Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012 8:30 PM PDT
Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
Restart date unclear for Venezuela refinery hit by blast
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:56 PM PDT
Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - A restart to production at Venezuela's largest oil refinery, closed since Saturday by the world's deadliest refinery accident in fifteen years, could take another two to three days, officials said, although an exact date was unknown. Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said in televised comments on Wednesday that fires at the Amuay refinery, where 48 people died, had been finally extinguished and workers were moving ahead with preparations to restart production. ... Full Story
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Mexican police attacked CIA officers, ambush likely: sources
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:54 PM PDT
Reuters -

Mexican marines stand guard as U.S. officials and Mexican investigators take evidence from the scene where two CIA officers were shot on road near Tres Marias, outside Mexico CityTRES MARIAS, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican federal police shot and wounded two CIA operatives last week, security sources said, in an apparently deliberate attack that could hurt U.S.-Mexico cooperation in their war against drug cartels. The two experienced officers were just south of the capital on their way to a Mexican Marine base on Friday, working with local authorities on a training mission, when federal police riddled their armored van bearing diplomatic plates with bullets. ...


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Abuse allegations mount against flagship Afghan police force
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:30 PM PDT
Reuters -

Members of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) prepare to embark on a foot patrol at the Char Darah district of Kunduz provinceCHAR DARAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Fahima had just arrived home from school when members of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a U.S.-trained militia charged with making Afghans in Taliban strongholds feel more secure, started hammering on the front door searching for her father. They elbowed it open and, frustrated at not finding him, started beating her younger brother, prompting 17-year-old Fahima to intervene. One of the men turned and shot her dead. ...


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Drenched New Orleans passes post-Katrina hurricane test
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:23 PM PDT
Reuters -

A resident of Plaquemines Parish who was rescued from his flooded home sits in the back of a pickup truck during Hurricane Isaac in BraithwaiteNEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Hurricane Isaac brought widespread flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday, but elaborate defenses built to protect New Orleans after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago seemed to pass their first major test. The huge, slow moving weather system, downgraded to a tropical storm on Wednesday, dumped massive amounts of rain to test new levees and flood containment systems and officials were careful not to declare a premature victory. ...


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Australia says six rescued, more than 140 missing from asylum boat
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:15 PM PDT
Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - Rescuers have pulled six people from the sea off Indonesia but authorities have grave fears for more than 140 more after a suspected refugee boat disappeared on its way to Australia, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said on Thursday. Indonesian authorities are coordinating the search for the boat, which first reported to be in distress on Wednesday in Indonesia's Sunda Strait, with several merchant ships and rescue helicopters at the scene, around 42 nautical miles off Java. "Six people have been plucked from the sea. ... Full Story
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Three Australian soldiers killed by rogue Afghan soldier
Wed,29 Aug 2012 06:02 PM PDT
Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Three Australian soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday by a gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform, the NATO-led coalition said, the latest in an alarming series of "rogue" shootings that have damaged trust between Kabul and its allies. The Australian Defence Force on Thursday confirmed the nationality of the soldiers who were serving in southern Uruzgan province, where around 1,500 Australian troops are based. It said families in Australia were being informed of the deaths. ... Full Story
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U.S. increases drug monitoring in Guatemalan, Honduran waters: official
Wed,29 Aug 2012 05:32 PM PDT
Reuters -

Fraser, Chief of the U.S. Southern Command, and Guatemalan President Perez Molina attend a meeting in Guatemala CityGUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The United States military is ramping up anti-drug trafficking efforts in Guatemalan and Honduran waters to keep up with shifting smuggling routes, a top U.S. military official told Reuters on Wednesday. General Douglas Fraser, head of the U.S. military's Southern Command, said that the coasts along the two Central American countries are top transit spots for South American cocaine destined for the United States. "Key arrival points in Central America are the northeast coast of Honduras and then the Pacific coast of Guatemala," Fraser said. ...


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Second-quarter growth revised up, Fed still seen in play
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:58 PM PDT
Reuters -

A man pushes his shopping cart down an aisle at a Home Depot store in New YorkWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy fared slightly better than initially thought in the second quarter, but the pace of growth remained too slow to shut the door on further monetary easing from the Federal Reserve. Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.7 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday, as stronger export growth offset a pull-back in restocking by businesses wary of sluggish domestic demand. While that was an improvement on the government's first estimate of 1. ...


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Venezuela investigates alleged massacre in Amazon tribal village
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:50 PM PDT
Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's public prosecutor on Wednesday said it is investigating an alleged massacre of indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest, after a tribal group told the government that a village of 80 natives was attacked in July from a helicopter. In a statement, the government said it had received word of the alleged attack by a group representing the Yanomami tribe, an indigenous people native to southern Venezuela. ... Full Story
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Three foreign soldiers killed by rogue Afghan soldier
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:49 PM PDT
Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Three foreign soldiers were shot dead on Wednesday by a gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led coalition said, the latest in an alarming series of insider shootings which have damaged trust between the allies. "The incident is currently under investigation," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a Thursday statement giving no other details. NATO sources said the soldiers were killed in Uruzgan province, where around 1,500 Australian troops are based. ... Full Story
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U.S. charges Saudi at Guantanamo with plotting to bomb oil tankers
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:31 PM PDT
Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals have filed new terrorism charges against a Saudi prisoner accused of plotting with al Qaeda to blow up oil tankers off the coast of Yemen, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Ahmed al Darbi could face life in prison if convicted on six charges that include conspiracy, aiding and abetting the hazarding of a vessel and aiding and abetting terrorism. Darbi, 37, is accused of working as a weapons instructor at an al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in the late 1990s and meeting al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden there. ... Full Story
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Mexican judge orders arrest of ex-governor on drug charges
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:07 PM PDT
Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican federal judge has ordered the arrest of former state Governor Tomas Yarrington on suspicion of aiding drug traffickers, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Yarrington, a former Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) governor of Tamaulipas, has been a thorn in the side of the PRI since allegations surfaced this year he had worked with drug cartels. The centrist PRI, which ruled Mexico between 1929 and 2000, is due to return to power in December after the party's candidate, Enrique Pena Nieto, won a July 1 presidential election. ... Full Story
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Exclusive: China considers downgrading domestic security tsar in next line-up
Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT
Reuters -

China's Politburo Standing Committee Member Zhou arrives for a meeting with Nepal's caretaker Prime Minister Khanal in KathmanduBEIJING (Reuters) - China's Communist Party is considering downgrading the role of domestic security chief as part of a move to a new and smaller top elite, reflecting fears that the position has become too powerful, sources said. Reducing the party's Politburo Standing Committee, the inner council at the apex of power, from nine to seven members would come as part of a once-in-a-decade leadership change expected in the next few weeks or months. ...


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Australia says survivors from suspected asylum boat spotted
Wed,29 Aug 2012 03:38 PM PDT
Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - Survivors from a suspected asylum seeker boat carrying about 150 people that appears to have sunk have been spotted in Indonesian waters, Australian maritime officials said on Thursday. Australian and Indonesian search and rescue teams are heading to the area, around 8 nautical miles southwest of Java, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement. A person on board the unidentified boat had contacted Australian rescue authorities by telephone on Wednesday, saying the vessel had engine trouble and needed assistance. ... Full Story
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Syrian opposition group not up to job, says ex-member
Wed,29 Aug 2012 03:01 PM PDT
Reuters -

Civilians wait to receive food rations in the Bab Al-Salam refugee camp in AzazUNITED NATIONS/ANKARA (Reuters) - The opposition Syrian National Council has failed to overcome internal divisions and is not up to the challenge of overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad, a prominent former member of the group has said. Assad, in a rare television interview, said he would need more time to defeat the rebels and dismissed talk of a Western-imposed buffer zone on Syrian territory as unrealistic. ...


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Assad says Syria buffer zone "unrealistic"
Wed,29 Aug 2012 02:31 PM PDT
Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said talk of a Western-imposed buffer zone on Syrian territory was unrealistic and that the situation in his country was "better", though more time was needed to win the conflict against rebels trying to overthrow him. The bloody 17-month-old uprising against Assad, to which he responded with a brutal security force crackdown, has killed more than 18,000 people according to the United Nations. Turkey has floated the idea of a "safe zone" to be set up for civilians under foreign protection as fighting has intensified. ... Full Story
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Top U.S. trade official heads to Southeast Asia for talks
Wed,29 Aug 2012 02:29 PM PDT
Reuters -

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk smiles during an event at the Singapore Management UniversityWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will discuss how the United States can deepen trade ties with fast-growing nations in Southeast Asia in talks this week in Cambodia, U.S. trade officials said. Kirk will join trade ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) at their annual meeting on Thursday and take part in the inaugural ASEAN-U.S. Business Summit focusing on innovation and the digital economy. His trip is also likely to include a stopover in Vietnam. ...


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France extends euro zone olive branch to Berlin
Wed,29 Aug 2012 02:09 PM PDT
Reuters -

France's PM Ayrault attends French employers' body MEDEF union summer forum in Jouy-en-Josas,JOUY-EN-JOSAS, France (Reuters) - France's Socialist government made a public show of unity with Germany on Wednesday with pledges to cooperate closely with Berlin on Europe, seeking to dampen talk that Paris was siding with southern European nations against austerity. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Paris was determined to press ahead with Berlin on stronger economic governance in Europe to resolve the debt crisis -- a persistent German demand but a divisive issue for the ruling Socialist Party in France, where many are reluctant to cede more authority to Brussels. ...


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U.S. drone strike kills suspected militants: Yemen official
Wed,29 Aug 2012 02:08 PM PDT
Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed at least four suspected Islamist militants in a car in a remote province of Yemen, a security official said. The official, who did not want to be named, said the vehicle was struck in the al-Qatn district of the vast Hadramout province in eastern Yemen. Residents said the car was struck by one of three missiles fired from a plane and that charred bodies were pulled from it afterwards. It was not clear if there were other casualties in the attack. ... Full Story
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Rabbi warns Dutch populist Wilders over ritual slaughter ban
Wed,29 Aug 2012 01:52 PM PDT
Reuters -

PVV Leader Wilders waves to his party members at the start of a Freedom Party meeting in RotterdamAMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Israel's leading rabbi has warned Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders that his party's support for a ban of ritual slaughter of animals in the Netherlands is "anti-Semitic" and could drive away the country's Jewish community. Wilders rose to prominence in the Netherlands denouncing the growing influence of Islam in the West, calling for a ban against Muslim immigrants, a halt to the construction of mosques and a ban on Muslim face-veils. Some of his most outspoken supporters are in the conservative, pro-Israeli movement in the United States. ...


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Libya assembly suspends 3 members for alleged Gaddafi links
Wed,29 Aug 2012 01:47 PM PDT
Reuters -

Members of the national congress take an oath during handover ceremony of power the National Transitional Council in TripoliTRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's newly elected national assembly on Wednesday suspended three members for having links with former leader Muammar Gaddafi's government, a spokesman said. Omar al-Hassabi, spokesman for the assembly's High Organisation for Transparency and Nationalism, said the suspensions had followed an investigation into the three. "We discovered the three representatives were either members of the Gaddafi Revolutionary Guards or involved in criminal anti-revolutionary activities," Hassabi told Reuters. ...


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Canada's Progress shareholders approve $6 billion buyout by Petronas
Wed,29 Aug 2012 01:19 PM PDT
Reuters -

Motorists queue to fill natural gas at a Petronas station with its landmark Petronas Twin Towers headquarters in the background, in Kuala LumpurKUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Shareholders in Canada's Progress Energy Resources Corp have approved a takeover bid from Malaysia's state oil company Petronas at C$22.00 a share, or near C$6 billion ($6.09 billion) including debt, Progress said. The acquisition would be the first time an Asian state investor has bought its Canadian partner in a gas project, and is likely to be scrutinized by Canadian regulators. The Progress board has already approved the takeover, which is the smaller of two bids by state-owned Asian firms for Canadian energy companies. China's CNOOC wants to pay $15. ...


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Georgia says 3 soldiers, 11 militants killed near Russia border
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:48 PM PDT
Reuters -

Georgian police block the street in the village of Lapankuri, some 175 km east of TbilisTBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian forces shot dead 11 gunmen, and three soldiers were killed in an operation to free hostages near the border with Russia, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. It said five soldiers had also been wounded near the frontier with Russia's Dagestan region, but did not give the nationality of the gunmen or say whether they had entered the country from Russia. ...


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Ecuador upbeat about deal to end Assange standoff
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:33 PM PDT
Reuters -

Ecuadorean Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Patino talks to Reuters during an interview at the Foreign Ministry in QuitoQUITO (Reuters) - Talks have resumed between Ecuador and Britain over the fate of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, and Ecuador's government said on Wednesday it was optimistic of a deal that would prevent him being extradited to the United States. Assange has been in hiding at Ecuador's embassy in London for more than two months, seeking to avoid being sent to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations -- and triggering a diplomatic stand-off that now looks to be easing. "I'm convinced we'll find a way out ... ...


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Yemen says Saudi Arabia to donate $1 billion to support currency
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:32 PM PDT
Reuters -

To go with Analysis YEMEN-CURRENCY/SANAA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will give $1 billion to Yemen at a donor conference in Riyadh next week, a Yemeni minister said on Wednesday, to support Yemen's currency as the country tries to recover after more than a year of turmoil. The money will be placed as a deposit in the Yemeni central bank, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Mohammed al-Saadi said in comments on state news agency Saba, adding an agreement will be signed at a donor meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. ...


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U.N. rights experts urge France to respect Roma rights
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:12 PM PDT
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French CRS police stand in an illegal camp housing about 114 Roma, referred to as "Gens du Voyage", as they start to evacuate families and remove their caravans in Saint-PriestGENEVA (Reuters) - France must ensure that its policy of dismantling Roma settlements and expelling some Roma migrants does not violate international standards, U.N. human rights investigators said on Wednesday. They said that better housing conditions were needed for the Roma and noted that collective expulsion was banned under international law. French Interior Minister Manual Valls has overseen several raids on Roma camps near Paris, Lyon and Lille, saying they must be dismantled on health and sanitation grounds. ...


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Kenya PM blames killing of Muslim cleric on nation's foes
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:08 PM PDT
Reuters -

Policemen secure the scene of an explosion at the "Lebanon" area of the Kenyan coastal city of MombasaMOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya's enemies were behind the killing of a Muslim cleric that triggered riots and violence intended to create divisions between the country's Christians and Muslims, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said on Wednesday. The killing of Aboud Rogo, accused by the United States of helping al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in Somalia, touched off two days of riots in which five people, including three police officers, were killed. Rogo, who was shot in his car by unknown attackers in Mombasa on Monday, was facing charges in a Kenyan court of possessing weapons. ...


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Syria opposition group not up to challenge, says ex-member
Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:08 PM PDT
Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Basma Kodmani, a prominent figure in the Syrian National Council who resigned on Tuesday, said the umbrella opposition group had become too focused on personal agendas and needed to be replaced by a new political authority. Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, Kodmani said the SNC was not doing enough to back the increasingly militarized 17-month revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "While the political role of the SNC is important, the credibility and legitimacy of a coalition of an opposition is related to its effectiveness," she said. ... Full Story
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U.N.'s Ban tells Iranian leaders to prove nuclear program peaceful
Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:42 AM PDT
Reuters -

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon poses for a photo with Iran's President Ahmadinejad upon his arrival for 16th summit of Non-Aligned Movement in TehranUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon met Iran's president and supreme leader in Tehran on Wednesday to urge them to take concrete steps to prove the country's nuclear program is peaceful and to use their influence to help end Syria's 17-month conflict. Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said that in Ban's separate meetings with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he further said their verbal attacks on Israel were offensive, inflammatory and unacceptable. ...


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Egypt broadens Sinai campaign against militants
Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:38 AM PDT
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A boy walks near army trucks carrying tanks and vehicles, expecting opposition against militants, arriving at Rafah cityCAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's military said on Wednesday it would broaden its offensive against militants in the Sinai Peninsula, a campaign that has raised concerns in Israel about the movement of heavy armor into the area near its border. After militants attacked and killed 16 border guards on August 5, Egypt launched an operation using the army and police to raid militant hideouts, arrest suspects and seize weapons, including rockets and other arms, that are rife in the area. Disorder has spread in Sinai since former President Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. ...


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Israel court tells settlers to evacuate outpost by Tuesday
Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:30 AM PDT
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Jewish settler boys play in the illegal outpost of Migron near RamallahJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's high court ruled on Wednesday that the largest unauthorized Jewish settler outpost on occupied West Bank territory must be evacuated by next Tuesday. The court rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation of Migron, a hilltop settlement of about 50 families, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately-owned Palestinian land. ...


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Islamic cleric warns of civil war in Russia's Dagestan
Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:04 AM PDT
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People gather before the funeral of Atsayev, a leading Sufi Muslim cleric, in the village of Chirkey in the Republic of DagestanMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's most senior Islamic cleric warned on Wednesday that civil war could break out in the southern region of Dagestan after a moderate Muslim cleric was killed in a suicide bombing that has heightened religious tensions. An ethnic Russian, who was both wife and widow of Islamist militants, was named as the bomber who on Tuesday killed Said Atsayev, 74, a prominent Sufi sheikh in the mainly Muslim region who had spoken out against violent Islam. ...


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Barclays says UK fraud unit starts investigation
Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:23 AM PDT
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A logo of Barclays bank is seen outside a branch in AltrinchamLONDON (Reuters) - Barclays confirmed that the UK's fraud investigation unit, the Serious Fraud Office, has started an investigation into certain payments between the British bank and Qatar. The disclosure by the bank follows a report earlier on Wednesday which said that the SFO would open a probe into a matter already being investigated by Britain's Financial Services Authority. Barclays disclosed the FSA investigation in July. It relates to fees paid to the Qatar Investment Authority on deals in June and November 2008, when Barclays raised 11.5 billion pounds ($18 billion). ...


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Explosion, gunfire in Kenyan city of Mombasa: witnesses
Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:19 AM PDT
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Policemen secure the scene of an explosion at the "Lebanon" area of the Kenyan coastal city of MombasaMOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A loud explosion followed by gunfire was heard in Kenya's port and tourist city of Mombasa on Wednesday evening, but it was not clear whether there were any casualties, witnesses said. Kenya's second-biggest city has been gripped by violence since Monday after unknown gunmen shot dead a radical Muslim cleric accused by the United States of helping Islamist militants in Somalia. (Reporting by Joseph Akwiri; Writing by James Macharia)


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French PM holds out olive branch to Berlin
Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:13 AM PDT
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France's Prime Minister Ayrault attends the French employers' body MEDEF union summer forum on the campus of the HEC School of Management in Jouy-en-Josas,JOUY-EN-JOSAS, France (Reuters) - The French government sent a firm message of reassurance to Germany on Wednesday with a pledge to cooperate closely on European integration, seeking to dampen talk that Paris is siding with southern European nations against austerity. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Paris was determined to press ahead with closer European integration to resolve the euro crisis -- a persistent German demand but a divisive issue for France's ruling Socialist Party, where many are reluctant to cede more authority to Brussels. ...


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Amsterdam airport reopens after bomb, hijack scares
Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT
Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Amsterdam Schiphol's airport, one of Europe's busiest transport hubs, reopened its runways and terminals on Wednesday afternoon after a World War Two bomb found on the site was removed and reports of a hijacking proved unfounded. Authorities had closed parts of the airport after the unexploded German bomb was discovered buried underground near Terminal C, which handles flights to most major European destinations. A handful of European flights were canceled, while several dozen were delayed on Wednesday morning. ... Full Story
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Millionaire's mails revive interest in Sweden PM murder cold case
Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:54 AM PDT
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A 1984 file picture shows Sweden's Prime Minister Olof PalmeSTOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The unsolved 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme is front page news again in Sweden after newspapers published excerpts of emails written by millionairess Eva Rausing before her death saying she knew who was behind his killing. Palme was gunned down as he walked along the pavement late on February 28 after a visit to the cinema in the center of Stockholm with his wife. A petty criminal was found guilty of the crime in 1989 but was released later that year on appeal. ...


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U.N. nuclear watchdog team to examine Iran program
Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:43 AM PDT
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International Atomic Energy Agency's chief inspector Herman Nackaerts briefs the media at the Iranian embassy in ViennaVIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog is establishing a specialized team to inspect and investigate Iran's nuclear program, which diplomats say is expanding despite tough Western sanctions and the threat of an Israeli attack. The U.N. agency announced the establishment of an Iran Task Force shortly before it is expected to issue a report showing that the Islamic state has installed more than 300 new uranium enrichment machines in a fortified underground facility. ...


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Thousands flee eastern Damascus after attacks: activists
Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:26 AM PDT
Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian air and ground bombardment killed at least 27 people in eastern neighborhoods of Damascus on Wednesday, prompting thousands of people to flee the area, opposition activists said. Many more were killed when troops briefly entered several districts after the shelling and air strikes, carrying out summary executions before withdrawing, the activists said. The civilian exodus was the largest from the area since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began, they said. ... Full Story
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Hijacked Greek-run tanker traced to Nigerian waters
Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:25 AM PDT
Reuters - LOME (Reuters) - A Greek-operated oil tanker seized off Togo was tracked down on Wednesday off the coast of Nigeria under the control of pirates, the ship's operator and Togolese authorities said. The seizure early on Tuesday of the ship, which is operated by Golden Energy Management, underscored the growing risks to shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, where piracy is rising but still not as common as off the coast of Somalia. ... Full Story
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