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| Thailand agrees to talks with southern Muslim rebels Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:29 PM PST  KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 Reuters) - Thailand's government agreed on Thursday to start talks with a major Muslim rebel group, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a worsening conflict in the country's south that has claimed over 5,000 lives since 2004. The agreement, signed in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, by senior Thai security officials and members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group, opens the way for the first formal peace talks with rebels in the south. The document launches a "dialogue process" for peace in the southern border provinces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 6 earthquake strikes off Vanuatu: USGS Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:26 PM PST SYDNEY (Reuters) - An undersea earthquake measuring 6.0 magnitude, and only 10 km deep, struck off the coast of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake struck at 0309 GMT about 103 km (65 miles) west of Port Vila. There was no immediate tsunami warning or reports of damage. (Reporting by Michael Perry; Editing by Ed Davies) Full Story | Top |
| U.N.'s Ban tones down criticism of Rwanda over Congo claims Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:45 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a special report to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toned down criticism of Rwanda over accusations that it supports rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but still warned against external support for the revolt. A draft of Ban's report seen by Reuters on Monday had applauded states who suspended aid to Rwanda after U.N. experts, who monitor compliance with sanctions and an arms embargo on Congo, accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels in eastern Congo. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. plans medical, food aid for Syrian rebel fighters: sources Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:26 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - The United States plans to provide medical supplies and food to Syrian fighters, a policy shift to directly help those battling President Bashar al-Assad's forces on the ground, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States continues to oppose providing lethal assistance and said it also will not provide such items as bullet-proof vests, armored-personnel vehicles and military training for now. ... Full Story | Top |
| Battling a scandal, Britain's deputy PM under pressure in vote Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:06 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Fewer than 100,000 residents of an English town that hardly anyone outside Britain has heard of will vote on Thursday in an election that could help determine the political fate of the country's deputy prime minister and, ultimately, its government. The poll to choose a member of parliament for Eastleigh may prove make-or-break for Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal Democrats, the junior member of Britain's two-party coalition. "Most by-elections are events of only fleeting interest. Some are sufficiently dramatic to linger a while in the memory. Only a few truly matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande juggles trade, human rights in Moscow Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:04 PM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande wants to boost trade ties with Moscow and will have to balance that with French concerns over Russia's human rights record during a debut Moscow visit on Thursday that could prove a diplomatic obstacle course. An encounter in Paris last June between the newly elected Socialist Hollande and Russia's Vladimir Putin bristled with tension, unlike the cosy meetings between Putin and Hollande's conservative predecessors Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac. ... Full Story | Top |
| Low-key departure as pope steps down and hides away Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:18 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict slips quietly from the world stage on Thursday after a private last goodbye to his cardinals and a short flight to a country palace to enter the final phase of his life "hidden from the world". In keeping with his shy and modest ways, there will be no public ceremony to mark the first papal resignation in six centuries and no solemn declaration ending his nearly eight-year reign at the head of the world's largest church. ... Full Story | Top |
| Excerpts from Pope Benedict's final address Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:17 PM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the "rough seas" that marked his papacy "when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping". Here are excerpts from his last address as pope to more than 150,000 people in St Peter's Square translated by Reuters from Italian: "I feel I am carrying all of you with me in prayer ... gathering together every meeting, every trip, every pastoral visit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrians fleeing war likely to pass million soon: U.N. Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:16 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than 40,000 people a week are fleeing war-torn Syria and the total number of refugees will likely pass 1 million in less than a month, a senior U.N. official told the Security Council on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said the U.N. agency as of Tuesday had registered 936,000 Syrians across the Middle East and North Africa, nearly 30 times as many people as April last year. "We expected to have 1.1 million Syrian refugees by June. If things continue to accelerate like this, it will take less than a month to reach that number. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. plans medical, food aid for Syria fighters: sources Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is expected to provide medical supplies and food aid to Syrian fighters, a policy shift to directly help those opposing President Bashar al-Assad's forces on the ground, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States continues to oppose providing lethal assistance and said it also will not provide such items as bullet-proof vests, armored-personnel vehicles and military training for now. A U.S. State Department spokeswoman traveling with U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council asks for report on possible Mali peacekeepers Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:21 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will ask U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to report by the end of March on the possibility of creating a peacekeeping force for Mali, French U.N. envoy Gerard Araud said on Wednesday. France began a military offensive last month to drive out Islamist fighters, who had hijacked a revolt by Mali's Tuareg rebels and seized two-thirds of the West African country. Paris said Mali's vast desert North was in danger of becoming a springboard for extremist attacks on the region and the West. ... Full Story | Top |
| Slovenia mandates new PM to halt dramatic decline Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:24 PM PST  LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia dismissed its conservative-led government on Wednesday and offered a center-left finance expert the task of halting the Alpine country's fall from post-communist star to euro zone bailout candidate. The 90-seat parliament voted 55-33 to dismiss Prime Minister Janez Jansa's ruling coalition after just a year of trying to navigate through the ex-Yugoslav republic's worst economic and political crisis in 22 years of independence. ... Full Story | Top |
| China likely to appoint expert on North Korea, Japan as foreign minister Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:23 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - China is likely to appoint an expert on Japan and North Korea as its next foreign minister, three independent sources said, in a measure of Beijing's resolve to improve difficult relationships with two of its closest neighbors. Barring last-minute changes, Wang Yi, 59, China's ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007, was likely to be appointed foreign minister during the annual full session of parliament next month, the sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition to seek military support at Rome meeting Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:50 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition will demand "qualitative military support" at talks with major powers in Rome this week to help in its struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad, a leading Assad opponent said on Wednesday. The announcement during an interview with Reuters came after the United States said it would increase aid to the opposition in an effort to speed a political transition in Syria, now torn by civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexican union boss arrest sounds warning to reform foes Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:46 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The arrest of Mexico's best-known trade union leader on fraud charges has thrown down the gauntlet to powerful interests standing between President Enrique Pena Nieto and his plans to shake up Latin America's second-biggest economy. For a generation, even presidents shied away from taking on teachers' union boss Elba Esther Gordillo, making her Mexico's most prominent female politician and a formidable enemy to those who accused her of fostering corruption rather than education. ... Full Story | Top |
| Plan floated at U.N. to lift Somalia arms embargo for a year Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:38 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A proposal to lift a U.N. arms embargo on the Somalian government for a year but leave in place restrictions on weapons like surface-to-air missiles has been floated among a deeply split 15-member U.N. Security Council, diplomats said on Wednesday. The Somali government has requested that the 21-year-old arms embargo be lifted so it can strengthen its poorly equipped, ill-disciplined military - more a group of rival militias than a cohesive fighting force loyal to a single president - to battle al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist rebels. A draft resolution to renew a U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| India's reformist finance minister faces budget moment of truth Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:33 PM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will present one of the most highly anticipated Indian budgets of recent years on Thursday, a blueprint for austerity that forms the centerpiece of India's efforts to stave off a damaging credit ratings downgrade. The 2013/14 budget caps an intensive seven-month campaign by the energetic Chidambaram, who was appointed last August, to turn around the fortunes of Asia's third-largest economy after years of policy drift and global economic turmoil. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea security forces clash with protesters Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:27 PM PST  CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's security forces fired teargas at thousands of rock-throwing anti-government protesters in the seaside capital Conakry on Wednesday in clashes that wounded more than 50 people, witnesses and other sources said. The violence in the West African state is a result of soaring tensions ahead of a parliamentary election the opposition says is being rigged by the administration of President Alpha Conde. "We don't know how it started, but the security forces charged the crowd and fired teargas," said Ousmane Camara, a Conakry resident at the protest. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda's Kagame brushes off speculation over third term Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:17 PM PST  KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame responded to speculation he might run for office again by telling journalists on Wednesday "I don't need (a third term)", but did not clearly rule out the possibility of extending his time in office. A spate of articles in pro-government newspapers have raised the prospect of him staying on - a move that would anger his critics and require a change to the constitution. "I am not the person who needs a third term," Kagame told a news conference when asked about speculation prompted by the articles. "Just look at me, I don't need it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy president snubs German candidate over clown gaffe Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:08 PM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Italy's president cancelled a dinner with the German opposition's chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrueck in Berlin on Wednesday after he described the former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo as "clowns". Steinbrueck, a Social Democrat who will take on Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany's next national election in September, has a reputation for gaffes and his remark created the first diplomatic incident of his accident-prone campaign. He said on Tuesday he was "appalled that two clowns have won" Italy's February 24-25 election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's political crisis deepens, Grillo refuses to support government Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:05 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - An Italian political crisis that has rattled the euro zone deepened on Wednesday when two party leaders ruled out the most likely options to form a government and avoid a new election. Populist leader Beppe Grillo slammed the door on overtures from center-left boss Pier Luigi Bersani with a stream of insults while Nichi Vendola, Bersani's junior coalition partner, ruled out a government alliance with the center-right. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan cuts off hand, foot of man convicted of robbery: activists Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 12:30 PM PST  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese authorities cut off a hand and foot of a man convicted of armed robbery, rights groups said on Wednesday, the first such punishment under Islamic law in Sudan for almost 30 years. It followed a pledge by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to implement a "100 percent" Islamic constitution as a result of the secession in 2011 of the mainly non-Muslim south of Sudan. Sharia (Islamic law) was first introduced in the vast northeast African country in 1983 and Bashir began to expand its application after he took power in a 1989 Islamist coup. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two Palestinians end hunger strike that fuelled protests Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 12:27 PM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Two Palestinian prisoners whose hunger strike stoked clashes in the West Bank have ended their protest after Israel agreed to release them in May, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday. The men were among four prisoners held without formal charge in an Israeli jail who have refused to eat for between three and six months. Their worsening state, coupled with the death of another Palestinian in detention on Saturday, fuelled the violence in which at least six Palestinian protesters were shot and badly wounded, less than a month before U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| America must not "dictate" to world, new defense chief says Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 12:03 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Decorated Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel was sworn in as U.S. defense secretary on Wednesday after a bruising Senate confirmation battle, promising to renew old U.S. alliances and forge new ones without attempting to "dictate" to the world. Addressing Pentagon employees shortly after a small, closed-door swearing-in ceremony, Hagel spoke optimistically, if vaguely, about global challenges ahead and the importance of American leadership abroad. "We can't dictate to the world. But we must engage the world. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bulgaria parliament readies power price cuts to soothe anger Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 12:02 PM PST  SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian lawmakers moved to reverse power-price hikes on Wednesday after weeks of mass street protests over austerity measures that toppled the government. The decision could undermine the low debt and deficit strategy the government needs to maintain confidence in its currency peg to the euro, a strategy designed to boost the competitiveness of the European Union's poorest member. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran upbeat on nuclear talks, West still wary Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 11:39 AM PST  ALMATY (Reuters) - Iran was upbeat on Wednesday after talks with world powers about its nuclear work ended with an agreement to meet again, but Western officials said it had yet to take concrete steps to ease their fears about its atomic ambitions. Rapid progress was unlikely with Iran's presidential election, due in June, raising domestic political tensions, diplomats and analysts had said ahead of the February 26-27 meeting in the Kazakh city of Almaty, the first in eight months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia's Putin tells army to shape up for foreign threat Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 11:14 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin ordered military leaders on Wednesday to make urgent improvements to the armed forces during his new presidential term, saying Russia must thwart attempts by the West to tip the strategic balance of power. Putin's remarks, to rows of uniformed officers and defense officials, reflected increasing hawkishness since he returned to the Kremlin for a six-year term last May, and a growing readiness to cite foreign threats and use anti-Western rhetoric to rally support. ... Full Story | Top |
| Elegant Damascus, besieged by both sides Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 11:09 AM PST  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - In a city lived in for seven millennia, it may take more than two years of civil war to put a full stop to the genteel round of dinner parties and walks in the park for the affluent folk of downtown Damascus. But from out in the grim suburbs, rebels incensed at their prosperous neighbors' passivity lob in more bombs and President Bashar al-Assad's forces make their presence ever more heavily felt around his stronghold, disrupting comfortable old routines and setting fear gnawing at Damascenes' cocoon of civilization. ... Full Story | Top |
| Algerian in "Jihad Jane" case pleads guilty to Irish charge Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 10:42 AM PST  DUBLIN (Reuters) - An Algerian at the center of the so-called Jihad Jane conspiracy unexpectedly pleaded guilty during an Irish proceeding on Wednesday that may hasten his extradition to the United States on terrorism charges, a court official said. Ali Damache, who has lived in Ireland for a decade, pleaded guilty in court to a single count of sending a menacing message by telephone to an American Muslim activist, according to a court official in Waterford, Ireland. ... Full Story | Top |
| Intimidation, machetes point to Kenya election violence: groups Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 10:19 AM PST  MOMBASA/KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Voter intimidation, expulsion threats and a rise in purchases of machetes point to violence at Kenya's March 4 national election, a coalition of 30 Kenyan civic groups said on Wednesday. The government has promised harsh penalties for those caught inciting ethnic violence as it is anxious to avoid post-election bloodshed like that after the last vote in 2007 that led to indictments by the International Criminal Court. ... Full Story | Top |
| Manhunt under way for gunman who killed South Carolina college student Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 10:09 AM PST CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - A statewide manhunt was under way on Wednesday for a gunman who fatally shot a South Carolina university student outside a dormitory and then fled the campus in a car, police said. No motive has been revealed for the attack, which occurred Tuesday night at an apartment-style residence that houses almost 2,000 students about 2 miles from the main campus of Coastal Carolina University, near Myrtle Beach. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cameroon's ageing Biya sets long overdue Senate vote Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 10:07 AM PST  YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon's octogenarian President Paul Biya set a date on Wednesday for voting for a Senate called for in a 1996 law in a move that could clarify succession in the African oil producer. Cameroon passed the law some 17 years ago to create the Senate, but Biya's government delayed holding polls, citing a lack of money. The constitution says the head of the Senate would assume the interim in case of a mid-term presidential vacancy. The poll is set for April 14, according to a decree read over state radio. No explanation was given for the decision to hold it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya to ask U.N. to lift arms embargo: state media Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 09:51 AM PST TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will soon ask the U.N. Security Council to lift an embargo on arms imports to the North African state, the official news agency quoted Prime Minister Ali Zeidan as saying, despite the armed turmoil plaguing the country. The Security Council imposed the embargo at the start of the 2011 uprising to protect civilians during a conflict that later ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi. "I will discuss the question of lifting the embargo when I meet with the head of the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights envoy seeks inquiry into Palestinian inmate death Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 09:12 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights investigator called on Wednesday for an international inquiry into the weekend death of a Palestinian prisoner in disputed circumstances in an Israeli jail. The death of Arafat Jaradat has led to the widespread rioting in the occupied West Bank leading to fears of a new Palestinian uprising against Israel. "The death of a prisoner during interrogation is always a cause for concern, but in this case, when Israel has shown a pattern and practice of prisoner abuse, the need for outside, credible investigation is more urgent than ever," Richard Falk, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. will increase assistance to Syrian opposition: White House Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 09:08 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will increase aid to Syrians and the Syrian opposition in an effort to speed a political transition in Syria, a White House spokesman said on Wednesday. "We are constantly reviewing the nature of the assistance we provide to both the Syrian people, in form of humanitarian assistance, and to the Syrian opposition in the form of non-lethal assistance," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters at a briefing. Washington has sided with the Syrian opposition in seeking the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Mexican union boss arrest sounds warning to reform foes Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 09:00 AM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The arrest of Mexico's best-known trade union leader on fraud charges has thrown down the gauntlet to powerful interests standing between President Enrique Pena Nieto and his plans to shake up Latin America's second-biggest economy. For a generation, even presidents shied away from taking on teachers' union boss Elba Esther Gordillo, making her Mexico's most prominent female politician and a formidable enemy to those who accused her of fostering corruption rather than education. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka hits U.N. rights chief Pillay on abuse reports Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 08:26 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - Sri Lanka accused the U.N. human rights chief on Wednesday of being biased against it for criticizing alleged killings of former Tamil Tiger independence fighters and political dissenters and journalists. In a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council, a senior official from Colombo also asserted that Western countries strongly critical of the country's record had fallen prey to lies spread by former members of the Tamil Tiger movement. U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Gaddafi PM "risks dying" after torture: lawyer Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 08:21 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Al Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, a prime minister under deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is in critical condition after being tortured in a Libyan jail, his Tunisian lawyer said on Wednesday. An officer at the prison where Mahmoudi is held denied this. Mahmoudi was extradited from Tunisia in June, making him the first senior Gaddafi official to be returned for trial under Libya's new leadership. He went on trial in November charged with corruption and ordering mass rape during the 2011 conflict that toppled the Libyan leader and is being detained in a Tripoli prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU report: Settlements biggest threat to Palestinian statehood Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:43 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli settlement construction on occupied land poses the most serious threat to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, European Union consuls general based in the region said in a report released on Wednesday. The non-binding document by the EU diplomats in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territory captured in a 1967 war, urged European states to be diligent in ensuring settlements are excluded from trade benefits enjoyed by Israel. "Settlement construction remains the biggest single threat to the two-state solution. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran sanctions could distort region's economy for years: report Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:34 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Sanctions on Iran are so intricately woven that they will be very hard to untangle, while their impact in swelling Iran's black economy could undermine regional stability for years to come, the International Crisis Group says in a new report. Describing the "unintended consequences" of sanctions, the report noted that those with the best access to state resources, including the elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), had been best placed to circumvent the sanctions, while smuggling networks had become an integral part of the economy. "This does not necessarily harm the regime. ... Full Story | Top |
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