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| Two killed in Ecuador pro-government rally: President Correa Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:00 PM PST QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Monday evening said two government supporters were killed and several suffered stab wounds during a campaign rally almost two weeks before a presidential election that the leftist leader is expected to win comfortably. "Crazy person stabs seven AP people while they were waiting for the President. Two have been killed," Correa said in his Twitter account, referring to supporters of the ruling Alianza Pais political movement, AP. The incident occurred ahead of a campaign rally in Quininde, a town in the western Esmeraldas province. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico says Pemex blast caused by gas build-up, not explosives Monday, Feb 04, 2013 07:53 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A deadly blast that killed at least 37 people at Mexican state oil monopoly Pemex's headquarters in Mexico City was caused by a build-up of gas, the government said on Monday. Attorney General Jesus Murillo said no trace of explosives was found at the site of the explosion, the latest in a string of safety lapses to hit the oil monopoly. New President Enrique Pena Nieto is seeking to push through a major overhaul of Pemex. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali Tuaregs seize two fleeing Islamist leaders Monday, Feb 04, 2013 04:40 PM PST  KIDAL, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - Tuareg rebels in northern Mali said on Monday they had captured two senior Islamist insurgents fleeing French air strikes toward the Algerian border and France pressed ahead with its bombing campaign against al Qaeda's Saharan desert camps. Pro-autonomy Tuareg MNLA rebels said one of their patrols seized Mohamed Moussa Ag Mohamed, an Islamist leader who imposed harsh sharia (Islamic law) in the desert town of Timbuktu, and Oumeini Ould Baba Akhmed, thought to be responsible for the kidnapping of a French hostage by al Qaeda splinter group MUJWA. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., allies ready more anti-mine drills as Iran tensions simmer Monday, Feb 04, 2013 04:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military announced on Monday an anti-mine exercise in "the Middle East's international waterways" in May with more than 20 nations participating, the latest show of global will to keep waterways open as tensions with Iran simmer. The drill was characterized as defensive and a follow-up to the IMCMEX 12 exercise held last September, focused on keeping oil shipping lanes open by clearing mines that potentially Iran, or even guerrilla groups, might deploy to disrupt tanker traffic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's PM Cameron faces gay marriage revolt as plots swirl Monday, Feb 04, 2013 04:03 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to see off a rebellion within his ruling Conservative party on Tuesday over his government's plans to legalize gay marriage, thanks to support from political rivals. But though parliament is likely to vote to give the draft law its initial approval, more than 100 of Cameron's 303 Conservative lawmakers are expected to vote against it on what they say are moral grounds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel challenger suggests Greece should be given more time Monday, Feb 04, 2013 03:28 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's main challenger in this year's federal election said on Monday that recession-struck Greece should be given more time to implement its reforms even though this would cost more money. Peer Steinbrueck, a former finance minister, said it was necessary for crisis-stricken states to get their budgets in order and consolidate sovereign debt. But Merkel's center-right government was too focused on consolidation, he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Draghi informed of Monte Paschi doubts but not at fault: source Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:41 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Mario Draghi was informed of doubts raised by Bank of Italy inspectors about the Monte dei Paschi bank but had little control over what has been widely criticized as ineffective oversight of the scandal-hit lender, a senior BoI source told Reuters. The roots of the corruption and derivatives scandal at Monte dei Paschi all stem back to when Draghi, now president of the European Central Bank, was chief of Italy's central bank from 2006 to 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's president wishes to visit Gaza Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:20 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is due to take part in a summit in Egypt this week, expressed his desire on Monday to visit the neighboring Gaza Strip. Asked in an interview on the Al Mayadeen news channel whether he would visit Gaza while in Cairo next week or before his term as president expires in June, he replied: "My wish is bigger than this. I wish to pray in Jerusalem after complete liberation." Iran does not recognize Israel. "If they allow it, I would go to Gaza to visit the people," he said, without saying whose authority he would seek. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt opposition in muddle over call to oust Mursi Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:11 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main opposition alliance denied on Monday that it was demanding the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi, backing away from an earlier statement that appeared to do just that. Police and protesters clashed in the Nile Delta town of Al-Gharbiyah on Monday night as the National Salvation Front (NSF) struggled to clarify its position. The protesters torched a police vehicle and attacked the governorate's office and police station, a security source. Police fired tear gas to disperse them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition chief says offers Assad peaceful exit Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:38 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on Monday to start talks for its departure from power and save the country from greater ruin after almost two years of bloodshed. Seeking to step up pressure on Assad to respond to his offer of talks - which dismayed some in his own opposition coalition, Alkhatib said he would be ready to meet the president's deputy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombian ELN rebels capture two thought to be German citizens Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:36 PM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) said on Monday they have captured two men believed to be from Germany, the second time in a month the armed group has seized foreigners. The ELN, Colombia's second largest guerrilla group, said in a statement the two were seized in Catatumbo, near the border with Venezuela. It identified the two captives as Uwe Breuer and Gunther Otto Breuer. The ELN said it considered the two "for now" to be intelligence agents because they could not explain why they were in the area, the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrians executed for collaborating with Assad forces: video Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:23 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels executed three brothers, one of them a rebel fighter, and a fourth relative after accusing them of cooperating with President Bashar al-Assad's forces and killing a fellow rebel, a video posted on the Internet appears to show. The video showed the four men sitting on chairs while a voice behind the camera says they "have sold their souls to the oppressor regime ... and conspired against their brothers in religion and country". It later shows gunmen unleashing volleys of shots at four prone bodies. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian defense minister says army can't be beaten Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:21 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's defense minister said the army had proved it would not be defeated in its confrontation with rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, but declined to say whether it would respond to an Israeli air strike last week. "This heroic Syrian Arab army proved to the world that it is a strong army, a trained army, an army that cannot be broken," Fahed al-Freij told state television in an interview broadcast on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazilian Congress elects leaders probed for corruption Monday, Feb 04, 2013 12:59 PM PST  BRASILIA (Reuters) - In a country that has taken big strides toward greater transparency in government in recent years, the Brazilian Congress is out of step. The lower chamber of Congress voted overwhelmingly on Monday for Henrique Alves to become its speaker, even though he is under investigation for graft. The selection of Alves came after the Senate chose a new leader who is also accused of corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan fails to withdraw troops from Sudan border Monday, Feb 04, 2013 12:52 PM PST JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's army said there were no orders to withdraw from the border with Sudan to set up a buffer zone by a deadline on Monday, despite the government saying last month it had begun pulling back its troops. In turn, Sudan said South Sudan's army was occupying territory north of the border, violating a peace deal brokered by the African Union in September. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three decades on, survivors of worst Pemex blast still want answers Monday, Feb 04, 2013 12:21 PM PST  SAN JUAN IXHUATEPEC, Mexico (Reuters) - As Mexico waits for news of what caused a deadly blast at the headquarters of state oil giant Pemex last week, survivors of the worst explosion in the company's history three decades ago still wonder what exactly happened then and what became of their friends. On November 19, 1984, a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) plant blew up in this town on the northern edge of Mexico City, consuming hundreds of people in a firestorm so powerful the sky could be seen glowing red at the other end of the capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ahmadinejad says war not solution in Syria Monday, Feb 04, 2013 12:09 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that Syria's crisis could not be solved by military means and he called for a national accord leading to elections. "War is not the solution...A government that rules through war - its work will be very difficult. A sectarian war should not be launched in Syria," he told Al Mayadeen television. "We believe that (deciding) whoever stays or goes is the right of the Syrian people. How can we interfere in that? We must strive to achieve national understanding, and free elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| G8 summit to follow Olympics in Russian resort of Sochi Monday, Feb 04, 2013 12:05 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will host world leaders at next year's G8 summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi a few months after holding the Winter Olympics there, President Vladimir Putin said in a decree on Monday. The decree published on the Kremlin website set Sochi as the site of the meeting of the leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations in 2014, when Russia will hold the rotating chairmanship of the G8. Russia will spend more than 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. condemns violence in Egypt, urges government to investigate Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:49 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States strongly condemned on Monday violence against protesters and sexual attacks on women in Egypt and called on the government to investigate and to hold those responsible to account. The last 10 days or so have seen violence between protesters and security forces in which 59 people have been killed. In an incident that sparked particular outrage, police were caught on video beating and dragging a naked man during a protest on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ahmadinejad urges support for Iraqi unity Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:48 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged regional countries on Monday to work for unity in Iraq, which has seen weeks of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, warning that any disturbance there would affect the whole Middle East. "If a fire breaks out it will burn everyone," Ahmadinejad, speaking through a translator, said in an interview with Al Mayadeen television. "I said with all honesty, those who are interfering will be subject to harm". A suicide bomber attacked a government-backed militia in Iraq on Monday, killing at least 22 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Altered mug shots spur probe into Greek police beatings Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:37 AM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek prosecutor ordered an investigation on Monday into whether four suspected bank robbers were beaten in custody, after police published mug shots that were altered to make their injuries appear less severe. Rights groups and critics have long accused Greek police of detaining immigrants and other prisoners in shocking conditions. Photos published in the Greek media of the men, who were aged between 20 and 25 and arrested on Friday, showed them bruised and bleeding while being escorted by police. But mug shots released by the police over the weekend had injuries ... Full Story | Top |
| Monti promotes women's rights on Berlusconi sex trial day Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:01 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti spoke of the importance of women's rights on Monday, while his election rival Silvio Berlusconi sought to have his latest hearing in a trial for underage prostitution postponed. Berlusconi's "Bunga Bunga" sex scandal was one of the factors that cut short his last spell as prime minister in late 2011 at the height of the euro zone debt crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pirates seize French tanker, 17 crew off Ivory Coast Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:48 AM PST ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Suspected Nigerian pirates have hijacked a French-owned Luxembourg-flagged tanker along with its 17-member crew off Ivory Coast, Ivorian officials and the International Maritime Bureau said on Monday. The Gulf of Guinea area is second only to the waters off Somalia for piracy and there has been a spate of violent attacks in vessels in recent days, prompting the bureau to issue a security alert for the region. The Gascogne was the second vessel to be seized off Ivory Coast in less than three weeks and the first to have been taken so far from shore. ... Full Story | Top |
| Schoolbooks ingrain Israeli-Palestinian enmity: U.S.-funded study Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:47 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israelis and Palestinians depict each other in schoolbooks as an enemy and largely deny their adversary's history and existence, according to a U.S. government-funded study published on Monday. Young minds are inheriting a century-old struggle for land and legitimacy through their schoolbooks, said a panel of Muslim, Jewish and Christian social scientists from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. ... Full Story | Top |
| After 500 years, Richard III's bones yield their secret Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:26 AM PST  LEICESTER, England (Reuters) - A skeleton with a cleaved skull and a curved spine dug up from under a car park is that of Richard III, archaeologists said on Monday, solving a 500-year-old mystery about the final resting place of the last English king to die in battle. ... Full Story | Top |
| Belgian child killer requests early release Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:25 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's most notorious killer launched a bid for early release on Monday, despite little chance of getting parole. Marc Dutroux, who was convicted of the kidnapping and rape of six girls and the murder of four of them in the 1990s, put his case to judges in a closed-door hearing in Brussels. The case touches a nerve in Belgium because of the horrific nature of the murders, and the fact that Belgian police visited one of Dutroux's houses while two victims, both eight years old, were being held there without finding them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez improving after tough cancer fight: Fidel Castro Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:23 AM PST  HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is getting "much better" as he recovers from cancer surgery almost two months ago in Havana, Communist Party newspaper Granma reported on Monday. Castro, 86, spoke to reporters as he voted on Sunday in Cuba's parliamentary elections in one of his increasingly rare public appearances. He said he gets daily reports on the condition of Chavez, who is Cuba's top socialist ally and benefactor. "He is much better, recovering. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea nuclear test would face "firm" U.N. action: South Korea Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:09 AM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is united on North Korea's nuclear arms program and will undoubtedly approve tough measures against Pyongyang if it carries out a new atomic test as expected, South Korean U.N. Ambassador Kim Sook said on Monday. "The North Korean nuclear test seems to be imminent," Kim, who is president of the Security Council this month, told reporters. "Obviously there are very busy activities going on at the (North Korean) nuclear test site, and everybody's watching." "Everybody is unified and they are firm and resolute," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Talks to bolster Kosovo's ruling coalition collapse Monday, Feb 04, 2013 09:39 AM PST PRISTINA (Reuters) - Negotiations to shore up Kosovo's shaky coalition government by enlisting the support of a former guerilla commander have broken down, officials said on Monday, raising the prospect of a snap election. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, who tried to bring former premier Ramush Haradinaj and his Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) in to his coalition government to bolster his slim majority in parliament, insisted the coalition remained stable. "The current coalition is very stable and effective and will continue to do its job," Thaci told journalists in Pristina. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian oligarch's newspaper wins London TV franchise Monday, Feb 04, 2013 09:27 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - London's Evening Standard, backed by the family of Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev, won a London television franchise on Monday, beating four other bidders with a package offering live news from the paper's West London offices. Britain's telecoms regulator is offering 21 licenses for local digital TV stations, most covering single cities. The London franchise, which offers an audience of up to 4 million people, is potentially the most lucrative. ... Full Story | Top |
| S.Africa's Zuma equates mine closure plans with "blackmail" Monday, Feb 04, 2013 09:18 AM PST  CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma said on Monday that mining companies were almost engaging in "blackmail" when they announce plans to close mines and lay off workers. Zuma's pre-recorded comments broadcast on CNBC Africa come as the government, unions and ruling African National Congress have come out strongly against proposals by Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) to mothball two mines and lay off 14,000 workers as it strives to return to profit. "When the miners say we are cutting down, we are closing ... You see, that is almost blackmail," Zuma said. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's ANC picks fight with teachers union Monday, Feb 04, 2013 09:07 AM PST JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress wants to make strikes illegal for teachers as it tries to improve a creaking education system and woo young voters before next year's election A senior official described the strikes, which waste weeks of teaching time each year, as threatening the "survival of society", setting the ruling party on a collision course with its traditional union allies. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek finance minister sent bullet in the mail Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:59 AM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's finance minister was sent a bullet and a death threat from a group protesting home foreclosures, police officials said on Monday, in the latest incident to raise fears of growing political violence. The package was sent by a little-known group called "Cretan Revolution", which warned the minister against any efforts to seize homes and evict homeowners, police sources said. The group sent similar letters to tax offices in Crete last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani girl shot by Taliban doing well after surgery: doctors Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:41 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - A Pakistani schoolgirl who underwent reconstructive surgery in Britain after being shot in the head by the Taliban said on Monday she felt much better and was focused on her mission to help others. A team of doctors carried out a five-hour operation on fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai on Saturday to mend parts of her skull with a titanium plate and help restore hearing on her left side with a cochlear implant. Speaking 24 hours after waking up from surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, Yousufzai said she was already walking around. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's Salehi says U.S. is changing approach to Tehran Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:37 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday he saw U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's offer this weekend of bilateral dialogue between their two countries as a sign of a change in approach to Tehran by Washington. Iran is embroiled in a long stand-off with big powers over its nuclear program. Tehran insists its atomic activity is for peaceful energy only while the United States and other powers suspect it of seeking the capability to build a nuclear weapon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition urges Assad to respond to dialogue call Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:22 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged President Bashar al-Assad on Monday to take a clear stance on his initiative for dialogue, adding that it was aimed at ending the bloodshed and to "help the regime leave peacefully". Alkhatib, speaking after meeting Russian and U.S. officials in Germany, told Al Jazeera news channel that major powers had no vision for a solution to the war in Syria and only Syrians could decide on a way forward. ... Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar holds peace talks with Kachin leaders in China Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:19 AM PST  YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's government held talks with top commanders of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) rebel group in China on Monday to try to rescue a faltering peace process and end one of the country's bloodiest ethnic conflicts. The KIA is fighting for autonomy for Kachin state within a federal Myanmar, which successive governments of the ethnically diverse country have long rejected. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranian Shi'ite president to meet Egypt's top Sunni cleric Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:18 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The president of the Shi'ite Islamic Republic of Iran will court Egypt's top Sunni Muslim cleric at al-Azhar university on Tuesday in a historic trip pointing to Tehran's efforts to improve ties with an Arab state now run by an Islamist. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be the first Iranian head of state to visit Egypt since the 1979 Iranian revolution, which led to a rupture in diplomatic relations between two of the most influential states in the Middle East. He is due to attend a two-day Islamic summit in Cairo that begins on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Serb PM says victim of plot to link him to drug barons Monday, Feb 04, 2013 08:17 AM PST  BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's prime minister said on Monday he was the victim of a "cunning and dirty" plot to topple him following a flurry of leaks linking the Socialist leader to a suspected drug trafficker. Prime Minister Ivica Dacic has denied there was anything untoward in his meetings in 2008 and 2009 with Rodoljub Radulovic, known as Misha Banana. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia eyes crackdown on duty-free booze after brawls on flights Monday, Feb 04, 2013 07:51 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia may soon crack down to stop boozy flights after a spate of brawls involving drunken passengers. State television on Monday broadcast amateur footage of several drink-soaked punch-ups after a plane made a forced landing in Uzbekistan on the way to Thailand on Sunday because a Russian had attacked other passengers. The footage included shots of a man butting a steward during one flight and a fight among passengers queuing for the toilet during another. In a third incident, a man was tied to his seat and his mouth taped shut after passengers got fed up with him. ... Full Story | Top |
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