| | |
| Ukraine gives rebels deadline to disarm or face military operation Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 05:24 PM PDT  By Conor Humphries and Thomas Grove KIEV/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine has given pro-Russian separatists a Monday morning deadline to disarm or face a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" by its armed forces, raising the risk of a military confrontation with Moscow. Angered by the death of a state security officer and the wounding of two comrades near the flashpoint eastern city of Slaviansk, acting president Oleksander Turchinov gave rebels occupying state buildings until 0600 GMT to lay down their weapons. He blamed Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region when Moscow-backed former president Viktor Yanukovich fled after months of pro-Western protests, for being behind the rash of rebellions across Russian-speaking towns in eastern Ukraine. "We will not allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in the eastern regions of Ukraine," Turchinov said. Full Story | Top |
| Blackberry plans Heartbleed patches as mobile threat scrutinized Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 05:24 PM PDT  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd said it plans to release security updates for messaging software for Android and iOS devices by Friday to address vulnerabilities in programs related to the "Heartbleed" security threat. Researchers last week warned they uncovered Heartbleed, a bug that targets the OpenSSL software commonly used to keep data secure, potentially allowing hackers to steal massive troves of information without leaving a trace. Security experts initially told companies to focus on securing vulnerable websites, but have since warned about threats to technology used in data centers and on mobile devices running Google Inc's Android software and Apple Inc's iOS software. Scott Totzke, BlackBerry senior vice president, told Reuters on Sunday that while the bulk of BlackBerry products do not use the vulnerable software, the company does need to update two widely used products: Secure Work Space corporate email and BBM messaging program for Android and iOS. Full Story | Top |
| EU to discuss more Russia sanctions, police support in Ukraine Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 03:02 PM PDT By Justyna Pawlak and Adrian Croft LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers will hold talks on Monday to discuss how to toughen sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine without losing the support of some EU governments worried about antagonizing a power with an energy stranglehold over Europe. Under discussion are possible new economic sanctions, as well as an EU mission to train police and other law-enforcement officials in Ukraine and the bloc's approach to issuing visas and trade with the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in March after popular protests toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated over the weekend, with Kiev announcing plans for a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" against a rash of rebellions in eastern Ukraine that it says are inspired and directed by the Kremlin. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern on Sunday over "the surge of actions undertaken by armed individuals and separatist groups in various cities of Eastern Ukraine". Full Story | Top |
| In post-Fukushima policy test, Japan town rallies for nuclear re-start Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 02:07 PM PDT By Mari Saito SATSUMASENDAI, Japan (Reuters) - On the main road leading from the Sendai nuclear plant in southern Japan, a construction crew is laying down asphalt to widen the evacuation route in the event of a future disaster. It means they are edging closer to re-starting two nuclear reactors that have been an economic engine for nearly three decades in a remote coastal town that has few other options. Satsumasendai never felt the earthquake that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster some 1,600 kms (994 miles) to the north in March 2011. But residents saw their friends lose jobs and felt their future was threatened when the Sendai nuclear plant run by Kyushu Electric Power was idled along with the rest of Japan's reactors for a more stringent round of safety checks after Fukushima. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. in prime position to see full lunar eclipse Tuesday Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 12:33 PM PDT The lunar eclipse will unfold over three hours beginning at 1:58 a.m. EDT when the moon begins moving into Earth's shadow. Eclipses occurs two or three times per year when the sun, Earth and the full moon line up so that the moon passes through Earth's shadow. Tuesday's eclipse will be the last full lunar eclipse visible from the United States until 2019, NASA said. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from most of the country, with the exception of New England and Alaska. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine gives rebels deadline to disarm or face military operation Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 12:27 PM PDT  By Conor Humphries and Thomas Grove KIEV/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine has given pro-Russian separatists a Monday morning deadline to disarm or face a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" by its armed forces, raising the risk of a military confrontation with Moscow. Angered by the death of a state security officer and the wounding of two comrades near the flashpoint eastern city of Slaviansk, acting president Oleksander Turchinov gave rebels occupying state buildings until 0600 GMT to lay down their weapons. He blamed Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region when Moscow-backed former president Viktor Yanukovich fled after months of pro-Western protests, for being behind the rash of rebellions across Russian-speaking towns in eastern Ukraine. "We will not allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in the eastern regions of Ukraine," Turchinov said. Full Story | Top |
| Libyan prime minister quits after one month, citing violence Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 10:00 AM PDT  By Feras Bosalum and Julia Payne TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's interim prime minister handed his resignation to parliament on Sunday, just one month into the job, saying gunmen had tried to attack his family. Abdullah al-Thinni's resignation adds to the growing chaos in Libya, where the government has struggled to control brigades of former rebels nearly three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The General National Congress (GNC), the country's parliament, has not yet officially recognized Thinni's resignation and will decide what to do at its next session on Tuesday, a GNC spokesman said. Thinni said he would stay in his post until the GNC selects a new prime minister. Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait opposition calls for elected government, reforms Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 09:54 AM PDT  By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT (Reuters) - An opposition group in Kuwait, the Gulf Arab country with the most open political system, has set out a wide-ranging proposal for reform including parties, an elected government and greater powers for parliament. The Opposition Coalition, formed last year by already existing groups of nationalists, Islamists, youths and liberals, issued a call at the weekend for major constitutional and legislative reforms to give elected officials more power. Kuwait, a U.S. ally and one of the world's richest countries per capita, has avoided the severe unrest seen elsewhere in the Arab region. Members of the family, which has ruled Kuwait since the 18th century, hold the top cabinet posts. Full Story | Top |
| Drummond barge with building material wrecked in Colombia waters Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 07:52 AM PDT A barge carrying construction materials for U.S.-based Drummond Co Inc, Colombia's second biggest coal miner, was shipwrecked at the company's port late last week, and local media said on Sunday it also had diesel fuel onboard. Drummond only recently reopened the port in northern Colombia after the government had shut down operations until the miner completed an upgrade to meet new environmental legislation. A Drummond statement confirmed the incident and said the crew was rescued but did not mention the fuel. The government shut Drummond's port in January after the new environmental law took effect and the company had not completed construction of its legally required conveyor belt system, slashing the country's coal exports by about a third. Full Story | Top |
| Step up action to curb global warming, or risks rise: U.N. Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 06:53 AM PDT  By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent BERLIN (Reuters) - A United Nations report said on Sunday that governments must act faster to slow global warming and delays until 2030 could force reliance on little-tested technologies to extract greenhouse gases from the air. The study, drawing on work by more than 1,000 experts, said a radical shift from conventional fossil fuels to low-carbon energy such as wind, solar or nuclear power would shave only about 0.06 percentage point a year off world economic growth. "It does not cost the world to save the planet," Ottmar Edenhofer, a German scientist who is co-chair of a meeting of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told a news conference in Berlin. The report, endorsed by governments, is meant as the main scientific guide for nations working on a U.N. deal to be agreed in late 2015 to rein in greenhouse gas emissions that have hit repeated highs this century, led by China's industrial growth. Full Story | Top |
| China's tap water cleared of benzene in some areas: Xinhua Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 04:53 AM PDT  The Chinese city of Lanzhou has cancelled emergency measures in two districts after tests of water samples there found no more cancer-inducing benzene, the state news agency Xinhua reported. Residents in the northwestern city of Lanzhou, Gansu province, rushed to buy bottled drinks on Friday after authorities said benzene had been found in tapwater at 20 times above national safety levels. The city government rolled out an emergency supply of free drinking water for the two districts after turning off water taps there. But by Saturday morning, the environmental monitoring department found no more benzene in four tests of samples taken from Chengguan and Qilihe districts, Xinhua said. Full Story | Top |
| Libya's Zawiya oil port reopens, refinery to restart in 24 hours Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 03:23 AM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's western Zawiya oil port has resumed operations after protesters vacated the entrance to the facilities and the adjoining refinery will restart in about 24 hours, a spokesman for the state oil company said on Sunday. The National Oil Corp spokesman added that there were continuing issues with protesters in the area but they hoped to resolve these in the next few hours. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: U.N. issues guide to slow climate change Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 02:04 AM PDT (Reuters) - Following are main findings by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a report on Sunday saying that time is running out to keep global warming within agreed limits. The 33-page summary, by leading scientists, is meant to guide almost 200 governments which have promised to work out a deal by the end of 2015 to slow climate change. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS Emissions of greenhouse gases rose to a record 49 billion tonnes in 2010 from 27 billion in 1970. Carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industrial processes accounted for about 78 percent of the increase. Full Story | Top |
| Canadian town says 'no' to Enbridge pipeline in vote Sunday, Apr 13, 2014 01:06 AM PDT  By Julie Gordon KITIMAT, British Columbia (Reuters) - Residents of the British Columbia town of Kitimat voted against the Northern Gateway pipeline project in a blow to Enbridge Inc's efforts to expedite the flow of crude from Canada's landlocked oil sands to high-paying markets in Asia. While non-binding, Saturday's vote is likely to carry some weight with Canada's Conservative government, which is expected to decide in mid-June on the C$7.9 billion ($7.21 billion) project, the first major conduit for oil sands crude to Asia. We might not have sent the dragon to death, but we are going to continue to battle." If built, the Northern Gateway pipeline would carry some 525,000 barrels-per-day of crude from Alberta's oil sands across northern British Columbia to the Kitimat port, where it would be loaded onto supertankers and shipped to energy-hungry Asia. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment