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China signals focus on reforms and leaner, cleaner growth Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 07:29 PM PST | Top |
China's Xi ramps up military spending in face of worried region Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 07:27 PM PST China will increase military spending by 12.2 percent this year to 808.23 billion yuan ($131.57 billion), the government said on Wednesday, partly to beef up coastal and air defenses and to develop more high-tech weapons. "We will comprehensively enhance the revolutionary nature of the Chinese armed forces, further modernize them and upgrade their performance, and continue to raise their deterrence and combat capabilities in the information age," Premier Li Keqiang told the largely rubber-stamp legislature. Li added that China would "strengthen research on national defense and the development of new- and high-technology weapons and equipment" and "enhance border, coastal and air defenses". China's military spending is now second only to that of the United States, allowing Beijing to create a modern force that is projecting power deep into the disputed waters of the East and South China Seas. Full Story | Top |
San Francisco moves closer to banning plastic water bottles Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 07:26 PM PST By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco moved to restrict the sale of plastic water bottles on city property on Tuesday, the first such action by a major U.S. municipality and the latest in a string of waste-reduction measures that included a ban on plastic grocery bags. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin phasing out the sale and distribution of water in single-use plastic bottles on city-owned or leased land next fall, and to ban future water bottle purchases with city funds. "There are incredible, enormous environmental costs of plastic water bottles," said Supervisor David Chiu, who introduced the measure. "It takes 1,000 years for a typical plastic water bottle to biodegrade." Numerous cities in California and other states, including Maui County and a number of Hawaiian municipalities, have made it illegal for grocery stores to pack consumer purchases in plastic bags, and a bill recently introduced in the state legislature would extend such bans statewide. Full Story | Top |
China to 'declare war' on pollution, premier says Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 07:20 PM PST | Top |
Japan concerned about lack of clarity in China's defense policy Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 06:44 PM PST China's lack of clarity in defence spending is a source of concern for the world and for Japan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday. Suga also told a news conference that the jump in China's 2014 military budget, which China said earlier in the day would rise by 12.2 percent, is something that Japan is keeping an eye on and that Tokyo will stay in close contact with other nations. Full Story | Top |
Obama, Germany's Merkel discuss potential resolution to Ukraine crisis Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 05:59 PM PST | Top |
Uighur leader fears China's 'iron fist' after knife attack Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 05:50 PM PST | Top |
Instant View: China aims for 7.5 percent economic growth in 2014 Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 05:28 PM PST (Reuters) - China will maintain its economic growth target for 2014 at about 7.5 percent, as expected, signaling that its policy focus would be slanted in favor of reforms and rebalancing the economy. Premier Li Keqiang, in a report to the National People's Congress at the start of its annual session on Wednesday, also said military spending will increase by 12.2 percent. Key points - 2014 growth target set at about 7.5 percent - China to make domestic demand main growth engine - 2014 CPI target set at about 3.5 pct - Total trade expected to increase 7.5 pct in 2014 - 2014 Budget deficit seen at 2.1 pct of GDP - China to continue with exchange rate reform - China to extend yuan floating rate - Military spending to increase by 12.2 percent COMMENTARY: KEVIN LAI, ECONOMIST, DAIWA CAPITAL MARKETS, HONG KONG: "7.5 percent is in line with the target last year. Full Story | Top |
Yosemite bears turn health nuts with junk food off menu Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 05:02 PM PST By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bears in Yosemite National Park in California have adopted the wildlife version of a health food diet after increased safety measures largely blocked them from scavenging for food in campgrounds over the last 15 years, a study showed on Tuesday. An estimated 350 to 400 black bears roam Yosemite, one of the most popular U.S. tourist destinations. Interactions between the park's bears and people reached a record level in 1998 as the animals raided campgrounds and broke into cars in search of groceries and leftovers, according to Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman. After recording 1,584 human-bear interactions that year, the park east of San Francisco adopted a policy in 1999 that included placing bear-resistant food storage containers at campgrounds and cracking down more forcefully on people leaving out items like chips or bread, Gediman said. Full Story | Top |
Putin: military force would be 'last resort' in Ukraine Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 05:02 PM PST | Top |
Japan's embrace of Russia under threat with Ukraine crisis Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 04:59 PM PST By Aaron Sheldrick TOKYO (Reuters) - Russia's incursion into Ukraine is setting off alarm bells in Tokyo, where officials worry that any push by Japan's Western allies to impose economic penalties will undermine its drive to improve relations with Moscow. While U.S. President Barack Obama and other G7 leaders of advanced economies talk of sanctions or other punitive responses, Japanese officials say ties with Moscow remain on track. There has been no change in the direction of economic and resource diplomacy between Japan and Russia, Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
China vows to cut industrial capacity faster, fight pollution Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 04:50 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - China will cut excess industrial capacity a year earlier than planned and fight pollution through reforms in energy pricing to boost non-fossil fuel power, the government said on Wednesday. To ensure food security, Beijing also said it will expand the scope of agricultural subsidies for grains and other commodities, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's economic planner, said in its 2014 work document. The government will continue to implement annual stockpiling programs for corn, rapeseed and sugar, the NDRC said. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. calls for 'urgent' restraint to ease Japan, South Korea tensions Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 04:36 PM PST | Top |
U.N. warns of possible humanitarian disaster in South Sudan Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 04:34 PM PST | Top |
Netanyahu warns on Iran, no concessions for Palestinians Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 04:29 PM PST | Top |
China's Xi says Russia can push for political solution in Ukraine Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 03:50 PM PST Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he believes Russia can push for a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis in coordination with other parties, China's foreign ministry said. Xi said during a telephone call late on Tuesday "the situation in Ukraine, which seems to be accidental, has the elements of the inevitable", the foreign ministry said in a brief statement. He described the situation in Ukraine as "highly complicated and sensitive", with regional and global implications. Full Story | Top |
Scottish leader calls on all Britons to back independence Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 03:37 PM PST | Top |
Ukraine could borrow more if IMF reforms passed: U.S. Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 03:36 PM PST By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ukraine would be able to borrow more money in the midst of its current crisis if U.S. lawmakers sign off on a measure to increase the International Monetary Fund's financial power, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The IMF legislation would double the fund's resources and give countries in crisis, such as Ukraine, access to a bigger pool of potential aid. "The fund's central role in supporting economic reforms and catalyzing financial assistance for Ukraine underscores again why the IMF is critical for our national security interests," a U.S. Treasury official said. The Treasury said it was asking Congress to link IMF funding measures to legislation that would provide at least $1 billion in loan guarantees to support Ukraine's economy. Full Story | Top |
At Ukrainian cliff-top base, shots fired as Russia cements control Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 03:34 PM PST By Andrew Osborn BELBEK AIR BASE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Perched on a cliff high above the Black Sea, Ukraine's Belbek military air base and its MiG-29 fighter jets fell into the hands of forces loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin late last week. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian air force and the men who until recently used to fly its war planes, tried and failed to get it back. The standoff was one of the most dramatic since pro-Russian forces began to try to seize Ukraine's military assets on the Crimean peninsula, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. Colonel Yuli Mamchur, commander of Ukraine's 204th tactical aviation brigade, led hundreds of his men up the long winding road from their barracks to the cliff top airstrip in a column early on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
Amid protests, Venezuela to remember late Hugo Chavez Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 02:01 PM PST | Top |
White House calls Russia's ICBM test launch 'routine' Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 01:21 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House called Russia's test launch on Tuesday of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile "routine" and said the United States was given advanced notification, as required under the New START treaty. "This was a previously notified and routine test launch of an ICBM," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement, adding that "Russia and the United States routinely flight test their ICBMs and SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles)." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
Bulgaria weighs dependence on Ukraine route for Russian energy Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 01:07 PM PST Bulgaria, heavily dependent on Russia for gas and oil, will estimate its own reserves and seek alternatives to cope with any worsening of the Ukrainian crisis, it said on Tuesday. Bulgaria imports over 70 percent of its energy resources, most of which come from Russia - through Ukraine - and is considering alternatives for its energy security. They are mainly economic," Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetin Yovchev said after a meeting of the government's security council over Ukraine. It meets over 85 percent of its gas needs with imports from Russia's Gazprom through only one route that passes Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
Karzai brother to withdraw from Afghan presidential race: rival Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 01:04 PM PST | Top |
Russia test-fires ICBM amid tension over Ukraine Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:43 PM PST | Top |
Russia notified U.S. ahead of ICBM test, U.S. official says Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:32 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States received notification from Russia ahead of its test-fire of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Tuesday, in line with Moscow's commitments under the nuclear arms treaty between the two countries, a U.S. official said. The official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said initial notification of Russia's test plans pre-dated Russia's military intervention in Crimea. ... Full Story | Top |
Egypt's Sisi signals he will run for president Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:30 PM PST | Top |
U.N. sanctions experts investigate Rodman's North Korea trips Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:29 PM PST | Top |
U.S. calls for 'urgent' restraint to ease Japan, Korea tensions Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:22 PM PST | Top |
Tide of opinion turns against Russia in Ukraine's east Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:19 PM PST By Lina Kushch and Alessandra Prentice DONETSK/KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - More than 1,000 demonstrators with Ukrainian flags took to the streets of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Tuesday, for the first time outnumbering pro-Moscow youths who have seized its government building, which flies the Russian flag. President Vladimir Putin's declaration on Saturday that Russia had the right to invade Ukraine was accompanied by pro-Russian demonstrations across Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking south and east. But in the four days since, the tide of opinion in eastern cities appears to be turning back towards Kiev. Full Story | Top |
Growth, reform in spotlight as China parliament meeting opens Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 12:02 PM PST | Top |
Officials discussing possibility of a G7 meeting soon: Canada Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 11:59 AM PST The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations are discussing whether to hold a meeting in the near future, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday, a move that would pointedly exclude Russia. The G7 became the G8 in 1998 when Russia was formally included. Diplomats had previously said one way for the international community to punish Moscow for its incursion into Ukraine would be to hold a G7 meeting. "I spoke to President Obama on that on the weekend, I've suggested that, and I know there are discussions among G7 sherpas (senior officials) about the possibility of a G7 meeting in the upcoming weeks," Harper told the Canadian Parliament. Full Story | Top |
Arctic cold sets records in eastern United States Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 11:55 AM PST By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The eastern and central United States were plunged into a deep freeze on Tuesday, with record low temperatures in the wake of a deadly storm expected to moderate in coming days. The late-winter storm left behind frigid temperatures after pushing freezing rain, sleet and snow from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Temperatures this week will be "below average east of the Rockies, as it has been for a good part of the winter," said Bob Oravec, a National Weather Service meteorologist in College Park, Maryland. The icy front sent the mercury plunging to minus 1F (minus 18C) at Washington Dulles International Airport, tying a monthly record, the weather service said. Full Story | Top |
Turkey's Erdogan tells Putin crisis must be solved by Ukrainians Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 11:08 AM PST ISTANBUL/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that it was largely up to Ukrainians to resolve their country's crisis, and said instability in the Black Sea nation would have regional repercussions. The leaders spoke by telephone about the situation in Ukraine and its southerly Crimea region, which lie across the Black Sea from Turkey. Erdogan told Putin "that it is foremost the responsibility of Ukrainians to resolve the country's crisis" and emphasized that "instability in (Ukraine) would negatively affect the entire region", a statement from Erdogan's office said. The "Maidan" refers to the square in the Ukrainian capital that was the focus of a bloody, three-month political confrontation that led to the overthrow of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich last month. Full Story | Top |
Ukraine says stepping up protection of nuclear plants Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:30 AM PST Ukraine is reinforcing the protection of its nuclear power plants, it told the U.N. atomic watchdog on Tuesday, because of "a grave threat to the security" of the country posed by the Russian military. Ukraine has 15 nuclear power reactors in operation, accounting for nearly 44 percent of its electricity production in 2013, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) website. Ukraine's envoy to the IAEA said in a letter to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano: "Illegal actions of the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory and the threat of use of force amount to a grave threat to security of Ukraine with its potential consequences for its nuclear power infrastructure." Ambassador Ihor Prokopchuk's letter, dated March 4, was circulated among delegations attending a week-long meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation governing board in Vienna. Full Story | Top |
EU reaches preliminary deal to freeze assets of 18 Ukrainians Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:30 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments reached a preliminary agreement on Tuesday to freeze the assets of 18 Ukrainians, at Kiev's request, after Ukraine's new rulers said billions in public funds have gone missing. The decision still needs to be made final in the coming days and follows similar moves last week by Austria, an EU member, as well as Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Austrian authorities have included Ukraine's ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, in their list of targets but it was not clear whether his assets would now be frozen throughout the 28-nation bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
Russia says it would retaliate for U.S. sanctions over Ukraine Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:08 AM PST Russia said on Tuesday that it would retaliate if the United States imposed sanctions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine. "We will have to respond," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement. "As always in such situations, provoked by rash and irresponsible actions by Washington, we stress: this is not our choice." "We have frequently explained to the Americans ... why unilateral sanctions do not fit the standards of civilized relations between states," Lukashevich said. Lukashevich did not describe any measures Moscow might impose in retaliation but said the Russian response would not necessarily mirror the U.S. sanctions. Full Story | Top |
Russia seeks pretext to invade more of Ukraine: Kerry Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:07 AM PST By Lesley Wroughton KIEV (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday condemned Russia's "act of aggression" in Ukraine's Crimea region and said Moscow was looking for a pretext to invade more of the country. Visiting Kiev to show support for Ukraine's new leaders after Russian forces took control of Crimea, Kerry said there was no evidence to support Moscow's version of events - that Russian speakers are in danger in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
Netanyahu warns on Iran, urges no Palestinian 'excuses' Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:06 AM PST | Top |
Russian professor under pressure over Nazi comparison on Ukraine Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:06 AM PST By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian philosophy professor says he is being forced from his job at a prestigious state university after comparing Moscow's actions in Ukraine with Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938. In an opinion article published on the daily Vedomosti's website on Saturday, Andrei Zubov said Russia was on the verge of war and added: "We must not behave the way Germans once behaved, based on the promises of Goebbels and Hitler." By Tuesday, he told the internet news site slon. ... Full Story | Top |
Turkish PM says rival will 'pay price' as new recordings emerge Tuesday, Mar 04, 2014 10:03 AM PST | Top |
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