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| Malian president offers Tuareg rebels talks Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:24 AM PST  TIMBUKTU, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - Mali's president offered talks to Tuareg rebels on Thursday in a bid for national reconciliation after a French-led offensive drove their Islamist former allies into desert and mountain hideaways in the country's vast north. France's three-week ground and air campaign has dislodged al Qaeda-linked fighters from northern Mali's major towns, ending the first phase of an operation designed to prevent Islamists using the region as a launchpad for attacks on neighboring West African countries and Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Freeing Kurdish activists would help Turkey peace moves: watchdog Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:17 AM PST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Freeing thousands of Kurdish activists from Turkish prisons could help a fledgling peace initiative to end a three-decade-old insurgency, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. Anti-terrorism laws have allowed Turkish courts to jail people engaged in non-violent action, especially those seeking greater Kurdish rights, New York-based HRW said in its 2013 World Report, which examined more than 90 countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria protests over Israel attack, warns of "surprise" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:13 AM PST  BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria protested to the United Nations on Thursday over an Israeli air strike on its territory and warned of a possible "surprise" response. The foreign ministry summoned the head of the U.N. force in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to deliver the protest a day after Israel hit what Syria said was a military research centre and diplomats said was a weapons convoy heading for Lebanon. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. chides Iran on plan to speed up nuclear fuel work Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:59 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that Iran's installation of advanced uranium enrichment machines would be a "provocative step" in further violation of United Nations resolutions against Tehran's nuclear program. Iran, in a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it would introduce new centrifuges to its main enrichment plant near the central town of Natanz, according to an IAEA communication to member states seen by Reuters. "This does not come as a surprise," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defiant Iran plans to speed up nuclear fuel work Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:59 AM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon. In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran said it would introduce new centrifuges to its main enrichment plant near the central town of Natanz, according to an IAEA communication to member states seen by Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia's 2012 crackdown worst since Soviet era -rights group Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:57 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Authoritarianism increased last year in Russia to levels unseen since the Soviet era with a raft of harsh laws curbing political freedoms and harassment of opposition activists and critics, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The crackdown coincided with the return of Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin and the appointment of his predecessor and protégé, Dmitry Medvedev, as prime minister, according to the New York-based group. "Since Putin's return ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain struggles in push to ease Syria arms embargo Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:53 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain's call to amend a European Union embargo on arms sales to Syria to help opponents of President Bashar al-Assad met opposition on Thursday when EU governments warned it could allow weapons to end up in the wrong hands. A package of EU sanctions against Syria comes up for renewal at the start of March, and Britain, backed among others by France, has said EU rules should be eased to allow some equipment to be sent to the rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunman kills Pakistani Sunni leaders in apparent tit-for-tat hit Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:49 AM PST  KARACHI (Reuters) - A gunman on a motorcycle shot dead three Pakistani Sunni Muslim leaders on Thursday, police said, in the latest apparent tit-for-tat killing in the southern financial hub of Karachi. Conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite militants has been blamed for many recent killings in Pakistan's largest city. At least 217 people have been killed this month, police sources say, but they do not know how many qualify as "target killings", the official term for assassinations. "Three persons riding a bike intercepted (the victims')vehicle ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia rebels free seized oil workers, kill four soldiers Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:45 AM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed three oil contractors kidnapped a day earlier, military sources said, though the guerrillas killed four soldiers in the south as they step up pressure during peace talks. The kidnappings and other violent incidents came days after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, made clear during peace negotiations in Cuba that it would continue to capture armed forces, possibly hampering the talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights inquiry says Israel must remove settlers Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:43 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Israel on Thursday to halt settlement expansion and withdraw all half a million Jewish settlers from the occupied West Bank, saying that its practices could be subject to prosecution as possible war crimes. A three-member U.N. panel said private companies should stop working in the settlements if their work adversely affected the human rights of Palestinians, and urged member states to ensure companies respected human rights. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians feel vindicated by UN rights report on Israel Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:43 AM PST RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians welcomed a U.N. Human Rights Council report on Thursday highly critical of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it vindicated their struggle against Israel. The U.N. investigation, which was boycotted by the Jewish state, urged Israel to halt settlement construction unconditionally and begin removing all 500,000 Israeli settlers from occupied territory immediately. "This is incredible. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels make slow headway in south Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:29 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - The revolt against President Bashar al-Assad first flared in Deraa, but the southern border city now epitomizes the bloody stalemate gripping Syria after 22 months of violence and 60,000 dead. Jordan next door has little sympathy with Assad, but is wary of spillover from the upheaval in its bigger neighbor. It has tightened control of its 370-km (230-mile) border with Syria, partly to stop Islamist fighters or weapons from crossing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says Israel responsible for air raid results Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:28 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria said on Thursday Israel and its allies bore responsibility for the results of the Israeli air raid near Damascus and said it had the right to defend its sovereignty. "Syria holds Israel and those who are protecting it at the Security Council responsible for the results of the attack and confirms its right to defend its land and sovereignty," state television quoted a letter from the Foreign Ministry to the United Nations as say saying. (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| Syria summons U.N. Golan commander to protest Israel attack Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:28 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria summoned the head of a United Nations mission in the Golan Heights on Thursday to protest against an Israeli air raid which Damascus said is a violation of a disengagement accord that followed the last major war between the two countries. State media said Major General Iqbal Singha, head of the UNDOF peacekeeping force, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where the protest was delivered. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief gravely concerned by report of Israeli air strike in Syria Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:28 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed "grave concern" on Thursday over reports that Israeli jets bombed a convoy near the Lebanese border, apparently hitting weapons destined for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. "The Secretary-General notes with grave concern reports of Israeli air strikes in Syria," Ban's press office said in a statement. "The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to prevent tensions or their escalation ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda calls on Iraqi Sunni protesters to take up arms Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:25 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's Iraqi wing on Thursday urged Sunni protesters to take up arms against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, adding fuel to growing sectarian unrest in the world's fastest-growing oil exporter. Al Qaeda's local affiliate Islamic State of Iraq said "peace and patience" were useless for dealing with the Shi'ite-led government they see as oppressors of Iraq's Sunni minority. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cameron says Britain will train Libyan security forces Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:10 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron used a surprise visit to Tripoli on Thursday to pledge Britain's help in training Libya's security forces, part of broader European efforts to counter Islamic militancy in North Africa. In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers approved the outline of a mission to help Libyan authorities tighten border security to combat arms-smuggling and stop militants crossing the border. The training and advisory mission is expected to involve about 70 civilian experts and to be launched by summer. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombian FARC rebels free three kidnapped oil workers: sources Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:08 AM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed three oil contractors working for Canada's Gran Tierra Energy who had been kidnapped a day earlier, military sources said. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta) Full Story | Top |
| Breivik says is being tortured in Norwegian prison-lawyer Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:07 AM PST  OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik says he is being tortured in prison because he is held in isolation and subjected to body searches, and has made a formal complaint to police about his treatment, his lawyer said on Thursday. Police will now investigate the complaints made by Breivik against Norwegian Justice Minister Grete Faremo and Knut Bjarkeid, director of the maximum security Ila prison on the outskirts of Oslo where he is being held. "Breivik has made a complaint to the police of torture," his lawyer, Tord Joret, told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| UN says unable to verify Syria complaint about Israeli planes Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 09:38 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers in a demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel were unable to verify a Syrian complaint that Israeli planes had flown over the Golan Heights area, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday. "UNDOF (the peacekeeping mission) did not observe any planes flying over the area of separation and therefore was not able to confirm the incident. UNDOF also reported bad weather conditions," U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey told reporters. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Greek transport workers, doctors strike over austerity Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 09:35 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek train and ferry services stopped and hospital staffing was cut to a minimum on Thursday as transport workers and doctors protested against spending cuts imposed to meet the country's bailout terms. As the economy enters a sixth successive year of recession, demonstrations and strikes have surged again over the latest round of measures. Public transport in Athens was disrupted as bus, trolley bus and railway workers stopped work while ships and ferries stayed docked at ports after seamen began a 48-hour strike. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian city getting back Stalin's name for war commemorations Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 09:17 AM PST VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) - The Russian city of Volgograd will bear Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's name again on Saturday when it marks the 70th anniversary of the epic battle that turned the tide in World War Two. Local lawmakers adopted a decision to use the name Hero City Stalingrad at events commemorating the 1942-1943 battle on Saturday and on four other days every year including May 9, when Russia marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kurdish militants dismiss Turkey withdrawal reports Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 08:46 AM PST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kurdish militants said on Thursday media reports that its fighters had agreed to withdraw from Turkey as part of a peace pact to end their 28-year-old insurgency were lies and part of a psychological war. The Sabah newspaper on Thursday said Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas had agreed to withdraw to northern Iraq, where the group is based, by March 21 as part of peace talks with the PKK's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan which started late last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Latvia passes laws crucial for euro switch Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 08:12 AM PST RIGA (Reuters) - Baltic state Latvia, which wants to adopt the euro in 2014, passed a fiscal discipline law on Thursday and another setting out guidelines for the proposed currency switch, key steps to satisfy the European Union it is on track to join the euro zone. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said he now plans to ask the European Commission and the European Central Bank for euro-readiness assessment reports in the first half of March. Based on the two convergence reports, the leaders of the 27-nation EU will make a final decision this summer on Latvia's euro zone membership. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek workers to strike against austerity on Feb. 20 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:59 AM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek private sector workers will walk off the job for 24 hours on Feb, 20 to protest austerity measures prescribed by the country's international lenders, their union GSEE said on Thursday. Public sector union ADEDY is expected to join the strike, its general secretary Ilias Iliopoulos told Reuters. Greek labor unions, who combined represent about 2.5 million workers, have staged repeated strikes since the debt crisis broke out in late 2009. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou) Full Story | Top |
| Mali shows Europe must work to plug defense gaps: NATO Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:51 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France's need for U.S. help during the Mali operation shows Europe must do more to fill worrying gaps in its defenses, NATO's chief said on Thursday. Anders Fogh Rasmussen also sounded the alarm about growing disparities between what the United States and Europe spend on defense and warned that NATO's military power and global influence could be put at risk if allies continue to slash their defense budgets while emerging powers boost theirs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Italy's Monti struggles as Berlusconi takes revenge Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:17 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Little more than a year ago Silvio Berlusconi was hounded out of office by a baying crowd and economics professor Mario Monti stepped in as prime minister, hailed as Italy's savior. Now Berlusconi has performed an astonishing comeback to return to the spotlight, exacting his political revenge while Monti is struggling badly to make a breakthrough in the campaign for a February 24-25 election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt works to finalize policies before IMF return Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:43 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is working to finalize its economic reform program before inviting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Cairo to finalize a vital $4.8 billion loan deal, the finance minister said on Thursday. The loan agreement - seen as vital to supporting Egypt's state finances and boosting investor confidence - was agreed in principle in November. But the government delayed final approval in December when it canceled austerity measures during violent protests against President Mohamed Mursi's rule. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisian police protesters say ill-prepared for Islamist threat Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:32 AM PST  Tunis (Reuters) - Thousands of policemen protested outside the Tunisian prime minister's office on Thursday demanding better pay, equipment and protection, as the birthplace of the Arab Spring faces a growing security threat from radical Islamists. Tunisia's moderate Islamist government has said al Qaeda-linked militants have been accumulating weapons with the aim of creating an Islamic state, two years after the revolution that inspired uprisings across the Arab world. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada November GDP up 0.3 percent, better than expected Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:05 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economy grew faster than expected in November, rising 0.3 percent after a tepid 0.1 percent rise in October and no gain in September, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. The median forecast in a Reuters survey of economists was for a 0.2 percent rise, though eight of the 21 analysts surveyed predicted an increase of at least 0.3 percent. Taken to the second decimal place, the rise was 0.28 percent. The data was adjusted for seasonal factors such as Christmas shopping. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two militants, five soldiers killed in Yemen: sources Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:01 AM PST ADEN (Reuters) - Two militants and five soldiers were killed on Thursday during a Yemeni army raid on a mountainous area where insurgents linked to al Qaeda have been holed up since they were driven out of two southern towns last year, military sources said. Two suspected members of Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) were also captured in the raid, launched on Thursday morning with army tanks and artillery. Yemeni military sources said the campaign was aimed at flushing out militants who have taken refuge in caves in the area after they were driven out of Jaar and Zinjibar in a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain's Rajoy, ruling party deny secret payment scheme Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:00 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Spain's ruling People's Party denied on Thursday that the party passed payments from business donors secretly to the premier and other party leaders after a newspaper published what it said were unofficial party accounts. El Pais published images of excerpts of almost two decades of handwritten accounts that it said were maintained by People's Party treasurers. El Pais said the accounts showed 11 years of payments to Rajoy of 25,200 euros ($34,200) a year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says could make "surprise" response to Israel strike Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:55 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's ambassador to Lebanon said on Thursday that Damascus had the option of a "surprise decision" to respond to what it said was an Israeli air strike on a research center on the outskirts of the Syrian capital on Wednesday. Syria could take "a surprise decision to respond to the aggression of the Israeli warplanes," Ali Abdul Karim Ali was quoted as telling a Hezbollah-run news website. "Syria is engaged in defending its sovereignty and its land," he added, without spelling out what the response might entail. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia rebels seize three oil workers, blow up energy tower Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:51 AM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels kidnapped three oil workers and killed four soldiers in the nation's south, while they blew up an energy tower in the north, military sources said, in a sign the group is stepping up pressure during peace talks. The kidnappings and other violent incidents on Wednesday came days after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, made clear during the negotiations in Cuba that it would continue to capture armed forces members even as talks continue. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt politicians renounce violence at crisis talks Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:48 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's feuding politicians renounced violence on Thursday after being summoned by the country's most influential Muslim scholar to talks to end the deadliest unrest since President Mohamed Mursi took power. It remains to be seen whether the pledge to end confrontation will halt a week of bloodshed on the streets that killed nearly 60 people. Opposition groups did not cancel new demonstrations scheduled for Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dawn attack shook Damascus military complex Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:47 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - The force of the dawn attack on a Syrian military site outside Damascus on Wednesday shook the ground, waking nearby residents from their slumber with up to a dozen blasts, two sources in the area said. "We were sleeping. Then we started hearing rockets hitting the complex and the ground started shaking and we ran into the basement," said a woman who lives adjacent to the sprawling Jamraya site north-west of the Syrian capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four Malian soldiers killed by suspected rebel landmine Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:16 AM PST BAMAKO (Reuters) - At least four Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a landmine suspected to have been planted by fleeing Islamist insurgents in northern Mali, a Malian military officer said Thursday. "The explosion of the patrol vehicle killed four soldiers and wounded five. It happened between Gossi and Gao on Wednesday," the officer said, requesting not to be named. Gao, the largest town in northern Mali, was occupied by Islamist insurgents until the weekend, when they fled a three-week air and ground offensive by French and Malian forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nepal opposition rejects election call, vows to step up protests Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:15 AM PST KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's main opposition parties vowed on Thursday to intensify street protests against the government, rejecting a plan to hold parliamentary elections in May, a sign of deepening brinkmanship threatening to wreck a fragile peace process. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, a former Maoist rebel leader, announced at a rally of 10,000 people on Wednesday that elections, earlier scheduled for last November, would be held in May to elect a special assembly to draw up a new constitution for the young Himalayan republic. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. envoy says Security Council must act on Syria: report Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:02 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations peace envoy to Syria said the Security Council must act to end the country's civil war because Syrians could not stop the violence on their own, a newspaper reported on Thursday. More than 60,000 people have died and 700,000 have fled the country in the 22-month-old conflict but the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have been deadlocked on how to negotiate an end to the war. Lakhdar Brahimi, appointed as mediator in August, said it had become clear the Syrian parties in the conflict were not going to resolve it on their own. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain's ruling party says all payments to its leaders are legal Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:46 AM PST MADRID (Reuters) - The secretary general of Spain's ruling People's Party said on Thursday that all payments to its party leaders are clean and legal, denying allegations of corruption in newspaper El Pais. "We have only one set of books and they are clean ... We have absolutely nothing to hide," Maria Dolores de Cospedal told a news conference. (Reporting By Iciar Reinlein; Writing by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Tracy Rucinski) Full Story | Top |
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