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| Analysis: Syria, aided by Iran, could strike back at U.S. in cyberspace Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 09:13 PM PDT  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - If the United States attacks Syria, it will be the first time it strikes a country that is capable of waging retaliatory cyberspace attacks on American targets. The risk is heightened by Syria's alliance with Iran, which has built up its cyber capability in the past three years, and already gives the country technical and other support. If Iran stood with Syria in any fray with the United States that would significantly increase the cyber threat, security experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia president says government ready for peace talks with ELN rebels Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 07:58 PM PDT  BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government is ready to start peace talks with the smaller of the country's two guerrilla groups, the National Liberation Army, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday. Santos had insisted the government would not engage in talks with the rebel group, known as the ELN, until it released a Canadian geologist it kidnapped in January. The ELN handed the hostage over to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday. The ELN, which has an estimated 3,000 fighters, has been fighting the government in nearly five decades of bloody conflict. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tropical storm Juliette heads toward Mexican Pacific tourist hub Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 07:30 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical storm Juliette was about 40 miles southeast of the Mexican Pacific beach resort Cabo San Lucas, where it is now heading, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday, as authorities there prepared for the prospect of evacuations. The tropical storm was blowing at 45 miles per hour (72 km per hour) and heading northwest toward the tourist resort in the state of Baja California Sur at 25 mph, the NHC said. Authorities said that up to 15,000 people who live in the storm's path could be evacuated and taken to temporary shelters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama makes case for punishing Syria, but possible delays loom Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:38 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made the case on Wednesday for a limited military strike against Syria in response to last week's chemical weapons attack even as he faced new obstacles with British allies and U.S. lawmakers that could delay any imminent action. Casting the need for intervention in Syria's civil war on the basis of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| China urges restraint over Syria tensions, calls for calm Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:26 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign minister urged restraint on Thursday in the growing tensions over Syria, saying any military intervention in the crisis would only worsen turmoil in the Middle East. President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday that the Syrian government would face "international consequences" for last week's deadly chemical attack, but made clear any military response would be limited to avoid dragging the United States into another war in the Middle East. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flash floods kill 24 in Mali's capital Bamako, minister says Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:19 PM PDT BAMAKO (Reuters) - Twenty-four people were killed in Mali's riverside capital Bamako on Wednesday when torrential rains provoked flash floods that washed away homes in several neighborhoods, a government minister said. "The heavy rains led to flooding ... These floods caused 24 deaths," Tiefing Konate, the country's minister of internal security and civilian protection, said in a statement distributed to local media. Bankoni, Taliko, Lafiabougou, Djicoroni Woyowayanko, Lafiabougou Bougouba and Bougoudani neighborhoods were all hit by floods during rain storms that lasted most of the day. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda blocks proposed U.N. sanctions for two Congo rebels Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:04 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda blocked a joint U.S.-French proposal to impose U.N. sanctions on two senior commanders in the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, arguing that the evidence against the men was weak, Rwandan and other U.N. envoys said on Wednesday. The latest diplomatic wrangling in New York came as U.N. helicopters and artillery attacked M23 rebel positions near the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday in support of an offensive by the Congolese armed forces. One U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria evacuates most army buildings in Damascus: residents Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:47 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces appear to have evacuated most personnel from army and security command headquarters in central Damascus in preparation for a Western military strike, residents and opposition sources said on Wednesday. U.S.-led air or missile strikes on Syria look all but certain after the United States and European and Middle Eastern allies blamed a suspected poison gas attack that killed hundreds in the city on Aug 21 on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama makes case for punishing Syria over gas attack Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:38 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday that the Syrian government would face "international consequences" for last week's deadly chemical attack, but made clear any military response would be limited to avoid dragging the United States into another war in the Middle East. Casting the need for action based on U.S. national security interests instead of humanitarian grounds, Obama made his case to a war-weary American public for what is looking like an all-but-certain use of force in Syria, where he has long been reluctant to intervene. ... Full Story | Top |
| Panama says Cuban weapons shipment 'without doubt' violated U.N. sanctions Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:23 PM PDT By Lomi Kriel PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Cuban weapons seized aboard a North Korean ship in Panamanian waters last month are "without doubt" a violation of United Nations sanctions against arms transfers to Pyongyang, Panama said Wednesday, citing a U.N. report. Panamanian authorities say they were given a preliminary report, presented by a panel of experts to the Sanctions Committee at the U.N. Security Council, according to a statement by Panama's Ministry of Security. "According to the first report presented by the panel of experts from the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama lays out case for 'tailored' strike against Syria: PBS Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:10 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made the case on Wednesday for a limited military strike against Syria to deter the future use of chemical weapons, but added he had not made a decision yet on whether to take action. Obama's administration has spent the past week discussing how to respond to an attack in the suburbs of Damascus that killed hundreds of people, an attack that the president said could only have been made by the Syrian government. A senior U.S. official has said strikes could last several days and would involve other country's armed forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Swedish boarding school shut after boys burned with irons Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:04 PM PDT STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's school inspectorate ordered the temporary closure of a prestigious boarding school on Wednesday after two new boys were burned with electric irons in the latest bullying scandal at the elite establishment. The move came after several students of the Lundsberg school in central Sweden, whose alumni include Prince Carl Philip, the youngest child of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, were reported to the police for the hazing ritual over the weekend. The school inspectorate said the school would be closed from Thursday for up to six months. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Cameron forced to delay strike against Syria Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:49 PM PDT  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron was forced on Wednesday to push back his plans for an imminent military strike against Syria in a humiliating climb-down for Britain's leader after coming under fierce domestic and international pressure. Just a day after recalling Britain's parliament to vote on how to respond to Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons, Cameron was ambushed when the opposition Labour party said it wanted greater parliamentary scrutiny and rebel lawmakers in his own ruling Conservative party said they would oppose him. Earlier on Wednesday, ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands flee to Central African Republic airport to escape ex-rebels Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:17 PM PDT By Paul-Marin Ngoupana BANGUI (Reuters) - Thousands of civilians fled to the Central African Republic's main international airport to escape marauding former rebel fighters and occupied the tarmac for around 18 hours, blocking some flights from landing, witnesses and officials said. The Central African Republic has descended into chaos since the Seleka rebels swept into Bangui in March, toppling President Francois Bozize and unleashing a wave of violence that new leader Michel Djotodia has failed to control. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: If U.S. strikes Syria, destroyers likely to deliver the blow Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:16 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If U.S. President Barack Obama decides to take military action against Syria for using chemical weapons in its two-year-old civil war, the initial blows likely would be delivered by four U.S. guided missile destroyers currently in the Mediterranean. Beyond that, the president has a number of other ships and aircraft, both in the region and elsewhere, that he could use to carry out limited strikes to send a message aimed at deterring further chemical weapons use. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rejects link between North Korea nuclear diplomacy, jailed American Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:00 PM PDT  By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The case of a U.S. citizen jailed in North Korea is a human rights issue that has no connection to long-stalled talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, the State Department said on Wednesday. Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, is slated to travel to Pyongyang on Friday. The State Department on Tuesday described his trip as a "humanitarian mission" aimed at winning the release of ailing Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary and tour operator. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. peacekeeper killed in Congo fighting; three others wounded Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:50 PM PDT  By Pete Jones GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A U.N. peacekeeper from Tanzania was killed and three others were wounded on Wednesday in an operation with the Congolese army to drive back M23 rebels from the city of Goma in eastern Congo, a U.N spokesman said. Democratic Republic of Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission used helicopters, artillery and ground troops in support of government forces that launched the assault on rebel positions north of Goma, a city of 1 million people on the Rwandan border. A 3,000-strong U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain pushes back Syria chemical attack response timetable Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:36 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain changed its stance on Syria on Wednesday, saying that the U.N. Security Council should see findings from chemical weapons inspectors before it responded militarily and that the British parliament should vote on the matter twice. Britain had previously declined to say it would wait for a U.N. report before launching military action and had suggested that the British parliament would only get one vote on military action - on Thursday. But U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sought more time for inspectors to complete their work, Russia said it was premature to table a ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. intelligence committees say they're not properly consulted on Syria Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:33 PM PDT  By Mark Hosenball and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional intelligence committee leaders believe the Obama administration has not properly consulted them as the president engages in final deliberations for possible military action in Syria, according to congressional officials. One of the officials said the administration's discussions with critical lawmakers, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein and her House counterpart, Mike Rogers, had been limited to "very brief status updates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada seeks plan from postal service to stem big losses Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:24 PM PDT  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - The large losses being racking up by Canada's postal service are of great concern to the government and it wants to see Canada Post's plans for stemming them, an official said on Wednesday. Canada Post reported a loss on Tuesday of C$104 million ($99 million) for the second quarter of 2013 and said it was on track to run short of cash by the middle of next year. Like the U.S. Postal Service, Canada Post is suffering as customers switch to digital communications. Canadian mail volumes fell by 6.3 percent from the second quarter of 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| French prosecutor investigates U.S. Prism spying scheme Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:20 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor's office said on Wednesday it had launched a preliminary investigation into the U.S. National Security Agency's Prism surveillance program after French rights groups complained it was snooping on citizens' emails and phone calls. The probe, which was opened in mid-July, followed a legal complaint earlier that month by two human rights groups denouncing U.S. spying methods revealed by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian envoy alleges rebel gas attack, demands U.N. investigate Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:19 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria asked the United Nations on Wednesday to order chemical experts in Damascus to investigate three rebel attacks in which he said Syrian troops "inhaled poisonous gas," while Britain pushed for the Security Council to act on the crisis. The United States dismissed the appeal by Syria's U.N. envoy, saying it had refused chemical experts access to Syria to investigate allegations poisonous gas had been used repeatedly in the country's 2-1/2-year-old civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombian peace talks recess with scant progress, election looms Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 02:00 PM PDT  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - The Colombian government and leftist FARC rebels wound up a 13th round of peace negotiations on Wednesday, bickering over how to end the conflict and making little visible progress over key issues despite nine months of talks. While the discussion was supposed to focus on the political participation of Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), it was overshadowed by a proposed referendum on any deal that was submitted by President Juan Manuel Santos to congress last week and scheduled to occur during national elections next year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli troops disciplined after partying with Palestinians Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:56 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has disciplined a group of soldiers for partying with Palestinians while armed and in uniform at a nightclub in the West Bank city of Hebron, a military spokesman said on Wednesday. Israel's Channel 2 television broadcast a film in which two helmeted soldiers, at least one armed with a rifle, were shown dancing with Palestinian young men clad in jeans and T-shirts, to a popular rock tune. A Palestinian man could be seen twirling around with a soldier in uniform hoisted onto his shoulders, weapon in hand, as other men danced around them. ... Full Story | Top |
| British government approach on Syria 'consistent': UK foreign secretary Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:52 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday the motion on how to respond to an alleged chemical attack in Syria to be considered by parliament on Thursday was consistent with the approach adopted by the government so far. "This motion, that we're putting to the House of Commons tomorrow, endorses the government's consistent approach that we must be prepared to take action against the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, to deter the future use of chemical weapons," Hague told the BBC. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Full Story | Top |
| Asylum seekers threaten to sink Australian government in election Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:48 PM PDT  By Rob Taylor BLACKTOWN, Australia (Reuters) - Australian Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare crouches uncomfortably in a suit on the canvas of a youth boxing ring in Sydney's hardscrabble Western Suburbs, shaping up for the election fight of his life. Clare, in charge of a border circling 12 million square kilometers of ocean, has the unenviable job of stopping thousands of asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia, an issue threatening to bring down Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Labor government at elections just two weeks away. "People are drowning to get here. It opens up old scars. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian gas attack must draw reaction, Merkel and Cameron agree Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:25 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and Britain believe that Syria's government should not to go unpunished for an apparent poison gas attack on its own people, Berlin said on Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron agreed in a telephone discussion that the use of poison gas in last week's attack near Damascus was now sufficiently proven, the German government said in a statement. "The Syrian regime must not hope to be able to continue this warfare that violates international law ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Taliban attack Polish base in Afghanistan, seven killed Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:13 PM PDT  By Mustafa Andalib GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven people were killed in an attack claimed by the Taliban on a base operated by Polish and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials and a Reuters witness said. Ghanzi province's deputy governor said the attackers detonated an explosive-laden truck at the rear of the base and a car bomb at the main gate, before a six hour gunbattle inside involving up to 10 of the 15 assailants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill 86 in Baghdad as sectarian violence spreads Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:44 PM PDT By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of car bombings and other attacks across Baghdad on Wednesday killed 86 people and wounded 263, police and medical sources said, extending the worst wave of sectarian bloodshed in Iraq for at least five years. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attacks, which appeared coordinated, but Sunni Muslim insurgents including the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq have significantly stepped up bombings this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian soldiers will no longer swear loyalty to president Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:37 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian soldiers will no longer swear loyalty directly to the president of the republic, according to a published decree, a symbolic change analysts said underlined the military's independence from any civilian control. Officers will vow to "execute the orders of my leadership", according to the amended oath of allegiance, that removes the phrase: "I will be loyal to the president of the republic". ... Full Story | Top |
| Arab League ministers to blame Syria's Assad for chemical attack Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:27 PM PDT  By Ayman Samir and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab League ministers will pass a resolution blaming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for last week's chemical weapons attack in Damascus when they meet in Cairo next week, League officials said on Wednesday. The states' permanent representatives at the League had already explicitly blamed Assad on Tuesday for the attack, which killed hundreds of civilians, in a step that provided regional political cover for a possible U.S.-led military strike on Syria. A senior U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy reaches deal on housing tax, easing pressure on Letta Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:25 PM PDT  By Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government reached a deal on Wednesday to reform an unpopular property tax, easing a source of persistent tension which had threatened to split the fragile coalition of traditional rivals from the left and right. The cabinet agreed to abolish the housing tax IMU from the start of 2014, Prime Minister Enrico Letta told reporters, replacing it with a new levy known as the "Service Tax". The two installments of IMU on principal residences which were due in September and December 2013 will be scrapped, Letta said after the cabinet meeting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Construction work seen near mothballed North Korean reactor: IAEA Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:11 PM PDT  VIENNA (Reuters) - North Korea has been carrying out construction work at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, including near a mothballed reactor that experts say could produce plutonium for bombs, a U.N. nuclear agency report showed on Wednesday. The U.N. watchdog, which monitors the isolated state's nuclear developments via satellite, said the activities appeared to be broadly consistent with the North's "statements that it is further developing its nuclear capabilities". ... Full Story | Top |
| Putin, Rouhani oppose chemical arms, military intervention in Syria Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 12:07 PM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and signaled their shared opposition to military intervention in Syria war, the Kremlin said after the leaders spoke by phone. "Both sides consider the use of chemical weapons by anyone intolerable," Putin's press service said in a statement about the conversation on Wednesday, which it said Iran initiated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria arrests fake CNN correspondent Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:58 AM PDT YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian authorities have arrested a citizen who posed as a CNN correspondent to try to get money from politicians in exchange for interviews in oil-producing Bayelsa state. Paul Yempe was rumbled by a member of the local branch of the national journalists union (NUJ) when he approached the office of the state's energy commissioner to solicit an interview for an alleged CNN documentary. Tare Akono, state NUJ chairman, said by telephone that he had handed the man over to the police for further questioning. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain says Security Council should see chemical report before Syria vote Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:37 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain believes that the U.N. Security Council should see findings from chemical weapons inspectors before backing any military action in Syria, according to a copy of the motion to be placed before the UK parliament released on Wednesday. "The United Nations Security Council must have the opportunity immediately to consider that briefing and that every effort should be made to secure a Security Council Resolution backing military action before any such action is taken," the motion, to be debated on Thursday, reads. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Full Story | Top |
| Nigerians charged with aiding Iran militant cell Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:29 AM PDT By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria charged two of its citizens on Wednesday with assisting an Iranian militant cell in planning possible attacks on Israeli targets, alleging that one had travelled to Tehran and Dubai to receive cash and had known about spying on Israeli interests. The secret service (SSS) arrested Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and Saheed Oluremi Adewumi, plus one other Nigerian, in February. It accused them of being members of a "high profile terrorist network" that was planning attacks on home soil. The alleged cell was not named in the charge sheet. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S.: Syria can't hide behind Russia at U.N. Security Council Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:12 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian opposition to United Nations Security Council action on the Syria conflict should not be allowed to shield the Syrian government, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday as Britain's push for council action met Moscow's resistance. "We do not believe the Syrian regime should be able to hide behind the fact that the Russians continue to block action on Syria at the U.N. and we will make our decision on appropriate action going forward," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia tells Britain its Syria resolution is premature Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:08 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Britain on Wednesday that the U.N. Security Council should not consider a draft resolution in response to an alleged chemical arms attack in Syria before U.N. inspectors report on their findings there. Lavrov told British Foreign Secretary William Hague, whose country has proposed a resolution that would authorize measures to protect civilians, it is necessary "to wait for the results" from the U.N. inspectors, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. (Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Full Story | Top |
| Iran expands nuclear capacity, delays sensitive reactor: IAEA Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:06 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran plans to test about 1,000 advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges it has completed installing, a U.N. nuclear report showed, a move likely to worry Western capitals hoping for a change of course under the country's new president. The U.N. atomic agency's quarterly report - the first since relative moderate Hassan Rouhani won Iran's June presidential election - also revealed developments that could help buy time for diplomacy between Tehran and major powers, however. ... Full Story | Top |
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