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| Senior North Korean official reappears, belies reports of another purge Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 07:36 PM PST  A senior North Korean official, believed to be the No. 2 in the country after leader Kim Jong Un, has reappeared in official television footage, belying reports he had fallen victim to a fresh purge in the isolated nation. Choe Ryong Hae was pictured close to Kim in pictures taken in January and February, smiling but sporting a limp. Choe is the influential head of the political wing of North Korea's military and appears to have risen to become the second most powerful person in the country after the execution of Jang Song Thaek, Kim's uncle, last year. Speculation in recent weeks that Choe had also been purged triggered a wave of speculation that Kim was intent on shaking up North Korea's elite and that competing factions around the 31-year old leader were a destabilizing force in the North. Full Story | Top |
| Japan PM Abe may confer with Obama over Ukraine: Japan government spokesman Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 05:32 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may confer with U.S. President Barack Obama over the phone to seek solutions to the Ukrainian crisis, Japan's top government spokesman said on Friday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Tokyo will respond to sanction against Russia in close contact with other countries, although he urged all parties to act prudently over the situation. Obama took steps to punish those involved in threatening Ukraine while European Union leaders agreed to suspend visa and investment talks with Russia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Crimea votes to join Russia, Obama orders sanctions Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 05:03 PM PST  By Alissa de Carbonnel and Luke Baker SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Crimea's parliament voted on Thursday to join Russia, and its Moscow-backed government set a referendum in 10 days, in a dramatic escalation of the crisis over the Ukrainian region that drew a sharp riposte from U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama ordered sanctions on those responsible for Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine, including bans on travel to the United States and freezing of their U.S. assets. He echoed European Union leaders and the pro-Western government in Ukraine in declaring that the proposed referendum would violate international law. Obama also held a one-hour call on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their second phone conversation in the past six days, and urged him to accept the terms of a potential diplomatic solution to the crisis. Full Story | Top |
| Senior U.N. official plans to visit Ukraine's Crimea Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:57 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, plans to visit western and eastern Ukraine soon, including the pro-Russian Crimea region, where another U.N. envoy was forced out earlier this week, the United Nations said on Thursday. The announcement comes after U.N. representative Robert Serry had to abandon a mission to Crimea on Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senator launches bill to go slow on LNG exports despite Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Edward Markey introduced a bill on Thursday to make the Obama administration's approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports more complicated, saying expedited permits will not help Ukraine and Europe manage Russia's control of fuel supply. As Russia has tightened its grip on Ukraine's Crimea region this week, a slew of Republican U.S. lawmakers, including House Speaker John Boehner, have called on the Obama administration to speed up LNG approvals in order to protect Ukraine and Europe from Moscow's control over natural gas shipments via pipeline. Full Story | Top |
| Obama urges Putin in phone call to accept terms of diplomatic solution for Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST President Barack Obama urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to accept the terms of a potential diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis in a phone call that lasted an hour. In their second phone conversation in the past six days, Obama emphasized to Putin that Russia's incursion into Ukraine was a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sanctions on Russia won't hurt Japan at present scope: Amari Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST U.S. sanctions on Russia over its military intervention into Ukraine will not hurt the Japanese economy as they are currently constituted, Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Friday. "At the present scope, there won't be an impact on the Japanese economy," Amari told a regular news conference when asked about U.S. measures against Moscow. President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered U.S. sanctions on people responsible for Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, including travel bans and freezing of their U.S. assets, and said a referendum by the region to join Russia would violate international law. Full Story | Top |
| Obama warns on Crimea, orders sanctions over Russian moves in Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered sanctions on people responsible for Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, including travel bans and freezing of their U.S. assets, and said a referendum by the region to join Russia would violate international law. U.S. officials said a list of people targeted by the sanctions had not yet been drawn up but that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not going to be one of them. White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was not aware of a limit on the number of people listed. Obama spoke to Putin for an hour on Thursday and said the situation could be solved diplomatically in a way that addressed the interests of Russia, Ukraine and the international community, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. mulls how to use natgas resources in Ukraine crisis: top official Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There are discussions going on at high levels within the U.S. government on how to use U.S. natural gas resources as the country addresses the crisis in Ukraine, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said on Thursday. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, asked Burns if "it would be fair to say" there are active discussions at such levels about how to use natural gas to ease European reluctance to enact sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, and to help Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| With Crimean appeal, Putin goes head-to-head with West over Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST  By Elizabeth Piper MOSCOW (Reuters) - Almost certainly orchestrated by Vladimir Putin, Crimea's appeal to join Russia pits the president directly against the West in a standoff that has increasingly high stakes and unpredictable consequences. The vote by Crimea's parliament gives Putin the upper hand in the crisis over Ukraine, but risks antagonizing pro-Western leaders in Kiev who have refused to resort to military action or fan tensions in Ukraine's Russian-speaking south and east. Ukraine's leaders had no doubt who was behind the latest moves in Crimea, including a call for a referendum to decide if the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula, which has an ethnic Russian majority, should return to its former Soviet master. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Tymoshenko calls for tough action from west on Crimea Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST Leading Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko on Thursday called for Europe to take strong action over Crimea's attempt to join Russia, warning that otherwise Moscow would move to take over the rest of Ukraine and destabilize the continent. Speaking hours after the parliament of the Ukrainian region of Crimea voted to join Russia, a visibly emotional Tymoshenko warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would take advantage of any weakness by the West. "If we allow Russia on March 16 to hold a referendum at gunpoint on the annexation of Crimea we will lose Ukraine and stability throughout the whole world," Tymoshenko told a meeting of the European People's Party, the largest bloc in the European parliament. Full Story | Top |
| Netherlands freezes hundreds of millions in Ukrainian assets: report Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:51 PM PST AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands has frozen hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) in Ukrainian assets, Dutch media reported Thursday night, citing the finance minister. Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem told the ANP news agency the assets were suspect. The Dutch media reports did not provide any details. A Finance Ministry official could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting By Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Chris Reese) Full Story | Top |
| Abu Ghaith urged Qaeda recruits to 'pledge' to bin Laden: witness Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 04:08 PM PST  By Bernard Vaughan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, urged al Qaeda recruits en route to a training camp in Afghanistan to pledge their lives to bin Laden a few months before September 11, 2001, a government witness told jurors on Thursday. Sahim Alwan, 41, of Lackawanna, New York, testified in federal court in New York that Abu Ghaith spoke to the al Qaeda recruits months before hijacked jets attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing 3,000 people. Full Story | Top |
| EPA chief says new U.S. energy rules won't hobble business Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 02:36 PM PST  By Ernest Scheyder HOUSTON (Reuters) - Carbon regulations can be crafted to help offset climate change without "shutting down business in its tracks," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a major energy conference on Thursday. McCarthy's speech in Houston to IHS CERAWeek, the largest meeting of energy executives in the world, was the first by an EPA administrator since the conference began 33 years ago. "We don't have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy," McCarthy, who has run the EPA for nearly a year, said about new rules she said would be proposed by this summer. "We know conventional fuels like coal and natural gas are going to continue to play a critical role in a diverse U.S. energy mix." The Houston visit came about a week after McCarthy toured North Dakota, trying to convince the state's coal, oil and ethanol producers that her agency was not trying to burden their industries with onerous regulations. Full Story | Top |
| Congo warlord verdict a test for flagging international court Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 01:27 PM PST  By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court passes judgment on alleged Congo warlord Germain Katanga on Friday in a key test of the prosecutors' ability to bring solid cases and win convictions at the Hague-based tribunal. The court, launched in 2002 to try crimes against humanity, has handed down only two verdicts so far - a conviction and an acquittal -- while at least five cases have collapsed for lack of sufficient evidence before or during trial proceedings. Friday's case stems from a bloody conflict in the resource-rich Ituri region of northeast Congo in the early 2000s. Katanga was charged with 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for an attack on a village there called Bogoro by a militia group he allegedly commanded, the Patriotic Resistance Force. Full Story | Top |
| Two dead in Venezuela violence as protests drag on Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 01:13 PM PST  Demonstrators have for weeks staged rallies and set up barricades to demand the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro, leading to clashes with security forces and government supporters. Motorcycle drivers clearing a barricade in the middle-class neighborhood of Los Ruices were attacked by residents from nearby buildings who threw rocks and later shot at them, National Guard Gen. Manuel Quevedo told Reuters. The motorcyclist who was killed, Jose Cantillo, who was in his early twenties, was shot in the neck, Quevedo said. "Make no mistake, the National Guard and the armed forces are going to continue patrolling the streets to restore order," he said in an interview at the scene of the events. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-guerrilla closes in on El Salvador election win Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 01:07 PM PST  By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A former Marxist guerrilla leader looks poised to win El Salvador's presidential election runoff on Sunday as voters embrace his ruling party's social programs despite opposition allegations that he plans to veer the country to the radical left. Polls show Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a top leader of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) rebel army during the country's 1980-92 civil war, with about 55 percent support ahead of the runoff vote, enough to secure his party a second consecutive term. His opponent Norman Quijano, the conservative former mayor of the capital, San Salvador, trails with about 45 percent amid waning support for his right-wing Arena party. Quijano has warned the ex-rebel will move El Salvador to the radical left and bow to the influence of Latin America's leading U.S. antagonist, socialist-led Venezuela. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Syria to miss deadline to destroy 12 chemical arms sites-sources at OPCW Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 01:05 PM PST By Anthony Deutsch THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Syria will miss a major deadline next week in the program to destroy its chemical weapons production facilities, sources at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said on Thursday. Syria declared 12 production facilities to the OPCW and has until March 15 to destroy them under a deal agreed with the United States and Russia. Damascus has already missed several deadlines laid out in the agreement. "That will definitely be missed," said an official involved in discussions with Syria, referring to the March 15 deadline. Full Story | Top |
| Italy's 5-Star loses more senators as internal dissent mounts Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 12:56 PM PST  By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement on Thursday lost five more senators who were critical of its leader Beppe Grillo in the latest sign of growing internal strife in the party that took a quarter of votes at last year's election. Grillo announced on his blog that the five senators were "out of the movement" having handed in their resignations to senate president Piero Grasso. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. says west of Central African Republic 'cleansed' of Muslims Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 12:28 PM PST  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Most Muslims have been driven out of the western half of conflict-torn Central African Republic, where thousands of civilians risk of being killed "right before our eyes," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said on Thursday. The bleak warning came as the country's foreign minister pleaded with the U.N. Security Council to urgently approve a U.N. peacekeeping force to stop the killing. "Since early December we have effectively witnessed a 'cleansing' of the majority of the Muslim population in western CAR," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council on the crisis in the impoverished and landlocked country. The council is considering a U.N. proposal for a nearly 12,000-strong peacekeeping force to stop the country from sliding toward what a top U.N. rights official called "ethnic-religious cleansing." If approved, the U.N. force would likely not be operational before late summer. Full Story | Top |
| French, Mali troops kill 10 suspected Islamist militants Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 12:21 PM PST  French and Malian forces have killed about 10 suspected Islamist fighters during an operation in northern Mali's mountainous Adrar des Ifoghas region, French army spokesman Gilles Jaron said on Thursday. Confirming comments made by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian earlier on Thursday, armed forces spokesman Gilles Jaron said the militants had been spotted by a drone. A French-led offensive in January 2013 drove out Islamist militants who had seized control of northern Mali. Small groups of fighters loyal to Islamist groups including the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa and al Qaeda in the Maghreb still operate in the desert region, carrying out periodic attacks. Full Story | Top |
| Caribbean nations consider push for slavery reparations Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 12:19 PM PST By Aileen Torres KINGSTON (Reuters) - More than 150 years after European colonial powers abolished slavery, a coalition of Caribbean nations is considering legal action to seek a formal apology and monetary compensation. Caribbean leaders meeting next week in St. Vincent are expected to study a broad legal outline for the reparations claim prepared by a British law firm. The subject of reparations has simmered in the Caribbean for many years and opinions are divided. Some see reparations as delayed justice, while others see it as an empty claim and a distraction from modern social problems in Caribbean societies. Full Story | Top |
| Western countries alarmed as Libya slides towards chaos Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 11:45 AM PST  By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Western countries voiced concern on Thursday that tensions in Libya could slip out of control in the absence of a functioning political system, and they urged the government and rival factions to start talking. Two-and-a-half years after the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, the oil-rich North African state is struggling to contain violence between rival forces, with Islamist militants gaining an ever-stronger grip on the south of the country. "The situation in Libya is very worrying," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters on the margins of a conference in Rome to discuss the Libyan crisis. The conference in Rome was overshadowed by the crisis in Ukraine, with a hectic round of bilateral talks at the margins culminating in a 40-minute meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. considers how to use natural gas resources in Ukraine crisis: top official Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 11:42 AM PST There are discussions at high levels within the U.S. government on how to use U.S. natural gas resources as the country addresses the crisis in Ukraine, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said on Thursday. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, asked Burns if "it would be fair to say" there are active discussions at such levels about how to use natural gas to ease European reluctance to enact sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, and to help Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Niger extradites Gaddafi's son Saadi to Libya Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 11:26 AM PST  By Ulf Laessing and Feras Bosalum TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi, his special forces commander who fled abroad during Libya's 2011 revolution, was imprisoned in Tripoli on Thursday after Niger agreed to send him back from house arrest there. Saadi, who had a brief career as soccer player in Italy and often lived the playboy life during his father's rule, is the first of Gaddafi's sons the central government has managed to arrest since the former dictator was overthrown. Gaddafi's more prominent son Saif al-Islam, long viewed as his heir, has been held captive by fighters in western Libya who refuse to hand him over to a government they deem too weak to secure and try him. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. envoy still hopeful for missionary's release from North Korea Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:41 AM PST  By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is still hopeful of securing the release of an American missionary being held in North Korea, the U.S. human rights envoy for the country said on Thursday, even though two trips he has had scheduled for the purpose have been canceled. Ambassador Robert King said there had been no progress on the Kenneth Bae case since his last trip was called off in February. "I have had two trips canceled, but we are hopeful that the right circumstances will occur and we will be able to do something." King also said the United States has yet to decide whether to press for North Korea to be referred to the International Criminal Court after a report from a United Nations panel last month accused the reclusive state of crimes against humanity that evoked Nazi-era atrocities. Analysts say such a move would likely provoke a veto by North Korea's main ally, China, something the United States might wish to avoid. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Ukrainians whose assets will be frozen by Britain Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:34 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Following are names published by the British government on Thursday of Ukrainians whose assets will be frozen: 1. Mykola Azarov, born 17/12/1947, former prime minister 2. Oleksii Azarov, son of former prime minister 3. Raisa Bohatyriova, born 06/01/1953, former minister of health 4. Ihor Kalinin, born 28/12/1959, former adviser to president 5. Andrii Kliuiev, born 12/08/1964, former head of presidential administration 6. Serhii Kliuiev, 12/08/1969, businessman, brother of Andrii Kliuiev 7. Serhiy Kurchenko, born 21/09/1985, businessman 8. ... Full Story | Top |
| Interpol says Ukraine seeks wanted notice for Yanukovich arrest Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:34 AM PST International police agency Interpol said on Thursday it was reviewing a request by Ukrainian authorities for it to issue a so-called "red notice" for the arrest of Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted as its president. "A request by Ukrainian authorities for an Interpol Red Notice, or international wanted persons alert, for the arrest of Viktor Yanukovich on charges including abuse of power and murder has been received," the France-based agency said in a statement. Yanukovich, a Russian ally, was ousted on February 22 after months of protests in Kiev over his decision to pull Ukraine out of a trade deal with the European Union under Russian pressure. Interpol uses red notices to inform its 190 member countries that an arrest warrant has been issued for an individual by a judicial authority. Full Story | Top |
| El Nino could strike as early as summer: U.S. forecaster Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:30 AM PST By Chris Prentice NEW YORK (Reuters) - The much-feared El Nino phenomenon, the warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific which can trigger drought in Southeast Asia and Australia and floods in South America, could strike as early as the Northern Hemisphere summer, the U.S. weather forecaster warned on Thursday. In its strongest prediction in almost 18 months that El Nino could return, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in its monthly report that neutral El Nino conditions will likely continue through the spring, but there was about a 50 percent chance of the weather pattern developing during the summer or autumn. The CPC's latest outlook brings the forecaster in line with other global meteorologists that have raised their outlook for El Nino's potential return this year. The CPC switched its status to El Nino watch for the first time since October 2012. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says Crimea referendum would violate international law Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:23 AM PST President Barack Obama said on Thursday that a proposed referendum in Crimea to join Russia would violate international law and said U.S. sanctions were aimed at punishing Moscow for its intervention in Ukraine. "The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law," Obama told reporters at the White House. Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill 26 people in Iraq Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:21 AM PST By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 26 people were killed in Iraq on Thursday as insurgents set off roadside bombs and detonated explosives-packed cars in Baghdad and elsewhere, police said. Security forces are battling Sunni Muslim insurgents in the western province of Anbar, where militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran the city of Falluja on January 1. In less than 30 minutes, three parked car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Thursday night targeting Shi'ite neighborhoods. A car bomb in the western Shi'ite district of al-Ammal killed four people and wounded 12 on a busy commercial street, police said. Full Story | Top |
| EU sets out three steps to pressure Russia over Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:18 AM PST By Martin Santa and Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed to suspend visa and investment talks with Russia on Thursday in reaction to its seizure of Crimea, and said they would freeze Russian assets and withdraw from a G8 summit if Russia does not reverse course. After six hours of talks to discuss how to respond to Russia's maneuvers against Ukraine, EU leaders took more far-reaching action than expected, spurred in part by a decision in the Crimean parliament to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. "We have today decided to take actions ... notably to suspend bilateral talks with the Russian Federation on visa matters as well as talks with the Russian Federation on the new agreement" on investment and research cooperation, EU leaders said. Full Story | Top |
| Crimea referendum completely illegitimate: U.S. State Department Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 10:16 AM PST A planned referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region on whether to join Russia is completely illegitimate and violates the Ukrainian constitution, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday. "To be clear, the premise that Crimea could hold a local referendum or vote in their local parliament to secede from Ukraine and join Russia is completely illegitimate under Ukraine's constitution," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a briefing. Full Story | Top |
| Caymans-bound cruise ship plucks Cuban migrants from wooden boat Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:54 AM PST By Peter Polack GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) - Twenty-four Cubans were rescued from a rickety wooden boat by a passing cruise liner which took them to the Cayman Islands, ship owner Carnival Corp said, as growing numbers of migrants try to sail to Central America and eventually reach the United States. Officials in the Caymans said last year more Cuban boats were being spotted in its territorial waters, often headed for Honduras, from where migrants make the long journey overland to reach the U.S. border with Mexico. "In keeping with a longtime tradition of aiding mariners in distress, Carnival Paradise altered its course and brought on board 24 individuals from Cuba who were provided with food, water, fresh clothing and accommodations and evaluated by the ship's medical team," Carnival said in a statement emailed to Reuters on Thursday. Under an existing agreement between Cuba and the Cayman Islands government, the rescued Cubans will likely be repatriated. Full Story | Top |
| Afghan president's brother withdraws from election, backs ex-minister Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:52 AM PST  By Katharine Houreld and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan president's older brother, Qayum Karzai, announced on Wednesday he was withdrawing from next month's presidential election and would back former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, widely believed to be the president's favored candidate. The move will fuel speculation among diplomats and officials in Kabul that President Hamid Karzai is moving to advance the position of Rassoul with the hope that he will retain influence after his term is over. "You can remember the 2009 election where there was a lot of interference from the outside," Karzai told a conference in Colombo. The pullout was widely anticipated after the elder Qayum Karzai failed to show up for a televised debate this week. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria's APC pledges to fight graft at debut summit Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:49 AM PST By Joe Brock ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's main opposition party slammed President Goodluck Jonathan's record on corruption on Thursday, calling on Africa's most populous nation to end the governing party's 15-year rule at an election next year. Calling it "A New Party for a New Nigeria", APC leaders Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler, and former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu unveiled the party logo - a broom - to highlight its main promise to clean up graft. Five state governors, dozens of legislators and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar have all defected to the APC, which now faces a long and fiercely contested campaign that foreign investors fear might stoke unrest and weaken Nigeria's finances. Most recently he suspended Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi after he said he found financial irregularities in an audit of the bank. Full Story | Top |
| "Mission accomplished" for U.S. air base in pro-Moscow Kyrgyzstan Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:36 AM PST By Olga Dzyubenko MANAS TRANSIT CENTER (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force base in Kyrgyzstan is packing up for closure after more than 12 years of flying troops and cargo in and out of Afghanistan, as Moscow boosts its military clout in the strategic region. The Manas Transit Center in the ex-Soviet nation's main civilian airport has been in operation since the end of 2001, serving the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan codenamed Operation Enduring Freedom. As Kyrgyzstan seeks closer political ties and economic aid from its ex-Soviet overlord Russia, the national parliament last June gave Washington until July 2014 to close its base. The logistics hub, employing some 1,200 servicemen, was engaged in aerial refueling, personnel and cargo airlift, as well in humanitarian programs with Kyrgyzstan. Full Story | Top |
| Polish PM says EU discussions on Russia sanctions 'stormy' Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:32 AM PST WARSAW (Reuters) - European Union leaders' decisions about sanctions on Russia at a meeting on Thursday may not go as far as some people would like, but they were still significant, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday. "The discussions were stormy," Tusk told a news conference in Brussels broadcast on Polish television. "Maybe not everybody will be satisfied, but we achieved more than could have been expected just a few hours ago." He also said that European leaders agreed to suspend preparations until further notice for a Group of Eight meeting in the Russian city of Sochi. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU suspends visa, investment talks with Russia over Ukraine Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:32 AM PST European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to suspend talks with Russia on visa and investment liberalization to enforce a call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine's Crimea region and opening negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. "Any further steps by the Russian federation to destabilize the situation in Ukraine would lead to severe and far-reaching consequences for relations between the European Union and its member states on the one hand and the Russian federation on the other hand, which will include a broad range of economic areas," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told a news conference after a meeting of the European Union and Ukraine's new leaders. "We strongly condemn Russia's unprovoked violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. We call on Russia to immediately withdraw its armed forces and to allow immediate access for international monitors," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Hollande warns Russia of further EU measures Thursday, Mar 06, 2014 09:30 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is ready to put in place further sanctions against Russia if it de-stabilizes Ukraine further, French President Francois Hollande said after a European crisis meeting on the stand-off on Wednesday. "If Russia ... took measures which de-stabilized Ukraine, called into question its territorial integrity, there would be new measures concerning ties between the EU and Russia in a number of economic sectors," Hollande told a news briefing. ... Full Story | Top |
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