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| Reactions to Keystone pipeline impact report Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Thursday issued its long awaited final environmental impact statement on the proposed Keystone pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Canada's tar sands region to refiners in the Gulf of Mexico. The following are quotes from lawmakers, environmental groups and others on the report and the road ahead for TransCanada Corp's, which was first proposed more than five years ago. ----------------------------- U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER: "President Obama is out of excuses. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada energy minister expects positive Keystone XL decision soon Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:54 PM PST Canada's Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said on Friday he expects the final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline to be positive, and would like to see it happen in the first half of this year. Speaking after the U.S. State Department released a final environmental impact statement on the controversial pipeline, Oliver said U.S. President Barack Obama now had all the facts to be able to decide. Oliver described the environmental review, which said the Keystone XL pipeline would be unlikely to increase the pace of Canadian oil sands development, as a "positive step on the route to approval". Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Possible winners and losers from Keystone XL review Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:54 PM PST The U.S. State Department issued an environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline on Thursday that said the project was unlikely to increase the pace of Canadian oil sands development. The 1,179-mile (1,900-km) pipeline would move 830,000 barrels per day of oil sands crude from Hardisty, Alberta, across the U.S. border to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect with a previously approved line. Environmentalists and other critics have called on President Barack Obama to reject the plan, saying it could hasten climate change by promoting oil-harvesting methods in Alberta that produce high levels of carbon dioxide emissions. Below are details of which groups would benefit and which would be disappointed from the State Department's conclusions. Full Story | Top |
| TransCanada CEO 'very pleased' as Keystone XL edges forward Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:54 PM PST (Reuters) - Transcanada Corp's chief executive said on Friday he was "very pleased" with the release of a U.S. State Department review on Keystone XL, which played down the impact the 1,179-mile pipeline would have on climate change. "We are very pleased with the release and being able to move this next stage of the process," said Russ Girling on a conference call. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Prolonged Keystone XL decision to spill into U.S. election season Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:53 PM PST The Obama administration's tricky final decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline is several months away, guaranteeing that the project dividing many Democratic voters will be an issue in the midterm elections that could determine control of the U.S. Congress. The State Department's issuance on Friday of its last environmental review of TransCanada Corp's proposed pipeline puts in motion a few more steps that have to be completed before a final determination is made. It is not known whether the final decision on the pipeline, which would transport some 830,000 barrels per day from the Canadian oil sands and domestic oil fields to Nebraska, will come before or after the November 4 elections. While Republican voters mostly support Keystone, the project divides many pro-union Democrats who want construction jobs the pipeline would create, and those who believe the pipeline will increase emissions blamed for climate change Below are the next steps to come on the pipeline and the Congressional races it could influence: NEXT STEPS - National Interest Determination Now that the State Department has finalized the environmental review, eight federal agencies will have up to 90 days to comment on whether the Keystone XL is in the national interest. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Major findings of the U.S. Keystone XL environment study Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:53 PM PST The Obama administration's environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline issued on Friday said the project would not likely speed the development of Canada's oil sands, essentially discounting one the major concerns of the duct's opponents. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to make the final decision on TransCanada Corp's 830,000 barrels per day pipeline later this year after eight federal agencies weigh whether Keystone is in the country's national security interest. Below are major findings of the State Department's 11-volume final environmental review it issued on Friday. OIL SANDS DEVELOPMENT A single project like the Keystone XL pipeline will only speed up the pace of development of Alberta's oil sands under a very narrow condition, the report said. Full Story | Top |
| Keystone report raises pressure on Obama to approve pipeline Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:53 PM PST  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline increased after a State Department report played down the impact it would have on climate change, irking environmentalists and delighting the project's proponents. But the White House signaled late on Friday that a decision on an application by TransCanada Corp to build the $5.4 billion project would be made "only after careful consideration" of the report, along with comments from the public and other government agencies. "The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement includes a range of estimates of the project's climate impacts, and that information will now need to be closely evaluated by Secretary (of State John) Kerry and other relevant agency heads in the weeks ahead," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said. Full Story | Top |
| EPA scrutiny could be lynchpin to Keystone review process Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:53 PM PST By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's critical assessment of the proposed northern leg of the Keystone pipeline could have outsized influence on the final decision of whether to approve the project, experts familiar with the process said. Friday's State Department report contained the EPA's evaluation that crude produced from Canada's oil sands, which the pipeline would carry, are 17 percent more greenhouse gas intensive than average oil used in the United States. The EPA also said oil sands imports would be 2-10 percent more greenhouse-gas intensive than imported oil from Mexico or Venezuela that would probably replace it. The Departments of Defense, Commerce, Commerce, Energy, Justice, Transportation and Homeland Security are also evaluating the State Department's environmental assessment of the Keystone proposal. Full Story | Top |
| California water allocation forecast hits record-low level Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:39 PM PST  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A worsening drought in California will likely force a first-ever complete cutoff this year in state-supplied water sold to 29 irrigation districts, public water agencies and municipalities up and down the state, officials said Friday. Although the state Water Resources Department typically ends up supplying more water than first projected for the year ahead, its forecast for a "zero allocation" in 2014 is unprecedented since the agency began delivering water in 1967. The announcement came a day after the agency said that water content in the snow pack of the Sierra Nevada mountain range - a key measure of surface water supplies - stood at just 12 percent of average for this time of year. Barring an unexpected turn-around in California's current dry spell, the state faces its worst-ever water supply outlook, the agency said. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters join final anti-government march before election Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:15 PM PST  By Alisa Tang BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters gathered in Bangkok's busy tourist area of Chinatown for the third and final day of marches in the capital denouncing Thailand's general election on Sunday amid fears of violence erupting during the vote. The government is pushing ahead with the election, despite protesters' threats to disrupt the vote and stop Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai Party from returning to power. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has called for a peaceful blockade of roads in the city, but in the same breath has vowed not to stop people voting. Full Story | Top |
| Indian diplomat's claim of immunity challenged by U.S. prosecutors Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:11 PM PST  By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Indian diplomat whose December arrest led to a major international dispute holds no immunity from U.S. prosecution and should continue to faces charges of visa fraud, Manhattan federal prosecutors said in court papers filed Friday. Devyani Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on charges that she lied to U.S. authorities about what she paid her housekeeper. She was stripped-searched while detained in Manhattan federal courthouse, which led to a diplomatic firestorm between India and the United States that continued for weeks. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office argues in the court filings that Khobragade is a former diplomat and not immune from prosecution. Full Story | Top |
| Quebec town mourns blaze victims as probe reaches critical stage Friday, Jan 31, 2014 05:32 PM PST  By Louise Egan L'ISLE-VERTE, Quebec (Reuters) - Investigators sifting through the charred debris at a Quebec home for senior citizens may have found the spot where the fire started, police said on Friday, as the grief-stricken town prepared for a special ceremony for the victims on Saturday that will include Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Thirty-two elderly residents are presumed dead after a fire ripped through the three-story building early on January 23 in the tiny town of L'Isle-Verte on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, about 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Quebec City. It was the second calamity to hit a small Quebec town in the past seven months. Quebec police spokesman Michel Brunet said the search crews halted their work on Friday morning after finding what they believe could potentially be important evidence for the probe into the cause of the fire. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: South Sudan rebel leader says government derailing peace talks Friday, Jan 31, 2014 05:16 PM PST  By Goran Tomasevic JONGLEI STATE, South Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar accused the government on Friday of ethnic cleansing and trying to sabotage peace talks, in his first face-to-face interview since fighting erupted late last year in Africa's youngest nation. Dressed in dark green military fatigues and speaking to Reuters in his bush hideout, Machar branded President Salva Kiir a discredited leader who had lost the people's trust and should resign. "Salva Kiir has committed atrocities in Juba, he has engaged in ethnic cleansing and he is still involved in the process," Machar said. His comments highlighted the gulf between the sides, who are meant to resume their troubled peace talks in Ethiopia next week. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine president signs amnesty but anger remains, currency slumps Friday, Jan 31, 2014 05:11 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's embattled President Viktor Yanukovich on Friday signed into law an amnesty for demonstrators detained during mass unrest and repealed anti-protest legislation, in a fresh bid to take the heat out of the political crisis. But the move by Yanukovich, which demonstrated he remains politically active despite going on sick leave on Thursday, was not likely to be enough to end the sometimes violent anti-government protests on the streets of Kiev and other cities. And TV coverage of a prominent opposition activist showing marks of torture inflicted by mystery kidnappers - along with reports police tried to arrest the man in hospital - fuelled anger that has become so explosive that the army made a rare statement, calling for urgent moves to ease the tension. Many protesters rejected Yanukovich's amnesty outright, because it is conditional on occupied buildings being cleared of activists, and a radical Ukrainian nationalist group behind much of the violence pressed new tough demands on Friday. Full Story | Top |
| Work begins to clear road to Alaska town cut off by avalanche Friday, Jan 31, 2014 04:23 PM PST  By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Work crews began removing snow on Friday from an Alaska highway hit by avalanches last week that blocked the only road leading to the port city of Valdez, officials said. Aside from providing road access to the town, the highway is used to transport fuel, goods and oil production equipment from Valdez to the state's interior region, which includes Fairbanks, the state's second largest city. All that traffic is blocked by snow slides that began last week and have left a six-mile stretch of the Richardson Highway still blanketed with columns of snow, officials said. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Utilities spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said it was still too soon to predict when the entire stretch would reopen. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry asks Russia to pressure Syria on faster chemical arms removal Friday, Jan 31, 2014 03:26 PM PST By Stephen Brown MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asked Russia's foreign minister on Friday to put pressure on the Syrian government to accelerate the removal of chemical weapons, which Kerry said is not happening quickly enough. Kerry met Russia's Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss what Washington considered to be "unacceptable" progress in moving Syrian chemical weapons, said a senior U.S. State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Secretary Kerry pressed Foreign Minister Lavrov to push the regime for more progress on moving the remaining chemical weapons within Syria to the port in Latakia," the official said. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. appoints former NYC Mayor Bloomberg cities, climate change envoy Friday, Jan 31, 2014 03:01 PM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as his special envoy for cities and climate change, in a bid to build momentum ahead of a planned U.N. summit meeting in September. Ban said Bloomberg will assist him in "consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders, in order to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change." Ban is seeking to re-energize the global climate change debate and boost the United Nations' role. The U.N. role for Bloomberg - a billionaire philanthropist who left office last month - was reported by Reuters on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
| Syria talks end first round, government not committed to return Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:06 PM PST By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - A contentious week-long first round of Syrian peace talks ended on Friday with no progress towards ending the civil war and the government delegation unable to say whether it will return for the next round in 10 days. Darkening the atmosphere further, the United States and Russia clashed over the pace of Syria's handover of chemical arms for destruction. Washington accused Damascus of foot-dragging that put the plan weeks behind schedule, and Moscow - President Bashar al-Assad's big power ally - rejected this. The Obama administration said it was working with partners to ratchet up pressure on Syria to accelerate the process, but stopped short of threatening any action if Damascus did not get the chemical weapons deliveries back on track. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says works with partners to raise pressure on Syria on chemical arms Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:06 PM PST By Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it was working with partners to ratchet up pressure on Syria to accelerate removal of its chemical weapons after the United States accused it of deliberately stalling an international disarmament deal. The Obama administration stepped up criticism of President Bashar al-Assad's government as Secretary of State John Kerry met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich amid a U.S. push for Moscow to do more to win cooperation from its ally Damascus. Russia earlier rejected U.S. charges that Syria is dragging its feet on giving up chemical weapons, saying that a June 30 deadline to destroy Assad's arsenal of toxic agents remains viable despite delays. "Syria must immediately take the necessary actions to comply with its obligations," White House spokesman Jay Carney said at a briefing in Washington. Full Story | Top |
| Record Brazil heat pressures crops, energy prices, government Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:02 PM PST  January was the hottest month on record in parts of Brazil including its biggest city, São Paulo. The heat, plus a severe drought, has kindled fears of water shortages, crop damage and higher electricity bills that could drag down the economy during an election year for President Dilma Rousseff. Weather has been mostly normal in other regions including Brazil's soy belt, where a record crop is still expected. Still, the risks are considerable because Brazil's economy is so fragile at the moment. Full Story | Top |
| Amanda Knox conviction in Italy could spur lengthy extradition fight Friday, Jan 31, 2014 01:35 PM PST  Italy's conviction of Amanda Knox for the murder of her British roommate when the two were exchange students together could spur a drawn-out fight over extradition in the United States, where supporters contend she is the victim of a faulty foreign justice system. If Knox's conviction is ultimately confirmed pending further appeals, her lawyers are expected to argue that the United States cannot send her to Italy in part because of U.S. constitutional guarantees against "double jeopardy," although some experts say that could be a tough case to prove. Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty on Thursday for the second time in the 2007 stabbing death of Meredith Kercher, in a retrial that reversed an earlier appeal judgment that cleared her. Knox, who spent four years in an Italian jail before returning to the United States in 2011, was sentenced to 28 years and 6 months but will not face jail time pending further appeals in Italy. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuelan bikers protest nighttime riding ban despite high crime Friday, Jan 31, 2014 01:26 PM PST  By Daniel Wallis CARACAS (Reuters) - Nearly 2,000 motorcyclists protested in Caracas on Friday, hooting horns and waving Venezuelan flags outside a government office to show displeasure with a ban on nighttime riding, which has been imposed to cut crime in one of the world's most dangerous cities. Stung by criticism of numerous failed efforts to make the streets safer, this month officials in Caracas and other areas made it illegal to ride a motorcycle after 9 p.m. The so-called "motorizados," a term applied mostly to couriers and motorbike taxi drivers, gathered in the Petare slum before riding to the peaceful demonstration. "The only solution is for them to let us get on with our work ... not one motorizado is in favor of the new regulations." The protest dispersed after the bikers delivered a letter to the National Institute for Terrestrial Transport, and an official came onto the street to hear their complaints. For many in Venezuela's opposition and middle-class, the motorizados are the frightening face of crime. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Argentina policies adrift as inflation spiral looms Friday, Jan 31, 2014 01:23 PM PST  By Brad Haynes BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - In the midst of Argentina's biggest currency devaluation in a decade, with the peso's plunge rattling financial markets worldwide, President Cristina Fernandez's first public address in weeks was silent on the matter. She didn't say a word about the currency, but instead took to national television last week to announce the latest government measure - a new form of high school scholarship. Officials also promised to cut the tax rate on spending dollars overseas, but revoked the measure just two days later. Critics say the government's erratic decision-making is the biggest risk looming over the volatile peso, as the policies that triggered the currency crunch have only become more contradictory as the crisis unfolds. Full Story | Top |
| British nuclear plant says radiation alert caused by natural radon gas Friday, Jan 31, 2014 12:56 PM PST  By Belinda Goldsmith SELLAFIELD, England (Reuters) - Sellafield, the largest nuclear site in Europe, declared an alert on Friday after discovering higher than usual levels of radioactivity, but later called it off, saying naturally occurring radon gas had triggered the alarm. The fuel reprocessing plant in northwest England, the site of Britain's worst nuclear accident in 1957 and once the producer of plutonium for nuclear bombs, told non-essential staff to stay away after the abnormality was detected overnight. Before midday, the operating company, Sellafield Ltd, said it had found that radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from rocks and soil, was the cause. Full Story | Top |
| Israel's Iron Dome shoots down rocket fired at Eilat Friday, Jan 31, 2014 12:55 PM PST  Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system on Friday shot down a rocket fired at the Red Sea resort city of Eilat, an occasional target of militants in Egypt's lawless Sinai peninsula. "The Iron Dome system intercepted a rocket fired at Eilat," an Israeli military spokeswoman said. "It was probably launched from Sinai." Earlier this month an al Qaeda-inspired group in Egypt claimed responsibility for a similar rocket attack on Eilat and, saying it was undeterred by Egyptian security sweeps, threatened to continue to target Israel. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine opposition lobbies West for help against Yanukovich Friday, Jan 31, 2014 12:48 PM PST  By Stephen Brown and Alexandra Hudson MUNICH (Reuters) - The Ukrainian opposition urged Europe and the United States on Friday to go beyond vocal support for their fight for more democracy and demand a halt to violence they blame on President Viktor Yanukovich. Opposition leaders met in Munich on Friday with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and were due to talk with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday. Full Story | Top |
| Amanda Knox defiant after second murder conviction Friday, Jan 31, 2014 12:36 PM PST  By Susan Heavey and Naomi O'Leary WASHINGTON/FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Amanda Knox vowed on Friday to fight her second conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007 while the two were students together in the Italian university town of Perugia. Speaking on U.S. television a day after her conviction by a court in Florence, the 26-year-old American said she would never willingly return to Italy to serve the 28-1/2-year sentence handed down by judges. The family of the victim urged the United States to agree to extradite Knox if her conviction is upheld after a final appeal process expected to conclude in 2015. Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were both found guilty of killing the 21-year-old Kercher, who was found stabbed to death in an apartment the two young women shared in Perugia. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. seeks funds for African force in Central African Republic Friday, Jan 31, 2014 12:00 PM PST  By Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The United Nations is asking donors for more money to fund African Union peacekeepers trying to end inter-communal violence in the Central African Republic, a U.N. official said on Friday. We have seen massive violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law," U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told Reuters, speaking on the sidelines of an African Union summit. The United Nations has warned that the conflict in the landlocked former French colony risks spiraling into genocide. In a possible sign of this, an unidentified group said it was forming a new body, the Independence Movement of northern Central African Republic. Full Story | Top |
| Suspected militants kill at least 15 soldiers in Yemen Friday, Jan 31, 2014 11:38 AM PST At least 15 soldiers were killed and four wounded by suspected al Qaeda militants in an attack on an army checkpoint in southeastern Yemen on Friday, an army official said. The army official said the gunmen were likely to be al Qaeda militants. State news agency Saba put the death toll at 18 soldiers in what it described as "a cowardly terrorist act" in Shibam. Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, is struggling to restore state authority after long-serving President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down in 2011. Full Story | Top |
| French court investigates two minors over Syria trip Friday, Jan 31, 2014 11:18 AM PST A French court put two teenagers caught trying to join rebel groups in Syria under formal investigation on Friday on suspicion of planning terrorist acts - an attempt to stop a stream of volunteers by prosecuting them pre-emptively. The boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested in Turkey and escorted back to France where police in the southern city of Toulouse questioned them for 48 hours, the maximum for minors, before transferring them to Paris. After further questioning, an investigating magistrate in Paris placed them under formal investigation for conspiring to commit terrorist acts. Full Story | Top |
| Six powers, Iran to begin new nuclear talks on February 18 Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:49 AM PST By Anna McIntosh MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Six world powers and Iran will begin talks in Vienna on February 18 on a long-term deal for Tehran to curb parts of its nuclear program in exchange for a gradual end to sanctions, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday. "We have agreed that we will start the talks on February 18 at the U.N. building in Vienna," Ashton said after what she described as a "really interesting" meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Munich security conference. We are looking forward to seeing you in Iran soon," Zarif said. Iran has invited Ashton, who coordinates the nuclear talks on behalf of the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, to visit the country and she has said she will go soon. Full Story | Top |
| Politicians under fire as icebound U.S. South gets relief Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:45 AM PST  By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - City and state leaders admitted missteps on Thursday in their handling of a rare ice storm that swept across the U.S. South, killing at least 14 people, snarling traffic and setting off a barrage of criticism from Atlanta residents. "I am a disappointed parent and taxpayer," said Stacy Shipman, 43, a corporate trainer in Atlanta. "Someone should have prepared the city for what a mass exodus of 1.2 million people would do to our travels." Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, a Republican running for re-election this year, angered many - including local meteorologists - when he described the storm late Tuesday as "unexpected." After the avalanche of criticism, the governor on Thursday took responsibility for the slow response and vowed to conduct a review aimed at improving procedures. "Our preparation was not adequate." Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a Democrat who easily won a second term last fall, was mocked for his Tweet on Tuesday that said: "Atlanta, we are ready for the snow." In interviews on Thursday, Reed said government and school leaders shared responsibility for the errors. Full Story | Top |
| Homs is pawn in complex Syria talks amid reports of starvation Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:26 AM PST By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 2,500 Syrians trapped in the besieged Old City of Homs have become pawns in complex negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition, with aid agencies caught up in an ethical dilemma amid reports of starvation. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who ran week-long talks that ended without progress on Friday [ID:nL5N0L44J8], had hoped to broker a deal paving the way for delivering food and medical supplies to rebel-held Homs and the evacuation of women and children. But each side made demands preventing a breakthrough and putting U.N. agencies, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in an untenable position. Full Story | Top |
| Tsvangirai urged to quit as Zimbabwe opposition leader Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:03 AM PST  By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - Pressure on Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to quit rose on Friday as senior members of his party debated whether to call an early congress to decide on his future after losing three presidential elections. Tsvangirai, 61, has led the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) since it was formed in 1999 to challenge President Robert Mugabe - the sole ruler since the former Rhodesia gained independence from Britain in 1980 - and his ZANU-PF party. But the ex-labor union leader has failed to dislodge the 89-year-old Mugabe in three elections, although none of them was free or fair according to the MDC and Western observers. MDC deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma sent an open letter to Tsvangirai this week asking him to step down, arguing that he had failed to push through reforms while in a four-year power-sharing government with Mugabe. Full Story | Top |
| Over 1,000 Madagascar reptiles stranded in South African transit Friday, Jan 31, 2014 09:26 AM PST Over 1,000 tree frogs, chameleons and lizards from Madagascar are stranded in South Africa after storms in the United States forced their connecting flight there to be canceled, Johannesburg zoo said on Friday. About 400 of the 1,685 reptiles flown in from the Indian Ocean island nation on Wednesday have already died from the stress of air travel and shock of being removed from their natural habitat, a zoo official said. The surviving reptiles have found a temporary home in the Johannesburg zoo, where they will be quarantined for 30 days. "They are not fit for travel, they cannot leave, there is nowhere to go at the moment," the zoo's chief veterinarian Katja Koeppel said as another staff member took a dozen buckets of live crickets from her office to feed the newcomers to the zoo. Full Story | Top |
| First stirrings of dissent in Ukraine's eastern heartlands Friday, Jan 31, 2014 09:19 AM PST By Jack Stubbs ZAPORIZHZHYA, Ukraine (Reuters) - A city in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine built on industry and blue collar workers, Zaporizhzhya is not normally a place of revolution. In a 2010 election, 71 percent of voters there backed President Viktor Yanukovich, and it has long been a bastion of support for his Party of Regions. But in a rare display of dissent in Ukraine's sixth city, up to 5,000 anti-government protesters picketed the regional government headquarters last Sunday and demanded the resignation of the president-appointed local governor. Alexander Peklushenko defied the crowds. Full Story | Top |
| Canada budget deficit shrinks in November Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:34 AM PST  Canada's federal budget deficit narrowed in November 2013 to C$614 million ($548 million) from C$1.67 billion a year earlier, with higher revenues outstripping a more modest increase in expenses, the Department of Finance said on Friday. The Conservative government ran a record budget deficit in nominal terms, though not in proportion to the size of the economy, in reaction to the recent Great Recession, but it has pledged to return to the black by 2015. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, in announcing that he will deliver his 2014-15 budget on February 11, said on Monday there was no doubt the federal deficit would be balanced in 2015. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish ruling party MP slams government in resignation, police purged Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:27 AM PST  By Gulsen Solaker ANKARA (Reuters) - A deputy of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party accused the government on Friday of "protecting thieves" and resigned from the party over purges of police and judiciary involved in a corruption investigation. Turkish media reported that at least 700 more police officers had been reassigned over the investigation portrayed by Erdogan as part of a plot to undermine the country's economy and his government. Muhammed Cetin's resignation was the eighth since the corruption scandal broke in December, though the party still controls 319 of 550 seats in the assembly. "Unfortunately the AK Party has of today become blackened. Full Story | Top |
| 'Friends of Syria' blame Assad for holding up peace talks Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:19 AM PST International powers backing the Syrian opposition blamed the government of President Bashar al-Assad on Friday for the failure to make headway at peace talks in Geneva. The Friends of Syria, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries, met in Geneva on Friday, shortly after the first round of talks ended, and called on Assad not to obstruct further rounds of talks. Full Story | Top |
| Over 1,800 people killed in Syria during 'Geneva 2' talks : monitor Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:10 AM PST At least 1,870 people died across Syria during the first nine days of the "Geneva 2" peace negotiations that began in Switzerland on January 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. The Britain-based monitoring group said more than 470 of the deads were civilians, including 40 people who died from inadequate access to food and medicine in areas besieged by government forces. The first round of talks in Geneva ended on Friday without making progress towards ending the civil war and also failed to achieve more modest aims, like an agreement to allow aid convoys into the central city Homs where thousands of civilians have been trapped for months. Aid convoys this week delivered more than 1,000 parcels of humanitarian aid to residents in the besieged Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, which houses 18,000 Palestinians as well as some Syrians. Full Story | Top |
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