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| Venezuela prison riot kills dozens: report Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:08 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - A jail riot in southwestern Venezuela killed dozens of people on Friday, local media reported, the latest incident in the ongoing crisis in the South American nation's crowded prisons. Violence broke out after news of an inspection to confiscate weapons at the Centro Occidental jail, Prisons Minister Iris Varela said in a statement, without providing a death toll. Local media reports say between 26 and 54 people were killed and dozens wounded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian troops and militia push to take Sunni Homs areas Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:06 PM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army has stepped up an offensive on opposition Sunni Muslim strongholds in the central city of Homs, bringing in ground forces and loyalist militia to try to secure a major road junction, opposition sources said on Friday. Around 15,000 Sunni civilians are trapped on the southern and western edge of the city near the intersection of Syria's main north-south and east-west arteries, crucial to let the army travel between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, opposition campaigners in Homs said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian army deploys troops in Suez after clashes Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's armed forces deployed troops on the ground in the city of Suez early on Saturday after seven protesters and a soldier were shot dead in clashes on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. "We have asked the third armed forces to send reinforcements on the ground until we pass this difficult period," Adel Refaat, head of state security in Suez told state television. (Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Four killed by gunfire in Egypt's Suez: medics Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Four people were killed by gunfire in the Egyptian city of Suez on Friday, medics said, the first fatalities of a day of violence on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. Medics told Reuters that another person was in critical condition. At least 186 civilians and 45 security personnel were injured in clashes between protesters and police across the country, officials said. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt deploys troops in Suez after 9 killed on anniversary of uprising Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST  CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt's armed forces deployed troops in the city of Suez early on Saturday after nine people were shot dead during nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi, underlining the country's deep divisions as it marked the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Eight of the dead, including a policeman, were shot dead in Suez, and another was shot and killed in the city of Ismailia, medics said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama expresses support in call with France's Hollande Friday, Jan 25, 2013 05:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande by phone on Friday and expressed support for France's military intervention in Mali, the White House said in a statement. "The two leaders emphasized the need to rapidly establish the African-led International Support Mission in Mali, as well as the importance of the Interim Government of Mali establishing a political roadmap that will lead to elections and restoration of democratic governance," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Petrol bombs fly again as Northern Irish flag protests continue Friday, Jan 25, 2013 04:09 PM PST BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police were pelted by petrol bombs for the first time in almost two weeks on Friday after more protests at the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall. Masked youths clashed with police on the streets of east Belfast on an almost nightly basis for six weeks after local councilors voted to end a century-old tradition of flying the flag, enraging some pro-British loyalists. The worst violence had calmed in recent days and most demonstrations on Friday passed off without major incident. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer stadium hearing threatens Egypt with more unrest Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:20 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian soccer fans have threatened violence on Saturday if a court does not deliver the justice they seek for 74 people killed in a stadium disaster. The hearing over the Port Said disaster in February follows unrest on Friday that killed five people and injured more than 330 during anti-government protests on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. The court had been due to rule on Saturday in the cases brought against 73 people, 61 of whom are charged with murder in what was Egypt's worst stadium disaster. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court overturns another Guantanamo conviction Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:07 PM PST  MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday overturned the Guantanamo war crimes conviction of an al Qaeda videographer, a ruling likely to lead to dismissal of conspiracy charges in the pending trial of five men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia threw out the conviction of Yemeni prisoner Ali Hamza al Bahlul, ruling that the charges of which he was convicted - conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and soliciting murder - were not internationally recognized as war crimes when the acts were committed. ... Full Story | Top |
| French-backed Mali forces push towards rebel-held Gao Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:44 PM PST  SEGOU/BAMAKO, Mali (Reuters) - French-backed government forces advanced into northern Mali towards the Islamist rebel stronghold of Gao on Friday, recapturing the town of Hombori and forcing al Qaeda-allied fighters to pull back under relentless French air strikes. France sent troops and aircraft to its former colony two weeks ago to block a southward offensive by Islamists occupying Mali's north. French and Malian troops have been pushing forward on either side of the Niger River, securing several farming towns recaptured over the last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief to recommend intervention troops for Congo: official Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:39 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will recommend to the U.N. Security Council that a peace enforcement unit be deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to take on the M23 rebels and other armed groups, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. The intervention unit of a few thousand troops would aim to prevent armed groups from expanding territory in the resource-rich region by overpowering and disarming them. The unit would be contained within the existing U.N. force, known as MONUSCO. "It is not simply peacekeeping, this is peace enforcement. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK sends surveillance plane to support French in Mali Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:17 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is sending a Sentinel manned surveillance aircraft to Africa to back a French and Malian government campaign against an Islamist rebel offensive in the west African country, the defense ministry said on Friday. The aircraft is in addition to two C-17 military transport aircraft Britain has already supplied. "We have now decided to deploy Sentinel, a surveillance capability that has proved its worth in Libya and on an ongoing basis for counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan," Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| France is Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:17 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - The rise of Islamist militants in Mali has been "a rallying cry" for potential jihadists in France, but an attack on French soil is unlikely in the short term, France's top anti-terrorism judge said on Friday. France launched air strikes and deployed thousands of ground troops in Mali this month to drive back al Qaeda-linked rebels it fears will turn its former colony into a launch pad to attack French political and economic interests. ... Full Story | Top |
| Morocco says has no plans to send troops to Mali Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:17 PM PST RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco has no plans to send troops to Mali although the north African kingdom supports France's intervention against Islamist militants there, the Moroccan interior minister said on Friday. "This is not on the agenda," Mohand Laenser told a press conference about the possibility of sending troops, after a meeting with interior ministers from France, Spain and Portugal. "We support all efforts which help Mali remain united and protect its institutions. France's intervention is such a case and we are not against it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abbas asks Israel to let in Palestinians fleeing Syria Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:15 PM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tried to get Israel to let 150,000 Palestinians fleeing war in Syria resettle in the West Bank, but dropped the request after the Jewish state demanded they first give up their right of return, he said. Syria is home to around 500,000 Palestinian refugees, some of whom have been fleeing the country because of civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters seeking to topple his government. Israel has said it has no plans to allow them to enter the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five die in Egypt violence on anniversary of uprising Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:59 PM PST CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Five people were shot dead in the Egyptian city of Suez during nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi on Friday, the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. One of the dead was a member of the security forces, medics said. Another 280 civilians and 55 security personnel were injured, officials said, in demonstrations fuelled by anger at the president and his Islamist allies in the Muslim Brotherhood. ... Full Story | Top |
| Toronto mayor Rob Ford gets to keep his job Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:53 PM PST  TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's divisive mayor, Rob Ford, won an appeal on Friday against a ruling that was set to remove him from office, defusing a showdown that has transfixed Canada's biggest city and allowing him to see out his four-year term. Ford, a magnet for controversy during the two years he has spent as mayor, was ordered out of office last November after he was found guilty of conflict of interest, but he was allowed to stay on the job while he appealed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian parliament backs ban on "gay propaganda" Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:51 PM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's parliament backed a draft law on Friday banning "homosexual propaganda" in what critics see as an attempt to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin in the country's largely conservative society. Only one deputy in the State Duma lower house voted against the bill, but passions spilled over outside the chamber, where 20 people were detained after scuffles between Russian Orthodox Christians and gay activists who staged a "kiss-in" protest. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says ICC call hinders search for end to conflict Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:42 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A call by nearly 60 states for the Syria conflict to be referred to the International Criminal Court for an investigation into war crimes is "complicating the situation and hindering the search for an end to the crisis," Syria's U.N. envoy said. In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari also called for sanctions imposed on his country by the European Union, the United States and others to be lifted because they were a punishing the Syrian people. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. quits bilateral civil society group in rebuke to Russia Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:27 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States has quit a U.S.-Russian forum intended to promote civil society to protest Moscow's clampdown on civil rights and public activism, the State Department said on Friday. The Civil Society Working Group was set up during a thaw in ties after Barack Obama became president, and the U.S. pullout reflects how strains have grown since Vladimir Putin started campaigning in 2011 to return to the Kremlin. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says humanitarian aid for Syria not enough, calls for more Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:10 PM PST ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States pledged an extra $10 million on Friday to help supply flour to bakeries in northern Syria, but said there was not enough humanitarian aid reaching those affected by the war and it would urge other nations to contribute more. The United Nations will convene a pledging conference in Kuwait on Wednesday to try to secure more than $1.5 billion for millions of people inside Syria who are facing what it has called a "rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation". ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. urges Syria's neighbors to keep open borders to exodus Friday, Jan 25, 2013 11:36 AM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday urged Syria's neighbors to keep open their borders to civilians fleeing the intensifying conflict and said that the refugee exodus into Jordan was "absolutely dramatic". More than 30,000 Syrians have arrived in Jordan's main Zaatri camp this year, including 4,400 on Thursday and another 2,000 overnight, it said. Most were fleeing fighting in the southern area of Deraa, food and fuel shortages and high prices. ... Full Story | Top |
| West's fears over Syria Islamists mount as coalition flounders Friday, Jan 25, 2013 11:36 AM PST PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Western concern over the growing strength of jihadist rebels in Syria is mounting, hindering aid to the moderate Syrian National Coalition opposition and possibly pushing it into the arms of religiously conservative backers, diplomatic sources said. The widely recognized coalition has failed to gain traction on the ground in Syria since being formed in November, its credibility undermined by its failure to secure arms and cash in the battle to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi prince calls for Syrian rebels to be armed Friday, Jan 25, 2013 11:36 AM PST DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - A senior member of Saudi Arabia's monarchy called on Friday for Syrian rebels to be given anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to "level the playing field" in their battle against President Bashar al-Assad. "What is needed are sophisticated, high-level weapons that can bring down planes, can take out tanks at a distance. This is not getting through," said Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief and brother of the Saudi foreign minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea threatens war with South over U.N. sanctions Friday, Jan 25, 2013 11:27 AM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea threatened to attack rival South Korea if Seoul joined a new round of tightened U.N. sanctions, as Washington unveiled more of its own economic restrictions following Pyongyang's rocket launch last month. In a third straight day of fiery rhetoric, the North directed its verbal onslaught at its neighbor on Friday, saying: "'Sanctions' mean a war and a declaration of war against us." The reclusive North this week declared a boycott of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear program and vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests after the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Resentment runs deep in Azeri town hit by rioting Friday, Jan 25, 2013 10:51 AM PST  ISMAILLI, Azerbaijan (Reuters) - The charred remains of a hotel are the only overt sign of rioting that swept this small Azeri town this week, but the resentment that fuelled the violence is hard to miss. The Ismailli riot was quashed as quickly by police as other protests in the former Soviet republic but sent a warning to President Ilham Aliyev: Patience is wearing thin with the huge wealth gap a decade after he succeeded his long-ruling father. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel Ultra-Orthodox unite to foil centrists joining coalition Friday, Jan 25, 2013 10:43 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Ultra-Orthodox parties said on Friday they would band together to fight for inclusion in any coalition government forged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his rightist Likud party's narrow win in a January 22 parliamentary election. The move stands to complicate an already formidable process facing Netanyahu of blending two vastly different sectors of Israel's population into a government after the polls. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranian nuclear talks face further delay Friday, Jan 25, 2013 10:35 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The next talks between six global powers and Iran on its nuclear program are likely to be delayed until February, a diplomat said on Friday, after European officials accused Tehran of stalling on fixing a time and place for a meeting. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is coordinating efforts by the powers to persuade Iran to scale back nuclear activity that the West suspects is aimed at developing the capability to produce nuclear weapons. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian militant jailed for life for Abuja car bombs Friday, Jan 25, 2013 10:28 AM PST ABUJA (Reuters) - Former Niger Delta militant Edmund Ebiware was jailed for life on Friday after being found guilty of helping to plan two car bombs in Nigeria's capital Abuja in 2010. The verdict comes four days after the suspected mastermind of the deadly attacks, Henry Okah, was found guilty in a South African court of conspiracy to commit terrorism and detonating explosives. Ebiware was convicted of treason and terrorism after being accused of communicating with Okoh before the explosions that killed at least 10 people during Independence Day celebrations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian forces kill three militants in North Caucasus Friday, Jan 25, 2013 10:24 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian security forces killed three suspected militants on Friday in a shootout in the North Caucasus, where the government is fighting an Islamist insurgency, authorities said on Friday. Security forces stormed a house where suspected militants were hiding out in the town of Chegem, near the regional capital Nalchik, after the gunmen refused to surrender. "Despite efforts to persuade the rebels to stop putting up resistance, they refused and opened intensive fire on security forces," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in statement. "The decision was taken to storm. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cleavage comment puts German politics in a fluster Friday, Jan 25, 2013 09:46 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - A female journalist's allegations that a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition made sexist comments about her cleavage in a bar one year ago have stirred a debate about the relationship between reporters and politicians in Germany. Rainer Bruederle, the 67-year-old parliamentary leader of the Free Democrats (FDP), junior partners in the coalition, was reported by Stern magazine this week to have told one of its reporters she could "really fill a dirndl" - the low-cut Bavarian traditional dress. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya's silence on oil deals a setback for transparency Friday, Jan 25, 2013 09:24 AM PST LONDON/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will not reveal the details of its oil sales this year, National Oil Corporation (NOC) officials told Reuters this week, stepping back from pledges to deliver greater transparency after the corruption of the pre-revolutionary regime. Oil producers commonly keep the details of crude deals secret, yet Libyan officials promised to publish the details of deals after over 40 years of secrecy under deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. ... Full Story | Top |
| G4S says Algeria, Mali unrest raising security demand Friday, Jan 25, 2013 09:19 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - G4S, the world's biggest security firm, is seeing a pick up in demand for its services from embassies and companies across Africa in the wake of unrest in Mali and Algeria. The British group, battling to recover at home from botching a contract at last year's London Olympics, is seeing a rise in work ranging from electronic surveillance to protecting travelers, its regional president for Africa told Reuters. "Demand has been very high across Africa," Andy Baker said in an interview. ... Full Story | Top |
| Switzerland says Italy's Monti ready to resume tax talks if serves a second term Friday, Jan 25, 2013 09:10 AM PST MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti has pledged to resume talks on a tax deal with Switzerland if he serves a second term after next month's election, a Swiss spokesman said. Rome and Bern have been negotiating on a tax agreement since May as Italy seeks to recoup tax revenues from Italian citizens it believes have evaded tax by moving savings to Switzerland. "On the political level Monti isn't authorized to negotiate during the period until the elections in Italy," a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Finance said on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Monte Paschi scandal menaces frontrunner in Italy election Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:59 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - A growing bank scandal in Italy on Friday threatened to hurt both the center-left frontrunners and outgoing premier Mario Monti, as a survey suggested that next month's election could usher in new instability. The poll by the Piepoli Institute in La Stampa newspaper indicated the center-left would fail to win control of the Senate, preventing it forming a stable government without outside help. Center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani is widely expected to seek an alliance with Monti if he falls short in the Senate, which has equal power to the lower house in approving laws. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gaddafi ex-spy chief investigation completed, charged next week Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:55 AM PST TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prosecutor general has completed the interrogation of Muammar Gaddafi's ex-spy chief and will be ready to charge him in one week, the prosecutor general's official spokesman said on Friday. Abdullah Senussi was handed over to Libya last September after being extradited by Mauritania to face charges of crimes against humanity. "Questioning Senussi is finished now and we have more than 2000 pages worth of evidence against him documented," spokesman Taha Bara told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Belgian steel workers clash with police over job losses Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:33 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian police fired water cannons and pepper spray at masked protesters on Friday as a demonstration over job losses at ArcelorMittal's Liege steel plant turned violent. Masked protesters threw broken paving stones at police who were barricading a street leading to the residence of Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo. Traffic in much of central Brussels was paralyzed. ... Full Story | Top |
| German flights hit by security staff strike Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:18 AM PST FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Passengers travelling through Germany's Duesseldorf and Cologne airports suffered a second day of disruption on Friday as security personnel continued a strike over pay. Duesseldorf, Germany's third largest airport, canceled around 130 out of 560 flights, while at the smaller Cologne/Bonn airport, a further 40 were scrapped. Those passengers at Duesseldorf with flights that were still running faced queues of up to two hours to have their coats, bags and shoes x-rayed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Avalanche kills two in Italy's Dolomites Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:09 AM PST MILAN (Reuters) - Two skiers were killed on Friday in an avalanche in the Dolomites, close to the resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, police said. The avalanche broke loose from the Cristallo mountain group in the Dolomites, right below the Forcella Staunies peak, an area where there are no regular ski slopes, the police said. "At the moment rescuers are at work to check if there are other people involved," police official Leonardo Landi said. No further details were immediately available. (Reporting by Sara Rossi; Writing by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt police fire teargas near presidency: state TV Friday, Jan 25, 2013 07:56 AM PST Egypt (Reuters) - Police fired teargas to disperse protesters who tried to cross barbed wire barriers guarding Egypt's presidential palace on Friday, state television reported, during violent demonstrations against President Mohamed Mursi. The state-run Nile News TV station gave no further details in an urgent headline flashed on the screen. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
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