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| Myanmar foreign investment bill in parliament again Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:56 PM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's new foreign investment bill was with parliament on Thursday, after amendments to address concerns of foreign firms eager to enter the country, and it could be quickly approved and sent to the president to be signed into law, lawmakers said. The bill has passed back and forth between the legislative and executive branches since March in a tussle involving a government eager to attract foreign investment, tycoons determined to protect their monopolies, and small businesses keen not to be shut out. ... Full Story | Top |
| With eye on 2013 midterms, Argentina cuts voting age to 16 Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:50 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina lowered its voting age to 16 from 18 on Wednesday, a change that could help politically ailing President Cristina Fernandez court the youth vote ahead of 2013 mid-term elections. Dozens of opposition members of the lower house of Congress walked out of the rancorous late-night session just before the measure won final approval by a vote of 131 to 2. Fernandez, who polls well among younger voters, has not ruled out a bid by her supporters to change the constitution to allow her to run for a third term in 2015. ... Full Story | Top |
| Expect feisty defense from China's disgraced Bo Xilai Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:48 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Disgraced former top Chinese politician Bo Xilai can be expected to mount a feisty defense of himself when he finally comes to trial, but a guilty verdict is not in doubt, a lawyer who had a front seat at China's last major show trial said. Zhang Sizhi was defense lawyer for Mao Zedong's widow, Jiang Qing, leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos. ... Full Story | Top |
| China launches trade probes on EU solar products Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 07:50 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday that it will launch anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imported European Union solar-grade polysilicon, in the latest instance of tit-for-tat trade tensions in the global solar industry. China's Commerce Ministry said in two statements posted to its website that it would roll the investigations into ongoing probes of U.S. and South Korean made solar products. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flood ebbs, Northeast picks up after epic storm Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 07:42 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City and the sodden U.S. Northeast began an arduous journey back to normal on Wednesday after mammoth storm Sandy killed at least 64 people in a rampage that swamped coastal cities and cut power to millions. Financial markets reopened with the New York Stock Exchange running on generator power after the first weather-related two-day closure since an 1888 blizzard. Packed buses took commuters to work with New York's subway system idle after seawater flooded its tunnels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top former Dominican anti-drug official arrested on drug charges Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:46 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - - Authorities in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday arrested a former police colonel accused of being a "powerful drug trafficker" responsible for sending tons of cocaine to the United States. Francisco Hiraldo Guerrero, chief operating officer of the country's main counter-drug agency, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), between 2006-2008, would be extradited to the United States where he faces four counts of drug trafficking in the Southern District of New York, the government said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico poised to charge police officers in U.S. ambush Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:17 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico said on Wednesday it was close to charging police officers with deliberately targeting two U.S. agents in an August attack that caused serious embarrassment to the Mexican government. Security officials identified the men as CIA agents, and Mexican investigators have said the attack may have been carried out by corrupt police working with drug gangs. The incident, which police first blamed on a case of mistaken identity, was the worst attack against U.S. officials in Mexico since drug gang hit men killed a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka hampers legal redress for rights abuses: ICJ Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:02 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government has made it all but impossible for victims of human rights abuses to get justice, a Geneva-based human rights body that monitors legal matters said on Thursday. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), grouping 60 prominent judges and lawyers from around the world, said the judiciary in Sri Lanka was under increasing attack and its independence was threatened. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. resisting African calls to end Somalia arms embargo Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:53 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday gave the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia a seven-day extension while its 15 members weigh an African Union request to review a two-decade old arms embargo to help the government defeat Islamist rebels. U.N. diplomats said that the council remained divided on the union's request to begin allowing the sale of arms to the Somali government. It is also split on calls to permit the export of stocks of charcoal, the Islamist al Shabaab rebels' principal source of funds, from the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council relocates due to storm damage: envoys Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:53 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council was forced to relocate on Wednesday for a meeting on Somalia and other issues because of extensive water damage to parts of the United Nations complex from the storm Sandy, U.N. officials and diplomats said. It was not immediately clear how badly the U.N. buildings were damaged by the storm. The U.N. press office sent a statement to reporters announcing that the U.N. headquarters would reopen Thursday after a three-day closure and outlining which areas would be accessible. The statement also said senior U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwaitis protest after activist held for insulting emir Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:38 PM PDT KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaiti police used teargas and smoke bombs on Wednesday to disperse thousands of protesters marching on a prison where an opposition leader is being held on charges of insulting the emir, witnesses said. The unrest comes amid rising tension caused by changes to the election law which the opposition had condemned as an attempt to give pro-government candidates an advantage in parliamentary elections on December 1. The opposition are boycotting the poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination: U.N. Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:19 PM PDT  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar on Wednesday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas in western Myanmar in the past 10 days, according to the latest official toll. "This situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community," said a joint statement issued by Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Cameron rocked by defeat in Europe budget vote Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 01:36 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a humiliating defeat in parliament on Wednesday after Conservatives rebelled over Europe, an issue that has divided his party for decades and helped bring down previous leaders. Although the result carried no legal weight, the setback raised questions about Cameron's authority after months of missteps by his coalition government and it revived painful memories of Conservative infighting over Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen LNG gas pipeline blown up again Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 01:27 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - A gas pipeline feeding Yemen's only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal was blown up again on Tuesday night, the operating company said, and repair works began immediately after the attack. "Yemen LNG confirms the sabotage of the 38-inch gas pipeline that links the block 18 to the Balhaf terminal on the Gulf of Aden," the company, run by France's Total, said on Wednesday. "The explosion occurred at 2200 on October 30, 2012 at 295 km north of Balhaf Liquefaction Plant. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bahrain must lift ban on all protests: Amnesty Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 01:13 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain must lift its total ban on opposition protests, which violates the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday. Bahrain, a U.S. ally which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been in political turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority erupted last year and were put down by the island's Sunni Muslim rulers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton calls for overhaul of Syrian opposition Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:59 PM PDT  ZAGREB (Reuters) - The United States called on Wednesday for an overhaul of Syria's opposition leadership, saying it was time to move beyond the Syrian National Council and bring in those "in the front lines fighting and dying". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, signaling a more active stance by Washington in attempts to form a credible political opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said a meeting next week in Qatar would be an opportunity to broaden the coalition against him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya congress approves new government amid protests Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:55 PM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's national assembly approved new Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government on Wednesday after rejecting his predecessor's line-up, but members still queried the suitability of several nominations. In a reminder of the volatility still plaguing Libya a year after Muammar Gaddafi's ouster, the General National Congress cut its session short soon after the vote as security forces fended off protesters outside. The assembly had met on Tuesday to vote but its session was postponed after protesters, opposed to some of the ministerial nominations, stormed the building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy cuts number of provinces in cost-saving drive Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:48 PM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government approved a law on Wednesday that will almost halve the number of provinces as part of a drive to cut the heavy cost of regional administrations. The decree, which will cut the number of provinces to 51 from 86 at present, is part of a broader effort to attack the bloated cost of Italy's local and regional governments, a notorious source of waste and inefficiency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels arm Palestinians against Assad Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:46 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had begun arming sympathetic Palestinians to fight a pro-Assad faction in a Palestinian enclave in Damascus - a move which could fuel spiraling intra-Palestinian violence. Two rebel commanders told Reuters they expected their Palestinian allies to fight the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) which dominates the Yarmouk enclave - a one-time refugee camp turned sprawl of apartment blocks which is run by the Palestinians themselves. "We've been arming Palestinians who are willing to fight... ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli ex-leaders discussing campaign to defeat Netanyahu Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:41 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Former leaders Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni announced on Wednesday they were discussing a partnership that could shake up Israeli politics and lead to a joint campaign to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a January election. Olmert, a centrist, was forced to quit as prime minister in 2008 over corruption charges of which he was largely acquitted. Were he to make a comeback, he is seen as possibly the most likely candidate to beat Netanyahu, the right-wing Likud party leader, who polls now predict will win re-election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indonesia scored over human rights in state visit Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 12:39 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of protesters denounced alleged torture in Indonesia and accused Britain of putting commercial interests ahead of human rights on Wednesday on the first day of a state visit by the Indonesian president. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a lavish royal welcome for the first Indonesian state visit to Britain in more than 30 years, but activists criticized the British government for valuing commercial ties over the rights of Indonesian minorities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disney to buy "Star Wars" producer for $4.05 billion Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:55 AM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co agreed to buy filmmaker George Lucas's Lucasfilm Ltd and its "Star Wars" franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that includes the surprise promise of a new film in the series in 2015. The deal unites a boutique Northern California film studio that brought special effects into the digital era with a venerable Hollywood powerhouse that has shown a knack for getting the most out of big-name entertainment brands. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombian peace talks push President Santos' popularity higher Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:33 AM PDT  BOGOTA (Reuters) - President Juan Manuel Santos' popularity shot up 7 points to 58 percent thanks to Colombians supporting his peace talks with Marxist rebels to end five decades of war, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday. Yet while most are in favor of talks, more than half believe they will ultimately fail, according to the Gallup poll, painting a tricky picture for Santos as their success would almost assure him a second term if he decides to run in 2014. "There is a bipolarity, or schizophrenia if you will. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan police fire teargas to disperse farm region protest Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:27 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in a farming region south of the capital on Wednesday, witnesses said. The demonstrators, protesting about the effects of a large agricultural project, blocked roads and threw rocks at police near the town of Wad Medani. Sudan has avoided the mass "Arab spring" protests that brought down governments in Egypt and Tunisia, but there have been sporadic small demonstrations over issues such as rising prices in the past year. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan police fire on student protest: witnesses Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:20 AM PDT JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese police fired live ammunition at students protesting against a suspected land-grab of school property in Juba, wounding two people including a teacher, witnesses said on Wednesday. Police denied shooting at students or teachers but said they had fired in the air to control the protesters, who had burned building materials and thrown rocks at police. Human rights groups often criticize South Sudan's security forces, composed mostly of former guerrilla soldiers, over rights abuses and have urged the newly-independent government to better control its police and ... Full Story | Top |
| Reversal of fortunes sends Spaniards to Latin America Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 11:09 AM PDT  MEXICO CITY/MADRID (Reuters) - After joining the euro in 1999, Spain's economic boom made it the land of opportunity for millions of Latin American migrant workers. But since the decade-long boom turned to bust roughly four years ago, many of those immigrants have returned, joined by a growing number of disillusioned Spaniards who hope that Latin America, with its developing economies and low cost of living, has more to offer. Spaniards are traditionally reluctant to emigrate and they are among the least likely in Europe to go abroad for work. ... Full Story | Top |
| Vatican may eventually limit Sistine Chapel visits Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:51 AM PDT  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes turned 500 on Wednesday with the Vatican warning it may eventually limit visitors to protect one of the wonders of Western civilization. On October 31, 1512, only 20 years after the discovery of America, Pope Julius II said an evening vespers service to inaugurate the room where Michelangelo toiled for four years, much of it on his back, to finish his ceiling frescoes. The frescoes immediately became the talk of the town and have since become the talk of the world. ... Full Story | Top |
| French Communists defy Hollande on budget cuts Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:44 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The finance committee of France's Senate upper house rejected the law setting out government plans to hit a budget break-even by 2017 on Wednesday as its Communist members voted against it in protest at fiscal rigor across Europe. Even if the law is rejected by the full Senate, it can still be passed by France's lower house of parliament. But it showed the resistance among left-wing allies of Socialist President Francois Hollande to efforts to set public finances straight. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya congress approves new PM's proposed government Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:30 AM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's General National Congress approved new Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government line-up on Wednesday but cut its session short as security forces fended off protesters outside. Zeidan presented a coalition cabinet on Tuesday, drawn from liberal and Islamist parties, to the national congress, which had rejected his predecessor's cabinet line-up. The assembly had met on Tuesday to vote but its session was postponed after protesters, angry with some of the nominations, stormed its headquarters. ... Full Story | Top |
| French police face retrial over deaths that sparked 2005 riots Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:25 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - France's highest court has ordered a retrial of police officers who were cleared of blame in the deaths of two teenagers seven years ago that triggered nationwide rioting. In a ruling that averts possible tension in the grim suburbs ringing many French cities, the court ordered a retrial to fully assess accusations that police failed to rescue two teenagers who fled inside an electrical substation and were electrocuted. The deaths in the night of October 27, 2005, sparked clashes between angry youths and riot police in the downtrodden suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois north of ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan dreams big with new airports despite crashes Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:17 AM PDT  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - After a Sudanese plane crashed at Khartoum's international airport last year, authorities didn't slow plans to build new airports and add more routes. They used the incident to shoot a video showing how safe flying in Sudan is, thanks to its skillful pilots. "Tower, the wheels are jammed. What shall I do?" the pilot says in the film, replaying for the cameras how he circled for an hour above Khartoum to empty his fuel talks while workers flooded the runway with foam. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lonmin job cuts could bring more unrest in South African mines Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:13 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Lonmin management and workers appeared on Wednesday to be shaping up for a new battle after the strike-hit mining company said jobs would be cut. The world's third largest platinum producer, Lonmin is scrambling to get back on its feet after a violent six-week strike at its Marikana mine that crippled production and led it to ask shareholders for $800 million in a rights issue on Tuesday. It also gave unions notice of a restructuring, with proposed job losses in its 25,000-strong work force expected to be implemented in early 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tanzania sacks head of state-run power firm over graft Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:06 AM PDT DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania's state-run power company said on Wednesday it had sacked its managing director over allegations of embezzlement of public funds and abuse of office. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) board said an audit report confirmed Managing Director William Mhando flouted company regulations and was guilty of conflict of interest in awarding a tender to his own private company. "The Auditor and Controller General has found clear evidence of abuse of company procedures and abuse of office against the managing director," the company said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libyan security shoot in air to disperse congress protesters Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:49 AM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan security forces shot in the air to disperse a crowd of protesters outside the headquarters of the national assembly on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said. The General National Congress was meeting inside, voting to approve Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government line-up. Tuesday's vote was postponed after protesters, angry with some of the nominations, stormed the congress meeting hall. On Wednesday, about 100 protesters gathered again outside the building, which was guarded under tight security. (Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt detains 12 militants, including Tunisian, Libyan Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:47 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has detained 12 Islamist militants including a Tunisian and a Libyan suspected of having links to al Qaeda and planning attacks inside the country and abroad, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. Egypt, now run by an elected, moderate Islamist president, has been battling to quell Muslim militants particularly in its Sinai region that borders Israel and the Islamist-ruled Palestinian enclave of Gaza. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey's Gul and Erdogan bicker over "double-headed" government Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:44 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's President dismissed suggestions by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that he had exceeded his authority over the handling of a banned protest march, highlighting increasingly open differences between the two. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for a decade and overseen unprecedented economic growth, is widely expected to stand for a newly-created powerful executive presidency at elections in 2014. Recent polls, however, present Abdullah Gul as the more popular figure, though he has not expressed any intention to run for the new post. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt to auction land for tourist developments: minister Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:34 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will auction sites covering 28 million square meters of land for tourist developments in the next 14 months to expand the vital industry, its tourism minister said. Hisham Zaazou is tasked with reviving a sector that accounted for 10 percent of economic activity before the revolt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak last year drove away investors and tourists. Tourists are returning to Egypt but do not yet match the levels of 2010, before the uprising, when 14.5 million people visited, earning the country $12.5 billion. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey seeks prosecution of Kurdish MPs over roadside meeting Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:30 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish prosecutor has called for 10 Kurdish deputies to be investigated on charges of aiding a terrorist group after they were filmed embracing militants at an impromptu roadside meeting, state-run Anatolian news agency said on Wednesday. The incident happened in August when Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants set up a roadblock and stopped a Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) convoy in southeast Turkey. Newspaper photos at the time showed the MPs embracing five militants, who had rifles slung over their shoulders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Second man dies after clashes between Tunisian Salafis, police Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:10 AM PDT  TUNIS (Reuters) - A second man died on Wednesday of wounds suffered when Tunisian police opened fire on hardline Salafi Muslim protesters in the capital Tunis, the state news agency said. A struggle over the role of religion in government and society has emerged as the most divisive issue in Tunisia, for decades seen as among the most secular in the Arab world, since a popular uprising ended autocratic rule last year. "A second man, named Khaled Karoui, died today of his wounds after yesterday's clash ... in the Dawar Hicher (district of Tunis)," TAP news agency said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. asks Sudan rebels to stop recruiting refugee child soldiers Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 09:09 AM PDT  JUBA (Reuters) - The United States is urging Sudanese rebels to stop recruiting soldiers from among children and other civilians in refugee camps across the border in South Sudan, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. Fighting in Sudan's southern border states has raged for more than a year, complicating peace talks with newly-independent South Sudan and prompting aid agencies to warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in the region. ... Full Story | Top |
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