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| Putin will not 'cave' to Obama pressure: Snowden's father Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:29 PM PDT  By Tabassum Zakaria and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The father of Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor, predicted on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will stand up to pressure from Washington as the two nations spar over Moscow's decision to grant his son asylum. Lon Snowden's comments came on the day that President Barack Obama canceled a summit meeting with Putin planned for next month in retaliation for Russia giving refuge to Edward Snowden. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama cancels meeting with Russia's Putin over Snowden decision Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:16 PM PDT  By Susan Heavey and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday canceled a Moscow summit with President Vladimir Putin planned for next month in retaliation for Russia's decision to grant asylum to fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. The move marks a stark low point in U.S.-Russian relations and raised questions about the "reset" in ties that Obama embarked on in his first term to try to gain more diplomatic cooperation, only to find that deep differences remained. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt at 'dangerous stalemate' in political crisis Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:35 PM PDT By Shadia Nasralla and Angus MacSwan CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's political crisis entered a tense phase on Wednesday after international mediation efforts collapsed and the army-installed government repeated its threat to take action against supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi. Both sides called their supporters on to the streets on Thursday, while Mursi supporters in two protest camps in Cairo strengthened sandbag-and-brick barricades in readiness for any action by security forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ghana court says to rule on election challenge by August 29 Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:29 PM PDT By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will rule by August 29 on an opposition challenge to the result of December's presidential election that was won by incumbent John Mahama. The outcome could have big implications for the West African state where investor excitement over its strong economy - GDP is expected to grow by 8 percent in 2013 for the second consecutive year - is tempered by concern over macroeconomic instability. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech PM loses confidence vote, chances of early election grow Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:46 PM PDT  By Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller PRAGUE (Reuters) - The new Czech cabinet formed by allies of leftist President Milos Zeman lost a confidence vote on Wednesday in a split vote that made it likely the country will hold an early election before the end of the year, possibly as soon as October. Zeman appointed his long-term supporter, economist Jiri Rusnok, in June, bypassing political parties that had proposed other options and accused Zeman of usurping powers that belong to parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt rulers need to talk to Brotherhood: Dutch minister Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:45 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Diplomatic mediation failed to break Egypt's political deadlock because the country's new rulers see no point in talking to the Muslim Brotherhood, but they will have to do so eventually, the visiting Dutch foreign minister said on Wednesday. Frans Timmermans was in Cairo for talks with the authorities and opposition parties on the day international efforts to facilitate a compromise collapsed, five weeks after the army ousted elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech president retains upper hand despite parliamentary defeat Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:43 PM PDT  By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) - Ultimately Czech President Milos Zeman couldn't quite beat the parliamentary arithmetic, but he still emerged on Wednesday with the upper hand over old political rivals in his remarkable comeback from the wilderness. While his prime minister lost a confidence motion, Zeman blithely told parliament before it had even voted that he would stay for some time - "even if you put me on the rack". ... Full Story | Top |
| Dutch embassy in Yemen was potential terror target: Foreign Minister Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:39 PM PDT  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands has extended the closure of its embassy in Sana'a and pulled all diplomatic staff out of Yemen because its mission was a potential target of a terror attack, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said in a statement on Wednesday. The decision was based on information from various intelligence agencies that several Western countries, including the Netherlands, were potential targets of a planned terror attack, a foreign ministry spokesman added. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. updates Myanmar sanctions to maintain gem import ban Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:34 PM PDT  By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States updated sanctions on Myanmar on Wednesday to maintain a ban on importing rubies and jade amid a relaxation of curbs on U.S. trade with the Southeast Asian nation, American officials said. President Barack Obama's executive order continues a gradual lifting sanctions aimed at encouraging political and economic reforms since the military government that had run the country also known as Burma for five decades stepped aside in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. adds $195 million in food aid to Syria Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is providing $195 million more in food and humanitarian aid to Syria to mark the end of Ramadan for Muslims, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. Washington has been slow to provide weapons for Syrian rebels struggling to toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but has provided a sizeable amount of humanitarian aid. A statement from Obama marking Eid al-Fitr, a festival marking the end of Ramadan, said the $195 million in additional aid would bring the U.S. humanitarian contribution to more than $1 billion since the Syrian crisis began. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech PM says will resign after losing confidence vote Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 12:42 PM PDT PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok said he and his government would resign as required by the constitution after failing to win a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday. Rusnok will likely stay in power pending discussions among political parties on holding an early election before the end of the year. (Reporting by Robert Muller; Writing by Jason Hovet; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Full Story | Top |
| Czech party calls parliament session to vote on early election Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 12:36 PM PDT PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech conservative party TOP09 asked on Wednesday for a special parliamentary session to discuss holding an early election, raising the chances of fresh polls late this year before a regular vote due next May. The move follows a vote in parliament on Wednesday in which the new cabinet led by Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok failed to win a vote of confidence. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Full Story | Top |
| Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 12:00 PM PDT  ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone killed at least six suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after U.S. and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks. It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen turmoil could stall Obama's effort to close Guantanamo Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:57 AM PDT By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turmoil in Yemen and the warnings of attacks that prompted the United States to shut diplomatic missions across the Middle East could hinder President Barack Obama's plans to close Guantanamo Bay prison. Obama's plan to restart the repatriation of Yemeni inmates, a large group at the prison, is coming under increasing scrutiny because of the recent focus on the country as a hotbed of al Qaeda activity. A U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemeni former bin Laden aide pledged to fight for generations Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:46 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) whose alleged communications with al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri sparked a worldwide terrorism alert, is a veteran of global jihad who has promised the West a fight that will last for generations. According to Gregory Johnsen, author of a book on al Qaeda in Yemen, he was born in southern Yemen and left his country for the first time when he went to Afghanistan in 1998 to join al Qaeda. There he acted as Osama bin Laden's aide-de-camp until 2001, when the group was scattered after the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico president weighs energy reform, delays unveiling Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:38 AM PDT  By Anahi Rama and Ana Isabel Martinez MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's government has pushed back to next week the unveiling of a proposed energy sector overhaul, as President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday weighed the political cost of a divisive bill to revamp an ailing oil industry. The energy reform, which Pena Nieto said on Tuesday would be presented this week, aims to lure more private investment into the oil, gas and electricity sectors to boost flagging output and drive growth in Latin America's No. 2 economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says still time for dialogue in Egypt, urges compromise Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:32 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ending Egypt's political crisis will require compromise and there is still time for dialogue, the State Department said on Wednesday, as international envoys returned home and Egypt's interim government said the talks had failed. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said talks in Cairo with envoys from the United States, European Union, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates provided a "strong basis to create an environment in which Egypt can move forward." "We believe that any solution will require both sides to make compromises," Psaki told a briefing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali court confirms ex-PM Keita's election lead, runoff needed Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:11 AM PDT  BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's top court on Wednesday confirmed that former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won a July 28 presidential vote but fell short of an outright majority, meaning he will face ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse in a runoff on Sunday. The election is meant to turn the page on a March 2012 coup that toppled President Amadou Toumani Toure and allowed Islamist fighters to seize the West African nation's desert north. French forces intervened in January to scatter the al Qaeda-linked rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali election frontrunner's nationalist stance strikes popular chord Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 11:10 AM PDT  By David Lewis BAMAKO (Reuters) - A glance at billboards on the scruffy streets of Mali's capital Bamako says much about the difference between the rivals for the presidency in Sunday's runoff vote, and the prospects for peace in the West African country. Wearing a construction hat with his sleeves rolled up, Soumaila Cisse - a former finance minister portraying himself as an experienced technocrat - promises education reform, an overhaul of the army and a plan to create 500,000 jobs. Front-runner Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known universally by his initials IBK, takes a more visceral approach. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fire guts Kenya's main airport, chokes regional gateway Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:41 AM PDT  By Drazen Jorgic NAIROBI (Reuters) - A fire engulfed Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, forcing the suspension of international passenger flights and choking a vital travel gateway to east Africa. The country's anti-terror police boss said he did not believe that there was a terror link to the fire even though it coincided with the 15th anniversary of a twin attack by Islamist militants on the United States embassy in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of neighboring Tanzania. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain and Spain agree to try to defuse Gibraltar row Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:27 AM PDT  By Peter Griffiths and Sarah White LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) - Britain and Spain agreed on Wednesday to work together to calm tempers over the contested British overseas territory of Gibraltar, after the Spanish government threatened to restrict access to the territory. A centuries-old conflict over the British outpost boiled over in late July when boats from Gibraltar dumped concrete blocks into the sea to make a reef, and Spain created long delays at the border days later, with lengthy car checks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Tunisia eyes 'Egypt scenario' after assembly freeze Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:12 AM PDT  By Tarek Amara and Erika Solomon TUNIS (Reuters) - The suspension of Tunisia's transitional parliament could bring the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings closer to an "Egyptian scenario" in which the secular opposition topples an Islamist-led government, analysts and politicians say. The biggest shock to the ruling Ennahda party, the Tunisian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, may be that the latest blow came from one of its own secular allies - a sign of rising polarisation between Islamist and secular forces. "This is a win for the opposition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Swiss interrogate Kazakh oligarch Ablyazov's extended family Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:10 AM PDT  By Emma Farge and Martin de Sa'Pinto GENEVA/ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss authorities are interrogating the extended family of Mukhtar Ablyazov, a Kazakh oligarch arrested last week in France on fraud charges after 18 months on the run, and have effectively frozen some assets, a prosecutor said. A Swiss prosecutor said Kazakhstan had accused Swiss-based Viktor Khrapunov, a former Kazakh government minister, mayor and father-in-law of Ablyazov's eldest daughter Madina - along with his wife Leila - of using public money for property investments. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's Mugabe rejects West's criticism of his re-election Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:05 AM PDT  By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday defiantly rejected Western criticism of his disputed re-election and vowed to press ahead with nationalist economic policies transferring majority stakes in foreign-owned firms to blacks. In his first public comments since he was declared winner of a July 31 election that his main rival Morgan Tsvangirai rejects as fraudulent, Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader at 89, said his ZANU-PF party's victory had "dealt the enemy a blow". ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya anti-terror police boss sees no terror link to airport fire Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 09:07 AM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's anti-terror police boss said on Wednesday he did not believe there was a terror link to a fire that engulfed Kenya's main airport earlier in the day. "There is no connection with any sort of attack or terrorism," Boniface Mwaniki told Reuters. "We don't want to speculate, but at this stage we do not think there is any such link. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bulgarian president vetoes government plans to spend more Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 09:02 AM PDT  By Angel Krasimirov SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev vetoed a budget revision on Wednesday, saying the Socialist-led government had not shown enough transparency in its use of public money in the European Union's poorest state. Last Thursday parliament backed a plan to raise new debt in defiance of the government's opponents, including protesters who have been demonstrating for weeks against corruption. "I return the provisions about the revenues, expenses and planned new debt for reconsideration," Plevneliev told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sweden drops inquiry into police killing that sparked riots Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:38 AM PDT STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A state prosecutor on Wednesday dropped an inquiry into a police shooting of a 69-year-old man in a mainly immigrant suburb of Stockholm that sparked Sweden's worst riots in years, saying that the officer acted in self defence. The May killing in Husby of the knife-wielding man, who prosecutors said was shot after officers stormed his apartment because they feared he was threatening his wife, led to groups of youths rioting across the capital suburbs for nearly a week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran, U.S. waiting for other side to make nuclear compromise Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:14 AM PDT By Yeganeh Torbati and Jon Hemming DUBAI (Reuters) - The presidency of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani has opened a window of opportunity in Iran's delicate nuclear diplomacy with the West but Tehran-watchers say that window could close as each side waits for the other to make the first move. Cautious optimism about talks between Iran and six world powers due to restart in September is a stark contrast to the gloom over on-off negotiations under eight years of previous President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In that time, ever more stringent U.N., U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| As Berlusconi star fades, daughter Marina tipped as new leader Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:13 AM PDT  By Danilo Masoni MILAN (Reuters) - Although he has vowed to fight on, Silvio Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud has fuelled speculation that his eldest daughter Marina, head of his $6.6 billion business empire, could take his place as leader of the center-right in Italy. Loyalists in his People of Freedom (PDL) party insist that the 76-year old Berlusconi remains firmly in charge and will continue his 20-year leadership of the center-right. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy takes in stranded migrants after Malta refuses Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:06 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italy on Wednesday allowed 102 migrants who were stranded on a tanker in the Mediterranean to disembark on the Sicilian coast after Malta refused them entry for three days despite European Union calls for it to help on humanitarian grounds. The migrants, mainly from north Africa, were rescued from a boat 24 miles off the Libyan coast on Sunday by the Liberian-registered tanker Salamis. The tanker then headed for Malta but was refused entry to Maltese water by the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Delta Airbus 330 lands safely in Amsterdam after flaps malfunction Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:03 AM PDT AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Detroit-bound Delta Air Lines Inc Airbus A330 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon after experiencing technical difficulties following take-off from Paris, the airline said. "Delta Flight 99 was unable to retract its flaps after take off," Delta said in a statement. "As a precaution, the crew diverted the aircraft to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, landed uneventfully and taxied to the gate." The airline said the 298 passengers on board were being rebooked after disembarking the aircraft normally, a Delta spokesman said. The flight had a crew of 11. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt army says Sinai patrols kill 60 militants in month Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 07:55 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army said on Wednesday that it had killed 60 militants in the lawless Sinai Peninsula in the month since the military overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Citing widening "terrorist operations" in "recent times", the army said it was conducting an intensified campaign in Sinai in coordination with the interior ministry to crack down on militants that "threaten Egyptian national security. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen says foils Qaeda plot to seize city, oil and gas terminals Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 07:45 AM PDT By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen has foiled a plot by al Qaeda to seize two major oil and gas export terminals and a provincial capital in the east of the country, the government said on Wednesday, as Western embassies remained in lock-down in Sanaa and a spy plane circled above. The announcement of the thwarted plot comes after warnings of potential attacks by militants prompted Washington to shut diplomatic missions across the Middle East and Africa last week and to issue a global travel warning. Attention shifted to Yemen when U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blast wounds four Israeli soldiers at Lebanese border Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 07:05 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An explosion at the border with Lebanon wounded four Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, and the Lebanese Army said the troops were inside Lebanese territory when the blast occurred. The incident, in an area known for having land mines, did not appear to herald any surge in tension along a frontier that has been largely quiet since Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas fought a war in 2006. An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers were involved in "an activity near the border". He did not provide details about their exact location or what caused the blast. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt PM says decision to break up sit-in is final Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:59 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's interim prime minister said on Wednesday the government had not retreated from its decision to break up two Cairo sit-ins by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi and its patience had nearly expired. Hazem el-Beblawi, speaking in a televised statement, said the decision to break-up the protest camps was final. The protesters had "broken all the limits of peacefulness", he said, listing crimes including incitement of violence, the use of weapons, blocking roads and detaining citizens. "The government's patience to bear this is nearly expired," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya expects first overseas flights to Nairobi airport on Thursday Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:51 AM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya Airways said on Wednesday its first overseas flights to land at the Kenyan capital's fire-damaged airport would arrive as scheduled early on Thursday. "Flights from London and from Bangkok will arrive in Nairobi tomorrow morning as scheduled, and will be processed through the domestic terminal," the national flag carrier said in a statement. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by James Macharia) Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Saudi offers Russia deal to scale back Assad support - sources Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:35 AM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Amena Bakr AMMAN/DOHA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said on Wednesday. The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU 'very concerned' about failure of mediation attempts in Egypt Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:31 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Wednesday it was very concerned about the reported failure of diplomatic efforts to end Egypt's political crisis and urged all sides to reach a peaceful solution. "We are very concerned about the latest reports," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said, commenting on the Egyptian presidency's statement that international mediation efforts had ended. "The EU is urging all political groups to find a peaceful solution to the current stalemate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel plans to stand down in 2016 if re-elected: magazine Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:06 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel plans to step down as chancellor in 2016, a year before the end of a third term, if she is re-elected in a September 22 election, according to an unsourced article in Stern magazine on Wednesday. In a column titled "Merkel's last three years", a senior editor of the magazine wrote that she aims to give up politics some 25 years after she became a minister in former conservative Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet. Merkel is now 59. "2016 should be the date she stands down, the year before the federal election in 2017," wrote Hans-Ulrich Joerges. ... Full Story | Top |
| Before-and-after pictures show devastation in Syria's Aleppo Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:04 AM PDT  By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - The sharp outlines of houses are reduced to a blur of rubble in "before-and-after" satellite images of Aleppo published on Wednesday that show how civilians have borne the brunt of Syria's civil war. Amnesty International, which posted the photographs of the northern city on its website, says they show a campaign of indiscriminate air bombardment by government forces, razing entire areas and killing civilians. ... Full Story | Top |
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