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Thursday, April 26, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Bin Laden's family deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Advisory: Indonesia Pertamina Angolan oil deal story withdrawn U.S., Japan unveil revised plan for Okinawa Argentine Senate, house committee back YPF takeover SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes Hague court convicts Taylor of crimes in Sierra Leone West Africa bloc to send troops to Mali, Guinea-Bissau U.S. on guard for attacks ahead of bin Laden anniversary S&P cuts Spain ratings two notches to BBB-plus Syria, rebels trade blame over fragile U.N. ceasefire U.S. lawmaker urges investment treaty pact with China UK says businessman slain in China was not a spy U.S. draft warns Sudan, South Sudan of possible sanctions U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Islamist militants blow up Yemen gas pipeline Total diverts North Sea gas leak from platform Globalive wins court battle, eyes more funding U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Sarkozy swings further right, Hollande holds lead Tibetan quake victims fight China government land grab Rupert Murdoch blames rogue tabloid for phone-hacking Mubarak's PM says can lead Egypt, draws protests High-speed trains bump in Rome, six hurt Dutch parties avert crisis with 2013 budget deal World Bank looks anew at Myanmar, debt and data key Bombs kill 10, wound 18 in Iraq's Diyala: sources Hunter turns hunted as Murdoch "harassed" by press Highlights: Rupert Murdoch before UK media inquiry for 2nd day Dutch fin min says new budget plan will meet EU target Dutch 2013 budget plan has parliament support: ANP Poll: France's Sarkozy seen losing 2012 election New Syrian group claims legitimacy to rival SNC Greece eyes UK-style railway privatization Bahrain mourners attack police after funeral march Russia accuses Syrian rebels of using "tactics of terror" MI6 denies cover-up in British "spy-in-bag" case French jobless total highest since Sept 1999 South Sudan, Sudan trade fresh accusations Tens of thousands sing in protest at Breivik trial Exclusive: U.N. plans aid for one million Syrians struggling amid conflict Bin Laden's family deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Thu,26 Apr 2012 08:02 PM PDT Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The family of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, killed almost a year ago by American special forces in a military town in northwest Pakistan, left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia early on Friday morning, the family lawyer told Reuters. The move ends months of speculation about the fate of the three widows and 11 children, who were detained by Pakistani security forces after the May 2 raid. "Yes, they're being deported to Saudi Arabia," said Aamir Khalil, the family lawyer. "It is a special flight." The jet took off at around 1:30 a.m. ... Full Story Top Advisory: Indonesia Pertamina Angolan oil deal story withdrawn Thu,26 Apr 2012 07:46 PM PDT Reuters - Please be advised that a Dec 19, 2011 story reporting that Pertamina has walked away from a possible deal to buy a stake in an offshore Angolan block is wrong. The stake in the block under consideration was incorrect, and the accuracy of the quote attributed to the company spokesman could not be verified. The following story has been withdrawn. STORY_NUMBER: L3E7NJ3XX STORY_DATE: 19/12/2011 STORY_TIME: 1442 GMT There will be no substitute story. Full Story Top U.S., Japan unveil revised plan for Okinawa Thu,26 Apr 2012 07:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Japan announced on Thursday a revised agreement on streamlining the U.S. military presence on Okinawa that will shift 9,000 Marines from that southern Japanese island to Guam and other Asia-Pacific sites. The new plan, unveiled days before Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visits President Barack Obama, helps the allies work around the still unresolved, core dispute over moving the Futenma air base from a crowded part of Okinawa to a new site that had vexed relations for years. Under the agreement, 9,000 U.S. ... Full Story Top Argentine Senate, house committee back YPF takeover Thu,26 Apr 2012 06:39 PM PDT Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina stepped toward nationalizing its biggest oil company on Thursday when the government's expropriation bill sailed through the Senate and then a lower house committee, setting the stage for final legislative approval next week. The rapid-fire votes by the full Senate and a joint committee of the Chamber of Deputies underscored broad domestic support for a proposal that has infuriated foreign investors. ... Full Story Top SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an informal inquiry into Chesapeake Energy Corp's controversial program that granted Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon a share in each of the natural gas producer's wells, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. That inquiry, being led by the SEC's office in Fort Worth, Texas, comes after Reuters reported about loans McClendon had obtained on those wells that raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest by the company's CEO. Chesapeake said it would end the program that gives McClendon a 2. ... Full Story Top Hague court convicts Taylor of crimes in Sierra Leone Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A United Nations-backed court convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the first time a head of state has been found guilty by an international tribunal since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg. The first African leader to stand trial for war crimes, Taylor had been charged with 11 counts of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers and sexual slavery during intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, when more than 50,000 people were killed. ... Full Story Top West Africa bloc to send troops to Mali, Guinea-Bissau Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Thursday it would send troops to Mali and Guinea-Bissau to help swiftly reinstate civilian rule after their coups, and threatened sanctions if junta leaders try to cling to power. The decision was one of the most forceful moves by the group in recent years, and won the immediate support of the European Union as a way to reinforce democratic reform in a part of the world known for military coups and civil wars. "Overall, we're very supportive of ECOWAS's strong response to the situation in both countries. ... Full Story Top U.S. on guard for attacks ahead of bin Laden anniversary Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:11 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has reviewed potential threats to the United States before next week's anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, but there is no concrete evidence al Qaeda is plotting any revenge attacks, the White House said on Thursday. U.S. Navy SEALs shot bin Laden last year in a raid on the al Qaeda leader's compound in Pakistan before dawn on May 2 local time, which was May 1 in the United States. The killing is touted by the Obama administration as one of its top national security accomplishments. ... Full Story Top S&P cuts Spain ratings two notches to BBB-plus Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut its credit rating on Spain to BBB-plus from A, a two-notch downgrade, citing its expectation the government's budget deficit will deteriorate even more than previously thought due to economic contraction. The ratings agency put a negative outlook on the credit and said it believes the government will also have to provide more financial support for the euro zone nation's banking sector. ... Full Story Top Syria, rebels trade blame over fragile U.N. ceasefire Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:36 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government and rebels traded blame on Thursday for a huge explosion which killed 16 people in the city of Hama, as a two-week-old U.N.-backed ceasefire looked increasingly fragile. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused Damascus of breaking its pledge to withdraw heavy weapons and troops from towns, saying he was "gravely alarmed by reports of continued violence and killing in Syria." Syria blamed "terrorist" bomb-makers for Wednesday's blast. ... Full Story Top U.S. lawmaker urges investment treaty pact with China Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:14 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Republican lawmaker on Thursday called on the Obama administration to negotiate an investment treaty with China and to increase pressure on the world's second-largest economy to make trade and currency reforms. "Plain and simple, we cannot allow China to continue its unacceptable trade practices," House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp said in a speech, referring to longstanding barriers to U.S. exports and the widespread piracy and counterfeiting of U.S. goods. ... Full Story Top UK says businessman slain in China was not a spy Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A businessman whose murder sparked political upheaval in China was not a British spy, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday, trying to quell speculation that has swirled around the man's mysterious death. An influential parliamentary committee had asked Hague for more information about what Britain knew about Neil Heywood's death in a hotel room in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqinq last November, and about media speculation he may have been a British spy or informant. ... Full Story Top U.S. draft warns Sudan, South Sudan of possible sanctions Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:49 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday circulated to the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution that warns Sudan and South Sudan of sanctions if they do not comply with African Union demands to swiftly stop border clashes and resolve their many disputes. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters the Security Council would begin discussing the draft resolution on Thursday and that it would likely need at least a few days of talks among members before going to a vote. ... Full Story Top U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the Syrian government had not complied with its pledge to a U.N.-backed peace plan aimed at stopping the country from spiraling into civil war because it had not withdrawn heavy weapons and troops from cities. The secretary-general said in a statement that unarmed U.N. military observers in Syria had reported a "continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and army personnel in population centers." Ban said he was "deeply troubled" by that. ... Full Story Top Islamist militants blow up Yemen gas pipeline Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:40 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda blew up a gas pipeline on Thursday night in the eastern Yemeni province of Shabwa, a local official and residents said. The attack is the third against oil and gas facilities in the impoverished country within a month, and the second against the same pipeline. Resident said columns of fire and smoke could be seen from several kilometers away. ... Full Story Top Total diverts North Sea gas leak from platform Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Gas is continuing to leak from Total's Elgin gas field in the UK North Sea but engineers have installed diverter equipment to lead the flow away from the production platform to make it safer to get on board to tackle the leak, the company said on Thursday. "The fitting of this device ensures that there is no gas accumulating around the G4 wellhead or the platform, (which) reinforces the safety of the well intervention operation and helps alleviate restrictions on helicopter landings on the platform from now on," Total said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Globalive wins court battle, eyes more funding Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:19 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - The end of a long legal battle over whether Globalive's foreign backing precluded it from offering wireless service in Canada opens the door for the company to amass more foreign cash ahead of an auction of airwaves next year, its chief executive said. Canada's Supreme Court declined on Thursday to hear a challenge to a government decision to allow Globalive to operate in Canada despite close ties to a foreign company, initially Egypt's Orascom Telecom Holding SAE but now Russia's Vimpelcom Ltd. ... Full Story Top U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:08 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the Syrian government has not complied with its commitment to a U.N.-backed peace plan because it has not withdrawn heavy weapons and troops from Syrian cities and towns. "The Secretary-General remains deeply troubled by the continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and army personnel in population centers, as reported by United Nations Military Observers," Ban's press office said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Sarkozy swings further right, Hollande holds lead Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:51 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy swung further to the right on Thursday, proposing a new license to shoot for police pursuing suspects, in an increasingly frantic quest to woo far-right National Front voters before a decisive election runoff. A new rise in unemployment to the highest level since September 1999 dealt another blow to the conservative Sarkozy's effort to catch up with Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande before the May 6 second round of the presidential election. ... Full Story Top Tibetan quake victims fight China government land grab Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:33 PM PDT Reuters - GYEGU, China (Reuters) - For two years after a cataclysmic earthquake struck a remote and wild part of China's northwestern Qinghai province, Baobao and 29 other homeless ethnic Tibetan residents occupied the area outside several government buildings to denounce a land grab. But no officials in Gyegu - known in Chinese as Yushu - would listen to their pleas, said Baobao, 41, a burly Tibetan odd-job laborer, who goes by only one name. ... Full Story Top Rupert Murdoch blames rogue tabloid for phone-hacking Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:32 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch called his News of the World tabloid an "aberration" on Thursday, accusing journalists of hiding phone-hacking from himself, his son James and his protégée Rebekah Brooks, and said he wished he had shut it down sooner. "The News of the World, to be quite honest, was an aberration, and it's my fault," the media mogul said in a second day of testimony in Britain's High Court on Thursday. "I'm sorry I didn't close it years before." But he went out of way to defend his Sun tabloid, Britain's top-selling daily. ... Full Story Top Mubarak's PM says can lead Egypt, draws protests Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:29 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Ahmed Shafiq says he has the military and political experience needed to lead Egypt into a new democratic era, yet Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister has divided voters and drawn angry protests with his bid to become president. Shafiq's supporters see his military background as guarantee he can restore order after 14 months of turmoil. Opponents see him as leftover from the old order and mock him as the "candy man" for once suggesting anti-Mubarak protesters should be offered sweets during demonstrations. The former air force commander's campaign got off to a turbulent ... Full Story Top High-speed trains bump in Rome, six hurt Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:20 PM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Two high-speed trains collided just outside Rome's central station on Thursday, slightly injuring six people, Italian railway authorities said. One train derailed as it approached Rome's Termini station at around 30 km per hour (18 miles per hour) and ran up against the other, also entering the station on the next platform, the state-owned railway company Trenitalia said. Both trains, one arriving from Milan in the north and the other from Naples in the south, were members of the Trenitalia's flagship "Red Arrow" fleet of high-speed trains. ... Full Story Top Dutch parties avert crisis with 2013 budget deal Thu,26 Apr 2012 01:08 PM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Dutch political parties reached a deal on a 2013 budget on Thursday, averting crisis and enabling a country that has championed euro fiscal discipline to meet a European Union deadline set for Monday. The Netherlands, which has been widely seen as an advocate of fiscal discipline among euro zone members, rattled investors and financial markets when it appeared to be on the brink of failing to meet those targets itself. ... Full Story Top World Bank looks anew at Myanmar, debt and data key Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:52 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pace and scope of the World Bank's re-engagement with Myanmar's reform-minded government will depend on settling the country's unpaid debts and getting accurate economic data, a senior bank official said on Thursday. Pamela Cox, the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific regional vice president, said the global development lender was "heartened by the government's steps in Myanmar" and would respond step-by-step in line with member countries and other agencies. ... Full Story Top Bombs kill 10, wound 18 in Iraq's Diyala: sources Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:28 AM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Ten people were killed and 18 others wounded when two explosions struck a popular coffee shop in the restive Iraqi province of Diyala, security sources said on Thursday. Diyala province, a fertile agricultural area, has long been one of the most volatile regions in Iraq, inhabited by a mix of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds. The attacks took place in a mainly Sunni village on the outskirts of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a policeman in the village and a source in Diyala operations command said. ... Full Story Top Hunter turns hunted as Murdoch "harassed" by press Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:28 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch described on Thursday being "mobbed" and "harassed" by journalists and paparazzi, in an exchange rich with irony during his testimony at a judicial inquiry on press ethics prompted by criminal behavior at one of his papers. The 81-year-old media mogul was facing a second day of grilling at the Leveson Inquiry, which has heard dozens of witnesses give detailed accounts of being harassed by reporters from Murdoch's own newspapers. ... Full Story Top Highlights: Rupert Murdoch before UK media inquiry for 2nd day Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:28 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch appeared on Thursday before an inquiry delving into the power he wields over politicians and police and how far it resulted in a culture where phones could be hacked by his journalists and rules routinely broken. ... Full Story Top Dutch fin min says new budget plan will meet EU target Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:22 AM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said on Thursday a new budget proposal, which has the support of a majority in parliament, will reduce the budget deficit in 2013 so that it meets the EU's strict targets. "At the request of the Lower House there have been intense discussions with all involved parties to come to a shared program of additional measures and meet the demands of the excessive deficit procedure," De Jager said in a letter to parliament. (Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; Editing by Sara Webb) Full Story Top Dutch 2013 budget plan has parliament support: ANP Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:17 AM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A majority of members of the Dutch parliament support the budget plan for 2013 after the opposition GreenLeft party agreed to back it, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Thursday, citing GreenLeft leader Jolande Sap. The parties making up the country's caretaker government - the Christian Democrats Party and Liberals - and two smaller opposition parties had already approved the plan for 2013, public broadcaster NOS reported earlier. (Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; Writing by Hugh Lawson; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) Full Story Top Poll: France's Sarkozy seen losing 2012 election Thu,26 Apr 2012 11:01 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Socialist candidate Francois Hollande came out ahead in the first round of France's presidential election on April 22 and will face runner-up President Nicolas Sarkozy in the deciding round on May 6. After scoring 28.63 percent to Sarkozy's 27.18 percent in round one, Hollande looks set to win the final contest. But much will depend on which way far right National Front voters choose to swing after their record 18 percent showing in the first round made them potential kingmakers. ... Full Story Top New Syrian group claims legitimacy to rival SNC Thu,26 Apr 2012 10:56 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - The son of Syria's last democratically elected prime minister presented what he called an "interim government" on Thursday, saying it had the legitimacy that the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council (SNC), lacked. Nofal al Dawalibi, a Saudi-based businessman whose father Maarouf was prime minister before President Bashar al-Assad's family took power in the 1960s, said his Free Syrian Transitional National Government could unite the opposition in a way the SNC had failed to do. "We are creating another option. ... Full Story Top Greece eyes UK-style railway privatization Thu,26 Apr 2012 10:54 AM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is considering breaking up its railway and selling the right to operate some routes to different companies, in an attempt to maximize proceeds from the privatization and sidestep regulatory hurdles. The heavily indebted country had initially planned to sell Trainose - the monopoly that operates 500 freight and passenger routes on 2,500 km of railways - as part of its international bailout. ... Full Story Top Bahrain mourners attack police after funeral march Thu,26 Apr 2012 10:53 AM PDT Reuters - MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahraini protesters attacked a police station with petrol bombs on Thursday and riot police responded with teargas and stun grenades after a funeral march for a man killed in clashes during the Gulf Arab state's Formula One race last week. Petrol bombs set the police station's wall ablaze and the clashes spilled onto a main highway, holding up traffic for up to an hour, Reuters witnesses said. ... Full Story Top Russia accuses Syrian rebels of using "tactics of terror" Thu,26 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused Syrian rebels on Thursday of using terror tactics and suggested they were more to blame for ceasefire violations than President Bashar al-Assad's troops. The remarks by the foreign ministry differed from assessments by Western states which have been calling on government forces to end attacks and withdraw from cities and towns under a U.N.-backed truce. "We call upon the Syrian side to carry out in full its obligations..." Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told a weekly briefing. "Nonetheless ... ... Full Story Top MI6 denies cover-up in British "spy-in-bag" case Thu,26 Apr 2012 09:58 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service denied on Thursday that the mysterious death of one of its agents whose naked body was found in a padlocked bag had anything to do with his work or that it had covered the episode up. The decomposing body of Gareth Williams, 31, was found in August 2010 inside a red sports bag in his bathtub at his central London flat, a week after he had failed to show up to work. ... Full Story Top French jobless total highest since Sept 1999 Thu,26 Apr 2012 09:22 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - The number of jobless people in France rose for the eleventh-month running in March to hit the highest level since September 1999, adding a new dent in President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic record as he battles to get re-elected next month. The labor ministry data released on Thursday showed the number of registered jobseekers in mainland France rose by 16,600 in March to 2.88 million, up 0.6 percent on the month and 7.2 percent on the year. ... Full Story Top South Sudan, Sudan trade fresh accusations Thu,26 Apr 2012 09:08 AM PDT Reuters - JUBA/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Showing no sign of a let-up in tensions, South Sudan accused Sudan on Thursday of bombing a village in its oil-producing Unity state while Khartoum complained its soldiers had been beaten in captivity. The release of 14 Sudanese soldiers on Wednesday under a deal mediated by Egypt had been expected to ease tensions between the two countries, where disputes over oil revenues and border demarcation have threatened to escalate into all-out war. ... Full Story Top Tens of thousands sing in protest at Breivik trial Thu,26 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - Up to 40,000 Norwegians gathered in Oslo on Thursday to sing a popular peace song derided by Anders Behring Breivik, the gunman on trial for the murder of 77 people, a protest organizers said showed he had not broken their tolerant society. "It's we who win," said guitar-strumming folk singer Lillebjoern Nilsen as he led the singing and watched the crowd sway gently in the rain. Many held roses above their heads, and some wept. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: U.N. plans aid for one million Syrians struggling amid conflict Thu,26 Apr 2012 08:39 AM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria's infrastructure has been significantly damaged in more than a year of conflict, water and electricity supplies have been disrupted and many families cannot meet their basic daily needs, a United Nations mission has found. A confidential U.N. plan for responding to humanitarian needs, based on a joint assessment carried out with Syrian officials from March 18-26, was obtained by Reuters on Thursday. ... Full Story Top

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