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| Venezuela foreign minister to meet Ban Ki-moon in Geneva Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 05:21 PM PST  By Daniel Wallis and Girish Gupta CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela said on Saturday its foreign minister will meet United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva on Tuesday amid growing international calls for dialogue between political players to ease the OPEC nation's worst unrest in a decade. President Nicolas Maduro says his foes are trying to trigger a coup, while his opponents accuse troops and pro-government militants of attacking demonstrators. Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations, Jorge Valero, said on Saturday that the secretary general asked for a meeting with Foreign Minister Elias Jaua on Tuesday at the sidelines of a gathering of the U.N. Human Rights Council. "He will have the opportunity to explain the policies for peace and promotion of dialogue that the government is pushing, and to denounce the terrorist plans that have been developing in Venezuela," Valero told Noticias24 Radio in Caracas. Full Story | Top |
| Putin ready to invade Ukraine; Kiev warns of war Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 05:18 PM PST  By Lidia Kelly and Pavel Polityuk MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded and won his parliament's approval on Saturday to invade Ukraine, where the new government warned of war, put its troops on high alert and appealed to NATO for help. Putin's open assertion of the right to send troops to a country of 46 million people on the ramparts of central Europe creates the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Troops with no insignia on their uniforms but clearly Russian - some in vehicles with Russian number plates - have already seized Crimea, an isolated peninsula in the Black Sea where Moscow has a large military presence in the headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet. Kiev's new authorities have been powerless to stop them. Full Story | Top |
| China blames Xinjiang militants for deadly attack at station Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 04:45 PM PST  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China blamed militants from the restive far western region of Xinjiang on Sunday for an attack at a train station on the other side of the country by knife-wielding "terrorists" in which at least 33 died, including four of the assailants, who were shot dead. The attack, in the balmy southwestern city of Kunming late on Saturday evening, marks a major escalation in the simmering unrest which had centered on Xinjiang, a heavily Muslim region strategically located on the borders of Central Asia. It is the first time people from Xinjiang have been blamed for carrying out such a large-scale attack so far from their homeland, and follows an incident in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in October which shook the country's Communist leadership. China has stepped up security in Xinjiang after a vehicle ploughed into tourists on the edge of Tiananmen Square, killing the three people in the car and two bystanders. Full Story | Top |
| Canada says recalling ambassador from Russia for consultations Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 04:39 PM PST Canada is recalling its ambassador to Russia for consultations about the crisis in Ukraine and is freezing preparations to take part in the Group of Eight summit in Sochi, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Saturday. Harper, who talked earlier in the day with U.S. President Barack Obama, said Canada condemned Russia's intervention in Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. "Canada has suspended its engagement in preparations for the G-8 Summit, currently planned for Sochi, and the Canadian ambassador in Moscow is being recalled for consultations," Harper said in a statement issued after an emergency cabinet meeting. Full Story | Top |
| Obama expresses deep concern to Putin on Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 04:07 PM PST By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Moscow's deployment of Russian forces into Crimea is a clear violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and warned of greater economic and political isolation if they are not withdrawn. The White House said Obama and Putin spoke by phone for 90 minutes, their second phone call in the past eight days over Ukraine, an escalating crisis that is presenting a new challenge to already strained U.S.-Russian relations. The United States called on Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Russia, West trade accusations over Ukraine crisis at U.N Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 03:34 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and Western nations on the U.N. Security Council accused each other of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs on Saturday as the United States called for the immediate deployment of international monitors to the former Soviet republic. The hurling of accusations back and forth at the United Nations highlighted the deep gulf between Moscow on one side and the United States and Europe on the other when it comes to countries in what Russia considers its sphere of influence. Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev asked the United States and other key members of the 15-nation council to help safeguard its territorial integrity after Russia announced plans to send armed forces into neighboring Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Obama speaks to France's Hollande, Canada's Harper on Ukraine: White House Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 03:31 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone on Saturday with French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and they expressed grave concern about Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, the White House said. "The leaders agreed that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," the White House said in a statement about the two separate phone calls. They agreed to coordinate closely together and through international organizations, and "affirmed the importance of unity within the international community in support of international law and the future of Ukraine and its democracy," the White House said. The leaders also pledged to work together on a package of support and assistance to help Ukraine as it pursues reforms and stabilizes its economy, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, wary of foreign crises, faces East-West standoff in Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 03:29 PM PST  By Matt Spetalnick and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Russia deepened its military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region on Saturday, ignoring Barack Obama's stern warning, the U.S. president faced a critical test of whether Washington has the leverage or the will to get Moscow to back down. Obama, who has avoided entanglement in global crises where possible and focused on domestic affairs, now finds himself in the midst of the most dangerous East-West standoff since the end of the Cold War. U.S. officials have said for months they did not want Ukraine's political crisis to turn into a Washington-Moscow tug of war. Full Story | Top |
| At cradle of Revolution, doubts about Ukraine's leadership Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 03:26 PM PST By Sabina Zawadzki KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - In the place that made the revolution against ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, hundreds remain to defend its hopes. As Ukraine's new government confronted a grave crisis of security on Saturday night, however, there were doubts about the quality of the new leaders from the people who put them in power. As protest leaders took to the stage in Kiev's Independence Square, or what is popularly called the 'Maidan', to make speeches about the crisis in Crimea, others - including families with young children and pensioners - milled about. Although many on the square were quick to say Russia's incursion into Crimea was a provocation, most were as keen to discuss their wide distrust of all parts of the state. Full Story | Top |
| Putin to Obama: Russia ready to protect interests in Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 03:14 PM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Barack Obama that Moscow reserved the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine if they come under threat, the Kremlin said. In a statement posted online on Sunday, the Kremlin said Obama had expressed concern about the possibility of Russian military intervention in Ukraine after the upper house of parliament authorized Putin to deploy the military in Ukraine. "In response to the concern shown by Obama ... Putin drew attention to the provocative, criminal actions by ultra-nationalists, in essence encouraged by the current authorities in Kiev," the statement said. It said Putin had underlined that there are "real threats to the life and health" of Russians in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tells Russia: Ukraine intervention risks dangerous escalation Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 02:54 PM PST U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told his Russian counterpart on Saturday that Moscow's military intervention risked creating further instability and an escalation "that would threaten European and international security," the Pentagon said. "Secretary Hagel stressed that, without a change on the ground, Russia risks further instability in the region, isolation in the international community and an escalation that would threaten European and international security," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement, describing the call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Full Story | Top |
| At least 28 die in 'terrorist' attack at Chinese train station: reports Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 02:33 PM PST By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - At least 28 people were killed by knife-wielding attackers in a "violent terrorist attack" at a train station in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, and police shot dead five of the assailants, state media said on Sunday. Another 113 people were wounded, the official Xinhua news agency said, revising down a previous higher figure. "It was an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack," Xinhua said. "They just fell on the ground." Graphic pictures on the Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo showed bodies covered in blood lying on the ground at the station. Full Story | Top |
| West voices alarm on Crimea, urges Russia to respect Ukraine sovereignty Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 02:29 PM PST The West expressed alarm on Saturday over fast-moving developments in Ukraine's Crimea, urging all sides to avoid further escalation and calling on Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty. A week after violent protests forced Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich to abandon power in Kiev, Ukraine's new leaders say Russia is trying to take control of the southern Crimea region, which has a majority ethnic Russian population. France, Britain and Germany issued calls for de-escalation in Crimea hours after U.S. President Barack Obama warned that military intervention in the region would be deeply destabilizing and "carry costs". Full Story | Top |
| Bomb kills at least 10 in northeast Nigerian city: witnesses Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 02:24 PM PST By Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed on Saturday when a bomb exploded in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses said, in a region where the Islamist sect Boko Haram is pursuing a bloody insurgency. Boko Haram, whose fight for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria has killed thousands and made the group the biggest threat to security in Africa's top oil producer, is increasingly targeting the civilian population. "I am at the scene now, it is very bad," local resident Ismaila Abdulraman told Reuters by telephone. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Boko Haram only communicates occasionally through Internet videos, days or weeks after attacks. Full Story | Top |
| Sleepy Crimean port turns out for Russian troops Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 02:11 PM PST By Alissa de Carbonnel BALACLAVA, Ukraine (Reuters) - When a convoy of Russian military vehicles unloaded dozens of armed troops into this sleepy Crimean port town on Saturday, residents thronged around them honking car horns, snapping pictures and waving Russian flags. Although the Russian-speaking servicemen bore no insignia, their vehicles had Russian military plates and there was no doubt among residents they were deployed from the nearby Russian base to take up position outside a Ukrainian border guard base. Ludmila Marchenko, a retired teacher, simply burst into applause when asked about the masked soldiers with automatic rifles standing guard nearby. Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded and won approval from his parliament on Saturday for military action in Ukraine to protect Russian citizens. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges immediate deployment of U.N. monitors to Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 01:58 PM PST The United States on Saturday called for the swift deployment of international monitors from the United Nations and the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Ukraine to help stem the escalating crisis there. "Russian actions in Ukraine are violating the sovereignty of Ukraine and threaten international peace and security," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Ukrainian crisis. Full Story | Top |
| NATO ambassadors to discuss Ukraine on Sunday: NATO's Rasmussen Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 01:27 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO ambassadors will meet in Brussels on Sunday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen tweeted on Saturday. "North Atlantic Council will meet tomorrow followed by NATO-Ukraine Commission," Rasmussen wrote. A NATO diplomat said the North Atlantic Council (NATO ambassadors') meeting would take place at 1 p.m. (1200 GMT) and the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting at 4 p.m. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Luke Baker; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani army fuels anger in securing Swat from Taliban Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 01:03 PM PST  By Mehreen Zahra-Malik KHWAZAKHELA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani farmer Wazir Jamal was so upset about being forced off his patch of land to make way for an army base in the Swat Valley that he killed himself, family and friends say. The army pushed Pakistani Taliban militants out of the scenic northwestern valley with a big offensive in 2009 and it is determined to keep them at bay. But in securing Swat with new checkpoints and bases, the army has had to take over some land, fuelling resentment among people who were happy to see soldiers chase the Taliban away but now wonder about the cost. "We're not against the army but please don't rob us of our lives," said Kaleem Ullah, Jamal's 16-year-old son. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine wants NATO to look at how to protect territorial integrity Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 12:57 PM PST Ukraine has asked NATO to look at all possible ways to help it protect its territorial integrity, Foreign Minister Sergei Deshchiritsya said on Saturday. The minister said he had held talks with officials from the United States and the European Union and then asked NATO for help after what Ukraine's prime minister described as Russian aggression. A request had been made to NATO to "look at using all possibilities for protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and nuclear facilities on Ukrainian territory," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Obama national security aides discuss policy options for Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 12:48 PM PST President Barack Obama's national security team met on Saturday for an update on the situation in Ukraine and to discuss potential policy options, a senior Obama administration official said. The meeting came as Ukraine asked the United States and other key members of the U.N. Security Council to help safeguard its territorial integrity after Russia announced plans to send armed forces into the country's autonomous Crimea region. Seen leaving the White House after the meeting were Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, CIA Director John Brennan, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and James Clapper, director of national intelligence. Full Story | Top |
| The day Ukraine's 'Maidan' lost control Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 12:37 PM PST By Stephen Grey KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - A World War Two movie set in Crimea was playing on a giant screen in Kiev's Independence Square on Saturday when a politician stepped on the stage to break the shocking news. Yuri Lutsenko, a former interior minister who had gone over to the protesters' side to topple their country's leader, said events in Ukraine had now moved beyond their control. Their movement, launched last year, wanted to edge Ukraine closer to the European Union to share its free markets and its political rights. The hundreds who had spent winter in this amphitheatre of protest - in a movement that came to be known simply, like the main square itself, as the Maidan - had survived bitter cold, police assaults, and clashes in which dozens of their number were killed, mostly by police bullets. Full Story | Top |
| Two Russian warships seen off Ukraine coast, violate agreement: Interfax Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 12:21 PM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Ukraine's Crimea region, violating an agreement on Moscow's lease of a naval base, Interfax news agency quoted a Ukrainian military source as saying. The source said the two vessels, part of Russia's Baltic Fleet, had been sighted in a bay at Sevastopol, where Moscow's Black Sea Fleet has a base. (Reporting by pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Full Story | Top |
| Britain says 'no excuse' for military intervention in Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 11:17 AM PST By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - Britain urged Russia on Saturday to calm the situation in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin secured his parliament's authority to invade his neighbor's territory. "There can be no excuse for outside military intervention in Ukraine - a point I made to President Putin when we spoke yesterday," Prime Minister David Cameron said. The world is watching." Britain called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council for Saturday to discuss events in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary William Hague described the Russian action as a "potentially grave threat" to Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity that breached a 1994 pact signed by Russia, the United States, Britain and Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| EU's Ashton urges Russia not to dispatch troops to Ukraine Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 11:00 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said a decision by the Russian parliament to authorize the use of Russian forces in neighboring Ukraine was an unwarranted escalation of tensions. "I therefore call upon the Russian Federation not to dispatch such troops but to promote its views through peaceful means," Ashton said in a written statement on Saturday. Ashton added that she would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after Monday's extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the bloc's response to the situation in Ukraine. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Russian defense chiefs talk amid Russian moves on Crimea Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 10:59 AM PST U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke on Saturday with his Russian counterpart, a U.S. official told Reuters, as Russian President Vladimir Putin secured his parliament's authority to invade Ukraine. The official gave no details of Hagel's conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Putin was given quick authority on Saturday by Russia's parliament to invade Ukraine after troops seized control of the Crimea peninsula. The developments came a day after Obama had warned that there would be "costs" if there was military intervention by Russia in Ukraine, where Moscow ally President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted last week. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish parliament votes to shut schools run by Erdogan rival Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 10:53 AM PST  By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament has voted to close private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of covertly seeking to topple him. Erdogan has accused cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers wield influence in the police and judiciary, of concocting a graft scandal to compromise his government. Full Story | Top |
| Russia must respect Ukraine's sovereignty: NATO chief Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 10:52 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia must respect Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and borders, including with regard to movement of Russian forces in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen tweeted on Saturday. "Urgent need for de-escalation in Crimea. NATO allies continue to coordinate closely," Rasmussen said. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Full Story | Top |
| Russian speaker warns Kiev against using force in east, Crimea: parliament Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 10:52 AM PST A Russian parliamentary leader warned Ukraine's acting president on Saturday that Moscow would respond militarily if Kiev used force against peaceful citizens in the east of the country and Crimea, the Ukrainian parliament said. In a statement on its website, the assembly said Oleksander, acting president and parliamentary speaker, had spoken by telephone to Sergei Naryshkin, the chairman of Russia's State Duma or lower house. It said Naryshkin had declared its readiness to resort to "military aggression .. If force is used against peaceful citizens of Ukraine in the territory of Crimea and the east. Full Story | Top |
| Attack at China station deemed 'violent terror attack' Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 09:58 AM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - An attack at a train station in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming in which at least 27 people were killed has been deemed a "violent terror attack", state television said on its official microblog on Sunday. It provided no further details. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine turmoil will not disrupt Egypt wheat imports: official Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 09:51 AM PST Political turmoil in Ukraine will not disrupt Egypt's wheat imports from the country, an Egyptian official said on Saturday. "Egypt's imports of wheat will not be affected by political events that Ukraine is witnessing," state news agency MENA quoted Mamdouh Abdel Fattah, vice chairman of the main government wheat buying agency GASC, as saying. Egypt is the world's largest importer of wheat. Full Story | Top |
| Iraq death toll exceeds 700 in February: U.N. Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 09:23 AM PST  By Ned Parker BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 700 people died in violence in Iraq in February, not including nearly 300 reported deaths in western Anbar province, where security forces have been battling Sunni Muslim rebels since January, the United Nations said on Saturday. The world body said local authorities had recorded 298 civilian deaths in Anbar, but that it could not confirm the figures independently due to the chaos in the desert region. Outside Anbar, the bloodshed was worst in Baghdad, where 239 civilians were killed, followed by Salahuddin province to the north with 121 dead. The United Nations said it had confirmed 703 deaths in Iraq in February, compared to 733 in January, excluding Anbar. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council to hold urgent meeting on Ukraine crisis Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:26 AM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on the crisis in Ukraine on Saturday after Russia announced plans to send armed forces into the autonomous Crimea region of the former Soviet republic, council delegations said. The council met on Friday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine's Crimea region but took no formal action, as expected. The meeting highlighted the deep divisions between the United States and other Western nations and Russia, which has a major Black Sea naval base in the Crimea. At Friday's session, Ukraine accused Russia of illegal military incursions onto Ukrainian territory, while U.S. and European delegations warned Moscow to withdraw any new military forces deployed in neighboring Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Protesters raise Russian flag in two east Ukrainian cities Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:23 AM PST Dozens of people were hurt in clashes on Saturday when pro-Russia activists stormed the regional government's headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and raised the Russian flag, local media said. The UNIAN news agency said thousands of people had gathered outside the building during a protest against the country's new leaders who ousted President Viktor Yanukovich a week ago. The leaders of Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula with an ethnic Russian majority that is home to a Russian naval base, say they have joined forces with Russian servicemen to exert control over key buildings. Russian parliament has approved a proposal by President Vladimir Putin to deploy troops in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Klitschko calls for 'general mobilization' Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:06 AM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Vitaly Klitschko, a senior Ukrainian politician and likely presidential candidate, called on Saturday for a "general mobilization" following Russian parliament's decision to approve deploying troops in Ukraine's Crimea region. "Klitschko calls for a declaration on a general mobilization," the retired boxing champion's political party UDAR (Punch) said, making clear he favored a military mobilization. (Reporting by pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Full Story | Top |
| Kremlin rep says consent to use Russian troops in Ukraine does not mean quick move Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:01 AM PST Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said on Saturday that the upper house of parliament's vote to allow President Vladimir Putin to use troops in Ukraine does not mean it will happen quickly. "The consent which the president received does not mean literally that this right will be used quickly," said Karasin, whom Putin earlier on Saturday put in charge of the proposal. Full Story | Top |
| Upper house to demand recall of Moscow ambassador to U.S. Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:00 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's upper house of parliament will ask President Vladimir Putin to recall Moscow's ambassador from the United States, the chamber's speaker said on Saturday. Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the Federation Council, asked the Council's Committee on Foreign Affairs to draw up a proposal setting out the demands to Putin. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly, Editing by Tikothy Heritage) Full Story | Top |
| EU foreign ministers to hold emergency Ukraine talks on Monday Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 08:00 AM PST EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, an EU diplomat said. "There will be an extraordinary meeting on Ukraine on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| TonenGeneral Kawasaki cracker on fire, refining normal elsewhere Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 07:49 AM PST Japanese oil refiner TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK said several workers were injured when a fire broke out on Saturday in the residue hydrocracking unit of its Kawasaki plant near Tokyo, but that other refining units were operating normally. The unit, which processes low-priced heavy oil into lighter products such as gasoline, has been shut since early February for maintenance, a company spokesman said. TonenGeneral said the fire had almost been brought under control by pumping nitrogen into the unit. However, it was not yet clear what had caused the fire, how much damage had been done to the hydrocracking unit, or when it would resume operations, a company spokesman said. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani Taliban announces ceasefire to revive peace talks Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 07:37 AM PST  By Katharine Houreld and Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday announced a one-month ceasefire aimed at reviving peace talks after receiving what it said were government assurances it would not be attacked. A government negotiator could not confirm that there were such guarantees, but said talks could be restarted if the ceasefire was honored. Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the Pakistani military is planning an offensive against the insurgents after talks between the militants and government broke down. "The senior leadership of the Taliban advises all subgroups to respect the Taliban's call for a ceasefire and abide by it and completely refrain from all jihadi activities in this time period," spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Macedonia poised for early parliamentary vote after ruling coalition spat Saturday, Mar 01, 2014 07:37 AM PST  By Kole Casule SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia is set to call early parliamentary elections in a bid to end a political deadlock sparked by the two main ruling coalition members' failure to agree on a candidate for the upcoming presidential vote, officials said on Saturday. The ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), a junior coalition member, was angered by its larger partner VMRO-DPMNE's decision to nominate current president Gjorge Ivanov as its candidate. Conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party accepted the challenge and it was ready for an early vote. Full Story | Top |
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