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| Japan, fresh from Australia pact, says U.S. trade talks 'difficult' Monday, Apr 07, 2014 08:19 PM PDT  Japan, fresh from clinching a basic trade deal with Australia after years of negotiations, said it hoped for a similar result with the United States and for a regional pact, but cautioned that talks were "difficult." Japan and the United States are pushing for a two-way trade deal, a crucial part of a broad U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) before U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Japan later this month, with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman arriving for talks with Economy Minister Akira Amari. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed a basic agreement on a deal on Monday, overcoming sticking points on beef and automobiles that had long stymied an agreement, and agreed to work towards signing it as soon as possible. Full Story | Top |
| Gloves off as India's BJP woos the Hindu vote in northern heartland Monday, Apr 07, 2014 08:07 PM PDT  By Sharat Pradhan MUZAFFARNAGAR, India (Reuters) - India's main opposition party, tipped to form the next government, appears to be returning to its Hindu nationalist roots at the start of a five-week general election, raking up divisive issues and using strong language in an area hit by religious riots. Criss-crossing the country for months before the first phase of voting began on Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its candidate for prime minister, Narendra Modi, had mainly campaigned on a ticket of better governance, economic development and job creation. But just hours after voting started, the election commission demanded an explanation from Modi's chief aide Amit Shah, accusing him of incendiary speeches in towns where dozens of people, mostly Muslims, were killed in Hindu-Muslim riots last year. When justice is not done to all the parties and the action is one-sided action, then the public is forced to come out in the streets," Shah said in the town of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh state last week, according to a transcript provided by the commission. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. presses on with Middle East talks rescue attempt Monday, Apr 07, 2014 05:59 PM PDT  By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. efforts to save Middle East peace talks from collapse showed little sign of progress on Monday amid threats from Israel to retaliate for what it saw as unilateral Palestinian moves towards statehood. The U.S.-brokered negotiations plunged into crisis last week after Israel, demanding a Palestinian commitment to continue talking after the end of the month, failed to carry out a promised release of about two dozen Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded by signing 15 global treaties, including the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war and occupations, on behalf of the State of Palestine, a defiant move that surprised Washington and angered Israel. In a statement later about the Monday meeting, she said: "Gaps remain but both sides are committed to narrow the gaps." Secretary of State John Kerry signaled on Friday he may scale back his intense mediating efforts due to "unhelpful actions" by Israel and the Palestinians, saying it was time for a "reality check" and Washington would re-evaluate its role. Full Story | Top |
| Search for missing Malaysia plane set to move to sea floor Monday, Apr 07, 2014 05:55 PM PDT  Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said the month-long hunt was at a critical stage given the black box recorder batteries were dying - or had died. An Australian ship that picked up signals consistent with the beacons from aircraft black box recorders over the weekend had not registered any further pulses, Houston said. "The locator beacon has a shelf life of 30 days and we are now passed that time and as a consequence there is a chance that the locator beacon is about to cease transmission, or has ceased transmission," Houston told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights expert urges debt relief for Philippines Monday, Apr 07, 2014 05:33 PM PDT  A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday urged international creditors to cancel the Philippines' debt and give it unconditional grant aid instead of new loans to fund massive post-typhoon reconstruction. The Southeast Asian country, hit hard five months ago by Typhoon Haiyan -- one of the strongest storms to make landfall anywhere -- estimated the total cost of a four-year reconstruction effort could surpass the current estimate of 361 billion pesos ($8 billion). The Philippines' outstanding external debt was $58.5 billion at the end of 2013, according to the central bank. "I welcome the international support provided to the Philippines in the aftermath of the cyclone, but am concerned that more than $22 million leaves the country every day, paying off overseas debts," Cephas Lumina said. Full Story | Top |
| Smooth Afghan election raises questions about Taliban's strength Monday, Apr 07, 2014 04:59 PM PDT  By John Chalmers and Maria Golovnina KABUL (Reuters) - A bigger-than-expected turnout in Afghanistan's presidential election and the Taliban's failure to significantly disrupt the vote have raised questions about the capacity of the insurgents to tip the country back into chaos as foreign troops head home. The Taliban claimed that they staged more than 1,000 attacks and killed dozens during Saturday's election, which they have branded a U.S.-backed deception of the Afghan people, though security officials said it was a gross exaggeration. There were dozens of minor roadside bombs, and attacks on polling stations, police and voters during the day. But the overall level of violence was much lower than the Taliban had threatened to unleash on the country. Full Story | Top |
| Valls seeks reform boost with French confidence vote Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:07 PM PDT  New Prime Minister Manuel Valls will test France's political will to reform on Tuesday in a confidence vote that will determine whether the government can push ahead with a competitiveness drive. Valls, appointed by President Francois Hollande last week after the ruling Socialists suffered an election rout, is to launch plans to phase out 30 billion euros ($41 billion) in payroll tax on companies in exchange for hiring. Valls, one of France's most popular politicians, is to outline his priorities in his first major policy speech at 15:00 (1300 GMT), before the confidence vote. Full Story | Top |
| Two foreign U.N. workers killed in Somalia Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:55 PM PDT By Abdiqani Hassan BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - A Briton and a Frenchman working for the United Nations were shot dead on Monday at an airport in north-central Somalia, officials said. A U.N. mission spokesman said it was not clear who was behind the killings. Abdi Idris, an official in the semi-autonomous Puntland region which administers the airport, gave the nationalities of the two men and said they worked as consultants for the U.N. anti-drugs agency. The United Nations, which has spent billions of dollars in Somalia since the outbreak of civil war in 1991, has often been targeted by warring clan factions, most recently by al Qaeda-aligned Islamist group al Shabaab. Full Story | Top |
| Indonesia's presidential favorite lacks only one thing - a policy platform Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:12 PM PDT  By Kanupriya Kapoor JAKARTA (Reuters) - In a sign Indonesians are coming to assume that the hugely popular Jakarta governor Joko Widodo will be their next president, even the outgoing leader is pressing him to be more explicit about his policies before he is in office. It illustrates how, despite running the sprawling and messy Indonesian capital for 1-1/2 years, no one is sure what the presidency under a man widely known as Jokowi will look like. Those results will then determine who can run in the July 9 presidential election. The former furniture business owner has also shown a common touch, often visiting Jakarta's streets to see its vast challenges close up. Full Story | Top |
| Pro-Moscow protesters seize arms, declare republic; Kiev fears invasion Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:09 PM PDT By Richard Balmforth and Lina Kushch KIEV/DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Moscow protesters in eastern Ukraine seized arms in one city and declared a separatist republic in another, in moves Kiev described on Monday as part of a Russian-orchestrated plan to justify an invasion to dismember the country. Kiev said the overnight seizure of public buildings in three cities in eastern Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking industrial heartland were a replay of events in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized and annexed last month. "An anti-Ukrainian plan is being put into operation ... under which foreign troops will cross the border and seize the territory of the country," Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in public remarks to his cabinet. "We will not allow this." Pro-Russian protesters seized official buildings in the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk on Sunday night, demanding that referendums be held on whether to join Russia like the one that preceded Moscow's takeover of Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| Lufthansa, Austrian halt Libya flights; airport road blocked Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:50 PM PDT  By Julia Payne and Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI (Reuters) - German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines have halted flights to Libya indefinitely due to security concerns after a bomb at Tripoli airport two weeks ago, a Lufthansa spokesman said on Monday. Lufthansa, Austrian, Italy's Alitalia and British Airways suspended flights immediately and had left open whether or when operations would resume. Full Story | Top |
| Workers clash with guards and shots fired at Rio Park Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:37 PM PDT Workers building Rio's 2016 Olympic Park fought with security guards on Monday but although shots were fired no one was injured in the melee, eyewitnesses said. Scuffles broke out between guards and construction workers on strike for more pay and better union representation. "Fortunately, no one was hurt." The Olympic Park is one of the focal points of Rio's Olympic Games and will host judo, basketball, tennis, handball and cycling events at a host of purpose-built facilities. The international broadcast center and the main media base will also be located in the park, which is being built on the site of Rio's former Formula One track. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senators press for hard line over reported Iran-Russia deal Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:35 PM PDT Two U.S. senators who led a push for more sanctions on Iran during negotiations over its nuclear program called on President Barack Obama on Monday to impose more restrictions if Tehran pursues an energy barter agreement with Russia. Reuters reported last week that Tehran and Moscow had made progress toward an oil-for-goods deal that sources said could be worth $20 billion and enable Iran to boost vital energy exports in defiance of Western sanctions. Senators Robert Menendez and Mark Kirk wrote to Obama and said that if Iran moved forward with the plan, Washington should respond by reinstating sanctions eased under a preliminary nuclear agreement, rigorously enforce reductions in global purchases of Iranian crude and punish any violations to the fullest extent of the law. "We urge you to put Iran on notice that United States is prepared to re-instate these sanctions should Iran attempt to evade our sanctions and violate the terms of the JPA (preliminary agreement)," wrote Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Kirk, an Illinois Republican. Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 5 earthquake felt in southeastern France Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:27 PM PDT NICE, France (Reuters) - A magnitude 5 earthquake was felt in southeastern France on Monday, according to a provisional reading from the National Network for Seismic Monitoring. The quake, at 3.27 p.m. ET (1927 GMT), was centered about 50 km (30 miles) inland from the Riviera city of Nice and was close to the Italian border, at a depth of 5 km. No damage was immediately reported, Pierre-Martin Charpenel, mayor of Barcelonnette, a town near the epicenter, told BFMTV. Strong earthquakes are rare in France. (Reporting by Matthias Galante; Writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Activist petition seeks end of SeaWorld California orca shows Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:22 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - The battle over a proposed ban in California on using killer whales in entertainment shows at amusement parks like SeaWorld stepped up on Monday, as animal rights activists converged on Sacramento to present petitions they said were signed by 1.2 million people worldwide. The symbolic move to present the petitions by representatives of the Animal Welfare Institute and others came a day before a committee of state lawmakers was set to debate a bill to end orca shows at SeaWorld's San Diego park. The lobbying comes after executives from SeaWorld Entertainment Inc spent two days at the state capitol presenting their case. The bill to ban orca shows at parks in California was introduced by state Assemblyman Richard Bloom, a Santa Monica Democrat, who has said he was inspired by the documentary film, "Blackfish," which tells the story of an orca that killed a trainer at SeaWorld's park in Orlando, Florida, in 2010. Full Story | Top |
| 'I'm scared to sleep', tearful Pistorius tells court Monday, Apr 07, 2014 12:55 PM PDT By David Dolan PRETORIA (Reuters) - His voice trembling with emotion, Oscar Pistorius took the witness stand in his own defense on Monday, saying the Valentine's Day shooting of his girlfriend last year had left him sleepless, terrified and plagued by nightmares. The disabled South African track star, on trial for murder, apologized to the mother of model Reeva Steenkamp, saying he had fired four times through a toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the belief he was defending her from an intruder. Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, was hit by at least three rounds, one of which - to the head - killed her almost instantly, the court has heard. "I was simply trying to protect Reeva," Pistorius told the Pretoria High Court at the start of his testimony. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt court upholds jailing of leading pro-democracy activists Monday, Apr 07, 2014 12:37 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian appeals court on Monday upheld the jailing of three leading figures of the 2011 pro-democracy uprising, tightening a crackdown on secular activists opposed to the army-backed government. Critics see their case as an attempt to stifle the kind of political street activism common since the uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak three years ago, as Egypt prepares for presidential elections next month. A court handed down three-year sentences to the three liberal activists, Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel, in December for protesting without permission and assaulting the police. The European Union and the United States had urged Egypt to reconsider the verdict. Full Story | Top |
| Mississippi girl swept away by floodwaters likely dead: officials Monday, Apr 07, 2014 12:10 PM PDT By Therese Apel JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - A 9-year-old girl was missing and presumed dead on Monday after being swept away in flash floods triggered by severe storms in Mississippi, while more than 100 people were rescued from deluged apartment buildings in Alabama, authorities said. Divers in Yazoo City, Mississippi, searched culverts and ditches for the girl, who was last seen on Sunday night playing in floodwaters near her home, said Joey Ward, director of the local emergency management agency. In Covington County, Mississippi, seven people suffered minor injuries when a tornado apparently damaged homes overnight, the state emergency management agency said. Full Story | Top |
| Russia tells Kiev not to use force in southeast Ukraine Monday, Apr 07, 2014 11:54 AM PDT Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andrei Deshchytsa, in a phone conversation on Monday that Kiev must not use force against pro-Russian protesters in southeastern Ukraine, Lavrov's ministry said. "The need to respect the aspirations of the residents of southeastern Ukraine (and) the inadmissibility of the use of force to respond to legal demands (by protesters) to protect their language, culture and socioeconomic rights was emphasized (from the Russian side)," the ministry's statement said. Ukraine's interior minister accused President Vladimir Putin on Sunday of orchestrating "separatist disorder" in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian protesters seized administrative buildings in three cities, as a pretext to send Russian troops into Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| UN envoy urges Myanmar to allow aid access to Rohingyas Monday, Apr 07, 2014 11:52 AM PDT  A U.N. envoy on Monday urged Myanmar to allow the return of aid groups forced to flee attacks in Rakhine state, warning their departure threatened "severe consequences" for Muslims sheltering in camps from violence by majority Buddhists. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said water shortages could reach critical levels within a week in some displacement camps, where 140,000 people live as a result of communal conflict since 2012. "These workers were in Rakhine State providing essential life-saving support, including health services, water and food to internally displaced persons, isolated villages, and other affected communities," Quintana said. Recent developments in Rakhine State were the latest in a long history of discrimination against the Muslim Rohingya community, which he said "could amount to crimes against humanity". Full Story | Top |
| Kerry warns Lavrov Russia faces 'costs' if it further destabilizes Ukraine Monday, Apr 07, 2014 11:43 AM PDT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday that Washington was watching events in eastern Ukraine with great concern and any moves by Moscow to destabilize Ukraine would "incur further costs for Russia." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that in the telephone call Kerry "called on Russia to publicly disavow the activities of separatists, saboteurs and provocateurs" in Ukraine. She said the two discussed convening direct talks in the next 10 days between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union to defuse tensions. Full Story | Top |
| EU study finds honey bees death rates are lower than feared Monday, Apr 07, 2014 11:31 AM PDT  By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A pioneering European Union survey into the impact of pests and diseases on honey bees found death rates were lower than feared, in part countering concerns about the collapse of colonies of the crop-pollinating insects. The study of 32,000 bee colonies across 17 EU member states from late 2012 until summer 2013 found winter mortality rates ranged from 3.5 percent to 33.6 percent. The winter of 2012-13 was particularly cold and the highest mortality rates were in northern countries with harsher climates. During the beekeeping season, when the insects are active, mortality rates were between 0.3 percent and 13.6 percent. Full Story | Top |
| Germany summons North Korean envoy to protest against nuclear test Monday, Apr 07, 2014 11:07 AM PDT Germany summoned the North Korean ambassador on Monday to protest against an announcement that the country is planning a new nuclear test, after it test-fired medium-range missiles. "The Foreign Ministry summoned the North Korean ambassador, Ri Si Hong, in light of the announcement of a further nuclear test from the North Korean government," the ministry said. "The Foreign Ministry emphatically calls upon the North Korean government to undertake efforts towards a de-escalation and to resume the dialogue towards resolving the nuclear question." It warned there would be a strong international reaction if the test went ahead. North Korea fired two Rodong missiles on March 26, just as the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the United States were sitting down to discuss containing the North Korean nuclear threat. Full Story | Top |
| Dutch banker killed wife and daughter before suicide: police Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:54 AM PDT A Dutch banker killed his wife and younger daughter before committing suicide, police said on Monday. Jan Peter Schmittmann, 57, who ran domestic operations at ABN AMRO when it was one of the largest banks in the world, was found dead at his home in the wealthy Amsterdam commuter town of Laren early on Saturday. Police said forensic work carried out over the weekend had given them a clear picture of the deaths of Schmittmann, his 57-year-old wife and 22-year-old younger daughter. "The mother and daughter were killed by the father, after this the father killed himself," police said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| UK summons Myanmar envoy, calls for aid group access to Rakhine state Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:35 AM PDT Britain summoned Myanmar's ambassador on Monday to call on the southeast Asian nation to allow aid agencies to resume their work in violence-torn Rakhine state, Britain's Foreign Office said. Aid agencies were forced to halt operations in Rakhine last month when hundreds of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists destroyed staff homes, offices and warehouses as well as boats used to transport supplies. A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign office said Hugo Swire, a junior minister responsible for Asia, had summoned the ambassador for Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. Full Story | Top |
| After deal, Libya's ports prepare to load oil tankers Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:30 AM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami ZUEITINA PORT, Libya/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's Zueitina oil port prepared on Monday to load crude into tankers after the government reached a deal with rebels to reopen four terminals that insurgents have occupied since the summer. The federalist rebels agreed on Sunday to end gradually their eight-month blockade of Zueitina, Hariga, Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports, which account for around 700,000 barrels per day of the OPEC country's crude exports. Full Story | Top |
| India's BJP puts 'no first use' nuclear policy in doubt Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:29 AM PDT  By Sanjeev Miglani and John Chalmers NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), widely tipped to form the next government, pledged on Monday to revise the country's nuclear doctrine, whose central principle is that New Delhi would not be first to use atomic weapons in a conflict. Unveiling its election manifesto, the party gave no details, but sources involved in drafting the document said the "no-first-use" policy introduced after India conducted a series of nuclear tests in 1998 would be reconsidered. Arch-rival Pakistan, which responded within weeks that year by conducting tests of its own, does not profess "no first use". The BJP, which was in power at the time of India's underground blasts, appears to be on the cusp of returning to government under the leadership of Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist many expect would adopt a muscular foreign policy. Full Story | Top |
| India kicks off world's biggest election in remote northeast Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:29 AM PDT By Shyamantha Asokan DIBRUGARH, India (Reuters) - The first Indians cast their votes on Monday in the world's biggest election, with Hindu nationalist opposition candidate Narendra Modi holding a strong lead but likely to fall short of a majority. Elderly women in saris and young men in jeans and polo shirts lined up outside a dilapidated sports center in Dibrugarh, a river town in the tea-growing state of Assam, one of two states to vote on Monday. During high-octane campaigning at well-attended rallies the length and breadth of India, Modi has been promising to jumpstart a flagging economy and sweep out the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India for most of the period since independence in 1947. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies are forecast to win the biggest chunk of the 543 parliamentary seats up for grabs, but fall shy of a majority, according to a survey released last week by Indian pollsters CSDS. Full Story | Top |
| EPA chief says power plant rule will be tough, enforceable Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:14 AM PDT By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's chief said on Monday that new carbon pollution standards due in June will be flexible enough for all states to meet but will be environmentally stringent and federally enforceable. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy gave her first remarks since the agency sent its proposed rule, which aims to curb carbon emissions from more than 1,000 existing power plants in the United States, to the White House's Office of Management and Budget for review. The rule, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's second-term climate change strategy, is on track to be released in June, kicking off a months-long public comment process. Without providing details on the highly anticipated rule, McCarthy said the proposal targeting the largest source of domestic carbon emissions would have regulatory teeth. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says Ukraine needs 'international assistance' on constitution Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:09 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his German counterpart on Monday that "international assistance" was needed in Ukraine to help carry out constitutional reform, his ministry said in a statement. Lavrov told Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a telephone conversation that it was necessary "to take urgent efforts to organize international assistance for the soonest start of a national dialogue of all political forces and regions of Ukraine ... in order to openly agree on a mutually acceptable constitutional reform." (Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Canada's new finance minister pledges tax cut in debut speech Monday, Apr 07, 2014 10:02 AM PDT  Canada's new finance minister, Joe Oliver, promised on Monday to cut taxes for families once the budget is balanced, giving no details and sticking to the Conservative government's longstanding script in his first major speech in the new role. Oliver, previously the government's energy minister and pitch man for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, was appointed as finance minister on March 19. He replaces Jim Flaherty, who served for eight years under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Once the budget is balanced our priority will be to provide tax relief for hardworking Canadian families," Oliver said in the prepared text of the speech. Full Story | Top |
| White House warns Russia about overt or covert action in Ukraine Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:55 AM PDT The White House on Monday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against moving "overtly or covertly" into eastern Ukraine and said there was strong evidence that pro-Russian demonstrators in the region were being paid. "We saw groups of pro-Russian demonstrators take over government buildings in the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. "There is strong evidence suggesting some of these demonstrators were paid and were not local residents. "If Russia moves into eastern Ukraine either overtly or covertly this would be a very serious escalation. Full Story | Top |
| Washington state mudslide death toll rises to 33 Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:54 AM PDT  (Reuters) - The death toll from a massive mudslide that devastated a rural community in Washington state last month rose by three to 33 on Monday, with a dozen people still unaccounted for, county officials said. A rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning on March 22, above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River, sending a torrent of mud over the river and across state Highway 530, engulfing some three dozen homes on the outskirts of the tiny community of Oso. Full Story | Top |
| Rwandans told 'never again', 20 years after genocide Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:50 AM PDT  By Jenny Clover KIGALI (Reuters) - The United Nations chief told a packed stadium of somber and weeping Rwandans on Monday the world would "never again" let genocide tear their nation apart, at a ceremony marking 20 years since 800,000 people were butchered. A host of leaders and donors attended the commemoration, but France - an ally of the Rwandan government that ruled before the genocide - did not take part after rebel-turned-president, Paul Kagame, renewed charges of Paris' "direct role" in the killings. France has acknowledged mistakes in its dealings with Rwanda. But it has repeatedly dismissed accusations it trained militias to take part in the massacres and Kagame's comments triggered fresh outrage in Paris on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| Italy to present new economic, public finance goals on Tuesday Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:46 AM PDT By Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italy will set new targets for the economy and public finances on Tuesday when the cabinet approves a multi-year plan for presentation to the European Commission, the prime minister's office said. Premier Matteo Renzi said last week that the Financial and Economic Document (DEF) will cut this year's economic growth forecast to 0.8 or 0.9 percent, from the 1.1 percent projection made by the previous government of Enrico Letta. The budget deficit target may be revised up slightly to around 2.6 percent of gross domestic product from 2.5 percent, government sources have told Reuters, but will remain well below the European Union's 3 percent ceiling. The plan should also give some indication of how the government will manage to fund around 10 billion euros of income tax cuts which Renzi has promised will take effect from May, and which will lower government revenues by around 7 billion euros this year. Full Story | Top |
| France takes mixed messages to Germany on economy Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:38 AM PDT  By Annika Breidthardt BERLIN (Reuters) - France's new Socialist government delivered mixed messages on Monday to Germany, its closest partner and the European Union's pivotal power, on its priorities for reducing the budget deficit and stepping up economic reforms to boost growth. Finance Minister Michel Sapin told his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schaeuble, that Paris would stick to promised deficit reductions and that any measures to cut France's budget gap would come from savings and growth. But his attempt to convey a clear, orthodox message was blurred when an outspoken leftist promoted to economy minister told French television that public finances were secondary to promoting growth and that Germany had shown understanding. Full Story | Top |
| Iran hopes nuclear deal drafting can start by mid-May Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:37 AM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran said it hopes enough progress will be made with major powers this week to enable negotiators to start drafting by mid-May a final accord to settle a long-running dispute over its nuclear program. The Islamic Republic and six world powers will hold a new round of talks in Vienna on Tuesday and Wednesday intended to reach a comprehensive agreement by July 20 on how to resolve a decade-old standoff that has stirred fears of a Middle East war. "We will finish all discussions and issues this time to pave the ground for starting to draft the final draft in Ordibehesht (an Iranian month that begins in two weeks)," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said upon arrival in Vienna. A U.S. official gave a similar timetable last week, voicing hope that the drafting of an agreement could begin in May. Iran says its enrichment program is a peaceful bid to generate electricity and has ruled out shutting any of its nuclear facilities. Full Story | Top |
| Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines halt Libya flights indefinitely Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:36 AM PDT German airline Lufthansa and its Austrian Airlines unit have halted flights to Libya indefinitely after a security incident at Tripoli airport two weeks ago, a Lufthansa spokesman said on Monday. At the end of March, a bomb exploded on the main runway of Tripoli International Airport, highlighting the deteriorating security situation and chaos in the North African country. Both airlines as well as British Airways and Italy's Alitalia had suspended Libya flights since then and left open whether operations would resume. Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi sees social worker before final tax-fraud sentence Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:32 AM PDT  By Manuela D'Alessandro MILAN (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi has had a meeting with a social worker to determine whether he can be reinserted into civil society after serving his time for tax fraud, in the latest humiliation for the billionaire former prime minister. The 77-year-old center-right leader, who has dominated Italian politics for two decades, was convicted in August last year of tax fraud at his Mediaset television network and given a four-year sentence, commuted to one. Berlusconi, who spent Thursday and Friday nights in hospital to have tests run on a swollen knee, could claim to have a "legitimate impediment" and ask to have the hearing postponed. After the hearing, the panel has up to five days to make its ruling, which will also include details of terms of his sentence likely to make it difficult for him to campaign for elections for the European Parliament next month. Full Story | Top |
| Putin says West may use NGOs to stir unrest in Russia Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:22 AM PDT  By Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin told his security chiefs on Monday to ensure Russia does not follow what he said was Ukraine's example by letting the West use local civil rights groups to foment unrest. In a speech to the Federal Security Service (FSB), the KGB's main successor, the former spy called for more vigilance and better counter-intelligence to fight threats ranging from Islamist militants to computer hackers. But he signalled particularly deep mistrust of the West following protests that toppled Ukraine's Moscow-backed leader in February during the worst crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War ended in 1991. Accusing the West of funding radical groups in Ukraine that helped to topple President Viktor Yanukovich, he expressed concern that Russia also faced a threat from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) "serving foreign national interests". Full Story | Top |
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