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| Palestinians win de facto U.N. recognition of sovereign state Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 07:58 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world body to issue its long overdue "birth certificate." The U.N. victory for the Palestinians was a diplomatic setback for the United States and Israel, which were joined by only a handful of countries in voting against the move to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations to "non-member state" from "entity," like the Vatican. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. gives Iran until March to cooperate with IAEA Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 06:23 PM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States set a March deadline on Thursday for Iran to start cooperating in substance with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation, warning Tehran the issue may otherwise be referred to the U.N. Security Council. The comments by U.S. diplomat Robert Wood to the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency signaled Washington's growing frustration at a lack of progress in the IAEA's inquiry into possible military dimensions to Tehran's nuclear program. Iran - which was first reported to the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asian buyers of Iran oil to secure U.S. sanctions waiver extension Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 06:23 PM PST SEOUL/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Asia's top buyers of Iranian crude are likely to secure U.S. approval to continue imports from the Islamic Republic without incurring sanctions, after cutting volumes sharply in the second half of the year, according to government and trade sources. Government officials in India and South Korea said they expect waivers from U.S. sanctions on Iran, secured in the middle of the year, to be rolled over for another six months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate set to consider broader economic sanctions on Iran Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 06:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is set to consider a broader set of economic sanctions on Iran's energy, port, shipping and shipbuilding sectors, as lawmakers look for new ways to pressure Tehran to stop efforts to enrich uranium to levels that could be used in weapons. It is the third time in a year that U.S. lawmakers have looked for new ways to cut off revenues they believe fund Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran has said is strictly for civilian purposes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: The next stop for Palestinians could be global courts Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 05:44 PM PST  (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly's overwhelming vote to recognize Palestine as a non-member state offers little prospect for greater clout in world politics but it could make a difference in the international courts. The formal recognition of statehood, even without full U.N. membership, could be enough for the Palestinians to achieve membership at the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), where member states have the power to refer for investigation alleged war crimes or crimes against humanity. With its upgraded status at the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia says no to U.N. ruling until rights are defended Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 05:10 PM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will not apply a U.N. court ruling that shifts some of its resource-rich waters to Nicaragua until the Andean nation is sure that "the rights of Colombians are well defended," President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday. The Hague-based International Court of Justice last week shocked Colombia by reducing a large expanse of its maritime territory, drawing the border in favor of Nicaragua while giving a cluster of disputed islands to Bogota in a binding ruling. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese police plan to board vessels in disputed seas Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:59 PM PST BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters) - Police in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan will board and search ships which illegally enter what China considers its territory in the disputed South China Sea, state media said on Thursday, a move likely to add to tensions. The South China Sea is Asia's biggest potential military trouble spot with several Asian countries claiming sovereignty over waters believed to be rich in oil and gas. The shortest route between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, it has some of the world's busiest shipping lanes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia, FARC wrap up first round of peace talks Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:58 PM PST  HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's Marxist-led FARC rebels said their peace talks with the government were going well, but the lead negotiator for President Juan Manuel Santos was more reserved as the two sides finished the first round of meetings aimed at ending their protracted conflict. In separate sessions with the press, neither side spoke of breakthroughs in the talks, but nor was there any sign they had hit irresolvable obstacles as happened in previous peace attempts. They will reconvene in Havana on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Strauss-Kahn in preliminary deal with maid in civil case: source Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:49 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her last year have reached a preliminary agreement to settle the civil lawsuit she brought against him, a person familiar with the case said. The person, however, cautioned that the agreement could still fall apart. The development was first reported by the New York Times, which cited people with knowledge of the case. Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, will appear before a judge in New York next week, the Times reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda battle in Afghanistan to stretch for years: U.S. Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:33 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda fighters are still trying to make inroads into Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday, cautioning that battling the group would be a core U.S. mission there for years to come. Panetta made the comments as the United States weighs how large a military force to keep in Afghanistan when the NATO combat mission ends in 2014, ending a war that, at that point, will have stretched for over 13 years. There are approximately 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but the residual force may number less than 10,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| Opposition cries foul as Egypt constitution finalized Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:23 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - An Islamist-led assembly was expected to finalize a new constitution on Friday aimed at transforming Egypt and paving the way for an end to a crisis which erupted when President Mohamed Mursi gave himself sweeping new powers last week. Mursi said his decree halting court challenges to his decisions, which provoked protests and violence from Egyptians fearing a new dictator was emerging less than two years after they ousted Hosni Mubarak, was "for an exceptional stage". "It will end as soon as the people vote on a constitution," he told state television on Thursday night. ... Full Story | Top |
| Vatican hails U.N. Palestine vote, wants guarantees for Jerusalem Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:18 PM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican hailed the United Nations' implicit recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and called for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem, something bound to irritate Israel. The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations from "entity" to "non-member state," the same status as the Vatican. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hamas says Gaza conflict, U.N. recognition go together Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:12 PM PST DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state won by his rival Mahmoud Abbas should be seen alongside Gaza's latest conflict with Israel as a single, bold strategy that could empower all Palestinians. Meshaal said the short war which claimed 162 Palestinian lives and five Israelis was concluded on terms set by the Palestinian Islamist movement and ended its isolation, creating a new mood that could lead to reconciliation with Abbas's Fatah. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey should boost Kurdish rights as violence grows: report Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 04:01 PM PST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey should offer Kurds equal rights in language use, local governance, identity and political representation as the mainly Kurdish southeast seeks to avoid a worsening of the militant conflict in the region, a think tank said on Friday. It said violence between the state and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants has reached levels not seen since the 1990s, leading to the deaths of at least 870 people since June 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Strauss-Kahn to settle civil suit with hotel maid: NY Times Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:50 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will settle the civil lawsuit brought by the hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her last year, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and Nafissatou Diallo will appear before a judge in New York next week, the Times reported, though the newspaper said one person familiar with the details emphasized that a final agreement has not yet been signed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia says won't apply U.N. court ruling until rights defended Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:46 PM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will not apply a U.N. court ruling shifting some of its resource-rich waters to Nicaragua until the Andean nation is sure that "the rights of Colombians are well defended," President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday. The Hague-based International Court of Justice reduced a large expanse of sea belonging to Colombia last week, drawing the border in favor of Nicaragua while giving a small cluster of disputed islands to Bogota in a binding ruling. Both countries have warships in the area. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians take to streets to cheer UN statehood vote Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:46 PM PST RAMALLAH/GAZA (Reuters) - Thousands of flag-waving Palestinians set off fireworks and danced in the streets on Thursday to celebrate a United Nations General Assembly vote granting de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state. In Bethlehem, the bells of the Church of the Nativity peeled in honor of the vote, and thousands of people crowded around to watch a live broadcast of President Mahmoud Abbas's speech in New York projected on the concrete of Israel's separation wall. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait opposition demand vote boycott on eve of election Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:43 PM PST KUWAIT (Reuters) - Activists and opposition figures will march in Kuwait on Friday to urge voters to boycott the next day's parliamentary election, dashing any hopes the poll could ease years of political tensions in the U.S. ally and major oil producer. Opposition politicians, who have already said they will not stand, and campaigners called the rally to protest against a change in voting rules which they argue would skew the poll in favor of pro-government candidates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting cuts access to Damascus airport, flights suspended Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:24 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad just outside Damascus on Thursday, cutting access to its international airport, and Dubai-based Emirates airline and EgyptAir stopped flights to the Syrian capital. The Internet and some telephone lines went down across Syria. Rebels and the government traded blame for the blackout, the worst communications outage in 20 months of conflict. Rebels fighting to topple Assad have been making gains around Syria by overrunning military bases and have been ramping up attacks on Damascus, his seat of power. ... Full Story | Top |
| Farm murders highlight apartheid's toxic legacy in South Africa Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:22 PM PST ERMELO, South Africa (Reuters) - In a country cursed by one of the world's highest murder rates, being a white farmer makes a violent death an even higher risk. Whether attacks have been motivated by race or robbery, a rising death rate from rural homicides is drawing attention to the lack of change on South Africa's farms nearly two decades after the end of apartheid - and to the tensions burgeoning over enduring racial inequality. Some of South Africa's predominantly white commercial farmers go as far as to brand the farm killings a genocide. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel says U.N. vote won't hasten Palestinian state Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:18 PM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A U.N. General Assembly vote on Thursday recognizing a Palestinian state will do nothing to make it a reality, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Israel had fiercely opposed the Palestinian bid to become a "non-member state" at the United Nations, but had been unable to prevent wide international support for the initiative, notably among its European allies. "This is a meaningless resolution that won't change anything on the ground. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians win implicit U.N. recognition of sovereign state Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 03:03 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world body to issue its long overdue "birth certificate." There were 138 votes in favor, nine against and 41 abstentions. Three countries did not take part in the vote to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations to "non-member state" from "entity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez doing well in Cuba: vice president Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:38 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is doing well as he receives medical treatment in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday, despite a two-week absence from public view that has raised fresh doubts about his health. Chavez, 58, said in a letter to parliament on Tuesday he was returning to Havana for "hyperbaric oxygenation," which is used to treat bone decay caused by radiation therapy. The president has undergone three cancer operations in Cuba since mid-2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| What's all the fuss about a Palestinian U.N. upgrade? Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:29 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority is expected to win an upgrade of its observer status at the United Nations on Thursday from "entity" to "non-member state," which would amount to implicit U.N. recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been leading the campaign to win support for a U.N. General Assembly resolution raising its status. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton laments "counterproductive" U.N. vote on Palestinians Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:27 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday criticized the U.N. General Assembly's vote to implicitly recognize a Palestinian state, calling it an "unfortunate and counterproductive" move that places more obstacles in the path to peace. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt protests won't affect IMF deal, minister says Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:23 PM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - Unrest in Egypt will not jeopardize a $4.8 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund, its foreign minister said on Thursday after a week of protests triggered by President Mohamed Mursi's decision to extend his powers. Egypt reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF last week for the loan seen as vital to shoring up the nation's finances. The IMF board is due to finalize the deal on December 19. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges Palestinians, Israel to resume peace talks Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:19 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States called on the Palestinians and Israelis on Thursday to resume peace talks after the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution that implicitly recognized a Palestinian state. "The United States calls upon both the parties to resume direct talks, without preconditions, on all the issues that divide them and we pledge that the United States will be there to support the parties vigorously in such efforts," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Opposition cries foul as Egypt constitution vote proceeds Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:18 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Mohamed Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood has begun pushing through a new constitution that will transform Egypt, hoping it will end a crisis which erupted when the Islamist president gave himself sweeping new powers last week. Mursi said his decree halting court challenges to his decisions, which provoked protests and violence from Egyptians fearing the emergence of a new dictator less than two years after they ousted Hosni Mubarak, was "for an exceptional stage". "It will end as soon as the people vote on a constitution," he told state television on Thursday night. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel: U.S. co-production of rocket shield not option "right now" Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel has agreed to give the United States the know-how needed to produce interceptors used by its vaunted Iron Dome rocket shield, but it is not interested in any proposed co-production yet, an Israeli official told Reuters on Thursday. Using radar-guided interceptor missiles, the Iron Dome system shot down 421 of some 1,500 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip between November 14 and an Egyptian-brokered truce on November 21, according to the Israeli military. ... Full Story | Top |
| Facbox: Proposed new Iran sanctions from U.S. Senate Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 02:00 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is set to consider a broader range of economic sanctions on Iran. The measures are aimed at pressuring Tehran to stop efforts to enrich uranium to levels that could be used in weapons. The proposal could be voted on by the Senate as early as Thursday. It would be included in the annual defense policy bill, which must be approved by the Senate and House of Representatives before it could become law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka parliament speaker rebuffs Supreme Court summons Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:56 PM PST COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's parliament speaker on Thursday rejected a supreme court summons to a parliamentary panel looking into a move to impeach the chief justice, deepening a crisis that has raised concern about the independence of the country's judiciary. The stand-off in the south Asian state has raised the risk of a destabilizing clash between the judiciary and President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton urges due process in trials of Georgia ex-officials Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:50 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned Georgia on Thursday not to follow the path of Ukraine into an era of political witch-hunts as the country's new government prosecutes a raft of former officials following last month's parliamentary election. "We do hope that everything that is done with respect to prosecuting any potential wrongdoers is done transparently in accord with due process and the rule of law," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in remarks with visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze. ... Full Story | Top |
| Inventories boost economic growth but trend weak Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy grew faster than initially thought in the third quarter as restocking by businesses provided a big boost, but consumer and business spending were revised lower in a sobering reminder of the recovery's underlying weakness. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.7 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, with export growth also helping to offset the weakest consumer spending and first drop in business investment in more than a year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sharp young mayor, veteran party chief vie in Italy left vote Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:42 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's center left picks its leader for next year's election on Sunday in a primary where supporters will choose between a sharp young modernizer and a veteran political operator as candidates to take over from Prime Minister Mario Monti. The run-off contest pits Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi, 37, who presents himself as a dynamic candidate for change, against Pier Luigi Bersani, 61, the dour, experienced leader of the Democratic Party (PD) which dominates on the Italian left. Bersani is strong favorite, having won 44. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel's Netanyahu slams Abbas speech as "hostile and poisonous" Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:42 PM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's strong critique of Israel in his speech at the United Nations on Thursday as "hostile and poisonous", and full of "false propaganda". "These are not the words of a man who wants peace," Netanyahu also said in a statement released by his office after Abbas spoke at the General Assembly ahead of an expected vote to implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood despite the absence of a peace deal with Israel. (Created by Allyn Fisher-Ilan) Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition government nears, Brotherhood flexes muscle Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:36 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition made progress on Thursday toward forming a transitional government at the first meeting of their new coalition in Cairo and the Muslim Brotherhood emerged as an overwhelmingly powerful kingmaker, delegates said. In a sign of its strength within the leadership of the opposition, the Brotherhood and its allies pushed for the adoption of an internal constitution that allows choosing the prime minister and the cabinet with a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds majority. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea-Bissau turmoil sparks cocaine and cashew crisis: U.N. Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:22 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Cocaine trafficking through drug hub Guinea Bissau is spreading unabated amid turmoil sparked by an April military coup that has slashed the West African country's key cashew crop and almost halved its economic growth, the United Nations said. The coup has set back Western efforts to combat drug cartels using Guinea Bissau, which has become a major transshipment point for Latin American cocaine headed to Europe. The United States and others have said army officials are implicated in the trade. This week, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abbas urges U.N. to issue "birth certificate" for Palestine Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 01:02 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood by supporting a resolution to upgrade the U.N. observer status of the Palestinian Authority from "entity" to "non-member state." "The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine," Abbas told the 193-nation assembly, according to the written text of his speech. (Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Unruly British press may bow to regulation plans Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 12:54 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Lord Justice Brian Leveson produced plans for the toughest regulation of the British press in 300 years on Thursday after decades of misbehavior, final warnings and universal acceptance that the current system had failed. Although rows lie ahead over whether a law will be required to underpin Leveson's vision for a tough new regulator, the 63-year-old has shrewdly found a way forward which indicates that much of which he suggests is likely to be accepted by even his harshest critics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Security forces arrest Afghan accused of funding the Taliban Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 12:42 PM PST ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Coalition and Afghan forces have arrested a currency dealer suspected of handling millions of dollars of Taliban cash as part of a widening campaign to block insurgent finances ahead of a security handover in 2014, officials said on Thursday. The U.S. Treasury has accused Haji Mohammed Qasim of using his network of money transfer shops to help Taliban commanders send funds to fighters in southern Helmand Province, scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the 11-year war. ... Full Story | Top |
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