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| Britain's PM suggests using foreign aid cash for military Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 04:08 PM PST  AMRITSAR, India (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron has raised the possibility of diverting hundreds of millions of pounds from foreign aid to defense and security. Faced with anger in his ruling Conservative party about further possible defense cuts at a time when he says Britain must spend 0.7 percent of gross domestic product on foreign aid, Cameron told reporters he was interested in exploring ways to use money earmarked for foreign aid for wider security purposes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Landlocked neighbors worried by possible Kenya poll violence Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 04:06 PM PST ATHI RIVER, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya's landlocked neighbors are stocking up on fuel and food to prevent the kind of disruption they suffered after being cut off from the port of Mombasa by angry rioters following a disputed election five years ago. About 200 million people in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern Congo could be affected if Kenya goes through a fresh bout of fighting when it holds presidential and parliamentary elections on March 4. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ecuador's Correa vows to make socialist revolution 'irreversible' Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:46 PM PST  QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said his party likely won three-quarters of the seats in Congress in last weekend's election and vowed on Wednesday to "steamroll" through reforms that will make his socialist model irreversible. The 49-year-old economist was re-elected on Sunday with 57 percent of votes, some 34 percentage points more than the runner-up. During his six years in office he has won broad support with high spending on infrastructure and social welfare. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spy agencies scrounge for details on North Korean nuclear test Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. and allied spy agencies have found no traces of telltale nuclear-related particles from North Korea's February 12 nuclear bomb test, leaving unresolved basic questions about the device's design, according to officials in the United States, Europe and South Korea. This lack of scientific evidence suggests that key questions may remain unanswered about the type of fissile material used in the test, which was detected by seismic sensors. It also leaves unaddressed questions about how far the North has advanced in its bomb design. After the test, the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Monti says Merkel doesn't want left to win Italy election Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:40 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel does not want the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) to win Italy's national election, outgoing Italian Prime Minister and centrist leader Mario Monti said on Wednesday. "Merkel fears the consolidation of parties from the left, especially in an election year for her, I don't think she has any wish to see the PD arrive in government," Monti said in an interview with Italian news agency Adnkronos. ... Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu, Rubio in water-bottle toast to U.S., Israel ties Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:35 PM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toasted their nations' close ties on Wednesday with a click of plastic water bottles reminiscent of the Republican's sip seen 'round the world in Washington last week. Photographers captured the cross-table gesture in Netanyahu's office moments after Rubio remarked how Israel resides "in a challenging neighborhood," and he was "pleased" President Barack Obama would be visiting Israel next month. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bolivia's Morales says was unable to see Chavez in Venezuela Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:23 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Wednesday he was unable to see his friend, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when he stopped in Caracas on his way to the United Nations in New York because the socialist leader was still being treated for cancer. Morales, who was in Caracas on Tuesday, said he spoke with Chavez's family and doctor and described the socialist leader's surprise return to Venezuela on Monday - more than two months after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba - as a "great relief. ... Full Story | Top |
| French general urges EU to equip "impoverished" Mali army Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:58 PM PST  BAMAKO, Mali (Reuters) - The European Union should complement a mission to train Mali's army, routed by rebels last year, by providing equipment from uniforms to vehicles and communications technology, a French general said on Wednesday. General Francois Lecointre, appointed to head the EU training mission to Mali (EUTM) that was formally launched this week, said in Bamako equipping the "very impoverished" and disorganized Malian army was as important as training it. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. report may show slower growth in Iran nuclear stockpile Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:44 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - A U.N. nuclear watchdog report due this week is expected to show that growth of Iran's stockpile of higher-grade enriched uranium has slowed as it is using some of the material to make reactor fuel, diplomats said on Wednesday. If confirmed in the quarterly report, the development could help buy time for big power diplomacy to try and find a negotiated settlement to a decade-old dispute that has stirred fears of a new Middle East war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Peru's dynamic first lady has presidential aura Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:31 PM PST  LIMA (Reuters) - Humble crowds adore her populist gestures. Fans and critics alike call her the co-president. Her husband, a rebellious army officer turned moderate leader, says people who think his wife is too influential are sexist. Peru's first lady, Nadine Heredia, is a potent political force. A telegenic 36-year-old mother of three who started the Nationalist Party along with President Ollanta Humala, she weighs in on a range of policy issues behind the scenes and, in public, often serves as the government's messenger. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan holds opposition figures without charge: Amnesty Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:23 PM PST  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's government has detained scores of opposition figures without issuing arrest warrants or giving them access to lawyers since unrest broke out in a northwestern town in December, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. South Sudan has struggled to establish the rule of law since it split from Sudan in July in 2011 following a long civil war that left the new country awash with weapons. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomb kills three in Nigerian Islamist stronghold Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:05 PM PST MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Three people were killed on Wednesday when a bomb exploded in Nigeria's northeastern town of Maiduguri, the army said, the latest attack in the stronghold of Islamist sect Boko Haram. Boko Haram killed hundreds of people last year in an attempt to carve out an Islamic state in a country of 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims. Its main target is the security forces. "An improvised explosive device targeted at a Joint Task Force patrol team exploded at Post Office roundabout about 1:00 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's "next prime minister" woos left in swing region Sicily Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:01 PM PST  PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - A live rock band and a charismatic warm-up act set the stage on Wednesday for the man introduced to Sicilians - whose votes matter more than most in an election in a few days' time - as "Italy's next prime minister". The American-style build-up meant Pier Luigi Bersani, the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), struggled to make his rhetoric match the occasion, as he addressed the party faithful in a rally in one of two crucial swing regions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Major powers to make "substantial and serious offer" to Iran Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 12:38 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Major powers are ready to make "a substantial and serious offer" to Iran during talks next week in return for concessions on its nuclear program, a Western diplomat said on Wednesday. He declined to give details of the offer - aimed at reviving efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to long-stalled talks over Iran's disputed nuclear work. "We will take an offer with us which we believe to be a substantial and serious offer," the diplomat said of talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan. "This is an offer which we think has significant new elements in it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil, Russia move closer to arms, technology deals Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 11:34 AM PST  BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil agreed on Wednesday to negotiate the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries on the condition that Russia transfer the technology to Brazilian defense companies without restrictions. The agreement was announced after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on a visit to Brazil to advance defense, energy and agricultural deals with a fellow member of the BRICS bloc of emerging nations. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO may hold mid-2013 summit to mark Afghan handover Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:46 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO is considering holding a summit in mid-2013 to mark a milestone in the handover of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to local forces, alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday. NATO-led forces are expected to cede the lead role for security in Afghanistan this spring to Afghan soldiers, 12 years after the United States invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban government harboring Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader who masterminded the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Missile blast wounds Syrian rebel commander: activists Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:33 AM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - A missile struck the command center of the main Syrian rebel force near Damascus on Wednesday, wounding its leader, activists said, and a soccer player was killed when a mortar bomb hit a stadium in the center of the capital. The missile attack on Liwa al-Islam Brigade, which is spearheading a three-week-old offensive that has given the rebels a foothold inside Damascus, deals a blow to efforts to undermine President Bashar al-Assad in his seat of power. A rebel spokesman said Sheikh Zahran Alloush, founder of the brigade, was wounded but declined to give further details. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope may change conclave rules before leaving: Vatican Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:20 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict may change rules governing the conclave that will secretly elect his successor, a move that could move up the global meeting of cardinals who are already in touch about who could best lead Catholics through a period of crisis. The Vatican appears to be aiming to have a new pope elected and then formally installed before Palm Sunday on March 24 so he can preside at Holy Week services leading to Easter. The rule changes could mean that the conclave in the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will choose the next leader of the 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Witness heard "non-stop shouting" before Pistorius shooting Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:09 AM PST PRETORIA (Reuters) - A witness heard "non-stop shouting" in the home of South African athletics star Oscar Pistorius shortly before his girlfriend was shot dead, the detective leading the murder investigation said on Wednesday. Warrant officer Hilton Botha, a detective with 24 years on the force, also told the Pretoria magistrates court in a bail hearing that police had found two containers of testosterone and needles in Pistorius' bedroom. ... Full Story | Top |
| Romania finds horsemeat in beef batch Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:06 AM PST  BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Horsemeat labeled as beef has been found in Romania in products set to be sold locally, an agriculture ministry official said on Wednesday. A scandal which has triggered recalls of ready-made meals and damaged confidence in Europe's vast and complex food industry, erupted last month when tests carried out in Ireland revealed that some beef products also contained horsemeat. An investigation has identified a French meat-processing firm as the likely culprit in the row that has implicated traders and abattoirs from Cyprus to Romania. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judges threatened ahead of Kenyan vote: chief justice Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 09:59 AM PST  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's chief justice said on Wednesday he and other judges had been threatened by a criminal gang who warned them against trying to stop a candidate accused of bankrolling tribal violence running for the presidency next month. Uhuru Kenyatta, a former finance minister and the son of the country's founding president, is one of four Kenyans accused at the International Criminal Court of orchestrating violence that killed 1,200 people after the last vote in 2007. ... Full Story | Top |
| French special forces in Cameroon helping hostage probe Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 09:28 AM PST YAOUNDE (Reuters) - French special forces have arrived in northern Cameroon to help locate a French family who were kidnapped on Tuesday and moved to Nigeria, a local governor said on Wednesday. The abduction of three adults and four children highlights the risk to French nationals and interests in Africa since Paris sent forces to Mali to oust Islamist rebels. "French special forces came in yesterday from N'Djamena to help with the investigation. They left yesterday and came back today," Augustine Fonka Awa, governor of Cameroon's Far North Region, told Reuters by telephone. ... Full Story | Top |
| French special forces helping Cameroon over hostages: governor Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 09:28 AM PST DAKAR (Reuters) - French special forces arrived in northern Cameroon from their regional base in Chad to help an investigation to locate seven French nationals, including four children, kidnapped on Tuesday, a local governor said on Wednesday. "French special forces came in yesterday from N'Djamena to help with the investigation. They left yesterday and came back today," Augustine Fonka Awa, governor of Cameroon's Far North Region told Reuters by telephone. French Army spokesman Thierry Burkhard declined to comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Rome will burn, regardless of Italian election result Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:57 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Regardless of who wins next weekend's parliamentary election, Italy's long economic decline is likely to continue because the next government won't be strong enough to pursue the tough reforms needed to make its economy competitive again. Bankers, diplomats and industrialists in Rome and Milan despair at how Italians are shifting allegiances ahead of the February 24-25 vote to favor anti-establishment upstarts and show disgust with the established parties. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands of Greeks rally in anti-austerity strike Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:56 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens on Wednesday as part of a nationwide strike against austerity that confined ferries to ports, shut schools and left hospitals with only emergency staff. Beating drums, blowing whistles and chanting "Robbers, robbers!" more than 60,000 people angry at wage cuts and tax rises marched to parliament in the biggest protest for months over austerity policies required by international lenders. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. congressional delegation leaves Cuba empty-handed Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:44 AM PST  HAVANA (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional delegation left Cuba on Wednesday after meetings with President Raul Castro and other top officials, but no sign the countries had resolved their latest dispute: the fate of imprisoned U.S. contractor Alan Gross. Delegation members and their staff said they were encouraged by the relaxed tone of their meetings and indications the Cuban side wanted the dialogue to continue. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont canceled a news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning before taking a stroll with his wife in downtown Havana then leaving for Haiti. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kurdish militia signs ceasefire with Syrian rebels Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:42 AM PST (Reuters) - Syrian rebels and a Kurdish militia that have fought each other for months in a town near the Turkish border have signed a ceasefire, averting the prospect of an Arab-Kurd conflict. Syria's Kurds have exploited the civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to oust him by asserting control in parts of the northeast, which have been spared the worst of the violence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands protest in Armenia after president re-elected Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:36 AM PST  YEREVAN (Reuters) - About 5,000 flag-waving protesters rallied on Wednesday against Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan's re-election, saying his victory was tainted by fraud. Supporters of Sarksyan's second-placed rival Raffi Hovannisian filled Freedom Square in the center of the capital Yerevan to condemn what they said were uncounted ballots and other violations. "Are you ready to stay here long?" Hovannisian asked the crowd. "Are you ready to stay here until victory? I'm ready. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian refugees pour south to Jordan in nightly exodus Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:18 AM PST HAURAN PLAIN, Jordan (Reuters) - Under cover of darkness, the young mother steps through the muddy olive groves on the Syrian-Jordanian border, telling her children to hold tight to avoid getting lost in the stream of people fleeing south to safety. Her lower face covered with a white scarf, she carries a dark carrier bag while a young daughter struggles with a small suitcase containing the few possessions they were able to take from their home a few miles (kilometers) to the north. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan rebels launch attack to retake border town Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 08:02 AM PST JUBA/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels in a Sudanese border state say they have occupied an airport and are fighting with government troops to retake a town that became a flashpoint during the civil war, but the army denied it had lost any territory. The SPLM-North, rebels from the south who were left in Sudan after South Sudan seceded, said their fighters had reached Kurmuk, which they lost to the Sudanese army in late 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bulgarian government resigns amid growing protests Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:51 AM PST SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's government resigned on Wednesday after mass protests against high power prices and falling living standards, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity during four years of debt crisis. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, an ex-bodyguard who took power in 2009 on pledges to root out graft and raise incomes in the European Union's poorest member, faces a tough task of propping up eroding support ahead of an expected early election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia seeks new premier to escape political crisis Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:50 AM PST  TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian leaders began the search for a new prime minister on Wednesday to try to lead the North African nation out of its gravest political crisis since an uprising that inspired a wave of Arab revolts two years ago. Rached Ghannouchi, the powerful head of the main Islamist Ennahda party, said the group had not named anyone to replace Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, who resigned on Tuesday, but that he expected a new government to emerge this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's politics are a gift for satirical puppet show Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:45 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - A satirical puppet show is spoiled for choice in Italy's election campaign, with Silvio Berlusconi making a comeback while on trial for a sex crime and a shaggy haired comedian whipping up voter fury with a stream of obscenities. Directors of Gli Sgommati, an Italian version of Britain's Spitting Image which has produced a special edition for this month's elections, say they have more material than they can use. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunshot, screams, then more shots at Pistorius home: police Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:44 AM PST PRETORIA (Reuters) - A witness heard a gunshot at the home of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, followed by screams and then more shots, a detective told a court on Wednesday. Pistorius has been charged with murdering his girlfriend at his home last week. (Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Writing by Jon Herskovitz) Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Battle for Damascus: frozen but bloody Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:44 AM PST  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Rebel fighters in Damascus are disciplined, skilled and brave. In a month on the frontline, I saw them defend a swathe of suburbs in the Syrian capital, mount complex mass attacks, manage logistics, treat their wounded - and die before my eyes. But as constant, punishingly accurate, mortar, tank and sniper fire attested, President Bashar al-Assad's soldiers on the other side, often just a room or a grenade toss away, are also well drilled, courageous - and much better armed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian PM in Brazil seeking arms, nuclear technology deals Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:35 AM PST  BRASILIA (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday on a visit to Brazil aimed at sealing defense and nuclear technology deals with a fellow member of the BRIC bloc of emerging nations. On their agenda was the possible sale of Russian anti-aircraft missile systems to Brazil, a Brazilian government spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Berlusconi surge evokes recurring nightmare for Italy's left Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:15 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi's remarkable fightback ahead of Italy's election has revived a recurring nightmare for the country's center-left - that they can throw away a commanding lead in the final days before the weekend vote. Little more than two months ago, the center-left led by Pier Luigi Bersani was riding high with an apparently unassailable lead of 10 points against a demoralized center-right, which looked close to disintegration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt court allows policemen to grow Islamic beards Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:11 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court ruled on Wednesday that policemen may grow beards, ending a decades-old convention barring them from making what is often seen here as a display of Islamic piety. Dozens of police officers were suspended from work in February for breaking the de facto ban on beards introduced under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. They had protested outside the Interior Ministry, calling on Islamist President Mohamed Mursi - who is bearded himself - to secure their reinstatement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Iran economy far from collapse as sanctions tighten Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 06:56 AM PST  DUBAI (Reuters) - Hossein Ahmad, an Iranian who runs a jewelry shop in wealthy Dubai, marvels at the spending power he sees on show during his monthly trips to Tehran, a year after U.S. sanctions largely froze Iran out of the global banking system. Shops in the Iranian capital are crowded. Finding a seat at good restaurants can be difficult. And the ski resorts in the mountains north of Tehran continue to attract Tehran's glamorous and well-heeled. "The economy has problems with the sanctions, yes. But it's still working," he says. "It isn't as bad as people outside the country think. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria "Scud-type" missile said to kill 20 in Aleppo Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 06:44 AM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - A Syrian missile killed at least 20 people in a rebel-held district of Aleppo on Tuesday, opposition activists said, as the army turns to longer-range weapons after losing bases in the country's second-largest city. The use of what opposition activists said was a large missile of the same type as Russian-made Scuds against an Aleppo residential district came after rebels overran army bases over the past two months from which troops had fired artillery. ... Full Story | Top |
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