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| Cypriot president-elect vows to work for swift bailout deal Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 11:35 AM PST NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot president-elect Nicos Anastasiades vowed on Sunday to work with Cyprus's European Union partners to nail down a swift bailout deal to stave off insolvency in the cash-starved nation. In a statement outlining his priorities after cruising to a resounding victory in presidential elections earlier Sunday, conservative Anastasiades, 66, said he would work for the completion of a bailout at the "earliest possible". He said it needed to be structured such that it safeguarded vulnerable groups, social cohesion and industrial peace. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran says it has brought down a mock spy drone Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 11:31 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had conducted tests aimed at bringing down a "hypothetical" foreign surveillance drone during a military exercise, the official Fars news agency said on Saturday. The Islamic Republic News Agency, another official news agency, also reported the exercise, but omitted the word hypothetical giving the impression that a real drone had been downed. Other official Iranian media outlets later referred to the downing of a "hypothetical" aircraft. In the past, there have been incidents of Iran claiming to have seized U.S. drones. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hollande, Ayrault approval ratings rise slightly: poll Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 11:09 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - The popularity of French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has improved slightly since last month, according to an OpinionWay poll carried out for newspaper Metro and TV channel LCI. The survey published on Sunday showed 39 percent of those interviewed were satisfied with Hollande's performance, up 1 percentage point, while 57 percent were dissatisfied, down 3 points. The proportion of people satisfied with Ayrault rose 1 point to 36 percent, with the percentage of those dissatisfied with him decreasing by 5 points to 54 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| African leaders sign deal aimed at peace in eastern Congo Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 10:42 AM PST  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African leaders signed a U.N.-mediated deal on Sunday aimed at ending two decades of conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and paving the way for the deployment of a new military brigade to take on rebel groups. Congo's army is fighting the M23 rebels, who have hived off a fiefdom in North Kivu province in a conflict that has dragged Congo's eastern region back into war and displaced more than half a million people. U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fidel Castro surprises with parliament appearance amid leadership speculation Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 10:18 AM PST  HAVANA (Reuters) - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance Sunday by joining the opening session of the National Assembly, state media reported amid speculation the gathering could give clues on planning for a future leadership succession. Since falling ill in 2006 and ceding the presidency to his brother, Fidel Castro has given up all official positions except as a deputy in the National Assembly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ten Chadian soldiers killed fighting Islamists in Mali Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 10:14 AM PST  N'DJAMENA/GAO (Reuters) - Ten Chadian soldiers were killed in combat in northern Mali's mountainous border with Algeria where Islamist rebels regrouped after losing urban areas to a French-led offensive, Chad's army said on Sunday. The latest Chadian fatalities came in an area of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains where 13 Chadian soldiers were killed in clashes on Friday that centered around what one senior commander said was a rebel base of "significant importance". At least 93 rebels have been killed in fighting in the area so far, Chad's army said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cypriot presidential victor turns "Nasty" to "Nice" Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 10:07 AM PST NICOSIA (Reuters) - Conservative chief Nicos Anastasiades's victory in Cyprus's presidential elections on Sunday marks a stunning comeback for a politician whose career was almost destroyed by a political gamble in 2004. A sharp and rousing public speaker who pulls no punches, Anastasiades, 66, comfortably beat his leftist rival Stavros Malas by taking 57.5 percent in the run-off vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cypriot conservative romps to presidential victory Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 09:48 AM PST  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades won an overwhelming victory in a presidential run-off election on Sunday, boosting hopes of a swift financial rescue for the near-bankrupt island nation. Tiny Cyprus has emerged as a big headache for the euro zone in recent months, triggering fears the island could plunge into a financial meltdown that reignites the bloc's debt crisis. A bailout has proved elusive eight months since talks began. Anastasiades, who has pledged to hammer out a quick deal with foreign lenders, took 57. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan president to expel U.S. special forces from key province Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 09:41 AM PST  KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has given U.S. special forces two weeks to leave a key battleground province after some U.S. soldiers there were found to have tortured or even killed innocent people, the president's spokesman said on Sunday. The decision by Karzai could further complicate negotiations between the United States and Afghanistan over the presence of Americans troops in the country once most NATO forces leave by the end of 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition says captures former nuclear site Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 09:02 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have captured the site of a suspected nuclear reactor near the Euphrates river which Israeli warplanes destroyed six years ago, opposition sources in eastern Syria said on Sunday. Al-Kubar site, around 60 km (35 miles) west of the city of Deir al-Zor, became a focus of international attention when Israel raided it in 2007. The United States said the complex was a North Korean-designed nuclear reactor geared to making weapons-grade plutonium. ... Full Story | Top |
| French photographer dies of shrapnel wounds in Syria Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 09:00 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - A French freelance photographer working in Syria has died after being hit by shrapnel while covering an opposition group for Reporters Without Borders, the French government said on Sunday. Olivier Voisin was following the operations of an armed opposition group near Idlib, in northwestern Syria, Reporters Without Borders said. Voisin, born in 1974, was taken to the international hospital in the Turkish border city of Antakya but subsequently died from wounds to his head and arm, the office of French President Francois Hollande said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Early results show Cypriot conservative chief with strong lead Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 08:46 AM PST NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades took a commanding lead in Sunday's presidential runoff with a 56.8 percent share of the vote after 10 percent of votes were counted, interior ministry data showed. Leftist rival Stavros Malas, who is backed by the Communist party AKEL, trailed with a 43.3 share of the vote. Anastasiades is in favour of a quick bailout deal with European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders to avert a looming Cypriot bankruptcy, while Malas has promised to drive a hard bargain on the austerity terms accompanying a rescue. ... Full Story | Top |
| 45 arrested in Madrid after mass demonstration Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 08:31 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Forty-five people have been arrested in Spain during disturbances following a demonstration on Saturday by tens of thousands of people against spending cuts and allegations of government corruption. The mostly peaceful march convened in central Madrid on Saturday evening in front of parliament under the watch of riot police, who closed access to the legislature, Ritz Hotel and stock exchange. However, while most protesters dispersed after the rally, police reported disturbances later on Saturday and early on Sunday around the city's Atocha train station. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gloomy Italians vote in election crucial for euro zone Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 08:29 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy voted on Sunday in one of the most unpredictable elections in years, with many voters expressing rage against a discredited elite and doubt that a government will emerge strong enough to combat a severe economic crisis. "I am pessimistic. Nothing will change," said Luciana Li Mandri, 37, as she cast a ballot in the Sicilian capital Palermo on the first of two days of voting that continues on Monday. "The usual thieves will be in government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cypriot conservative chief leads in presidential runoff: exit poll Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 08:11 AM PST NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades has taken an overwhelming lead in Sunday's presidential runoff vote, an exit poll by the state broadcaster CyBC showed. The 66-year-old lawyer took between 57.5 and 61.5 percent share of the vote according to the poll. That was well ahead of leftist rival Stavros Malas, who was seen taking between 38.5 and 42.5 percent of the vote, the poll said. (Reporting by Michele Kambas and Deepa Babington) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt insists food supply secure as wheat imports dive Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 07:59 AM PST CAIRO/LONDON (Reuters) - Egypt's wheat imports are sharply down this year as it endures economic and political crisis, but state and private buyers insist they still have funds to keep the nation supplied with its staple bread. Egyptian officials and traders acknowledge the government's problems with a rising budget deficit and falling currency reserves, but say the state is allocating priority financing for wheat imports. They are also pinning some of their hopes on an increase in domestic production. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope, on last Sunday, says following God's wishes Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 07:52 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict spoke from his window for the last time on Sunday, telling the faithful packed into St. Peter's Square that the first papal abdication in centuries was God's will and insisting he was not "abandoning" the Church. Four days before the 85-year-old's often troubled eight-year rule ends, new talk of scandal hit the cardinals who will choose his successor; one of them, a Scottish archbishop, had to deny a media allegation of misconduct with young priests in the 1980s. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Bulgarian patriarch enthroned by tarnished Orthodox Church Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 07:49 AM PST SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's new Orthodox patriarch was enthroned in a mass in Sofia on Sunday that leaves the soft-spoken theologian the task of restoring the reputation of a church hurt by links to businessmen and communist secret police. Neofit, Bishop of Rousse, took over the 1,100-year old church, which survived centuries of Turkish domination and decades of communism, just as Bulgaria heads for early elections by May after the government resigned on Wednesday during protests over the cost of living and corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
| Among pilgrims on pope's final Sunday, a sense of malaise Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 07:39 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Many of the Catholics packed into St. Peter's Square On Sunday expressed a sense of malaise about seeing Pope Benedict give his last weekly blessing before resigning from a position traditionally seen as a commitment until death. "This is an ill wind blowing," said midwife Marina Tacconi as a chilly gust blew across the square. "It feels like something ugly could happen. I'm 58 years old. I have seen popes come and go, but never one resign. I don't see it as a good thing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel demands Palestinian Authority curb protests Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 07:08 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Sunday demanded the Palestinian Authority stem a surge of anti-Israeli protests ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the region next month. A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave no indication the Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, would issue any call for calm, and blamed Israel for the spike in unrest. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea opposition pulls out of legislative elections process Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 06:47 AM PST CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's opposition coalition has withdrawn from preparations for long-delayed legislative polls and may stage nationwide protests, claiming the run up to the vote has been flawed, an opposition spokesman said on Sunday. The election set for May 21 is intended to be the last step in the West African country's transition to civilian rule after two years under a violent army junta following the death of long-time leader Lansana Conte in 2008. ... Full Story | Top |
| British cardinal rejects "inappropriate behavior" allegations Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 05:52 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, a cardinal expected to take part in the conclave to choose the next pope, rejected allegations on Sunday that he had behaved in an "inappropriate" way with other priests. The Observer newspaper said Cardinal Keith O'Brien, 74, the archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, who is known for outspoken views on homosexuality, had been reported to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behavior stretching back 30 years. "Cardinal O'Brien contests these claims and is taking legal advice," a spokesman for the cardinal said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel's conservatives mull U-turn on gay couples' rights Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 05:43 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Leading members of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) are considering a U-turn in policy on same sex couples after a court ordered the government to grant them greater adoption rights, in an embarrassing ruling for the chancellor. Germany's constitutional court ruled last week that gay people should be allowed to adopt a child already adopted by their partner, and that the present ban was unconstitutional because it violated the principle of equal treatment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Topless women protest against Berlusconi as he votes in election Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 05:24 AM PST MILAN (Reuters) - A group of topless women were dragged away by police on Sunday when they protested against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as he voted in Italy's election. The protesters, from the Ukrainian women's rights group Femen, shouted "Basta (Enough) Berlusconi", as the media tycoon was voting in a polling station in a Milan school. The same words were painted on their bodies. Police quickly grabbed the women and roughly bundled them away. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bulgarian protests for cheaper energy intensify Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 04:57 AM PST SOFIA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Bulgaria on Sunday, demanding an end to high utility bills and new voting rules after the government was toppled last week. Public anger with power monopolies in the European Union's poorest member forced right-of-center Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's cabinet to resign and has put the country on track for an early election by May. Although Borisov's government managed to maintain fiscal stability since taking power in 2009, belt-tightening has held back growth and driven up unemployment. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. condemns Scud attack in Syria, invites opposition for talks Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 04:55 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States condemned a Syrian army Scud missile attack that killed dozens of people on Friday in the city of Aleppo, and invited the Syrian opposition for talks on finding a negotiated settlement to the conflict. A State Department statement said the attack on a district of Aleppo and other assaults such as strikes on city blocks and a field hospital were "the latest demonstrations of the Syrian regime's ruthlessness and its lack of compassion for the Syrian people it claims to represent. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK downgrade pressures reluctant Osborne to change course Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 04:50 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne said he would not flinch from his austerity drive, despite increasing pressure to change course after the loss of the country's 'AAA' credit rating and with elections approaching in two years. Moody's dealt Britain its first sovereign rating downgrade on Friday, saying the $2.5 trillion economy faced years more sluggish growth and debt would continue to rise until 2016. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry makes first foreign trip as top U.S. diplomat Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 04:16 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry views his first trip as U.S. secretary of state as a listening tour, but the leaders he meets will want to hear whether he has any new ideas on Syria, Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kerry left Washington on Sunday for London, the first stop on a nine-nation, 11-day trip that will also take him to Berlin, Paris, Rome, Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha before he returns home on March 6. It is an introductory trip for a man who needs little introduction abroad after spending 28 years in the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blast in Vietnam film effects warehouse kills 10 Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 04:15 AM PST HANOI (Reuters) - Twin blasts at a warehouse owned by a cinema special effects expert killed 10 people and reduced three homes to burning rubble in Vietnam's biggest city, state media reported on Sunday. Teams of firefighters worked through the early hours after the overnight explosions and found three survivors among the bodies buried beneath what was left of the houses in southern Ho Chi Minh City early on Sunday, the Tuoi Tre newspaper said on its website (www.tuoitrenews. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: How Italy's election works Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 03:48 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italians began voting on Sunday to choose a new government to succeed technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti, appointed in November 2011 after Silvio Berlusconi resigned at the height of a financial crisis that threatened to break apart the euro zone. Early exit polls and projections will start to come out soon after polls close at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. British time) on Monday and an official result is expected later that evening or early on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Financial woes in tiny Cyprus are big euro zone headache Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 02:54 AM PST (Reuters) - Cypriots voted on Sunday for a president who must negotiate a financial rescue to keep the island nation from a bankruptcy that would reignite the euro zone debt crisis. Here are some of the options: BAILOUT LOAN While Cyprus's financial needs are relatively low - estimated at 17.5 billion euros - a loan worth as much as the entire Cypriot economy would push debt up to as much as 140 percent of gross domestic product. ... Full Story | Top |
| Battered Monti may still be key player in Italy vote Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 02:06 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mario Monti has put his image as an independent technocrat at risk by joining the hurly-burly of Italy's election campaign but investors hope he will retain a key role in government after the vote, whatever the outcome. Monti's centrist bloc is expected to come a lowly fourth in the election on Sunday and Monday, which polls suggest will be won by the center-left, but it may still be needed to help form a stable government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi's last throw of the dice in Italy election Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 01:48 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Billionaire showman Silvio Berlusconi has again astonished Italy with a storming comeback that has frayed nerves in European capitals and among investors, but the signs are his final gamble has failed. The 76-year-old media magnate and four-times prime minister looked down and out for much of 2012 after a jeering crowd hounded him from office in November 2011 as Italy tottered towards a Greek-style debt crisis. His indecision over whether to stand in this weekend's election brought his People of Freedom Party (PDL) to the brink of disintegration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Bersani on anti-glamour quest for power Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 01:45 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - In an electoral landscape crowded with some of the most colorful personalities in European politics, Italy's center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani is a conspicuously unglamorous exception. Bald, rumpled and habitually seen dragging on a stumpy Tuscan cigar, opinion polls suggest the 61-year-old head of the Democratic Party (PD) is the man most likely to lead the next government after elections on Sunday and Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomber killed near Afghan capital's diplomatic zone: police Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 01:37 AM PST  KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan security forces shot dead at least one would-be suicide bomber on Sunday in a high-security area of Kabul, home to government departments and diplomatic missions, police said. Violence across the country has increased over the last 12 months, sparking concern about how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will manage once most foreign troops withdraw by the end of 2014. The attack, one of four in Afghanistan early on Sunday, happened near a construction site that was stormed by Taliban gunmen in April last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: The near impossible battle against hackers everywhere Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 12:03 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dire warnings from Washington about a "cyber Pearl Harbor" envision a single surprise strike from a formidable enemy that could destroy power plants nationwide, disable the financial system or cripple the U.S. government. But those on the front lines say it isn't all about protecting U.S. government and corporate networks from a single sudden attack. They report fending off many intrusions at once from perhaps dozens of countries, plus well-funded electronic guerrillas and skilled criminals. Security officers and their consultants say they are overwhelmed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former envoy Pickering on problems at Benghazi mission Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 10:08 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former American diplomat Thomas Pickering said what struck him most during a review of last year's attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, were the frequent personnel changes, second-guessing on security upgrades, and dismissive attitude toward dozens of security incidents. The temporary status of the mission also led to uncertainty about providing additional funding, including for security, he said in an interview. The United States established a diplomatic presence in the eastern Libyan city after the 2011 revolt against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Belgian national killed in Mexican resort of Acapulco Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 07:52 PM PST ACAPULCO (Reuters) - A Belgian man was shot dead in Mexico's Pacific resort city of Acapulco on Saturday, the latest episode of violence to strike one of the country's most important tourist destinations. Acapulco police spokeswoman Gloria Mendez said the man, 58, resisted two assailants who were attempting to steal his convertible Mercedes Benz, one of whom shot him in the chest. The shooting took place just minutes away from the city's landmark Princess hotel, site of next week's Mexico Open professional tennis tournament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Half-inch crack blamed for F-35 fighter jet grounding: sources Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 07:12 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The engine blade crack that prompted the U.S. military to ground all 51 F-35 fighter jets was over half an inch long, according to three sources familiar with the matter, but it remained unclear if the crack was caused by a manufacturing anomaly or some larger design issue. Engineers at Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, will conduct a detailed examination of the turbine blade as soon as it arrives at the company's Middletown, Connecticut, site, said spokesman Matthew Bates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Spiral of Karachi killings widens Pakistan's sectarian divide Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 05:01 PM PST  KARACHI (Reuters) - When Aurangzeb Farooqi survived an attempt on his life that left six of his bodyguards dead and a six-inch bullet wound in his thigh, the Pakistani cleric lost little time in turning the narrow escape to his advantage. Recovering in hospital after the ambush on his convoy in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital, the radical Sunni Muslim ideologue was composed enough to exhort his followers to close ranks against the city's Shi'ites. ... Full Story | Top |
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