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| Chile's Collahuasi evacuates workers following quake, mine fine: union Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 09:03 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Collahuasi copper mine is evacuating workers following Tuesday night's strong earthquake so that they can be with their families, a union leader to local radio. The massive deposit and its port have not been damaged by the 8.2 quake, the mine's CEO told Reuters earlier on Tuesday. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Kim Coghill) Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians sign int'l conventions to press Israel; U.S. hopes to keep talks going Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 09:02 PM PDT  A surprise decision by the Palestinian leadership to sign more than a dozen international conventions giving it greater leverage against Israel left the United States struggling to put peace talks back on track. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry canceled a visit to the de facto Palestinian capital, Ramallah, planned for Wednesday after President Mahmoud Abbas made the announcement on Tuesday in a meeting of senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The U.S.-backed talks, which are nearing their scheduled end after starting in July, veered toward crisis on Saturday when Israel did not follow through on the promised release of a group of over two dozen long-serving Palestinian prisoners. Israel said it wanted a pledge from the Palestinian leadership that the talks, which have not made any obvious progress, would be extended before the detainees were freed. Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Japan may only be able to restart one-third of its nuclear reactors Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 08:44 PM PDT  By Mari Saito, Aaron Sheldrick and Kentaro Hamada TOKYO (Reuters) - Three years after the Fukushima disaster prompted the closure of all Japan's nuclear reactors, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is moving to revive nuclear power as a core part of the energy mix, but many of those idled reactors will never come back online. This means Japan is likely to remain heavily reliant on imported fuel to power the world's third-largest economy, straining a trade balance that has been in the red for nearly two years. Hokkaido Electric Power Co and Kyushu Electric Power Co, both facing a third year of financial losses, are seeking capital infusions totaling nearly $1.5 billion from a state-owned lender. Kyushu Electric shares dropped as much as 7 percent on Wednesday to an 8-week low. Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia releases transcript of last words from missing plane Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 08:22 PM PDT  Malaysia on Tuesday released the full transcript of communications between the Boeing 777 and local air traffic control before it dropped from civilian radar in the early hours of March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. "There is no indication of anything abnormal in the transcript," Malaysian Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in the statement, without giving explanation for the changes in the reported last communication. "The transcript was initially held as part of the police investigation," he added. Minutes after the final radio transmission was received the plane's communications were cut off and it turned back across Peninsular Malaysia and headed towards the Indian Ocean, according to military radar and limited satellite data. Full Story | Top |
| Chilean authorities say two confirmed dead following massive quake Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 08:13 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Two people were confirmed dead and three were seriously injured when a major earthquake struck off the northern coast of Chile on Tuesday night, the governor of Iquique Gonzalo Prieto told local radio station Cooperativa. The earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck triggered a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Ron Popeski) Full Story | Top |
| Xi says multi-party system didn't work for China Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 08:02 PM PDT  China experimented in the past with various political systems, including multi-party democracy, but it did not work, President Xi Jinping said during a visit to Europe, warning that copying foreign political or development models could be catastrophic. China's constitution enshrines the Communist Party's long-term "leading" role in government, though it allows the existence of various other political parties under what is calls a "multi-party cooperation system". But all are subservient to the Communist Party. Activists who call for pluralism are regularly jailed and criticism of China's one-party, authoritarian system silenced. Full Story | Top |
| Massive 8.2 earthquake off Chile coast sparks tsunami Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 08:01 PM PDT  By Anthony Esposito and Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A major earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country, but the government reported no deaths or serious damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was shallow at 12.5 miles below the seabed and struck about 100 km northwest of the mining port of Iquique near the Peruvian border. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake generated a large tsunami with the biggest wave reported at 2.3 meters. The government said it had no reports of significant damage to coastal areas, but around 300 prisoners took advantage of the confusion and escaped from a jail in Iquique, Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said. Full Story | Top |
| Chile says tsunami alert to stay in place at least six hours Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 07:58 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said a tsunami alert for the country's coastline will remain in place for at least another six hours following a major earthquake. The magnitude 8.2 quake struck off the northern coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country, but the government said there was no serious damage and no reports of deaths. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Kim Coghill) Full Story | Top |
| Australia's Abbott faces tough mission on 'trifecta of trade' in Asia Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 07:46 PM PDT  By Maggie Lu Yueyang SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants to finalize a free trade agreement with Japan on his forthcoming North Asia trip, but will have to walk a fine line between Tokyo and Beijing over geopolitical tensions in the region. Abbott leaves for Japan on Saturday, kicking off a tour that also includes South Korea and China. China is Australia's top export market, followed by Japan and South Korea. Full Story | Top |
| 'Toy-like' drone that crashed in South Korea came from North: media Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 07:39 PM PDT A South Korean military inquiry into a drone found on a border island has concluded that North Korea flew the unmanned aircraft to conduct reconnaissance missions, a South Korean media report said on Wednesday. The discovery of the surveillance aircraft came less than an hour after a three-hour artillery barrage between South and North Korea in each side's territorial waters near a disputed maritime border on Monday. North Korea fired more than 100 artillery rounds into South Korean waters as part of a drill on Monday, prompting the South to fire back. Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday that the drone's flight route appeared to be from the North, citing unidentified South Korean government officials. Full Story | Top |
| Washington mudslide survivors envision shrine at disaster site Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 07:16 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky and Eric M. Johnson DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Survivors of a mudslide that virtually erased a community in Washington state and left dozens dead or missing have begun to contemplate the future of the disaster site, with many saying it should be left as a shrine once the bulldozers and excavators leave. As stagnant pools of muddy water receded further during a second straight sunny day on Tuesday, recovery teams pressed on with their search for victims of the March 22 slide, triggered when a rain-soaked hillside caved in above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office said 22 of the confirmed fatalities have now been identified, including a 4-month-old girl and two other children aged 5 and 6. Ruth Hargrave, 67, whose neighbors are among the dead and missing, said she could not imagine rebuilding the beloved riverside vacation house that was in the path of the slide. Full Story | Top |
| Another Japan nuclear operator turns to government for aid Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 07:00 PM PDT By Taiga Uranaka and James Topham TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Kyushu Electric Power Co has become the second nuclear generator to seek state support this week as reactors across the country remain idled and industry losses mount three years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Kyushu Electric, a regional monopoly that supplies power in southern Japan, said on Wednesday it was in talks with state-owned Development Bank of Japan for financial backing. On Tuesday, a source said Hokkaido Electric Power Co, which supplies Japan's northernmost island, had asked the same bank for financial assistance. All of Japan's 48 nuclear reactors have been shut down, pending stringent safety checks, since a massive earthquake and 13-metre-high (43-feet-high) tsunami smashed into the Fukushima nuclear complex in March 2011, triggering a meltdown in the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Full Story | Top |
| Officials evaluating whether tsunami warning will be issued for Hawaii Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:30 PM PDT (Reuters) - A tsunami warning could be issued for Hawaii due to a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck on Tuesday off the coast of Chile, U.S. officials said. If tsunami waves reach Hawaii they would strike at 3:24 a.m. (9:24 a.m. ET) local time on Wednesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. The earthquake off Chile generated a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country and led officials to issue a tsunami warning for all of South and Central America's Pacific coast. "An evaluation of the Pacific wide tsunami threat is underway and there is a possibility that Hawaii could be elevated to a watch or warning status," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Full Story | Top |
| Chile says no serious damage or injuries reported after quake Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:26 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - There is no serious damage to infrastructure or reports of victims following a massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday evening, a government representative said. "We have asked citizens to evacuate the entire coast ... there is no serious damage to houses ... there have been no people hurt," said home office minister Mahmud Aleuy. (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Southern Copper says operations in southern Peru normal after Chile quake Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:24 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Southern Copper's mining operations in southern Peru continued normally late on Tuesday after a Magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off northern Chile, a company spokesman said. (Reporting by Patricia Velez) Full Story | Top |
| California snow levels remain low, signaling less water for summer Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:13 PM PDT Snow levels atop California's Sierra Nevada mountains, key indicators of how much water will be available for drought-stricken farms, residents and wildlife this summer, remained precariously low despite recent storms, officials said Tuesday. The snowpack, which melts in the spring and feeds streams and reservoirs throughout the state, has just a third of the amount of water it normally contains this time of year, said Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources. "We're already seeing farmland fallowed and cities scrambling for water supplies," Corwin said in a statement Tuesday after snow surveyors turned in the results of their monthly examination of snow levels. "We can hope that conditions improve, but time is running out." Storms pummeled parts of California on throughout the weekend, lasting through the day on Tuesday, allowing the state to release more water than had been anticipated from the fragile San Joaquin-Sacramento River delta to fill reservoirs and provide waters to farms and cities. Full Story | Top |
| Chile emergency office says landslides blocking some roads after quake Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:08 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's ONEMI emergency office said that it has initial reports that the massive earthquake that struck off the country's north Tuesday night has caused landslides which are partially blocking some roads and highways. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Peru evacuates coastal region of Ica after 8.0 quake: radio Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:08 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Authorities in Peru started evacuating communities in the southern coastal region of Ica on Tuesday after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off neighboring northern Chile, RPP radio reported. (Reporting By Marco Aquino; Writing by Mitra Taj; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Tsunami generated by major 8.0 Chile quake: Pacific warning center Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 06:08 PM PDT SYDNEY (Reuters) - A tsunami measuring almost two meters (six feet) was generated off the northern coast of Chile on Tuesday after a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. "It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts. Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility," said the Center. (Reporting by Michael Perry; Editing by Paul Tait) Full Story | Top |
| Chile's navy says first tsunami wave has already hit parts of coastline Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 05:40 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's navy says a tsunami has already hit some areas in the north of the country following a massive earthquake offshore. The earthquake, of magnitude 8.0, struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami warning for all of South and Central America's Pacific coast, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Chile Codelco says no reports of damage so far following quake Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 05:34 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile state miner Codelco said it did not have any reports of damage to its mines for the time being following Tuesday's significant quake in the North of the Andean country The world's No. 1 copper producer said the quake was 'fairly far' from its copper operations. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Toni Reinhold) Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 8.0 quake off Chile sparks tsunami warning along Latin America's Pacific coast Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 05:14 PM PDT A massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake on Tuesday off the coast of Chile, near the mining port of Iquique, sparked a tsunami warning for all of Latin America's Pacific coast, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles below the seabed. It was centered 53 miles northwest of Iquique, Chile's main mining export port. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Congress passes Ukraine aid, sanctions Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 05:06 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday for a package of aid and sanctions in response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, and sent the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law. The 378-34 vote backed a package that was overwhelmingly approved last week by the U.S. Senate, a rare show of bipartisanship after weeks of haggling between Democrats and Republicans over how best to respond to the crisis. The legislation backs a $1 billion loan guarantee for the Kiev government, provides $150 million in aid to Ukraine and surrounding countries and requires the U.S. State and Justice Departments to help the Kiev government recover assets amassed by corrupt Ukrainian officials. It also imposes mandatory sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against Russians and Ukrainians determined to have engaged in violence or human rights abuses in Ukraine, who undermined Ukraine's sovereignty or participated in "significant" corruption in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 8.0 earthquake strikes off Chile, near Iquique: USGS Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 05:02 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A major earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, near the mining area of Iquique, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It said the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles below the seabed, which would have made it feel stronger. It was centered 53 miles northwest of Iquique. It was not immediately known if the quake sparked a tsunami alert, but quakes of that size in the water near the coast usually do. (Reporting by Sandra Maler; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Official death toll from Washington state mudslide rises to 28 Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 04:40 PM PDT DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - The official death toll from a devastating mudslide in Washington state rose to 28 on Tuesday, up from 24 the day before, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office said on Tuesday. A statement issued by the coroner's office also said the remains of 22 victims have now been positively identified, up from 19 earlier in the day. The number of people still listed as missing was put at 22 on Monday. (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston) Full Story | Top |
| U.S. House backs Ukraine aid, sanctions Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 04:37 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to provide aid to Ukraine, back a $1 billion loan guarantee for the Kiev government and impose sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea. The 378-34 vote was in support of a package approved by the U.S. Senate, meaning it will be sent to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law, ending weeks of haggling in Congress over how best to support Ukraine. Besides the loan guarantee, the legislation provides $150 million in aid to Ukraine and surrounding countries and requires the State and Justice Departments to help the Kiev government recover assets amassed by corrupt Ukraine officials. Full Story | Top |
| NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 04:32 PM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Sabine Siebold BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Russia on Tuesday in protest at its annexation of Crimea, and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defenses and reassure nervous Eastern European countries. Foreign ministers from the 28-nation, U.S.-led alliance were meeting for the first time since the Russian occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region touched off the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's actions meant there could be no "business as usual". "So today, we are suspending all practical cooperation with Russia, military and civilian," he told a news conference. Full Story | Top |
| East Libyan rebels to end oil port blockage within days: senior leader Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 04:03 PM PDT  By Feras Bosalum and Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A rebel group in eastern Libya has agreed with the government to end its seizure of vital oil ports within days, a senior leader told Reuters on Tuesday, raising hopes for an end to an eight-month stalemate that has dried up state income and fuelled chaos. The oil conflict is just one aspect of the turmoil in the OPEC producer where the weak central government is unable to control militias that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but refuse to disarm and are trying to grab a share of power or oil wealth. The government had earlier met a rebel demand by releasing three of its fighters who had boarded the tanker at Es Sider, one of three ports seized by the group in August to press for autonomy and a greater share of oil wealth. "We agreed on all issues with the government in Tripoli." A government delegation would visit the group's home base Ajdabiya in eastern Libya within two days to hammer out the details, he told Reuters by phone. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela troops block opposition leader from parliament Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 03:49 PM PDT  By Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan troops dispersed opposition demonstrators with tear gas on Tuesday and blocked anti-government activist Maria Corina Machado, recently stripped of her seat in the National Assembly, from reaching the legislature. National Guard soldiers surrounded a rally of opposition sympathizers who had planned to march into downtown Caracas to protest at Machado's expulsion from Congress, preventing them from leaving and clearing the square with tear gas. Parliament stripped Machado of her post last week on charges she violated the constitution by accepting an invitation from Panama to speak against the government of President Nicolas Maduro at a meeting of the Organization of American States. The opposition leader dismissed that process as an illegal maneuver by a dictatorial government and vowed to attend a session of the legislature on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Widow of Zurich CFO to confront insurer at AGM over suicide Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 03:49 PM PDT  By Katharina Bart ZURICH (Reuters) - Seven months after the suicide of Zurich Insurance finance chief Pierre Wauthier, his widow is set to confront the company over its handling of the tragedy, reopening a scandal that unsettled investors. In the first extensive interview since her husband's death last August, Fabienne Wauthier told Reuters she would attend Zurich's annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday - along with her daughter and her late husband's mother and brother - to voice concerns about how a probe into the suicide was conducted. She says she is dissatisfied with the investigation, commissioned by Switzerland's financial regulator FINMA and conducted by law firm Homburger. During the Homburger probe, Wauthier's widow has said she was never approached by the law firm, which has previously carried out work for Zurich and was asked by FINMA to look into whether the CFO had come under "undue pressure". Full Story | Top |
| House OKs bill calling for weather, not climate, forecasts Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 03:29 PM PDT  The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced a bill that would require U.S. government weather agencies to focus more on predicting storms and less on climate studies. The bill to "prioritize weather-related activities" at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other agencies was introduced in 2013 by Oklahoma Republican Jim Bridenstine after dozens of state residents were killed in a series of severe tornadoes. Although the term "climate" does not appear in the text of the bill, Bridenstine's office has said the intent of the measure was "shifting funds from climate change research to severe weather forecasting research." The measure also directs the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) to develop better forecasting capabilities and improve tornado and hurricane warning systems. Opponents, including some environmental groups, have criticized the bill as a way to undermine efforts to address climate change. Full Story | Top |
| Cameroon releases minister suspected of embezzling public funds Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 02:59 PM PDT A Cameroon minister has been release from jail a day after he was arrested and remanded in custody on suspected embezzlement of public funds, the Central African Nation's government spokesman said on Tuesday. Louis Bapes Bapes, minister for secondary education, was arrested on Monday on instructions from a judge of the country's Special Criminal Tribunal. "Today, the judge decided to release him," Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the country's communication minister, told a news conference late on Tuesday. Bapes Bapes, who declined to make any comment after his release, is the first sitting minister to be arrested under President Paul Biya, 81, one of Africa's longest serving heads of state. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. mulls sending warship to Black Sea in Ukraine response Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 02:35 PM PDT The top U.S. general in Europe is looking at options including moving a U.S. warship to the Black Sea and bolstering scheduled NATO exercises in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday. A small team of about 10 soldiers from an Army brigade could also head to Europe "very soon" to better prepare for a larger scheduled deployment this summer as part of a NATO response force. "This brigade combat team was already scheduled to be part of the NATO response force going this summer. NATO said earlier on Tuesday it was suspending all practical cooperation with Russia in protest at its annexation of Crimea, and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defenses and reassure nervous Eastern European countries. Full Story | Top |
| West Virginia bill signed to regulate storage tanks after spill Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 02:21 PM PDT (Reuters) - West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin on Tuesday signed a bill regulating above-ground chemical storage tanks, a measure prompted by a spill in January that tainted water supplies for some 300,000 people. The new law requires above-ground tanks in critical areas near public water supplies to be registered with the state Department of Environmental Protection, which will perform annual inspections. "The Elk River chemical spill has made us all - in our communities and across our nation - take a closer look at our infrastructure, especially in areas of critical concern around our waterways," said Tomblin, a Democrat, in a statement. The January 9 spill of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or crude MCHM, into the Elk River at the state capital Charleston prompted West Virginia to ban some 300,000 people from drinking or bathing in tap water. Full Story | Top |
| Japan may only be able to restart one-third of its nuclear reactors Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 02:09 PM PDT  By Mari Saito, Aaron Sheldrick and Kentaro Hamada TOKYO (Reuters) - Three years after the Fukushima disaster prompted the closure of all Japan's nuclear reactors, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is moving to revive nuclear power as a core part of the energy mix, but many of those idled reactors will never come back online. This means Japan is likely to remain heavily reliant on imported fuel to power the world's third-largest economy, straining a trade balance that has been in the red for nearly two years. Hokkaido Electric Power Co, facing a third year of financial losses, is seeking a capital infusion from a state-owned lender, which would make it the second utility, after Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, to get a government bailout since the March 2011 disaster. Continuing indefinitely to burn more coal and gas also means Tokyo will find it much harder to meet targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Full Story | Top |
| Abbas signs international conventions; Kerry cancels visit Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 02:03 PM PDT  By Ali Sawafta and Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed more than a dozen international conventions on Tuesday, citing anger at Israel's delay of a prisoner release in a decision that jeopardized U.S. efforts to salvage fragile peace talks. His unexpected move was aimed at solidifying the standing of Palestinians in global bodies, defying both Israel and the United States that have long opposed such unilateral action. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry immediately announced that he was cancelling a trip to the region on Wednesday that Washington had hoped would result in a three-way deal aimed at extending the negotiations into 2015. Full Story | Top |
| White House: Obama has not decided to release Israeli spy Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 12:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has not made a decision to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday. "Jonathan Pollard was convicted of espionage and he is serving his sentence," Carney said. "I don't have any other update to provide you on Mr. Pollard's status. There are obviously a lot of things happening in that arena and I am not going to get ahead of discussions that are under way," he said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and David Storey; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Prominent Islamist shot dead on Kenyan coast: police Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 12:30 PM PDT  By Joseph Akwiri MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A prominent Kenyan Islamist, accused by the United States and U.N. Security Council of supporting the Somali militant group al Shabaab, was shot dead on Tuesday, police said. Abubakar Shariff, also known as Makaburi, was killed as he left a court compound about 15 km (10 miles) north of the port city of Mombasa, police chief for Kisauni area Richard Ngtia told journalists. Makaburi had been attending a court hearing. "Our brother Abubakar Shariff Makaburi has left us. Full Story | Top |
| French Greens say they will not join new government Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 12:27 PM PDT  The French Greens party will not take part in a newly formed government under Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls, it said on Tuesday, breaking away from a coalition marked by tensions over energy policy. The decision capped nearly two years of tense relations between coalition partners as the Greens sought to wind down use of nuclear energy and insisted on maintaining a blanket ban on shale gas exploration. It followed a rout of the ruling Socialist Party in local elections on Sunday which prompted an unpopular President Francois Hollande to appoint his tough-talking former interior minister Valls as prime minister. "The ecologists will back the government without fail when it acts for progress and ecology, but it will oppose it whenever ecology is not taken into account," the party said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry cancels meeting with Abbas in Ramallah Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 12:25 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday called off a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah for last-minute talks on extending peace talks with Israel, a senior State Department official said. "We are no longer travelling tomorrow. We are in close touch with the team on the ground," the official said. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; editing by Andrew Roche) Full Story | Top |
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