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| Two more 'pings' detected in search for missing Malaysia plane Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 08:58 PM PDT  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian officials said on Wednesday that two new "ping" signals had been detected in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, injecting fresh confidence into the search that had been struggling with a lack of information. Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search, said one ping was detected on Tuesday afternoon and lasted five minutes, 25 seconds, while a second was picked up on Tuesday night and lasted seven minutes. Full Story | Top |
| Race to find Malaysia plane as 'pings' prove illusive Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 08:57 PM PDT  By Matt Siegel and Swati Pandey SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner continued on Wednesday, as the U.S. Navy said it had been unable to relocate possible "pings" from the black box recorders that had injected fresh urgency into the international effort. A U.S. Navy "towed pinger locator" (TPL) onboard Australia's Ocean Shield on the weekend picked up two signals consistent with black box locator beacons - the first for more than two hours and the second for about 13 minutes - at the weekend. Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said that the signals represented the best lead yet in the month-long hunt in the Indian Ocean. But Commander William J. Marks, public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, told Reuters on Wednesday that they had so far failed to replicate the findings, raising concerns as time ticks down on the devices' batteries. Full Story | Top |
| Japan, United States face off in crucial trade negotiations Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 08:06 PM PDT  Japan and the United States on Wednesday began a round of crucial talks aimed at concluding a trade pact seen as critical to the success of regional negotiations, although officials warned that bridging differences would be difficult. Tokyo and Washington are seeking a two-way trade deal, regarded as a key part of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that is the centerpiece of Washington's push to increase its Asian presence, before U.S. President Barack Obama visits Japan later this month. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has touted the multilateral framework as an key part of his growth strategy but the outlook for a Japan-U.S. deal is cloudy as both sides accuse each other of inflexibility. "I think if there is good will on both sides we can make progress on bridging our differences," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told reporters before a day of talks with officials including Economy Minister Akira Amari. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela government and foes talk; Vatican to mediate Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 08:06 PM PDT  By Diego Ore and Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government and Venezuela's main opposition group agreed on Tuesday to begin talks intended to halt the nation's worst political unrest in a decade. Representatives of the Vatican and South American regional bloc Unasur will mediate, both sides said. Clashes between security forces and pro-government militants on one side, and hooded opposition demonstrators blocking streets on the other, have killed 39 people since mid-February, according to official figures. The dead have included government supporters, opponents, and members of the security forces. Full Story | Top |
| Indonesians vote for new parliament, stage set for presidential poll Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 08:01 PM PDT  By Kanupriya Kapoor JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesians began voting for a new parliament on Wednesday in a poll likely to be dominated by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), boosting the chances of its popular candidate in a presidential election three months from now. Its candidate for the presidential election on July 9, Jakarta governor Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, already looks unbeatable. Former president and head of the PDI-P Megawati Sukarnoputri appeared to set aside her own ambition last month when she gave the green light to Jokowi to run for president, recognizing that his popularity could lead her party back to power. Indonesia's embrace of democracy since the downfall of former authoritarian leader Suharto 16 years ago has seen four different presidents and repeated change of the leading party. Full Story | Top |
| China recruits 'guardian angels' to protect embattled doctors Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 07:59 PM PDT China's capital Beijing is taking a novel approach to protecting doctors from growing levels of violence from angry patients: volunteer "guardian angels". The campaign will recruit students, medical workers and other patients to act as middlemen between doctors and those in their care to defuse disagreements and smooth over tensions, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. Doctors in China have come under increasing threat as the country's healthcare system struggles to cope with low doctor numbers, poor levels of training and rampant corruption inflating the price of care. This has seen a number of fatal attacks by patients on doctors in the past year. Full Story | Top |
| Kazakhstan nervous of tougher Russia/Ukraine oil sanctions Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 06:23 PM PDT By Raushan Nurshayeva and Alla Afanasyeva ASTANA/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kazakhstan, which has backed close ally Russia's actions in Ukraine, is seeking alternative routes for its oil exports which may fall if the West decides to toughen sanctions against Russia, a major transit route of Kazakh crude to world markets. A vast steppe nation of 17 million, Kazakhstan is Central Asia's largest economy and the second-largest post-Soviet oil producer after Russia, with which it participates in a customs union and plans to form the Eurasian Economic Union this year. Russia's annexation of Crimea in neighboring Ukraine has so far only elicited targeted sanctions against certain Russian and Ukrainian individuals and many believe major crude producer Russia's key position in world energy markets makes heavier sanctions very unlikely. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Russia, Ukraine and EU to meet on Ukraine crisis Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 06:23 PM PDT By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States, the European Union, Russia and Ukraine will meet at ministerial level next week to discuss the Ukraine crisis, the EU said on Tuesday, offering a glimpse of possible diplomatic progress in the conflict. The meeting will involve U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia, the EU said. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine to get help from new EU support group Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 06:23 PM PDT The European Union plans to set up a special support group to help Ukraine stabilize its precarious economy and political situation, an EU diplomat said on Tuesday. Concern is growing that Moscow could be preparing for further military action in Ukraine and on Tuesday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian agents and special forces of stirring separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine. The support group, whose creation is expected to be announced on Wednesday, would bring together "several dozen people" to work out priorities for Ukraine, an EU diplomat said, asking not to be named. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. accuses Russian agents of stirring eastern Ukraine unrest Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 06:23 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Thomas Grove WASHINGTON/LUHANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian agents and special forces on Tuesday of stirring separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine, saying Moscow could be trying to prepare for military action as it had in Crimea. Ukraine's security service said separatists occupying the security headquarters in Luhansk had planted bombs in the building and were holding as many as 60 hostages. Kerry said he feared Moscow might repeat its Crimean operation. "It is clear that Russian special forces and agents have been the catalyst behind the chaos of the last 24 hours," he said in Washington, and this "could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea." Moscow annexed the Black Sea peninsula last month after a referendum staged when Russian troops were already in control. Full Story | Top |
| Estonia's new PM says Russia sanctions would hurt, but may be needed Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 06:23 PM PDT By David Mardiste TALLINN (Reuters) - Estonia's new prime minister said on Tuesday that imposing economic sanctions on Russia would hurt European Union countries, but might be needed to send a strong message to Moscow. Taavi Roivas, who became prime minister of the Baltic state - an EU member that was formerly part of the Soviet Union - in late March, said it was vital for the EU to show unity over Ukraine. "I think if Europe as a whole finds a consensus on clear sanctions, then the economic potential setback is, for the European countries, not as important as the actual effects of the sanctions." The European Union and the United States have imposed targeted visa bans and asset freezes on Russian and Ukrainian individuals, but have stopped short of broader economic sanctions. Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Washington state mudslide rises to 35 Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 05:59 PM PDT  (Reuters) - The death toll in a mudslide that devastated a rural Washington state community last month rose to 35 on Tuesday as two more bodies were extricated from the rubble and President Barack Obama pledged to visit the town at the center of the devastation. A rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River on March 22, unleashing a torrent of mud that engulfed some three dozen homes on the outskirts of the tiny community of Oso. The death toll had stood at 33 on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| Troubled Mideast peace effort compounds U.S. policy woes in region Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 05:57 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and William Maclean WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Reuters) - Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September, President Barack Obama declared the pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace one of the two main U.S. foreign policy priorities for his second term. Fast-forward to today, the Obama administration faces a stark choice: expend more energy on a faltering peace process or absorb the hit to an already-troubled record in the Middle East and walk away from negotiations. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met Obama on Tuesday for a "reality check," says he hopes both sides will work with U.S. mediators to "find a way back." But as optimism fades, many inside and outside the Middle East warn now is not the time for a U.S. diplomatic failure in the region. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil election jitters may hit investments in 2014: source Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 05:22 PM PDT  By Alonso Soto and Luciana Otoni BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's presidential vote will likely delay some investment decisions this year but spending on infrastructure is expected to remain strong, a senior government official told Reuters on Tuesday. Although President Dilma Rousseff is the favorite to win the October 5 general election, many investors could withhold funds until the next government outlines its plans for the following four years, which could hamper the country's already slow economic growth. "But investment in infrastructure will not be affected because a lot of that construction is already under contract." The official, who is involved in economic policy decisions, said the government expects investment commitments of about 100 billion reais ($45.48 billion) between 2014 and 2015 in roads, ports, airports, power generation and distribution projects. President Rousseff, a left-leaning technocrat, launched a multibillion dollar infrastructure package in 2012 precisely to bolster investment, which is one of the main bottlenecks holding back the economy of the once-booming emerging-market star. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. defense chief gets earful as China visit exposes tensions Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 04:24 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart BEIJING (Reuters) - Tensions between China and the United States were on full display on Tuesday as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faced questions in Beijing about America's position in bitter territorial disputes with regional U.S. allies. Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan, standing side-by-side with Hagel, called on the United States to restrain ally Japan and chided another U.S. ally, the Philippines. Then, Hagel was sharply questioned by Chinese officers at the National Defense University. One of them told Hagel he was concerned that the United States was stirring up trouble in the East and South China Sea because it feared someday "China will be too big a challenge for the United States to cope with." "Therefore you are using such issues ... to make trouble to hamper (China's) development," the officer said. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry suggests Israeli housing announcement triggered impasse Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 03:32 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested on Tuesday that Israel's announcement of plans to build about 700 housing units in East Jerusalem was the proximate cause for the near collapse of its peace talks with the Palestinians. However, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Kerry was not seeking to blame Israel for the impasse in the talks, which appear close to breaking down ahead of the April 29 date by which Kerry had hoped to reach a peace agreement. Any hint that the United States was blaming Israel was likely to upset Israeli officials. Among the steps were Israel's failure to release a fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners as promised, its announcement of tenders to build 708 new housing units in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of a Palestinian state, and the Palestinians signing 15 international agreements, including the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war, last week. Full Story | Top |
| Austrian far-right politicians quit EU parliament campaign Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 03:06 PM PDT The co-lead candidate for the anti-immigrant Freedom Party said he had lost his party's trust after making racist comments, while the daughter of late Austrian right-wing populist leader Joerg Haider gave up on re-energizing her father's BZO party. But the comments by the Freedom Party's Andreas Moelzer that the European Union's aggressive regulation made Nazi Germany look liberal by comparison and his warning the bloc could become a "conglomerate of negroes" risked alienating potential voters. The Freedom Party (FPO) is scoring around 27 percent in Austrian national opinion polls, ahead of the governing Social Democrats and conservative People's Party. Moelzer told the Austria Press Agency he was not prompted to quit by pressure from other political parties, the media or other external critics. Full Story | Top |
| Libya not in full control of re-opened eastern port Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:56 PM PDT By Julia Payne TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's oil protection force is not in full control of the Zueitina port as some militiamen are still at the facility following a deal to end their blockade of eastern oil terminals, a Petroleum Facilities Guard spokesman said late on Tuesday. The port, along with the country's two largest, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, has been under the control of an eastern federalist group led by former guard member Ibrahim al-Jathran, who recruited men from within his ranks. A deal was brokered over the weekend to reopen two of the small blocked ports, and while workers have been allowed entry, the former Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) members that followed Jathran are still there, hoping to rejoin the force that they deserted. Full Story | Top |
| Catalan leader says parliament rejection won't halt referendum Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:48 PM PDT  By Raquel Castillo MADRID (Reuters) - Catalonia President Artur Mas said on Tuesday he would forge ahead with his region's plans to hold a referendum on independence in November after Spain's parliament overwhelmingly rejected the petition. The regional parliament of Catalonia, which has its own language and a long history of fighting for greater autonomy from Spain, sent the initiative to the national legislature in January asking for permission to hold a referendum. "They are afraid that the Catalan people vote. Some would like to present this as the end of the matter but, as President of Catalonia, I say to them that it is not the end," Mas said in a live speech in Catalan immediately after votes were counted. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. warns on Iran 'breakout' capability as nuclear talks start Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:43 PM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak and Parisa Hafezi VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday Iran has the ability to produce fissile material for a nuclear bomb in two months, if it so decided, as Tehran and six world powers swung into a new round of talks in Vienna on resolving their atomic dispute. Secretary of State John Kerry's comments in Washington highlighted Western concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions and the wide divisions between the two sides that could still foil a deal. Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Full Story | Top |
| Britain tightens rules to deter welfare-seeking foreign migrants Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:34 PM PDT  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday it was stepping up restrictions on foreign job seekers' access to welfare payments as Prime Minister David Cameron strives to cut immigration ahead of a national election next year. Polls show voters are concerned about immigration levels, a trend reflected in the rising popularity of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) which opposes "open door immigration" and has drawn support away from Cameron's Conservatives. UKIP is expected to come first or second in elections for the European Parliament next month, pushing the Conservatives into third place. In response, Cameron has sought to appear tough on the issue by tightening visa rules for migrants from outside the European Union and by restricting access to welfare benefits for EU nationals. Full Story | Top |
| As Japan weighs energy options, costs mount for idled reactors Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:29 PM PDT  By Aaron Sheldrick and Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Since March 2011, Japan's government has focused on the cost of cleaning up after Fukushima, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Now, the bill is coming due for another unbudgeted consequence of that disaster - shutting down the nation's 48 remaining nuclear reactors for costly safety reviews that could see many of them mothballed. While their reactors have been idled, Japan's nuclear plant operators have had to spend around $87 billion to burn replacement fossil fuels. Last week, Kyushu Electric Power Co was confirmed to be seeking a near $1 billion bailout in the form of equity financing from the government-affiliated Development Bank of Japan because of the cost of idling its reactors, joining Hokkaido Electric Power Co which has also asked the bank for financial backing. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to cut nuclear launchers under treaty with Russia: officials Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 02:14 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will scale back its nuclear bombers, submarine launchers and ballistic missiles in the first cuts to its leftover cold war nuclear arsenal since ratifying a landmark treaty with Russia in 2011, officials said on Tuesday. Under the treaty, known as New Start, the U.S. military will disable four missile launch tubes on each of the 14 U.S. nuclear submarines, convert 30 B-52 nuclear bombers to conventional use and empty 50 intercontinental ballistic missile silos, senior administration officials said. The Pentagon, however, will not retire a missile squadron as some lawmakers had expected. The treaty caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads, those meant to travel long distances, in Russia and the United States at 1,550 each by 2018, down from the previous ceiling of 2,200. Full Story | Top |
| Afghanistan's surprises Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:57 PM PDT  In a nation more associated with calamity than consensus, the initial results of Saturday's Afghan presidential election are startling. Despite Taliban threats to attack polling stations nationwide, the same percentage of Afghans turned out to vote - roughly 58 percent - as did Americans in the 2012 U.S. presidential race. And a leading candidate to replace Hamid Karzai is Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank technocrat who has a PhD in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, a Lebanese Christian wife, and an acclaimed book and TED talk entitled "Fixing Failed States." "Relative to what we were expecting, it's very hard to not conclude that this was a real defeat for the Taliban," Andrew Wilder, an American expert on Afghanistan, said in a telephone interview from Kabul on Monday "And a very good day for the Afghan people." Two forces that have long destabilized the country - its political elite and its neighbors - could easily squander the initial success. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry says Iran nuclear 'breakout' window now seen as two months Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:46 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran can produce fissile material for an atomic weapon in two months, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday told a Senate hearing in which he faced tough questions from lawmakers about negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. "I think it's public knowledge today that we're operating with a time period for a so-called breakout of about two months. That's been in the public domain," Kerry testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "So six months to 12 months is - I'm not saying that's what we'd settle for, but even that is significantly more," Kerry said in response to a question about whether a "breakout" window of up to a year was the negotiators' goal. Full Story | Top |
| California lawmakers sidestep bill on SeaWorld shows until after elections Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:33 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A closely watched measure that would ban SeaWorld from using killer whales to perform tricks in famed "Shamu" shows at its California park was effectively killed on Tuesday, as state lawmakers called for more research. The bill to ban orca shows and breeding programs 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. It also removes incoming Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, a Democrat, from the uncomfortable position of being caught between liberal supporters and SeaWorld, which provides thousands of jobs in her home district of San Diego. "'Blackfish' is all over Europe." The film, released last year, shows what supporters say is ill treatment of the animals at SeaWorld parks, including the separation of young orcas from their mothers despite the animals' social and matriarchal nature. Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi may serve tax fraud sentence caring for the elderly Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:26 PM PDT  An Italian government agency has asked a court whether former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi can serve a one-year sentence for tax fraud by working in a center for the elderly, judicial sources said on Tuesday. The 77-year old center-right leader has dominated politics in Italy for decades, but was expelled from the Senate last November after being convicted for tax fraud at his Mediaset television network. At a hearing on Thursday, judges are due to begin deliberating whether Berlusconi, who denies the tax fraud charge, should serve his time under house arrest or by doing social work. According to the proposal by the government social services agency and deposited with the court, Berlusconi would work just one day a week at the elderly center, the judicial sources said. Full Story | Top |
| Two soldiers shot dead in northern Lebanon: security sources Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:23 PM PDT A Lebanese army officer and another soldier were killed on Tuesday when gunmen opened fire on their patrol in Lebanon's northern Akkar province, security and medical sources said. Minority Alawites in Tripoli, who support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have clashed with Sunnis who back the rebels battling to end four decades of Assad family rule. Lebanon, which hosts a million refugees from the conflict next door, has also seen violence spill over the border from Syria with bombings in Beirut, fighting in Tripoli, and rocket attacks on Bekaa Valley towns close to the frontier. Full Story | Top |
| Britain warns Scots that independence would hurt energy industry Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 01:13 PM PDT Britain on Tuesday warned Scots that voting for independence would put jobs and investment in the Scottish energy industry at risk, threatening the commercial viability of North Sea oil and gas fields and renewable energy projects. The latest paper, due to be released on Wednesday, will say that independence would deter investment in low-carbon renewable energy and make it unprofitable for firms to extract increasingly hard-to-reach oil and gas in the seas off Scotland. "I fear the economic and energy progress will be seriously affected by the uncertainty and disruption of independence, as investors will hold onto their cash rather than risk it," Energy Secretary Ed Davey said ahead of the report's release. Full Story | Top |
| NATO to triple Baltic air patrol from next month Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:50 PM PDT  By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO will triple its usual number of fighter jets patrolling over the Baltics next month to beef up its eastern European defenses due to tension with Russia over Ukraine, a NATO military official said on Tuesday. Four NATO fighters are usually based in the Baltics but the United States, which currently has responsibility for patrolling the skies there, increased that to 10 F-15s to reassure those states following Russia's occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region. The number of fighters assigned to the Baltic "air policing" mission is now set to increase further to 12, three times the normal complement, when the next four-month period starts in May, the NATO military official said. The strengthening of air patrols over the Baltics is part of a plan of air, land and sea reinforcements for central and eastern European allies that NATO's top military commander, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, is drawing up by April 15. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine counts on NATO allies for help with non-lethal equipment Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:34 PM PDT By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukraine, locked in confrontation with Russia, is counting on the United States and other NATO members to supply equipment ranging from uniforms to aircraft fuel but is not asking for weapons, its ambassador to NATO said on Tuesday. NATO officials say Russia has amassed around 40,000 troops near Ukraine's border and unrest in eastern Ukraine has led to fears that Russian forces could intervene there as they did in Crimea. Ukraine is not a member of NATO and Western political and military leaders have made clear that the 28-nation alliance is unlikely to come to Ukraine's military aid if it was invaded. But NATO and Ukraine have stepped up cooperation since the Crimea crisis broke and Ukraine's Ambassador to NATO Ihor Dolhov said Kiev expected to receive more assistance from the alliance. Full Story | Top |
| France's Valls wins parliament backing for tax and spend shake-up Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:25 PM PDT  By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - New Prime Minister Manuel Valls won a vote of confidence in parliament on Tuesday after unveiling planned tax and public spending cuts, vowing to bring France's public deficit down while resisting outright austerity. In a keynote speech to the National Assembly after being chosen last week by President Francois Hollande, Valls said an over-strong euro was damaging economic recovery, complaining that the monetary policy of the independent European Central Bank was "less expansionist" than that of its international counterparts. Deputies backed his government by 306 votes to 239 in a test of his authority that, despite grumbling from leftist allies that he is too centrist, was never in question given the absolute majority of ruling Socialists in the lower house. "Yes, we must put our public finances right, but not destroy our social model or public services - the French people would never accept that," he said, adding: "We will explain that to our European partners." He confirmed an expected package of 30 billion euros ($41 billion) in payroll tax cuts on companies by 2016, and said a revenue tax on companies, known as "C3S", would be scrapped by the same date, handing six billion euros back to business. Full Story | Top |
| New French PM Valls wins parliament vote of confidence Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:25 PM PDT The government of new French Prime Minister Manuel Valls won a vote of confidence in parliament on Tuesday, hours after Valls set out a package of tax and spending cuts aimed at restoring growth to the euro zone's second largest economy. Deputies in the lower house National Assembly voted 306 to 239 to support Valls, named as prime minister last week in a reshuffle ordered by President Francois Hollande after his Socialists lost heavily in local elections. Valls said his new government would embark on what he called a "new phase" in Hollande's five-year mandate through to 2017. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights chief says Syria government abuses 'far outweigh' rebels Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:20 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Human rights violations by Syrian government forces "far outweigh" those by armed opposition groups, U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Tuesday, prompting the Syrian U.N. envoy to accuse her of acting like an irresponsible "lunatic." Pillay briefed the 15-member U.N. Security Council on the human rights situations in Syria, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Mali and Libya. She again called for the situation in Syria, which has been ravaged by a three-year civil war, to be referred to the International Criminal Court. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges Burundi to drop constitution changes, avoid 'dark days' Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 12:07 PM PDT  By Patrick Nduwimana BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - The United States urged Burundi's president on Tuesday to drop planned constitutional changes that could upset a delicate ethnic power balance, warning that the country risked a return to the "dark days" of civil war. Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations met President Pierre Nkurunziza - who might be allowed to run for a third term under a new constitution - and told him he should leave the current system in place. "What we stressed was that the president has a tremendous legacy and he has built with the people of Burundi some great successes from 2005 until the very present," Power told a news conference in Bujumbura after her meeting. "We believe that his legacy should be one of respect of the constitution, thus we urge again that the constitution, the rule of law and human rights be respected." The proposed constitutional amendments have stirred the worst political crisis in the east African country since the 12-year civil war ended in 2005, and raised fears of new turmoil. Full Story | Top |
| Pistorius breaks down as he recounts Steenkamp's death Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 11:58 AM PDT  By David Dolan PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius sobbed in the witness stand on Tuesday as he described how, gripped by fear, he shot dead his girlfriend through a locked toilet door thinking she was an intruder. Taking the witness stand, the double amputee - accused of murdering 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp - recounted hearing a window sliding open in his bathroom in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day 2013. Conditioned by years of living in crime-ridden South Africa, Pistorius said the noises convinced him someone was breaking into his luxury Pretoria home and that he needed to protect himself and his lover. Pistorius said he felt in the dark with his fingers, grabbed a 9mm pistol lying under the bed, then moved on his stumps down the passageway leading from the bedroom towards the bathroom and the would-be intruder or intruders. Full Story | Top |
| Conservative Merkel ally criticizes German foreign minister over Russia Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 11:48 AM PDT  A senior Christian Democrat criticized German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's stance on Ukraine and Russia in a signal of a possible rift appearing within Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition over relations with Moscow. Conservative leader Merkel and Steinmeier, who is a senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), have been at pains to stress how closely they are coordinating on policy since the Ukraine crisis began, despite the traditionally warmer ties to Moscow maintained by the leftist SPD. Andreas Schockenhoff, a senior ally of Merkel in her party, on Tuesday took issue with several of Steinmeier's recent comments, for example his warning the European Union not to force eastern European countries to have to choose between East or West. "That is a very problematic remark ... it was Russia and not the EU that forced Ukraine into such a choice," Schockenhoff told Reuters ahead of a speech he is due to give on Wednesday in which he will criticize elements of Germany's stance. Full Story | Top |
| Britain hosts first state visit of Irish president Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 11:36 AM PDT  By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - President Michael Higgins became the first Irish head of state on Tuesday to make a state visit to Britain, crowning a big improvement in historically fraught relations between Dublin and its former colonial master. Clashes over British-ruled Northern Ireland saw more than 3,600 killed from the 1960s onward until a 1998 peace deal largely ended the conflict between Catholic groups wanting the province to become part of the Irish republic and Protestant groups determined to keep it within the United Kingdom. Addressing both houses of Britain's parliament on Tuesday, a privilege only accorded to a few foreign leaders including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, Higgins described that 1998 agreement as a key milestone but said there was more to be done. "Our two countries can take immense pride in the progress of the cause of peace in Northern Ireland. Full Story | Top |
| Iran aviation official in Vienna to discuss sanctions relief Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 11:09 AM PDT A senior Iranian aviation official has arrived in Vienna to discuss lifting sanctions on the country's aviation sector as part of nuclear talks with world powers, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. However, Boeing Co, the world's biggest airplane maker, and engine maker General Electric Co said on Friday they had received licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to sell certain spare parts for commercial aircraft to Iran under an interim deal agreed in November that went into effect on January 20. Interaction between Iran and the U.S. companies would be the first acknowledged dealings between the U.S. aerospace sector and Iran since shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, when hardline Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Under the November deal, Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear activities for six months in exchange for limited relief of sanctions. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela opposition to join exploratory talks with government Tuesday, Apr 08, 2014 10:55 AM PDT  By Eyanir Chinea and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition said it agreed to attend exploratory talks on Tuesday with President Nicolas Maduro's government in a bid to end the country's worst political unrest for a decade. Clashes between security forces and pro-government militants on one side and hooded opposition demonstrators blocking streets on the other have killed at least 39 people since mid-February. Foreign ministers from the regional Union of South American Nations (Unasur) are in the capital Caracas, shuttling between meetings with the administration and opposition and seeking to persuade both sides to talk. Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, a top opposition official, said the Unasur ministers told them the government was open to opposition demands, including the presence of a "good faith" mediator at any substantive discussions. Full Story | Top |
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