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| Relief in Afghanistan after largely peaceful landmark election Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 07:36 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's presidential election closed on Saturday amid relief that attacks by Taliban fighters were fewer than feared for a vote that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict for decades. It will take six weeks for results to come in from across Afghanistan's rugged terrain and a final result to be declared in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai. This could be the beginning of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave. "On behalf of the people, I thank the security forces, election commission and people who exercised democracy and ... turned another page in the glorious history of Afghanistan." One of the eight candidates will have to score over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off with his nearest rival. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., eyeing North Korea, to send more missile defense ships to Japan Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 07:28 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States will deploy two additional destroyers equipped with missile defense systems to Japan by 2017, in a move Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday was a response in part to North Korean missile launches that have alarmed the region. Tensions have been building between North Korea and its neighbors since Pyongyang - in an apparent show of defiance - fired two Rodong missiles on March 26, just as the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the United States were sitting down to discuss containing the North Korean nuclear threat. Full Story | Top |
| Australia PM hopeful, cautious on possible Malaysia jet breakthrough Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 05:30 PM PDT  By Lincoln Feast and Swati Pandey SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday searchers were "hopeful but by no means certain" that a pulse signal reportedly detected by a Chinese ship in the Indian Ocean was related to a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for four weeks. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a patrol vessel hunting for Flight MH370 had picked up a "ping" on Saturday, raising hopes that it could be from the underwater beacon of the plane's "black box" voice and data recorders. Australian search authorities said such a signal would be consistent with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking it to the Boeing 777 that went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. "We need to be very careful about coming to hard and fast conclusions too soon." Up to a dozen planes and 13 ships will be scouring three separate areas about 2,000 km (1,240 miles) northwest of Perth, Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Center said on Sunday. Full Story | Top |
| Advisers to India's Modi dream of a Thatcherite revolution Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 07:22 PM PDT  By Frank Jack Daniel and Rajesh Kumar Singh NEW DELHI (Reuters) - When Indian opposition leader Narendra Modi gave a speech on the virtues of smaller government and privatization on April 8 last year, supporters called him an ideological heir to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died that day. Modi, favorite to form India's next government after elections starting on Monday, has yet to unveil any detailed economic plans but it is clear that some of his closest advisers and campaign managers have a Thatcherite ambition for him. "If you define Thatcherism as less government, free enterprise, then there is no difference between Modi-nomics and Thatcherism," said Deepak Kanth, a London-based banker now collecting funds as a volunteer for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "What Thatcher did with financial market reforms, you can expect a similar thing with infrastructure in India under Modi," he said, referring to Thatcher's trademark "Big Bang" of sudden financial deregulation in 1986. Full Story | Top |
| Victims of U.S. mudslide are remembered in first funeral services Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 06:27 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky ARLINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - A school custodian killed in Washington state's mudslide was described as a tough-minded animal lover on Saturday and a popular librarian was memorialized, as mourners gathered in the first of a series of services for the over two dozen dead. About 250 people crammed into a golf course clubhouse in Arlington, Washington, for the funeral of Summer Raffo, 36, a school custodian and specialist in hoof care for horses, just a few miles from the site where a torrent of mud swept her car off Highway 530 on March 22. She was dependable." Another service was held in nearby Darrington for Linda McPherson, 69, who was found dead in the debris of her home. Full Story | Top |
| Thai PM supporters converge to counter protests Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 03:58 AM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra demonstrated on the outskirts of Bangkok on Saturday, part of a three-day rally aimed at countering months of sometimes violent anti-government protests. In their largest show of force in months, the pro-government "red shirts", or United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship as the group is formally known, said they were prepared to thwart any move to dismiss Yingluck who faces mounting legal cases that could see her removed from office in coming weeks. Leaders of the movement said they were not seeking a fight with the thousands of anti-government protesters holding their own rally at their headquarters in Bangkok's Lumpini Park, near the city's financial district. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine PM says will stick to austerity despite Moscow pressure Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 11:45 AM PDT  By Natalia Zinets, Richard Balmforth and Paul Ingrassia KIEV (Reuters) - The Kiev government will stick to unpopular austerity measures "as the price of independence" as Russia steps up pressure on Ukraine to destabilise it, including by raising the price of gas, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk told Reuters. Yatseniuk, 39, who stepped in as interim prime minister last month after Viktor Yanukovich and his ministers fled the "Euromaidan" protests, conceded that it would be very difficult "under the current Russian presence" to undo what he described as Russia's "international crime" in seizing Crimea. But he said Ukraine would never recognise the Russian takeover in exchange for re-establishing good relations. We will never recognise the annexation of Crimea ... The time will come when Ukraine will take over control of Crimea," he said, speaking in English, seated in his cavernous, Soviet-built government headquarters beneath the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. Full Story | Top |
| India poised for mammoth vote, Hindu nationalists strong Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 09:22 AM PDT  By Shyamantha Asokan LEZAI, India (Reuters) - The biggest election the world has ever seen begins on Monday in a remote backwater of tea gardens and rice paddies, with India looking increasingly likely to embrace a coalition led by a Hindu nationalist to jumpstart a flagging economy. India's 815 million voters are set to inflict a resounding defeat on the ruling Congress party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, surveys show, after the longest economic slowdown since the 1980s put the brakes on development and job creation in a country where half of the population is under 25 years old. Despite misgivings among many Indians about his handling of religious riots in 2002, Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has dominated a lengthy, frenetic campaign where parliamentary candidates range from a tech billionaire to a magician. Voting will take place in nine stages over five weeks, kicking off in two small north-eastern states close to Myanmar, then spreading to the frozen Himalayan plateaus, western deserts and the tropical south before ending on May 12 in India's densely populated northern plains. Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda chief mourns slain Syria fighter, says infighting must end Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 05:13 AM PDT By Alexander Dziadosz BEIRUT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called for Islamist fighters in Syria to end the infighting that killed a one-time companion of Osama bin Laden earlier this year, according to an audio tape posted online. In the message, Zawahiri mourned the death of Abu Khaled al-Soury, who was killed by an al Qaeda splinter group in a suicide attack in February, and lamented the "strife of the blind that has befallen the blessed land of the Levant." Soury was one of the highest-profile victims of rebel infighting that surged at the start of the year, pitting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against rival rebels including other hardline Islamists. Full Story | Top |
| Merkel: No one should doubt EU resolve on Russia sanctions Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 05:43 AM PDT  No one should doubt Europe's willingness to introduce tougher sanctions against Russia if it takes further steps to destabilize Ukraine, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday. Merkel acknowledged differences among EU countries in the Ukraine crisis but said this would not get in the way of a united approach. "If the territorial integrity of Ukraine continues to be violated, then we will have to introduce economic sanctions," Merkel told a congress of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU), kicking off its campaign for European Parliament elections next month. Full Story | Top |
| Relief in Afghanistan after largely peaceful landmark election Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 01:45 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's presidential election closed on Saturday amid relief that attacks by Taliban fighters were fewer than feared for a vote that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict for decades. It will take six weeks for results to come in from across Afghanistan's rugged terrain and a final result to be declared in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai. This could be the beginning of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave. "On behalf of the people, I thank the security forces, election commission and people who exercised democracy and ... turned another page in the glorious history of Afghanistan." One of the eight candidates will have to score over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off with his nearest rival. Full Story | Top |
| India opposition could clinch election win: opinion polls Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 05:08 AM PDT  India's main opposition party of prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi and its allies are set to emerge as the biggest group in an election beginning on Monday, heralding the end of a 10-year reign of the ruling party, two opinion polls showed. In the last major poll, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies are forecast to win 38 percent of votes, news channel CNN-IBN and Lokniti at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies said. Another private news channel NDVT forecast a 32.9 percent vote share for the BJP and its alliance partners. A BJP victory could have repercussions for Indian foreign policy. Full Story | Top |
| For India's Congress party, soul-searching and questions about Gandhi Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 03:32 AM PDT  By Sruthi Gottipati AURANGABAD, India (Reuters) - On the eve of India's mammoth general election, even some members of the ruling Congress party appear to have accepted it will not return to power, raising a question mark on the future of its leader, Rahul Gandhi. The frontrunner to become prime minister after the five-week election starting on Monday is opposition Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi, although opinion polls suggest he will fall short of a majority and will need to form a coalition. Congress, which has ruled India for over 50 of the 67 years since independence, was forecast to win between 111-123. Apparently resigned to a poor performance in this election, some Congress insiders have started trying to put a positive spin on a likely spell in opposition. Full Story | Top |
| Funerals start for victims of deadly U.S. mudslide Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 02:38 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Mourners gathered on Saturday to remember victims killed in Washington state's mudslide, the first of a series of memorial services for the more than two dozen dead, even as the search continues for more victims. A funeral for school custodian Summer Raffo, 36, was taking place in Arlington, a town only a few miles from the site where a torrent of mud swept her car off Highway 530 on March 22. Another service was held in nearby Darrington for retired librarian Linda McPherson, 69, who was found dead in the debris of her home. "She was a sweet, mellow, gentle woman," said Peter Selvig, who served on the Darrington School Board with McPherson. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese ship hunting for missing Malaysia jet detects 'ping' Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 10:59 AM PDT By Siva Govindasamy and Swati Pandey KUALA LUMPUR/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - A Chinese patrol ship hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner detected a pulse signal in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, in a possible indicator of the underwater beacon from a plane's "black box". Australian search authorities said such a signal would be "consistent" with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking the "ping" to Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the "ping" signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as emitted by flight recorders - at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said. Dozens of ships and planes from 26 countries are racing to find the black box recorders before their batteries run out. Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda's foreign adventures test West's patience Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 12:24 AM PDT  By Edmund Blair and Jenny Clover KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame may dress in the sharp suits of a company CEO, but his language can be more like a drill sergeant when he grills his cabinet on its performance. Western nations offer only modest remonstrations over what they see as democratic shortcomings in Rwanda, thankful for the oasis of order that has replaced the genocide they failed to prevent 20 years ago this month. But they quietly express concern that Kagame's assertive style at home is being translated into brazen meddling in a volatile region and threatening a potential model for Africa. Now Rwanda is blamed for sending hit squads to assassinate opponents in South Africa, killing one of two alleged targets. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: IEX eyes stock exchange status Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 03:10 AM PDT  By John McCrank NEW YORK (Reuters) - The upstart stock trading venue featured in Michael Lewis' book "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt," may apply to become a fully registered stock exchange sooner than planned, IEX Group Inc's chief executive said on Friday. "Flash Boys" hit the stands on Monday and unleashed a fierce debate over the fairness of the U.S. stock market, which the book characterized as rigged in favor of high-speed traders who use their advantages to bilk the system for billions. The book also thrust IEX, and its CEO, Brad Katsuyama, former head of electronic trading at a unit of Royal Bank of Canada, in New York, into the spotlight. "We've been getting interest from corporate clients about listings and I think that definitely increases our interest in looking at becoming an exchange earlier than thought," Katsuyama said in an interview. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese ship searching for missing Malaysia plane detects signal Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 06:05 AM PDT  A Chinese patrol ship searching for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 detected a pulse signal with a frequency of 37.5 kHz per second in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. 37.5 kHz per second is currently the international standard frequency for the underwater locator beacon on a plane's "black box". Full Story | Top |
| Japan to intercept any North Korea missile deemed a threat Saturday, Apr 05, 2014 06:56 AM PDT  By Nobuhiro Kubo TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will strike any North Korean ballistic missile that threatens to hit Japan in the coming weeks after Pyongyang recently fired medium-range missiles, a government source said on Saturday. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera issued the order, which took effect on Thursday and runs through April 25, the day that marks the founding of North Korea's army, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Following the order, meant "to prepare for any additional missile launches," a destroyer was dispatched to the Sea of Japan and will fire if North Korea launches a missile that Tokyo deems in danger of striking or falling on Japanese territory, the source said. Tensions have been building between North Korea and its neighbors since Pyongyang - in an apparent show of defiance - fired two Rodong missiles on March 26, just as the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the United States were sitting down to discuss containing the North Korean nuclear threat. Full Story | Top |
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