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| Australia publishes asylum seeker identities, raising safety concerns Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 08:13 PM PST  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has inadvertently made public the identities of almost 10,000 asylum seekers, the department of immigration said on Wednesday, raising concerns it could help locate people fleeing persecution and thus place them in greater danger. A file published on a government website by mistake held the names, nationalities and locations of nearly a third of all people held in Australia's immigration detention network. The lapse was first reported by The Guardian Australia website, which informed the government of the breach, leading it to block access to the information. "The file has been removed and the department is investigating how this occurred to ensure that it does not happen again." The incident comes as Prime Minister Tony Abbott's tough stance on asylum seekers has been receiving fresh scrutiny after a series of events, including violent riots, involving its policy of transferring asylum seekers to third countries. Full Story | Top |
| El Salvador president fine after hip operation: wife Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:51 PM PST  El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes is recovering following an emergency hip operation on Tuesday after he hurt himself in a fall, his wife said. Funes, 54, fell in the presidential residence as he got dressed for an official event, first lady Vanda Pignato said. He is the first president from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), the left-wing party formed by the guerilla group that had battled U.S.-backed right-wing governments during the country's 1980-1992 civil war. An ex-Marxist guerrilla from the FMLN is set to win El Salvador's presidency in a March vote by 10 percent over a right-wing challenger who promised a crackdown on crime, according to a recent poll. Full Story | Top |
| Health experts warn of water contamination from California drought Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:49 PM PST  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's drought has put 10 communities at acute risk of running out of drinking water in 60 days, and worsened numerous other health and safety problems, public health officials in the most populous U.S. state said on Tuesday. "The drought has exacerbated existing conditions," said Mark Starr, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health. The contamination warning comes days after President Barack Obama announced nearly $200 million in aid for the parched state, including $60 million for food banks to help people thrown out of work in agriculture-related industries as farmers leave fields unplanted and ranchers sell cattle early because the animals have no grass for grazing. The California Farm Bureau estimates the overall impact of idled farmland will run to roughly $5 billion, from in direct costs of lost production and indirect effects through the region's economy. Full Story | Top |
| Looking for Syria options, U.S. remains cool to using force Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:48 PM PST  By Steve Holland and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite a forthcoming review of options in the deteriorating Syria crisis, the White House on Tuesday signaled that President Barack Obama remains wary of any direct U.S. involvement in the three-year-old civil war. U.S. policy toward Syria appears to be approaching a crossroads, with peace talks between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and his armed opponents having failed for now and Russia unwilling or unable to pressure its ally Assad to cede power. The White House is beginning to take a new look at options in Syria, a process that could take several weeks, U.S. officials have said. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine police charge protesters after nation's bloodiest day Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:24 PM PST  By Pavel Polityuk and Marcin Goettig KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian riot police charged protesters occupying a central Kiev square early on Wednesday after the bloodiest day since the former Soviet republic, caught in a geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West, won its independence. Police battled their way into Independence Square, center of three months of protests against President Viktor Yanukovich, and demonstrators, some armed with clubs and wearing helmets and body armor, were losing ground. Smoke billowed from burning tents and piles of tires and wood as thousands of protesters were pushed back on to the center of the square, a Reuters cameraman said. At least 14 protesters and seven policemen were killed in violence that erupted in Kiev on Tuesday and continued into the early hours of Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters to rally against PM after deadly Bangkok clashes Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:15 PM PST  By Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Protesters seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra plan to rally at her temporary office on Wednesday, creating another potential flashpoint a day after five people were killed in gun battles in Bangkok. The protests are the latest installment of an eight-year political battle broadly pitting the Bangkok middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Tuesday's clashes were some of the worst between protesters and security forces since the campaign to unseat Yingluck began in November. The Erawan Medical Center, which monitors Bangkok hospitals, said on Wednesday one police officer and four protesters had been killed and 65 wounded. Full Story | Top |
| Australia aims for global growth agreement at G20 meeting Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 07:00 PM PST  By Ian Chua SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will use its presidency of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies to push for agreements on strengthening global growth and to generate ideas on funding public infrastructure, Treasurer Joe Hockey said on Wednesday. However, Hockey's push to reach a hard target for growth drew skepticism ahead of a weekend meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Sydney. The G20, which represents about 85 percent of the world economy and 75 percent of global trade, will also discuss taxation and the withdrawal of the Federal Reserve's extraordinary stimulus, which has unsettled some emerging markets. "There will be discussions about tapering and what it means for the global economy. Full Story | Top |
| China probes another ally of retired domestic security chief Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 06:37 PM PST  A former aide to retired Chinese security tsar Zhou Yongkang is being investigated for corruption, the government said, the latest move targeting associates of Zhou, himself the subject of a graft probe. The ruling Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog said late on Tuesday that Ji Wenlin, a vice governor of the southern island province of Hainan, was being investigated for suspected serious breaches of party discipline and the law, the usual euphemism for graft. President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping crackdown on corruption since taking power, warning corruption is a threat to the Communist Party's very survival. Ji was shifted to Hainan province, better known in China for its pristine beaches and resorts, late in 2010. Full Story | Top |
| Opposition supporters flood Caracas after Lopez arrest Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 06:31 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters against President Nicolas Maduro's government blocked Caracas streets on Tuesday after the arrest of hardline opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Opposition supporters crowded around a military vehicle taking Lopez into custody, while demonstrators also took to streets in other parts of the Venezuelan capital, paralyzing traffic, Reuters reporters around the city said. (Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Venezuela opposition leader Lopez gives himself up Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 06:31 PM PST By Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has handed himself over to security forces to face charges of fomenting unrest that has killed four people in the South American nation. The following are facts about him: * A former mayor of the affluent Chacao district of Caracas, Lopez has emerged in recent months as a hardline leader of those in the opposition who seek an immediate end to President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government. His strategy of high-profile rallies and demonstrations has run counter to the moderate wing of the opposition, which is more focused on improving shoddy public services and highlighting the problems with the Socialist Party's state-led economic model. * Lopez briefly ran as one of five presidential hopefuls in the 2012 opposition primary that picked a unified leader to run against Hugo Chavez. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela opposition leader surrenders, protesters flood streets Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 06:31 PM PST  By Eyanir Chinea and Jorge Silva CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan security forces arrested opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on Tuesday on charges of fomenting unrest that has killed at least four people, bringing tens of thousands of his angry supporters onto the streets of Caracas. Opposition leaders hope Lopez's arrest will galvanize street demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro, though there is no immediate sign the protests will topple the socialist leader. "I am handing myself over to an unfair justice system," the protest leader told supporters, standing on a platform next to a statue of Cuban poet and independence hero Jose Marti. Minutes later, he surrendered to military officers, pumping his fist and then stepping into the military vehicle with a Venezuelan flag in one hand and a white flower in the other. Full Story | Top |
| Leftist Mexican lawmakers present medical marijuana bill Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 05:51 PM PST  By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Left-wing Mexican senators on Tuesday presented an initiative to legalize medical marijuana, saying a new approach was needed to speed up drug liberalization and help end a cycle of cartel violence that has killed tens of thousands. Mexico has been shaken by a wave of gang-related violence since former President Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown on drug cartels seven years ago, and there is growing pressure both domestically and regionally to explore new ways of tackling the problem. "Seventy thousand dead, 26,000 disappeared and an incalculable number of internally displaced are more than sufficient reason to look for an alternative model," congressman Fernando Belaunzaran told reporters. The proposal is one of several efforts by members of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) to decriminalize cannabis. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. issues new travel alert for Ukraine amid Kiev violence Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 05:44 PM PST The United States issued a new travel alert for Ukraine on Tuesday, citing increased risks because of political unrest and violent clashes between protesters and authorities. "The situation in Ukraine is unpredictable and could change quickly. Further violent clashes between police and protesters in Kiev and other cities are possible," the State Department said, replacing an alert from January 28. "U.S. citizens whose residences or hotels are located in the vicinity of the protests are cautioned to leave those areas or prepare to remain indoors, possibly for several days, should clashes occur." Ukrainian riot police charged protesters occupying a central Kiev square early on Wednesday after the bloodiest day since the former Soviet republic, caught in a geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West, won its independence more than 22 years ago. Full Story | Top |
| Northeast rock salt supply at critical low as more snow falls Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 05:21 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successive winter storms led to critical shortages of rock salt in the U.S. Northeast on Tuesday including Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, while New Jersey scrambled to secure a huge shipment stuck at a port in Maine. The scarcity hit as the East Coast was slammed by a third winter storm system in a single week, leaving many states over-budget for snow removal and running low on supplies like rock salt, which is used to help melt ice and snow on roads and public areas. A 40,000-ton shipment of rock salt was stuck on a foreign ship in Searsport, Maine, days after New Jersey was denied a waiver of federal shipping rules that would have allowed it to travel to a Newark port. Instead, efforts to get the salt to New Jersey remained stymied by the 1920 Maritime Act, also known as the Jones Act, enacted to protect the U.S. shipping industry from foreign competition. Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian opposition's Klitschko says talks with president break down Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 04:34 PM PST Ukraine's opposition leader Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday that he has quit talks with President Viktor Yanukovich without reaching any agreement on how to end the violence in Kiev, local media said. "Unfortunately, I bring nothing good from the talks," Ukrainska Pravda website quoted Klitschko as saying. He said that he left the talks after the president demanded that the central square in Kiev occupied by anti-government protesters be unconditionally cleared. It was not clear from the report whether talks between the president and the two remaining opposition leaders were continuing. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, powers hold 'substantive' nuclear talks; U.S., Iranians meet Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 04:11 PM PST  By Parisa Hafezi and Louis Charbonneau VIENNA (Reuters) - Six world powers and Iran began "substantive" talks on Tuesday in pursuit of a final settlement on Tehran's contested nuclear program in the coming months despite caveats from both sides that a breakthrough deal may prove impossible. Senior U.S. and Iranian officials met separately for 80 minutes on the sidelines of the negotiations in Vienna. Details were not given, but such bilateral talks were inconceivable before the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as president of Iran. "The conversation was productive and focused mainly on how the comprehensive talks will proceed from here," a senior U.S. State Department official said on condition of anonymity after Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman's meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's protesters seize government buildings in western cities Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 04:06 PM PST Ukraine's anti-government protesters seized government buildings in a few cities in the western part of the country, local media and the police said on Wednesday. Police said in a statement that protesters had seized regional administration headquarters in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. The website of Ukrainska Pravda said that protesters torched the main police station in Ternopil and were trying to seize the headquarters of regional administration. Opposition lawmaker Oleksander Aronets said that protesters had also seized the local prosecutor's office. Full Story | Top |
| Biden calls Ukraine president to express grave concern over Kiev violence Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 03:16 PM PST Vice President Joe Biden called Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovich, on Tuesday to express grave U.S. concern at rising violence in Kiev and to urge him to pull back government forces and exercise maximum restraint. On a day Ukrainian riot police charged protesters occupying a central Kiev square, Biden made clear to Yanukovich that the United States condemns violence by any side, "but that the government bears special responsibility to de-escalate the situation," a White House statement said. Full Story | Top |
| Protesters' headquarters in Kiev square on fire: local television Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 03:15 PM PST The building used by anti-government protesters in Kiev's Independence Square as their headquarters was on fire, local television showed. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights commissioner urges prosecution of North Korean crimes Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 02:52 PM PST  U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged world powers on Tuesday to refer North Korea to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following a U.N. report documenting crimes against humanity. North Korean security chiefs and possibly even Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un himself should face international justice for ordering systematic torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities, U.N. investigators said on Monday. "We now need strong international leadership to follow up on the grave findings of the Commission of Inquiry. I therefore call on the international community, in line with the report's recommendations, to use all the mechanisms at its disposal to ensure accountability, including referral to the International Criminal Court," Pillay said in a statement issued in Geneva. Full Story | Top |
| Libyan militias threaten parliament, deploy forces in Tripoli Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 02:37 PM PST  By Ghaith Shennib and Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Two heavily armed Libyan militias demanded on Tuesday the country's parliament hand over power immediately in what the head of the assembly dismissed as an attempted coup that would be contested by the army if necessary. Tuesday's deadline of five hours from the statement issued by the al-Sawaiq and al-Qaqa militia brigades passed without incident but they said they had troops on standby to force the hand of the General National Congress (GNC). "We will act soon and hand over power to the supreme court and form committees to oversee elections," al-Qaqa top commander Othman Mlekta told Reuters. "We will work with the people and we're in contact with people in the south and east." There was no sign of unrest on Tuesday evening in Tripoli but dozens of vehicles armed with anti-aircraft guns from the Qaqa militia were parked at a roundabout near the GNC building. Full Story | Top |
| Mali's northern rebels agree to confine their fighters Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 02:23 PM PST The long-delayed meeting in the southern capital Bamako is a step in a series of negotiations designed to bring an end to recurrent Tuareg revolts in the West African country's desert north. Mali descended into turmoil after Islamist fighters linked to al Qaeda took advantage of a 2012 Tuareg-led rebellion and seized control of the north of the country. A copy of the agreement seen by Reuters showed that around 30 sites across northern Mali would be chosen including Lere, Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. "MINUSMA is satisfied with this ongoing commitment and with the results obtained today and reaffirms its commitments to help the consultations until formal agreements are concluded between the parties concerned," the U.N.'s peacekeeping mission for Mali said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Germany's Merkel convenes allies to restore confidence after scandal Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 02:11 PM PST  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel aimed to restore public confidence in her governing coalition at a meeting of party chiefs on Tuesday to clear the air after a scandal that poisoned the atmosphere. Merkel, Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer and the Social Democrats' (SPD) Sigmar Gabriel hoped to defuse an uproar since the CSU agriculture minister had to resign over a leak about a pornography inquiry against an SPD lawmaker. Merkel, leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), and Gabriel have tried to play down the scandal involving little-known legislator Sebastian Edathy, suspected of possessing child pornography. Their three parties formed a broad coalition government in December. Full Story | Top |
| Obama orders higher fuel standards for larger U.S. trucks Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 01:26 PM PST  By Eric Beech UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday directed federal agencies to develop higher fuel standards for medium-sized and heavy trucks, another step in his efforts to slash oil consumption and carbon emissions blamed for global warming. Obama made the announcement in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, about 20 miles from Washington, at a distribution center for Safeway grocery stores, next to a trucking rig that had been redesigned to increase fuel economy. Full Story | Top |
| Crisis in tiny Nauru puts spotlight on Australia's asylum seeker policy Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 01:25 PM PST  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - It was mid-morning when the knock came at Rod Henshaw's door. He had 30 minutes to pack, police told him, then straight to the plane that would deport him from the home he'd made on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru. This seemingly insignificant incident set in motion events leading to the sacking of Nauru's judiciary, the kind of political crisis that history shows would usually draw a swift response from Australia. Canberra has long been the heavyweight in the South Pacific, imposing sanctions on Fiji after a 2006 coup, for example, even intervening militarily, as in East Timor in 1999. Full Story | Top |
| Kiev death toll rises to 14, police say six officers shot dead Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 01:01 PM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Six Ukrainian policemen were shot dead in clashes with anti-government protesters on Tuesday, police said, raising the overall reported death toll to 14. (Reporting by Marcin Goettig; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Italy's man in a hurry faces questions as he starts coalition talks Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:19 PM PST  By Massimiliano Di Giorgio and Roberto Landucci ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left leader Matteo Renzi began the delicate task of trying to form a new government on Tuesday, facing questions about how he will fill key ministerial posts and the details of his ambitious reform agenda. "The work's going well, we're relaxed," Graziano Delrio, Renzi's right-hand man in the coalition talks, told reporters as meetings began to form Italy's 65th government since World War Two. "We'll be ready by the weekend." Talks began in the morning with the smaller parties in the current ruling coalition, but the most important meeting was in the evening between Renzi, who leads the Democratic Party (PD), and Angelino Alfano, leader of the center-right NCD party, whose support will be vital to forming majority in parliament. Full Story | Top |
| Libyan militias threaten to dissolve parliament, protesters close airport Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:17 PM PST Security guards forced Benghazi airport in eastern Libya to close for six hours on Tuesday to demand back wages as well as an investigation into the crash of a helicopter which took off from the airport last week, officials said. Members of the armed unit in charge of protecting the Benina airport blocked the runway and prevented staff from entering the passenger terminals, according to an airport official who said he was in contact with the group. The protesters allowed the airport to reopen after officials promised to look into their demands and get back to them within two days, the airport official said. The government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan is struggling to control armed militias who helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and have retained their weapons to make financial and political demands. Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian riot police move on protesters occupying Kiev square Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:08 PM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian riot police started to move into Kiev's Independence Square late on Tuesday, pushing back anti-government protesters whose tents were burning, local television showed. Live television footage showed riot police throwing stun grenades at protesters separated from them by a line of burning tents, tyres and wood. (Reporting by Marcin Goettig; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Turkey's Gul approves law tightening Internet controls Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:07 PM PST  By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Abdullah Gul approved a new law tightening control of the Internet on Tuesday in a move bolstering embattled Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan but raising concerns about free speech. The legislation, along with a law increasing government influence over the judiciary, is seen by Erdogan's critics as an authoritarian response to a corruption inquiry shaking his government, a bid to stymie court cases and to stop leaks circulating online. The judiciary bill will give the government more say in the naming of judges and prosecutors, while the Internet law will enable the authorities to block access to web pages within hours without a prior court order. Gul said he gave his approval for the Internet law after the government said it would push through parliament amendments of the legislation in response to the president's concerns regarding two articles in the law. Full Story | Top |
| Uganda dismisses Obama pressure on anti-gay law Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 11:38 AM PST  By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda on Tuesday dismissed U.S. president Barack Obama's call to its leader Yoweri Museveni not to sign an anti-homosexuality law, saying the U.S. was trying to blackmail the east African country. On Sunday, two days after President Museveni said he would sign the law widely criticized abroad as harsh and unjust, Obama warned that would complicate United States relations with Uganda and be a "step backward for all Ugandans." A senior Obama administration official said Washington - a major aid donor sending more than $400 million a year - would review U.S. relations with Uganda, a key regional ally in the fight against Islamic extremism in Somalia. But Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo said aid should not be tied to Uganda's stand on homosexuality. Full Story | Top |
| Northeast rock salt supply at critical low as more snow hits Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 11:26 AM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rock salt was in short supply in the U.S. Northeast on Tuesday after successive winter storms led to critical shortages in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, while New Jersey scrambled to secure a huge shipment stuck at a port in Maine. The shortages come as the East Coast was slammed by a third winter storm system in a single week, leaving many states over-budget for snow removal and running low on critical supplies, like rock salt, which is used to help melt ice and snow packed roads and public areas. The 40,000 tons of rock salt remained in Searsport, Maine, days after New Jersey was denied a waiver of federal shipping rules that would have allowed an available foreign-flagged vessel to bring it into a Newark port. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges Ukraine's president to restart talks with opposition: White House Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 11:25 AM PST The United States is appalled by the violence in Kiev and urges Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to restart a dialogue with opposition leaders, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday. "To restore peace and stability, we urge President Yanukovich to deescalate immediately the situation and end the confrontation" with protesters, he said. "We also urge him to restart a dialogue with opposition leaders today." (Reporting by Eric Beech; Full Story | Top |
| Kerry praises Tunisian progress, promises help against militants Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:58 AM PST  By Arshad Mohammed and Patrick Markey TUNIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday praised democratic progress in Tunisia, where the "Arab Spring" began, and offered to help the North African country's fight against Islamist militants. During a brief visit to Tunis, Kerry said Tunisia and the United States would start a strategic dialogue, usually meaning regular high-level meetings, beginning with a trip to Washington by Tunisia's premier. After a crisis last year brought on by the killing of two opposition leaders, Tunisia adopted a new constitution and the ruling Islamists stepped aside for a caretaker administration to govern until elections. "I wanted to come here today to confirm on behalf of the American people and President Obama our commitment to stand with Tunisia and the people of Tunisia and to help move down this road to democracy," Kerry said after meeting Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki and Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa. Full Story | Top |
| EU says Ukraine PM promised to avoid using guns on protests Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:49 AM PST The European Union's enlargement commissioner said Ukraine's acting prime minister had assured him on Tuesday that security forces would do everything to avoid using guns against anti-government protesters after a day of violent clashes. Commissioner Stefan Fuele told a public event in Brussels that he had been shaken by pictures of clashes in Kiev, where nine people died in the worst day of violence since demonstrations erupted against president Viktor Yanukovich 12 weeks ago. "I was just on the phone with the acting prime minister, telling him that seeing the Berkut (riot) police with Kalashnikovs is a source of great concern, and he assured me that he himself and the authorities will do everything for those weapons to stay silent," the commissioner said. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine police use water canon, protesters throw petrol bombs: TV Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:40 AM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian police used water cannon on Tuesday to disperse protesters on the edge of the Kiev square they have occupied, television pictures showed. Anti-government protesters were shown hurling petrol bombs, fireworks and stones at riot police and igniting piles of tyres and wood to block officers entering Independence Square. Nine people died during clashes in Kiev on Tuesday, seven civilians and two policemen, the police said. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy) nL6N0LN446 Full Story | Top |
| Libyan militia threatens to remove parliament from power Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:38 AM PST A heavily-armed militia group threatened on Tuesday to remove the transitional parliament from power, hours after issuing a deadline for the assembly to dissolve itself. The warning from the commander of the al-Qaqa brigade added to turmoil in the OPEC producer where the government has struggled to rein in militias who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. "We will act soon and hand over power to the supreme court and form committees to oversee elections," Othman Mlekta told Reuters by phone. Full Story | Top |
| Journalist on assignment deaths total 134 last year: report Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:37 AM PST One hundred and thirty-four journalists and media support staff were killed while on reporting assignments last year, most of them targeted deliberately, the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said on Tuesday. Of these, 65 died covering armed conflicts - primarily in Syria, where 20 were killed, and Iraq, where the death total was 16 - while 51 were killed in peacetime covering issues like crime and corruption, and 18 died in accidents. The total was down from 152 deaths recorded in 2012, but there was an accompanying rise in assaults, threats and kidnappings directed at journalists which largely go unreported, said the INSI study, "Killing the Messenger." The institute, funded by major world news organizations including Reuters, has been issuing the report since 1996. Its main work is providing security training for journalists reporting in dangerous situations. Full Story | Top |
| At least two killed in Guinea protests over power cuts Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:36 AM PST At least two people were killed and 30 others injured in Guinea's capital Conakry on Tuesday when protests against frequent power cuts turned violent and the offices of a Brazilian construction firm were attacked. Guinea government spokesman Damatang Albert Camara, told Reuters two people including a gendarme officer were killed, but did not give details. He added that Guinea's prime minister will address the nation later on Tuesday. President Alpha Conde is under intense pressure to deliver concrete change ahead of the next presidential vote in 2015. Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon government deal brings hope to fragile state Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:31 AM PST  By Tom Perry BIKFAYA, Lebanon (Reuters) - A week ago, Lebanon was without a government and facing the prospect of an even deeper crisis come May, when President Michel Suleiman's term was set to expire with no agreement on his replacement. But in a matter of days, a degree of hope has returned to the politics of a country plunged into crisis by the war in neighboring Syria. Lebanon has a government after nearly a year without one, fuelling hope that a new president will follow. Amin Gemayel, president for six years during Lebanon's own 1975-90 civil war, attributed the breakthrough to fears the state might be on the verge of total collapse, and "regional understandings" - Lebanese parlance for a greenlight from states that wield influence here, particularly Saudi Arabia and Iran. Full Story | Top |
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