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| China says told Biden airspace decision in line with international law Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 07:36 PM PST China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China told visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that Beijing's decision to set up an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea accorded with international law. "During the talks the Chinese side repeated its principled position, stressing that the Chinese move accorded with international law and practice and that the U.S. side ought to take an objective and fair attitude and respect it," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a brief statement. Full Story | Top |
| Biden says China's airspace zone has caused apprehension Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 07:09 PM PST  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that China's announcement of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea had caused apprehension in the region, and that he was firm about the U.S. stance on the move during talks in Beijing. Biden had around five hours of discussions with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, with both leaders laying out their perspective on an issue that has rattled countries in East Asia. "China's recent and sudden announcement of the establishment of a new air defense identification zone has, to state the obvious, caused significant apprehension in the region," Biden told a gathering of U.S. executives in Beijing. Full Story | Top |
| Toronto Mayor Ford may have tried to buy crack video -police documents Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 06:03 PM PST  By Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford may have offered cash and a car to buy a video allegedly showing him using crack cocaine, according to notes from police wiretaps. Ford admitted early last month he had smoked crack cocaine, saying it was probably "in one of my drunken stupors," but he said he is not an addict and does not need help. The existence of an alleged video was initially reported in May by the Toronto Star newspaper and media website Gawker. Ford said at the time that he could not comment on a video he had not seen "or does not exist." But according to police notes of a recorded phone conversation involving two suspected gang members, Ford was aware of the video's existence in March, and offered to buy it. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says may seek dismantling part of Arak reactor in final Iran deal Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 05:01 PM PST A top U.S. diplomat suggested on Wednesday the United States may press Iran to agree to dismantle part of its Arak nuclear reactor in a comprehensive agreement to rein in Tehran's atomic program. Under an interim deal agreed between Iran and six world powers last month, Iran is to shelve fuel production for six months at Arak, an unfinished heavy-water research reactor which Western countries say Tehran could use to produce plutonium for atomic bombs. Iran says the reactor is for medical isotopes. A comprehensive agreement "includes a lot of dismantling of their infrastructure," Wendy Sherman, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said on PBS Newshour, speaking about a final deal with Iran. Full Story | Top |
| Special Report: Thailand secretly supplies Myanmar refugees to trafficking rings Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:50 PM PST  By Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall RANONG, Thailand (Reuters) - One afternoon in October, in the watery no-man's land between Thailand and Myanmar, Muhammad Ismail vanished. Thai immigration officials said he was being deported to Myanmar. In fact, they sold Ismail, 23, and hundreds of other Rohingya Muslims to human traffickers, who then spirited them into brutal jungle camps. As thousands of Rohingya flee Myanmar to escape religious persecution, a Reuters investigation in three countries has uncovered a clandestine policy to remove Rohingya refugees from Thailand's immigration detention centers and deliver them to human traffickers waiting at sea. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico finds stolen radioactive material amid dirty bomb fear Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:39 PM PST  By Fredrik Dahl and Ana Isabel Martinez VIENNA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican police have found dangerous radioactive medical material stolen by thieves that the United Nations said could provide an ingredient for a "dirty bomb," the country's national nuclear safety commission CNSNS said on Wednesday. The truck was found on Wednesday close to where it was stolen outside Mexico City. The thieves removed the radioactive material from a protective case, exposing them to dangerous levels of radiation then dumped it less than a mile away. "Both the container and the radioactive source have been located," said Mardonio Jimenez Rojas, an official at the commission, told Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| Ten beached whales die in Florida Everglades, dozens in danger Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:27 PM PST  By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Ten beached whales have died and rescuers were trying to save dozens more that were swimming in dangerously shallow waters near shore in Everglades National Park in southwest Florida, park and wildlife officials said on Wednesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, said wildlife officers euthanized four whales because they could not be saved, and rescuers tried with little success to coax another 41 whales out into deeper water. NOAA said via Twitter that survival rates were typically low in such instances. The whales were first sighted on Tuesday afternoon in a remote part of the park near the Gulf of Mexico, park spokeswoman Linda Friar said. Full Story | Top |
| Thailand's anti-trafficking effort loses steam Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:27 PM PST By Andrew R.C. Marshall and Jason Szep BANGKOK (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department is gathering information for its next Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, due to be published in June. It ranks countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking. Thailand faces an automatic downgrade to Tier 3, the lowest rank, unless it makes "significant efforts" to improve its record, the State Department says. In an interview with Reuters, Police Maj-Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit of the Royal Thai Police defended Thailand's record for investigating and prosecuting traffickers and the Thai officials who help them. Full Story | Top |
| Chemical experts eye port to load Syria toxins onto U.S. ship Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:17 PM PST  The United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog are awaiting approval from a country to use its port to load Syria's most deadly chemicals onto a U.S. ship for destruction offshore, the head of the mission said on Wednesday. Sigrid Kaag, head of the joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Syria mission, briefed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday but did not identify which country she had been in talks with. The OPCW said on Saturday the United States had started modifying a U.S. naval vessel to be able to destroy Syria's 500 tons of chemicals, including actual nerve agents - neutralizing them offshore with other chemicals in a process known as hydrolysis. Italy, Norway and Denmark have offered to transport Syria's chemicals from the northern Syrian port of Latakia with military escorts. Full Story | Top |
| Delaying security deal a risk to Afghan forces: U.S. military chief Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:37 PM PST  By Phil Stewart and Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military could wait months for a political decision on whether troops stay or leave Afghanistan, but delaying a security pact would damage the confidence of Afghan forces and undermine NATO's plans, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday. The comments by General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, came amid an impasse over the security pact, which would allow American troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014. President Barack Obama's administration has said the pact needs to be signed this year, despite resistance from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has suggested the deal might not be concluded before presidential elections in April 2014. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico says thieves removed stolen radioactive material from case Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:35 PM PST Mexican police have found a container that held radioactive material and which was stolen by thieves as it was being transported near Mexico City, the country's national nuclear safety commission CNSNS said on Wednesday. The area around the stolen truck has been cordoned off. The plan was to return the radioactive material to a sealed case as soon as possible, the official added, but did not specify its precise whereabouts. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico lawmakers preparing to debate energy reform: top senator Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:30 PM PST  By Miguel Gutierrez and Adriana Barrera MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican lawmakers will send a landmark energy bill to Senate committees on Thursday to pave the way for debate on a cornerstone of President Enrique Pena Nieto's economic reform drive, a top ruling party lawmaker said on Wednesday. The bill, which would open Mexico's state-dominated energy sector to private investment in a bid to raise flagging oil output, will need approval of the Senate and lower house of Congress. Supporters say it is needed to raise slowing growth in Mexico, Latin America's second-largest economy. David Penchyna, leader of the Senate's energy committee and a member of Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said the bill would be submitted to Senate committees on Thursday, but that the committees would not vote on it until Friday at the earliest. Full Story | Top |
| German minister snubs Ukraine leaders on Kiev visit Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:29 PM PST By Richard Balmforth and Thomas Grove KIEV (Reuters) - Germany's foreign minister met Ukrainian opposition leaders at their protest camp in Kiev on Wednesday, in a snub to President Viktor Yanukovich, who triggered mass street demonstrations by spurning a pact with the EU and seeking closer ties with Moscow. As pro-EU demonstrators packed the main square, the crisis took a further toll on Ukraine's fragile economy, with the central bank forced to support the currency and the cost of insuring the country's debt against default rising further. Tension was high in the capital as protesters confronted ranks of black-helmeted riot police in front of the main presidential offices and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov accused the opposition of trying to provoke violence. Ukrainian officials went to Moscow in search of aid to avoid a financial meltdown, while Yanukovich is in China, also seeking economic assistance. Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia negotiators set deadline for crisis talks Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:08 PM PST  The powerful Tunisian labor union seeking to broker an agreement between ruling Islamists and secular opponents said on Wednesday the two sides had 10 days to name a prime minister to lead a caretaker administration meant to end the crisis. The Islamist-led government has agreed to step down in a few weeks as a way to ease political turmoil that threatened to destroy the country's transition to democracy nearly three years after its "Arab Spring" uprising. Under a deal brokered by the UGTT union movement, Islamist party Ennahda will step down once the two sides agree on the name of a premier, finish their new constitution and set a date for elections next year. But weeks of talks have stalled over the name of the candidate, although sources say the two sides are close to deciding between attorney Chaouki Tabib and former Finance Minister Jalloul Ayed. Full Story | Top |
| Biden calls for trust with China amid airspace dispute Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:06 PM PST By Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visiting China as a dispute over a new Chinese air defense zone rattles nerves around the region, said on Wednesday that relations between Washington and Beijing had to be based on trust. Beijing's decision to declare an air defense identification zone in an area that includes disputed islands has triggered protests from the United States, Japan and South Korea, and dominated Biden's talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. The United States has made clear it will stand by treaty obligations that require it to defend the Japanese-controlled islands, but it is also reluctant to get dragged into any military clash between rivals Japan and China. Full Story | Top |
| Arctic air spreads cold, snow from Rockies to Great Lakes Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:35 PM PST  By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A powerful Arctic cold front blanketed the western and central United States on Wednesday, dropping heavy snow on the Colorado Rockies across to the Great Lakes and bringing frigid temperatures across the region. Some mountain locations west of the Continental Divide could see up to 3 feet of snow before the system moves on, said Jim Kalina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado. The cold snap sent bitter chills across many areas of the U.S. west, and the storm stretched across the Dakotas to northeastern Minnesota where up to 3 feet of snow could fall along the north shore of Lake Superior, the weather service said. "We haven't seen a cold snap this early in the year that has lasted so long for 30 or 40 years," said Luke Robinson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula, Montana. Full Story | Top |
| Iran's ability to enrich uranium troubles U.S. lawmakers Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:30 PM PST  By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives said on Wednesday they are concerned about Iran's ability to continue enriching uranium under the interim agreement on Tehran's disputed nuclear program, an issue they are likely to press as global powers attempt to reach a final agreement. The concerns showed that House lawmakers could be willing to push for a new sanctions package next year that would define what Congress would be willing to accept in a final deal with Iran. The six-month interim deal made by the United States, five other world powers and Iran in Geneva last month gives International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors greater access to Iran's nuclear facilities and requires the Islamic Republic to halt its enrichment of higher grade uranium. But it allows Iran to continue enriching uranium up to 5 percent purity for generating nuclear power. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico finds stolen truck that carried radioactive material: official Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:19 PM PST Mexican police have found a truck they suspect was stolen by common thieves and carried a dangerous radioactive medical material the United Nations said could provide an ingredient for a "dirty bomb," a government official said on Wednesday. The truck was found close to where it was stolen outside Mexico City, said the official, who asked not to be identified in line with policy. The truck was stolen on Monday while it was taking cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste-storage center, Mexican officials and a U.N. agency said earlier. Full Story | Top |
| Mass grave with 21 bodies found near Mali military base Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:13 PM PST By Adama Diarra DIAGO, Mali (Reuters) - Malian authorities have found a mass grave believed to contain bodies of soldiers missing since last year, a find the nation's prosecutor said should lead to murder being added to charges against a former junta leader. General Amadou Sanogo, who led a March 2012 coup that plunged Mali into chaos, was arrested and charged with complicity in kidnapping last week, a sign Mali's new leaders are stamping their authority on the military. Mali's chief prosecutor Daniel Tessougue told Reuters all signs pointed to the bodies found being those of 21 soldiers who disappeared after a failed April 2012 "counter-coup" by soldiers loyal to ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure, but the formal identification process would have to be finalized. "We will add murder to the charges (against Sanogo). Full Story | Top |
| Banned satirist says Egypt's leaders do not accept criticism Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:04 PM PST  By Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's most popular television satirist, Bassem Youssef, who was pulled off the airwaves last month after mocking the army chief, said on Wednesday the move showed the military-backed rulers were intolerant of opposing views. Youssef rose to fame after the 2011 uprising that overthrew autocratic president Hosni Mubarak. He had criticized Islamist President Mohamed Mursi who took office after Mubarak and was ousted by the army in July after mass protests against his rule. "People protested on June 30 (the first day of the protests against Mursi) to put an end to dictatorship and fascism and to welcome freedom of opinion and the first thing to be done was a fight against an opinion," Youssef said in a television interview. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks to better understand Syria Islamists Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 02:00 PM PST  The United States sees value in getting to know Islamist militias in Syria, in order to better understand their intentions in the civil war there and their possible links with al Qaeda, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not say directly whether the United States is holding face-to-face talks with Islamist rebel groups. "So I think that finding that out, however we do so, is worth the effort." The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the United States and other countries have held direct discussions with certain Islamist groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil conflict. Also on Wednesday, a commander of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah who fought in Syria was shot dead outside his home in Lebanon. Full Story | Top |
| Italy vote ruling does not affect current parliament-source Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:57 PM PST The ruling by Italy's constitutional court rejecting elements of the current electoral law does not affect the status of the current parliament because all its decisions are forward-looking, a source close to the court said on Wednesday. "The sentence will only take effect after it is formally published and it is not retroactive." A number of opposition politicians had argued that a decision by the constitutional court to overturn the electoral law would invalidate the results of the last election and force an immediate return the polls. Full Story | Top |
| Italy's top court rules electoral law breaches constitution Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:57 PM PST  By Valentina Consiglio and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italy's electoral law is unconstitutional, its top court ruled on Wednesday, piling pressure on political parties to reform a system blamed for creating parliamentary deadlock. Most politicians agree, at least in public, that the electoral rules which helped produce a hung parliament after February's national vote must change to give Italy a chance of forming a stable government. But despite repeated exhortations from business leaders, union chiefs and President Giorgio Napolitano, progress on voting reform has long been blocked by parties worried that a new system could damage their electoral chances. "Now there is no more room for excuses from anyone, we have to move, quickly, to change the law," said Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, whose breakaway group from Silvio Berlusconi's center-right is a key part of the fragile ruling coalition. Full Story | Top |
| In Honduras slum, acid test for new leader's drug gang battle Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:50 PM PST  By Gabriel Stargardter TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A sprawling, well-kept cemetery buttresses the entrance to Nueva Capital, a sketchy Honduran slum with panoramic views over Tegucigalpa, the capital city of this violent country with the world's highest murder rate. Like many of the drug-scarred shanties that creep up the hills surrounding Tegucigalpa, Nueva Capital is a testing ground for the militarized gang-fighting policies of Juan Hernandez, Honduras' president-elect. Gang culture is rife in the main cities of Honduras. First formed in the 1980s in the United States by Central American immigrants, the "Calle 18" and "Mara Salvatrucha" gangs, or "maras," later blossomed into international franchises as members were deported back to their home countries. Full Story | Top |
| Dozens of whales beached in Florida's Everglades, 10 die Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:36 PM PST By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Ten whales have died and rescuers were trying to save dozens more that beached in Everglades National Park in southwest Florida, park and wildlife officials said on Wednesday. Wildlife officers euthanized four whales because they could not be saved, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, said. NOAA said via Twitter that survival rates were typically low in such instances. The whales were first sighted on Tuesday afternoon in a remote part of the park near the Gulf of Mexico, park spokeswoman Linda Friar said. Full Story | Top |
| Hezbollah says commander killed in Beirut, blames Israel Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:23 PM PST  By Laila Bassam and Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war was shot dead outside his home in Lebanon on Wednesday in a killing which the militant Shi'ite Muslim group blamed on Israel. Hassan al-Laqqis was shot in the head from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath district of Beirut, a source close to Hezbollah said. Israel, which fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, denied any role in the shooting and hinted that the motive may have been Hezbollah's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with Sunni Muslim rebels. Full Story | Top |
| First Israeli cabinet minister visits Turkey since 2010: officials Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:21 PM PST  A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and former defense chief flew to Istanbul on Wednesday, becoming the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit Turkey since ties ruptured in 2010 over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Environmental Affairs Minister Amir Peretz was attending a four-day U.N.-sponsored conference about Mediterranean marine and coastal environment issues. Confirming a report on Israel's Channel 2 television, the official said Peretz was the highest-ranking Israeli in Turkey since ties soured after Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists three years ago when their vessel violated an Israeli blockade on Hamas Islamist-ruled Gaza. Full Story | Top |
| Libyan assembly votes to follow Islamic law Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:18 PM PST  By Feras Bosalum TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's national assembly voted on Wednesday to make Islamic law, or sharia, the source of all legislation, in an apparent bid by moderate Islamists to outflank ultra-conservative militants who have been gaining influence. Two years after the NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is still in messy transition, with no new constitution, a temporary government and nascent security forces struggling to contain militias and former rebels. The immediate impact of the statement was not clear in the already overwhelmingly Muslim country, though it could affect criminal and financial legislation. "The legislative system does not contain many laws that contradict Islamic law so it is easy to say sharia would be the sole source of legislation," said Ibrahim al-Gharyani of the National Forces Alliance party. Full Story | Top |
| Canada panel urges better response plan for oil spills Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:05 PM PST  By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canada must be better prepared to respond to major oil spills if more crude starts to flow in pipelines to the country's Pacific Coast, a government panel said on Tuesday, as fears of a major marine disaster grow. The report, by the federal transport department, makes 45 recommendations, including ensuring companies are prepared for a worst-case scenario and new guarantees that taxpayers will not be liable for costs related to spills in Canadian waters. Regulators are currently weighing separate proposals from Enbridge and Kinder Morgan to build new pipelines to carry oil from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, which could bring an additional 600 tankers to the region each year. The review of Canada's ship-source oil spill regime is a key part of the federal government's push to reassure Canadians that it has prepared for that additional traffic and has a policy in place to respond if there is a major spill. Full Story | Top |
| Thaksin's homecoming hopes dashed as Thai crisis reignites Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:03 PM PST  By Martin Petty BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's political future is cloudier than ever, but one thing is for certain - self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra won't be coming home soon. The chances of another round of political conflict seemed slim a few months ago as the government of Thaksin's sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, entered its third year in office after a fairly smooth ride, much to do with outwardly cordial ties with her brother's enemies, among them generals, royal advisers and opposition politicians. Having fled into exile to avoid a jail sentence for graft in 2008, Thaksin had hoped the climate was ripe for him to try to return. Protesters have marched for weeks in Bangkok streets, clashing with riot police and vowing to overthrow the "Thaksin regime" and replace it with "good people", effectively suspending Thailand's democratic system. Full Story | Top |
| Upbeat U.S. data points to growth momentum Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 12:18 PM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. private-sector hiring rose in November at the fastest clip in a year, opening the door wider for the Federal Reserve to start trimming its bond purchases within the next few months. Other data on Wednesday also pointed to a brightening outlook, with the services industry expanding at a decent pace last month and exports hitting a record high in October. There was also good news on the housing market as new home sales posted their largest increase in nearly 33-1/2 years. "The economy seems to be building enough momentum that growth should accelerate as we move through the first part of next year," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisers in Holland, Pennsylvania. Full Story | Top |
| After execution-style killings, Iraqis await worse Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:53 AM PST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A spate of execution-style killings in Iraq has rekindled memories of attacks carried out at the height of the country's sectarian bloodshed and raised fears of a widespread return to such violence. In the past week Iraqi police have found the bodies of at least 41 men who were either shot in the head or decapitated in a wave of killings in Baghdad and northern Iraq. Iraqi security officials say these targeted killings have more to do with attempts to fuel instability, and with infighting within the two Muslim sects, than with direct hostility between Shi'ite and Sunni communities. But they warn that such chaos could set off wider sectarian violence, especially when combined with an insurgent bombing campaign led by al Qaeda, which is expected to get worse ahead of parliamentary elections in April next year. Full Story | Top |
| Attack on intelligence HQ in northern Iraq kills six Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:53 AM PST  Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a police intelligence headquarters in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more, a health official said. Hospitals in the city, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, counted six people killed and 47 wounded, said Sabah Amir Ahmed, head of the health directorate in Kirkuk. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni Muslim insurgents linked to al Qaeda have regularly hit targets linked to the Shi'ite-led government and security services since the start of 2013. Areas around Kirkuk are strongholds of al Qaeda, according to security officials. Full Story | Top |
| Russia criticizes 'aggressive' Ukraine protests, NATO response Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:46 AM PST By Adrian Croft and David Brunnstrom BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia criticized "aggressive actions" by Ukrainian demonstrators and the Western response to the protests on Wednesday, saying outsiders should not interfere in Ukraine's affairs. President Viktor Yanukovich's decision last week to spurn a trade and cooperation pact with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia has triggered days of mass protests. "I do not quite understand the scope of the aggressive actions on the part of the opposition," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after talks with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. Ukraine's government had used its sovereign right to decide whether or not to ratify an agreement, Lavrov said. Full Story | Top |
| Putin could free Khodorkovsky, Pussy Riot in amnesty: rights adviser Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:37 AM PST  By Alexei Anishchuk NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin could free a former oil tycoon and members of the Pussy Riot band, all portrayed as political prisoners by domestic and foreign critics, under an amnesty expected by the end of the year, according to a Kremlin human rights adviser. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who supporters say was jailed to curb a political challenge to Putin, putting his oil assets in state hands, and two Pussy Riot inmates are due for release next year. But an early discharge could help improve Putin's image before he hosts the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in February. Putin told his presidential human rights council in September to make suggestions for an amnesty to mark the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution in December. Full Story | Top |
| Guatemala holds 21 suspected of laundering cash for Mexico cartel Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:06 AM PST Guatemalan authorities have arrested 21 people suspected of laundering millions of dollars for the powerful Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, officials say. "We assume the money is from a Mexican cartel, the Sinaloa cartel," Guatemalan Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz told journalists on Tuesday, adding that one Mexican member of the network is still at large. Full Story | Top |
| Exit polls see gains for India's opposition in key state elections Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:04 AM PST  India's Hindu nationalist opposition party emerged as the biggest winner in four key state elections, exit polls forecast on Wednesday, a possible blow to the ruling Congress party ahead of a general election due next year. India has held elections in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh states over the past month, as well as in the small state of Mizoram. Despite the gains predicted for the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) it was unable to win a majority of seats in the capital Delhi, the two polls showed. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil delays vote on anti-spying Internet bill -lawmaker Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 09:16 AM PST  A vote on a bill that would force Internet giants like Google and Facebook to keep Brazilians' information inside the country will be delayed until next year over disagreements about its content, a senior lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday. The bill would give President Dilma Rousseff powers to order Internet companies to store users' data in local servers, a move seen as response to allegations that the United States spied on her communications and that of thousands of regular Brazilians. The delay is a temporary relief for Google and Facebook, which oppose a requirement they say would increase costs and erect unnecessary barriers in one of the world's largest Internet markets. The postponement of the vote stems from disagreements among government allies in Congress over the requirement and a "neutrality" clause that bars telecom companies from charging different rates for Internet speed. Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army wants 500 suspects tried for terrorism Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 08:23 AM PST  Nigeria's army said on Wednesday it had identified more than 500 suspected Islamist militants - including members of the security forces who had supported the insurgents - and called for them to be tried on terrorism charges. The army said the suspects were detained during a crackdown in the northeast, where soldiers are trying to end a 4-1/2 year insurgency by Islamist sect Boko Haram. "Among those recommended for trial are a medical doctor, paramilitary or service personnel who were fighting on the side of the terrorists and other individuals who offered direct logistics support to the terrorists," Defense Headquarters spokesman Chris Olukolade said. Suspected members of Boko Haram stormed the air force base and several other military locations in an apparently coordinated attack in the northeast town of Maiduguri on Monday, underlining the sect's continued threat to security in Africa's top oil producer. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry visits Western-leaning Moldova to show support Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 08:19 AM PST  By David Brunnstrom CHISINAU (Reuters) - John Kerry became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Moldova in more than two decades on Wednesday, part of a show of support for pro-Western moves by the former Soviet republic in the face of Russian pressure. Kerry opted to make his brief stop in Moldova after it and another former Soviet republic, Georgia, initialed agreements on closer ties with the European Union last week. In doing so, Kerry decided to skip a ministerial conference in Ukraine, which has rejected an accord with Brussels in favor of cultivating closer ties with Russia instead. A senior State Department official briefing reporters travelling with Kerry said the purpose of the four-hour stop in Chisinau - the first by a U.S. secretary of state since a visit by James Baker in 1992 - would be to offer support and encouragement in the face of Russian threats. Full Story | Top |
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