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| Defiant protesters disregard Thai poll, still want PM out Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 06:16 PM PST  By Martin Petty and Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters planned to forge ahead on Monday with efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a day after a disrupted election that is unlikely to settle Thailand's long-running political conflict. The demonstrators blocked balloting in a fifth of the country's constituencies and say Yingluck must resign and make way for an appointed "people's council" to overhaul a political system they say has been taken hostage by her billionaire brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra. Sunday's election, which the main opposition party boycotted, is almost certain to return Yingluck to power and, with voting passing off peacefully across the north and northeast, Yingluck's supporters will no doubt claim a legitimate mandate. But the vote is unlikely to change the dysfunctional status quo in a country popular with tourists and investors yet blighted by eight years of polarization and turmoil, pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of the Shinawatras. Full Story | Top |
| Seattle crushes Denver to win Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 08:24 PM PST By Larry Fine EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - The Seattle Seahawks showed defense still rules in the Super Bowl as they embarrassed the usually high-scoring Denver Broncos 43-8 on Sunday to win their first NFL championship in franchise history. The top-ranked Seattle defense shut down the top-rated offense of the Broncos and record-setting quarterback Peyton Manning, creating four turnovers and turning what was expected to be a nail biter into a Super Bowl 48 rout. Five previous times the NFL's top-rated defense had faced the league's number one offense, and the defenders were 4-1 in those encounters. Seattle, and their "Legion of Boom" defensive secondary, fast-covering linebackers and determined pass rushers, upheld the tradition on an unseasonably mild night in the first outdoor venue in a winter-weather site. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine frees tortured activist as president returns to work Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 02:07 PM PST  By Alastair Macdonald and Jack Stubbs KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian government bowed to intense Western pressure on Sunday to let an opposition activist fly abroad for treatment after his abduction, torture and then attempted arrest by police outraged critics of President Viktor Yanukovich. The embattled head of state, caught in a tug of war between Russia and the West and facing mass protests that have prompted fears of civil war, announced he would return from four days of sick leave on Monday. Either way, he is under scrutiny from the European Union and United States, who want him to compromise, and from Moscow, which is holding back much needed financing until he names a new government following last week's departure of his prime minister in a concession that failed to appease the protesters. Dmytro Bulatov, 35, whose bloodied face and account of being "crucified" during a week in the hands of mysterious kidnappers has dominated opposition media since Friday, flew to EU state Lithuania. Full Story | Top |
| Costa Rica ruling party on course for tough presidential run-off Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 08:22 PM PST  By Alexandra Alper and Zach Dyer SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Costa Rica's centrist ruling party candidate Johnny Araya took a slight early lead in Sunday's presidential election and was on course to face a tough run-off after a strong showing by two leftist parties, partial results showed. Araya, a former mayor of the capital San Jose, had around 30.6 percent support with votes in from 50.3 percent of polling booths, while leftist newcomer Luis Guillermo Solis was in second place with around 29.4 percent. Left-wing lawmaker Jose Maria Villalta was third with 17.4 percent. Araya, 56, has promised to reduce poverty and has sought to distance himself from President Laura Chinchilla's scandal-plagued government while painting rivals as radicals. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says nuclear talks failure would be 'disaster' Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 03:22 PM PST  By Adrian Croft and Alexandra Hudson MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister held rare private talks with his U.S. counterpart on Sunday and said it would be a "disaster" if Tehran did not turn a provisional agreement to defuse a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program into a permanent deal. In a sign of the thawing climate between the Islamic Republic and the West, Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had held bilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, as well as with other ministers from the six powers negotiating with Tehran, during a three-day security conference in Munich. His talks looked forward to negotiations starting in Vienna on February 18 when Iran and the six powers will attempt over a period of six months to build on an interim agreement on Tehran's nuclear activities to reach a definitive deal. Full Story | Top |
| Iraqi army bombards Falluja in preparation for ground assault Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 11:24 AM PST  By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi army intensified its shelling of Falluja on Sunday in preparation for a ground assault to regain control of the city, which has been under the control of militants for a month. Sunni Muslim anti-government fighters, among them insurgents linked to al Qaeda, overran Falluja in the western province of Anbar on January 1, against a backdrop of deteriorating security across Iraq. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose Shi'ite-led government many in the Sunni minority accuse of discrimination, had held off an all-out offensive to give local tribesmen a chance to expel the militants themselves. But security officials told Reuters on Saturday that a decision had been made to enter Falluja on Sunday. Full Story | Top |
| El Salvador ex-rebel has early vote lead, run-off possible Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 06:11 PM PST  By Nelson Renteria and Anahi Rama SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A former left-wing guerrilla leader took a strong early lead in El Salvador's presidential election on Sunday, early results showed, but he could still face a run-off against a conservative rival who wants to deploy the army to fight powerful street gangs. Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a rebel commander who became a top leader of the now-ruling leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) during El Salvador's civil war, had 49.2 percent support with votes in from about 45.4 percent of polling booths. His right-wing opponent, former San Salvador Mayor Norman Quijano, had 38.9 percent. Two foreign election officials said they expected the vote to go to a run-off given a closer race in El Salvador's two most populated districts. Full Story | Top |
| Syrian forces kill 83 in barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo: activists Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 10:34 AM PST  By Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian military helicopters dropped more improvised "barrel bombs" on the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, a monitoring group said, bringing the death toll to at least 83 people in the latest episode of a campaign that many consider a war crime. Most of the victims killed since Friday have been civilians from the city's eastern districts, including women and children, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a broad network of sources across Syria. The use of barrel bombs - oil drums or cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel - has drawn international condemnation, not least from Western powers at last week's peace talks in Switzerland. The first round of negotiations wound up on Friday without progress towards ending Syria's three-year civil war or reducing the violence, which regularly kills more than 100 people a day. Full Story | Top |
| SEC judge who took on the 'Big Four' known for bold moves Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 04:30 AM PST  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cameron Elliot, the U.S. administrative judge who recently delivered a stunning rebuke to the global "Big Four" accounting firms, has a reputation for not shying away from big cases. When he was a federal prosecutor, Elliot was known for being deliberate, unflappable and for going after powerful interests, including violent gang members and the activist group Greenpeace. Now, more than a decade later, Elliot is making waves as an administrative law judge for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Critics say the internal court system gives the SEC a home-court advantage. Full Story | Top |
| Shi'ites overrun rival strongholds in north Yemen; 40 dead Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 06:03 AM PST Shi'ite rebels have overrun strongholds of a rival Sunni tribal group in fighting that has killed at least 40 people in northern Yemen in the last two days, tribal sources said on Sunday. The fighting compounds the challenges faced by U.S.-allied Yemen, which is struggling to stabilize a country that is home to one of al Qaeda's most active branches. One of the poorest countries in the Arab world, it has been in turmoil since mass protests in 2011 forced long-serving President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. Tribal sources said Houthi fighters and their allies from the Hashed tribal federation seized control of al-Khamri, the al-Ahmar family tribal region in Omran province. Full Story | Top |
| Germany promises more engagement: but not on the battlefield Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 08:23 AM PST  By Stephen Brown MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's U.S. and European allies welcome Berlin's promise of a more robust foreign and security policy, but with no appetite at home for troops to fight, it may mean little more than extra logistical help and tougher rhetoric. At this year's security conference in Munich, where 11 years ago pacifist-turned-foreign minister Joschka Fischer told U.S. defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld "excuse me, I am not convinced" about the war in Iraq, Germany promised its knee-jerk reaction would no longer be a 'no' to overseas missions. "In my view, to be a good partner Germany should get involved more quickly, more decisively and more substantially," said head of state President Joachim Gauck, in a message that was reinforced by the German foreign and defense ministers. "Germany is too big to only comment on world politics from the sidelines," said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Full Story | Top |
| Demonstrators disregard Thai poll, vow march to oust PM Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 01:37 PM PST By Martin Petty and Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai anti-government protesters planned to forge ahead on Monday with efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a day after a disrupted election that is unlikely to settle the country's long-running political conflict. The demonstrators blocked balloting in a fifth of the country's constituencies and say Yingluck must resign and make way for an appointed "people's council" to overhaul a political system they say has been taken hostage by her billionaire brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra. Sunday's election, which the main opposition party boycotted, is almost certain to return Yingluck to power and with voting passing off peacefully across the north and northeast, Yingluck's supporters will no doubt claim a legitimate mandate. But the vote is unlikely to change the dysfunctional status quo in a country popular among tourists and investors yet blighted by eight years of polarization and turmoil, pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of the Shinawatras. Full Story | Top |
| Israeli minister attacks Kerry over boycott warnings Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 04:47 AM PST  By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is holding a gun to Israel's head in peace talks with the Palestinians by warning it could face international isolation if negotiations failed, a senior Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday. The remarks by Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed recent accusations by Israel's defense minister that Kerry was being "messianic" in his pursuit of a peace deal. At a Munich security forum on Saturday, Kerry touched a nerve in Israel by pointing to "an increasing de-legitimization" campaign building up against it internationally and "talk of boycotts" if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not end. "Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with a gun to its head when we are discussing the matters which are most critical to our national interests." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, in an emailed statement, said Kerry remained staunchly opposed to any boycott of Israel and was simply describing "previously stated facts about what is at stake for both sides" if peacemaking failed. Full Story | Top |
| Scandals, inequality loom large as Costa Rica votes for new leader Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 10:47 AM PST  By Alexandra Alper and Zach Dyer SAN JOSE (Reuters) - As voters streamed to the polls on Sunday, Costa Rica's centrist ruling party front-runner hoped to fend off a leftist surge fueled by resentment over corruption scandals and rising inequality. Centrist former San Jose Mayor Johnny Araya led polls on promises to reduce poverty, while distancing himself from President Laura Chinchilla's scandal-plagued government and painting rivals as radicals. But voter anger over government corruption has buoyed a challenge from leftist lawmaker Jose Maria Villalta, who also promised to tackle inequality in the coffee-producing nation. "I see Araya as more of the same, a misfortune for this country after all the corruption of the past," said Maria Ines Martinez, 57, a businesswoman, lining up outside a high school to vote as polling stations opened on Sunday. Full Story | Top |
| Spain's Rajoy says taxes will come down gradually Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 03:58 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - A tax reform due to be announced in the first quarter will bring about the gradual reduction of tax rates in Spain over the coming years, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said in a speech on Sunday to a national convention of the ruling People's Party. The right-wing of his conservative party has been unhappy with Rajoy's hiking VAT rates and income taxes during the first two-years of his four-year mandate as the government struggles to shrink a huge budget gap. (Reporting by Fiona Ortiz) Full Story | Top |
| Afghan election campaign stirs both violence and hope Saturday, Feb 01, 2014 11:24 PM PST  By Jessica Donati and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Presidential candidates in Afghanistan begin two months of campaigning on Sunday for an election that Western allies hope will consolidate fragile stability as their forces prepare to leave after nearly 13 years of inconclusive war. The Taliban have rejected the April 5 election and have already stepped up attacks to sabotage it. The militants will also be looking to capitalise if the vote is marred by rigging and feuding between rivals seeking to replace President Hamid Karzai, who can not run for a third term under Afghan law. Whoever replaces him will inherit a country beset by deepening anxiety about security as most foreign troops prepare to pull out by the end of the year, leaving Afghan forces largely on their own to battle the insurgency. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. and Iran meet to discuss final nuclear accord Sunday, Feb 02, 2014 04:20 AM PST  By Adrian Croft and Alexandra Hudson MUNICH (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of the United States and Iran held rare private talks in Germany on Sunday to discuss the next stage in efforts to reach a definitive agreement to end a decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to talk about nuclear negotiations between six world powers and Iran that will resume in Vienna on February 18. The talks will aim to settle the nuclear dispute after Iran agreed, under a landmark preliminary deal last November, to halt its most sensitive nuclear operations in return for winning some relief from sanctions. In his talks with Zarif, Kerry stressed the importance of both sides negotiating in good faith and Iran abiding by its commitments under the November interim accord, a U.S. State Department official said. Full Story | Top |
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