Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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East Asian powers set to push trade pact talks
Sat,12 May 2012 07:43 PM PDT
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China, Japan and South Korea will set in motion formal talks for a three-way free trade pact and unveil an accompanying investment treaty at a summit in Beijing on Sunday. The three nations are major traders, and together accounted for 19.6 percent of the world's economy and 18.5 percent of its exports in 2010, according to a feasibility study of the proposed trade pact that the governments issued late last year. "We agreed to propose that our three countries start negotiations before the end of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
Four soldiers in NATO-led force die in Afghanistan
Sat,12 May 2012 05:11 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Four soldiers serving with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan died on Saturday, including two killed in an insurgent attack in the south of the country, the ISAF said in a statement. A third soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan, and the fourth died from an unspecified non-battle-related injury, the statement added. None of the soldiers killed was identified, either by name or country of origin. Nineteen soldiers from the NATO-led force have died so far this month in Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
Moderate earthquake hits Tajikistan: USGS
Sat,12 May 2012 04:52 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake of 5.7 magnitude struck near Kulob, Tajikistan, early on Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake hit 62 miles north northeast of Kulob at a depth of 6.2 miles, USGS said. (Americas Desk, Washington, 202-898-8457) (Editing by Vicki Allen) Full Story | Top |
Greek president makes last push to avert elections
Sat,12 May 2012 04:03 PM PDT
Reuters -  Greek politicians abandoned their quest to form a government on Saturday, leaving the president with one final opportunity to avert new elections that could drive the debt-choked country out of the European single currency. Greece's political landscape is in disarray after voters humiliated the only parties backing a rescue plan tied to spending cuts, leaving no bloc with sufficient seats to form a government to secure the next tranche of financial aid. ...
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U.S. drone strikes kill 10 suspected militants in Yemen
Sat,12 May 2012 03:51 PM PDT
Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - Two apparent U.S. drone attacks killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen on Saturday, while Yemeni government forces killed 15 others in a new offensive against insurgents, local and military officials said. U.S. officials said this week they had thwarted a plot by the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to arm a suicide bomber with a non-metallic device, an upgraded version of the "underwear bomb" carried onto an airliner on Christmas Day 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
Merkel faces rout in state vote over austerity
Sat,12 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's conservatives face defeat in a vote in Germany's most populous state on Sunday that could give the left momentum before next year's federal election and fuel criticism of the chancellor's European austerity drive. North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), an industrial state in western Germany with an economy and population roughly the size of the Netherlands, has a history of influencing national politics. ... Full Story | Top |
Mexico volcano spews huge ash cloud, frightens villagers
Sat,12 May 2012 03:39 PM PDT
Reuters -  SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano spewed out huge clouds of ash and fiery rock overnight, closing a local airport on Saturday and frightening nearby villagers, already on edge after weeks of increased activity. Popocatepetl, 50 miles southeast of Mexico City, shook with tremors that belched out four large plumes of ash on Friday night and Saturday morning, the National Center for Disaster Prevention said in a statement on Saturday. The biggest expulsion shot an ash cloud 2. ...
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Netanyahu responds to Palestinian letter
Sat,12 May 2012 02:54 PM PDT
Reuters -  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinian Authority issued a rare joint statement on Saturday, saying they were committed to peace after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched an envoy to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The envoy carried a letter from Netanyahu replying to one he received last month from Abbas, in which the Palestinian leader stated his grievances over the collapse of peace talks in 2010 and laid out his parameters for a resumption of negotiations. ...
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EU observers: Algeria vote a step towards reform
Sat,12 May 2012 02:04 PM PDT
Reuters -  ALGIERS (Reuters) - European Union observers on Saturday endorsed Algeria's parliamentary election as a step towards reform after the vote handed victory to the ruling party, bucking the trend of the "Arab Spring" revolts. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also praised Thursday's election, saying the government had given its people "the opportunity to express their will". It was the first time Algeria had invited EU observers to monitor a vote, a move seen by diplomats as a sign it was committed to a more transparent election. ...
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JPMorgan $2 billion loss hits shares, credit, image
Sat,12 May 2012 01:49 PM PDT
Reuters -  NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co lost $15 billion in market value and a notch in its credit ratings on Friday while a chorus of regulators and politicians reacted to its surprise $2 billion trading loss by demanding stiffer oversight for the banking industry. The loss by one of Wall Street's most respected banks embarrassed chief executive Jamie Dimon, a leader lauded for steering his bank through the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis without reporting a loss. "We know we were sloppy. We know we were stupid. ...
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Thousands march against economic gloom in Spain, UK
Sat,12 May 2012 01:20 PM PDT
Reuters -  Thousands of Spaniards fed up with economic misery and waving banners against bankers marched on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the grassroots "Indignados" movement that has sparked similar protests around the world. Up to 600 people denouncing the Bank of England rallied in London and a Reuters witness said scuffles broke out between some demonstrators and police, with at least 12 arrests. ...
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Analysis: Spain faces corrosion not collapse from euro crisis
Sat,12 May 2012 12:59 PM PDT
Reuters -  BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Students are protesting on Barcelona's elegant boulevards, public-sector wages are being cut for the second time in three years and resentment is growing against the central government and beneficiaries of bank bailouts. Such is the daily fallout from the euro zone's debt crisis. Like the rest of Spain, Barcelona is looking at several years of hard grind as the country adjusts to living within its means after the collapse of a debt-financed housing bubble that has brought much of the banking sector to its knees. ...
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Romney seeks evangelical votes; opposes gay marriage
Sat,12 May 2012 12:51 PM PDT
Reuters -  LYNCHBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sought on Saturday to calm fears that his Mormon faith would be an obstacle to evangelical Christian voters, stressing shared conservative values while acknowledging religious differences. In a speech at conservative Christian Liberty University - where it is taught that Mormonism is a cult - Romney stressed their common goal of service to God and declared his opposition to gay marriage, a position essential for winning the majority of evangelicals in November. ...
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Mexico spending heavily on troubled oil field: watchdog
Sat,12 May 2012 12:44 PM PDT
Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - State-run oil company Pemex is spending heavily on the Chicontepec oil field viewed as the least potentially profitable of current projects, Mexico's oil regulator says. Pemex spent 26.7 billion pesos ($1.98 billion) on the Chicontepec project in 2011.It represents 12 percent of the company's total production and exploration budget and 86 percent of its exploration budget, according to an English version of a report posted on Saturday on the National Hydrocarbons Commission's website. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. drone strike kills 5 militants in Yemen: residents
Sat,12 May 2012 12:18 PM PDT
Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - An apparent U.S. drone attack killed at least five al Qaeda-linked militants in south Yemen on Saturday while Yemeni government forces killed 15 others in a new offensive against insurgents, officials and residents said. U.S. officials revealed earlier in the week that they had thwarted a plot by the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to arm a suicide bomber with a non-metallic device, an upgraded version of the "underwear bomb" carried onto an airliner on Christmas Day 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
Bahrain protesters clash with police outside capital
Sat,12 May 2012 10:16 AM PDT
Reuters -  MANAMA (Reuters) - Pro-democracy protesters burned tires and clashed with police in Bahrain on Saturday to demand the release of opposition leaders and rights activists, one of whom has been on a three-month hunger strike, residents said. Hundreds of youths gathered in mainly Shi'ite villages outside the Gulf state's capital Manama, some masked and throwing petrol bombs towards rows of riot police, they said. Many chanted "The people want the fall of the regime!" and "Down, down Hamad!", referring to the ruler, King Hamad. Police fired teargas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters. ...
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Greece's anti-bailout leftists lead in polls
Sat,12 May 2012 09:57 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's radical leftist SYRIZA party has gained support since Sunday's inconclusive election to become the most popular party, but backing for the anti-bailout group is falling, the second opinion poll since the vote showed on Saturday. The main pro-bailout parties, conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK, were gaining support, according to the poll by Metron Analysis for the Epenenditis weekly. ... Full Story | Top |
Venezuela's Chavez says Cuba treatment successful
Sat,12 May 2012 09:52 AM PDT
Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Friday he had successfully completed a series of cancer radiotherapy sessions in Cuba and was hopeful they would have a positive effect on his condition. Chavez, who wants to run for re-election in October, addressed the nation after flying back from Havana. He walked with relative ease from the plane, and spoke in a firm voice, contradicting some rumors that he was too sick to be seen in public. "I can tell you that in the last few days we successfully completed the radiation cycle, as planned by the medical team," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
Chavez shows strength after Cuba cancer treatment
Sat,12 May 2012 09:52 AM PDT
Reuters -  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigor after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumors he was dying five months before an election. The socialist Chavez, who had only been seen live in public once in the previous month, addressed the nation after flying back from Havana where he has completed six rounds of radiation therapy. ...
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EU's Rehn against debt funded growth, backs Spain plan
Sat,12 May 2012 09:52 AM PDT
Reuters -  TALLINN (Reuters) - The European Union's top economic official on Saturday warned against funding national growth packages with new debt and urged governments to stick with structural reforms and cuts to fiscal deficits as the route out of the region's economic crisis. The election of new president in France on a platform calling for growth-oriented economic policies opposed to German lead calls for continued fiscal austerity has opened a debate on economic policy direction at both the national and EU level. ...
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Greek president to meet party leaders on Sunday
Sat,12 May 2012 09:51 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's president will meet the leaders of the country's three biggest parties on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to cobble together a coalition and avoid a repeat election in a few weeks. The meeting with conservative leader Antonis Samaras, Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos and Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras will take place at 0900 GMT, a statement from President Karolos Papoulias's office said on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
German Finance Minister eyes growth measures for Greece
Sat,12 May 2012 09:51 AM PDT
Reuters - Germany is ready to consider additional measures to promote growth in Greece but the struggling economy must still carry out agreed reforms, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag weekly on Saturday. "If the Greeks have an idea of what we could do, in addition, to promote growth, we can always talk and think about this," Schaeuble was quoted as saying. "But ultimately it is about making Greece competitive again, allowing the economy to grow and opening the path to the financial markets again. ... Full Story | Top |
Greek Left Coalition sticks to anti-bailout stance: spokesman
Sat,12 May 2012 09:51 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's Left Coalition party said on Saturday it would stick to opposing an EU/IMF bailout at a meeting between the country's three main parties and the president on Sunday, and would not participate in any government backing the rescue plan. "There is no change (to our position)," SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis told Reuters after Greek President Karolos Papoulias called SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, conservative leader Antonis Samaras and Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos to meet at 0900 GMT on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
Greek exit not fatal for euro zone: ECB's Honohan
Sat,12 May 2012 09:51 AM PDT
Reuters - TALLINN (Reuters) - A Greek exit from the euro zone would damage confidence in the single currency bloc but not necessarily be fatal, Irish central bank chief and European Central Bank policymaker Patrick Honohan said on Saturday. The prospect of a Greek euro exit has arisen after European countries said Greece cannot get more of the financial aid on which it is dependent if it does not meet the terms of its bailout. But parties backing the bailout program have no majority in parliament after inconclusive elections last week. ... Full Story | Top |
Syria says U.S. allied to "terrorists" in country
Sat,12 May 2012 09:50 AM PDT
Reuters - DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria accused the United States and Western countries on Saturday of colluding with al Qaeda-linked militants to target the country, in the wake of a string of explosions in Damascus and Aleppo the government has blamed on foreign-backed fighters. "Western countries and the United States, which made alliances to wage wars using the pretext of fighting terrorism, are now making alliances with the terrorists which Syria has been facing," Information Minister Adnan Hasan Mahmoud told journalists in Damascus on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
Saudi king sacks cleric who attacked social reform
Sat,12 May 2012 09:15 AM PDT
Reuters - RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has sacked a senior cleric after he decried cautious reforms in the world's top oil exporter that allowed women to mix with unmarried men, Saudi Gazette reported on Saturday. The decision to relieve Sheikh Abdulmohsen al-Obeikan of his position as royal adviser was made in a decree issued on the recommendation of Crown Prince Nayef, himself a reputed conservative. The move fits a pattern of recent years in which senior clerics who oppose the government's cautious social reforms too openly have lost their jobs. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran wins release of Turkish journalists in Syria
Sat,12 May 2012 09:14 AM PDT
Reuters - ANKARA (Reuters) - Two Turkish journalists who went missing while reporting on the uprising in Syria two months ago were released on Saturday with Iran's help, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. The release of the pair demonstrated Iran's influence with its ally Syria, which lost Turkey's friendship when it cracked down on pro-democracy protests that erupted last year. Iran and Syria, both isolated by the West, have stuck by each other. ... Full Story | Top |
Libya minister warns Italy on clandestine immigration
Sat,12 May 2012 07:45 AM PDT
Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - A deteriorating security situation in southern Libya threatens to increase illegal immigration into Europe from Africa, Libyan Foreign Minister Ashour bin Khayyal said on Saturday during a visit to Rome. "For the moment, the situation is not too bad but we have had indications that it could worsen. African immigrants have arrived at the Egyptian-Libyan border," he told reporters at a news conference with Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi. "The numbers are not that big, but they could increase and that is why we are giving this warning," Bin Khayyal said. ... Full Story | Top |
Militant group claims deadly Syrian blasts: video
Sat,12 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT
Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - A little-known militant group claimed responsibility in a video posted online on Saturday for the twin bombing in Syria's capital that killed at least 55 people earlier in the week. The video was narrated by a man whose voice was garbled to disguise his identity. There was no decisive proof in the video to show suspected Islamist group al-Nusra Front had a hand in the operations, which the government said were suicide bombings. The video showed no images of militants making or setting up the bomb and did not claim the attack as suicide bombings. ... Full Story | Top |
Fragmented Syrian opposition debates leadership
Sat,12 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT
Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - The Syrian National Council (SNC), a fractious umbrella group opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, gathered on Saturday for three days of talks aimed at deciding on its own leadership and shoring up its credibility at home and abroad. Two SNC executive committee members, Samir Nashar and George Sabra, said the council was discussing whether to reelect Burhan Ghalioun, its president since it was set up in exile in August. ... Full Story | Top |
French leftist to defy Le Pen in bid for parliament seat
Sat,12 May 2012 06:18 AM PDT
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - French leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon confirmed on Saturday he would challenge his far-right rival Marine Le Pen for a parliament seat attached to her home district, promising a showdown in the small northern town of Henin-Beaumont. For Melenchon, challenging Le Pen in the working class town, where her National Front won 35 percent in round one of the presidential election, is a chance to remain politically relevant after he came fourth in the April vote. ...
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Serb opposition threatens to withdraw from run-off vote
Sat,12 May 2012 05:47 AM PDT
Reuters - BELGRADE (Reuters) - The leader of Serbia's rightist opposition said on Saturday he may pull out of a presidential run-off this month after accusing incumbent President Boris Tadic of rigging the first stage of the election. Tomislav Nikolic said his Serbian Progressive Party would begin "peaceful, democratic and non-violent protests across Serbia" from Sunday, accusing the dominant Democratic Party of fraud during the presidential and parliamentary vote on May 6. "A decision ... on whether there will be a second round will be taken tomorrow," he told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
EU force frees Iranian dhow from Somali pirates
Sat,12 May 2012 05:22 AM PDT
Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - A European Union naval vessel rescued an Iranian fishing dhow that was being used by Somali pirates as a "mothership" for attacks on other boats, the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) said on Saturday. EU NAVFOR said its frigate HNLMS Van Amstel rescued the dhow and its crew of 17 Iranians off the coast of Somalia. Eleven suspected pirates were on board. "The dhow had been pirated 10 days earlier and was being used to carry out pirate attacks on merchant vessels," it said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
Senior Boko Haram commander caught: Nigeria police
Sat,12 May 2012 02:50 AM PDT
Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's police said on Saturday they captured a senior commander of the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram in Kano, the largest city in the north and scene of attacks this year that have killed hundreds of people. Security sources also said that the man police say they caught, Suleiman Mohammed, was known to be a leading Boko Haram figure in Kano. The sect has denied the arrest of senior members claimed by the police in the past. ... Full Story | Top |
Greece's anti-bailout leftists lead in poll
Sat,12 May 2012 02:15 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's radical leftist SYRIZA party has gained support since Sunday's inconclusive election to become the most popular party, but backing for the anti-bailout group is falling, the second opinion poll since the vote showed on Saturday. The main pro-bailout parties, conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK, were gaining support, according to the poll by Metron Analysis for the Epenenditis weekly. ... Full Story | Top |
Fire bombs target tax office in Italy
Sat,12 May 2012 01:34 AM PDT
Reuters - MILAN (Reuters) - Two fire bombs were thrown at the offices of Italy's tax enforcement agency Equitalia in the port city of Livorno early on Saturday, police said, the latest in a string of attacks on one of crisis-hit Italy's symbols of austerity. Firemen were called in after one of the two petrol bombs landed on the doorsteps of the Equitalia building, police told Reuters. Nobody was hurt. ... Full Story | Top |
Greece only gets money if it meets agreements: Dutch PM
Fri,11 May 2012 08:13 PM PDT
Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday Greece would only receive bailout money if it met all the agreements made with the European Union. "We will only give it if Greece meets all agreements. Otherwise they won't get the money," Rutte told Dutch television program EenVandaag. Greece would not be offered any more than the existing package of 130 billion euros ($168 billion), Rutte said. (Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger) Full Story | Top |
German Finance Minister: May consider growth measures for Greece
Fri,11 May 2012 08:13 PM PDT
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is willing to consider additional measures to promote growth in Greece but the struggling economy must still carry out the agreed reforms, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag weekly. "If the Greeks have an idea of what we could do, in addition, to promote growth, we can always talk and think about this," Schaeuble was quoted as saying. "But ultimately it is about making Greece competitive again, allowing the economy to grow and opening the path to the financial markets again. ... Full Story | Top |
No more aid for Greece without reforms: ECB's Weidmann
Fri,11 May 2012 08:13 PM PDT
Reuters - FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Greece will not receive any more financial aid if it does not stick to the agreed bailout deal, European Central Bank policymaker and head of Germany's Bundesbank Jens Weidmann was quoted as saying on Saturday. He also told Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview that an exit from the euro zone would have a bigger impact on Greece than on the rest of the bloc. "For Greece the consequences would be much more grave than for the rest of the euro zone," he said. "I think it is too simple to think Greece's problems would be solved by leaving the euro area. ... Full Story | Top |
Horrific child murder case ends with guilty verdict
Fri,11 May 2012 08:01 PM PDT
Reuters -  TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian man was found guilty of the murder, assault and kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl on Friday, after a gruesome two-month court case that horrified the country. A jury in London, Ontario, found Michael Rafferty, 31, guilty of first degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, dismissing his girlfriend's testimony that she alone was responsible for killing Tori Stafford. "We got him. We got justice," Tori's father Rodney Stafford told reporters outside the courtroom, showing the waiting TV cameras a picture of Tori. "It was for every little girl in Canada. ...
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