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Thursday, December 29, 2011 8:32 PM PST

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Jamaica's ruling party concedes election defeat Chinese senior diplomat visits Iran amid tensions Mexican candidate sees possible Pemex listing U.S., South Korean defense chiefs discuss regional stability Voting ends in hard-fought Jamaica general election Egypt police raid U.S.-backed pro-democracy groups U.S. deeply concerned by Egypt raid on pro-democracy groups U.S. mulls transfer of Taliban prisoner in perilous peace bid Syrians plan Friday protests as monitors visit Iran warns U.S. over Strait of Hormuz U.N. complains to Iraq over attack on dissident camp Somali staff member kills 2 MSF aid workers in Mogadishu Russian officials rattled by breach at rocket plant Poland announces amnesty for illegal immigrants Analysis: U.S. trip gives Saleh neither immunity nor exile India's southeast coast braces as cyclone approaches Two French soldiers shot dead by rogue Afghan soldier New satellites to extend China's military reach North Korea hails nuclear, military feats of Kim Jong-il Insight: Islamist attacks strain Nigeria's north-south divide Kosovo Serbs call referendum on recognizing Pristina Lebanon PM says no evidence of al Qaeda on Syria border Turkish military says targeted PKK rebels, probes strikes Suspected kidnappers killed in China's restive west Gunpowder warehouse blast kills 17 in Myanmar: police Venezuela's Chavez: Did U.S. give Latin American leaders cancer? U.N. lowers flag to half-staff for Kim funeral Mexico arrests drug dealer linked to boss Guzman Anti-whaling protest ship in Southern Ocean distress Dozens killed in explosion in main Myanmar city of Yangon:police Closing Strait of Hormuz not so easy for Iran: analysts Arab observers fan out across Syria Argentina adopts wide definition of terrorism Turkey warns France of more action over genocide bill Russia scolds United States for human rights abuse Key military positions dismantled in Yemen capital Snow and tears mark funeral for North Korean leader Israel detains ultra-Orthodox man in bus row with soldier Algeria leaders have lost touch, risk anger: review Factbox: Argentina's president has thyroid cancer Jamaica's ruling party concedes election defeat Thu,29 Dec 2011 07:03 PM PST Reuters - KINGSTON (Reuters) - Jamaica's ruling party conceded defeat in national elections on Thursday, as preliminary official results showed the party of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller scoring a landslide victory. "The people have spoken," said Karl Samuda, campaign director of the ruling Jamaica Labor Party. "We have not won," Samuda conceded in his comments to national television. "We have done what we could on behalf of the people of Jamaica," Samuda added. "There will be another day." (Reporting by Horace Helps; Editing by Tom Brown) Full Story Top Chinese senior diplomat visits Iran amid tensions Thu,29 Dec 2011 06:28 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun visited Iran for talks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, during growing tensions over Tehran's threat to choke off Middle Eastern oil shipments in retaliation against proposed Western sanctions. In keeping with Beijing's public sensitivity over Iran -- a major oil supplier to China -- the ministry statement gave only opaque clues about what Zhai and his hosts discussed during his two-day visit that ended on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Mexican candidate sees possible Pemex listing Thu,29 Dec 2011 06:13 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A leading presidential candidate of Mexico's ruling conservatives raised the possibility on Thursday of listing oil company Pemex on the stock exchange to help revamp the state-owned giant. Josefina Vazquez Mota, who is bidding to become the first woman to serve as Mexican president, told Reuters in an interview the next administration needed to examine how Brazil had managed its partly privatized state oil firm Petrobras. ... Full Story Top U.S., South Korean defense chiefs discuss regional stability Thu,29 Dec 2011 05:40 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his South Korean counterpart discussed the stability of the Korean peninsula on Thursday, the day after North Korea mourned the death of its long-time leader Kim Jong-il. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said Panetta spoke with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin for 20 minutes. "The Secretary and the Minister shared the view that peace and stability on the Korean peninsula is our overarching priority and agreed to maintain close cooperation and coordination in the weeks and months ahead," Little said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Voting ends in hard-fought Jamaica general election Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:53 PM PST Reuters - KINGSTON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Voting ended in Jamaica on Thursday as Prime Minister Andrew Holness sought a popular mandate to tackle the Caribbean country's deepening economic woes in a closely contested general election. On the eve of the voting, polls showed Jamaica's two long dominant parties, the governing Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) and People's National Party (PNP), running neck-and-neck in parliamentary elections focused on the island's stagnant and debt-ridden economy. Police and soldiers stood guard at polling stations across the country throughout the day. ... Full Story Top Egypt police raid U.S.-backed pro-democracy groups Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:43 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors and police raided offices of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups on Thursday - drawing criticism from the United States which hinted it could review its $1.3 billion in annual military aid. The official MENA news agency said the groups had been searched in an investigation into foreign funding. "The public prosecutor has searched 17 civil society organizations, local and foreign, as part of the foreign funding case," MENA cited the prosecutor's office as saying. ... Full Story Top U.S. deeply concerned by Egypt raid on pro-democracy groups Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:43 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed deep concern on Thursday after Egyptian police raided offices of U.S.-backed pro-democracy and human rights groups, saying the harassment should stop immediately and hinting that Washington could review its $1.3 billion in military aid if the raids continue. "The United States is deeply concerned that Egyptian judicial and police officials raided the offices of a number of non-governmental organizations today," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing. ... Full Story Top U.S. mulls transfer of Taliban prisoner in perilous peace bid Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:42 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is considering transferring to Afghan custody a senior Taliban official suspected of major human rights abuses as part of a long-shot bid to improve the prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Reuters has learned. The potential hand-over of Mohammed Fazl, a 'high-risk detainee' held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison since early 2002, has set off alarms on Capitol Hill and among some U.S. intelligence officials. ... Full Story Top Syrians plan Friday protests as monitors visit Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:40 PM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Opposition activists urged people to take to the streets on Friday, the main day of protest in the revolts that have swept the Arab world, to convince Arab League peace monitors to pay attention to their plight. The Arab League mission to verify whether President Bashar al-Assad is keeping to a pledge to end the crackdown on a nine-month pro-democracy uprising has so far failed to bring a reduction in violence. Government security forces shot dead 25 people on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. ... Full Story Top Iran warns U.S. over Strait of Hormuz Thu,29 Dec 2011 03:15 PM PST Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Thursday the United States was not in a position to tell Tehran "what to do in the Strait of Hormuz," state television reported, after the U.S. said it would preserve oil shipments in the Gulf. Tehran's threat to block traffic through the crucial passage for Middle Eastern crude suppliers followed the European Union's decision to tighten sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, as well as accompanying moves by the United States to tighten unilateral sanctions. ... Full Story Top U.N. complains to Iraq over attack on dissident camp Thu,29 Dec 2011 02:11 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations has complained to Iraq about mortar attacks this week on an Iranian dissident camp near Baghdad and has won a promise that they will be stopped, a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday. Two mortars hit Camp Ashraf on Sunday, just days after Baghdad extended a year-end deadline for the facility to be closed as the United Nations negotiated resettlement of 3,000 residents there. ... Full Story Top Somali staff member kills 2 MSF aid workers in Mogadishu Thu,29 Dec 2011 01:15 PM PST Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A Somali staff member of Medecins Sans Frontieres shot dead two of the aid agency's foreign workers in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday, police said. Police spokesman Abdullahi Barise said the gunman had been taken into custody. A Reuters witness said the man was dragged from the building, still holding a pistol. "The man was armed with a pistol and we understand he had a quarrel with the coordinator. It is very shocking," Barise said. He said the gunman had worked as a logistics officer for the agency. ... Full Story Top Russian officials rattled by breach at rocket plant Thu,29 Dec 2011 12:57 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's deputy prime minister vowed Thursday to punish "sleepy" security officials after bloggers posted dozens of photos of an apparently unguarded strategic military rocket motor factory near Moscow. Blogger Lana Sator said she and friends met not a soul, much less any security guards, as they roamed around state rocket-maker Energomash's plant, snapping pictures, on five separate night-time excursions in recent months. ... Full Story Top Poland announces amnesty for illegal immigrants Thu,29 Dec 2011 12:32 PM PST Reuters - WARSAW (Reuters) - Thousands of illegal immigrants will be allowed to stay and work in Poland under an amnesty unveiled on Thursday that highlights the country's transformation into a regional economic powerhouse from communist-era basket case. Traditionally a country of emigration, Poland has become an increasingly attractive magnet for immigrants, especially from neighboring former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Belarus, as it notches up high rates of economic growth. ... Full Story Top Analysis: U.S. trip gives Saleh neither immunity nor exile Thu,29 Dec 2011 07:39 AM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's request to be let into the United States shows he may now be resigned to surrendering power after months of protests, but gives him no guarantee of the immunity from prosecution that he seeks in exchange for stepping down. Washington, which is weighing granting a visa for medical treatment, neither wants to nor can shield Saleh on its soil for long. ... Full Story Top India's southeast coast braces as cyclone approaches Thu,29 Dec 2011 06:43 AM PST Reuters - CHENNAI, Dec 29 (AlertNet) - India's weather office called on Thursday for villages to be evacuated, farmers to protect their crops and fishermen to stay ashore hours before a cyclone was due to strike the southeast coast. With winds of up to 155 kph (96 mph), cyclone Thane is moving in from the Bay of Bengal and is expected to reach the coast within the next 12 hours, close to the former French colonial town of Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu state. "Total suspension of fishing operations. Coastal hutment dwellers to be moved to safer place. ... Full Story Top Two French soldiers shot dead by rogue Afghan soldier Thu,29 Dec 2011 06:31 AM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Two French soldiers were killed on Thursday when an Afghan army soldier shot at them deliberately while their unit was engaged in a support mission for Afghanistan's forces in the Tagab valley, President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said. The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks by "rogue" soldiers and police, or by insurgents who had infiltrated security forces, that have killed dozens of foreign soldiers. ... Full Story Top New satellites to extend China's military reach Thu,29 Dec 2011 05:29 AM PST Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - China this week reached a milestone in its drive to master the military use of space with the launch of trials for its Beidou satellite global positioning network, a move that will bring it one step closer to matching U.S. space capabilities. If Beijing can successfully deploy the full 35 satellites planned for the Beidou network on schedule by 2020, its military will be free of its current dependence for navigation on the U.S. global positioning network (GPS) signals and Russia's similar GLONASS system. ... Full Story Top North Korea hails nuclear, military feats of Kim Jong-il Thu,29 Dec 2011 07:19 AM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea lauded the military might built up by deceased leader Kim Jong-il on Thursday, likely tying his young successor to the same policies that have set Northeast Asia on edge as the impoverished state inches closer to nuclear weapons capability. A gathering of 100,000, soldiers in uniform and bare-headed civilians, gathered in silence in wintry sunlight in the capital Pyongyang to mourn the passing of the man who had led the country for 17 years until his death on December 17. ... Full Story Top Insight: Islamist attacks strain Nigeria's north-south divide Thu,29 Dec 2011 05:11 AM PST Reuters - JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - The line dividing Christians from Muslims that runs along a rocky valley in the central Nigerian town of Jos may not be visible to the eye, but it burns in the minds of local people. The mosque lies barely 200 meters (yards) from the main church in the Congo-Russia neighborhood, a huddle of tin-roofed homes winding up a hill, and on its sandy pavements women in Muslim headscarves politely greet men wearing shiny crucifixes. ... Full Story Top Kosovo Serbs call referendum on recognizing Pristina Thu,29 Dec 2011 04:02 AM PST Reuters - KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) - Three out of four Serb-run municipalities in Kosovo's tense north decided to hold a referendum in early 2012 to decide whether to recognize Pristina's Kosovo Albanian-dominated government, a local official said on Thursday. Kosovo, 90 percent ethnic Albanian, declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbs dominate in a small swathe of the north bordering Serbia and pledge allegiance to Belgrade, resisting efforts by the Kosovo government to extend authority. ... Full Story Top Lebanon PM says no evidence of al Qaeda on Syria border Thu,29 Dec 2011 02:47 AM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prime Minister Najib Mikati said there was no evidence that al Qaeda militants were operating in Lebanon, countering the defense minister's statement that the global network had sent operatives into the Lebanon-Syria border area. Grappling with a nine-month anti-government revolt, Syria has blamed al Qaeda for a double car bomb attack on its capital last Friday that killed 44 people and wounded more than 100. ... Full Story Top Turkish military says targeted PKK rebels, probes strikes Thu,29 Dec 2011 02:26 AM PST Reuters - ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish military said it launched air strikes against suspected Kurdish militants in northern Iraq near the Turkish border on Wednesday night and was investigating the incident after local officials said 35 villagers were killed. The general staff said on its website that drones had identified a group of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerillas on Wednesday evening after a tip-off they planned to attack Turkish security bases in southeastern Turkey. Warplanes targeted them with strikes in an area with no civilian population, it added. ... Full Story Top Suspected kidnappers killed in China's restive west Wed,28 Dec 2011 11:35 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Police in China's restive far-western Xinjiang region killed seven "kidnappers in a hostage rescue," official media reported on Thursday, calling the suspects members of a "terror gang" who may have been influenced by Muslim hardliners. The kidnappers took two people hostage late on Wednesday in Pishan County in the far southern part of Xinjiang, close to the borders of India and Pakistan, said the region's official news website (www.tianshannet.com). ... Full Story Top Gunpowder warehouse blast kills 17 in Myanmar: police Wed,28 Dec 2011 10:55 PM PST Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - At least 17 people died and 80 were injured after an early morning explosion at a warehouse storing gunpowder, likely for use at mine blast sites, in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon, police and fire officials said on Thursday. The explosion caused a massive blaze and spewed smoke that was only brought under control by late morning, officials said. A police officer, who declined to be named, said 12 men and five women had been confirmed dead and further deaths were expected. ... Full Story Top Venezuela's Chavez: Did U.S. give Latin American leaders cancer? Wed,28 Dec 2011 10:51 PM PST Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speculated on Wednesday that the United States might have developed a way to give Latin American leaders cancer, after Argentina's Cristina Fernandez joined the list of presidents diagnosed with the disease. It was a typically controversial statement by Venezuela's socialist leader, who underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his pelvis. But he stressed that he was not making any accusations, just thinking aloud. "It would not be strange if they had developed the technology to induce cancer and nobody knew about it until now ... ... Full Story Top U.N. lowers flag to half-staff for Kim funeral Wed,28 Dec 2011 10:43 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. offices around the world lowered their flags to half-staff to mark the funeral of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Wednesday in a move the world body said was routine but which prompted objections from some human rights activists. In New York, where the flag outside U.N. headquarters was lowered, spokesman Eduardo del Buey said the gesture had been requested by Pyongyang's U.N. mission but was normal for the funeral of any head of state. "It's a matter of protocol," he said. North Korea is a full member of the 193-nation organization. ... Full Story Top Mexico arrests drug dealer linked to boss Guzman Wed,28 Dec 2011 06:29 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico captured a suspected drug trafficker with links to the country's most wanted man, Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, whose operations have recently suffered a string of blows. Mexico's federal police said on Wednesday they had captured Luis Rodriguez Olivera, known as "El Guero" (Blondie), for whom U.S. authorities have offered a reward of up to $5 million. In a statement, Mexican police said Rodriguez Olivera and his brothers were responsible for trafficking cocaine to the United States between 1996 and 2008 for Guzman's gang. ... Full Story Top Anti-whaling protest ship in Southern Ocean distress Wed,28 Dec 2011 04:53 PM PST Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - Anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd said one of its boats chasing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean had issued a distress call after its hull was cracked by a rogue wave. Sea Shepherd flagship the Steve Irwin was fighting heavy seas to help rescue the damaged Brigitte Bardot chase boat and is expected to take 17 hours to reach it, Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson said Thursday. "This is disappointing, but these are hostile seas and we have always been prepared for situations like this," said Watson via satellite telephone from the Steve Irwin. ... Full Story Top Dozens killed in explosion in main Myanmar city of Yangon:police Wed,28 Dec 2011 03:54 PM PST Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed in an unexplained explosion in Myanmar's main city of Yangon, police said on Thursday. (Editing by Ed Lane) Full Story Top Closing Strait of Hormuz not so easy for Iran: analysts Wed,28 Dec 2011 03:23 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran's navy chief boasts that closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic would be "easier than drinking a glass of water." Hardly, U.S. analysts say. Iran's navy does not have the size for a sustained physical blockade of the Strait, but does have mine-laying and missile capability to wreak some havoc, analysts said. "It wouldn't be a cakewalk" for Iran, said Caitlin Talmadge, a George Washington University professor who has written about the Strait of Hormuz. "If Tehran really wanted to cause trouble, it could." But the Bahrain-based U.S. ... Full Story Top Arab observers fan out across Syria Wed,28 Dec 2011 03:17 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Arab monitors head to three more Syrian cities on Thursday to check if government forces are complying with a peace plan after a delegation to Homs, center of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, was mobbed by a protesters demanding protection. The Arab League mission, the first international involvement on the ground in Syria since the revolt began last March, got off to a controversial start when its Sudanese leader said he had seen "nothing frightening" on his first trip to Homs. ... Full Story Top Argentina adopts wide definition of terrorism Wed,28 Dec 2011 02:36 PM PST Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina enacted a law on Wednesday providing a wide definition of terrorism that critics fear will allow the state to jail people for up to 15 years for activities as diverse as marching in protests or pulling money out of banks. The law, approved by Congress last week, seeks to punish anyone who "terrorizes" the population, leaving the definition of the term open. ... Full Story Top Turkey warns France of more action over genocide bill Wed,28 Dec 2011 01:40 PM PST Reuters - ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey Wednesday warned France it would take further action against Paris should the French senate pass a bill making it a crime to deny the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey constituted genocide. Ankara reacted furiously when the lower house of the French parliament last week approved the bill, recalling its ambassador from Paris, banning French military aircraft and warships from landing and docking in Turkey and freezing political and economic meetings. ... Full Story Top Russia scolds United States for human rights abuse Wed,28 Dec 2011 12:33 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia sought to undermine the authority of the United States as a global judge of human rights on Wednesday with Moscow's first report to detail allegations of torture, phone tapping and abuse by the U.S. government. Criticizing the United States for double standards, Russia said President Barack Obama had failed to shut the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and accused the White House of sheltering officials and CIA operatives from prosecution. ... Full Story Top Key military positions dismantled in Yemen capital Wed,28 Dec 2011 10:22 AM PST Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Military positions separating Yemen's warring forces in central Sanaa were dismantled on Wednesday in a show of faith by both sides that they want to halt nearly a year of fighting to topple the president. Bulldozers crashed through the walls of sandbags fortifying the fighters' positions on a main street in Hasaba, a flashpoint area where tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar's compound is located and the site of fighting between his and outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces, including units led by Saleh's son. ... Full Story Top Snow and tears mark funeral for North Korean leader Wed,28 Dec 2011 01:17 PM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - The world watched anxiously on Wednesday as North Korea staged a huge funeral in the capital, Pyongyang, for former leader Kim Jong-il, searching for signs of what to expect from the isolated nation that may be close to attaining nuclear weapons capacity. Bleak pictures from state television showed a funeral cortege led by a limousine carrying a huge picture of the 69-year-old, who died on December 17, passing serried ranks of olive green-clad soldiers whose bare heads were bowed in homage in the main square of the snow-covered capital. ... Full Story Top Israel detains ultra-Orthodox man in bus row with soldier Wed,28 Dec 2011 09:57 AM PST Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel detained an ultra-Orthodox man on Wednesday on suspicion of calling a woman soldier a "whore" on a public bus for refusing his appeals that she move to the back of the vehicle, a police spokesman said. The incident came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crack down on acts of harassment by religious zealots, with the publicity surrounding these cases risking upsetting his political alliances with ultra-Orthodox parties. ... Full Story Top Algeria leaders have lost touch, risk anger: review Wed,28 Dec 2011 09:55 AM PST Reuters - ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's leaders are out of touch with their people who are growing increasingly angry about unemployment, red tape and poor housing, said a senior official carrying out a presidential review of the country's economic and social woes. "Demands for radical changes are huge. People want to see a new way of governance," Mohamed Seghir Babes told Reuters in an interview. He did not say that Algeria could face the kind of uprisings seen this year in its neighbors Tunisia and Libya and across the Arab world. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Argentina's president has thyroid cancer Wed,28 Dec 2011 09:46 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Argentina's center-left president, Cristina Fernandez, has thyroid cancer and will undergo surgery to remove a carcinoma next week, but doctors say her chances of making a full recovery are very high. Fernandez started her second term in office earlier this month after winning a landslide re-election in October with 54 percent. Her illness could boost her already high approval ratings due to voter sympathy. She is scheduled for surgery on January 4 and a 20-day leave of absence afterward during which Vice President Amado Boudou will assume the presidency. ... Full Story Top

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