amadou Maiga, who left Gao three months ago after rebels controlling it burned his school - declaring it a violation of Islam - and recruited his classmates as cooks and child soldiers. "Today we have real hope," he added, as other men in the camp sipped tea and buzzed about the latest headlines. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mercosur to unblock talks, EU trade chief sees U.S. negotiations Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 02:51 PM PST  SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur will exchange offers on opening up their markets by the end of this year, the EU's trade chief said on Saturday as both sides try to unblock long-stalled free-trade negotiations. "A tremendous effort has been made to install new momentum into the discussions," EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told Reuters in an interview. De Gucht, who handles trade issues for the 27 nations of the European Union, also signaled he expected Europe and the United States to go ahead with talks on a possible free-trade accord. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez overcomes infection, treatment continues Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 02:45 PM PST  SANTIAGO/CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection, but is still being treated for breathing problems after cancer surgery last month, a government minister said on Saturday. Official statements have sounded upbeat about the socialist president's condition in recent weeks following rumors he was gravely ill in a hospital in Cuba. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's National Defence Council calls for dialogue Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 02:18 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's National Defence Council, headed by President Mohamed Mursi, on Saturday condemned street violence and called for national dialogue to resolve political differences, the information minister said after the council met. The council, which includes the defense minister, who is a general in charge of the army, could also consider declaring a state of emergency or a curfew in areas of violence if needed, Information Minister Salah Abdel Maqsoud said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ireland says horse DNA in its burgers came from Poland Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 02:14 PM PST  DUBLIN (Reuters) - Beef containing horse DNA that was supplied by an Irish company to major food companies like Tesco originated in Poland, Ireland's agriculture department said on Saturday. The British food industry has been rocked by the revelation retailers sold beef products that contained horse DNA, a scandal that has also left Ireland's 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion) beef industry reeling from the knock-on effects. Results of tests showed that Polish ingredients used by Irish burger manufacturer Silvercrest contained 4.1 percent horse DNA, the agriculture department in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy central bank approves Monte Paschi bailout request Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 01:51 PM PST  ROME/MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's central bank on Saturday gave its approval to a request by scandal hit bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena for 3.9 billion euros ($5.3 billion) of state loans, the latest step in the battle to revive the ailing bank. The Bank of Italy's backing was the final stage required to free up the financial help for Italy's third biggest lender, which this week revealed loss-making derivatives trades that could cost it about 720 million euros. ... Full Story | Top |
| Crime boss suspects arrested at Russian birthday dinner Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 01:47 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police raided a restaurant near Moscow and arrested four alleged crime bosses and 19 others as they met to plan strategy after the killing of a criminal godfather known as Grandpa Hassan, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The police swooped on the Family Elite-Club restaurant in the town of Nikolina Gora after learning that suspects from Russia and Belarus would meet there to discuss "a series of questions of a criminal character," a ministry statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek ruling conservatives take lead over leftists: polls Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 01:20 PM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's ruling conservatives have grabbed a narrow lead over the leftist main opposition since securing bailout funds to avert bankruptcy, three opinion polls showed, as most Greeks believe the country will stay in the euro zone. A survey conducted by MRB pollsters for Sunday newspaper Real News showed that if elections were held now Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy party would get 29.2 percent versus 27.8 percent for the anti-bailout SYRIZA party. The ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn ranked third with 11. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands march against gun violence in Washington Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 01:15 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of marchers rallied in Washington in favor of gun control on Saturday, including residents of Newtown, Connecticut, where a mass elementary school shooting reignited the U.S. gun violence debate. Speakers - including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, lawmakers and actors - urged the protesters carrying such signs as "What Would Jesus Pack?" to lobby Congress and state legislators to back gun control measures. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portuguese teachers protest against education cuts Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 12:57 PM PST  LISBON (Reuters) - Thousands of Portuguese teachers marched through Lisbon on Saturday to protest against cuts in education imposed as part of the government's austerity program. Teachers union Fenprof estimated 30,000 teachers marched through Lisbon city center, demanding the resignation of the education minister and protesting against pay cuts and what they called a deterioration in working conditions. "I am here to protect the public school, and, above all, I am here to defend the future of our country and the future of my children who are still growing," teacher Anabela Mendes told ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraqi Sunnis mourn protesters shot dead by troops Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 12:52 PM PST  FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners rallied on Saturday at funerals for Sunni Muslims shot by troops in demonstrations against Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Troops on Friday shot dead five people in Falluja, in the Sunni-dominated western province of Anbar. Sunnis have taken to the streets since December to protest what they call mistreatment of their minority sect, heightening fears Iraq may return to the Shi'ite-Sunni bloodletting that killed tens of thousands in 2006-2007. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time to open up to trade, EU tells Argentina, Brazil Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 12:27 PM PST  SANTIAGO (Reuters) - EU leaders told Argentina and Brazil on Saturday to open up their markets and push ahead on a free-trade deal that would be a major prize for Europe as it tries to emerge from three years of economic crisis. Treading carefully in a region whose fortunes are markedly better than Europe's, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Buenos Aires and Brasilia not to revert to the kind of protectionism of the 1930s that deepened the Great Depression. ... Full Story | Top |
| Medvedev says Magnitsky fallout not bad for Russian business Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 11:44 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev used a prime-time TV interview on Saturday to dismiss concerns growing fallout from the 2009 death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky would damage Russia's business interests. Medvedev said the whistleblower's death in jail, for which no one has been brought to justice, was being used by Kremlin critics to score points but was of no import to business leaders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hackers claim attack on Justice Department website Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 11:19 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers sympathetic to the late computer prodigy Aaron Swartz claimed on Saturday to have infiltrated the website of the U.S. Justice Department's Sentencing Commission, and said they planned to release government data. The Sentencing Commission site, www.ussc.gov , was shut down early Saturday. Identifying themselves as Anonymous, a loosely organized group of unknown provenance associated with a range of recent online actions, the hackers voiced outrage over Swartz' suicide on January 11. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish PM criticizes pre-trial detentions of military officers Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 11:16 AM PST  ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the lengthy pre-trial detention of hundreds of military officers, suggesting it was sapping army morale just as Ankara vows to keep up pressure on Kurdish militants. During his 10 years in power, Erdogan, whose party has moderate Islamist roots, has brought to heel the once all-powerful armed forces, which see themselves as guardians of secularism and regularly intervened in politics and carried out coups in previous decades. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian militias target civilians in Homs, opposition says Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 10:52 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - More than 20 people were killed in the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, a doctor said, as fighting raged around a road junction on a supply line to government forces in the interior of the country. The opposition accuses shabbiha militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of killing some 200 Sunni Muslim civilians in Homs in massacres over the last two weeks, but a Syrian ban on most independent media makes such reports difficult to verify. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singapore ruling party rebuked in by-election as disquiet rises Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 10:33 AM PST  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's long-dominant People's Action Party (PAP) lost heavily in a single-seat by-election on Saturday, a barometer of how the government is dealing with discontent in the wealthy Asian country over immigration and the high cost of living. The result in the Punggol East ward - 54.5 percent of the vote for the Workers Party and 43.7 percent for the PAP, with the rest split by two others - does not alter the balance of power in parliament, where the ruling party will still hold 80 of 87 elected seats. ... Full Story | Top |
| Poll shows 63 percent of French back gay marriage Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:50 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - The number of people who support the legalization of same-sex marriage in France has risen despite major protests against the government's planned reforms earlier this month, a new poll by Ifop for news website Atlantico.fr showed. The proportion of those surveyed supporting the change in the law rose to 63 percent from 60 percent in early January and December. Support for adoption rights for gay couples also rose by 3 percentage points, although the country remains divided on the issue, with 49 percent in favor, according to the international marketing firm. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels free 300 from northern jail: activist Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:42 AM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian opposition fighters have freed about 300 prisoners from a jail near the border with Turkey and found 30 others shot in the head, an opposition activist said on Saturday. Fighters from various brigades have been attacking the Idlib Central Prison for the last three days. They took over one of its two main buildings late on Friday and are surrounding the second building, which is located on a hilltop and is better defended, activist Abu Ali said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Azerbaijan police arrest youths at anti-government protest Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:41 AM PST  BAKU (Reuters) - Police arrested about 40 activists demonstrating in Azerbaijan's capital on Saturday against President Ilham Aliyev's government and in support of residents of a northern town where protests were crushed this week. More than 100 protesters gathered in central Baku, some chanting "Freedom!" and calling for the resignation of Aliyev, who succeeded his father in 2003 and has tolerated little dissent in the oil-producing former Soviet republic. Police swiftly stopped the protest, forcing demonstrators out of a park and then arresting some in the street. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan defends stimulus, yen policy under fire Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:06 AM PST  DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Japan's economy minister rejected criticism on Saturday that his country's extraordinary fiscal and monetary stimulus program was aimed at weakening the yen and undermined central bank independence. Akira Amari told the World Economic Forum in Davos it was up to the market to determine the currency's exchange rate, and the Bank of Japan had chosen independently to sign a joint statement with the government on actions to fight deflation and revive economic growth. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ten Afghan police officers killed in suicide bombing Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:04 AM PST KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Ten police officers, including the local counter-terrorism chief, were killed in a suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan on Saturday. Shortly after 5 p.m. (1230 GMT) a man driving a motorbike detonated a large bomb at a busy roundabout in the north city of Kunduz near a group of police officers, provincial police chief spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini said. "As a result of a suicide attack 10 policemen were killed, including the head of the traffic department and the head of the counter-terrorism office," said Hussaini. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leftist ex-PM Zeman wins Czech presidential election Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 09:03 AM PST  PRAGUE (Reuters) - Leftist former prime minister Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic's first direct presidential election on Saturday, beating a conservative opponent he had accused of favoring foreign interests in a bitter campaign. Zeman, a 68-year-old who favors more integration within the European Union, won by 54.8 to 45.2 percent over Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, results from 99.9 percent of voting districts showed. Economic forecaster Zeman, a Communist Party member before the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, will steer Czechs closer to Europe's mainstream. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese fans put on brave face for their "Golden Flower" Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 08:35 AM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese fans were disappointed but still proud on Saturday after home-grown tennis heroine Li Na lost out once again on the Australian Open crown, saying she continued to be an inspiration for China. Li, affectionately known as "Big Sister Na" and "Golden Flower" in China, is seen by many Chinese as a role model, with her steely determination, broad smile and English language skills emblematic of a confident and rising country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Petition urges Putin to probe activist's death in Netherlands Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 08:30 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's opposition submitted a petition to President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, demanding an investigation into the death of an activist who hanged himself in the Netherlands last week. Alexander Dolmatov, who had been under investigation for alleged involvement in violence at a protest against Putin last May, hanged himself after being refused asylum by Dutch authorities. He fled Russia in June after police raided his parents' apartment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tennis-Chinese fans put on brave face for their "Golden Flower" Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 07:28 AM PST BEIJING, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Chinese fans were disappointed but still proud on Saturday after home-grown tennis heroine Li Na lost out once again on the Australian Open crown, saying she continued to be an inspiration for China. Li, affectionately known as "Big Sister Na" and "Golden Flower" in China, is seen by many Chinese as a role model, with her steely determination, broad smile and English language skills emblematic of a confident and rising country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: ECB rejects Irish bid on promissory note - sources Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 07:24 AM PST  (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has rejected Ireland's preferred solution to a dispute over the cost of servicing money borrowed to rescue a failed bank, EU sources familiar with the talks said on Saturday. Dublin wants to avoid having to pay 3.1 billion euros a year until 2023 to service a promissory note it issued to underwrite failed Anglo Irish Bank during a meltdown of the main Irish lenders after a real estate bubble burst in 2008. ... Full Story | Top |
| Haiti's road to reconstruction blocked by land tenure disputes Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 06:21 AM PST  JEREMIE, Haiti (Reuters) - The smooth black asphalt of National Road No. 7 stretches for about five miles beyond Camp Perrin, a town in fertile southwest Haiti. It abruptly stops before reaching farmer Liphete Denis' front door, replaced by a rocky dirt path that floods in the rainy season and billows dust clouds when the weather turns dry. "I don't know why they stopped," said Denis, 43. "We'd like the road done. We need it." The 56-mile road project was meant to connect the southern port city of Les Cayes with Jérémie, a city in one of Haiti's most neglected regions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bahrain reconciliation talks to start by early February: minister Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 06:19 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain expects talks with the opposition aimed at breaking nearly two years of political deadlock to start next week or early in February, a cabinet member said in comments published on Saturday. The Gulf Arab state, a U.S. ally against Iran, has been in turmoil since protests erupted in early 2011 led by majority Shi'ite Muslims demanding an end to the Sunni-led monarchy's political domination and full powers for parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian ex-dissident and prison rights activist Abramkin dies Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 06:16 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Valery Abramkin, a former Soviet dissident, nuclear scientist and rights activist who was held for years in the Siberian gulag and campaigned for prison reform in Vladimir Putin's Russia, has died, his colleagues said on Saturday. Abramkin, 66, head of the Moscow Center For Prison Reform and a member of the Moscow Helsinki rights group and Putin's Presidential Rights Council, died late on Friday after a long illness. ... Full Story | Top |
| First Patriot missiles to defend Turkey against Syria go active Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 06:15 AM PST ADANA, Turkey (Reuters) - The first of six Patriot missile batteries being sent by NATO countries to defend Turkey from possible attack from Syria went operational on Saturday. The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are each sending two batteries to Turkey and up to 400 soldiers to operate them after Ankara asked NATO for help. The Patriots are capable of shooting down hostile missiles in mid-air. ... Full Story | Top |
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