| | |
| Fire engulfs parts of Chile's Valparaiso port, 100 houses destroyed Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 08:29 PM PDT A fire pushed by strong Pacific coast winds ripped through parts of the Chilean port city Valparaiso on Saturday, destroying at least 100 houses and causing the evacuation of thousands of residents as authorities battled the blaze. "The weather is complicating the situation," emergency official Guillermo de la Mazza told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Australia says progress towards G20 growth target "unacceptable" Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 08:00 PM PDT  PERTH, Australia, April 13 - Slow progress towards meeting economic growth targets set by the Group of 20 bloc of advanced and developing nations this year is "unacceptable", Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey said on Sunday. G20 finance ministers had pledged to have "real and effective plans to lift the global economy by a further 2 percent" before they meet in Australia in September but were only one-tenth of the way there, he said. "The proposals put forward by nations so far have been unacceptable and they only meet 10 percent of our goal," Hockey told Australian Broadcasting Corp. TV after talks in Washington. Hockey coordinated the talks, with Australia holding the G20 presidency. Full Story | Top |
| Nevada ranching family claims victory as government releases cattle Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 07:42 PM PDT  By Jennifer Dobner BUNKERVILLE, Nevada (Reuters) - U.S. officials ended a stand-off with hundreds of armed protesters in the Nevada desert on Saturday, calling off the government's roundup of cattle it said were illegally grazing on federal land and giving about 300 animals back to the rancher who owned them. The dispute less than 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas between rancher Cliven Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management had simmered for days. Bundy had stopped paying fees for grazing his cattle on the government land and officials said he had ignored court orders. Anti-government groups, right-wing politicians and gun-rights activists camped around Bundy's ranch to support him in a standoff that tapped into long-simmering anger in Nevada and other Western states, where vast tracts of land are owned and governed by federal agencies. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine prepares armed response as city seized by pro-Russia forces Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 06:54 PM PDT  By Pavel Polityuk and Thomas Grove KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armed separatists took control of a city in eastern Ukraine on Saturday and Kiev prepared troops to tackle what it called an "act of aggression by Russia", pushing the conflict between the neighbors into a dangerous new phase. Pro-Russian activists carrying automatic weapons seized government buildings in Slaviansk, a town about 150 km (90 miles) from the Russian border, and set up barricades on the outskirts of the city. Government buildings in several other towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were attacked in what Washington said were moves reminiscent of the events that preceded Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. "We are very concerned by the concerted campaign we see under way in eastern Ukraine today by pro-Russian separatists, apparently with support from Russia, who are inciting violence and sabotage and seeking to undermine and destabilize the Ukrainian state," said Laura Lucas Magnuson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. Full Story | Top |
| White House to send Biden to Kiev as conflict with Russia escalates Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:53 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Saturday that Vice President Joe Biden would travel to Kiev this month to show support for the Ukrainian government as U.S. officials expressed new concern over "violence and sabotage" by militants it said were apparently supported by Russia in eastern Ukraine. Biden, set to travel to Kiev on April 22, will become the most senior U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said. Full Story | Top |
| French foreign minister meets Raul Castro on historic visit to Cuba Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:45 PM PDT  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - France's foreign minister met with Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday during the first visit to the island by such a high-ranking French official in 31 years and a sign of the quickening pace of improving ties between the European Union and Havana. Laurent Fabius said he discussed politics, human rights, market-oriented reforms in Cuba and bilateral relations in what he characterized as "a long conversation" with Castro. Earlier in the day, Fabius met with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, various Cabinet ministers, Cardinal Jaime Ortega and French businessmen. Since Fabius took office in 2012, he has tried to shift more of France's diplomatic focus toward winning contracts in markets where French firms are traditionally weak, as Paris looks to find growth opportunities overseas. Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 6.6 quake hits southwest Nicaragua: USGS Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:35 PM PDT  MANAGUA (Reuters) - A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit southwest Nicaragua on Friday near the coast, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking buildings in the capital Managua and as far away as San Jose in Costa Rica. Initial reports indicated no major damage from the quake, which was also felt in El Salvador. The quake struck 15 miles south of the town of Granada, near the country's Pacific coast, at a depth of 86 miles, the USGS said. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said a tsunami was not expected due to the depth of the quake. ... Full Story | Top |
| Remaining cattle released to Nevada rancher after armed standoff: witness Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:39 PM PDT The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released on Saturday the remaining cattle of a Nevada ranching family that the agency had seized in a dispute over grazing on federal land, according to a Reuters witness. The close to 300 cattle were led through a wash under Interstate-15 near Bunkerville, Nevada, and back onto the grazing land where rancher Cliven Bundy's herds have grazed for decades. The action by U.S. officials, who had earlier ended a roundup of Bundy's cattle, followed the arrival of armed supporters of the ranching family. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. agency ends Nevada cattle roundup, releases herd after stand-off Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:39 PM PDT  By Jennifer Dobner BUNKERVILLE, Nevada (Reuters) - U.S. officials ended a stand-off with hundreds of armed protesters in the Nevada desert on Saturday, calling off the government's roundup of cattle it said were illegally grazing on federal land and giving about 300 animals back to the rancher who owned them. The dispute less than 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas between rancher Cliven Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management had simmered for days. Bundy had stopped paying fees for grazing his cattle on the government land and officials said he had ignored court orders. The bureau had called in a team of armed rangers to Nevada to seize the 1,000 head of cattle on Saturday but backed down in the interests of safety. Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande approval at record low, prime minister far ahead Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:00 PM PDT  French President Francois Hollande's popularity fell sharply in April to the lowest levels since he was elected in May 2012, taking his rating below that of the Prime Minister Manuel Valls to the largest gap ever calculated between the two titles. Only 18 percent are satisfied with Hollande's performance, five points less than last month, after his Socialist party was routed in local elections for a failure to turn around the euro zone's second largest economy and combat an unemployment rate stuck at more than 10 percent. Hollande reshuffled it cabinet in early April, putting former Interior Minister Valls to head the government after local elections in March resulted in a victory of the far-right National Front in a record number of towns. Valls won an approval rating of 58 percent in a poll carried out during April 4 to April 12, gaining the strongest popularity of a French Prime Minister at the beginning of the mandate. Full Story | Top |
| Strong quake hits near Solomon Islands; tsunami warning cancelled Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 03:27 PM PDT (Reuters) - A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands on Sunday morning, triggering a tsunami warning that was later cancelled, according to U.S. government agencies, and there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake was centered 100 km (60 miles) south of Kira Kira on the island of Makira at a depth of 29 km (18 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "So far we have received no reports of damage," said Constable Taylor Fugo from Kira Kira police. They all went up the hills and have been watching and waiting for advice." A tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu was cancelled after only very small tsunami wave activity, just a couple of centimetres, had been measured at two reading stations near the epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Full Story | Top |
| Pro-Russian separatists take Kramatorsk police HQ after firefight Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 02:57 PM PDT KIEV (Reuters) - Pro-Russian militants armed with automatic weapons on Saturday took control of the police headquarters in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, 150 km (95 miles) from the Russian border, a Reuters witness said. An organized military unit of over 20 men wearing matching military fatigues and carrying automatic weapon took over the building around 1700 GMT after arriving on at least two buses. Video footage showed the men taking orders from a commander and shooting from automatic rifles as they approached the building. (Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Biden to visit Kiev to show U.S. support for Ukraine unity: White House Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 02:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Kiev on April 22 to meet with government officials and civil society groups ahead of the Ukrainian presidential election in May, the White House said on Saturday. "The vice president will underscore the United States' strong support for a united, democratic Ukraine that makes its own choices about its future path," the White House said in a statement. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Will Dunham) Full Story | Top |
| Ally says Algeria's Bouteflika recovering, will make reforms Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 02:29 PM PDT  By Patrick Markey and Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is recovering steadily from a stroke last year, talks with his team every day, and is healthy enough to govern after the election on April 17, his chief ally said on Saturday. Bouteflika, a 77-year-old veteran of Algeria's independence war, has no serious rivals for re-election in Thursday's ballot, but he has not campaigned himself and has only rarely spoken in public since his illness. Questions about Bouteflika's health and Algeria's stability are key for Western governments, who see the North African state as a partner in the campaign against Islamist militancy in the Maghreb, and a stable supplier of gas for Europe. Abdelmalek Sellal, who resigned as prime minister to campaign for Bouteflika, said the president planned constitutional reforms to strengthen democracy, with term limits for the president and wider powers for opposition parties if he wins. Full Story | Top |
| Former U.S. Marine's family asks Iran to reconsider prison term Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 02:17 PM PDT  By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The family of an Iranian-American former U.S. Marine held in Iran since 2011 called on Saturday for senior Iranian officials to review his conviction and 10-year prison sentence on charges of collaborating with the U.S. government and to free him. The family of Amir Hekmati, whose previous espionage conviction and death sentence in Iran were overturned in 2012, said he was retried in secret, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on a charge of "practical collaboration with the American government." The family said he was innocent of the charges. Iran has not commented on any developments in the case. "The Hekmati family respectfully asks senior Iranian officials to review Amir's conviction, and to resolve this grave misunderstanding by granting Amir his freedom and a safe return home," the family, living in Flint, Michigan, said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says armed action by Ukraine would threaten peace talks Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 01:40 PM PDT Russia warned the United States on Saturday that any armed action by Ukrainian authorities in the east of Ukraine would undermine efforts at a diplomatic solution to the conflict and put planned peace talks at risk. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the warning during a call from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who expressed concern about Russia's role in "inciting" trouble in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Hungary's Orban retains two-thirds parliament majority Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 01:02 PM PDT  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party has retained its two-thirds majority in parliament, and with it the ability to change the constitution, according to a final tally of votes from last weekend's election published on Saturday. Close results in some constituencies had meant it was not clear whether the Fidesz party would reach the threshold of 133 of the 199 seats in parliament. By late Saturday, with 99.9 percent of votes counted, the National Election Office's website said Fidesz would have exactly 133 seats, the Socialist-led leftist alliance 38, and the far-right Jobbik party 23. "Now it is certain that Fidesz will again have a two-thirds majority," said Peter Kreko, director of the political think tank Political Capital. Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kidnap 100 Pakistani villagers in northwest, government says Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 12:33 PM PDT By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a village gathering in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and kidnapped around 100 men, Pakistani government officials said. Officials said they suspected that the gunmen are Taliban who attacked because the villagers supported the government. Three local government officials told Reuters that the gunmen had initially taken around 100 villagers from a gathering in the remote region on the border of Orakzai and Khyber tribal areas, both of which border Afghanistan, but had later released around 40 of them. "The government has no writ in those areas between Orakzai and Khyber tribal region but we are hearing from the local people that tribal elders had sent (elders) to the Taliban to release the kidnapped villagers without any condition," one official said. Full Story | Top |
| French foreign minister on historic visit to Cuba Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 11:44 AM PDT  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - France's foreign minister arrived in Cuba on Saturday for a brief but historic visit, the first by such a high-ranking French official in 31 years and a sign of the quickening pace of improving ties between the European Union and Havana. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez upon arrival, and was scheduled to meet with Cardinal Jaime Ortega and then French businessmen. Rodriguez met with Laurent in Paris last month. "We want to strengthen our ties with South America and particularly with Cuba," Fabius said, before sitting down for talks with Rodriguez. Full Story | Top |
| Thousands march in Paris, Rome against austerity, economic reforms Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 10:56 AM PDT  PARIS/ROME (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in central Paris and Rome on Saturday organized by hard-left parties against government economic reform plans and austerity measures. The protest in Rome turned violent when a large splinter group - many wearing masks and helmets - threw rocks, eggs, firecrackers and oranges at riot police in front of the industry ministry. Riot police with batons charged the group, with protesters fighting back with rocks and firecrackers. In Paris, protestors marched from the Place de la Republique, some carrying banners attacking President Francois Hollande with slogans such as "Hollande, that's enough" and "When you are leftist you support employees." French police said that about 25,000 joined the protest, which came after new Prime Minister Manuel Valls unveiled planned tax and spending cuts on Tuesday, vowing to bring down France's public deficit and following on the heels of pro-business reforms announced earlier this year by Hollande. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine accuses Russia of 'act of aggression' Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 10:50 AM PDT KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine considered attacks by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on Saturday as an "act of aggression by Russia", Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. "Units of the interior and defense ministries are implementing an operational response plan," he said in a statement on his Facebook page. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Pro-Russian separatists set up checkpoints around east Ukraine city Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 09:17 AM PDT SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists armed with automatic weapons set up checkpoints on roads into the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk on Saturday, Reuters witnesses said. Masked men wearing a mixture of civilian and combat clothing checked passing vehicles before waving them past barricades built out of car tyres and sand bags on roads leading into the city from Donetsk and Luhansk, the witnesses said. A Russian flag flew at one of the checkpoints, while a black, blue and red separatist flag flew above another one. ... Full Story | Top |
| China backs aid for Ukraine, worried by IMF funding capacity Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 09:16 AM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China said on Saturday it backed IMF financial support for Ukraine, but expressed concern about the global lender's funding capacity given the failure of the U.S. Congress to ratify a program of reforms for the institution. Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told a small group of Western journalists on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank spring meetings in Washington it was a "worry" that more than 85 percent of IMF lending was currently focused on Europe. Zhu highlighted the importance of reacting quickly to any problems that arise in regions outside Europe, adding: "That is why IMF financial capacity has become so important." Zhu said China was worried about the potential impact of the Ukraine crisis, especially on Europe, which was already facing risk from deflation. Full Story | Top |
| Scottish leader urges voters to put aside politics for independence Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 09:15 AM PDT  By Belinda Goldsmith ABERDEEN, Scotland (Reuters) - First Minister Alex Salmond on Saturday urged Scots to look beyond party politics and break the 307-year union with England when they vote in an independence referendum in September. Closing the Scottish National Party's (SNP) last conference before the ballot on September 18, Salmond said a vote for independence was not a vote for his party or for him, but a way to put Scotland's future in its own hands. His appeal comes after a narrowing in opinion polls that has for the first time in the SNP's 80-year history made independence look a possibility, with both sides now trying to convince up to 15 percent of voters who remain undecided. Salmond promised to form an all-party "Team Scotland" group after a "Yes" vote to negotiate terms of independence by March 24, 2016, such as how to divide oil revenues, the currency, removing nuclear weapons, and European Union membership. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian hardline Islamist leader jailed for one year Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 08:56 AM PDT An Egyptian court sentenced a hardline Islamist former presidential hopeful to one year in prison on Saturday for insulting the court, state news agency MENA reported. Salafist preacher Hazem Salah Abu Ismail is on trial for fraud in a case related to presidential elections in 2012 which brought the now ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood to power. Abu Ismail, who has links to the Brotherhood, was disqualified from that election after reports that his late mother had held a U.S. passport. During his short-lived presidential campaign, he built a passionate base of followers among Salafists who broadly opposed Mursi's ousting a year later. Full Story | Top |
| Deceased Dutch Catholic bishop was child molester: commission Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 08:18 AM PDT By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor PARIS (Reuters) - The Dutch Catholic Church, in a rare admission of guilt among senior clergy, has confirmed that a bishop who died last year had sexually abused two boys decades earlier. The diocese of Roermond said a Church commission had found that accusations against former bishop Johannes Gijsen, dating back to his time as chaplain at a minor seminary from 1958 to 1961, were "well founded". Mea Culpa, a Dutch group supporting abuse victims, welcomed the Roermond statement. Bishop Frans Wiertz, current head of Roermond diocese, said he accepted the commission's findings and "regrets the abuse and suffering inflicted on the victims". Full Story | Top |
| Fading signals add urgency to search for missing Malaysian jet Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 07:24 AM PDT  By Swati Pandey PERTH (Reuters) - The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner resumed on Saturday, five weeks after the plane disappeared from radar screens, amid fears that batteries powering signals from the black box recorder on board may have died. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned on Friday that signals picked up during the search in the remote southern Indian Ocean, believed to be "pings" from the black box recorders, were fading. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared soon after taking off on March 8 from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board, triggering a multinational search that is now focused on the Indian Ocean. Search officials say they are confident they know the approximate position of the black box recorder, although they have determined that the latest "ping', picked up by searchers on Thursday, was not from the missing aircraft. Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia flight's co-pilot tried to make cellphone call-report Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 07:10 AM PDT Investigators probing the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 suspect that the co-pilot of the jetliner tried to make a call with his cellphone after the plane was diverted from its scheduled route, Malaysia's New Straits Times reported sources as saying on Saturday. The newspaper cited unidentified investigative sources as saying the attempted call from co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid's phone was picked up by a cellphone tower as the plane was about 200 nautical miles northwest of the west coast state of Penang. Full Story | Top |
| Iran rejects U.S. ban on pick for U.N. envoy, vows legal action Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 06:46 AM PDT  By Mehrdad Balali DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Saturday rejected a U.S. decision to deny a visa for its newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations, pledging to take up the case directly with the world body in a dispute that has reopened old wounds dating to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The United States, which hosts the United Nations, said Iran's candidate Hamid Abutalebi was unacceptable given his role in a 444-day crisis in which radical Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage. President Barack Obama had come under strong domestic pressure not to allow Abutalebi into the United States to take up his position in New York, raising concerns that the dispute would disrupt delicate negotiations between Tehran and six world powers including Washington over Iran's nuclear program. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine says Russia stoking unrest as gunmen seize more buildings Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 06:44 AM PDT  By Gleb Garanich SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine appealed to Russia to halt "provocative actions" in its eastern regions on Saturday as pro-Russian militants seized two more government buildings and called for autonomy from Kiev. At least 20 armed militants wearing mismatched camouflage outfits took over the police and security services headquarters in the eastern city of Slaviansk, about 150 km (90 miles) from the border with Russia, seizing hundreds of handguns. Police said gunmen later took over the local headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service. Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andriy Deshchytsia, urged Russia to end what he called "provocative actions" by its agents in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Full Story | Top |
| France's Le Pen, in Moscow, blames EU for new 'Cold War' Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:57 AM PDT  By Alessandra Prentice MOSCOW (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Front, blamed the European Union for declaring a new Cold War on Russia that would hurt all concerned, Russian media reported on Saturday as she paid an official visit to Moscow. Europe-Russia relations are at their lowest ebb in decades after President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea prompted the EU to impose sanctions on dozens of prominent Russian officials and lawmakers. However Le Pen, along with other Eurosceptic leaders of the far left and nationalist right, believe the original fault lies with Brussels for offering closer ties with Ukraine, a move Russia opposes. Full Story | Top |
| 'Million Orchid' project to revive native Florida flowers Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:41 AM PDT  By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Inside a small bright lab, nestled behind sprawling Banyan trees in Miami's Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, scientists and volunteers tend to tens of thousands of just-germinated orchids tucked in glass bottles. In the coming weeks, crews in bucket trucks, usually used to fix power lines, will lift the fragile plants onto trees that line south Florida's roads, hoping they will take root and re-establish the blanket of millions of brightly colored flowers that once covered the state. "We want to bring back not just the orchids, but the insects that pollinate them," said Carl Lewis, who leads the Million Orchid Project as director of the botanic garden. Florida's obsession with orchids, particularly rare species, was detailed in journalist Susan Orlean's 1998 book, "The Orchid Thief," which was about the arrest of a man and a group of Seminole Indians who poached the rare Ghost Orchid in hopes of cloning it for profit. Full Story | Top |
| Beirut police detain Berlusconi ally ahead of mafia verdict Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:28 AM PDT  By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Beirut police on Saturday picked up a longtime political ally and friend of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi after he was declared a fugitive earlier this week. A Palermo court said on Friday that former senator Marcello Dell'Utri, who co-founded Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in 1994, was considered a fugitive ahead of a final verdict in a trial for mafia collusion, due on Tuesday. "He was captured and is now in a Lebanese police office," Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, a former Berlusconi ally who broke with the centre-right leader last year, said on the sidelines of a political rally in Rome. But Dell'Utri, in a statement issued through his lawyer, Giuseppe Di Peri, responded on Friday that he had left the country for medical tests and some rest after undergoing an angioplasty a few weeks ago. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine calls on Moscow to halt 'provocative actions' in east Ukraine Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 05:24 AM PDT Ukraine's foreign minister urged Russia on Saturday to end what he called "provocative actions" by its agents in eastern Ukraine after pro-Russian militants seized two buildings in the city of Slaviansk. Acting foreign minister Andrii Deshchytsia said he had spoken in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russia denies providing any support to the militants, who have seized four government buildings in the east of the former Soviet republic, apparently emboldened by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last month. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine police says pro-Russian militants seize security service HQ Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:59 AM PDT Pro-Russian militants have seized a second building in the eastern city of Slaviansk, which houses the local headquarters of the state security service, police said on Saturday. At least 20 armed militants took over the city's police headquarters earlier. "The same group has seized the building of the SBU (security service) in Slaviansk," Donetsk regional police said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine police says pro-Russian militants seize hundreds of guns Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:52 AM PDT Pro-Russian militants have seized at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons from a police station they are occupying in the east Ukrainian city of Slaviansk, police said on Saturday. "The aim of the takover was the guns," a police statement issued from the capital Kiev said. "They are giving these guns to participants in the protest in Slaviansk." A Reuters photographer at the building said he had not seen the attackers handing out weapons. Full Story | Top |
| India's Modi stands by Hindu customs but wants progress for Muslims Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:36 AM PDT  By Aditi Shah NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, leading the race to be India's next prime minister, on Saturday sought to blunt criticism that he is hostile to Muslims, the country's biggest minority group. Modi, candidate of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was asked by a television interviewer to explain his refusal to wear a skullcap offered to him by a Muslim cleric in the state of Gujarat three years ago. Hindu-Muslim relations have been a key issue in the Indian general election, with critics accusing Modi of not doing enough to protect Muslims in a spasm of religious violence in the western state of Gujarat in 2002 that left at least 1,000 dead. About 13 percent of India's 1.2 billion people are Muslim. Full Story | Top |
| China protests after Japanese minister visits shrine for war dead Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:07 AM PDT  China's foreign ministry lodged a protest with Japan on Saturday after a Japanese minister visited a shrine which is seen by critics as a symbol of Tokyo's wartime aggression. China, as well as South Korea, has repeatedly expressed anger in the past over Japanese politicians' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal after World War Two are honored along with those who died in battle. China's foreign ministry said the visit by Yoshitaka Shindo, Japan's internal affairs minister, once again showed that Japan's cabinet had the "wrong attitude" when it came to facing up to history. Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar's first census in three decades extended amid controversy Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 04:04 AM PDT  The women will have to go through 37,579 family census forms, according to officials, using calculators to tally the total numbers because they have no access to computers. The census - the first in three decades - has long been mired in controversy, much of it concerning the counting of Rohingya - Muslims who live in western Rakhine state and often described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Officials say some 100,000 school teachers have fanned out across Myanmar on foot collecting data for the census, expected to count between 48 million and 65 million citizens. On April 10, on what was supposed to be the final day of the census, volunteers went door-to-door in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital, racing to gather data for a census estimated by rights groups and other groups to cost $74 million. Full Story | Top |
| Maoist rebels kill 13 in blasts in Indian state Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 03:09 AM PDT Suspected Maoist rebels set off two bombs in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, killing 13 people, most of them paramilitary soldiers and officials charged with holding elections in the region. The attacks, half an hour apart, were the most serious since voting to elect a new federal government began last week in a six-week process to allow security forces to move across the country. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment