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| Colombia farmer protests a headache for Santos' re-election bid Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:35 PM PDT  By Peter Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - Farmers across Colombia began protests on Monday demanding the government enact reforms it promised last year, organizers said, demonstrations that could unsettle President Juan Manuel Santos as he runs for re-election in four weeks. Colombian producers of coffee, potatoes, rice, tomatoes and other crops say the government has failed to alleviate indebtedness and regulate prices for inputs like fertilizer, among other measures, they say were promised in August to end protests back then that turned violent. "We are complaining about the government not fulfilling the agreements of August last year," Victor Correa, spokesman for the Dignidad Cafetero coffee growers' protest movement told Reuters. Nonetheless, protest organizers have called for more farmers to turn out for a second day, which could put more pressure on the government if the protests begin to disrupt public order. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. storms kills 21, tornado roars through Mississippi city Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:26 PM PDT  By Robbie Ward TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - On a second day of ferocious storms that have claimed at least 21 lives in the southern United States, a tornado tore through the Mississippi town of Tupelo on Monday causing widespread destruction to homes and businesses, according to witnesses and local emergency officials. At least one person was killed in Tupelo, a city of about 35,000 in the northeast of the state and the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Most of the deaths from the severe storm system occurred on Sunday when tornadoes tossed cars like toys in Arkansas and other states. Monday's twister in Tupelo, one of several to tear across Mississippi, damaged hundreds of homes and businesses, downed power lines and tore up trees, the National Weather Service said. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian court sentences top Muslim Brotherhood leader to death Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:00 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters to death on Monday, intensifying a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protests and political violence ahead of an election next month. The Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule". An Islamist alliance that includes the Brotherhood called on Egyptians to demonstrate against the death sentences in the streets of Cairo on Wednesday. In another case signaling growing intolerance of dissent by military-backed authorities, a pro-democracy movement that helped ignite the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was banned by court order, judicial sources said. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea to conduct firing drills near disputed sea border, says South Korea Monday, Apr 28, 2014 06:56 PM PDT  By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said it will conduct live fire drills on Tuesday in two areas near a disputed sea border with South Korea, the South Korean ministry of defense said on Tuesday. North Korea conducted similar drills in late March when it fired more than 500 artillery rounds near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed maritime border that has been the de facto sea border since the 1950-53 Korean war. More than 100 rounds landed south of the border, prompting South Korea to fire hundreds of rounds back into the North's waters. The Northern Limit Line is an extension of the land border between the two Koreas, stretching into the sea west of the Korean peninsula. Full Story | Top |
| Investors wary as anti-Vietnamese feeling grows in Cambodia Monday, Apr 28, 2014 06:37 PM PDT  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - It took just one word to fire up the mob that beat Tran Van Chien to death after a minor road accident in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The 30-year-old carpenter was standing among onlookers on February 16 when someone shouted "yuon," a term widely seen as derogatory to the hundreds of thousands of ethnic Vietnamese who call Cambodia home. Seconds later, the crowd turned on Tran Van Chien. "There were so many people I couldn't help," recalled his sister, Tran Yaing Chang, shuffling through photos of his funeral. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sanctions Putin allies as Ukraine violence goes on Monday, Apr 28, 2014 04:49 PM PDT  By Maria Tsvetkova and Thomas Grove DONETSK/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - The United States imposed new sanctions on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, prompting Moscow to denounce "Cold War" tactics amid more violence in eastern Ukraine. The move to ban visas and freeze assets of the likes of Putin's friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft, also drew fire from President Barack Obama's domestic critics, who called it a "slap on the wrist." EU states added 15 more Russians and Ukrainians to their blacklist and will reveal them on Tuesday. The new round of U.S. sanctions, following those imposed last month when Russia annexed Crimea, barely registered in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels were holding a group of German and other OSCE military observers for a fourth day. Full Story | Top |
| White House casts Russia sanctions strategy as battle of attrition Monday, Apr 28, 2014 04:21 PM PDT By Steve Holland and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama calls his sanctions policy against Russia "calibrated", while his Republican rivals dismiss it a "slap on the wrist" and Russia condemns it as "illegitimate." As the White House embarks on what experts agree is a cautious approach to penalizing Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, the strategy behind the seemingly light penalties is being cast by Obama administration officials as a slow battle of attrition, chipping away at Russian President Vladimir Putin's credibility while keeping U.S. policy in lockstep with Europe. The deliberative policy is rooted in Obama's multilateral style of governing and a belief that the United States must not overreach in a way that could have costly consequences. A third round of sanctions issued on Monday targeted seven Russian government officials, including two from Putin's inner circle, and 17 companies linked to Putin allies. Some 38 people have now been targeted for penalties since Russia's military seizure of Crimea in March. Full Story | Top |
| Libya says Jordan to handover jailed Islamist to get kidnapped ambassador Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:28 PM PDT By Feras Bosalum TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Jordan has agreed to handover a Libyan Islamist to Tripoli to secure the release of its ambassador kidnapped in the North African country two weeks ago, Libya's state news agency LANA said on Monday. Jordan's ambassador to Libya, Fawaz al-Itan, was snatched by gunmen who demanded the release of Mohamed Dersi, a Libyan Islamist militant jailed for life in 2007 for plotting to blow up the main airport in Jordan. Sohar Banun, an undersecretary in Libya's justice ministry, said both countries had agreed that the ambassador would be released in exchange for Jordan reducing Dersi's sentence and allowing him to complete his jail term in Libya, LANA said. Full Story | Top |
| Colombian rebels torch convoy repairing Ecopetrol pipeline Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:13 PM PDT By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian rebel group stopped and set fire to 12 vehicles transporting contractors and equipment to repair a pipeline on behalf of state-owned oil company Ecopetrol, police officials said on Monday. No one was killed or injured in Sunday's attack by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, in a rural area in Norte de Santander province, near the border with Venezuela. The convoy was intercepted and torched as it headed to carry out repairs on the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline that has been halted for the last month after several bomb attacks by the ELN and the FARC, another rebel group. Flow along the 780-km pipeline, with capacity to transport 210,000 barrels of crude from oil fields in northern Arauca province, has also been halted by a local indigenous community, which has refused to allow workers onto its land to do repairs. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. storm system that killed 16 causes tornado in Mississippi Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:10 PM PDT By Colin Sims VILONIA, Arkansas (Reuters) - A ferocious storm system caused a twister in Mississippi and threatened tens of millions of people across the U.S. Southeast on Monday, a day after it spawned tornadoes that killed 16 people and tossed cars like toys in Arkansas and other states. A tornado went through Tupelo, Mississippi in the northern part of the state at about 3 p.m. (1800 GMT), damaging hundreds of homes, downing power lines and toppling trees, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant told CNN. Parts of Alabama, western Georgia and Tennessee also were at risk as the storm system that produced the series of tornadoes headed east toward the Mid-Atlantic states. Rescue workers, volunteers and victims have been sifting through the rubble in the hardest-hit state of Arkansas, looking for survivors in central Faulkner County where a tornado reduced homes to splinters, snapped power lines and mangled trees. Full Story | Top |
| New U.S. sanctions on Putin allies cause few ripples Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:06 PM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Russian firms and government officials on Monday, a move that financial markets largely shrugged off and U.S. Republican lawmakers dismissed as too little to deter Moscow from further action in Ukraine. The reaction underscored the dilemma facing President Barack Obama: how to use sanctions to punish Moscow for its intervention in Ukraine without hurting European countries and foreign companies with deep financial ties to Russia. Washington slapped sanctions on seven Russian government officials and 17 companies linked to President Vladimir Putin, in response to what the White House said was Moscow's failure to adhere to an April 17 agreement on ways to resolve the crisis. Full Story | Top |
| Canada puts sanctions on two small Russian banks Monday, Apr 28, 2014 02:50 PM PDT Canada imposed sanctions on Monday on two small Russian banks and nine individuals. The two banks are ExpoBank, listed last year as the 103rd biggest Russian bank by assets, and RosEnergoBank, which in 2012 had income of $4.24 million and assets of $1.01 billion, according to Moody's Investors Service last year. "The illegal occupation of Ukraine continues and Russia's military aggression persists. That is why we are imposing sanctions against an additional nine individuals and two entities today," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement announcing the measures. Full Story | Top |
| Mayor of Mexico's largest port city arrested over possible crime links Monday, Apr 28, 2014 02:22 PM PDT Prosecutors are holding the mayor of one of Mexico's main port cities for questioning over allegations he took part in kidnapping and extortion, the latest step in a government crackdown on organized crime in the western region. Arquimides Oseguera, mayor of the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas in the state of Michoacan, was detained early on Monday, the government said in a statement as it began to register and disarm vigilante groups that have worked with authorities to restore order. The statement said Oseguera was also to be questioned about suspected ties to the local boss of organized crime in the city. The mayor's office in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico's biggest port by tonnage of cargo shipped, could not immediately be reached for comment. Full Story | Top |
| New group, #CubaNow, tells Obama it's time to change Cuba policy Monday, Apr 28, 2014 02:11 PM PDT  By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) - A new advocacy group calling for the United States to change its policy toward Cuba launched an advertising campaign on Monday with posters on the Washington D.C. metro system showing President Barack Obama and urging him to "stop waiting." The metro ads by the group #CubaNow are designed to highlight economic changes happening in Cuba. The group said its mission, unlike other Cuba policy groups, was specifically focused on changing U.S. thinking about Cuba policy. While the group opposes the embargo, it recognized that overturning it in Congress is an uphill battle and other ways can be found to change policy, such as allowing all Americans to travel to Cuba. "There's plenty the President can do within his existing authority," said #CubaNow founding member Andres DÃaz, a Cuban-born former Obama administration official at the Department of Commerce. Full Story | Top |
| German diplomat injured during kidnapping attempt in Yemen Monday, Apr 28, 2014 01:31 PM PDT A German diplomat was injured during an apparent kidnapping attempt by unidentified gunmen in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, embassy and police sources said. They said the diplomat, identified as a political attaché, managed to escape the gunmen who tried to block a road near the German embassy with a four-wheel-drive vehicle without license plates. "One of the diplomats was injured when gunmen opened fire at his car in an apparent kidnapping attempt," the embassy source said without giving any further details. Kidnapping of foreigners in Yemen is common. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Candidates in Colombia's presidential election Monday, Apr 28, 2014 01:15 PM PDT By Julia Symmes Cobb BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos is running for a second term in a May 25 election, with polls showing he will probably win but go to a second round of voting. Here are the main candidates and their policies: JUAN MANUEL SANTOS The president opened peace talks with Marxist FARC rebels and his legacy may hinge on the outcome of the negotiations. Santos has promised to implement judicial reforms and to strike back at criminal gangs during his second term, as well as break down barriers to housing and education. Born into one of Colombia's most powerful families, Santos, 62, is a consummate political insider. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. troops, British planes deployed to Baltics over Ukraine Monday, Apr 28, 2014 01:12 PM PDT TALLINN/VILNIUS (Reuters) - The last deployment of U.S. troops arrived in the Baltics with four British fighter jets on Monday as NATO steps up efforts to reassure its allies in the face of Russian tensions with the West over Ukraine. Four British Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets landed in Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania, the first of 12 fighters that will boost air patrols in the Baltics, and 150 U.S. troops were deployed to the Amari air base in Estonia. The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have small military forces and have been warily watching Russia reasserting itself in its former dominions. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. court revives oil companies' lawsuit over WWII site cleanup Monday, Apr 28, 2014 01:06 PM PDT A divided U.S. appeals court on Monday revived efforts by oil companies to force the federal government to reimburse them for the cost to clean up a southern California site where they had dumped toxic sludge during World War Two. By a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the dismissal of claims by BP Plc, Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc in a now 23-year-old case that their wartime contracts to produce gas to fuel military aircraft entitled them to reimbursement. The appeals court returned the case to Judge Thomas Wheeler of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for a damages trial, saying the amount of environmental harm from the contracts remains in dispute. Full Story | Top |
| Former al Qaeda associate testifies in U.S. trial of handless cleric Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:58 PM PDT  By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A British former al Qaeda associate appeared via live television feed on Monday as a government witness in the U.S. terrorism trial of Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-eyed, handless cleric who is charged with supporting al Qaeda. Saajid Badat, 33, appearing on video in Manhattan federal court, is expected to testify about another man, Feroz Abbasi, who prosecutors claim Abu Hamza sent from London to Afghanistan to train with al Qaeda. According to prosecutors, Badat will testify that he witnessed Abbasi meeting with al Qaeda leaders and discussed carrying out attacks, bolstering the government's argument that Abu Hamza sent Abbasi there to fight alongside al Qaeda. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says gas debt talks with EU, Ukraine planned for May 2 Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:48 PM PDT Russia's energy minister and EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger have reached a tentative agreement for three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the EU on Ukraine's debt to Moscow for gas to be held later this week, the Russian ministry said. "The meeting is planned for May 2 in Warsaw," the Russian Energy Ministry said, adding that it expected the Ukrainian delegation to confirm its participation soon. Russia had earlier proposed the talks be held on Monday in Moscow. President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could halt supplies to Ukraine over non-payment of more than $2 billion in debt for gas, potentially reducing deliveries to European customers who receive gas via pipelines in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says Marshall Islands' nuclear lawsuits 'baseless' Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:41 PM PDT  Russia said on Monday that lawsuits in which the Marshall Islands accused nine nations with nuclear weapons capability of failing in their obligation to negotiate disarmament are "baseless" and would not help rid the world of atomic weapons. The tiny archipelago nation in the Pacific Ocean, which was used for U.S. nuclear tests in the 1950s, filed lawsuits last week against the United States, Russia and seven other countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed surprise at the allegation, saying the Cold War arms race was decades in the past and that Russia and the United States had been negotiating nuclear cuts almost constantly for years. "As a result ... Russia has reduced its strategic (long-range) nuclear potential by more than 80 percent and its non-strategic nuclear weapons by three-quarters from their peak numbers," the ministry said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| EU politicians focus on economy in first TV debate Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:39 PM PDT  By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The four main candidates to head the European Commission held a televised debate on Monday, the first of its kind as the European Union seeks to show its relevance to increasingly hostile voters ahead of an EU election. Although EU citizens do not directly elect the Commission - the body that drafts and enforces EU legislation - the debate by representatives of the four main groups in the European Parliament showed voters the main political stances on offer at elections to the assembly to be held on May 22-25. "I am campaigning for a Europe that creates jobs and growth without spending money we don't have," said Jean-Claude Juncker, a former Luxembourg prime minister, representing the center-right European People's Party, which is marginally ahead of the center-left Social Democrats in polls. LIFE CHANCES For the Social Democrats, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, 58, a staunch critic of austerity policies [ID:nL6N0MY0D5], argued that more money should be spent helping young people find jobs - a message that resonated with the audience at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen ambush Muslim convoy in Central African Republic, two killed Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:16 PM PDT  By Siegfried Modola KAGA BANDORO, Central African Republic (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked an evacuation convoy carrying hundreds of Muslims north from Central African Republic's capital on Monday, killing at least two people, according to a Reuters witness and an African Union peacekeeping official. The 1,300 Muslims were being escorted from Bangui by foreign peacekeepers to move them from attacks by Christian militia after a spiral of bloodletting that followed Muslim rebels seizing office and then being forced to cede power themselves. Major Patrick Sibobugingo, a spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping force known as MISCA, said six other people were injured in the attack on the convoy, part of an evacuation that has been criticized by the country's interim government. Marguerite Samba, minister of health and humanitarian aid in the interim government, said local authorities had not been consulted about the "harmful" relocation of Muslims. Full Story | Top |
| Berlin asks Russia to help free OSCE team in Ukraine Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:16 PM PDT Germany urged Moscow on Monday to use its influence on pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to secure the release of European military observers being held in the city of Slaviansk. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin condemned the detention of the team from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including four Germans, calling it "against the law and without justification". "We ask the Russian government to act publicly and internally for their release, to distance itself clearly from such acts and to use its influence on pro-Russian perpetrators and forces in eastern Ukraine to secure their release," he said. Seibert said the presence of armed masked men when the OSCE observers were paraded before the media in Slaviansk on Sunday - in what he called a "revolting spectacle" - made it clear beyond any doubt that they were the hostages of the city's self-styled mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov. Full Story | Top |
| Qatar's Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:08 PM PDT By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a $150 million compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its media business inflicted by Cairo's military-backed rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations. In a move aimed at drawing attention to what Al Jazeera calls Egypt's unacceptable treatment of it and its journalists, a lawyer acting for the pan-Arab channel told Reuters he had handed a legal document detailing the claim to a representative of the Egyptian government. Egypt had begun a "sustained campaign" against Al Jazeera and its journalists after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July last year, said Cameron Doley, a lawyer at London law firm Carter-Ruck, which is handling the case. Full Story | Top |
| 50 killed in bomb attack on rally, police and troops voting in Iraq Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:02 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fifty people were killed on Monday as suicide bombers attacked a political rally and Iraqi police and soldiers cast their votes early for a national election in two days' time, authorities and witnesses said. A suicide attacker killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others at a Kurdish political gathering in the town of Khanaqin, 140 km (100 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security sources said. The Kurds were celebrating the television appearance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd incapacitated since late 2012, who cast his vote in Germany where he was undergoing medical treatment. "The attacker snuck among the crowds near the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's headquarters and blew himself up, causing a tragic massacre," one police officer said, sobbing after he discovered his brother was among those killed. Full Story | Top |
| British and Iranian officials hold talks in Tehran Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:01 PM PDT A senior British diplomat made a brief visit to Tehran on Monday for talks with officials on the strained ties between the two countries and on Iran's nuclear programme, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported. Earlier, IRNA said Tehran and London were looking to restore full diplomatic ties, all but severed after a 2011 raid on Britain's embassy in the Iranian capital. Full Story | Top |
| Russian says was 'irresponsible' to send monitors to east Ukraine Monday, Apr 28, 2014 11:45 AM PDT By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - A Russian ambassador said on Monday it had been "extremely irresponsible" to send international military monitors to eastern Ukraine, where they were detained by pro-Russian rebels last week. Andrey Kelin, Moscow's ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said however it would be a good step towards easing the conflict to release the seven European monitors, who are being held in the city of Slaviansk. Asked what Russia was doing to help achieve that, Kelin told reporters at the Vienna-based OSCE: "We are doing some steps, not only by statements, but also in practice." He gave no further details. A senior U.S. diplomat called on Russia to secure the "unconditional and immediate release" of the German-led team. Full Story | Top |
| Separatists attack rally in eastern Ukrainian city Monday, Apr 28, 2014 11:34 AM PDT By Maria Tsvetkova DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists armed with baseball bats attacked a rally in support of Ukrainian unity in the separatist-held city of Donetsk on Monday, amid rising tension and disorder in the country's east. A Reuters photographer saw at least 10 people with head wounds after dozens of men dressed in military fatigues tried to disrupt the rally with baseball bats, firecrackers and what appeared to be at least one stun grenade. Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bomber kills 30 at Kurdish rally in eastern Iraq Monday, Apr 28, 2014 11:14 AM PDT BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide attacker killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others at a Kurdish political gathering on Monday, in the town of Khanaqin, 140 km (100 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security sources said. The Kurds were celebrating the television appearance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has been incapacitated since late 2012. Talabani was casting a vote in Germany where he has been undergoing medical treatment. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU adds 15 to sanctions list over Russia's actions in Ukraine Monday, Apr 28, 2014 11:13 AM PDT By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union imposed asset freezes and visa bans on 15 more Russians and Ukrainians on Monday as part of expanded sanctions on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine. The decision brings to 48 the number of people that the EU has put under sanctions for, it says, helping undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity. EU diplomats said they would not include the heads of Russian energy giants such as Rosneft's Igor Sechin, who was included on a new U.S. sanctions list on Monday. The EU decision coincided with a White House announcement that the United States was imposing sanctions against seven Russians and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Full Story | Top |
| Mastercard to stop services to sanctioned Russian banks Monday, Apr 28, 2014 11:00 AM PDT U.S. payment card firm MasterCard Inc will suspend services in the near future to cards issued by Russia's SMP bank and InvestCapitalbank, which were sanctioned on Monday by the United States, the payment company said. InvestCapitalbank and SMP bank are both controlled by the Rotenberg brothers, Boris and Arkady, and were hit with sanctions in retaliation for Russia's involvement in Ukraine. The Rotenbergs, linked to big contracts on gas pipelines and at the Sochi Olympics, were named on a previous U.S. sanctions list issued in March after Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine. Russia recently revived plans to develop its own card payment system to cut its dependence on Visa and Mastercard after U.S. sanctions led to disruptions in their services last month. Full Story | Top |
| Syrian relief work hampered by U.N. failings, aid groups say Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:51 AM PDT  By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Aid organizations working in Syria say they are growing frustrated at how the United Nations is handling the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, accusing it of excluding them and withholding information vital to assist millions in need. A letter obtained by Reuters which was sent to several U.N. Security Council members this month by international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Syria says a lack of coordination by the United Nations means assistance is not reaching some civilians in priority areas. In other regions of the country the U.N. does not inform other aid groups when it brings aid, leading to "potential duplication" of deliveries, the document said. Syria's war has killed 150,000 people and poses an enormous challenge for relief workers. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. condemns capture, detention of OSCE monitors in Ukraine Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:50 AM PDT U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the recent seizure in Ukraine of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and demanded that pro-Russian rebels release them immediately. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the recent capture and detention of OSCE military monitors as well as a number of accompanying Ukrainian staff," the statement said. Ban said international missions working in Ukraine must be allowed to perform their duties without interference, it noted. "The Secretary-General urges all parties concerned to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine," the U.N. statement said. Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian mayor who edged away from separatism shot in back Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:49 AM PDT  The mayor of Ukraine's second biggest city was shot in the back on Monday, the highest profile assassination attempt in eastern Ukraine since a standoff between Moscow and Kiev began two months ago. Gennady Kernes underwent two hours of surgery after the attack in Kharkiv, one eastern city where police have managed to dislodge pro-Moscow rebels. Surgeon Valery Boiko said his life would hang in the balance for the next few days. Kernes, 54, went into politics after making his fortune in the gangster-ridden post-communist 1990s. Full Story | Top |
| White House 'deeply troubled' by death sentences in Egypt Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:37 AM PDT The United States is "deeply troubled" by an Egypt court's death sentence for the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and hundreds of supporters, the White House said on Monday, condemning the country's use of mass trials. The Egyptian government has the responsibility to ensure that every citizen is afforded due process, including the right to a fair trial in which evidence is clearly presented, and access to an attorney," the White House said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Sechin's 'bourbon ban' won't hurt Rosneft, oil traders reckon Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:30 AM PDT By David Sheppard LONDON (Reuters) - The international oil business played down U.S. sanctions against the head of Russian energy giant Rosneft on Monday, with traders and global companies forecasting "business as usual". Igor Sechin himself responded to being penalized for the Ukraine policies of his friend President Vladimir Putin with sarcasm, calling it "an appreciation of our efficiency". "So he cannot fly to drink with U.S. energy executives," one senior Russian oil trader shrugged after Rosneft shares lost 1.7 percent. "But otherwise business will continue." Sanctions like the visa ban for the Rosneft CEO might, however, accelerate Russia's turn to business with China, the trader added: "So he changes from bourbon to Tsingtao beer..." Senior executives and traders at European energy companies believe the U.S. sanctions do not apply to dealing with Rosneft itself. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief 'alarmed' by new mass death verdicts in Egypt Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:25 AM PDT U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm on Monday at reports that an Egyptian court has issued a new mass death sentence to the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters, the U.N. press office said in a statement. "The Secretary-General is alarmed by the news that another preliminary mass death sentence has been handed down today in Egypt, the first of which was on 24 March," the statement said. "Verdicts that clearly appear not to meet basic fair trial standards, particularly those which impose the death penalty, are likely to undermine prospects for long-term stability," the U.N. statement added. The Muslim Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule. Full Story | Top |
| German president warns Turkey not to stray from democratic path Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:12 AM PDT  Germany's president warned during a trip to Turkey on Monday against the consequences of curbing freedom of expression and he criticized Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's leadership style. Gauck, a former East German Lutheran pastor who campaigned for the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, praised Turkey for the progress made under Erdogan on issues such as the economy and the Kurdish peace process, but added: "Recently we have also heard voices of disappointment, bitterness and outrage at a style of leadership which many see as a risk to democracy," he said in an address at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. "All my life, experience tells me that where freedom of expression is curtailed, where people are not fully informed, not consulted nor allowed to participate, resentment and harshness, and finally also the willingness to resort to violence, grow," Gauck said. Full Story | Top |
| Russia condemns new U.S. sanctions, says U.S. back in Cold War Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:10 AM PDT A senior Russian diplomat sharply criticized a new round of U.S. sanctions on Monday, saying the measures were illegitimate and uncivilized and that restrictions on high-tech exports from the United States marked a return to Cold War practices. "We decisively condemn the series of measures that has been announced in an attempt to put sanctions pressure on Moscow," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in comments posted on the ministry's website. He said the U.S. decision to impose sanctions was based on an "absolutely distorted" view of events occurring in Ukraine and "will not improve the chances for a constructive solution to the problems that have arisen." In addition to slapping visa bans and asset freezes on seven Russian officials and imposing sanctions on 17 companies with links to President Vladimir Putin, the United states said will deny export license applications for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities. Full Story | Top |
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