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| Anadarko Petroleum settles U.S.-wide clean-up case for $5.15 billion Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 04:57 PM PDT  Energy company Anadarko Petroleum Corp agreed on Thursday to pay more than $5 billion to clean up areas across the United States polluted by nuclear fuel, wood creosote and rocket fuel waste that caused cancer and other health problems. The agreement resolves a long-running lawsuit against the Kerr-McGee energy and chemical company, which Anadarko bought in 2006. It was also seeking payment for claims from more than 8,000 people who said their exposure to Kerr-McGee's wood treatment plants in Avoca, Pennsylvania and Manville, New Jersey caused cancer, which in some cases led to death. "If you are responsible for 85 years of poisoning the earth, you are responsible for cleaning it up," the U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, Preet Bharara, said at a news conference announcing the settlement. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 05:42 PM PDT  By Lisa Maria Garza FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The soldier suspected of shooting dead three people before killing himself at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas was identified as Ivan Lopez, a man battling mental illness when he went on a rampage, the base commander said on Thursday. No motive was given for the shooting spree on Wednesday, which also left 16 wounded in what was the second mass killing in five years at one of the largest military bases in the United States, raising questions about security at such installations. "We have very strong evidence that he had a medical history that indicates unstable psychiatric or psychological conditions," Lieutenant General Mark Milley told reporters. Lopez, 34, originally from Puerto Rico, had been treated for depression and anxiety. Full Story | Top |
| David Letterman to retire from CBS 'Late Show' in 2015 Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 07:35 PM PDT  By Ronald Grover and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian David Letterman, who brought a sardonic, offbeat wit to late-night television, along with bits such as "Stupid Pet Tricks" and his "Top Ten" list, will retire as host of "The Late Show" on CBS in 2015, he said during the taping of his show in New York. Letterman, 66, whose contract expires next year, began hosting the CBS show in August 1993, after leaving the rival NBC network, where he originated his late-night TV persona and much of his program on the "Late Night with David Letterman" show for many years. There was no immediate word on who might succeed Letterman in the key 11:30 p.m. slot on CBS, opposite NBC's top-rated "The Tonight Show." The Emmy-winning host said he had spoken in the past with CBS Corp President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves, "and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. warns China not to attempt Crimea-style action in Asia Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:58 PM PDT  By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China should not doubt the U.S. commitment to defend its Asian allies and the prospect of economic retaliation should also discourage Beijing from using force to pursue territorial claims in Asia in the way Russia has in Crimea, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Daniel Russel, President Barack Obama's diplomatic point man for East Asia, said it was difficult to determine what China's intentions might be, but Russia's annexation of Crimea had heightened concerns among U.S. allies in the region about the possibility of China using force to pursue its claims. Full Story | Top |
| Soth Korea extending ballistic missile range to counter North's threat Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:13 PM PDT  South Korea has test-fired a new ballistic missile with a range of 500 km (310 miles) and will try to extend the range to 800 km so it can strike any site in North Korea, its defense ministry said on Friday, days after Pyongyang fired a mid-range missile. The new missiles are intended to counter the threat from North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said, but the move is likely to rattle the North, hit with U.N. sanctions for its own missile tests. South Korea adopted a voluntary ban on developing ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 km, under an agreement with the United States, but the allies agreed in 2012 to allow the South to develop 800 km-range missiles. "We test-fired it, and we succeeded," Kim told a briefing, when asked if the military had recently conducted a 500-km missile test. Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel votes to declassify report on CIA interrogations Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 05:56 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee voted on Thursday to declassify its long-awaited report on the CIA's use of brutal interrogation methods that critics say amount to torture. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who chairs the committee, said the vote was 11-3 to declassify what she called the "shocking" results of investigating the Central Intelligence Agency practices under Republican President George W. Bush. The vote to lift the blackout on the summary and recommendations of the 6,200-page report follows an unprecedented clash by Feinstein with the CIA, and would give the world its first official look at its regimen of interrogation and detentions in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. This is not what Americans do," Feinstein told reporters after the committee voted during a classified meeting. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: U.S. states probing security breach at Experian unit Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:58 PM PDT  By Jim Finkle and Karen Freifeld BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A number of U.S. states are jointly investigating a data breach involving a subsidiary of Experian Plc that exposed the social security numbers of some 200 million people to potential criminal activity. A Vietnamese man last month confessed in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire to orchestrating the breach, so the focus of the multistate investigation will likely be on whether Experian and other parties followed laws requiring companies to properly secure consumer data and comply with breach disclosure rules. "It's part of a multistate investigation." Jaclyn Falkowski, spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, said Connecticut is also looking into the matter. A spokesman for Experian, which is best known for providing consumer credit histories, declined comment on the probe, saying the company does not comment on such investigations as a matter of policy. Full Story | Top |
| Obama's NSA overhaul may require phone carriers to store more data Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:46 PM PDT  By Mark Hosenball and Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's plan for overhauling the National Security Agency's phone surveillance program could force carriers to collect and store customer data that they are not now legally obliged to keep, according to U.S. officials. One complication arises from the popularity of flat-rate or unlimited calling plans, which are used by the vast majority of Americans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bank of America near credit card deal with U.S. regulator Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:47 PM PDT  By Emily Stephenson and Peter Rudegeair WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp is close to settling with a U.S. consumer regulator over the sale of services sold as add-ons to credit cards, sources familiar with the talks said. The second-largest U.S. bank said in an August securities filing that it had been in discussions with regulators to address concerns over the sale and marketing of credit card debt cancellation products and identity theft protection services that it offered alongside its credit cards. News of the potential settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which also said Bank of America could pay more than $800 million to settle the allegations against it. Spokesmen for Bank of America and the CFPB declined to comment. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 09:58 AM PDT  By Pavel Polityuk and Alessandra Prentice KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's prime minister on Thursday blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovich for the deaths of dozens of anti-government protesters shot by police snipers and urged Russia to hand him over to face charges. Arseny Yatseniuk made his comments to Reuters after Ukraine's security service (SBU) blamed the killing of more than 100 protesters in mid-February on the Berkut riot police but said Yanukovich had been involved in planning the operation. The SBU also said representatives of Russia's FSB security force had been at the SBU headquarters in Kiev - under the previous government - during three months of protests, and that Russia had flown explosives into Ukraine as they worsened. Full Story | Top |
| Wider U.S. trade deficit to weigh on first-quarter GDP Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 09:46 AM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly widened in February as exports hit a five-month low, suggesting first-quarter growth could be much weaker than initially anticipated. "At this point, it appears that growth will struggle to top one percent" in the first quarter, said Peter D'Antonio, an economist at Citigroup in New York. Economists, who had expected the deficit to narrow to $38.5 billion, said trade could slice off as much as half a percentage point from first-quarter gross domestic product. It added about a percentage point to fourth quarter GDP. Full Story | Top |
| Mozilla CEO resigns, opposition to gay marriage drew fire Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 01:33 PM PDT  By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Mozilla Chief Executive Brendan Eich has stepped down, the company said on Thursday, after an online dating service urged a boycott of the company's web browser because of a donation Eich made to opponents of gay marriage. The software company came under fire for appointing Eich as CEO last month. In 2008, he gave money to oppose the legalization of gay marriage in California, a hot-button issue especially at a company that boasts about its policy of inclusiveness and diversity. "We didn't act like you'd expect Mozilla to act," wrote Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker in a blog post. Full Story | Top |
| David Letterman to retire from CBS 'Late Show' in 2015 Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 04:48 PM PDT  By Ronald Grover and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian David Letterman, who brought a sardonic, offbeat wit to late-night television, along with bits such as "Stupid Pet Tricks" and his "Top Ten" list, will retire as host of "The Late Show" on CBS in 2015, he said during the taping of his show in New York. Letterman, 66, whose contract expires next year, began hosting the CBS show in August 1993, after leaving the rival NBC network, where he originated his late-night TV persona and much of his program on the "Late Night with David Letterman" show for many years. There was no immediate word on who might succeed Letterman in the key 11:30 p.m. slot on CBS, opposite NBC's top-rated "The Tonight Show." The Emmy-winning host said he had spoken in the past with CBS Corp President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves, "and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel votes to declassify report on CIA interrogations Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:51 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee voted on Thursday to declassify its long-awaited report on the CIA's use of brutal interrogation methods that critics say amount to torture. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who chairs the committee, said the vote was 11-3 to declassify what she called the "shocking" results of investigating the Central Intelligence Agency practices under Republican President George W. Bush. The vote to lift the blackout on the summary and recommendations of the 6,200-page report follows an unprecedented clash by Feinstein with the CIA, and would give the world its first official look at its regimen of interrogation and detentions in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. This is not what Americans do," Feinstein told reporters after the committee voted during a classified meeting. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:53 PM PDT By Lisa Maria Garza FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The soldier suspected of shooting dead three people before killing himself at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas was identified as Ivan Lopez, a man battling mental illness when he went on a rampage, the base commander said on Thursday. No motive was given for the shooting spree on Wednesday, which also left 16 wounded in what was the second mass killing in five years at one of the largest military bases in the United States, raising questions about security at such installations. "We have very strong evidence that he had a medical history that indicates unstable psychiatric or psychological conditions," Lieutenant General Mark Milley told reporters. Lopez, 34, originally from Puerto Rico, had been treated for depression and anxiety. Full Story | Top |
| Israel scraps Palestinian prisoner release, seeks review of talks Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 01:04 PM PDT  By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has called off a planned release of Palestinian prisoners meant to advance the U.S.-sponsored peace process and called for a review of how the troubled negotiations can make progress, an official briefed on the talks said on Thursday. The official, who declined to be identified, said Israeli negotiators had informed their Palestinian counterparts of the decision in a Wednesday night meeting held at Washington's behest in an effort to avert a collapse of the talks. The crisis surfaced at the weekend when Israel refused to release a group of Palestinian prisoners under the terms of a previous accord unless it received assurances the Palestinian leadership would continue with negotiations beyond an initial end-April deadline set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry flew to Jerusalem on Monday and was trying to put the talks back on track. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, six powers start expert-level nuclear talks in Vienna Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 11:17 AM PDT  Iran and six world powers began an expert-level meeting about Tehran's nuclear program on Thursday, part of efforts to reach an agreement by late July on how to resolve a decade-old dispute that has stirred fears of a Middle East war. The meeting in Vienna of nuclear and other experts from Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Russia, China and Britain was to prepare for a new round of higher-level negotiations next week, also in the Austrian capital. A spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton - whose office is coordinating contacts with Iran on behalf of the big powers - confirmed that the meeting had started but gave no details. The aim is to hammer out a long-term deal by July 20 that would define the permissible scope of Iran's nuclear program in return for a lifting of sanctions that are severely battering its oil-dependent economy. Full Story | Top |
| Underdog for Brazil's presidency bets on post-World Cup surge Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 10:50 AM PDT  By Anthony Boadle and Jeferson Ribeiro BRASILIA (Reuters) - Aecio Neves is running for president of Brazil and promising to turn the page on 12 years of leftist government. Despite being the grandson of a famous politician and the leader of Brazil's main opposition party, seven out of 10 Brazilians have never heard of him. Unfazed, he says that will change after Brazil finishes hosting the soccer World Cup in July and the presidential race kicks off in earnest in the Brazilian media. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, he outlined a pro-business program for restoring investor confidence in Brazil's economy, which has sputtered in the last three years under the heavy-handed policies of President Dilma Rousseff. Full Story | Top |
| Turkey lifts Twitter ban after court ruling Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:40 AM PDT  By Ozge Ozbilgin and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's telecoms authority lifted a two-week-old ban on Twitter on Thursday after the constitutional court ruled the block breached freedom of expression, an official in Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's office said. Access to Twitter was blocked on March 21 in the run-up to local elections last Sunday to stem a stream of leaked wiretapped recordings of senior officials that had appeared on the site, prompting Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to say he would "root out" the network. Turkey's Official Gazette on Thursday morning published the Constitutional Court's ruling from Wednesday, further piling pressure on the telecoms authorities to lift the ban, which had faced widespread international condemnation. "The ban has been lifted" the official from Erdogan's office told Reuters by telephone minutes after TIB removed court orders blocking the site from its webpage. Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian U.N. moves designed to avoid U.S. retaliation Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 06:38 AM PDT  By Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed onto 15 international conventions on Tuesday, he shocked the U.S. sponsors of troubled Middle East peace talks. Abbas's action may have been designed more as a symbolic act of defiance to shore up his tenuous standing among Palestinians frustrated at the diplomatic impasse with Israel over their goal of statehood than a knife in the heart of peacemaking. As a non-member state in the United Nations, Palestinians can join 63 international agencies and accords. However, by only signing conventions dealing with social and human rights instead of seeking full membership in U.N. bodies, the Palestinians' foreign minister said they would not provoke U.S. sanctions. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan PM frees 16 prisoners to try to revive Taliban peace talks Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 09:53 AM PDT  By Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has freed at least 16 Taliban prisoners with the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, government and intelligence officials said on Thursday, in a move designed to invigorate a shaky peace process with the militant group. Sharif's office later released a statement saying those freed had been involved in petty crimes and were not Taliban prisoners, showing the sensitivity of releasing inmates who a public weary of violence might see as militants. The Pakistani Taliban called a one-month ceasefire on March 1 but said this week they would not extend the truce because the government was not serious about meeting their demands. The demands include releasing 800 prisoners the insurgent group describes as innocent family members and withdrawing the army from parts of the semi-autonomous tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. Full Story | Top |
| More Brazilian police sentenced to jail for 1992 prison massacre Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 11:15 AM PDT By Caroline Stauffer SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian court has sentenced 15 police officers to 48 years in prison each for their roles in the deaths of four inmates in the bloody crackdown of a 1992 prison riot that left 111 people dead. Known as the Carandiru massacre after the now-closed prison where it unfolded, the incident is one of the darkest chapters in Brazil's struggle to improve conditions in overcrowded penitentiaries and to ensure police obey the law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia to U.S. on Crimea annexation: Accept it and move on Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 10:12 AM PDT  By Alexei Anishchuk MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. policymakers need to calm down, maybe do some yoga and accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday in unusually caustic remarks directed at Moscow's former Cold War-era adversary. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last month has deepened the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War ended two decades ago. The West has imposed sanctions on officials and businessmen believed to be close to President Vladimir Putin. Many of those blacklisted have mocked the sanctions, wearing them as a badge of honor, but they have also rankled Moscow, with officials warning the West was only doing damage to itself. Full Story | Top |
| South African opposition says Zuma ducking graft report Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:04 AM PDT  By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa's main opposition party accused President Jacob Zuma on Thursday of trying to "run away" from explaining his role in a $23 million state-funded security upgrade to his home that was heavily criticized by anti-corruption investigators. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, South Africa's top graft watchdog, said in a report last month Zuma should pay back some of the money spent on upgrades to his Nkandla home, which included a chicken run and swimming pool. Madonsela described the spending as excessive and accused Zuma of conduct "inconsistent with his office" but he has since denied any wrongdoing, arguing he was unaware of many of the upgrades and did not ask for them. Zuma met a Wednesday deadline for him to respond to parliament but said that before he acted he wanted to see the findings of a separate probe by the police's elite Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that he ordered in December. Full Story | Top |
| Despite hurdles, Delphi's liability in GM recall could be tested Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 04:34 AM PDT  By Jessica Dye NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delphi Automotive's name does not appear on the outside of the 2.6 million vehicles recalled by General Motors Co since February, but the company is getting drawn into a mounting wave of litigation for its role in producing the faulty ignition switch that prompted the recalls. Plaintiffs have now named Delphi, one of the largest auto parts suppliers in the world, in at least two lawsuits stemming from the recall. While Delphi made the part, GM set the specifications and ultimately approved its use, according to documents from civil litigation and congressional investigations. Delphi spokeswoman Claudia Tapia declined to comment, except to say that the company was "working cooperatively with GM on this matter." The company has not yet filed responses to the two lawsuits. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says all five abducted border guards alive: IRNA Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:09 AM PDT Iran has said five border guards kidnapped by Sunni Muslim militants are in good health, disputing a report that one of them had been killed. The guards were seized while patrolling the lawless frontier with Pakistan in early February. Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), an Iranian Sunni Muslim rebel group in Sistan-Baluchistan province, later claimed responsibility. "The kidnapped Iranian border guards are safe; Full Story | Top |
| Risks of violence and fraud haunt landmark Afghan election Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 12:19 PM PDT  By Maria Golovnina and John Chalmers KABUL (Reuters) - Even if the Taliban fail to hobble the Afghan presidential election on Saturday, it could take months for a winner to be declared at a time when the country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave. Most people expect the election will be better run than the chaotic 2009 vote that handed President Hamid Karzai a second term amid massive fraud and ballot stuffing. And, despite a crescendo of attacks by the Islamist militant Taliban group in recent weeks, millions of Afghans are eager for a say in their country's future. Any delay would leave little time to complete a pact between Kabul and Washington to keep up to 10,000 U.S. troops in the country beyond 2014, after the bulk of the American force, which currently stands at around 23,500, has pulled out. Full Story | Top |
| Erdogan takes battle with enemies beyond Turkish frontiers Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 11:21 AM PDT  By Ralph Boulton and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's battle to root out the "terrorists" he says are embedded in the Turkish state is extending beyond its frontiers to Africa and Asia, further complicating foreign policy already hit by tensions with the Arab world and Western allies. Last month, parents of the Yavuz Selim school in Kanifing, Gambia, received a letter announcing its immediate closure. A source at the school, run by the Hizmet organization of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, said the decision had been conveyed to the principal in a one sentence missive. Ahmet Beyaz, Chief executive of the bank, which has among its shareholders Kaynak Holding, which is close to Hizmet, told Reuters the bank was not in any danger. Full Story | Top |
| China city acknowledges protesters hurt in rally against chemical plant Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 05:50 AM PDT  By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - Officials in a southern Chinese city acknowledged on Thursday that 15 people were hurt "accidentally" at a mass protest against a chemical plant, days after police made no mention of injuries in a case that has incensed many Chinese. But the deputy police chief of Maoming also denounced as "pure rubbish" news and online accounts of the upheaval last Sunday that said several people had died. Reports of the unrest had sparked demonstrations in nearby towns by sympathizers. "In the course of cleaning up the scene, because the gathering of people was complicated...and at its peak with 1,000 people, on-duty police officers may have accidentally injured some of the bystanders," deputy chief of public security Zhou Peizhou said, according to a report by the city's news site. Full Story | Top |
| Kyrgyzstan appoints reformist PM, averting crisis Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 07:30 AM PDT By Olga Dzyubenko BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to appoint reformer Joomart Otorbayev as prime minister and avert a political crisis in the volatile Central Asian nation where two leaders have been overthrown in the past decade. The previous government, led by Zhantoro Satybaldiyev, resigned on March 18 after the ruling coalition fell apart in a row over alleged corruption. Otorbayev, a deputy prime minister in the previous government, was proposed for approval by the same three parliamentary factions which once backed Satybaldiyev. "Our common goal is a developed Kyrgyzstan, and together we will achieve it," Otorbayev told deputies after a 103-7 vote for his appointment. Full Story | Top |
| Los Angeles couple get three years in jail in Qatar for death of adopted child Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 06:55 AM PDT  (This March 28 story is corrected to delete phrase in fifth paragraph referring to downgrade of original charge and to phrase murder by negligence) DOHA (Reuters) - A Los Angeles couple was sentenced to three years in jail in Qatar on Thursday for causing the death of their adopted African-born daughter, who was found to have died of starvation, in a case that has raised concern in Washington. Matthew and Grace Huang were arrested in January last year after their 8-year-old daughter, Gloria, died unexpectedly. "We have just been wrongfully convicted and we feel as if we are being kidnapped by the Qatar judicial system," Matthew Huang said. "This verdict is wrong and appears to be nothing more than an effort to save face." In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Thursday that the United States was "surprised and disappointed by the trial court's decision." Harf told a regular news briefing that U.S. officials "have had some concerns throughout the trial by indications that not all of the evidence was weighed by the court and that some cultural misunderstandings may have led to an unfair trial." "We have talked to the government (of Qatar) about this. Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon marks 'devastating' milestone with millionth refugee Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 06:09 AM PDT  By Issam Abdallah TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - The number of Syrian refugees who have fled to Lebanon officially topped 1 million on Thursday, highlighting the growing humanitarian catastrophe caused by Syria's civil war and the huge burden placed on its poorly prepared neighbors. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR marked what it called a devastating milestone by formally registering a 18-year-old student from the city of Homs as the millionth refugee at a ceremony in Lebanon's Mediterranean city of Tripoli. After three years of conflict sparked by protests against President Bashar al-Assad's autocratic rule, Syria's war has caused one of the greatest upheavals seen in the Middle East - and one which shows no sign of abating. With a population of just 4 million, Lebanon now has the highest per capita concentration of refugees worldwide, an influx which the government has described as an existential threat in a country scarred by its own volatile history. Full Story | Top |
| JP Morgan to process payment for Russian embassy, easing tension Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 04:35 AM PDT  By Megan Davies MOSCOW (Reuters) - JP Morgan Chase & Co is processing a payment from Russia's embassy in Kazakhstan to insurance agency Sogaz, easing tension after Moscow accused the U.S. bank of illegally blocking the transaction under the pretext of sanctions. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the "unacceptable, illegal and absurd" act of blocking the payment would have consequences for the U.S. Embassy in Russia. The confrontation threatened to further strain ties between Washington and Moscow, locked in the worst standoff since the Cold War over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. "Following consultation with our regulators, we are processing this transaction," JPMorgan said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says wants answers on NATO troops in eastern Europe Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 05:20 AM PDT  By Thomas Grove MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it wanted answers from NATO on its activities in eastern Europe after the Western military alliance promised to beef up defenses for its eastern members. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last month has caused the deepest crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War, leading the West to impose sanctions and sparking fear President Vladimir Putin has territorial designs beyond the Black Sea peninsula with its Russian-majority population. NATO has ordered military planners to draft measures to reassure nervous Eastern European countries - which were under Moscow's domination until the 1989 end of the Cold War - but stopped short of calls by Poland to base more forces there. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any increase in NATO's permanent presence in eastern Europe would violate a 1997 treaty on NATO-Russian cooperation. Full Story | Top |
| Austrian president poised for rare Western visit to Iran Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 05:38 AM PDT  By Michael Shields VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian President Heinz Fischer has 'in principle' accepted an invitation to visit Iran, his office said on Wednesday, in what would be the first trip for many years by a Western head of state. Under President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who was elected last year, Iran has started to improve relations with the West by engaging with world powers over its disputed nuclear program. It remains under sanctions, however, and a visit by Fischer, perhaps accompanied by business leaders, would be fraught with political significance as the United States presses Western countries to limit commerce with Tehran. Fischer stood side by side with visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres this week as Peres urged Western countries to keep up the pressure on Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. Full Story | Top |
| In Iran, age mellows some former captors of U.S. hostages Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 01:04 AM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Three decades after hardline students occupied the U.S. embassy and took diplomats hostage for 444 days, many of the now middle-aged revolutionaries are among the most vocal critics of Iran's conservative establishment, officials and analysts said. The role of the students is back in the spotlight following the appointment of a new U.N. ambassador who may have participated on the fringes of the siege, the event that led Washington to sever ties with Tehran shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The U.S. State Department, which has yet to approve a visa for Hamid Abutalebi, said it had raised "serious concerns" with Iran about his nomination for the post. But Iran hopes the case can be resolved, while Abutalebi has played down his role in the hostage crisis, suggesting he was just a translator. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese Buddhist temple forms "anti-terrorist" squad Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 04:27 AM PDT Nervous about a repeat of last month's deadly knife attack at a Chinese train station, a well-known Buddhist temple in eastern China has drafted some of its monks into a new "anti-terrorist" squad, state media said on Thursday. The team at the 1,700-year-old Lingyin Temple in the tourist city of Hangzhou is made up of 20 monks and more than 20 security guards, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the temple's Buddhist Master Jueheng as saying. It is the first time a Chinese temple has set up such a team, Xinhua said. "The squad members practice Buddhism in the day and take part in training exercises at night," Jueheng said, adding police helped with the training. Full Story | Top |
| Thai government fears violent backlash if PM removed from office Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 02:17 AM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government said on Thursday it fears a violent backlash if Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is removed from power as figures for March show consumer confidence slipped to a new low, illustrating the heavy toll of months of unrest. There's an increasing risk for the economy to expand less than 2 percent, with more possibility of flat growth or a contraction." The survey showed that readiness to spend on new cars fell to its lowest level in 27 months and on new houses to the lowest mark in 105 months. Full Story | Top |
| Crimean annexation does Europe's separatists no favors Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 03:35 AM PDT  By Fiona Ortiz and Paul Taylor MADRID/PARIS (Reuters) - Russia's annexation of Crimea after a snap referendum staged under military occupation has whetted some appetites in the Balkans, but has done no favors to the Scots, Catalans, Flemish and others seeking independence in Europe. By contrast, Western Europe's nationalists have distanced themselves from Crimea, concerned that the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War may give separatism a bad name. "Catalonia is not Crimea," the government of the northeastern Spanish region declared last week after the central authorities in Madrid tried to link the two. Catalan President Artur Mas wants to hold a referendum on November 9 on independence from Spain, but Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has opposed any such vote as illegal. Full Story | Top |
| Chile hit by powerful quake aftershock, no major damage Thursday, Apr 03, 2014 08:16 AM PDT  By Anthony Esposito and Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Chile late on Wednesday but there were no reports of damage and a precautionary tsunami alert along the coast and in neighboring Peru was called off. Chile's emergency office Onemi said there were no initial reports of casualties or serious damage from the latest quake. President Michelle Bachelet, who had gone to the area to inspect the damage from the earlier quake, was evacuated from her hotel in the city of Arica. "I was evacuated like all the citizens and we have come here (to Arica's emergency office) to see if there is any way we can help," she said late on Wednesday night. Full Story | Top |
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