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| South Korea pledges "strong response" to North Korean "provocation" Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 07:54 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Monday there would be strong and swift military response to any North Korean provocation without regard to political consequences, after Pyongyang said at the weekend it was entering a state of war with its rival. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," Park told the minister of defense and its senior officials at a meeting on Monday. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance) Full Story | Top |
| Killing of Texas district attorney, wife, seen as targeted Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 05:48 PM PDT  By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - The killing of a Texas district attorney and his wife, in the same county where an assistant prosecutor was shot dead outside a courthouse in January, does not appear to be random, a local official said on Sunday. Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found with fatal gunshot wounds at their home near the town of Forney, Texas, on Saturday, two months after Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was gunned down. "In my view it appears that it was not random. It was a targeted attack," Forney Mayor Darren Rozell told ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran sanctions spur boom for Pakistani diesel smugglers Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 05:38 PM PDT  By Hamdan Albaloshi JOGAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Some of the contraband is spirited across the mountains in Pepsi bottles carried by child smugglers. Yet more is loaded into pick-up trucks or siphoned into barrels and strapped onto mules. So lucrative are the returns that even seasoned opium traffickers are abandoning their traditional cargo to grab a share of Pakistan's closest thing to an oil boom: a roaring trade in illicit Iranian diesel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexican consumer protection agency files suit against Telmex Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 04:36 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government's consumer protection agency said on Sunday it had opened a class action lawsuit against Carlos Slim's fixed line phone company Telmex for making illegal charges. Rafael Ochoa, a legal expert at the federal prosecutor's office for the consumer (Profeco), said Telmex had made unwarranted charges for a privacy service and that Profeco had filed the suit with a federal civil court in Mexico City. Profeco took the step after noticing that Telmex was charging users some 10.40 pesos ($0. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform: lawmakers Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:34 PM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With U.S. business and labor now in agreement, a bipartisan group of senators has resolved all major issues in a pending deal to overhaul the U.S. immigration system and aims to unveil it after Congress reconvenes in the second week of April, key lawmakers said on Sunday. The lawmakers said that while there was no final deal yet, they hope and even expect there to be one soon after the measure is put into legislative language so all eight senators in the group can review it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. F-22 stealth jets join South Korea drills amid saber-rattling Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:01 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sent F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea on Sunday to join military drills aimed at underscoring the U.S. commitment to defend Seoul in the face of an intensifying campaign of threats from North Korea. The advanced, radar-evading F-22 Raptors were deployed to Osan Air Base, the main U.S. Air Force base in South Korea, from Japan to support ongoing bilateral exercises, the U.S. military command in South Korea said in a statement that urged North Korea to restrain itself. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting erupts after car bombing in Mali Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:48 PM PDT By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian soldiers backed by French fighter jets battled Islamist rebels in Timbuktu on Sunday after insurgents used a car bomb as cover to infiltrate the northern desert town, sources said. The French-led offensive in Mali has pushed a mix of Islamists out of their northern strongholds and remote mountain bases but the militants have hit back with several suicide attacks and guerilla-style raids. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chile says copper shipments uninterrupted by strike Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:36 PM PDT By Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Codelco, the world's No. 1 copper producer, is losing a "substantial" amount of output due to a two-day-old strike at its Radomiro Tomic open pit mine in northern Chile, the company said on Sunday, adding that orders were still going out to customers. Miners tossed down their tools on Saturday to demand that pit bosses they blame for the recent death of a miner be fired. By Sunday the pit bosses had not been let go and negotiations with the striking workers had not begun. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says rebels set fire to three eastern oil wells Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:33 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have set three oil wells in the east of the country ablaze, causing a daily loss of nearly 5,000 barrels of oil and 52,000 cubic meters of gas, state media quoted an oil ministry official as saying on Sunday. SANA news agency said the damage to the oil wells in Deir al-Zor province, much of which is in rebel hands, followed disputes among the fighters over "sharing out the stolen oil" from fields in areas they control. It said Syria's Furat Petroleum Corporation was working to extinguish the three fires. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi sends Islamic bond law to clerics: TV Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:16 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi referred a law allowing the state to issue Islamic bonds to a panel of top Muslim scholars on Sunday, state television said, a step that could complicate the government's plans to pass the legislation. The parliament led by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party approved the law earlier this month and referred it to Mursi, triggering a protest last week by Al-Azhar, the country's leading Islamic authority. Al-Azhar said its top scholars should have been consulted, as stated in the new, Islamist-tinged constitution passed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic leader takes defense ministry in caretaker government Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 12:51 PM PDT  By Ange Aboa BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic's new leader Michel Djotodia announced a caretaker government on Sunday in which he is defense minister, according to a statement issued by his spokesman. The new government, which is due to hold elections in the mineral-rich former French colony within three years, will retain civilian opposition representative Nicolas Tiangaye as prime minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa says Mandela's condition has improved Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 12:07 PM PDT  By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The condition of South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela has improved further, the government said on Sunday, as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero spent a fourth day in hospital receiving treatment for pneumonia. "Nelson Mandela had a restful day," South Africa's presidency said in a statement, adding doctors treating him had reported "a further improvement in his condition". "Government is satisfied that the doctors are providing the former president with the best medical care possible to enable his recovery and comfort," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, family attend Easter services near the White House Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his family walked to church on Sunday for Easter services across from the White House. Wishing "Happy Easter" to onlookers, Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha, strolled through a park to St. John's Church, where they have attended services before. Their presence at the nearby Episcopal church had not been announced in advance, and the minister, Rev. Dr. Luis Leon, admonished some gawking and picture-taking churchgoers during the service to return to their seats. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian satirist questioned for insulting Mursi, freed on bail Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 10:28 AM PDT  By Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors questioned Egypt's most popular television satirist on Sunday over allegations that he insulted President Mohamed Mursi, a case regarded by his critics as new proof of a crackdown on dissent. Bassem Youssef turned himself in after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for him on Saturday. He was released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200). Youssef rose to fame with a satirical online show after the uprising that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. His program, which has been compared to the Daily Show of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope appeals for end to Korea tensions in first Easter message Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 09:31 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, appearing before more than 250,000 people for his first Easter Sunday address, called for world peace, respect for the environment and a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Korean peninsula. In his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message, he also appealed for a resumption of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, an end to the civil war in Syria and political solutions to conflicts in several African countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt reopens Alexandria airport after runway protest Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 09:13 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Alexandria's airport reopened late on Sunday afternoon, state media said, after Egyptian police officers ended their runway sit-in over higher pay which closed the country's second biggest airport for over six hours. The officers, responsible for passport control and security at El-Borj airport on the Mediterranean coast, called off their protest after a meeting a senior aviation official to discuss some of their demands, state news agency MENA said. "The civil aviation authority regrets this irresponsible behavior," MENA said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy president under fire for ignoring women in "wise men" group Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 08:22 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano faced criticism on Sunday for failing to name any women to the 10-strong "wise men" panel of experts he appointed to help find a way out of the political deadlock created by last month's election. The group of advisers, including a former head of the constitutional court, the chief of statistics agency ISTAT, a board member of the Bank of Italy and senior politicians from the center-right and center-left blocs in parliament, are due to meet for the first time on Tuesday. "It's sad, very sad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian president at center of storm as deadlock continues Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 08:20 AM PDT  By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italy's 87-year-old President Giorgio Napolitano will face the greatest test of his career during his final weeks in office as he tries to end the standoff preventing a new government being formed more than a month after elections. Following widespread reports he may resign to open the way for a new vote, Napolitano pledged to remain in office at the Quirinale palace until his term ends on May 15, averting the immediate threat of further turmoil. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt satirist questioned for insulting Mursi, released on bail Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 07:03 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors questioned Egypt's most prominent television satirist on Sunday over allegations he insulted the president and Islam, a case that has increased opposition fears of a crackdown on dissent. Bassem Youssef turned himself in after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for him on Saturday. He was released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds, an official in the prosecutor's office said. Youssef rose to fame after the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, with a satirical online show. ... Full Story | Top |
| IMF team to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday for loan talks Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:51 AM PDT  By Ulf Laessing CAIRO (Reuters) - An IMF delegation will arrive in Egypt on Wednesday for talks with the government on a $4.8 billion loan, a government spokesman said on Sunday, as Cairo seeks to conclude a deal vital to easing a deep economic crisis. Spokesman Alaa El Hadidi added that Egypt would not seek any emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund and faced no "crisis" in funding the import of essential commodities. The most populous Arab country has been seeking a loan from the Fund to ease economic strains after two years of political upheaval. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK poll points to mistrust of clergy, lack of moral leadership Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:50 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Only around a half of Britons trust the clergy to tell the truth and a similar proportion think the Church of England does a bad job of providing moral leadership, a poll showed on Sunday. The survey by pollster YouGov commissioned by Britain's Sunday Times newspaper further showed that 69 percent of respondents thought the Church of England, mother church of the world's 80-million-strong Anglican communion, was out of touch. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya mostly calm after vote ruling; minor clashes in west Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:43 AM PDT  By Edmund Blair and Hezron Ochiel NAIROBI/KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan police clashed on Sunday with a few dozen protesters angry at a court's confirmation of Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect, but the unrest was minor compared with the nationwide bloodshed after the last disputed election. There was little sign of violence beyond Kisumu, a city in the west of Kenya where there is strong backing for Prime Minister Raila Odinga, loser in the presidential election. Kisumu and other regions were devastated by deadly riots after the vote in 2007. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghanistan's Karzai in Qatar, Taliban talks in focus Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:41 AM PDT  DOHA (Reuters) - President Hamid Karzai held talks with Qatari leaders on Sunday, official media reported, on a visit the Kabul government has said would seek to explore the possibility of talks with Taliban insurgents on ending Afghanistan's war. Karzai's trip to the Gulf Arab state, a U.S. ally which has mediated in conflicts in Arab or Muslim countries, follows years of stalled discussions among the United States, Pakistan and the Taliban about a possible Afghan settlement. ... Full Story | Top |
| German opposition parties warn each other: don't team up with Merkel Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:08 AM PDT  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's two main opposition parties traded warnings on Sunday against joining forces with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives after September's election if they fail to win their own left-of-center majority. The leaders of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens party issued unusually shrill messages to each others' supporters about the risk their votes might end up going to a party that could join forces in a coalition with Merkel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army says kills 14 Islamist insurgents in raid Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:05 AM PDT KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian soldiers killed 14 suspected Islamist insurgents on Sunday during a dawn raid on a house in the main northern city of Kano, the military said. Islamist sect Boko Haram wants to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria. It and other Islamist groups have become the main threat to stability on Africa's top oil-producing state and increasingly menace neighbors like Cameroon. Boko Haram has killed hundreds in gun and bomb attacks, including 25 in Kano earlier in March, since it intensified an insurgency two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO eyes missile shield progress with Russia after U.S. move Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 04:40 AM PDT  By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - NATO hopes a U.S. change to global missile defenses will dispel Russian concern and foster cooperation on an issue that has long strained relations, alliance Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said in an interview. Russia has said U.S. missile shield plans could erode its nuclear deterrent. It has softened criticism since Washington announced on March 16 that it would station 14 missile interceptors in Alaska in response to North Korean nuclear threats and at the same time forgo a new type of interceptor that would have been deployed in Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB's Draghi phoned Napolitano over resignation reports: press Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:49 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Mario Draghi phoned Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after media reports that the 87-year-old head of state was planning to resign early to clear the way for new elections, newspapers reported on Sunday. Napolitano pledged on Saturday that he would stay in office until the end of his term on May 15 following reports that he planned to step down to break the deadlock created by last month's election, which left no party able to form a government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt says will not discuss emergency loan with IMF Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:37 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will not discuss the possibility of an emergency loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and faces "no crisis" in importing essential imports, government spokesman Alaa El Hadidi said on Sunday. He also said reports of possible financial support from Arab countries such as Libya and Iraq were "speculation", adding that Egypt wanted to boost investment from those countries. (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| First commercial flight between Egypt and Iran for 34 years Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:34 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The first commercial flight between Egypt and Iran in 34 years took off on Saturday, the latest step towards normalising ties broken following the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution. Egypt and Iran agreed to resume direct flights in October 2010 before President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power, but no flights were made. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two killed in attack on Libyan military camp Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:52 AM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Two Libyan military officers were killed and three soldiers injured when unknown assailants forced their way into a military camp in the desert south, an army spokesman said on Saturday. The early morning attack happened at the Tamahind base, which was previously a storage place for army equipment under ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi and is near the desert town of Sabha, some 800 km (500 miles) south of the capital Tripoli. Sabha residents contacted by phone said the attackers came in eight cars before fleeing. "They came in by cars, shooting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghans warned: the taxman is coming after you Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:33 AM PDT  By Katharine Houreld KABUL (Reuters) - One of Afghanistan's most surprising success stories lies tucked away on a potholed street notorious for suicide bombings and lined with rusting construction equipment. The work of the country's top tax collector is more inspiring than the view from his office in Kabul. Taxes and customs raised $1.64 billion last financial year, a 14-fold increase on 10 years ago. That means, now, the government can pay just over half of its recurrent costs such as salaries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chopper crash kills 5 S.African soldiers on rhino patrol Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:33 AM PDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Five South African soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday while they were on patrol for rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park, the defence department said on Sunday. A spokesman said the five were taking part in "Operation Rhino", in which the army is trying to stop the slaughter of the animals for their horns, worth more than their weight in gold. The cause of the crash is under investigation. On Wednesday, three suspected poachers were killed in a shoot-out with rangers in the vast Kruger, where the killing of the animals has become rampant. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chopper crash kills five South African soldiers on rhino patrol Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:26 AM PDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Five South African soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday while they were on patrol for rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park, the defense department said on Sunday. A spokesman said the five were taking part in "Operation Rhino", in which the army is trying to stop the slaughter of the animals for their horns, worth more than their weight in gold. The cause of the crash is under investigation. On Wednesday, three suspected poachers were killed in a shoot-out with rangers in the vast Kruger, where the killing of the animals has become rampant. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudanese rebel group releases 31 kidnapped Darfuris Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:21 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels have released 31 Darfuris who they had kidnapped a week ago on their way to a conference for people displaced by the region's decade-long war, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday. Conflict has raged in Darfur since 2003 when mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Arab-led government, accusing it of politically and economically marginalising the region. ... Full Story | Top |
| Angola police detain 18 at rights rally: activists Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:19 AM PDT (Reuters) - Angolan police arrested 18 activists staging a rare anti-government rally in the capital Luanda on Saturday, demonstration organisers said. The protest was the first against President Jose Eduardo dos Santos - in power for 33 years - since an election last August where his MPLA party 72 percent of the vote to secure a new five-year term. "The protest, which fulfilled all legal requirements, was the target of the usual repression by the regime, using the Angolan police," the youth protest movement Central Angola 7311 said on its Twitter feed. ... Full Story | Top |
| C.African Republic leader, facing isolation, says no reprisals Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:18 AM PDT  By Ange Aboa BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic's new leader Michel Djotodia, facing international isolation after seizing power, said on Saturday he would not take reprisals against rivals and called on those who fled abroad to return. The United States said on Saturday it did not recognise Djotodia, who toppled President Francois Bozize on March 24 after leading thousands of his Seleka rebels into the mineral-rich nation's capital Bangui, triggering days of looting. ... Full Story | Top |
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