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| Ferry sinks in Philippines killing 24, with 217 missing Friday, Aug 16, 2013 07:16 PM PDT  By Enrique de Castro CEBU, Philippines (Reuters) - A Philippine ferry sank after colliding with a container ship owned by a company involved in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster, killing at least 24 people and leaving more than 200 missing, the coast guard said on Saturday. Divers were searching for bodies in the ferry, which sank on Friday minutes after the collision just outside the port of Cebu in the central Philippines that left two holes in the bow of the cargo vessel. Some 629 people had been rescued, many by fishing boats, with 217 missing, the coast guard said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Muslim Brotherhood calls for rallies across Egypt after day of bloodshed Friday, Aug 16, 2013 05:27 PM PDT  By Crispian Balmer and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood defiantly called for a week of protests across Egypt starting on Saturday, a day after more than 100 people died in clashes between Islamists and the security forces that pushed the country ever closer to anarchy. Undeterred by the bloodshed in which about 700 have been killed since Wednesday, the Brotherhood urged its supporters back onto the streets to denounce the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and a crackdown on his followers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Travel firms cancel holidays as violence grips Egypt Friday, Aug 16, 2013 04:54 PM PDT  By Victoria Bryan and Belinda Goldsmith FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - Violence sweeping Egypt has hit its tourism - a vital part of the economy - as governments warn holidaymakers to stay away, prompting some foreign travel agents to stop all trips there. The latest unrest looks likely to kill off a tentative recovery of a sector that accounted for more than a tenth of GDP before the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, starting a period of political uncertainty which worsened with events of this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPS pilots warned of low altitude 7 seconds before crash Friday, Aug 16, 2013 04:46 PM PDT  By Verna Gates BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - U.S. government investigators looking into the crash of a UPS cargo plane said on Friday the pilots received a low altitude warning barely seven seconds before the sound of impact, according to data recovered from the cockpit voice recorder. Investigators retrieved data from the cockpit and flight data recorders on Friday that could shed light on Wednesday's fiery crash in Alabama that killed the jet's pilot and co-pilot. ... Full Story | Top |
| BASF says closed Egyptian operations amid unrest Friday, Aug 16, 2013 03:44 PM PDT FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German chemicals group BASF said on Friday it closed its Egyptian operations on Thursday because of the violent political protests in the country. "The safety of our employees has top priority. We are observing the situation carefully. All our employees are fine. The offices have been closed since yesterday," a spokeswoman for the world's largest chemical maker said. BASF has about 100 employees based in Egypt, with offices in Alexandria and Cairo and a plant producing construction chemicals in Sadat City. ... Full Story | Top |
| Muslim Brotherhood calls rallies across Egypt after day of bloodshed Friday, Aug 16, 2013 03:02 PM PDT By Crispian Balmer and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood defiantly called for a week of protests across Egypt starting on Saturday, a day after more than 100 people died in clashes between Islamists and the security forces that pushed the country ever closer to anarchy. Undeterred by the bloodshed in which about 700 have been killed since Wednesday, the Brotherhood urged its supporters back onto the streets to denounce the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and a crackdown on his followers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Freezing U.S. aid to Egypt would not be easy or cost-free Friday, Aug 16, 2013 02:56 PM PDT By Susan Cornwell and Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some U.S. lawmakers are calling for the Obama administration to shut off aid to Egypt in the aftermath of the army's lethal crackdown on protesters. But untangling the aid relationship with Cairo would not be simple and could be costly for the United States as well as Egypt. A special financing arrangement Cairo uses could leave U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline bombed: officials Friday, Aug 16, 2013 01:17 PM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb attack halted the flow of crude oil through a pipeline running from Iraq's Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, two Iraqi oil officials said on Friday. The attack took place at around 0100 GMT on Friday near the al-Shura area 60 km (40 miles) to the south of the city of Mosul. The officials said repair work would be complete in around 48 hours. "Attackers planted a roadside bomb near a section of the pipeline," one official said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisian labor leader rejects parallels with Egypt Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:45 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara and Tom Heneghan TUNIS (Reuters) - Hussein Abassi doesn't like it when his Tunisian trade union federation is compared to the Egyptian army and he is likened to a general who can make or break a government. The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) has neither tanks nor military ambitions, but it does boast an "army" of a million members that dwarfs the political parties now at loggerheads in Tunis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Military judge finds Manning's WikiLeaks acts 'wanton and reckless' Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:20 PM PDT  By Tom Ramstack FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The military judge who will determine how long U.S. soldier Bradley Manning will spend in prison for the biggest breach of classified data in the nation's history on Friday said she found that his acts were "wanton and reckless." Judge Colonel Denise Lind last month found Manning, 25, guilty of 20 criminal counts, including espionage and theft, for handing over some 700,000 secret U.S. documents to the WikiLeaks pro-transparency website. On Monday, she will begin deliberations on Manning's sentence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seventeen dead, hundreds rescued after ferry sinks in Philippines Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:08 PM PDT  By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed but hundreds were rescued after a passenger ferry sank following a collision with a cargo vessel in the central Philippines, a coastguard commander said. "We don't know if there are still people missing," Rear Admiral Luis Tuason told local radio early on Saturday, citing a discrepancy between the actual numbers killed or rescued and the ferry's manifest, which showed 692 crew and passengers on board. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's MDC drops court challenge to Mugabe re-election Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:04 PM PDT  By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition MDC withdrew a court challenge against President Robert Mugabe's re-election through a vote the party had denounced as fraudulent, saying on Friday it would not get a fair hearing. Mugabe, 89, and his ZANU-PF party were declared winners of the July 31 election but the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by outgoing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had filed a motion for the constitutional court to overturn the result. ... Full Story | Top |
| Norway's opposition widens poll lead weeks before election Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:01 PM PDT  OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's center-right opposition pulled further ahead of the Labor-led government with just weeks to go before elections on September 9, a poll showed on Friday, putting the Conservatives and their allies on course for a landslide victory. Support for Erna Solberg's Conservative Party rose to 31.1 percent from 29.7 percent two weeks ago, while combined support for the four opposition parties reached 59 percent, state broadcaster NRK said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pistorius to face new weapons charges in South African court: media Friday, Aug 16, 2013 11:16 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius will face new charges of recklessly discharging a weapon in public when he appears in a South African court next week accused of murdering his girlfriend, local media reported on Friday. Neither prosecutors nor lawyers for Pistorius would comment on the reports carried by TV broadcaster ENCA, radio's Eyewitness News and the national SAPA news agency, citing law enforcement officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU urges members to consider response to Egypt violence Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:57 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union asked its members on Friday to consider "appropriate measures" it could take in reaction to violence in Egypt, while European leaders stressed the importance of a united response. Around 50 people were killed in Cairo alone on Friday, a "Day of Rage" called by Muslim Brotherhood followers of ousted President Mohamed Mursi to denounce a police crackdown on the Islamists in which hundreds have died this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood calls for a week of protests Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:50 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood group called on Friday for a week of daily nationwide protests after thousands of its supporters rallied in different cities to denounce a violent crackdown on their followers this week. "We call on the Egyptian people and national forces to protest daily until the coup ends," the Islamist group said in a statement in reference to the army's overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last month. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Crispian Balmer) Full Story | Top |
| Germany's BASF to keep Egyptian operations closed amid unrest Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:23 AM PDT FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German chemicals giant BASF will not reopen its Egyptian operations after the weekend because of the violent political protests in the country. "The safety of our employees has top priority. We are observing the situation carefully. All our employees are fine. The offices have been closed since yesterday," a spokeswoman for the world's largest chemical maker said. BASF has about 100 employees based in Egypt, with offices in Alexandria and Cairo and a plant producing construction chemicals in Sadat City. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's MDC withdraws court challenge to Mugabe re-election Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:17 AM PDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition MDC on Friday withdrew a court challenge to the re-election of President Robert Mugabe which it had alleged was fraudulent, saying it had not received crucial information from the election commission. "I can confirm that we have withdrawn the presidential election petition. There are a number of reasons, including the failure by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release critical evidence in this matter," MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Pascal Fletcher) Full Story | Top |
| Student's death touches nerve in austerity-hit Greece Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:09 AM PDT By Harry Papachristou ATHENS (Reuters) - A 19-year-old Greek student who died after an argument with a bus ticket inspector has come to symbolize the plight of a population ground down by worsening poverty and unemployment. Thanassis Kanaoutis suffered a fatal head injury when he fell or jumped from a moving bus as it passed through a middle-class neighborhood of Athens late on Tuesday. Prosecutors have not yet established how Kanaoutis died. Witnesses said they saw him brawl with the ticket inspector. ... Full Story | Top |
| Beirut bomb may have been suicide attack: minister Friday, Aug 16, 2013 10:08 AM PDT  By Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - The death toll from a car bomb which ripped through the southern Beirut stronghold of Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah rose to 24 on Friday, and the government said the explosion may have been a suicide attack. Thursday's blast, a month after a car bomb wounded more than 50 people in the same district of the Lebanese capital, came amid sectarian tensions over the intervention of Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah against Sunni rebels in Syria's civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. political affairs chief set to travel to Egypt next week Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:37 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is sending its political affairs chief to Egypt next week to meet with a range of officials including representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood amid the ongoing violence following the army's ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last month, the world body said on Friday. U.N. officials said the trip by Jeffrey Feltman, U.N. under secretary-general for political affairs and the former top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, will help the world body work out how to respond to the Egypt crisis. "The schedule is still being worked out. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zuma draws fire on South Africa mine killings anniversary Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:25 AM PDT By Xola Potelwa MARIKANA, South Africa (Reuters) - Opponents of President Jacob Zuma turned the anniversary of South Africa's bloodiest post-apartheid mine violence into an attack on his failure to tackle poverty and inequality on Friday after his government shunned a memorial event for slain miners. In a decision highlighting the ruling African National Congress (ANC)'s loss of support among many mineworkers, Zuma's government backed out of the ceremony commemorating 34 striking platinum workers killed by police at Lonmin's Marikana mine. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK to EU: Urgently send monitors to Spain-Gibraltar border Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:22 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday asked European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to "urgently" send monitors to Gibraltar's border with Spain where tightened security checks are fuelling a row between the two countries. Cameron raised the matter in a phone call with Barroso on Friday, saying he had serious concerns that these extra checks were "politically motivated and disproportionate" and "illegitimate" under European Union laws. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leaders call on EU to condemn Egypt violence, review ties Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:20 AM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Italy urged the European Union on Friday to send a united message condemning the violence in Egypt, with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel calling on Brussels to review its ties with the country. Protests by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi turned violent across Egypt on Friday, as the Muslim Brotherhood staged a "Day of Rage", two days after an assault by security forces on its protesters killed hundreds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clashes in Egypt's Alexandria kill five people: emergency services Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:20 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Five people died in Egypt's second city Alexandria on Friday in clashes between followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and security forces, an official at the local emergency services said. At least 15 people were wounded. Dozens of people have died nationwide in the worsening violence. (Writing by Crispian Balmer; editing by Michael Georgy) Full Story | Top |
| India navy says four bodies found in submarine, no chance of survivors Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:17 AM PDT  By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Divers have found the bodies of four sailors who were on board an Indian naval submarine that was badly damaged by a fire after an explosion, but it was unlikely any of the 14 other crew members would be found alive, the navy said on Friday The explosion in a weapons store in the forward section of the Russian-built INS Sindhurakshak on Tuesday night caused a fire so hot it melted steel as the vessel lay berthed in Mumbai, resulting in the navy's worst loss in more than four decades. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian violence kills 24 policemen in last 24 hours Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:12 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Twenty-four members of the Egyptian police force have been killed since late last night across the country, a security official said on Friday, bringing the number of police killed in political violence to 67 since Wednesday. (Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Andrew Roche) Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 5.4 quake shakes Mexico City, no injuries or damage Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:09 AM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook Mexico City on Friday morning, with buildings evacuated but no immediate reports of damage. A preliminary earthquake report from the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 6 miles (11 km) northeast of Ometepec in the western state of Guerrero, and 190 miles (305 km) south of Mexico City. "We've concluded standard examination, no damages or injuries," Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said on Twitter. Witnesses in the central Roma neighbourhood reported up to 20 seconds of moderate shaking. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nasrallah says ready to fight in Syria himself Friday, Aug 16, 2013 09:04 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah renewed his commitment on Friday to the battle in Syria, where the Shi'ite militant group has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying he was ready to go himself if needed. Nasrallah said Thursday's car bomb in Beirut would only reinforce Hezbollah's determination to fight in Syria and defeat radical Sunni Islamists he said were behind the attack. "If the battle requires me to go (to Syria) ... I will go," he said. (Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| U.N. political affairs chief intends to travel to Egypt next week Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:54 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman plans to visit Egypt next week to hear views on the crisis and the way forward, the United Nations said on Friday. "The schedule is still being worked out. However, it goes without saying that Mr. Feltman intends to meet with a range of interlocutors, inside and outside the government, including the Muslim Brotherhood," the United Nations said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Vicki Allen) Full Story | Top |
| Saudi king backs Egypt's rulers against 'terrorism' Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:52 AM PDT  RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah called on Arabs on Friday to stand together against "attempts to destabilize" Egypt, in a message of support for the military leadership and an attack on the Muslim Brotherhood. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people and government, stood and stands today with its brothers in Egypt against terrorism," he said in a message read out on Saudi television, in an apparent reference to continuing clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood and police. "I call on the honest men of Egypt and the Arab and Muslim nations ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll from Cairo protests reaches 50: officials Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:46 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - About 50 people were killed in protests in Cairo on Friday, security officials said. Thousands of supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi have been staging nationwide protests against a security crackdown on Islamists. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh; Writing by Michael Georgy) Full Story | Top |
| Ashton asks EU to discuss 'appropriate measures' on Egypt Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:35 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday she had asked EU governments to discuss "appropriate measures" that the bloc could take in reaction to the violence in Egypt. "I have been in constant touch with European Union foreign ministers, and I have asked member state representatives to debate and coordinate appropriate measures to be taken by the European Union in response to the situation in Egypt," she said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hezbollah says Islamists most likely behind Beirut attack Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:33 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that radical Sunni Islamists were likely to have been responsible for a car bomb which killed 24 people in the Lebanese militant group's stronghold of southern Beirut. Nasrallah said earlier attacks against the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group's Beirut base and other Shi'ite areas in Lebanon were the work of "takfiri" factions, in reference to Sunni radical groups linked to al Qaeda. Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Cairo protest climbs to 27: Reuters witness Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:23 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 27 people were killed in Cairo on Friday during a protest by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi, said a Reuters witness who counted their bodies. The bodies were laid out in a mosque near the protest in Ramses Square. (Reporting by Mahmoud Ali; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Roche) Full Story | Top |
| Saudi king calls on Arabs to stand with Egypt Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:16 AM PDT  RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah called on Arabs to stand together against "attempts to destabilize" Egypt, in a strong message of support for the country's military leadership read out on Saudi television on Friday. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people and government stood and stands by today with its brothers in Egypt against terrorism," he said. "I call on the honest men of Egypt and the Arab and Muslim nations ... to stand as one man and with one heart in the face of attempts to destabilize a country that is at the forefront of Arab and Muslim history," he added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hundreds in Turkey protest against Egyptian crackdown Friday, Aug 16, 2013 08:06 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Up to 2,000 demonstrators waving Islamic flags and chanting anti-U.S. slogans took to the streets in Turkey's two biggest cities on Friday to protest at the bloody security crackdown in Egypt on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Mursi. In the capital Ankara, around 1,000 protesters marched from the largest mosque after Friday prayers to the U.S. embassy, where the crowd, angered by Washington's failure to call Mursi's ouster a coup, chanted "Murderer America, get out of Turkey". Riot police stood watch nearby but there was no intervention by the security forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lankan court bars Fonterra milk products for 2 weeks Friday, Aug 16, 2013 07:58 AM PDT  By Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - A Sri Lankan court on Friday banned the sale and advertising of all Fonterra milk products for two weeks, officials said, following a complaint by a health sector trade union that the company's marketing was misleading. The National Health Services Union said it sought the court ban because Fonterra products suspected of being contaminated with the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD) were still on the market despite an order from the health ministry to recall them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany, EU to review ties with Egypt: Angela Merkel Friday, Aug 16, 2013 07:55 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after speaking with French President Francois Hollande by phone on Friday that Germany would review its ties with Egypt, and both she and Hollande felt the European Union should do the same. A statement released by Merkel's office said, "the chancellor explained that in view of the latest developments, the German government would review its relations with Egypt." "She agreed with the (French) President that the European Union should also undertake a comprehensive review of its relations with Egypt," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Reclusive preacher holds sway over Turkish politics Friday, Aug 16, 2013 07:44 AM PDT  By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A rare defense from a secretive Islamic movement of its role in Turkish political life has exposed a rift with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that could weaken one of modern Turkey's most powerful leaders. The spell of Fethullah Gulen, a 72-year-old U.S.-based Islamic preacher with a global network of schools, whose supporters say they number in the millions, has long loomed large over Turkey's constitutionally-secular state. ... Full Story | Top |
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