Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: | | In Myanmar, hopes for an art renaissance Wed,29 Feb 2012 07:15 PM PST Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar artist Nyein Chan Su's paintings have a breezy simplicity. Broad, colourful strokes and exaggerated figures, often in silhouette, capture an isolated country steeped in Buddhist culture but blighted by years of military rule. But selling them has been anything but simple. For two decades, sanctions imposed in response to human rights abuses kept tourism to a trickle, and those who visited found a country run on cash, not credit. Expensive paintings rarely sold. Cheap ones did. That kept a lid on prices. ... Full Story | Top | Venezuela's Chavez: I'm recovering like a condor Wed,29 Feb 2012 07:12 PM PST Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez broke his silence on Wednesday after surgery in Cuba for a suspected recurrence of cancer to insist he was recovering well and "soaring like the condor". "I send you all my supreme love. We will live and we will recover!" the 57-year-old socialist leader enthused via Twitter from Havana where he was operated on earlier in the week. "Here I go, soaring like the condor. ... Full Story | Top | Elite forces try to close in on Syria's Homs Wed,29 Feb 2012 06:55 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Elite forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pounded a rebel bastion in Homs on Thursday in what appeared to be a final push on the opposition stronghold after more than three weeks of siege and bombardment, activists said. A senior official in the rebel Free Syrian Army told Reuters rebels in the district of Baba Amro were fending off more than 7,000 government troops. Opposition forces had promised to step up attacks elsewhere in Syria to try to relieve the pressure. ... Full Story | Top | Greek parliament approves health cuts Wed,29 Feb 2012 06:13 PM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek parliament approved an extension of pharmacy opening hours and cuts to drugs spending on Thursday as part of a package of healthcare reforms agreed in return for last week's 130 billion euro international bailout deal. The early morning vote, the final significant element in the package of so-called "prior actions" which Athens had promised before this week's European Union summit, follows Tuesday's approval of 3.2 billion euros in budget cuts and a steep reduction in the minimum wage. ... Full Story | Top | Dissident group's status in U.S. may hinge on Iraq camp Wed,29 Feb 2012 06:13 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sent a strong signal on Wednesday that dropping the Mujahadin-e Khalq from a U.S. terror blacklist may hinge on the Iranian dissident group's cooperation in closing its Camp Ashraf base in Iraq. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the group's cooperation in moving residents from Camp Ashraf would be a "key factor" as the United States weighs whether to remove it from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. ... Full Story | Top | Factbox: Key political risks to watch on the Korean peninsula Wed,29 Feb 2012 05:44 PM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - The outside world is warily watching North Korea for any signs of instability following the death of iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il and the emergence of his young and untested son as the secretive state's new leader. In a surprise move at the end of February, North Korea said it would suspend nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and allow checks by nuclear inspectors. Though Pyongyang has backtracked repeatedly on past deals, it marked an apparent policy shift that could pave the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea agrees to nuclear moratorium Wed,29 Feb 2012 05:27 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and to allow checks by nuclear inspectors, in an apparent policy shift that paves the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks. The surprise breakthrough, announced simultaneously by the U.S. State Department and North Korea's official news agency, makes possible the resumption of six-nation nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang. It followed talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week. ... Full Story | Top | U.N.'s Ban encouraged by N.Korea nuclear moratorium Wed,29 Feb 2012 05:16 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is encouraged by North Korea's pledge to halt nuclear tests and uranium enrichment and hopes Pyongyang will move towards a "verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," his office said on Wednesday. "The Secretary-General also stresses the urgency of meeting the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in DPRK," his spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement. (Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top | U.S. readies food aid for North Korea, with conditions Wed,29 Feb 2012 05:16 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As part of its delicate nuclear dance with Pyongyang, the United States on Wednesday unveiled what officials said would be a distinctly new food aid program that would be strictly monitored to ensure the food gets to the isolated country's neediest citizens. U.S. officials said the proposed aid package would total 240,000 metric tones per year, with monthly deliveries of corn-soy blend, vegetable oil and therapeutic foods such as nutritionally enhanced peanut paste intended primarily for young children and pregnant women. ... Full Story | Top | China welcomes North Korea nuclear freeze Wed,29 Feb 2012 05:16 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday welcomed North Korea's agreement to suspend atomic tests and uranium enrichment as part of a preliminary deal with the United States that could pave the way to fresh nuclear disarmament talks. China is the host of the long delayed six-party disarmament talks, and its foreign ministry said that Beijing would keep working to restart them. ... Full Story | Top | U.N.-Arab League envoy Annan says to visit Syria soon Wed,29 Feb 2012 04:54 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N.-Arab League envoy on Syria, Kofi Annan, said on Wednesday he expected to visit Syria "fairly soon" and made a plea for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to engage with efforts to end the country's bloodiest turmoil in decades. The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection. Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block any action by the U.N. Security Council. ... Full Story | Top | Syrian rebels say they face 7,000 government troops Wed,29 Feb 2012 04:49 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels defending the besieged Baba Amro district of the city of Homs reported further fighting overnight and said they faced at least 7,000 troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. A senior official of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Mohaimen al-Rumaid, told Reuters on Thursday opposition forces elsewhere in Syria had been ordered to step up the fight against government forces to relieve pressure on Homs, which has been under sustained artillery and rocket bombardment for 26 days. "Infantry fighting goes on. ... Full Story | Top | Elder sister of Cuba's Fidel and Raul Castro dies at 88 Wed,29 Feb 2012 04:25 PM PST Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - The older sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul Castro has died in Havana at the age of 88, a sibling who lives in Miami said. Angela Castro, who was the oldest of seven Castro siblings, died on Tuesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, her sister, Juanita Castro, told Cafe Fuerte, a Miami-based website closely watched by the Cuban exile community. "She had been sick in a clinic for some time," said Castro. "She never left Cuba and I never saw her after I left the country. It's the tragedy that all divided Cuban families have suffered. ... Full Story | Top | Syrian rebels say they face 7,000 government troops Wed,29 Feb 2012 03:41 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels defending the besieged Baba Amro district of the city of Homs reported further fighting overnight and said they faced at least 7,000 troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. A senior official of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Mohaimen al-Rumaid, told Reuters on Thursday that opposition forces elsewhere in Syria had been ordered to step up the fight against government forces to relieve pressure on Homs, which has been under sustained artillery and rocket bombardment for 26 days. ... Full Story | Top | Guantanamo convict ready to join 'Team America' Wed,29 Feb 2012 03:27 PM PST Reuters - GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A former CIA "ghost prisoner" who grew up near Baltimore admitted to a U.S. war crimes court on Wednesday that he was an al Qaeda money courier and martyr-in-training now prepared to help prosecute other terrorism suspects. Pakistani defendant Maid Khan is remorseful and ready "to join Team America, to do the right thing," his Army lawyer, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Jackson, said after the hearing. "He wishes he had never been involved with al Qaeda ever." After nearly nine years in U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Venezuela says 'ignore rumors' in Chavez cancer saga Wed,29 Feb 2012 02:54 PM PST Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez's government urged Venezuelans on Wednesday to ignore rumors that the socialist leader's cancer may be worse than officially reported. Despite allies' upbeat assessment of his latest surgery in Cuba, some sources including a prominent pro-opposition Venezuelan journalist suggest the 57-year-old may face a life-threatening spread - or metastasis - of the cancer discovered last year. ... Full Story | Top | MEK status on blacklist hinges on Iraq camp closure Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:41 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday the Mujahadin-e Khalq's help in closing its Camp Ashraf base in Iraq will influence whether the Iranian dissident group is dropped from a U.S. terrorism blacklist. In the 1970s the MEK, also known as the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, or PMOI, led a guerrilla campaign against the U.S.-backed shah of Iran, including attacks on U.S. targets. The United States continues to include the MEK on its list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). The group says it has renounced violence. ... Full Story | Top | U.N.'s Ban encouraged by N.Korea nuclear moratorium Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:28 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is encouraged by North Korea's pledge to halt nuclear tests and uranium enrichment and hopes Pyongyang will move towards a "verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," his office said on Wednesday. "The Secretary-General also stresses the urgency of meeting the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in DPRK," his spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement. (Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top | "Pray for us" say Syria rebels as army closes in Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:01 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged near Baba Amro in Homs on Wednesday after elite Syrian troops attacked the rebel-held bastion that has endured 25 days of siege and fierce bombardment, activists said. "Pray for the Free Syrian Army. Do not be miserly in your prayers for them," opponents of President Bashar al-Assad said in a statement, as diplomats spoke of his brother's feared 4th Armoured Division mounting a drive to "finish off" the rebels. ... Full Story | Top | James Murdoch gives up News International role Wed,29 Feb 2012 12:59 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - James Murdoch resigned as executive chairman of News International on Wednesday, raising new doubts he can succeed his father Rupert as CEO of parent company News Corp in the wake of a phone hacking scandal at the unit he oversaw. It also raises the possibility that one of his older siblings -- Elisabeth or Lachlan -- could emerge as an eventual contender for the top job, according to people familiar with the matter. ... Full Story | Top | EU split over Spain's push for softer deficit targets Wed,29 Feb 2012 12:18 PM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A push by Spain for more leeway in meeting its 2012 budget deficit has opened a rift between the European Commission and several EU member states, with the Commission adamant that countries' targets should not be relaxed, senior EU officials said. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is hoping major EU states will back him at a summit on Thursday and send a signal that Madrid's target of cutting its deficit to 4.4 percent of gross domestic product this year should not be binding. Spain said this week its 2011 budget deficit was 8. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea agrees to nuclear moratorium, IAEA inspections Wed,29 Feb 2012 12:10 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and to allow checks by nuclear inspectors, in an apparent policy shift that paves the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks. The surprise breakthrough, announced simultaneously by the U.S. State Department and North Korea's official news agency, makes possible the resumption of six-nation nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang. It followed talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week. ... Full Story | Top | UN humanitarian aid chief denied entry into Syria Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:50 AM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos said on Wednesday she was "deeply disappointed" that Syria has refused to allow her to the visit the country, where she had hoped to assess the need for emergency relief in besieged towns. Amos said in a statement that the refusal came "despite my repeated requests to meet Syrian officials at the highest level to discuss the humanitarian situation and the need for unhindered access to the people affected by the violence. ... Full Story | Top | Anti-austerity protests fall flat in much of Europe Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:42 AM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Several thousand people took to the streets of France on Wednesday to protest against European austerity measures on the eve of an EU summit, but elsewhere in Europe the protest fell flat. Disruption was limited as demonstrations organized by unions across the continent failed to gain momentum. Only a few hundred people protested in crisis-hit Greece while some 450 demonstrators gathered outside the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, where European leaders will meet to sign a "fiscal treaty" committing them to balanced budgets. ... Full Story | Top | White House: North Korea nuclear step "positive," action needed Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that North Korea's nuclear moratorium was a positive step that needed to be followed by actions. "These are concrete measures that we consider a positive first step toward complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "But obviously they need to be followed up by actions." (Reporting By Tabassum Zakaria and Alister Bull; Editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top | Costa passengers endure tropical climes without power Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:29 AM PST Reuters - VICTORIA (Reuters) - Passengers endured a third day without power and hot food on a stricken Costa cruise ship in the sweltering Indian Ocean on Wednesday, as helicopters airlifted fresh bread to the liner under tow. The Costa Allegra, which is owned by the company whose giant liner smashed into rocks off Italy last month, suffered an engine-room fire which knocked out the ship's main power supply on Monday, disabling the engines in waters prowled by pirates. Costa Cruises said the liner was due to arrive at the Seychelles capital of Victoria around 9:00 a.m.(0500 GMT) on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top | Clinton: Japan, EU working to comply with Iran sanctions Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:14 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday pledged to aggressively implement new U.S. sanctions on Iran but noted that some allies such as Japan face "unique situations" as they seek to reduce Iranian oil imports. President Barack Obama on December 31 signed into law the harshest in a series of U.S. sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank or other blacklisted Iranian financial entities. The new U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Thousands of Spanish students protest against cuts Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:12 AM PST Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of students took to the streets of Spanish cities on Wednesday to protest against government spending cuts that have left many classrooms without heating. The protests were largely peaceful in Madrid and Valencia but turned violent in Barcelona, where youths set fire to garbage containers and broke windows outside the stock exchange. The Spanish economy is facing a brutal year of austerity cuts needed for the country to meet tough deficit reduction targets imposed by Brussels in order to reassure investors on the future of the euro zone. ... Full Story | Top | Spanish journalist flees Syria to Lebanon: activist Wed,29 Feb 2012 11:00 AM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa, one of several Westerners who was trapped in the besieged Baba Amro district of Homs, has crossed from Syria into neighboring Lebanon, an activist with the campaign group Avaaz said on Wednesday. "Javier Espinosa is on Lebanese soil, though he hasn't yet made it to 100 percent safety," Avaaz activist Wissam Tarif told Reuters, without giving details. ... Full Story | Top | IAEA worried about "activities" at Iran site Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:52 AM PST Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog believes unspecified "activities" may be taking place at Iran's Parchin military facility that make its request to visit the site more urgent, Western diplomats said on Wednesday. It was unclear whether the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) thought Iran might be trying to clean the site or conceal something ahead of a possible visit by inspectors. The Vienna-based U.N. agency has asked for access to Parchin as part of its probe into suspicions Iran may be seeking nuclear weapons capability, but Tehran has not granted it. ... Full Story | Top | Putin says foes plan dirty tricks to tarnish Russian vote Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:47 AM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin said his enemies were planning dirty tricks including ballot stuffing and even murder to tarnish Russia's presidential election that the former KGB spy is almost certain to win. Prime Minister Putin's aides hope a big win in Sunday's vote will take the sting out of an urban protest movement that casts him as an authoritarian leader who rules through a corrupt and tightly controlled political system. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. peacekeeper killed in Darfur ambush Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:41 AM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N.-African Union peacekeeper was killed and three others were wounded in Sudan's conflict-torn western Darfur region on Wednesday when their patrol was ambushed, the United Nations said. "A patrol moving from Nyala to Shearia in south Darfur was ambushed at Baraka village. The initial reports indicate that three peacekeepers were wounded and one was killed," said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky. No further details were available. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. decision on trade talks in Japan's hand: Kirk Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to assure lawmakers on Wednesday that the United States would not sign off on Japan's entry into trans-Pacific trade talks until it is confident Tokyo is ready to meet high U.S. goals for the pact. "We've been very honest (in talks with the Japanese) that they have to meet those standards," Kirk told the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee at hearing on the Obama administration's trade agenda. "Frankly, it's in Japan's hand to demonstrate their willingness to address these issues. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. nuclear agency "ready to return" to North Korea Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:10 AM PST Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog stands ready to return to North Korea, its chief said, after the reclusive state agreed to stop nuclear tests and uranium enrichment and let inspectors visit its Yongbyon site to verify the moratorium. "The agency has an essential role to play in verifying (North Korea's) nuclear program," Director General Yukiya Amano of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top | Factbox: History of failed nuclear agreements with North Korea Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:10 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and to allow nuclear inspectors to visit its Yongbyon nuclear complex, opening the way to a possible resumption of six-party disarmament negotiations with Pyongyang. The announcement followed talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week, the first official contacts since the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. ... Full Story | Top | Japan urges smooth implementation of U.S.-North Korea pact Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:10 AM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Wednesday it welcomed an agreement between North Korea and the United States on the North's nuclear program as an important step toward resolving long-running issues surrounding the impoverished country. The United States said North Korea had agreed to a moratorium on nuclear tests and long-range missile launches and to allow nuclear inspectors to visit its Yongbyon nuclear complex to verify a halt to all nuclear activities including uranium enrichment. ... Full Story | Top | Clinton says North Korea move a step in right direction Wed,29 Feb 2012 10:10 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that North Korea's nuclear moratorium is a "modest first step in the right direction" onto the path of peace. The United States still has "profound concerns," Clinton told a House of Representatives committee, and will be watching closely and "judging North Korea's new leaders by their actions." North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches and to allow nuclear inspectors to visit its Yongbyon nuclear complex to verify the moratorium has been enforced. ... Full Story | Top | Myanmar's Suu Kyi says reforms could be reversed Wed,29 Feb 2012 09:39 AM PST Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday it was too early to declare democratic reforms brought in after five decades of military rule were irreversible and played down talk of accepting a cabinet seat. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) will contest 48 by-elections in April that could give political credibility to the isolated southeast Asian state and help speed the end of Western sanctions. ... Full Story | Top | Egypt to lift travel ban on Americans in NGO case: sources Wed,29 Feb 2012 09:25 AM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has decided to lift a travel ban preventing American pro-democracy activists from leaving the country, judicial sources said on Wednesday, a move that is likely to defuse a standoff that has plunged U.S.-Egyptian ties into a crisis. It was not immediately clear when any of the activists involved in the case would leave the country. Sixteen of the 43 people facing charges are Americans. Some of them are not in Egypt and some others have sought refuge in the U.S. embassy. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. targets Dubai bank over Iran dealings Wed,29 Feb 2012 09:04 AM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.S. government has forced Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank to stop channeling billions of dollars from Iranian oil sales through its accounts, part of Western measures to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear program. The measure cuts off another of Iran's links to the international banking system, forcing it to seek other channels to handle vital foreign currency earnings on oil sales. The move, which took place in December, is embarrassing for traditional U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
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