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| Another body found in U.S. mudslide as fears grow for missing Friday, Mar 28, 2014 08:34 PM PDT  By Eric M. Johnson ARLINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Authorities combing a massive mud pile left by a Washington state landslide that buried dozens of homes said on Friday they were bracing for the worst for 90 people still listed as missing, in one of the strongest official acknowledgments that many of those lives may be lost. Officials said one more body had been found in a field of debris left behind when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning last Saturday, unleashing a towering wall of mud onto the outskirts of rural Oso, about 55 miles northeast of Seattle. Full Story | Top |
| Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area Friday, Mar 28, 2014 06:54 PM PDT  Australian authorities coordinating the operation moved the air and sea search 1,100 km (685 miles) north on Friday after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian radar screens on March 8. Five international aircraft spotted "multiple objects of various colors" in the new search area some 1,850 km (1,150 miles) west of Perth, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said on Saturday. Malaysia says the Boeing 777, which vanished less than an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was likely diverted deliberately but investigators have turned up no apparent motive or other red flags among the 227 passengers or the 12 crew. Full Story | Top |
| One more victim found in Washington state mudslide debris field Friday, Mar 28, 2014 06:23 PM PDT (Reuters) - The body of one more person killed in a Washington state mudslide was found on Friday in the debris field where searchers are scouring the muck for about 90 people missing nearly a week after the disaster, a county official said. Snohomish County Executive Director Gary Haakenson said that person was not included in the official death toll of 17, which remained steady. The new remains appeared to bring to 10 the number of victims that authorities have said have been found but not yet identified or added to the official death toll. Full Story | Top |
| Obama seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia over Iran, Syria Friday, Mar 28, 2014 06:09 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland RIYADH (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to reassure Saudi King Abdullah on Friday that he would support moderate Syrian rebels and reject a bad nuclear deal with Iran, during a visit designed to allay the kingdom's concerns that its decades-old U.S. alliance had frayed. Flying by helicopter to the king's desert camp, Obama underscored the importance of Washington's relationship with the world's largest oil exporter in a two-hour meeting that focused on the Middle East but did not touch on energy or human rights. Last year senior Saudi officials warned of a "major shift" away from the United States after bitter disagreements over its response to the "Arab spring" uprisings, efforts to negotiate with Iran, and Washington's decision not to intervene militarily in Syria, where Riyadh wants more American support for rebels. Full Story | Top |
| Brazilian plane makes emergency landing with no front wheels Friday, Mar 28, 2014 05:30 PM PDT An Avianca Airlines passenger jet safely made an emergency landing in Brasilia on Friday after its front landing gear failed to deploy, authorities said. None of the 49 passengers and crew of five on the Fokker 100 jet were injured when the plane landed on its rear wheels before lowering the nose onto the runway, the Brazilian Air Force said. "The plane suffered a hydraulic problem and the front landing gear did not open, so the pilot did a belly landing," an Air Force spokesman said. Full Story | Top |
| Putin calls Obama to discuss U.S. proposal on Ukraine: White House Friday, Mar 28, 2014 05:14 PM PDT  By Steve Holland RIYADH (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday to discuss a U.S. diplomatic proposal for Ukraine, the White House said, adding that Obama told him that Russia must pull back its troops and not move deeper into Ukraine. The Kremlin also reported on the conversation, saying Putin had suggested "examining possible steps the global community can take to help stabilize the situation," and said the foreign ministers of the two countries would discuss this soon. It was believed to have been the first direct conversation between Obama and Putin since the United States and its European allies began imposing sanctions on Putin's inner circle and threatened to penalize key sectors of Russia's economy. Full Story | Top |
| Slovak underdog has chance to beat PM Fico in presidential vote Friday, Mar 28, 2014 05:03 PM PDT  By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) - Slovakia's political heavyweight Prime Minister Robert Fico faces the threat of his biggest defeat at the ballot box from an underdog philanthropist in presidential election runoff on Saturday. In the second round, bookmakers give an edge to political newcomer Andrej Kiska, a businessman turned philanthropist who is riding on the wave of anti-Fico sentiment among right-wing voters as well as distrust in mainstream political parties suspected of complicity in graft scandals. Full Story | Top |
| Geopolitical games handicap Malaysia jet hunt Friday, Mar 28, 2014 04:43 PM PDT The search for flight MH370, the Malaysian jetliner that vanished over the South China Sea on March 8, has involved more than two dozen countries and 60 aircraft and ships but been bedeviled by regional rivalries. While Malaysia has been accused of a muddled response and poor communications, China has showcased its growing military clout and reach, while some involved in the operation say other countries have dragged their feet on disclosing details that might give away sensitive defense data. That has highlighted growing tensions in a region where the rise of China is fuelling an arms race, and where several countries including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are engaged in territorial disputes, with the control of shipping lanes, fishing and potential hydrocarbon reserves at stake. The Malaysian Airline jet, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was last officially detected hundreds of miles off course on the wrong side of the Malaysian peninsula. Full Story | Top |
| Interpol rejects suggestion its passport database is slow Friday, Mar 28, 2014 04:43 PM PDT The international police agency Interpol on Friday rejected a Malaysian suggestion that Interpol's database for checking passport were too cumbersome. Interpol said that although several other countries used the database millions of times each year, the Malaysian immigration department had not checked plane passengers' passports against its database at all this year prior to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8. The agency's statement followed comments made by Malaysia's Interior Minister Zahid Hamidi to parliament on Wednesday that the burdensome nature of the Interpol database slowed down immigration checks. Full Story | Top |
| At edge of Malaysia Airlines search, questions of security and diplomacy Friday, Mar 28, 2014 04:43 PM PDT By Matt Siegel and Jane Wardell PERTH/SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - The pot-bellied silhouette of a Chinese Il-76 military transport plane appeared in the sky over Perth International Airport just as the U.S. naval officer was explaining how he guards his cutting-edge surveillance plane. Lieutenant Commander Adam Schantz was ticking off the measures, including a round-the-clock guard and armed rapid response team, as he caught sight of the Chinese aircraft coming in to land a few meters from the U.S. P8 Poseidon for which he is responsible. The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is producing strange bedfellows. At least six countries - the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia - are participating in the search and rescue operation for the flight, which disappeared almost three weeks ago and is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. urges end to Syria's 'convoluted' aid restrictions Friday, Mar 28, 2014 04:23 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos on Friday urged Syria's government to end needless restrictions on access to areas where besieged Syrians are in desperate need of aid after three years of civil war. She also voiced concern about opposition groups, especially those such as al Qaeda-linked extremist al Nusra, which has said it will not allow foreigners to operate in Syria. "The administrative arrangements that have been put in place for clearance for our convoys are quite convoluted," Amos told Reuters in an interview after briefing the U.N. Security Council about how much-needed aid is still not reaching many in Syria. And even when the Syrian government approves deliveries, it can still be difficult to reach besieged areas. Full Story | Top |
| Oil sector withholding info on rail cargoes: U.S. regulator Friday, Mar 28, 2014 04:19 PM PDT By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. transport regulators on Friday scolded the oil industry for not sharing important information on the kinds of rail shipments that have been involved in a number of fiery train derailments. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group that represents oil industry companies, disputed the accusations. In letters to regulators and testimony to lawmakers, leaders of trade groups like the API have said since January that they will share results of their tests on fuel from North Dakota's booming Bakken oil patch, where the derailed trains were loaded. But the Department of Transportation said the industry has dragged its feet in cooperating with regulators who are trying to understand why several recent derailments of freight trains carrying crude oil also resulted in explosions. Full Story | Top |
| After days of searching, volunteer pulls sister's body from Washington mudslide Friday, Mar 28, 2014 03:59 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Days after risking his own life and defying arrest by joining the search for Washington state mudslide victims in a vast, mucky debris field near Oso, Dayn Brunner retrieved the body of the No. 1 person he had been looking for - his sister. Brunner, 42, recounted the tragic coincidence in an interview with Reuters on Friday, two days after it unfolded on the enormous mound of mud and rubble left by last Saturday's disaster, which has claimed at least 26 lives and left 90 people still missing. Brunner said he was on the mud pile on Wednesday afternoon when other rescue workers found a blue object and called him over to the spot. It was the same color as the car his sister, Summer Raffo, 36, was known to have been driving through the area when the slide struck. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Russia threatened countries ahead of UN vote on Ukraine - envoys Friday, Mar 28, 2014 03:19 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said. The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding resolution on the Ukraine crisis. Full Story | Top |
| Hagel, ahead of China trip, urges military restraint in cyberspace Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:51 PM PDT  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, pushing for openness ahead of a trip to China, said on Friday in an unusual live broadcast from a secretive base the Pentagon would exercise restraint in using the military in cyberspace and urged other nations to do so as well. In his first remarks on cyber security since becoming defense secretary last year, Hagel told a retirement ceremony for Cyber Command chief General Keith Alexander that the Pentagon sought to be "open and transparent" about its cyber capabilities and intentions with both allies and competitors. "The United States does not seek to militarize cyberspace," Hagel he told an audience at Fort Meade, Maryland, the home of Cyber Command and the NSA signals spy service. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sees tough times for Ukraine economy, expects improvement Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:47 PM PDT By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Ukrainian economy faces several difficult years even if international lenders bail it out and the country's politicians follow through on an ambitious reform agenda, a U.S. Treasury official said on Friday. Ukraine is currently reeling from political unrest, shaky public finances and a confrontation with its powerful Russian neighbor, which annexed Crimea, part of Ukraine, earlier this month. The U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said that while the next two years would be a period of adjustment for Ukraine, aid packages from the International Monetary Fund and developed countries would likely help stabilize Ukraine's financial system and provide a foundation for economic growth. The aid is tied to economic reforms that, when enacted, would also help growth, the official said, adding that Russia's actions appear to have galvanized support in Ukraine for its reform agenda. Full Story | Top |
| Saudi rights abuses did not come up in Obama-Abdullah talks: US Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:45 PM PDT Human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia were not raised in talks between U.S. President Barack Obama and King Abdullah on Friday, a U.S. official said. "Today, given the extent of time they spent on Iran and Syria, they didn't get to a number of issues, and it wasn't just human rights," the official said. The official added that Obama on Saturday would present a State Department Woman of Courage Award to a Saudi woman fighting domestic violence. Full Story | Top |
| Mudslide death toll poised to soar despite dearth of details Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:22 PM PDT By Eric M. Johnson ARLINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - The death toll from a catastrophic mudslide in Washington state appeared poised to climb dramatically as rescue teams drenched by steady rains on Friday clawed through thick muck searching for more victims nearly a week after a disaster that has left 90 people missing. Authorities already have said that some of those killed might never be found, and on Thursday braced the public for news - still yet to come - that the number of dead would "increase substantially" in the next 24 to 28 hours. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine-Russia row over Crimea spreads to U.N. nuclear agency Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:19 PM PDT By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic agency has got caught up in the diplomatic crossfire over Crimea as Russia insists its agreements with the Vienna-based watchdog now also cover the annexed Black Sea peninsula, a confidential exchange showed on Friday. Ukraine, for its part, urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "to avoid any actions" which might be construed as recognition of Russia's annexation of the region. Faced with the worst East-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, the U.N. agency issued a cautious statement telling Russia it would "continue to implement safeguards in accordance with the IAEA statute and international law". Reuters obtained the notes from Russia and Ukraine to the IAEA, along with its replies, shortly after they were sent to the Vienna-based organization's member states. Full Story | Top |
| Russia's buildup near Ukraine may reach 40,000 troops: U.S. sources Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:19 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia's reinforcement of troops near Ukraine has brought the total forces there to as many as 40,000, U.S. officials estimated on Friday, as the United States voiced anxiety over the buildup and called on Moscow to pull back its military. The U.S. estimates of as many as 35,000 to around 40,000 troops are higher than the more than 30,000 total deployments reported earlier this week by U.S. and European sources familiar with official reporting. Some European sources remain cautious of increasing the estimates beyond 30,000. The military buildup is adding to concerns that Russia may again be readying an incursion into Ukraine following its annexation of Crimea, which has triggered the worst stand-off with the West since the Cold War. Full Story | Top |
| Russia criticizes U.N. resolution condemning Crimea's secession Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:15 PM PDT  Russia said on Friday a U.N. resolution declaring invalid Crimea's Moscow-backed referendum on seceding from Ukraine was counterproductive and accused Western states of using blackmail and threats to drum up "yes" votes. The non-binding resolution passed with 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, in a vote that Western nations said highlighted Russia's isolation. "This counterproductive initiative only complicates efforts to resolve the domestic political crisis in Ukraine," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Several Western diplomats, however, have said Russia's U.N. envoy led an aggressive lobbying campaign against the resolution in what they said showed how seriously Moscow took the U.N. vote condemning a referendum that led to its annexation of Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| Lithuania to boost defense spending after Ukraine crisis Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:15 PM PDT With the Ukraine crisis raising concerns in the Baltics, Lithuania will bring its military spending in line with NATO requirements of 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2020, up from 0.8 percent of GDP planned for this year. Lithuanian politicians from the ruling coalition and the opposition will sign a declaration to boost military spending on Saturday, as the country celebrates 10 years since it joined the alliance, the government said on Friday. The move is seen as largely symbolic, as the small Baltic nation contributes only about 0.4 percent of NATO's total military budget but relies on the alliance for its defense. "In the context of the Ukrainian events, Lithuania understands it can expect help from NATO if it is needed," Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius said in an emailed statement. Full Story | Top |
| China takes no sides on Ukraine crisis, Xi tells Europe Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:12 PM PDT By Stephen Brown and Annika Breidthardt BERLIN (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping said on Friday China would not take sides with the West or Russia over Ukraine, disappointing any hopes Beijing might add its weight to international pressure on Moscow for annexing Crimea. "China does not have any private interests in the Ukraine question," Xi told a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "All parties involved should work for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict." China has adopted a cautious response to the Ukraine crisis, not wanting to alienate its ally Russia or make comment directly on a referendum in which Crimea voted to join Russia, lest it set a precedent for restive regions of its own such as Tibet. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to stress support for Central Asia after Crimea Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:12 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official will travel to two countries in Central Asia next week to emphasize U.S. support for the independence of post-Soviet states after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Washington's point person for South and Central Asia, will visit Kazakhstan from March 31 to April 2 and Kyrgyzstan from April 2-4. "In both countries Assistant Secretary Biswal will re-affirm the U.S. commitment to continued engagement and partnership with the countries of the region for stability and prosperity," the State Department said in a statement. A State Department official added that would "affirm our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries and for all post-Soviet states." The U.S. visit will come two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, another former Soviet state. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish opposition struggles to close gap with scandal-hit Erdogan Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:09 PM PDT By Ayla Jean Yackley DENIZLI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition party has barely dented support for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan despite months of anti-government protests, an investigation into government graft and hours of incriminating conversations leaked online. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), at campaign rallies in more than 70 cities around Turkey, has emerged as Erdogan's most dogged public critic over the corruption scandal that has implicated the prime minister, his family and his closest ministers. Yet Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party remains comfortably ahead of the centre-left, staunchly secularist CHP in the countdown to Sunday's municipal elections. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish security breach exposes Erdogan in power struggle Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:09 PM PDT  By Ralph Boulton and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's spymaster discusses possible military intervention in Syria with army and civilian chiefs, and days later their words are broadcast on the internet for all the world to hear. The breach appeared to highlight a disturbing truth for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan: that Turkey can no longer keep even top-level security planning secret, despite his purge of thousands of officials to root out a covert network of enemies he accuses of trying to sabotage the state and topple him. "This crisis is one of the biggest in Turkish history," a senior government official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. We do not know who is in possession of them." Erdogan was out of public action on Friday, resting his voice strained by campaigning for local elections this weekend - the first in a string that will decide the future of a man who has reformed Turkey fundamentally but is now accused by critics of authoritarian and divisive tendencies. Full Story | Top |
| Israel says shoots two suspected infiltrators from Syria Friday, Mar 28, 2014 02:04 PM PDT Israeli troops shot two suspected armed infiltrators at the Syrian frontier in the occupied Golan Heights on Friday, the Israeli military said. The Israeli news web site Ynet said both men had been killed, but a military spokeswoman would not confirm their condition, nor was it clear to which group the men belonged. The shootings were the latest of a series of escalating violence along the testy frontier, coming 10 days after Israel attacked Syrian targets in retaliation for a roadside bombing that wounded four Israeli soldiers, in the worst Israeli casualty toll of Syria's more than three year insurgency. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized abroad. Full Story | Top |
| Eleven killed in Central African Republic grenade attack Friday, Mar 28, 2014 01:55 PM PDT Eleven people died in the capital of the Central African Republic after a grenade exploded among mourners gathered for a funeral, the Red Cross said on Friday, in what residents said was an attack on Christians. Tit-for-tat inter-communal violence in the impoverished, landlocked country has intensified in recent days as Christian militia have become more militarized, aid workers say. Two thousand French soldiers and 6,000 strong African Union peacekeeping mission have failed to stop the raging violence in the landlocked, impoverished country that has killed thousands. Residents told Reuters a Muslim tossed a hand grenade at a crowd in a Christian district of Bangui's PK5 neighborhood on Thursday night. Full Story | Top |
| Foreigners escape Taliban siege in Kabul; Afghan child killed Friday, Mar 28, 2014 01:06 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban gunmen stormed a Kabul guesthouse used by a U.S.-based aid group and held four foreigners hostage for several hours on Friday, just eight days before Afghanistan holds a presidential election which the militant group has vowed to derail. Kabul is already on high alert and people across the country are on edge ahead of an April 5 vote the hardline Islamist movement has denounced as a Western-backed sham. The siege of the walled compound, which is also home to a small church, lasted several hours before Afghan security forces killed the last remaining Taliban gunman holed up inside. A Reuters witness saw about 20 people being evacuated from the guesthouse in an upmarket residential area of Kabul, many looking frightened and shocked. Full Story | Top |
| Escalating attacks jangle nerves ahead of crucial Afghan vote Friday, Mar 28, 2014 01:04 PM PDT By Hamid Shalizi and Maria Golovnina KABUL (Reuters) - With a week to go before Afghanistan's presidential election, escalating violence across the country risks undermining the credibility of a vote meant to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghan history. The Taliban have declared war on the April 5 election, calling it a Western-backed sham and threatening to do everything in their power to derail the vote through a campaign of gun attacks, bombings and assassinations. A brazen raid by a squad of suicide bombers and gunmen on an election office in Kabul this week sent a chilling message to voters as they prepared to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai. "Such attacks may not derail the election, but they will certainly create fear and anxiety among the people," said Nader Nadery, chairman of FEFA, Afghanistan's largest election monitoring group. Full Story | Top |
| Obama tells Saudi king U.S. will not agree bad deal with Iran Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:57 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah discussed "tactical differences" in their approach to some issues during a meeting in Riyadh on Friday, but agreed both sides remain strategically aligned, a senior U.S. official said. Obama also assured Abdullah that the United States would not accept a bad nuclear deal with Iran, the official said, adding that Washington remained concerned about providing some shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons to Syrian rebels. In the run-up to his visit to the kingdom, officials had said Obama would aim to persuade the monarch that Saudi concerns that Washington was slowly disengaging from the Middle East and no longer listening to its old ally were unfounded. Last year senior Saudi officials warned of a "major shift" away from Washington after bitter disagreements about its response to the "Arab Spring" uprisings, and policy towards Iran and Syria, where Riyadh wants more American support for rebels. Full Story | Top |
| NATO names Norway's Stoltenberg as next leader Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:55 PM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Balazs Koranyi BRUSSELS/OSLO (Reuters) - NATO chose former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as its next leader on Friday at a time when the Western military alliance must deal with a resurgent Russia following its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. Stoltenberg will take over as secretary-general of the 28-nation grouping on October 1, succeeding former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has led NATO since 2009. Stoltenberg, the first Norwegian to occupy NATO's top post, will take over at a time when NATO, seen by some as a Cold War relic, has gained new relevance because of concerns about what the Ukraine crisis says about a newly assertive Russia. Full Story | Top |
| Police officer injured, suspect dead in Toronto-area courthouse shooting Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:50 PM PDT A police officer was rushed to hospital after a shooting at a Toronto area courthouse on Friday, while the man who shot him was killed by another officer, police said. Constable Mike Klarenbeek, a 29-year police veteran, was shot after a man approached a security checkpoint at the courthouse, police said. Klarenbeek was part of the security detail at the courthouse in Brampton, Ontario, a city of about 500,000 just west of Toronto. "As a result, (Klarenbeek) suffered a gunshot wound and the male party is deceased," Peel Regional Police spokesman Dan Richardson told a news conference. Full Story | Top |
| Texas responders extend oil cleanup in Matagorda Bay after spill Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:34 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Responders from the Matagorda Incident Command Post in Port O'Connor, Texas, extended their cleanup efforts to mitigate the environmental effects of a fuel oil spill that occurred in the Houston Ship Channel last weekend, the Texas City "Y" Response Unified Command said in an update on Friday. Members of the public are discouraged from accessing south Matagorda Island until the command announces that response operations are complete, the agency said. The channel was shut on Saturday when a Kirby Inland Marine fuel oil barge collided with a cargo ship near the entrance to Galveston Bay, spilling 4,000 barrels, or 168,000 gallons (636,000 liters), of heavy, black fuel oil. Full Story | Top |
| At least three killed in Cairo clashes Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:32 PM PDT  At least three people were killed in clashes in Cairo on Friday amid protests by the Muslim Brotherhood, days after hundreds of its Islamist supporters were sentenced to death, official sources said. Newspaper Al Dustour said on its website Mayada Ashraf, one of its journalists, had died covering fighting which security sources said had involved Brotherhood supporters, security forces and residents. Security sources said birdshot had been fired during the clashes. State-run news agency MENA quoted an unnamed interior ministry official as saying four citizens were killed in the clashes, blaming Brotherhood supporters for the deaths. Full Story | Top |
| Obama considers new climate regulations for oil, gas sector Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:31 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it will take a hard look at whether new regulations are needed to cut emissions of methane from the oil and gas industry, part of President Barack Obama's plan to address climate change. The suggestion drew a sharp rebuke from the main oil and gas lobby group. The American Petroleum Institute said its members were already taking steps that will cut emissions and expressed concern that more regulations could put a damper on natural gas drilling by raising costs. But environmental groups said regulations are needed to make sure all players take action to reduce methane emissions. Full Story | Top |
| Kenyan president says tourism sector 'on its knees' after attacks Friday, Mar 28, 2014 12:28 PM PDT  By James Macharia NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's vital tourism sector is "on its knees" after attacks by al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants carried out in retaliation for its intervention in neighboring Somalia, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday. Kenyatta met ethnic Somali leaders and asked for their help in identifying people they thought may be behind attacks that have dented the president's plans to boost the tourism sector in east Africa's biggest economy. Kenya has large Somali communities in parts of the country near the frontier with Somalia and in Eastleigh, a part of the capital Nairobi known as "Little Mogadishu" for its large Somali population. Tourist arrivals in Kenya in the first five months of 2013 were down 15 percent on the previous year as visitors stayed away, worried by attacks blamed on Somalia's al Shabaab rebel group and by fears of trouble around elections in March, which in the event passed off peacefully. Full Story | Top |
| French minister in the soup over 'disgusting' food remark Friday, Mar 28, 2014 11:57 AM PDT  France's trade minister had to eat humble pie on Friday after she was caught on film saying that food served at a state dinner for China's President Xi Jinping was "disgusting". President Francois Hollande and Xi were all smiles at the dinner Wednesday at the Elysee presidential palace. But Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq was unimpressed by the fare that included foie gras, roasted poultry with mushrooms, and a chocolate and caramel dessert. Television cameras caught her telling Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault that the food at the Elysee did not compare with that served at Matignon, the prime minister's office, where she had attended a lunch for Xi. Full Story | Top |
| Obama reiterates significance of Saudi ties in talks with king: US Friday, Mar 28, 2014 11:14 AM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated the significance the United States places on its "strong relationship" with Saudi Arabia in talks with King Abdullah on Friday, a White House statement said. It added that Washington and Riyadh were working together to address critical bilateral and regional issues, including "the crisis in Syria, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, counterterrorism efforts to combat extremism, and supporting negotiations to achieve Middle East peace". Last year senior Saudi officials warned of a "major shift" away from Washington after bitter disagreements about its response to the "Arab Spring" uprisings, and policy towards Iran and Syria, where Riyadh wants more American support for rebels. "In his meetings with King Abdullah in Riyadh, President Obama reiterated the significance the United States places on its strong relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has endured for over 80 years," the statement said. Full Story | Top |
| Xi says China 'not looking for trouble' in South China Sea Friday, Mar 28, 2014 10:51 AM PDT Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday his country would not act aggressively regarding territorial claims in the South China Sea but was determined to safeguard its interests there. "On the issue of the South China Sea, we will not provoke trouble ourselves but we will not fear troubles provoked by others either," he said in a speech during a visit to Berlin. "When it comes to our sovereignty and territorial integrity we will strongly safeguard these interests," said Xi. China's claims over islands, reefs and atolls in resource-rich waters of the South China Sea have set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia have claims too. Full Story | Top |
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