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Malaysia plane hunt resumes amidst optimism over 'pings' Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:00 PM PDT | Top |
Car bomb explodes outside a Greek central bank building, no injuries Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:58 PM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - A car bomb went off outside a Bank of Greece building in central Athens early on Thursday, causing damages but no injuries a police source said. Police cordoned off the area after a Greek newspaper received a warning call from a person saying that a bomb containing about 70 kilograms of explosives would detonate at the central bank, the police official added on condition of anonymity. The explosion comes hours before Greece plans to return to bond markets for the first time since its international bailout began four years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
Beijing eyes smog controls ahead of APEC meeting Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:52 PM PDT | Top |
Indonesia's surprise election result unsettles investors Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:25 PM PDT | Top |
Pistorius forced to look at 'exploded' head of girlfriend Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 05:36 PM PDT | Top |
Death toll rises to 36 in Washington state mudslide Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 05:30 PM PDT | Top |
More funds sought for Bangladesh factory collapse victims Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 05:14 PM PDT | Top |
Separatists in east Ukraine call on Putin for help, Kiev warns of force Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 03:00 PM PDT By Thomas Grove LUHANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists reinforced barricades around the state security building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk on Wednesday and called on President Vladimir Putin for help after the government warned it could use force to restore order. Protesters were also engaged in talks to ease the standoff, which Kiev has said could provide a pretext for a Russian invasion, and lawmakers from eastern Ukraine proposed an amnesty for protesters to defuse tension. The former KGB headquarters is one of three government buildings seized this week in eastern Ukraine by protesters demanding regional referendums on independence from Kiev. Full Story | Top |
Two French soldiers wounded in Central African Republic before U.N. vote Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 02:47 PM PDT Two French soldiers were wounded in the Central African Republic capital, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, a day before the United Nations Security Council was due to vote on a new peacekeeping force. Killings have continued between the majority Christian population and increasingly isolated Muslim communities in the landlocked former French colony despite the presence of 2,000 French peacekeepers as well as 6,000 African Union forces. In a sign of the ongoing difficulty in restoring order, two French soldiers were wounded in the legs when a man threw a grenade at them after he had been asked to disarm, said French Army Captain Sebastien Isern in Banqui. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, who met with its interim leader Catherine Samba-Panza, said only 29 percent of the funding had been forthcoming. Full Story | Top |
Move to oust Thai PM more than just a walk in the park for protesters Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 02:06 PM PDT | Top |
Extinct Australian predator was fierce but no Tasmanian devil Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 02:02 PM PDT By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fox-sized marsupial predator that roamed Australia from about 23 to 12 million years ago had plenty of bite to go along with its bark. But while it was certainly fierce, it was no Tasmanian devil, Australia's famously ferocious bantamweight brute. They used 3D computer software to reconstruct its skull - patterned after a nicely preserved fossil - and performed biomechanical analysis to see whether it was a champion chomper. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, assessed the biting and killing capabilities of a marsupial called Nimbacinus dicksoni that lived in northern Australia during the Miocene Epoch, a span of time populated by a wondrous array of mammals and other animals. Full Story | Top |
Netanyahu orders cutback in contacts with Palestinian Authority Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:58 PM PDT | Top |
Election board rejects Turkish opposition call for Ankara re-run Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:50 PM PDT Turkey's opposition failed on Thursday to have the results of a local election in Ankara canceled in an attempt to salvage some victory from nationwide polls that proved a triumph for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey's High Election Board refused an appeal by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for a re-run of the March 30 Ankara result on allegations of irregularities in the count. A reversal of the Ankara result would be little more than a consolation prize for the opposition, which failed to dent Erdogan's support nationally in a vote that became a referendum on his rule as he battles allegations of corruption. Erdogan dismisses the allegations as politically motivated. Full Story | Top |
U.S. expectations low for talks with Russia on Ukraine: diplomat Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:44 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. expectations for talks with Russia on the Ukraine crisis next week are not high, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe said on Wednesday, but it is essential to make every effort to ease tensions. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Victoria Nuland also reiterated the U.S. accusation that Russia was behind the takeover of government buildings in eastern Ukraine this week. Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union will hold a ministerial meeting next week to discuss the Ukraine crisis, the EU said on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
Venezuela reaches out to Vatican No. 2 to mediate crisis Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:32 PM PDT | Top |
Kuwait hopes for remedy to Gulf row over Qatar soon Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:23 PM PDT By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait expects to see "positive steps" taken in a dispute between Qatar and three other Gulf Arab states as soon as this week that may include a decision to send those countries' ambassadors back to Doha, a Kuwaiti official said on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last month took the unprecedented step of recalling their ambassadors from Qatar in protest at what they see as Doha's political meddling and giving support to Islamist groups that they see as a regional political and security menace. The public nature of the dispute has highlighted the severity of divisions that are usually kept behind the closed doors of the U.S.-allied Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). "There will be very positive steps in the future regarding this ... I hope this week," Kuwait's undersecretary for foreign affairs Khaled al-Jarallah told reporters. Full Story | Top |
Bill seeks to block mandatory GMO food labeling by states Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 01:01 PM PDT | Top |
Russia says four-way talks on Ukraine must foster internal dialogue Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 12:50 PM PDT By Steve Gutterman and Adrian Croft MOSCOW/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia told the West on Wednesday that four-way talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the United States and European Union must focus on fostering dialogue among Ukrainians and not on bilateral relations among the participants. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivered the message in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Foreign Ministry said. It said Lavrov and Kerry urged all sides to refrain from violence in eastern and southern Ukraine. The European Union said on Tuesday that top diplomats from the EU, Russia, Ukraine and the United States would meet next week to discuss the crisis, but Russia says it wants to know more about the agenda for such a meeting. Full Story | Top |
Frontrunner in Afghan vote rules out coalition government Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 12:32 PM PDT | Top |
Hezbollah confident in Assad, West resigned to Syria stalemate Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 12:11 PM PDT | Top |
Iran, six powers seek to narrow 'significant gaps' in nuclear talks Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:48 AM PDT | Top |
Twin car bombs in Syria's Homs kill at least 21 people Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:46 AM PDT | Top |
Cuba says U.S. hunger striker's treatment in prison 'dignified' Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:32 AM PDT | Top |
Kenya deports Somalis, arrests hundreds in crackdown after attacks Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:26 AM PDT | Top |
Trinidad's ex-Prime Minister Robinson dies at 87 Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:19 AM PDT Trinidad and Tobago's former Prime Minister and President A.N.R. (Ray) Robinson, one of the architects of the International Criminal Court, died on Wednesday at age 87 after a long illness. National Security Minister Gary Griffith confirmed the death of Robinson who served as prime minister from 1986 to 1991 and as president from 1997 to 2003. Robinson is internationally recognized for his proposal, at the 44th session of the United Nations in 1989, to create a permanent international court to hear cases involving the international drug trade. Full Story | Top |
Top EU election candidates struggle to find differences Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:16 AM PDT By Paul Taylor PARIS (Reuters) - The top two rival candidates to lead the European Commission struggled on Wednesday to find real policy differences in the first live television debate ahead of European Parliament elections next month. Conservative Jean-Claude Juncker and Social Democrat Martin Schulz - both native German speakers - argued politely in French over the appropriate balance between budget austerity and investment to promote economic growth in a 50-minute debate on France 24 television. Juncker, 59, the veteran former Luxembourg prime minister and chairman of euro group finance ministers, stressed the need to maintain tight control of public finances and said he could see no grounds to give France more time to reduce its deficit. "France has already had two extensions to its period of adjustment. Full Story | Top |
French appeals court blocks Kazakh tycoon Ablyazov's extradition Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 10:14 AM PDT A French appeals court has blocked the extradition from France to Ukraine or Russia of jailed Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov, accused of embezzling up to $6 billion from his former bank BTA, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Ablyazov had been in hiding since being sentenced to prison for contempt of court by an English judge in 2012. He was arrested near the Riviera resort of Cannes last July and a French court agreed in January that he could be extradited to either Russia or Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
Toronto stabbing leaves two with life-threatening injuries Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:42 AM PDT | Top |
New French PM wagers on growth, stirs deficit angst Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:42 AM PDT In a 47-minute speech only days after his appointment, Manuel Valls laid out a stark appraisal of Europe's second-largest economy that earned upbeat reviews on Wednesday for its forthright tone and unflinching view of the country's mood. "There is a clear change in tone that's very beneficial, with the clear understanding that companies will be the driver in any economic recovery," said Deutsche Bank economist Gilles Moec. "But Valls is vague on how the savings will be achieved and on the deficit, he seems to say: we'll do what we can." If deficit targets are not kept, as some Socialist ministers have suggested, investors could grow worried about debt sustainability, prompting credit downgrades and even a reawakening of Europe's sovereign debt crisis, critics said. "Moreover, beyond the French case, investors could lose confidence in the ability of European institutions to enforce budgetary discipline in the euro area." SAVINGS PLAN IS TOO VAGUE Valls' speech to parliament on Tuesday amplified measures announced in January by Socialist President Francois Hollande as he shifted toward supply-side policies in a last-ditch attempt to bring down unemployment stuck above 10 percent. Full Story | Top |
Bomb kills 20 in market on edge of Pakistani capital Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:35 AM PDT By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a crowded market on the outskirts of Islamabad on Wednesday, killing 20 people and wounding about 70 in the deadliest attack in the Pakistani capital in years. If true, it would be the first attack in the capital carried out by Baluch separatist rebels and a significant escalation of Pakistan's western insurgency, which has often been overshadowed by the fight against the Taliban to the north. "We conducted (the bombing) in retaliation for the military operation," said Mureed Baloch, referring to an operation on Monday in which the Pakistani military claimed to have killed 30 Baluch insurgents. Baloch said he was from the United Baloch Army, which is banned by the Pakistani government for its militant activities. Full Story | Top |
Germany asked U.S. about monitoring of Merkel but got no response: MP Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:33 AM PDT | Top |
Ukraine's richest man gambles on peacemaker role Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:25 AM PDT By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's richest man has seized on the stand-off between the Kiev authorities and pro-Russia separatists to help forge new political alliances following the overthrow of his former ally, President Viktor Yanukovich. Steel and mining magnate Rinat Akhmetov is drawing on his local clout in Donetsk to negotiate with separatist protesters to end their occupation of state buildings in the eastern city, his industrial fiefdom where Yanukovich was once the governor. Since Monday, sources close to him say, Akhmetov has been actively involved in talking to the rebels - even sympathizing with some of their demands - while urging law-enforcement agencies to stay their hand in using force to end the stand-off. If he miscues, those close to him say, he could be accused of toeing Moscow's line and will find himself at odds with Ukraine's new leaders. Full Story | Top |
France's Hollande names European expert his chief of staff Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:23 AM PDT | Top |
U.S. targets Egypt militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:10 AM PDT The United States has designated Egypt's most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a foreign terrorist organization, officials said on Wednesday, making it a crime to support the group. The Sinai-based group, formed in the wake of the 2011 uprisings in Egypt, has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks, including an assassination attempt on Egypt's interior minister last year. The formal designation signals the United States' willingness to pursue groups responsible for some of the ongoing violence in Egypt, which has seen a string of attacks on security forces by various factions since the military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last summer. Full Story | Top |
Supreme Leader says Iran will not be bullied in nuclear talks Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 09:09 AM PDT By Mehrdad Balali DUBAI (Reuters) - Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday he had authorized nuclear talks with world powers including arch-foe the United States just to prove Iran's peaceful intentions, but Tehran would not be bullied and would not stop atomic research. He added in remarks to nuclear scientists that Iran should continue the discussions to end a dispute over nuclear work the West fears is aimed at developing a bomb, but Iran's negotiators should not cede any gains made by its nuclear program. "Americans are well aware we are not after nuclear weapons, but they still raise the charges every now and then to keep up the anti-Iran hype," Khamenei told a group of nuclear scientists and officials who gathered to mark Iran's "Nuclear Technology Day," an important event in Iranian calendar. "That's why I agreed to the government's initiative to negotiate, just to break the hype and expose the truth to world opinion," he said, referring to moderate President Hassan Rouhani's diplomatic overture to the West after his landslide election last June. Full Story | Top |
China optimistic about Iran talks, praises Russian role Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:53 AM PDT China praised Russia's role in nuclear talks with Iran on Wednesday and said it was optimistic that a comprehensive settlement between Tehran and six world powers in their nuclear dispute can be reached by the July 20 deadline. In rare comments to the press, a senior Chinese official at the talks held in Vienna said the powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - and Iran "demonstrated a sense of urgency" ahead of the expiration of their interim accord. "Everyone is aiming at that (meeting the deadline)," the official, Wang Qun, told reporters after the two-day meeting in the Austrian capital. The powers want Iran to curb its nuclear activity, which Western nations fear aims to give Tehran the capability to manufacture an atomic bomb. Full Story | Top |
Lebanese patriarch suggests housing Syrian refugees in Syria Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:52 AM PDT The head of Lebanon's Maronite Christian Church suggested on Wednesday that Syrian refugees should be housed in camps inside Syria, reflecting growing frustration among Lebanese over the burden imposed on their country by their neighbors' war. The United Nations has registered 1 million refugees in Lebanon since the conflict began three years ago, the highest concentration of refugees worldwide. They are housed in homes and local communities rather than refugee camps. Cardinal Beshara al-Rai, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, told a news conference in Geneva that the presence of so many Syrians represented a huge economic, social, political and security burden for Lebanon. Full Story | Top |
U.S. says unclear if gaps in Iran nuclear talks can be bridged Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:52 AM PDT Iran and six major powers are ready to start drafting a long-term agreement on curbing Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief but it is unclear if they will succeed in overcoming disagreements, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. "Now we are set to start drafting," the senior administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity at the end of a two-day round of talks in Vienna between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Full Story | Top |
Arabs urge U.S. to keep up Mideast peace push Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:49 AM PDT | Top |
Egypt to announce steps on subsidy reform before next month's election: minister Wednesday, Apr 09, 2014 08:35 AM PDT By Aziz El Yaakoubi TUNIS (Reuters) - Egypt will announce major steps towards subsidy reform ahead of next month's presidential election, the country's minister of planning said on Wednesday. The more we delay them, the more the costs get higher," Ashraf al-Arabi told Reuters during a visit to Tunisia. After the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, already high energy subsidy costs ballooned to a fifth of state spending due as the Egyptian pound plunged, and due to an expanding population. Egypt's Finance Minister said last month that spending on energy subsidies next year will be 10-12 percent above the 130 billion Egyptian pounds ($18.6 billion) budgeted for in the current fiscal year, unless immediate reforms are made. Full Story | Top |
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