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| 'Three Amigos' look to reduce trade frictions, Keystone nags Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 08:11 PM PST  By Mark Felsenthal and Lizbeth Diaz TOLUCA, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts on Wednesday discussed ways to reduce any trade frictions at a summit in central Mexico, but clear divisions remained over the Keystone XL oil pipeline project. U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said earlier this month that the 20-year anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the three nations was an appropriate moment to look at how to "upgrade" North American trade ties. However, retooling the trade pact between Canada, Mexico and the United States is not necessary because trans-Pacific talks will cover any gaps left by NAFTA, Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade said this week. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine president agrees truce with opponents as U.S. imposes visa bans Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:54 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth and Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said he reached agreement with opposition leaders on a "truce" to halt fighting that has killed 26 people, even as the United States stepped up pressure by imposing travel bans on 20 senior Ukrainian officials. A statement on the presidential website announced an accord for "the start to negotiations with the aim of ending bloodshed, and stabilizing the situation in the state in the interest of social peace." Responding cautiously, U.S. President Barack Obama deemed the truce a "welcome step forward," but said the White House would continue to monitor the situation closely to "ensure that actions mirror words." "My hope is at this point that a truce may hold but ... ultimately the government is responsible for making sure that we shift toward some sort of unity government, even if it's temporary, that allows us to move to fair and free elections so that the will of the Ukrainian people can be rightly expressed without the kinds of chaos we've seen on the streets," Obama told a news conference in Mexico after a North American summit. Full Story | Top |
| China military to tighten building controls in anti-graft drive Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:35 PM PST  China's military said on Thursday it would tighten controls over the construction and sale of buildings to ensure proper accounting and transparency for all financial transactions as part of a wider government anti-corruption drive. China launched a crackdown on rampant graft in the military in the late 1990s, banning the People's Liberation Army from engaging in business. The latest rules, printed on the front page of the official PLA Daily, mandate that money from the sale of military buildings must be handed over to the military fully and in a timely manner. "Make decisions in accordance with the law and effectively prevent corruption." The short statement gave no specifics for how the new rules are to be carried out or enforced, nor did it mention the scale of the problem the army is confronting. Full Story | Top |
| California senators float post-2020 climate change bill Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:24 PM PST By Rory Carroll SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two California state senators released a bill on Wednesday that would give regulators the authority to design a plan to meet the state's long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals and improve air quality in the state's poorest communities. The bill is an effort by Democratic senators Fran Pavley and Ricardo Lara to get the legislature's blessing for an extension of the state's pioneering climate change efforts beyond the end of the decade. But it would leave details of how to achieve the state's goals to the California Air Resources Board, which is already working on a post-2020 climate change plan. "This bill looks to the future, sending a clear signal that California intends to continue its climate leadership," Pavley said. Full Story | Top |
| Beauty queen the latest victim in Venezuela unrest Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:16 PM PST  By Tomas Sarmiento and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - A local beauty queen died of a gunshot wound on Wednesday, the fifth fatality from Venezuela's political unrest, as imprisoned protest leader Leopoldo Lopez urged supporters to keep fighting for the departure of the socialist government. Tensions have risen in Venezuela since Lopez, a 42-year-old Harvard-educated economist, turned himself in to troops on Tuesday after spearheading three weeks of often rowdy protests against President Nicolas Maduro's government. The latest victims of the unrest included college student and model Genesis Carmona, 22, who was shot in the head at a protest on Tuesday in the central city of Valencia. Three people were shot dead in Caracas after an opposition rally a week ago, and a fourth person died after being run over by a car during a demonstration in the coastal town of Carupano. Full Story | Top |
| EU likely to hit Ukraine officials with sanctions over crackdown Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 05:02 PM PST By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union, which just three months ago hoped for a historic new alliance with Ukraine, is likely to call on Thursday for sanctions on Ukrainian officials who ordered a crackdown that killed at least 26 protesters. A bloody assault on protesters occupying Kiev's Independence Square spurred a dramatic change of heart by EU governments, which until then had been largely skeptical about the effectiveness of imposing sanctions as a way to spur change in Ukraine. In emergency meetings in Brussels on Wednesday, ambassadors from the EU's 28 states discussed imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Ukrainians responsible for violence, particularly government officials but potentially some protest leaders too, diplomats said. The ambassadors reached no agreement in Wednesday's meeting and have left it up to foreign ministers to decide at a hastily convened meeting on Thursday whether to back sanctions, the diplomats said. Full Story | Top |
| Once-defiant Venezuelan TV goes quiet amid opposition protests Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 04:33 PM PST  By Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Twelve years after they played a key role in a coup, Venezuelan television networks have so heavily scaled back their coverage of anti-government protests that critics are decrying a "media blackout" that helps the government cling to power. Stations that openly encouraged Venezuelans to take to the streets in 2002 and helped trigger the coup that briefly ousted socialist leader Hugo Chavez are now offering minimal real-time coverage of nearly a week of anti-government protests. When security forces arrested opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on Tuesday, bringing tens of thousands of supporters into the streets to block the path of the vehicle carrying him, networks that for years covered every twist and turn of Venezuelan politics offered almost no live coverage. President Nicolas Maduro, who was elected last year after Chavez's death from cancer, scoffs at allegations that his government has restricted free speech, insisting he is simply seeking to prevent the media from causing panic. Full Story | Top |
| New fighting in Central African Republic blocks U.N. visit Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 04:23 PM PST By Media Coulibaly BANGUI (Reuters) - Heavy fighting erupted near the airport in Central African Republic's capital Bangui on Wednesday, as Christian militia tried to block the evacuation of Muslims and disrupted a visit by a top United Nations aid official, witnesses said. About 6,000 African and 1,600 French peacekeepers have failed to halt the conflict. The latest clashes began after Chadian troops tried to escort a convoy of Muslims out of the city, said Songokoua Yetinzapa, a Bangui resident living in a vast camp for displaced civilians near the airport. Sebastien Wenezoui, a spokesman for the anti-balaka, said their fighters came out to defend the local population near the airport after they were targeted by Chadian troops who were escorting the convoy. Full Story | Top |
| Less than a third of Scots plan to vote for independence: poll Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 04:19 PM PST  Just under one-third (29 percent) of Scots plan to vote for independence in this year's referendum, according to a poll on Thursday that also found 42 percent intended to vote against. But the TNS poll also found another 29 percent were still undecided ahead of the September 18 vote to decide whether Scotland, which has a population of just over 5 million and is a source of North Sea oil, should end its 307-year-old union with England and leave the UK. The poll of 996 adults was carried out between January 28 and February 6. That was before the three main parties at Westminster - who oppose a break-up - had rejected the idea of an independent Scotland sharing the pound. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Canada's Harper agree Ukraine truce would be positive step if implemented Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:53 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper reacted cautiously to a truce between the Ukrainian government and opposition leaders, saying it would be a welcome step if implemented. A White House statement describing face-to-face talks between Obama and Harper at a North American summit said the two leaders condemned violence in Kiev in which at least 26 people were killed. Full Story | Top |
| North Carolina defends coal ash oversight after second leak Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:47 PM PST  By Marti Maguire RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - North Carolina state officials defended their oversight of coal ash ponds on Wednesday, a day after a second leak was found to be threatening a river already tainted by toxic sludge from a spill earlier this month. The state ordered Duke Energy Corp on Tuesday to plug the second leak of arsenic-laced wastewater into the Dan River from its decommissioned Eden power plant, this time through a 36-inch stormwater pipe. The state's Department of Natural Resources (DNER) said the leak had been 90 percent contained. The agency has come under fire for its handling of the state's coal ash ponds, which it concedes are contaminating groundwater as well as harming aquatic life. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Moldovan, Georgian leaders to visit U.S. - congressional aides Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:40 PM PST  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of Georgia and Moldova are due to visit Washington in the next two weeks, congressional aides said on Wednesday, in what appears to be an effort to show U.S. support for Russia's neighbors amid the violent political crisis in Ukraine. Congressional aides said that Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili will be in Washington next week, and Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca will visit during the first week of March. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says imposes visa bans against 20 Ukrainian officials Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:33 PM PST By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed visa bans on 20 senior Ukrainian government officials believed to be responsible for a violent crackdown by riot police against protesters, a senior State Department official said. "Today we moved to restrict visas to some 20 senior members of the Ukrainian government and other individuals we consider responsible for ordering human rights abuses related to political oppression in Ukraine," the official said. The official said a truce agreed between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders late on Wednesday represented "a glimmer of hope." Whether or not the truce holds would depend on talks scheduled between the government and opposition on Thursday, according to the official. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela state TV says political unrest claims sixth victim Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:03 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan state television said on Wednesday that a woman died after an ambulance taking her to hospital was blocked by opposition protesters in Caracas, bring to six the number of fatalities in a week of political unrest. VTV said the victim, the mother of a VTV employee, was being rushed to hospital when she suffered a heart attack as her ambulance became stuck in gridlock created by anti-government protesters blocking roads. (Reporting by Diego Ore, writing by Daniel Wallis; editing by G Crosse) Full Story | Top |
| Some New York City streets closed due to falling ice, snow Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:47 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers got a reprieve from the relentless winter weather on Wednesday only to find that the season's wrath created a fresh menace of large chunks of snow and ice falling from skyscrapers to the sidewalks below. Several streets in Lower Manhattan around One World Trade Center, the city's tallest building, had to be closed when packs of snow and ice began to melt and fall from the 1,776-foot (541 meter) building, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management. More than 57 inches of snow have fallen on New York City since the start of winter, twice the normal amount, according to the National Weather Service. It accumulates on landings and balconies and roofs out of our line of sight," said National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Treasury's Lew urges Ukraine to turn to IMF Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:37 PM PST The Ukraine's fundamental problem is that it suffers from an economic crisis and the country should ask the International Monetary Fund for help, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday. "At the core they have an economic crisis and they are going to need to deal with it," Lew told a conference hosted by the World Affairs Council. "And the mechanism that's best for Ukraine to deal with it would be to come to the IMF and have a package where they put in place economic reforms where they get the support that they need in exchange for the steps to fix their economy," Lew said. Full Story | Top |
| NATO warns Ukraine ties will suffer if army intervenes in crisis Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:34 PM PST Ukraine's relations with NATO will suffer if the military intervenes against protesters, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday. "I strongly urge the Ukrainian government to refrain from further violence. If the military intervenes against the opposition, Ukraine's ties with NATO will be seriously damaged," Rasmussen said in a statement after violent clashes between police and protesters in Kiev. While Ukraine is not presently seeking membership of the Western military alliance, it does cooperate with NATO in a number of areas. Full Story | Top |
| Islamists kill 47 in attack in northeast Nigeria: police Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:31 PM PST By Ibrahim Mshelizza MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - Gunmen from Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group attacked the northeastern town of Bama on Wednesday, opening fire on a school, shooting or burning to death 47 people and trashing the palace of a traditional ruler, officials and witnesses said. The death toll was confirmed by Lawal Tanko, the police commissioner for Borno state, which lies at the epicentre of an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands in the past four and half years. He added that the assailants had also partly burned down the palace of the traditional ruler of Borno, whose kingdom was one of West Africa's oldest medieval Islamic caliphates. "Boko Haram came in at about 4.00 a.m. (0300 GMT), just when we were getting ready for the morning prayers," said Bama resident Abba Masta, who lives near the palace. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. may extend eased Somalia arms embargo despite concerns: diplomats Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:01 PM PST By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is unlikely to fully restore a decades-old arms embargo on Somalia, despite concerns about the possible diversion of weapons to al Qaeda-linked militants, but may extend eased restrictions on government purchases, diplomats said. A year ago, the 15-member council agreed to partially lift the arms embargo on Somalia, allowing the government in Mogadishu to buy light weapons to strengthen its security forces to fight Islamist groups. However, a confidential U.N. monitors' report obtained by Reuters last week, warned of "systematic abuses" by Somalia's government - which the monitors say has allowed the diversion of weapons that Somali authorities purchased after the Security Council eased the arms embargo last year. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, powers seek to agree basis for final nuclear deal Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 01:24 PM PST  By Fredrik Dahl and Justyna Pawlak VIENNA (Reuters) - Six world powers and Iran appeared to make some progress at a second day of talks in Vienna on Wednesday to hammer out an agenda for reaching an ambitious final settlement to the decade-old standoff over Tehran's nuclear program. The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany want a long-term agreement on the permissible scope of Iran's nuclear activities to lay to rest concerns that they could be put to developing atomic bombs. Tehran's priority is a complete removal of damaging economic sanctions against it. The negotiations will probably extend at least over several months, and could help defuse many years of hostility between energy-exporting Iran and the West, ease the danger of a new war in the Middle East, transform the regional power balance and open up major business opportunities for Western firms. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Yanukovich agrees 'truce' with opposition, start to negotiations Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 01:23 PM PST Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said on Wednesday he had agreed a "truce" with opposition leaders, after street violence in which at least 26 people were killed, and a start to negotiations to end further bloodshed. A statement on the presidential website said that during talks with the three main opposition leaders, Yanukovich had agreed firstly a truce and secondly "the start to negotiations with the aim of ending bloodshed, and stabilizing the situation in the state in the interests of social peace." The statement, issued on the eve of a visit by the foreign ministers of Germany, Poland and France, appeared to indicate that riot police who on Tuesday night advanced on to Kiev's Independence Square would not take further immediate steps to break up the encampment of protesters. Former economy minister Arseny Yatseniuk, one of the opposition leaders, said in a statement on the website of his Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party: "The storming of the Maidan (Independence Square) which the authorities had planned today will not take place. Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Renzi expects government in place by Monday Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:30 PM PST  By Roberto Landucci ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister-designate Matteo Renzi said he expected his new government to be in place in time for a formal vote of confidence in parliament on Monday, after he wrapped up consultations with the main political parties. "I'm convinced that the conditions are in place to do good work," Renzi told reporters on Wednesday after completing talks with parliamentary groups. He said he expected to give President Giorgio Napolitano his formal acceptance of the mandate to form a government on Saturday, when he is likely to present his cabinet. Renzi, who met Bank of Italy governor Ignazio Visco after his meetings with the parties, said he planned to spend Thursday working on a policy document and would continue to work on naming his future ministers. Full Story | Top |
| West readies Ukraine sanctions, Yanukovich slams coup bid Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:20 PM PST By Richard Balmforth and Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Western powers threatened sanctions on Wednesday over the death of 26 people in the worst violence since Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union, pressuring President Viktor Yanukovich to compromise with his pro-European opponents. Yanukovich, backed by Russia, denounced the overnight bloodshed in central Kiev as an attempted coup, and his security service said it had launched a nationwide "anti-terrorist operation" after arms and ammunition dumps were looted. In the western bastion of Ukrainian nationalism, a regional assembly declared self-rule and crowds seized public buildings. U.S. President Barack Obama said he condemned the violence in the strongest possible terms and warned of consequences if it continued, while European Union leaders said they were preparing targeted sanctions against those responsible for the "unjustified use of excessive force by the Ukrainian authorities". Full Story | Top |
| U.S. considers reciprocating after Venezuela expelled diplomats Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:17 PM PST The United States said on Wednesday it was considering its response to Venezuela's expulsion of three U.S. diplomats and said this could include reciprocal action in Washington. Venezuela ordered the expulsions on Monday, accusing the Americans of recruiting students to lead protests in Caracas that led to the most serious violence since President Nicolas Maduro's election in April. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, calling the accusations "baseless and false," said: "There's a couple of things we can do." "One is, in accordance with article nine of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, and article 23 of the Vienna Convention on consular relations, the U.S. can take reciprocal action (in Washington)," she said. Full Story | Top |
| Reluctant EU shifts course towards sanctions on Ukraine Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:16 PM PST By Adrian Croft and Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will on Thursday decide whether to impose financial and travel restrictions on Ukraine after the death of two dozen protesters in Kiev, even though diplomats have doubts about the effectiveness of sanctions. Having said less than a week ago that the time was not right for sanctions on President Viktor Yanukovich and his government, officials changed tack after a police crackdown in Kiev left at least 26 people dead on Tuesday. EU ambassadors discussed a series of possible steps including asset freezes and travel bans in talks on Wednesday, but left a decision on whether to impose sanctions to the EU's 28 foreign ministers, who will meet in Brussels on Thursday (from 1400 GMT). In consultation with the EU, Washington was also considering the use of sanctions against those responsible for the violence in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela unrest kills fifth person, Lopez faces court Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:07 PM PST By Tomas Sarmiento and Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - A student demonstrator died of a bullet wound on Wednesday in the fifth fatality from Venezuela's political unrest, as imprisoned protest leader Leopoldo Lopez urged supporters to keep fighting for the departure of the socialist government. Tourism student and local beauty queen Genesis Carmona, 22, was shot in the head during a protest on Tuesday in the central city of Valencia, and died in a clinic. "She only needed one more semester to graduate." Tensions have risen in Venezuela since Lopez, a 42-year-old Harvard-educated economist, surrendered to troops on Tuesday after spearheading three weeks of often rowdy demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's government. "Today more than ever, our cause has to be the exit of this government," he said, sitting next to his wife in a pre-recorded video to be released if he was arrested. Full Story | Top |
| British-Norwegian found guilty of killing cell mate in Congo jail Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 12:07 PM PST By Peter Jones KINSHASA (Reuters) - A court in Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday found a British-Norwegian dual national guilty of killing his cell mate at a military prison where the two men were serving life sentences. The victim, fellow Norwegian Tjostolv Moland, was found dead in his cell in August. Congo's government initially said Moland's death appeared to be a suicide but subsequently charged his cell mate and former business partner, Joshua French, with murder. French's mother, Kari Hilde French, was in the courtroom for the reading of the verdict. Full Story | Top |
| Afghan Taliban repudiates hoped-for olive branch to government Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 11:44 AM PST  By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban said on Wednesday it had nothing to do with a recent meeting of former and current Taliban figures who appeared open to talks with the Afghan government, raising hope of a negotiated end to many years of bloodshed. In a statement emailed to media organizations, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban remained opposed to direct talks with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom the Islamist insurgents regard as a Western agent. "There was no meeting in Dubai in which the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) participated, nor are there any talks with the so-called Afghan Peace Council," Mujahid said, using the Taliban's name for its 1996-2001 government. Full Story | Top |
| Obama warns Ukraine of consequences if violence continues Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 11:31 AM PST TOLUCA, Mexico (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned on Wednesday that there would be consequences if violence continues in Ukraine, saying the Ukrainian military should not step into a situation that could be resolved by civilians. Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Obama said he condemned the violence in Kiev in the strongest possible terms, and said he believes a peaceful resolution is still possible. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal, Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bill Trott) Full Story | Top |
| Kerry, Abbas meet at 'important point' in talks, U.S. says Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 11:30 AM PST  By Arshad Mohammed PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met for dinner on Wednesday at what the United States called "an important point in the negotiations" over an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. At the time, Kerry said : "Our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months." As that deadline has approached, U.S. officials appear to have scaled back their ambitions, saying they are trying to forge a "framework for negotiations" as a first step though they still hope to hammer out a full agreement by April 29. Such a framework could sketch the outlines of an accord to resolve the more than six-decade-old dispute, whose main issues include borders, security, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem. "We are at an important point in the negotiations where we are engaged with narrowing the gaps between the parties on a framework for negotiations, and it was an appropriate time to spend a few hours meeting with President Abbas to talk about the core issues," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Full Story | Top |
| Saudi Arabia jails seven men for up to 20 years for demonstrating Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 11:06 AM PST A Riyadh court sentenced seven men to between six and 20 years in jail on Wednesday for offences that included taking part in protests in the town of Qatif, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, state news agency SPA said. Minority Shi'ites have staged sporadic protests in Qatif since 1979. Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally and the world's top oil exporter, denies discriminating against Shi'ites and says all the killings resulted from exchanges of gunfire when police were attacked. In 2012, Saudi Arabia ordered the arrest of 23 Shi'ites in the oil-producing Eastern Province, where many of the kingdom's Shi'ites live, saying they were responsible for unrest. Full Story | Top |
| Niger hosts U.S.-organized exercises to strengthen African security Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 10:47 AM PST Over 1,000 soldiers from 18 African and Western nations launched a U.S. organized counter-terrorism training exercise in Niger on Wednesday aimed at improving security capabilities across Africa's Sahara-Sahel zone. The exercise, organized by U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, seeks to bolster cross-border cooperation in a poor, arid region where a mix of al Qaeda-linked Islamists, local insurgents and organized criminal gangs operate. The 2012 occupation of Mali's north by a mix of separatist and Islamist forces underscored the region's fragility. It is global," Karidio Mahamadou, Niger's defense minister, said at the launch at a military base in the capital Niamey. Full Story | Top |
| Europe's centre left to take most votes in EU elections: poll Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 10:42 AM PST  By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The center left is likely to win the most seats in European Parliament elections in May, a survey showed on Wednesday, boosting the group's chances of also winning the presidency of the European Commission. The Socialists and Democrats, the second-largest group in the 751-seat parliament, will take 221 seats, a 14 percent improvement on their current standing, according to PollWatch, an analysis of opinion polls led by professors at the London School of Economics and Trinity College Dublin. The S&D have selected Germany's Martin Schulz, the current president of the European Parliament, as their candidate to succeed Jose Manuel Barroso as head of the Commission, a job with powers affecting 500 million Europeans. That is a fall from today's levels of about 85 percent but is likely to be a relief to supporters of European integration. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. to send more peacekeepers to Congo mining province Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 10:31 AM PST  The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo will deploy more troops to copper-rich Katanga province to help fight worsening militia violence there, the U.N. force commander said on Wednesday. Katanga has been spared much of the violent disorder that has plagued large swathes of the vast Central African nation for nearly two decades. But the southern province, home to some of the world's largest copper reserves, has seen a rise in attacks by armed Bakata-Katanga secessionists since last year. General Carlos Dos Santos Cruz, head of the U.N. military force in Congo, said additional troops would be deployed to protect civilians in the so-called "triangle of death", one of the regions hardest hit by the violence. Full Story | Top |
| Troubled Ukraine gets new armed forces chief Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 10:28 AM PST Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich appointed a new head of the armed forces general staff on Wednesday after street clashes between protesters and police in which at least 26 people have been killed since Tuesday. He named Admiral Yury Ilyin, who had been head of the navy, to succeed Colonel-General Volodymyr Zamana. The army officer has now been appointed a member of the National Security and Defence Council, a body which reports to the president. Earlier on Wednesday, the defense ministry said the armed forces might take part in a countrywide anti-terrorist operation organized by the state security service. Full Story | Top |
| Merkel, Putin agree to avoid Ukraine escalation Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 10:27 AM PST German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to do everything necessary to keep violence in Ukraine from getting worse, she said on Wednesday. Merkel said she had spoken to Putin by telephone and "we agreed to continue to do everything so that there is no escalation of violence". "We decided to keep very close contact with Russia." (Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Full Story | Top |
| Libya to compensate women raped during 2011 uprising Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 09:46 AM PST  Libya will offer compensation to women raped during the 2011 NATO-backed uprising which toppled Muammar Gaddafi, its justice minister said on Wednesday, touching a taboo subject. Hundreds of women may have been raped during the eight-month conflict, according to the International Criminal Court, which has collected evidence that pro-Gaddafi forces used rape as a weapon to spread fear among its opponents. Human rights activists have pushed for compensation, but rape victims are often ostracized in the conservative Muslim country where discussion of the crime remains taboo, so it is not clear how many victims would actually come forward. "It (the law) will give them many rights...and cover also compensation." He did not say what compensation the women would get. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan army says more than 100 soldiers died in fighting Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 09:44 AM PST  By Maria Golovnina and Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army on Wednesday said more than 100 soldiers had been killed by Taliban militants in the last five months, in a rare admission of mass casualties since the start of government efforts to engage the insurgents in peace talks. The administration of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who came to power last year promising to find a negotiated peace with the Taliban, has been trying to engage the militants in talks but these efforts have faltered in past weeks. The lack of progress on peace talks has given rise to speculation that the government, backed by the powerful army, is preparing for a ground and air offensive against Taliban strongholds in the tribal belt on the Afghan border. Requesting anonymity, security officials told Reuters that 308 civilians, 114 military personnel and 38 police officers had been killed since September 2013, around a time when Sharif convened an all-party conference that unanimously opted for peace talks. Full Story | Top |
| Delivery of $2 billion credit from Russia delayed until Friday: Ukraine government source Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 09:40 AM PST Delivery of $2 billion credit to Ukraine from Russia, the second tranche of a promised $15 billion aid package, has been delayed until Friday, a Ukrainian government source said on Wednesday. A first tranche of $3 billion, aimed at helping the ex-Soviet republic pay foreign debts this year and prop up its national currency amid widespread unrest, was disbursed at the end of December. Ukraine's interim government had been hoping a second tranche of $2 billion would be delivered soon by Russian purchase of Ukraine-issued eurobonds. But a Ukrainian government source said: "The deal has been put off until Friday for technical reasons. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish Internet controls ignite public anger Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 09:39 AM PST  By Dasha Afanasieva ISTANBUL (Reuters) - From a campaign to "unfollow" President Abdullah Gul on Twitter to an opposition appeal to Turkey's highest court, Turks vented their anger on Wednesday at a new law tightening government control of the Internet. Gul approved the legislation, which will let the authorities block web pages within hours and collect data such as users' browsing histories, late on Tuesday, bolstering Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan but raising renewed concerns about free speech. Erdogan's critics say the law, along with a bill increasing government power over the judiciary, as an authoritarian response to a corruption inquiry shaking his government and as an effort to stop leaks about the case circulating online. His failure to do so prompted a Twitter campaign under the hashtag #unfollowabdullahgul, although he appeared to lose only a fraction of his four million followers as a result. Full Story | Top |
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