Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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China, southeast Asian neighbors to patrol Golden Triangle
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:23 PM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China and southeast Asian neighbors will start coordinated patrols of the violence-troubled Mekong River by mid-December, China's Ministry of Public Security said, after a meeting that also agreed to let Beijing send advisors to Myanmar and Laos. The announcement followed an uproar after 13 Chinese sailors were killed on the river in October, when their two boats were attacked in the "Golden Triangle," where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet in a region notorious for drug smuggling. Nine Thai soldiers later turned themselves in over the killings. ... Full Story | Top |
Bomb targets official in Pakistan's Peshawar: police
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:57 PM PST
Reuters - PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded near the office of a regional government official in the often restive northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar early on Thursday, police officials said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. A wall of the district coordination officer's building collapsed after the blast, which was heard throughout Peshawar, the last major city on the route to Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
In world's biggest democracy, parliament doesn't work
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:38 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's parliament has always been a boisterous and chaotic place that, like the country itself, still somehow worked: these days, it's not even muddling through. Proceedings have been abruptly called off every day so far since the 21-day winter session of the bicameral parliament opened last week because of the din raised by legislators bawling at each other across the floor of the house. Open debate is treasured in the world's largest democracy. However, patience with members of parliament who head off for the day after a few minutes of bellowing is wearing thin. ...
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U.S. denies NATO attack on Pakistani troops deliberate
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:34 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer on Wednesday denied allegations by a senior army official in Islamabad that a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers was a deliberate act of aggression. Islamabad has reacted angrily to the attack last weekend, which threatens to set back peace efforts in Afghanistan, by pulling out of an international conference in Germany next week on Afghanistan's future. It stood by its decision on Wednesday despite German hopes to the contrary. ...
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Analysis: As Indonesia strikes it rich, workers start to strike
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:11 PM PST
Reuters -  JAKARTA (Reuters) - When the Jakarta governor offered a hefty pay rise last week to workers, he successfully headed off a major strike. But almost immediately, workers went on the rampage in another part of the country demanding a wage hike too. It is another illustration of the most recent and, for investors, troubling risk they face in what has become one of the darlings of the emerging economies. ...
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Factbox: Transparency International's global corruption index
Wed,30 Nov 2011 04:04 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - In the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, New Zealand came first, with Denmark and Finland tying for second place. Sweden was fourth with Singapore dropping to fifth in 2011. Norway came sixth. All the top six had a score of 9.0 or above. Germany came in at 14th, one notch better than 2010 and tied with Japan which came in 17th in 2010. The United States ranked 24th in 2011, two notches lower than 2010. China ranked 75th, three notches higher than in 2010. The 2011 index ranked 183 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
Global corruption index reflects Arab Spring unrest
Wed,30 Nov 2011 04:02 PM PST
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Awareness of corruption has risen in some Arab countries in the wake of their uprisings earlier this year, a global league table released by Transparency International showed on Thursday. North Korea was included in the Berlin-based watchdog TI's annual corruption perceptions index (CPI) for the first time and was judged the most corrupt country, along with Somalia, putting them at the bottom of the table. Tunisia fell to 73rd place from 59th last year, with its CPI score dropping to 3.8 from 4.3 in the 183-nation index, which is based on independent surveys on corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
Egyptians await poll results, Islamists see gains
Wed,30 Nov 2011 03:22 PM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians will hear results of their first free election in six decades on Thursday, with the Muslim Brotherhood expecting to pick up two-fifths of the vote for an assembly that might limit the power of the generals. The Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and best-organized Islamist group, hopes its new Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) will secure a solid platform in parliament, saying it hopes to form a coalition government once polls are over in January. ...
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NATO attack on Pakistani troops not deliberate: U.S.
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:51 PM PST
Reuters - ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer on Wednesday strongly rejected accusations from Pakistan that NATO deliberately killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last weekend. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters that he was trying to discuss the incident with Pakistan behind closed doors. "Candidly we don't want to try to resolve this issue through the media. No offense," he said in an interview as he flew back to Washington after a trip to London. ... Full Story | Top |
Packing and patrolling, U.S. troops roll out of Iraq
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:41 PM PST
Reuters -  CAMP ECHO, Iraq (Reuters) - Camp Echo's dusty motorpools are empty, its private contract caterers have long gone home and murals depicting the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York's twin towers have been painted over. One of the last seven U.S. military bases in Iraq, Echo is in rapid handover to Iraqi hands as American soldiers there pack up and complete their final task - protecting the last few departing troops heading home south across the Kuwaiti border. Nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, the U.S. ...
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Iraq mulling U.S. bid to keep custody of detainee
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:06 PM PST
Reuters - ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities are weighing a U.S. request to allow the United States to retain custody of a captured Hezbollah operative, instead of handing him over to Baghdad by a December 31 deadline, the top U.S. military officer told Reuters on Wednesday. Last week, the United States handed over all its remaining detainees in Iraq to the Iraqi government - with the notable exception of Ali Mussa Daqduq, who is suspected of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
EU to blacklist Syrian oil firm: diplomatic sources
Wed,30 Nov 2011 02:03 PM PST
Reuters - LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union plans to add Syria's General Petroleum Corporation (GPC) to its list of sanctioned companies, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday, in a move designed to starve the government of President Bashar al-Assad of vital oil revenues. World powers are imposing tough economic sanctions on the Syrian government over a violent crackdown on anti-government protests. ... Full Story | Top |
Congo's Kamerhe withdraws call to annul elections
Wed,30 Nov 2011 01:56 PM PST
Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese opposition candidate Vital Kamerhe on Wednesday withdrew his call for the November 28 presidential and parliamentary elections to be annulled on the grounds of widespread irregularities. The move means that both Kamerhe and veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, the other serious rival standing against President Joseph Kabila, appear happy to allow the ballot count to go ahead. Kabila's camp meanwhile accused its rivals of pre-empting official results and said security measures were being taken to contain trouble. ... Full Story | Top |
UK embassy attack bolsters EU push for Iran sanctions
Wed,30 Nov 2011 12:50 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The storming of the British embassy compound in Tehran provides extra ammunition to European governments pushing for stronger sanctions against Iran, in particular a contentious embargo on Iranian oil, diplomats said on Wednesday. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to map out Europe's response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in recent weeks that suggested Iran has worked on designing an atom bomb. ...
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Analysis: Egypt's Brotherhood feels its time has come
Wed,30 Nov 2011 12:33 PM PST
Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - After waiting 83 years, the Muslim Brotherhood finally senses a chance to be at the centre of how Egypt is governed and the Islamists hope to lead the renaissance of a nation which has suffered a steep economic and political decline. That ambition above all else will define the next steps of a group which owes its survival to pragmatism. The Brotherhood will likely carry on treading lightly, hoping to ease fears at home and abroad over its vision for the new Egypt. ... Full Story | Top |
Striking UK state workers challenge coalition
Wed,30 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST
Reuters -  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers went on strike in Britain on Wednesday to protest over pension reform, in a walkout billed by unions as the biggest in a generation but derided by Prime Minister David Cameron as a "damp squib." Unions and the government were each quick to claim victory, with labor leaders saying up to two million teachers, nurses, border guards and other workers took part. The government disputed the turnout and played down the strike's impact. "Our rigorous contingency planning has been working well. ...
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Seven soldiers, six civilians dead in Syria
Wed,30 Nov 2011 12:06 PM PST
Reuters -  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Seven Syrian soldiers were killed by army renegades and six civilians were shot dead on Wednesday as regional pressure tightened on President Bashar al-Assad, with Turkey imposing tough economic sanctions. The conflict, which began in spring as a crackdown on peaceful anti-government protests, now appears to be sliding towards civil war. Soldiers are defecting with their weapons to take on Assad loyalist troops. ...
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Islamic body urges Syria to stop "excessive force"
Wed,30 Nov 2011 11:10 AM PST
Reuters - JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The world's largest Islamic body urged Syria on Wednesday to "immediately stop the use of excessive force" against its citizens to avert the threat of foreign intervention. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told a news conference in the Red Sea City of Jeddah that foreign ministers attending an OIC meeting called on Damascus to quickly enter into a dialogue with its opponents and rejected foreign intervention in Syria. "The executive committee (of the OIC) ... ... Full Story | Top |
"Occupy" protesters break into London office
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:41 AM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Demonstrators broke into an office building used by mining company Xstrata in central London on Wednesday and hung protest banners on the roof before police regained control of the building. A group of about 60 from the "Occupy" movement entered the offices in Haymarket in protest at the pay of the company's chief executive, Occupy said in a statement. Led by a samba band, they chanted and unfurled a banner which said: "All power to the 99 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
Britain pledges support for Iran oil embargo: sources
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:27 AM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will support an embargo on Iranian oil imports following the deterioration of relations between the two countries, diplomatic sources told Reuters Wednesday, as France tried to rally support for new sanctions within the EU. Britain shut down the Iranian embassy in London and expelled all its staff Wednesday, saying the storming of the British diplomatic mission in Tehran could not have taken place without some degree of consent from Iranian authorities. "Now that the UK has downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran, it will support increased sanctions ... ... Full Story | Top |
Factbox: Security developments in Iraq, November 30
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:24 AM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EDT) Wednesday. * Denotes new or updated item * BALAD RUZ - A parked car bomb exploded near a Shi'ite procession, wounding seven people, in Balad Ruz, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a source in the Diyala province security operations center said. * MOSUL - A militant was killed when a roadside bomb he was planting exploded in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a source in the Nineveh province security operations center said. ... Full Story | Top |
Kurdish leader sees risk over Iraq's Kirkuk city
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:24 AM PST
Reuters - ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq next month will not impact security in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, but Baghdad's delay deciding the fate of the disputed city of Kirkuk could prove "dangerous," the Kurdish president said on Wednesday. Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said he is ready to work with the central government to avoid a deterioration in security as Washington pulls out its remaining 13,000 troops by the end of December. "The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran says to take further action against UK
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:19 AM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said Britain's decision to close the Iranian embassy in London on Wednesday was "hasty" and that it would lead to further retaliation, state TV reported, quoting a government spokesman. "The foreign ministry spokesman ... described the move as ... hasty and added that naturally the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran would take further appropriate action regarding the issue," the news reporter said. ... Full Story | Top |
Analysis: Syrian civil war drags in Mideast, global powers
Wed,30 Nov 2011 10:19 AM PST
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - As Syria's uprising escalates into outright civil war and begins to drag in other states, it risks fuelling not only wider regional confrontation but also growing antagonism between the world's great powers. After months of largely peaceful demonstrations in the face of a bloody government crackdown, Syrian opposition fighters look to be behind an ever rising number of attacks on forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. That in itself could mark the beginning of a long, bloody, open-ended civil war. ...
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Latin American summit re-run to test Chavez health
Wed,30 Nov 2011 09:44 AM PST
Reuters -  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hosts a regional summit this week that puts his recovery from cancer at center stage as he begins his toughest election campaign yet. The first meeting of the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on December 2-3 was originally meant to be held six months ago to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence. But it was called off at the last minute as Chavez recovered in Cuba after surgery to remove a large tumor. ...
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Mali tightens security in cities after abductions
Wed,30 Nov 2011 09:20 AM PST
Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali has tightened security in its cities including the capital Bamako after last week's abduction of five Westerners and the killing of sixth, the west African nation's security minister said on Wednesday. In two separate incidents in northern Mali, two Frenchmen were kidnapped from a hotel while a Dutchman, a South African and a Swede abducted in the historic trading town of Timbuktu. A German citizen was killed after resisting in the second attack. "We have to reinforce security because what happened in Timbuktu was a wake-up call," Sadio Gassama said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
Northern battle flares as Yemen seeks interim government
Wed,30 Nov 2011 09:13 AM PST
Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Fighting between Shi'ite rebels and Sunni Islamists wounded at least 26 people in north Yemen on Wednesday, as the new prime minister worked to form a government under a Gulf plan to avert civil war by easing President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power. The plan crafted by Yemen's wealthier neighbors envisions a government including opposition parties that backed 10 months of protests aimed at ending Saleh's 33-year rule, which would lead the country to presidential elections in February. ... Full Story | Top |
Two condemned to death for Belarus metro bombing
Wed,30 Nov 2011 09:01 AM PST
Reuters - MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus, the only European country still to carry out state executions, on Wednesday sentenced two men to death for a bomb attack at a metro station in Minsk which killed 15 people and wounded scores of others. Rights organizations had urged authorities in the ex-Soviet republic not to impose the death sentence on factory workers Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov, both 25, arguing that their two-month trial had not met international standards. ... Full Story | Top |
Clinton causes barely a stir in Myanmar's curious capital
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:38 AM PST
Reuters -  NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar's new capital, Naypyitaw, translates as "Abode of Kings," fitting for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to begin historic talks that could restore some luster to one of the world's most reclusive states. But as she arrived on Wednesday to become the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Myanmar in more than 50 years, there were no crowds, no festivities, no flags and seemingly few preparations aside from some policemen outside the hotel compound where she will stay and on nearby roads. ...
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Gbagbo faces charges of crimes against humanity: ICC
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:32 AM PST
Reuters -  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's former president Laurent Gbagbo will appear before the International Criminal Court within days to face charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, the first former head of state to be tried by the ICC since its inception in 2002. Gbagbo, 66, was arrested and flown overnight from Ivory Coast to the Netherlands, where he was transferred to a detention centre in The Hague. ...
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EU finance ministers and officials
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:16 AM PST
Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers and officials meet in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss plans to deal with the sovereign debt crisis. Following are highlights of comments ahead of the discussions: GERMAN FINANCE MINISTER WOLFGANG SCHAEUBLE ON THE GREEK PROGRAMME "I have taken the opportunity to lay great emphasis that the negotiations about a new Greek program should be concluded this year if possible." ON IMF "We are prepared to increase the resources of the IMF through bilateral loans. Naturally, the details would have to be discussed. ... Full Story | Top |
Churchill's check mate: why Iranians hit UK embassy
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:14 AM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - The hardline protesters who stormed the British embassy in Tehran hope the British never return so they can turn the compound into a "Museum of the Old Fox" -- a monument to what they see as the Britain's historic evils. While Britain's global influence has waned in the century since it founded the oil industry that the Iranian economy is built on, it retains a popular image as a wily animal whose back-room dealings are behind many of Iran's woes. ... Full Story | Top |
Italy mulls closing Tehran embassy: foreign minister
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:05 AM PST
Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Italy is considering closing its embassy in Tehran and will summon the Iranian ambassador to ask for guarantees for the safety of the country's diplomats after the assault on the British embassy, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said on Wednesday. "We're seeking firm guarantees," from the Iranians, Terzi told reporters after testimony in parliament. "We're reflecting rapidly on the presence of our ambassador and our diplomatic personnel (in Tehran)," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
Timeline: Relations between Britain and Iran
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:01 AM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Britain ordered the immediate closure of Iran's embassy in London on Wednesday and closed its own embassy in Tehran after it was stormed by protesters. Here is a timeline of Iranian-British relations: 1953 - Britain and the United States help orchestrate the overthrow of popular Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and restore Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to power. 1979 - Islamic Revolution overthrows U.S.-backed Shah. ... Full Story | Top |
Britain to support Iran oil embargo: diplomatic source
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will support an embargo on Iranian oil imports following the deterioration of relations between the two countries, a diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday, in an apparent reversal of its former position. "Now that the UK has downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran, it will support increased sanctions...and would likely go ahead with those sanctions unilaterally or with France and Germany," said a diplomatic source, referring to the ban on Iranian crude oil imports. ... Full Story | Top |
Germany recalls ambassador from Iran: German media
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:49 AM PST
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultation after the British diplomatic mission in Tehran was stormed on Tuesday, German media reported on Wednesday. Spiegel Online on its website cited the German Foreign Ministry as saying Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had decided to recall the ambassador. Magazine Stern also reported the ambassador has been called back to Germany. According to the website of the German embassy in Tehran, the current ambassador is Bernd Ebel. ... Full Story | Top |
China says HIV/AIDS cases are soaring
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:09 AM PST
Reuters -  BEIJING (Reuters) - The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. Nearly 82 percent of those new cases were transmitted through sexual intercourse, Xinhua said, up from 11.6 percent between 1985 and 2005. ...
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Afghan woman attacked with acid after refusing marriage
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:18 AM PST
Reuters -  KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - An Afghan family who refused to give their daughter in marriage to a man they considered irresponsible were attacked at home by unknown gunmen who beat the father and then poured acid over both parents and three children, officials said Wednesday. Eighteen-year-old Mumtaz, the oldest daughter, had been pursued by a local gunmen who the family considered a troublemaker and bully. With her parents support, she turned him down and instead got engaged to a relative. ...
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Western debt crisis spurs growth of Islamic Finance
Wed,30 Nov 2011 06:13 AM PST
Reuters - MANAMA (Reuters) - Chicago native Mariam Khan never considered Islamic banking until her husband moved the family to Dubai in 2007. But the 36-year-old housewife is a believer now as the Western debt crisis deepens. Her husband opened a family account with HSBC Amanah, the Islamic arm of international bank HSBC. "When I look at the damage that an interest-based system has done to the U.S. and Europe, I can see why God forbids riba (interest) in Islam," she said. "I'm not particularly conservative as a Muslim but I definitely feel safer within Islamic banking. ... Full Story | Top |
Kenya ranked worst in global economic crime survey
Wed,30 Nov 2011 05:52 AM PST
Reuters -  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya recorded the highest level of economic crime among 78 countries in the past year, with the theft of assets and money in businesses and government agencies on the rise, a report by consultancy PwC showed on Wednesday. Kenya has a reputation for being one of the most corrupt countries in east Africa, and its judiciary is notorious for slow delivery of justice and rampant bribery. The government has repeatedly stated it is fighting these vices. ...
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