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| Cambodia's Hun Sen set for victory in tense election Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 09:04 PM PDT  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodians voted on Sunday in an election likely to hand another five years in power to Asia's longest-serving prime minister, Hun Sen, but an energized opposition says there have been irregularities and it will continue to fight for true democracy. The opposition believes nearly a million names are missing from voter lists and has complained about the disruption of meetings, alleged vote-buying and campaigning by the security forces for Hun Sen, who defected from the genocidal Khmer Rouge and was first appointed premier in 1985. ... Full Story | Top |
| Business booms for asylum middlemen in Afghan exodus Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:35 PM PDT  By Rob Taylor and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - In a brightly lit travel agency in a gloomy Kabul mall, business is booming for Naser Gulzad. But all he can think about is shutting up shop and following his customers out of Afghanistan. Like many Afghans watching the exit of NATO-led troops and fearing a comeback by the Taliban or the country's notorious warlords, Gulzad wants desperately to join an exodus gathering pace ahead of what is expected to be a tumultuous 2014. "People are really worried about their own future and the future of Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police clash with protesters in Tunisia's Sidi Bouzid Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:29 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country's revolution and hometown of slain secular opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, witnesses said. Tensions have run high in Tunisia since Brahmi's Thursday assassination, and large protests throughout the day were met with police teargas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali scrambles to be ready for Sunday's 'fresh start' vote Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:19 PM PDT  By David Lewis and Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian election officials scrambled to distribute voting material for an election on Sunday intended to provide a fresh start to a country divided by a coup and a war in its desert north. Candidates wound up campaigns promising reconstruction and reconciliation but, underscoring security fears despite a successful French offensive against al Qaeda-linked fighters, an Islamist group threatened to attack polling stations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian, jailed in Mauritania for terror link, reported back home Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:09 PM PDT OTTAWA/NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - A Canadian man jailed for "terrorist conspiracy" in the west African nation of Mauritania arrived back in Canada under police escort on Friday after his sentence was cut on appeal, Canadian television said. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp and CTV News both quoted a government official as saying Aaron Yoon had flown into Toronto. Canada's foreign ministry said earlier in the day that it was aware Yoon had been released by Mauritanian authorities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope urges Brazil's youth to seek change, fight apathy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:29 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle and Philip Pullella RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged Brazil's young people, who have protested against corruption in their country, to continue their efforts to change society by fighting apathy and offering "a Christian response." The 76-year-old pope spoke to a crowd estimated by the Vatican to be more than 2 million people gathered on Rio's famed Copacabana beach for an evening rally where he also urged young people to shun fleeting fads and be "athletes of Christ. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Shabaab claim attack on Turkish mission in Somalia, three dead Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:21 PM PDT  By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people, witnesses and officials said on Saturday, the latest in a series of blasts claimed by Islamist al Shabaab rebels. Al Shabaab was pushed out of bases in Mogadishu by Somali and African forces about two years ago, raising hopes of a return to relative security in a city hit by years of war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dozens shot dead, U.S. tells Egypt to pull 'back from the brink' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:00 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States urged Arab ally Egypt to pull "back from the brink" after security forces killed dozens of supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and opened a dangerous new phase in the army's confrontation with his Muslim Brotherhood. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters were hunkered down in a vigil at a Cairo mosque on Sunday, vowing to stand their ground despite a threat by the authorities to disperse them "soon". ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia leaders aim for new power-sharing deal 'in coming hours' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:58 PM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Coalition partners of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party said on Saturday they were in talks to reach a new power-sharing deal, in a bid to stave off unrest as protests intensified late into the night. The spokesman for the Constituent Assembly, Tunisia's transitional parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution, said he expected a deal in the coming hours. "The trend now is to move towards expanding the base of power," Mufdi al-Masady told a local radio station. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police fire teargas at violent protests in Sidi Bouzid Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:35 PM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country's revolution and hometown of slain opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, witnesses said. Angry demonstrators, who came out to protest Thursday's assassination of Brahmi, threw rocks at police, said local resident Mahdi al-Horshani. "Hundreds of protesters lit tires on fire to block roads and they threw rocks at the police," he told Reuters by telephone. "There is a lot of anger and frustration at the situation. ... Full Story | Top |
| With dozens dead, U.S. tells Egypt to pull 'back from the brink' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:34 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States urged Arab ally Egypt to pull "back from the brink" after security forces killed dozens of supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and opened a dangerous new phase in the army's confrontation with his Muslim Brotherhood. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters were hunkered down in a vigil at a Cairo mosque on Sunday, vowing to stand their ground despite the imminent threat of a move to disperse them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel to approve prisoner deal in push to revive Palestinian talks Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:01 PM PDT  By Allyn Fisher-Ilan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel was expected on Sunday to approve releasing more than 100 Arab prisoners as a step to renew stalled peace talks with the Palestinians ahead of plans to convene negotiators in Washington later this week. Ministers will vote on the move at the cabinet's weekly session, as well as proposed legislation to require a public referendum or vote on any peace agreement reached involving a withdrawal from land Israel captured in a 1967 war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Tunis Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:36 PM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired tear gas in front of parliament on Saturday to disperse secular protesters demanding the dissolution of the assembly and Islamists defending the legitimacy of their rule. Police began firing after the arrival of thousands of opposition protesters who had been attending the funeral of the assassinated secular politician Mohamed Brahmi, a Reuters reporter said. Protesters threw stones back at police and there were several injuries. Among those wounded was an opposition lawmaker from the same party as Brahmi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Up to 94 killed in tribal clashes in Darfur Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:23 PM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Up to 94 people have been killed in new clashes between two rival tribes in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, tribal leaders said on Saturday. Conflict has raged through the vast region since 2003 when African tribes took up arms against the Arab government in Khartoum, accusing it of neglect. Violence is down from a 2004-2005 peak, but fighting between rival tribes has increased sharply since January. Arab Misseriya tribesmen and members of the rival Salamat tribe in Um Dukhun in South Darfur clashed on Friday, said Ahmed al-Kheiri, a Misseriya leader. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's leaders must pull nation back from brink: U.S. Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:05 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Egypt's leaders must pull their country "back from the brink," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday, saying Egypt was at a pivotal moment after the killing of dozens of protesters. Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. defense chief, in call with Egypt's Sisi, urges restraint Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:17 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed deep concern over violence in Egypt and urged restraint in a call on Saturday with the Egyptian army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after scores of protesters were killed in the last day. "The United States believes that the current transition needs to be marked by inclusivity, that Egyptian authorities should avoid politicized arrests and detentions, and take steps to prevent further bloodshed and loss of life," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Seven shot dead in Florida hostage rampage Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:11 PM PDT By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - A tenant went on a shooting rampage at a Florida apartment building, killing six people before a SWAT team killed him and rescued two neighbors he was holding hostage on Saturday, police said. The hostages were unharmed, police in the Miami suburb of Hialeah said. "We don't have a clear motive," said Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby. "This was an irrational act and many times there is no rational explanation." Neighbors said the gunman may have been facing eviction, but police were still investigating. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope, in candid speech, speaks of 'exodus' from the Church Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:26 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a stunningly candid assessment of the state of the Catholic Church, said on Saturday it should look in the mirror and ask why so many people are leaving the faith of their fathers. On the penultimate day of his trip to Brazil, Francis delivered a long address to the country's bishops in which he suggested elements of what could become a blueprint for stopping what he called an "exodus. ... Full Story | Top |
| Quebec town mourns victims of fuel-tanker train disaster Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:16 PM PDT  By Christinne Muschi LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners filled the streets of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on Saturday, as the families of the 47 people killed in North America's worst railway disaster in two decades attended a memorial service at a local church. A trumpeter on the street played Ave Maria to the mourners as they gathered outside St Agnes church to watch the service on a massive screen. "It's still difficult," said Chantal Guay, a local resident who was among the crowd outside church. "We're all family in Lac-Megantic, everyone knows each other. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya PM to reshuffle cabinet, cut ministries after killings Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:08 PM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib and Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister said he would reshuffle the cabinet and reorganize the government to cope with the "urgent" situation in the country following killings in the eastern city of Benghazi that sparked violent demonstrations. Hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the assassination of a prominent political activist and critic of the Muslim Brotherhood, Abdelsalam al-Mosmary, who was shot dead on Friday after leaving a mosque in Benghazi. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan president names Benjamin as new foreign minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has named former Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin as the new foreign minister of the African oil producer, the first appointment in a new cabinet after firing the previous lineup. On Tuesday, Kiir sacked his entire cabinet, Vice President Riek Machar and put under investigation his top Sudan negotiator, Pagan Amum, amid a power struggle in the African nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spanish train crash driver leaves hospital, remains in custody Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Tracy Rucinski and Teresa Medrano SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (Reuters) - The driver of a Spanish train that derailed at high speed killing 78 people was released from hospital on Saturday, but he remained in police custody ahead of an appearance before a judge to answer questions about what went wrong. Francisco Garzon, 52, was treated for a head injury he sustained in Wednesday's crash. He declined to give a statement to police on Friday. "He ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says rebels killed 123 people in north, majority civilians Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:28 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media accused insurgents on Saturday of killing 123 people, the majority of them civilians, during a rebel offensive this week to take the northern town of Khan al-Assad. A two-year revolt-turned-civil war has left more than 100,000 people dead and both forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels are accused by rights groups of war crimes. State news agency SANA said that "armed terrorist groups" committed a "massacre ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Cairo attack 65: Egypt health ministry Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's health ministry said it had registered 65 killed on Saturday in what the Muslim Brotherhood has described as an attack by the security forces on supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in the capital Cairo. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood says 66 were killed and 61 were left "brain dead" in the attack. Hamdi Mahmoud, director of the health ministry press office, told Reuters that 65 had died, and a further nine were killed in overnight violence in Egypt's second city, Alexandria. (Reporting by Maggie Fickl; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Tom Perry) Full Story | Top |
| Serbian PM threatens to oust finance minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:25 AM PDT  By Maja Zuvela BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's prime minister piled pressure on Finance and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic on Saturday to cede one of his portfolios or face being ousted from the Balkan country's coalition government. "It's crucial to have a division of responsibilities by splitting the ministry of finance and economy if we are serious about pursuing our goal of economic and fiscal consolidation," Prime Minister Ivica Dacic told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwaitis head to the polls for sixth time since 2006 Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:56 AM PDT  By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaitis voted for the sixth time in seven years on Saturday in a parliamentary election boycotted by the main Islamist and populist opposition, which may help liberals and independents win seats. Turnout was expected to be low in summer temperatures hitting 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and as Kuwaitis become fed up with voting in short-lived parliaments. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bananas thrown at Italy's first black minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:52 AM PDT By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Some of Italy's top politicians on Saturday rallied behind the country's first black minister, a target of racist slurs since her appointment in April, after a spectator threw bananas at her while she was making a speech. Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge, who is originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, was appearing at a political rally in Cervia in central Italy on Friday, when someone in the audience threw bananas towards the stage, narrowly missing it. Kyenge has faced almost daily racial slurs and threats since joining the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb hits Turkish staff building in Somali capital, 3 dead: police Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:17 AM PDT By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into the gates of an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people, witnesses and police said on Saturday, the latest in a series of blasts over the past two months. "A suicide car bomb targeted a building housing Turkish embassy workers near k4 (Kilometer Four)," Ahmed Mohamud, police officer told Reuters from the scene of the blast. Mohamud later said the number of dead was three - Somali civilians and a suspected suicide bomber, while nine others had been wounded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libyans vent anger at Islamists after activist's shooting Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:28 AM PDT By Ghaith Shennib and Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Protesters attacked offices of Libya's Muslim Brotherhood and the headquarters of a liberal coalition on Saturday after demonstrations sparked by assassinations in the eastern city of Benghazi turned violent, witnesses said. Hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the killing of a prominent political activist and critic of the Brotherhood, Abdelsalam al-Mosmary, who was shot dead on Friday after leaving a mosque. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli cabinet to weigh prisoner release before Palestinian talks Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:13 AM PDT  By Allyn Fisher-Ilan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet will consider releasing more than 100 Arab prisoners held by Israel in order to boost prospects for talks expected with the Palestinians in Washington next week, Israeli officials said on Saturday. Israel's agreement to free the inmates, held since before a 1993 interim accord with the Palestinians, is seen as critical to U.S. hopes of convening Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to resume peace talks that have been stalled since 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in twin suicide bombing in Pakistan rises to 52 Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:58 AM PDT  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The death toll from a pair of coordinated suicide bombs targeting Shi'ites in a volatile Pakistani town near the Afghan border rose to 52 overnight, officials said on Saturday, in one of the worst sectarian attacks in the country in months. Tensions between Shi'ite Muslims and Pakistan's majority Sunnis have risen in past years, with radical Sunni Islamist groups frequently attacking Shi'ites whom they see as heretics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Forced to flee war, many Malian refugees to miss vote Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:55 AM PDT  By Misha Hussain and Abdoulaye Massalatchi DAKAR/MANGAIZE, Niger (Reuters) - When Talhatou Hallahi Maiga heard that Malian officials had dispatched new ID cards to the desert north in preparation for Sunday's presidential election, he slipped out of a refugee camp in neighboring Niger and went to collect his. "I'm a patriot. I want to vote and that is why I did not hesitate to travel," he said, referring to a 70 km (45-mile) trip by bush taxi from Mangaize in Niger to Menaka, his hometown in northeastern Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungarian PM urges ethnic kin, scattered by history, to unite Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:53 AM PDT  By Christian Lowe and Sandor Peto BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, called on ethnic Hungarians around the world on Saturday to unite to build a strong nation, tapping into nostalgia for a country dismembered when Europe's maps were re-drawn nearly a century ago. Many Hungarians today view the 1920 Treaty of Trianon as a national tragedy because it took away two-thirds of the country's territory and left millions of ethnic Hungarians living in what are now Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. and Syria say chemical arms talks were 'productive' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:51 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations and Syria said on Saturday that negotiations between Damascus and the U.N. chemical weapons investigator were "productive", but did not say if his team would be allowed to probe allegations that such weapons had been used in the country's civil war. Ake Sellstrom's full team has not been allowed into Syria due to diplomatic wrangling over access. His mission this week was to prepare the ground for an investigation. Sellstrom met Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, and a joint U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi likely to go to same prison as Mubarak: minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:47 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who has been accused of murder and other crimes, is likely to be transferred to the same Cairo prison where former leader Hosni Mubarak is now held, the interior minister said on Saturday. Mohamed Ibrahim also said pro-Mursi sit-ins would "God willing, soon ... be dealt with" based on a decision by the prosecutor, who has been examining legal complaints by citizens about the protests that have blocked major Cairo thoroughfares. ... Full Story | Top |
| New clashes between army and rebels in Sudan's main oil state Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:21 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - New clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels erupted on Saturday in the country's main oil-producing state of South Kordofan, bordering South Sudan, witnesses and rebels said. The violence is likely to worsen relations between the African neighbors, as Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting insurgents operating on Sudanese soil and using the South's territory as retreat bases. Juba denies this. Residents in Dalang, one of the largest towns in South Kordofan, said they could hear shooting and explosions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia demands Interpol explain refusal to track down financier Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:44 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Interpol must explain why it has rejected Moscow's two requests to put British hedge fund head and anti-corruption campaigner William Browder on its search list, the Russian Interior Ministry said on Saturday. The decision is the latest twist in a long-running battle between the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Browder, whose investment company Hermitage Capital was once the largest investor in Russia's equity market. Russia has sentenced U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| China state media says 18 more detained in GSK probe Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:21 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - At least 18 more people have been detained in China in connection with a corruption scandal involving British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, state media reported, giving more details on an investigation that has rocked the company. China's state radio reported late on Friday on its website that police in the central city of Zhengzhou had "recently held, in accordance with the law, 18 GlaxoSmithKline (China) employees and some medical personnel". It provided no details of the detentions nor say exactly when they happened. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bananas thrown at black Italian minister during speech Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:47 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's first black minister, a target of racist slurs since her appointment in April, has condemned a spectator who threw bananas towards her while she was making a speech at a party rally. Integration minister Cecile Kyenge, who was born in Democratic Republic of Congo, has angered far-right groups with her campaign to make it easier for immigrants to gain Italian citizenship. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU's Ashton deplores deaths in Egypt, urges halt to violence Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:30 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "deeply deplores" deaths during demonstrations in Egypt and urges all sides to halt violence, the EU said on Saturday. "(Ashton) is following with concern the latest developments in Egypt and deeply deplores the loss of life during yesterday's demonstrations ... She also calls on all actors to refrain from violence and to respect the principles of peaceful protest and non-violence," a spokeswoman for Ashton said. ... Full Story | Top |
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