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| Obama and aides confront skeptical Congress on Syria strike Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:19 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his top aides launched a full-scale political offensive on Sunday to persuade a skeptical Congress to approve a military strike against Syria, but faced a struggle to win over lawmakers from both parties and a war-weary American public. Obama made calls to members of the House of Representatives and Senate, with more scheduled for Monday, underscoring the task confronting the administration before it can go ahead with using force in response to a deadly chemical attack blamed on the Syrian government. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says its envoy took part in Israeli-Palestinian meeting Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 06:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Sunday for the first time that the U.S. envoy for Israeli-Palestinian peace had taken part in a meeting between the two parties since negotiations resumed in late July, but declined to say when or whether any progress was made. "Israeli and Palestinian delegations have been meeting continuously since final status negotiations resumed on July 29," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a brief written statement. "The negotiations have been serious, and U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Azeri authorities clamp down on dissent ahead of October vote: group Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 05:03 PM PDT  By Alexei Anishchuk MOSCOW (Reuters) - Azerbaijan has intensified a crackdown on activists and journalists to stifle criticism of long-term leader Ilham Aliyev before presidential elections in October, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. Authorities in the oil-rich South Caucasus nation have arrested dozens on trumped-up charges, dispersed anti-government rallies and adopted laws curbing freedom of speech and assembly in the past 18 months, the organization said in a report. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: USS Nimitz carrier group rerouted for possible help with Syria Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 03:48 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria, if needed, defense officials said on Sunday. The Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser, has no specific orders to move to the eastern Mediterranean at this point, but is moving west in the Arabian Sea so it can do so if asked. ... Full Story | Top |
| German candidates clash on euro and taxes in tight TV duel Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 02:55 PM PDT  By Noah Barkin and Stephen Brown BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger in this month's German election clashed over the euro, tax policy and U.S. spying in a television debate on Sunday that produced no clear winner. The only TV duel of the campaign, watched by an estimated 15 million viewers, was one of SPD candidate Peer Steinbrueck's last chances to change the momentum in a race in which he has trailed the popular Merkel from the very start. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt sends Mursi to trial as new constitution advances Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 02:52 PM PDT  By Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed authorities referred deposed President Mohamed Mursi to trial on Sunday on charges of inciting murder and violence, in an escalation of the crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood. The new government also named a constituent assembly almost devoid of Islamists and gave it 60 days to review amendments that would erase Islamic articles brought in last year by the Brotherhood and more hardline Islamic parties. ... Full Story | Top |
| TV confessions in China an unsettling new trend for executives Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 02:22 PM PDT  By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - A series of confessions by foreign and local executives on China's state-controlled television has spurred anxiety among the business community about a trend that some lawyers say makes a mockery of due process. Confessions have long been part of China's legal landscape, with petty criminals routinely admitting their guilt on television. But rarely have senior business figures been put on television in orange prison jumpsuits to confess. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scornful Syria hails 'historic American retreat' as Obama hesitates Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 02:14 PM PDT  By Yara Bayoumy and Thomas Ferraro BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Syria hailed a "historic American retreat" on Sunday, mockingly accusing President Barack Obama of hesitation and confusion after he delayed a military response to last month's chemical weapons attack near Damascus to consult Congress. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said tests had shown sarin nerve gas was fired on rebel-held areas on August 21, and expressed confidence that U.S. lawmakers would do "what is right" in response. Washington says more than 1,400 people, many of them children, were killed in the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan government abandons hands-off approach to Fukushima clean-up Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 02:12 PM PDT  By Linda Sieg and Mari Saito TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is moving to take a more direct role in the clean-up of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, as concerns grow over the ability of embattled operator Tokyo Electric to handle the legacy of the worst atomic disaster in a quarter century. The concerns have also revived debate about the future of Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) itself, including early-stage proposals to put its toxic nuclear assets under government control and leave the rest of the company as a provider of power to the nation's biggest economic region. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's hardline ex-security chief: praised by party, reviled by activists Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:57 PM PDT  By Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - Few figures are as divisive in China as former domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang, reportedly under investigation by the ruling Communist Party for corruption. Even the once ambitious but now ousted politician Bo Xilai, whose trial on corruption ended last week, doesn't evoke the same depth of feeling that Zhou does. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arab states urge action against Syrian government Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:53 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states on Sunday urged the international community to take action against the Syrian government over a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. The final resolution passed by an Arab League meeting in Cairo urged the United Nations and international community to "take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits of this crime that the Syrian regime bears responsibility for". The League foreign ministers also said those responsible for the attack should face trial, as other "war criminals" have. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranian dissidents killed in Iraq camp, U.N. demands inquiry Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:47 PM PDT By Kareem Raheem and Sylvia Westall BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 47 people were reported killed at an Iranian dissident camp in Iraq on Sunday, the United Nations said, urging Baghdad to investigate the "tragic events" at a site north of the capital. The violence took place hours after a mortar bomb attack on the camp which the dissent group Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) blamed on the Iraqi army. Two Iraqi security sources said that army and special forces had opened fire on residents who had stormed a post at the entrance to Camp Ashraf, a site that Iraq's government wants closed down. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands rally in Romania against gold mine Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:15 PM PDT  BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians across the country rallied late on Sunday to protest against the leftist government's support for a plan to open Europe's biggest open-cast gold mine in the small Carpathian town of Rosia Montana. The project, which aims to use cyanide to mine 314 tonnes of gold and 1,500 tonnes of silver, has drawn fierce opposition from civic rights groups and environmentalists, who say it would destroy ancient Roman gold mines and villages. ... Full Story | Top |
| Highlights: Merkel and challenger face off on TV before vote Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:13 PM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - Following are highlights of the only live TV clash between Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and main challenger Peer Steinbrueck ahead of a federal election on September 22. Steinbrueck, chancellor candidate of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), is trailing badly in opinion polls but analysts say many voters will make up their decision based on the TV debate. GERMANY'S FINANCES Merkel: "What we have managed to achieve in these past four years is relatively sensational. We have gone from the worst economic crisis Germany has had in 2009... ... Full Story | Top |
| India's Gandhi expected in U.S. for medical check-up: media Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 01:03 PM PDT  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Sonia Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress party, is expected to fly to the United States for a scheduled medical check-up, a news agency report said, just days after she took ill during a marathon parliament debate. "Her going to the U.S. for a medical check-up is due," the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoted an unnamed senior party leader as saying. Gandhi, who underwent surgery in the United States for an undisclosed ailment in August 2011 flew there on September 2 last year for a check-up. She went again in February this year, the PTI report said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition says Assad deploying human shields for air strikes Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 12:51 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has moved military equipment and personnel to civilian areas and put prisoners in military sites as human shields against any Western air strikes, the opposition said on Sunday. The Istanbul-based opposition coalition said rockets, Scud missiles and launchers as well as soldiers had been moved to locations including schools, university dormitories and government buildings inside cities. ... Full Story | Top |
| A hawkish Kerry emerges as point man in Obama's push to punish Syria Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the Senate takes up whether to back White House plans to attack Syria, there may be few more effective or passionate lobbyists for the administration than Secretary of State John Kerry, who was a member of that exclusive club for 28 years. In two appearances that many interpreted as foreshadowing an imminent strike, Kerry last week described Syria's use of chemical weapons as "a moral obscenity" and called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "a thug and a murderer. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senegal's Sall appoints anti-graft campaigner as prime minister Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:44 AM PDT  DAKAR (Reuters) - President Macky Sall of Senegal appointed rights activist and anti-corruption campaigner Aminata Toure as prime minister after sacking a previous government on Sunday. Toure was justice minister in the outgoing government and led the government's drive to stamp out corruption by pursuing high-level cases involving senior officials, including the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan's Kiir to visit Sudan ahead of oil stoppage deadline Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:41 AM PDT  KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir will visit Sudan on Tuesday for talks with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, officials said on Sunday, as the long-time foes seek to avert a halt of vital cross-border oil flows. Diplomats hope what is only Kiir's second visit to Khartoum since South Sudan's secession in 2011 will help build trust between the neighbors, who fought one of Africa's longest civil wars that ended in 2005. Both countries agreed in March to defuse tensions and resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through the north, its only route to market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudis back international intervention against Assad Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:39 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia told fellow Arab League states on Sunday that opposing international intervention against the Syrian government would only encourage Damascus to use weapons of mass destruction. The United States had seemed to be gearing up for a strike against President Bashar al-Assad's forces over an August 21 poison gas attack, but is now seeking Congressional approval first. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told foreign ministers meeting in Cairo that condemnation of Syria over the poison gas attack, which U.S. officials say killed 1,429 people, was not enough. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Putin sees chance to turn tables on Obama at G20 Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:32 AM PDT  By Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Less than three months after Vladimir Putin was cast as a pariah over Syria at the last big meeting of world leaders, the Russian president has glimpsed a chance to turn the tables on Barack Obama. The U.S. president's dilemma over a military response to an alleged poison gas attack in Syria means Obama is the one who is under more pressure going into a G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday and Friday. Obama stepped back from the brink on Saturday, delaying any imminent strike to seek approval from the U.S. Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt names key constitution panel with few Islamists Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:31 AM PDT By Tom Perry and Shaimaa Fayed CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed government unveiled a constituent assembly on Sunday almost devoid of Islamists, and gave it 60 days to review amendments that would erase Islamic articles brought in by the Muslim Brotherhood and more hardline Islamic parties. The constitutional review is part of a road map unveiled by the administration that took power after the army deposed President Mohamed Mursi on July 3. Egypt will hold parliamentary and presidential elections only once the constitution is approved in a referendum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: How much Europe is too much Europe? Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 11:03 AM PDT  By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - In the dark days of Europe's debt crisis in 2012, when it seemed Greece might be forced out of the euro and the single currency could implode, leaders believed "more Europe" was the only answer. Only deeper integration can bolster the region to withstand future crises, they said. A more united Europe will punch its weight in the world, not collapse on the ropes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi Arabia calls on world community to ease violence in Syria Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 10:53 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Sunday called on the world community to take all necessary steps to deter Syrian government violence. "The time has come to call on the world community to bear its responsibility and take the deterrent measure that puts a halt to the tragedy," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told an Arab League meeting in Cairo. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka criticizes U.N. rights chief's 'authoritarian' comment Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 10:19 AM PDT  By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government said on Sunday U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay had acted beyond her mandate in saying the country was heading in an authoritarian direction. Pillay, ending a seven-day mission to assess Sri Lanka's progress after the 26-year war between the government and separatist Tamils, said on Saturday the country was "showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction. "The High Commissioner's observation... ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama's bid to Congress on Syria part of push for global backing: U.N. Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 09:46 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and Edith Honan UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval for possible military action against Syria can be seen as part of an effort to forge a global consensus on responding to the use of chemical arms anywhere, the United Nations said on Sunday. The world body was responding to Obama's announcement on Saturday that he will ask for congressional consent before taking military action against Syria for a poison gas attack on Syrian civilians that he blames on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt expels Al Jazeera journalists in crackdown on Qatari channel Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 09:41 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt deported three Al Jazeera journalists on Sunday, days after the Qatari-owned channel carried appeals from leaders of ousted President Mohamed Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood to stage protests against the army-backed government. The Gulf emirate was a strong financial backer of Brotherhood rule and vehemently opposes the army's overthrow of Mursi and the ensuing bloody crackdown on his movement. ... Full Story | Top |
| In sweatshops, the 'Brazilian dream' goes awry Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 09:36 AM PDT  By Lucas Iberico-Lozada SAO PAULO (Reuters) - When Margot Alarconciles woke up one morning last year and found her son sick with what appeared to be a cold, there was little she could do but wrap him in an extra blanket, walk down the hallway and start her workday: sewing clothes for up to 11 hours a day, six days a week. "I couldn't leave my machine," she said. "Without my job, we could not eat." Her 5-year-old son's condition deteriorated, and without proper care he soon died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portugal PM: no need to change constitution for bailout drive Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 09:32 AM PDT  LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's constitutional court is complicating Lisbon's already fraught attempts to meet its EU/IMF bailout goals but Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said on Sunday he had no intention of limiting its power by changing the constitution. The prime minister also pledged to revise labor reforms which the court rejected last week. The court's third rejection of government austerity plans in 13 months has raised concerns about Lisbon's ability to make structural spending cuts sought by lenders without constitutional changes which could delay reforms and lead to a new bailout. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrians relieved, disappointed at Obama strike delay Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 09:06 AM PDT (The reporter's name has been withheld for security reasons) DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrians reacted with a mixture of relief, disappointment and scorn to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to seek Congressional approval before any strike on their country. Some concluded an attack would never happen. "I have to admit this morning was the first time I felt I could sleep in," said Nawal, a mother-of-five who works as a housekeeper in Damascus. "I felt so relieved after hearing his speech. But I don't understand why he put us through all that suspense," she said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senegal's President Sall fires PM Abdoul Mbaye Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 08:30 AM PDT DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal's President Macky Sall fired Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye on Sunday just over a year after naming the former banker to head the government, an official said. Presidential spokesman Abou Abel Thiam did not say why Mbaye, who was not a member of any political party, was sacked but said a replacement and new government would be named soon. Mbaye, 60, was appointed in April 2012. He studied in Senegal and France's top business schools and previously worked at West Africa's BCEAO central bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranian agency drops Rafsanjani remarks critical of Syrian government Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 08:24 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian news agency quoted former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying Syria's government had attacked its own people with chemical weapons, but later replaced the report with a different version that did not attribute blame for the raid. The second version by the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported him as saying on Sunday: "On the one hand the people of Syria are the target of a chemical attack, and now they must wait for an attack by foreigners. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Libya protests threaten stability as oil output dives Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 08:20 AM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi TRIPOLI (Reuters) - No end is in sight to the worst disruption to Libya's oil industry since the civil war in 2011 as armed groups, security guards and oil workers with tribal loyalties shut down pipelines and oil ports across the country. Central state power is already tenuous and separatist groups are exploiting the stoppages, but the government risks bloody clashes with tribal militias if it sends ill-equipped nascent army units to capture oil terminals held by armed groups. ... Full Story | Top |
| Attackers torch Saudi religious police building Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:40 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - The entrance of a Saudi religious police building has been set on fire, Saudi media reported on Sunday, in a rare attack on a force criticized by the public for its heavy-handed tactics. Formally known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, religious police officers patrol the streets to enforce gender segregation and ensure the public behave in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islamic teachings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi Arabia says it backs U.S. strikes if Syrian people do Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:38 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it was time for the world to do everything it could to prevent aggression against the Syrian people, and that it would back a U.S. strike on Syria if the Syrian people did. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal made his comments as the United States prepares strikes against the Syrian government, blaming it for a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. ... Full Story | Top |
| Roadside bomb kills nine Pakistan soldiers on Afghan border Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:29 AM PDT MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least nine Pakistani servicemen were killed on Sunday when a roadside bomb hit an army convoy passing through the troubled region of North Waziristan near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, security sources said. Militant groups including the Taliban and al Qaeda operate in the volatile tribal region, often launching attacks on troops and civilians from mountain hideouts on the porous border. Initially, army sources said three soldiers had been killed but later a security official in the regional town of Miranshah raised the death toll to nine. ... Full Story | Top |
| Assad says Syria can confront external aggression Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:26 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday Syria was capable of confronting any external aggression and that threats of a U.S. strike would not discourage the country from a fight against what it described as "terrorism". U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday there should be a military strike on Syria in response to an August 21 poison gas attack which U.S. intelligence officials said killed more than 1,400 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| More than 110,000 Syrians killed in conflict: rights group Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 07:13 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 110,000 people have died in Syria's 2 1/2-year-old conflict, and more than half of those killed were civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday. The Observatory, a British-based rights group which opposes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule, said at least 5,833 children were among the dead. "More than 110,371 people have fallen since the day the first martyr of the revolution died on March 18, 2011 in Deraa province, to August 31, 2013," the Observatory said in a statement. It said 56,138 of those killed were civilians. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran ex-president says Syria government launched gas attacks: news agency Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 06:49 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the Syrian government, a strong ally of Tehran, had carried out chemical weapons attacks against its own people, the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported on Sunday. "The people have been the target of chemical attacks by their own government and now they must also wait for an attack by foreigners," Rafsanjani said, according to ILNA. "The people of Syria have seen much damage in these two years." (Reporting By Yeganeh Torbati, Editing by William Maclean and Andrew Heavens) Full Story | Top |
| Kerry says sarin used in Syrian chemical attacks Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 06:37 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that tests proved positive for use of the chemical weapon sarin in Syrian chemical attacks. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
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