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| Gingerly, film-maker tests limits of freedom in Myanmar Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:41 PM PDT  By Jared Ferrie YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar movie director Zay Par is doing what would have been unthinkable two years ago - putting the finishing touches to a film that harks back to a 1988 student uprising brutally put down by military rulers. Hunched in front of a computer in a cramped room in Yangon, Zay Par says he is testing the boundaries of newfound artistic freedom that has blossomed since the junta handed power to a hand-picked civilian government in 2011 - but very carefully. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama administration overturns ban on some iPad, iPhones Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:28 PM PDT  By Diane Bartz and Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has overturned a U.S. trade panel's ban on the sale of some older iPhones and iPads, reversing a ruling that had favored Samsung Electronics Co Ltd over Apple Inc in their long-running patent battles. The U.S. International Trade Commission in June banned the import or sale of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G distributed by AT&T Inc, saying the devices infringed a patent owned by the South Korean electronics giant. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands rally to support embattled Tunisia government Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:20 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara and Erika Solomon TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution. Supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda officials said more than 150,000 attended. Fireworks flashed overhead and red Tunisian flags fluttered over a sea of demonstrators. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House holds high-level meeting over security threat Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:14 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top national security advisers met at the White House on Saturday to discuss the potential threat of terrorist attacks that caused Washington and its allies to issue travel warnings and close embassies throughout the Middle East. The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait forms new Cabinet, names al-Shamali oil minister Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 06:10 PM PDT  ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Mustapha al-Shamali was appointed oil minister in Kuwait's new Cabinet, state news agency KUNA said on Sunday after a parliamentary election in the major crude producer last month. The position was previously held on an acting basis by al-Shamali, after his predecessor, Hani Hussein, resigned in May under pressure from parliament. Oil policy in the OPEC member state is set by a Supreme Oil Council, so ministerial changes are less important than in other countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Conciliatory tones in Egypt as envoys seek to avert bloodbath Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 06:02 PM PDT  By Tom Perry and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed rulers and allies of its deposed Islamist president gave the first signs on Saturday of a readiness to compromise, pressed by Western envoys trying to head off more bloodshed. Faced with the threat of a crackdown on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, diplomacy appeared to pick up pace, a month to the day since Egypt's army deposed President Mohamed Mursi and plunged the country into turmoil. ... Full Story | Top |
| France to close embassy in Yemen temporarily on security fears Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 05:50 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would close its embassy in Yemen for several days from Sunday and urged its citizens in the country to take precautions because of elevated security threats. The decision came after similar moves by Britain and Germany, which followed a U.S. decision to close more than a dozen embassies temporarily in the Middle East and Africa. The U.S. State Department said on Thursday American embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo - would be closed that day because of unspecified security concerns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Morocco's king promises an investigation into pardon of pedophile Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 05:03 PM PDT RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's king said on Saturday he did not know the gravity of the offences committed by the Spanish pedophile whose royal pardon sparked violent protests, and promised an investigation. "The king has ordered a thorough investigation to find out the responsibilities and failures that led to the regrettable release ... and to impose the necessary punishments," the palace said in a statement released late on Saturday and carried by state news agency MAP. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels seize anti-tank missiles in raid on army base Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:58 PM PDT By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels captured an ammunition depot north of Damascus from President Bashar al-Assad's forces on Saturday, activists said, seizing a hoard of anti-tank missiles and rockets which will strengthen their firepower after a string of defeats. Video footage of the raid showed delighted rebel fighters carrying out boxes of weapons from the arms cache in Denha, near the town of Yabroud, following an overnight attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disabled woman who won court battle with mother moves in with friends Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:51 PM PDT By Noreen O'Donnell (Reuters) - A 29-year-old Virginia woman with Down syndrome who successfully fought her mother's attempt to be her guardian has moved in with friends, according to one of the people she now lives with. In a case watched carefully by advocates for people with disabilities, Margaret Jean Hatch, who is known as Jenny, had been fighting for nearly a year to be able to choose where to live. She succeeded on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| NRA opens Midwest museum showing nearly 1,000 firearms Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:33 PM PDT  By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association has opened an elaborate museum in the American Midwest, displaying nearly 1,000 firearms, including those used by French Emperor Napoleon and Hollywood cowboy star John Wayne, along with subtle reminders of the campaign for the right to gun ownership. The NRA National Sporting Arms Museum opened on Friday at a sprawling Bass Pro Shops outdoor retail store in Springfield, Missouri, a politically conservative central U.S. city that is a gateway to the mountainous Ozarks region popular with tourist and hunters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya's deputy prime minister resigns Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:31 PM PDT  BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Libya's deputy prime minister, Awad al-Barasi, resigned on Saturday, saying he was not given enough powers to carry out his duties. "I cannot work in a dysfunctional government where my powers are lost," al-Barasi told a news conference in Benghazi. Barasi criticized Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's Cabinet, saying it did not deal with problems in a real manner. Zeidan said last week he would reshuffle the Cabinet and reorganize the government to cope with the urgent situation in the country following killings in the eastern city of Benghazi that sparked violent demonstrations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pro-government rally draws tens of thousands in Tunisia Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:28 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution. Shouting, "No to coups, yes to elections," supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, called on supporters of the embattled government to join the rally to push back against a week of mass protests calling for the government's ouster. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tens of thousands turn out in support of Tunisia government Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:07 PM PDT  TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, one of the largest demonstrations seen since the 2011 revolution. Shouting, "No to coups, yes to elections," supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, called on supporters of the embattled government to join the rally to push back against a week of mass protests calling for the government's ouster. ... Full Story | Top |
| In New York mayor race, lesbian candidate struggles to win women's vote Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:00 PM PDT  By Francesca Trianni NEW YORK (Reuters) - At Cubbyhole, a popular New York lesbian bar, for every two revelers who praised City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, in her race to become the city's first woman and first openly gay mayor, one complained about her style and political policies. "Just because she's a lesbian, it doesn't mean I'll vote for her," said Veronica Gonzales, 32, who works for a non-profit organization. "She is not socially liberal enough, and she has this air about her like she is above it all - like she is above us. ... Full Story | Top |
| Attack on Indian mission in Afghanistan raises specter of regional struggle Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:52 PM PDT  By Rafiq Shirzad JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Insurgents attacked the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's eastern capital on Saturday, killing nine people and reinforcing fears that a bloody regional power struggle will be played out in the country once most foreign troops leave. Twenty-three people were wounded when checkpoint guards stopped three attackers in a car as they approached the consulate in Jalalbabad city, the office of the governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Sherzai, said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran gets new president, vows 'constructive' foreign relations Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:51 PM PDT  By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Hassan Rouhani took office as Iran's president on Saturday promising "constructive interaction with the world" after eight years under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad marked by diplomatic confrontation and damaging sanctions. The politically moderate 64-year-old cleric's resounding victory at June's election raised hopes of a negotiated end to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and an easing of the sanctions that have hit the OPEC country's oil exports. That could avert a possible new war in the Middle East. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. issues global travel alert, cites al Qaeda threat Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:36 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The State Department travel alert was based on the same intelligence that prompted it to close 21 U.S. embassies and consulates on Sunday, August 4, chiefly those in the Muslim world, a U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The Department of State alerts U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands of Palestinians welcome Barcelona to West Bank Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 01:33 PM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi DURA, West Bank (Reuters) - Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the arrival of Barcelona in the West Bank on Saturday where Argentine forward Lionel Messi and his team mates showed off their skills to adoring fans. Some 25,000 spectators, many clad in Barca shirts, packed every corner of a new stadium in the town of Dura in the southern West Bank as the Barca players held an hour-long clinic with some 40 young Palestinian boys and girls. Hundreds of other fans itching to get in were left stranded outside the packed ground as a large security force secured the perimeter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Thousands of Palestinians welcome Barcelona to West Bank Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 01:32 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi DURA, West Bank, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the arrival of Barcelona in the West Bank on Saturday where Argentine forward Lionel Messi and his team mates showed off their skills to adoring fans. Some 25,000 spectators, many clad in Barca shirts, packed every corner of a new stadium in the town of Dura in the southern West Bank as the Barca players held an hour-long clinic with some 40 young Palestinian boys and girls. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's Mugabe declared winner, rival challenges poll result Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 01:19 PM PDT  By Nelson Banya and MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Africa's oldest president, Robert Mugabe, was declared winner of Zimbabwe's election on Saturday, but his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, said he would challenge in court a result he called a fraud that would push the nation back into crisis. Mugabe, 89, who has ruled the former British colony in southern Africa since its independence in 1980, was formally proclaimed re-elected for a five-year term barely an hour after Tsvangirai announced his planned legal challenge. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish police fire water cannon, teargas at Istanbul protesters Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 12:39 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse small groups of anti-government protesters in central Istanbul on Saturday evening, television footage showed. There was a heavy riot police presence in the area around Istanbul's central Taksim square early in the evening, after calls for anti-government protests were made on social media. However there were no signs of large-scale protests. Halk TV footage showed police firing water cannon and teargas on the main pedestrian street leading to Taksim square and on adjoining side streets. ... Full Story | Top |
| First woman South Carolina military school graduate to challenge senator Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 12:02 PM PDT  By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - The first female graduate of The Citadel military college said on Saturday she will run in the Republican primary against South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who is one of several Republican incumbents facing challenges from the more conservative wing of the party. Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from the previously all-male military college in 1999, announced her candidacy at a local Republican Party meeting in Goose Creek, South Carolina. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. grand jury probing contractor that vetted Snowden: WSJ Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:41 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The company that conducted the most recent security review of former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into its background check processes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people involved with the probe. Federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating whether USIS, a U.S. government contractor, rushed its cases without doing a proper review, which would be a violation of the False Claims Act, the Journal said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb explodes west of Bahraini capital Manama Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:36 AM PDT MANAMA (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded near a recreational area in Budaiya, west of the Bahraini capital Manama, on Saturday but no casualties were reported, the Interior Ministry said. Two gas cylinders were planted in a parked vehicle but only one exploded, a ministry source told Reuters. Bahrain, a majority Shi'ite country ruled by the Sunni al Khalifa family, has been buffeted by political unrest since 2011, with mostly Shi'ite Bahrainis agitating for democratic reforms and more say in government. ... Full Story | Top |
| NSA revelations could hurt collaboration with 'betrayed' hackers Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:26 AM PDT  By Joseph Menn LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The U.S. government's efforts to recruit talented hackers could suffer from the recent revelations about its vast domestic surveillance programs, as many private researchers express disillusionment with the National Security Agency. Though hackers tend to be anti-establishment by nature, the NSA and other intelligence agencies had made major inroads in recent years in hiring some of the best and brightest, and paying for information on software flaws that help them gain access to target computers and phones. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali's Dembele breaks ranks, backs former PM Keita in run-off Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:21 AM PDT  Bamako (Reuters) - The candidate of Mali's largest political party, who came third in the first round of the country's presidential election, broke ranks with his own party on Saturday and said he will back former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in a run-off. Dramane Dembele's move goes against his Adema-PASJ party's plans and deals a blow to the anti-junta coalition that had formed around former Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse, who will be Keita's contender in the August 11 second round. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cleveland abductor moved to state prison for evaluation Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:12 AM PDT  By Kim Palmer COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - The Cleveland bus driver sentenced to life in prison for abducting three women and repeatedly raping them over a decade has been moved to an Ohio state prison for evaluation, a county spokesman said on Saturday. Ariel Castro, 53, was taken on Friday from a jail in Cleveland to the Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio, according to Cuyahoga County spokesman, John O'Brien. Castro will undergo a mental and physical evaluation before being placed permanently in a facility, O'Brien said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Egypt pro-Mursi alliance signals flexibility in talks Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 10:26 AM PDT  By Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Allies of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi told mediators on Saturday they respected the popular will expressed in mass protests that led to his downfall, suggesting they might be backing away from a demand he be reinstated. Tarek El-Malt, spokesman for the pro-Mursi delegation that met envoys from the United States and the European Union, said his camp sought a resolution to Egypt's crisis based on the constitution that was suspended after he was deposed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranians may have abducted Briton in Dubai: UK government source Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:53 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is taking seriously allegations that a British-Iranian citizen who went missing in Dubai in June may have been kidnapped by "elements in Iran", a government source in London said on Saturday. Abbas Yazdi was reported missing on June 25 and his wife Atena has told Dubai-based news website 7Days that she fears he may have been kidnapped by Iranian intelligence officers. "We believe that allegations that elements in Iran might be responsible for Mr Yazdi's disappearance are plausible, and we are taking them very seriously," the source told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranians may have abducted Briton in Dubai - government source Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:51 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is taking seriously allegations that a British-Iranian citizen who went missing in Dubai in June may have been kidnapped by "elements in Iran", a government source in London said on Saturday. Abbas Yazdi was reported missing on June 25 and his wife Atena has told Dubai-based news website 7Days that she fears he may have been kidnapped by Iranian intelligence officers. "We believe that allegations that elements in Iran might be responsible for Mr Yazdi's disappearance are plausible, and we are taking them very seriously," the source told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's fragile coalition bickers over Berlusconi conviction Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:50 AM PDT  By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - Politicians in Italy's fragile coalition government traded increasingly heated barbs on Saturday over a tax conviction that threatens the political future of center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi. The former prime minister has told his party to demand reform of the justice system - which he maintains found him guilty of tax fraud because of political bias - or withdraw from a delicate coalition with the center-left Democratic Party (PD) that has so far lasted three months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil court sentences 25 police officers for prison massacre Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:41 AM PDT BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian court sentenced 25 police officers to 624 years in jail on Saturday for the killing of dozens of inmates in the country's bloodiest prison riot in which 111 people died two decades ago. Military police stormed Sao Paulo's Carandiru prison in 1992 to quell a riot sparked by a fight between two rival gangs that started with a quarrel during a soccer game. The revolt ended in a massacre that exposed the harsh conditions of prisons in Brazil and the rest of Latin America. It became the subject of a 2003 hit film. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek police arrest German on suspicion of spying Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:29 AM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - A 72-year-old German man has been arrested on a Greek island on suspicion of spying for Turkey, police said on Saturday. The man told police he had photographed barracks and other military-related buildings on the island of Chios for five people he believed were Turkish nationals who paid him up to 1,500 euros ($2,000) for each assignment. Police suspect the individuals worked for the Turkish secret services, a Greek police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said, adding that investigations were ongoing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian army chief says does not 'aspire for authority' Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, asked by the Washington Post on Saturday whether he planned to run for president, said he did not "aspire for authority." "You just can't believe that there are people who don't aspire for authority," Sisi told the interviewer. Asked "Is that you?", he replied: "Yes." Sisi, who led the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi on July 3, urged the United States to use its leverage over Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood to end a political crisis that has killed scores over the past month. ... Full Story | Top |
| Robert Mugabe re-elected Zimbabwe's president: election commission Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:25 AM PDT  HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has won re-election for a further five-year term, the Zimbabwe Election Commission said on Saturday. "Mugabe, Robert Gabriel, of ZANU-PF party is therefore duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect of today," commission head Rita Makarau told a news conference, giving the results of the July 31 vote which Mugabe's main challenger has rejected as a fraud. (Reporting by Cris Chinaka; Editing by Pascal Fletcher) Full Story | Top |
| EU concerned about lack of transparency in Zimbabwe election Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:21 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Saturday it was concerned about alleged irregularities and a lack of transparency in Zimbabwe's election, its strongest criticism so far of a poll that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has branded a "farce". The EU's verdict on the fairness of the elections will be crucial to deciding whether it continues to ease sanctions on the southern African country. "The EU is concerned about alleged irregularities and reports of incomplete participation, as well as the identified weaknesses in the electoral process and a lack of transparency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt working toward political reconciliation, Sisi tells U.S Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:19 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the United States on Saturday that the new army-installed Egyptian leadership was working toward political reconciliation following the military overthrow of the president on July 3, the Pentagon said on Saturday. Sisi's made the comments during a telephone conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in which the Pentagon chief expressed concern about violence in Egypt after the military toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tsvangirai's MDC to challenge Zimbabwe vote in court Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 08:56 AM PDT By Nelson Banya and MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will challenge in court an election victory by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party which the MDC rejects as a fraud, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Saturday. "We are going to go to court, we are going to go to the AU (African Union), we are going to go to the SADC (Southern African Development Community)," Tsvangirai angrily told a news conference in Harare. ... Full Story | Top |
| MDC to challenge Zimbabwe election through 'all legal remedies': Tsvangirai Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 08:22 AM PDT  HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Saturday his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) totally rejected an election result giving victory to President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and would exhaust all legal remedies to challenge it. The MDC would not participate in any government resulting from what he called a "fraudulent" election, Tsvangirai told a news conference in Harare. (Reporting Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Pascal Fletcher) Full Story | Top |
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