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| Cyprus president says committed to stability, swift bailout Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:36 AM PST  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's new President Nicos Anastasiades vowed on Thursday to work for a swift conclusion of a bailout for the cash-starved island, ruling out debt or deposit "haircuts" for the Mediterranean nation threatened with a financial meltdown. Economic turmoil engulfing Cyprus, one of the euro zone's smallest economies, could test the European Union's mettle in a crisis threatening to spill beyond the tiny island's shores and unravel nascent recovery in the bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Christians grow anxious in "100 percent" Islamic Sudan Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:34 AM PST  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - When Pastor Kamis went to visit his small church in the Sudanese capital just before Christmas last year, he found a pile of rubble and the remains of a single blue wall. Hours earlier, authorities had sent in a bulldozer and workers backed by police to demolish the Africa Inland church, which used to lie in a slum suburb of Khartoum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada minister doesn't expect U.S. to veto Keystone pipeline Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:29 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said on Thursday he does not expect the United States to reject TransCanada Corp's proposed Keystone XL pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to Texas. U.S. officials say they expect the government to make a final decision on the northern leg of the $5.3 billion pipeline by the middle of the year. Green groups strongly oppose Keystone XL, which they say will boost global warming, and want President Barack Obama to block the project. "I remain cautiously optimistic," Oliver told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel delays action on gun control bills Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:27 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday postponed consideration of four bills to curb gun violence after Republicans said they needed more time to study the proposed ban on military-style assault weapons. The one-week delay by the Democratic-led committee appears unlikely to change the fate of the bills, all of which appear headed to the full Senate for a vote. The move comes a day after the panel heard emotional testimony that included pleas for lawmakers to back the proposed assault weapons ban. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Berlusconi investigated in new corruption case Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:24 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is under investigation on suspicion of bribing a senator to change sides in parliament, deepening the legal troubles of one of the key players in the country's post-election deadlock. Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said the accusation "was without foundation". The allegations were detailed in a document from prosecutors posted on Thursday on the website of Italy's parliament, which must approve the court's request to search a Berlusconi security deposit box and access his phone records. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian president says forming new government cannot be rushed Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:24 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said on Thursday that the formation of a new government could not be rushed because of what he said were unfounded fears that Italy was a threat to the stability of Europe. Napolitano told reporters during a visit to Berlin that the Italian constitution requires 20 days between elections - which were held on Sunday and Monday - and the new parliament sitting for the first time. "I don't see right now how it could be accelerated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Haiti's Duvalier finally in court to face abuse of power charges Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:16 AM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier faced corruption and human rights charges in a court on Thursday for the first time since a popular revolt forced him into exile in 1986, and denied responsibility for abuses under his 15-year rule. Individual government officials "had their own authority" the 61-year-old Duvalier said when asked about his role as head of state from 1971 to 1986. "Under my authority, children could go to school, there was no insecurity," he told the court. ... Full Story | Top |
| House gives final OK to bipartisan domestic abuse bill Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:13 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives gave final approval on Thursday to a bipartisan bill to renew the landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act, after rejecting as inadequate an alternative version offered by its Republican leaders. On a vote of 286-138, the House sent the bill, earlier approved by the Democratic-led Senate, 78-22, to President Barack Obama to sign into law. Sixty Republicans bucked party leadership by joining 197 Democrats in rejecting the alternative, 257-166. Eighty-seven House Republicans then joined 199 Democrats in passing the Senate bill. ... Full Story | Top |
| Advisory: Story on Istanbul meeting for Syrian rebel aid withdrawn Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:10 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - The alert and story stating that Western and Arab officials will meet Syrian opposition representatives in Istanbul next Monday is wrong and is withdrawn. The meeting took place last Monday. There will be no substitute story. Full Story | Top |
| Canadian opposition MP defects to Quebec separatists Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:07 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - An opposition legislator in the Canadian House of Commons defected to the separatist Bloc Quebecois on Thursday, arguing that it was unacceptable that Canada put conditions on how and when the French-speaking province of Quebec could separate. The move by New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament Claude Patry will not have an immediate effect on the balance of power, but it is an important jolt for the separatist cause after its poor showing in the 2011 federal election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope Benedict's ends pontificate, leaving papacy vacant Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLOFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict ended his eight-year reign on Thursday, becoming the first pontiff in six centuries to resign instead of ruling for life. The papacy became officially vacant at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT/2 p.m. ET) in keeping with the pope's wishes when he announced his decision to resign on February 11. The yellow and white papal flag was lowered and the Swiss Guard sentries withdrew from the entrance to the papal summer residence south of Rome as the massive wooden doors of the hilltop building were closed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada to fund non-nuclear sources for medical isotopes Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:04 AM PST OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada expects to be able to make enough medical isotopes through non-nuclear methods by 2016 to replace those now produced by an aging reactor and better assure an uninterrupted supply for medical imaging, a government minister said on Thursday. To that end, the federal government will fund three research institutes developing cyclotron and linear accelerator technologies for production of isotopes on a commercial scale, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said. ... Full Story | Top |
| African leaders call for U.N. mandate for Mali mission Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:03 AM PST  YAMOUSSOUKRO (Reuters) - West African leaders on Thursday called for a regional military operation against al Qaeda-linked rebels in north Mali to be transformed into a U.N. peacekeeping mission as quickly as possible to secure desperately needed funding. France sent troops into its former colony last month to drive out Islamist fighters, claiming their seizure of Mali's north last year posed a threat to international security. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda commander Abou Zeid killed in Mali: Ennahar TV Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:03 AM PST ALGIERS/DAKAR (Reuters) - French forces have killed Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of the most feared commanders of al Qaeda's north Africa wing (AQIM), during an operation against Islamist fighters in mountainous northern Mali, Algeria's Ennahar television said on Thursday. Abou Zeid was among 40 militants killed three days ago in the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border, said Ennahar, which is well connected with Algeria's security services. French and Chadian troops have been hunting fighters there after a lightning campaign to dislodge them from northern Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya PM denies Gaddafi premier in "critical condition" Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:02 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister dismissed on Thursday reports that Muammar Gaddafi's former premier was in a critical condition after being tortured in prison while a United Nations team visited him in jail and said he appeared in "decent" shape. Al Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi was extradited from Tunisia in June, making him the first senior Gaddafi official to be returned for trial under Libya's new leadership. He went on trial in November charged with corruption and ordering mass rape during the 2011 conflict that toppled Gaddafi and is being held in a Tripoli prison. ... Full Story | Top |
| Keystone rejection would send strong signal-EU climate chief Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 11:00 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union's top climate change official said on Thursday that if the Obama administration rejects the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, it would send a strong message that the United States is serious on combating climate change. "That would be an extremely strong signal for the Obama administration," Connie Hedegaard, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action, told reporters in a briefing in Washington on Thursday. Hedegaard has been visiting lawmakers, administration and World Bank officials as well as other groups in Washington and Boston this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: EU likely to fine Microsoft by April - sources Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:59 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU competition regulators plan to fine Microsoft before the end of March in a case tied to the U.S. software giant's antitrust battle in Europe more than a decade ago, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The European Commission had accused Microsoft in October last year of breaking a promise to offer European consumers a choice of rival browsers in the previous version of its Windows operating system. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to give Syrian rebels medical, food aid, not arms Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:54 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it will for the first time give non-lethal aid to Syrian rebels and more than double its aid to Syria's civilian opposition, disappointing opponents of President Bashar al-Assad clamoring for Western weapons. The United States cast the aid as a way to bolster the rebels' popular support. It will include medical supplies, food for rebel fighters and $60 million to help the civil opposition provide basic services like security, education and sanitation. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portugal needs to push permanent spending cuts: PM Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:47 AM PST  LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's prime minister signaled on Thursday he intends to move ahead with a deep reform of the state, which is set to include big spending cuts, saying the reforms are necessary to be able to lower taxes in the future. "Reform of the state has already started but it now needs a new push," Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho told a conference, referring to state reforms that the government has said will include 4 billion euros ($5 billion)in spending cuts. "The state reform has to include the objective of permanent spending cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria prolongs passports, meeting opposition talk demand Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:29 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria extended passport terms on Thursday for its nationals abroad, meeting a prerequisite set by the opposition for peace talks with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus has shown increased willingness to hold talks with the opposition to end the 23-month-old conflict which has left 70,000 dead. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday that the government would even speak to armed rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas bans most abortions after 20 weeks pregnancy Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:25 AM PST LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Arkansas joined seven other U.S. states on Thursday in banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy as the Republican-controlled state Senate voted to override a veto of the legislation by Democratic Governor Mike Beebe. Senators voted 19 to 14 on party lines to override Beebe's veto, following a 53 to 28 vote by the Republican-controlled state House on Wednesday. In Arkansas, lawmakers can override a veto by a simple majority vote. The law provides exceptions only in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill at least 22 in Iraqi capital Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:18 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 22 people were killed in a series of blasts in Shi'ite neighborhoods of Baghdad on Thursday, police sources said, as Iraq's precarious sectarian balance comes under growing strain. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Muslim insurgents have been redoubling their efforts to undermine the Shi'ite-led government and spark deeper intercommunal fighting since the start of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Election result may condemn Italy to weak, short government Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:08 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's electoral earthquake seems to have condemned the country to the thing it needs least - a short-term government and new elections in as little as six months or a year. A huge protest vote in the Feb 24-25 election produced the worst possible result for Italy's stagnant and recession-hit economy - a parliament in which no single group has a workable majority and populist leader Beppe Grillo has the whip hand. Global markets plunged immediately after the election before calming on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bradley Manning pleads guilty to misusing classified data in WikiLeaks case Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 10:03 AM PST  FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S. Army private accused of providing diplomatic cables and other secret documents to the WikiLeaks website pleaded guilty on Thursday to misusing classified material, but denied the most serious charge in the case, aiding the enemy. Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, entered the pleas prior to his court martial, which is set to begin on June 3, in a case that centers on the biggest leak of government secrets in U.S. history. "I believe that if the general public ... had access to the information ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Yugoslav army leader acquitted of war crimes Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:59 AM PST  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The former head of the Yugoslav army was acquitted on Thursday of charges of aiding and abetting atrocities committed in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s, in a ruling that was condemned by victims but welcomed by Serb officials. United Nations war crimes judges said Momcilo Perisic had provided legitimate military support to the ethnic Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) forces in Bosnia, but ruled he had not ordered them to commit war crimes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jack Lew sworn in as Treasury secretary Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:58 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jack Lew was sworn in as Treasury secretary on Thursday, a White House official said, after winning bipartisan support in the Senate. Lew, a budget expert and former chief of staff for President Barack Obama, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday with 20 Republicans voting for him. He replaces Timothy Geithner, a former regulator with the New York Federal Reserve who left the Treasury last month. (Reporting by Anna Yukhananov and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Full Story | Top |
| Obama to name Edith Ramirez head of Federal Trade Commission Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:58 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama intends to name Edith Ramirez, once a colleague of his at the Harvard Law Review, as chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, a White House official said on Thursday. Ramirez, a Democrat who worked for Obama during the 2008 presidential race, was a Los Angeles lawyer specializing in business litigation and intellectual property before joining the commission. She has been a commissioner since 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| As Pope Benedict steps down, group asks U.N. to act on abuse Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:58 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - On the final day of Pope Benedict's papacy, a victim support group asked the United Nations to censure the Vatican for failing to protect children from sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy. Speaking at a press conference meters from the walls of the Vatican City on Thursday, the head of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said his group had made a formal submission to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU agrees to allow some non-lethal aid for Syrian opposition Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:58 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said it amended sanctions on Syria on Thursday to permit the supply of armored vehicles, non-lethal military equipment and technical aid to the Syrian opposition, provided they were intended to protect civilians. The measure, adopted by EU governments, extends EU sanctions on Syria until June 1 and responds to pressure from Britain and others to ease the EU arms embargo to help opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Man dragged by South Africa police dies in custody Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:44 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police were caught on video dragging a man hundreds of meters from the back of a pick-up truck, hours before he died in custody, drawing a storm of protest against a force accused of routine brutality. The 27-year-old Mozambican taxi driver, Mido Macia, was found dead in detention with signs of head injuries and internal bleeding, according to an initial post mortem report released by the country's police watchdog. The incident, videotaped on Tuesday and broadcast nationwide on Thursday, was condemned by President Jacob Zuma and opposition politicians. ... Full Story | Top |
| Economy barely expands in fourth quarter, brighter days ahead Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:26 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy barely grew in the fourth quarter as the military slashed spending and companies restocked their shelves with less gusto, but growth already appears to be picking up. The Commerce Department said on Thursday the economy expanded at a 0.1 percent annual rate in the last three months of 2012, scratching an earlier estimate that had showed a small decline. The growth rate was the slowest since the first quarter of 2011 and fell short of the 0.5 percent economists had expected. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dismissed head of Libya sovereign wealth fund stays put Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:22 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will replace the head of its sovereign wealth fund, Mohsen Derregia, after the government deemed his performance unsatisfactory, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said, but so far he has refused to step down despite being told to do so days ago. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Zeidan said deputy central bank governor Ali Mohammed Salem Hebri would temporarily take charge of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) until a permanent replacement was found. "The head of the LIA will be changed. This is the government's policy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope Benedict quits Vatican with promise to obey successor Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:20 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict left the Vatican on Thursday after pledging unconditional obedience to whoever succeeds him to guide the Roman Catholic Church at one of the most crisis-ridden periods in its 2,000-year history. The first pope in six centuries to step down, Benedict flew off in a white Italian air force helicopter for the papal summer villa south of the capital where he took up temporary residence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Regulators move forward on foreclosure relief Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:14 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Borrowers whose homes were foreclosed on during the U.S. housing crisis will start receiving payments in April from a $3.6 billion fund under a previously announced settlement with 13 banks, regulators said on Thursday. Certain borrowers whose mortgages were serviced by one of the 13 banks can expect to receive between a few hundred dollars and $125,000, under settlements designed to end case-by-case reviews of past foreclosures. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria's Assad deluded by his inner circle, U.N. envoy Brahimi says Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:10 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been convinced by his inner circle that his country is the victim of a broad conspiracy led by terrorists, U.N./Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday. Brahimi said hope for a solution to the crisis, which began as a peaceful pro-democracy uprising but has turned into a conflict on largely sectarian lines, lay in the hands of Russia and the United States. More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in almost two years of fighting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Town accustomed to pontiffs welcomes ex-pope Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - The Italian hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, summer host to popes for centuries, took on a new mission on Thursday as it became the temporary home of the first "pope emeritus". Pope Benedict will spend the first few months of his retirement in the papal summer residence, a complex of villas boasting lush gardens, a farm and stunning views over Lake Albano in the volcanic crater below the town. Locals set up banners and balloons in the square outside the Papal Palace on Thursday to welcome the pontiff, whose papacy was due to end at 8 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope lands in temporary residence after leaving Vatican Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's helicopter landed in Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome, on Thursday where at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) he will resign and leave the papacy vacant. (Reporting by Philip Pullella) Full Story | Top |
| Latin's top devotee quits, the pope who tweeted as Pontifex Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - With Pope Benedict's abdication on Thursday, the most prominent living speaker of Latin will retire into the shadows, after doing much during his eight-year pontificate to give the language of ancient Rome a new lease of life. Benedictus, his name in Latin, set up the "Pontifical Academy of Latinity" to promote its use inside the Roman Catholic Church and beyond and chose to deliver his abdication speech in Latin, in what was considered a model of clarity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope leaves Vatican before abdication Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:05 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict left the Vatican on Thursday and headed to the papal summer residence where he will become the first pontiff in six centuries to resign instead of ruling for life. A white Italian air force helicopter lifted off from the Vatican's heliport to fly the 85-year-old pope to Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome, where at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) he will resign and leave the papacy vacant. Before heading south, the helicopter circled Vatican City and flew over the Colosseum and other Rome landmarks to give the pontiff one last view of the city where he is also bishop. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentina's Congress approves pact with Iran to probe bombing Thursday, Feb 28, 2013 09:04 AM PST  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Congress approved early on Thursday an agreement with Iran aimed at resolving the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that Argentine courts have long accused Tehran of sponsoring. Jewish leaders say the pact to set up a "truth commission" risks undermining the ongoing judicial investigation into the attack, which killed 85 people, but President Cristina Fernandez says it could shed new light on the case after years of deadlock. ... Full Story | Top |
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