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| UK PM's party humbled in vote as anti-EU party surges Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 07:53 PM PST  EASTLEIGH, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron's ruling Conservative party was humiliated in an election in England on Friday after it was defeated by a scandal-ridden coalition partner and pushed into third place by an anti-EU party. Cameron and his party had hoped to come second or even win the parliamentary election in Eastleigh, but were pushed into third place by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), a party that advocates taking Britain out of the European Union and strongly opposes immigration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel, Turkey row over Zionism deepens rift between ex-allies Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 07:29 PM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's prime minister accused his Turkish counterpart on Thursday of making a "dark and false" statement by calling Zionism a crime against humanity - a comment likely to hit efforts to repair ties between the two former allies. The Turkish premier's statement, made at a U.N. meeting in Vienna a day earlier, was also condemned by the head of Europe's main rabbinical group who called it a "hateful attack" on Jews. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cardinals begin long process of picking new pope Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 05:00 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - With Pope Benedict XVI now officially in retirement, Catholic cardinals from around the world begin on Friday the complex, cryptic and uncertain process of picking the next leader of the world's largest church. Some details are still unclear, owing to Benedict's break with the tradition that papacies end with a pope's death, so these "princes of the Church" will first hold an informal session before traditional rounds of talks begin on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Donors step up ties with Somalia; praise rebuilding efforts Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 04:45 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major Western donors have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to reengage with Somalia, opening the way for increased development assistance to a country trying to shake off years of conflict. A senior British official said in Washington that London will host a conference with the new Somali government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on May 7. The meeting will focus on rebuilding the security forces, police, and justice system and discuss resuming relations with the World Bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan sends more troops to volatile border state Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 04:13 PM PST  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan is sending reinforcements to Blue Nile state to fight rebels near the border to South Sudan, state-linked media said on Thursday. Last week, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) said it had launched an offensive to take Kurmuk near the border to South Sudan and Ethiopia. Sudan's army has been fighting rebels of the SPLM-North in Blue Nile and nearby South Kordofan state since around the time of South Sudan's secession in July 2011 under a 2005 deal which ended decades of civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungary PM seen picking his "right hand" to head central bank Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 04:04 PM PST  BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban is expected to nominate the man he calls his "right hand" to head Hungary's central bank on Friday, a move that could prompt cheap money being pumped into the economy ahead of elections in 2014. Orban, who has often been at loggerheads with the European Union, banks and the International Monetary Fund, is widely seen as appointing Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy, one of his closest allies, to replace hawkish Governor Andras Simor, whose six-year mandate is expiring. ... Full Story | Top |
| Haiti's Duvalier finally in court to face abuse of power charges Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 03:05 PM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier faced corruption and human rights charges in a court on Thursday for the first time since a popular revolt forced him into exile in 1986, and denied responsibility for abuses under his 15-year rule. Individual government officials "had their own authority," the 61-year-old Duvalier said when asked about his role as head of state from 1971 to 1986. "Under my authority, children could go to school, there was no insecurity. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Milestone" reached in Iran nuclear talks: minister Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 03:05 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's negotiations with world powers over Tehran's disputed nuclear program reached "a turning point" this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday, suggesting a breakthrough was within reach. "I call it a milestone. It is a turning point in the negotiations," Salehi told Austrian broadcaster ORF in an interview during a visit to the Austrian capital for a United Nations conference. "We are heading for goals that will be satisfactory for both sides. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran nuclear talks show progress, Western diplomat says Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 03:05 PM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers this week were more constructive and positive than in the past, but Iran's willingness to negotiate seriously will not become clear until an April meeting, a senior Western diplomat said on Thursday. The diplomat was more upbeat about the talks in Kazakhstan than other Western officials have been, suggesting there could be a chance of diplomatic progress in the long standoff over Iran's nuclear activities. ... Full Story | Top |
| African leaders call for U.N. mandate for Mali mission Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 02:11 PM PST  YAMOUSSOUKRO (Reuters) - West African leaders on Thursday called for a regional military operation against al Qaeda-linked rebels in north Mali to be transformed into a U.N. peacekeeping mission as quickly as possible to secure desperately needed funding. France sent troops into its former colony last month to drive out Islamist fighters, claiming their seizure of Mali's north last year posed a threat to international security. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda commander Abou Zeid killed in Mali: Algeria's Ennahar TV Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 02:11 PM PST ALGIERS/DAKAR (Reuters) - French forces have killed Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of the most feared commanders of al Qaeda's north Africa wing, during an operation against Islamist fighters in mountainous northern Mali, Algeria's Ennahar television said on Thursday. Abou Zeid was among 40 militants killed three days ago in the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border, said Ennahar, which is well connected with Algeria's security services. French and Chadian troops have been hunting fighters there after a lightning campaign to dislodge them from northern Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Van Rompuy tells Britain: leaving EU "not free" Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 01:57 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - One of Europe's most powerful officials cautioned Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday that leaving the European Union could cost Britain dear and that the bloc's other leaders do not want to renegotiate Europe's founding treaties. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Britain had a chance to play a leading role in building the European economy now the euro zone had the "artillery" of economic tools to get itself out of the worst crisis in its history. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran steps up arrests, torture, executions: U.N. Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 01:41 PM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran has stepped up executions of prisoners including juveniles as well as arrests of dissidents who are often tortured in jail, sometimes to death, the United Nations reported on Thursday. In twin reports issued in Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. special investigator on human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, voiced concern at what they called an apparent rise in the frequency and gravity of abuses in Iran. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: China plans bond overhaul to fund $6 trillion urbanization - sources Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 01:19 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - China plans major bond market reform to raise the money the ruling Communist Party needs for a 40 trillion yuan ($6.4 trillion) urbanization program to buoy economic growth and close a chasm between the country's urban rich and rural poor. The Party aims to bring 400 million people to cities over the next decade as the new leadership of president-in-waiting Xi Jinping and premier-designate Li Keqiang seek to turn China into a wealthy world power with economic growth generated by an affluent consumer class. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK deputy PM pressured in vote, anti-EU party surges Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 01:15 PM PST  EASTLEIGH, England (Reuters) - Residents of an English town that hardly anyone outside Britain has heard of cast their votes 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 |
| Iranian exiles ask U.N., U.S. protection in Iraq after rocket hit Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 12:02 PM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - An Iranian exile leader called on Thursday for swift U.N. and U.S. action to prevent further attacks on Iranian dissidents in a transit camp in Iraq following a rocket strike in which at least five people were killed and many wounded. The dissident group Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) calls for the overthrow of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim clerical leadership. The MEK fought alongside the forces of Iraq's late Sunni Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cyprus president says committed to stability, swift bailout Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:44 AM PST  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's new President Nicos Anastasiades vowed on Thursday to work for a swift conclusion of a bailout for the cash-starved island, ruling out debt or deposit "haircuts" for the Mediterranean nation threatened with a financial meltdown. Economic turmoil engulfing Cyprus, one of the euro zone's smallest economies, could test the European Union's mettle in a crisis threatening to spill beyond the tiny island's shores and unravel nascent recovery in the bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
| West to send Syrian rebels aid, not arms Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:43 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Western powers pledged aid for Syrian rebels on Thursday but stopped short of offering them weapons, disappointing opponents of President Bashar al-Assad clamoring for more arms. More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in a fierce conflict that began with peaceful anti-Assad protests nearly two years ago. Washington has given $385 million in humanitarian aid for Syria but U.S. President Barack Obama has so far refused to give arms, arguing it is difficult to prevent them from falling into the hands of militants who could use them on Western targets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Berlusconi investigated in new corruption case Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:24 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is under investigation on suspicion of bribing a senator to change sides in parliament, deepening the legal troubles of one of the key players in the country's post-election deadlock. Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said the accusation "was without foundation". The allegations were detailed in a document from prosecutors posted on Thursday on the website of Italy's parliament, which must approve the court's request to search a Berlusconi security deposit box and access his phone records. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian president says forming new government cannot be rushed Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:24 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said on Thursday that the formation of a new government could not be rushed because of what he said were unfounded fears that Italy was a threat to the stability of Europe. Napolitano told reporters during a visit to Berlin that the Italian constitution requires 20 days between elections - which were held on Sunday and Monday - and the new parliament sitting for the first time. "I don't see right now how it could be accelerated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Benedict's reign ends with a promise to obey next pope Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:21 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict ended his difficult reign on Thursday pledging unconditional obedience to whoever succeeds him to guide the Roman Catholic Church at one of the most crisis-ridden periods in its 2,000-year history. The papacy became vacant at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT/2PM ET), marking the first time in six centuries a pope has resigned instead of ruling for life. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya PM denies Gaddafi premier in "critical condition" Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:02 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister dismissed on Thursday reports that Muammar Gaddafi's former premier was in a critical condition after being tortured in prison while a United Nations team visited him in jail and said he appeared in "decent" shape. Al Baghdadi al-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 Gaddafi and is being held in a Tripoli prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portugal needs to push permanent spending cuts: PM Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:47 AM PST  LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's prime minister signaled on Thursday he intends to move ahead with a deep reform of the state, which is set to include big spending cuts, saying the reforms are necessary to be able to lower taxes in the future. "Reform of the state has already started but it now needs a new push," Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho told a conference, referring to state reforms that the government has said will include 4 billion euros ($5 billion)in spending cuts. "The state reform has to include the objective of permanent spending cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria prolongs passports, meeting opposition talk demand Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:29 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria extended passport terms on Thursday for its nationals abroad, meeting a prerequisite set by the opposition for peace talks with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus has shown increased willingness to hold talks with the opposition to end the 23-month-old conflict which has left 70,000 dead. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday that the government would even speak to armed rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill at least 22 in Iraqi capital Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:18 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 22 people were killed in a series of blasts in Shi'ite neighborhoods of Baghdad on Thursday, police sources said, as Iraq's precarious sectarian balance comes under growing strain. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Muslim insurgents have been redoubling their efforts to undermine the Shi'ite-led government and spark deeper intercommunal fighting since the start of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Yugoslav army leader acquitted of war crimes Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:59 AM PST  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The former head of the Yugoslav army was acquitted on Thursday of charges of aiding and abetting atrocities committed in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s, in a ruling that was condemned by victims but welcomed by Serb officials. United Nations war crimes judges said Momcilo Perisic had provided legitimate military support to the ethnic Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) forces in Bosnia, but ruled he had not ordered them to commit war crimes. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU agrees to allow some non-lethal aid for Syrian opposition Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:58 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said it amended sanctions on Syria on Thursday to permit the supply of armored vehicles, non-lethal military equipment and technical aid to the Syrian opposition, provided they were intended to protect civilians. The measure, adopted by EU governments, extends EU sanctions on Syria until June 1 and responds to pressure from Britain and others to ease the EU arms embargo to help opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Man dragged by South Africa police dies in custody Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:44 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police were caught on video dragging a man hundreds of meters from the back of a pick-up truck, hours before he died in custody, drawing a storm of protest against a force accused of routine brutality. The 27-year-old Mozambican taxi driver, Mido Macia, was found dead in detention with signs of head injuries and internal bleeding, according to an initial post mortem report released by the country's police watchdog. The incident, videotaped on Tuesday and broadcast nationwide on Thursday, was condemned by President Jacob Zuma and opposition politicians. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dismissed head of Libya sovereign wealth fund stays put Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:22 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will replace the head of its sovereign wealth fund, Mohsen Derregia, after the government deemed his performance unsatisfactory, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said, but so far he has refused to step down despite being told to do so days ago. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Zeidan said deputy central bank governor Ali Mohammed Salem Hebri would temporarily take charge of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) until a permanent replacement was found. "The head of the LIA will be changed. This is the government's policy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope Benedict quits Vatican with promise to obey successor Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:20 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict left the Vatican on Thursday after pledging unconditional obedience to whoever succeeds him to guide the Roman Catholic Church at one of the most crisis-ridden periods in its 2,000-year history. The first pope in six centuries to step down, Benedict flew off in a white Italian air force helicopter for the papal summer villa south of the capital where he took up temporary residence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria's Assad deluded by his inner circle, U.N. envoy Brahimi says Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:10 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been convinced by his inner circle that his country is the victim of a broad conspiracy led by terrorists, U.N./Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday. Brahimi said hope for a solution to the crisis, which began as a peaceful pro-democracy uprising but has turned into a conflict on largely sectarian lines, lay in the hands of Russia and the United States. More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in almost two years of fighting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Town accustomed to pontiffs welcomes ex-pope Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - The Italian hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, summer host to popes for centuries, took on a new mission on Thursday as it became the temporary home of the first "pope emeritus". Pope Benedict will spend the first few months of his retirement in the papal summer residence, a complex of villas boasting lush gardens, a farm and stunning views over Lake Albano in the volcanic crater below the town. Locals set up banners and balloons in the square outside the Papal Palace on Thursday to welcome the pontiff, whose papacy was due to end at 8 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope lands in temporary residence after leaving Vatican Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's helicopter landed in Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome, on Thursday where at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) he will resign and leave the papacy vacant. (Reporting by Philip Pullella) Full Story | Top |
| Latin's top devotee quits, the pope who tweeted as Pontifex Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - With Pope Benedict's abdication on Thursday, the most prominent living speaker of Latin will retire into the shadows, after doing much during his eight-year pontificate to give the language of ancient Rome a new lease of life. Benedictus, his name in Latin, set up the "Pontifical Academy of Latinity" to promote its use inside the Roman Catholic Church and beyond and chose to deliver his abdication speech in Latin, in what was considered a model of clarity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope leaves Vatican before abdication Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict left the Vatican on Thursday and headed to the papal summer residence where he will become the first pontiff in six centuries to resign instead of ruling for life. A white Italian air force helicopter lifted off from the Vatican's heliport to fly the 85-year-old pope to Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome, where at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) he will resign and leave the papacy vacant. Before heading south, the helicopter circled Vatican City and flew over the Colosseum and other Rome landmarks to give the pontiff one last view of the city where he is also bishop. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope Benedict bids final public farewell Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said a final public farewell on Thursday before his pontificate ends, telling a crowd in front of his temporary residence outside Rome that he was preparing to enter the last phase of his life. "As you know today is different to previous ones. I will only be the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church until 8 p.m. (1900 GMT/ 2 p.m. ET)," he said. "After that I will simply be a pilgrim who is starting the last phase of his pilgrimage on this earth." (Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by Barry Moody) Full Story | Top |
| Argentina's Congress approves pact with Iran to probe bombing Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:04 AM PST  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Congress approved early on Thursday an agreement with Iran aimed at resolving the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that Argentine courts have long accused Tehran of sponsoring. Jewish leaders say the pact to set up a "truth commission" risks undermining the ongoing judicial investigation into the attack, which killed 85 people, but President Cristina Fernandez says it could shed new light on the case after years of deadlock. ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll from Swiss shooting rises to four Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:51 AM PST  ZURICH (Reuters) - A fourth person has died in hospital from injuries sustained in a shooting at a Swiss wood processing plant near the city of Lucerne, police said on Thursday. A 42-year-old factory worker opened fire on co-workers with a Sphinx AT 380 pistol on Wednesday, killing two colleagues and wounding seven others. The gunman was also found dead at the scene but police have given no details on how he died. Police said they were still investigating how the weapon came into the man's possession and the motive for the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bangladesh Islamist's death sentence sparks deadly riots Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:34 AM PST  DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi Islamist party leader was sentenced to death on Thursday over abuses carried out during the country's independence war, triggering riots that killed at least 30 people. Delwar Hossain Sayedee, 73, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was found guilty by Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal of mass killing, rape, arson, looting and forcing minority Hindus to convert to Islam during the 1971 war of separation from Pakistan, lawyers and tribunal officials said. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Zuma takes anti-rape campaign to the classroom Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 08:06 AM PST  CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - President Jacob Zuma launched an anti-rape campaign targeting South Africa's 10 million schoolchildren on Thursday, an attempt to tackle some of the world's highest levels of sexual violence in a country where many are inured to reports of such crimes. Girls and boys suffer sexual abuse, bullying and rape in the classroom and playground on a regular basis, according to domestic media reports, and researchers say many youngsters do not know what is right and wrong. "What we are launching today is not a women's campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
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