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| U.S. deploys warship as tensions over North Korea rise Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:35 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday that a second U.S. guided-missile destroyer had taken position in the western Pacific on a missile defense mission, as tensions rise over North Korea's threats of war against the United States and its ally, South Korea. The announcement is the latest confirmation of minor adjustments to the posture of the U.S. military, which is seeking to reassure allies in Seoul and Tokyo of American military capabilities to respond to any moves by Pyongyang. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| CA-NEWS Summary Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:33 PM PDT North Korea to restart nuclear reactor in weapons bid SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it would revive a mothballed nuclear reactor able to produce bomb-grade plutonium but stressed it was seeking a deterrent capacity and did not repeat recent threats to attack South Korea and the United States. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the crisis over North Korea had gone too far and he appealed for dialogue and negotiation to resolve the situation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil arrests third suspect in rape, kidnap of foreign student Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:32 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Police in Rio de Janeiro have arrested a third suspect after the weekend rape and kidnapping of a foreign student that shocked residents and once again raised concerns about security in Brazil ahead of the World Cup, Olympics and other major international events in the coming years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria shell lands in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A mortar shell fired during fighting between Syrian forces and rebels landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, military sources said. Military sources said it was unclear if the shell, which landed near an Israeli settlement, was fired deliberately at territory held by Israel or was a stray. The U.N. Security Council voiced concern last week about the increasing spillover into the Golan Heights of the Syrian civil war being fought between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels trying to topple him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Most young Pakistanis pessimistic as economy struggles: survey Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:04 PM PDT  By Michael Georgy ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Nearly 100 percent of young Pakistanis are pessimistic about the future and believe their country is headed in the wrong direction, a survey released on Wednesday found. A British Council study, entitled "Next Generation Goes to The Ballot Box", also showed that only one in five young adults expect their economic situation to improve over the next year. The findings make for disturbing reading for politicians who are trying to win over Pakistanis ahead of a May 11 general election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian officials have three months to ditch foreign bank accounts Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:59 AM PDT  By Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian officials have until July 1 to get rid of financial assets abroad as part of President Vladimir Putin's campaign to stem corruption and capital flight, his chief of staff said on Tuesday. Sergei Ivanov, held a rare Kremlin news conference to announce measures related to a drive to "de-offshore" the Russian economy - a term used by Putin in the first state of the nation speech of his new term last year. Russia ranked 133rd out of 174 states in Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index. ... Full Story | Top |
| French ex-minister admits secret bank account, inquiry begun Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:55 AM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - France's erstwhile budget minister admitted on Tuesday to holding a secret 600,000-euro foreign bank account and he was placed under a fraud investigation in a grave blow to President Francois Hollande's 10-month-old government. Jerome Cahuzac's surprise reversal after months of denying allegations he held a Swiss account deeply embarrassed Hollande, who had promised an irreproachable team of ministers and is battling to uphold France's fiscal credibility in the eyes of foreign investors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomb hits Somalia's biggest bank after militant threat Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:44 AM PDT By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A bomb exploded outside the headquarters of Somalia's biggest bank on Tuesday, wounding at least two people hours after al Qaeda-linked militants ordered the company cease operations in areas under their control. The blast outside Dahabshiil's office in Mogadishu shattered its doors and littered the area with debris, police said. "A remote-controlled bomb planted in front of Mogadishu's Dahabshiil bank and money transfer headquarters injured two guards," police captain Nur Hassan told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. approves first-ever global arms trade treaty Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:43 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday the first-ever treaty on global arms trade that seeks to regulate the $70 billion international business in conventional arms ranging from light weapons to battle tanks and warships. There were 154 votes in favor, 3 against and 23 abstentions. Iran, Syria and North Korea last week prevented a treaty-drafting conference at U.N. headquarters from reaching the required consensus to adopt the treaty. ... Full Story | Top |
| Armed men attack Baghdad newspaper offices over story on cleric Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:25 AM PDT  By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Men armed with pistols, knives and steel pipes stormed into three Baghdad newspaper offices, beating employees and smashing computers after publication of an article about a Shi'ite Muslim cleric, police and editors said on Tuesday. Monday's attacks illustrated the stubborn influence of hardline Islamist militias in Iraq, where Sunni and Shi'ite insurgents often imposed their own fundamentalist vision on the streets during the height of sectarian war a few years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea to restart nuclear reactor in weapons bid Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:23 AM PDT By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it would revive a mothballed nuclear reactor able to produce bomb-grade plutonium but stressed it was seeking a deterrent capacity and did not repeat recent threats to attack South Korea and the United States. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the crisis over North Korea had gone too far and he appealed for dialogue and negotiation to resolve the situation. "Nuclear threats are not a game. ... Full Story | Top |
| Forex controls hinder global growth: Bank of Canada deputy governor Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 11:11 AM PDT  By Louise Egan and Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - Countries that impose capital controls and accumulate reserves are delaying the adjustments needed to help the global economy grow fully, Bank of Canada Deputy Governor John Murray said on Tuesday, adding that he did not want to blame anyone country. "There is a sense that, as indicated by the reserves that have been accumulated and the capital controls, there certainly has been resistance on certain fronts," Murray said in a presentation in Washington that was webcast. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian, U.S. ambassadors call for action to mend strained ties Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:45 AM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - Eight former U.S. and Russian ambassadors on Tuesday urged swift action to improve relations between Washington and Moscow, which are at odds over issues ranging from Syria to human rights. Ties between the Cold War foes have soured since Vladimir Putin returned to Russia's presidency in May, undermining U.S. President Barack Obama's attempt to "reset" relations. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. wants to support fight against al Qaeda in Mali: senator Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:27 AM PDT  By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - The United States will seek ways it can help French and African forces in Mali combat al Qaeda-linked rebels, U.S. Senator John McCain said on Tuesday during a visit to the West African country. France launched a military offensive in Mali in January against Islamist militants threatening the capital. That drove the insurgents out of the towns they had seized, but they have since hit back with suicide attacks and guerrilla-style raids. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mandela's condition unchanged, no deterioration: presidency Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:17 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela's condition has not changed after a weekend improvement, the government said on Tuesday, and it denied media reports suggesting the anti-apartheid hero had suffered a relapse in his pneumonia. "His condition is unchanged as reported yesterday," presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Parties carp as Italy's "wise men" seek end to political crisis Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:15 AM PDT  By Naomi O'Leary and Barry Moody ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano expressed despair on Tuesday at fierce criticism of his latest plan to end a post-election deadlock that has raised fears of months of instability in the euro zone's third largest economy. Two groups of "wise men" appointed by Napolitano to try to forge a policy compromise between squabbling parties to end the impasse since the February 24-25 election started work on Tuesday. Napolitano said they would report back in 8-10 days. ... Full Story | Top |
| At Chavez's birthplace, Maduro swears to win Venezuela vote Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:11 AM PDT  By Brian Ellsworth and Mario Naranjo SABANETA, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan acting President Nicolas Maduro made a pilgrimage to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez's birthplace on Tuesday and pledged to win the April 14 election in his honor. "We regard Chavez as our father. He marked our life, that's why we came here to make an oath in the land of his birth that we will never let him down," Maduro, 50, said in the village of Sabaneta where his former boss was born. ... Full Story | Top |
| Explosion hits Somalia's Dahabshiil bank headquarters Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:08 AM PDT MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A loud explosion hit the headquarters of Somali's leading money transfer agency in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, wounding at least two people hours after al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants warned the bank to cease operations in areas under its control. Police said they were still searching the rubble outside the Dahabshiil bank, whose doors were shattered by the blast. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been killed by the explosion. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Jon Hemming) Full Story | Top |
| Congo promises action on mass rapes in eastern town: U.N. Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 10:06 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has promised to bring a group of suspected mass rapists to justice after the United Nations last month threatened to halt support to two Congolese army battalions, the world body said on Tuesday. The United Nations said 126 women were raped in Minova in November after Congolese troops fled to the town as so-called M23 rebels briefly captured the nearby provincial capital of Goma. The U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians protest after Israeli jail cancer death Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 09:32 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli prison guards fired tear gas to quell disturbances by Palestinian inmates on Tuesday after a prisoner serving a life sentence over an attempt to bomb an Israeli cafe died of cancer. Maysara Abu Hamdeya's death threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners. ... Full Story | Top |
| Islamists accuse U.S. of interference in Egyptian affairs Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 09:05 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies accused the United States on Tuesday of blatant interference in its affairs after Washington said Cairo was muzzling freedom of speech. On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland criticized the questioning of the most popular Egyptian television satirist over allegations that he insulted Mursi and Islam. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kurdish peace process in Turkey faces impasse over militant withdrawal Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:36 AM PDT  By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's peace process with Kurdish militants faces a hurdle as the rebels demand legal protection to prevent any military attack on them during their planned withdrawal after decades of fighting, a call rejected by the government. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire with Turkey last month in response to an order from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan after months of talks with Ankara to halt a conflict which has killed more than 40,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| India puts off purchase of 197 helicopters over bribery claim Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:27 AM PDT  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Tuesday deferred a decision on a deal to buy 197 light-utility helicopters pending completion of an investigation into kickback allegations, the latest setback to efforts to upgrade the country's ageing arsenal. A previous tender to buy 197 helicopters for the army for $550 million collapsed in 2007 after claims of irregularities in the field trials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspected militants attack Pakistan power station, seven dead Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:16 AM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Dozens of suspected militants attacked a major power station in northwest Pakistan with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and killed seven people, police said on Tuesday. The assault, in the run-up to May 11 general elections, destroyed the biggest power station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, suspending electricity supply to half of the major city of Peshawar. It served as a reminder that Pakistan's leaders have failed to tackle a Taliban insurgency that remains potent despite a series of security crackdowns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rescuers find 59 bodies after Tibet landslide: Xinhua Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:13 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Rescue teams have found 59 dead bodies at the site a massive landslide in Tibet and two dozen more workers are still feared buried in the rubble, Chinese state media said on Tuesday. Tonnes of rock, mud and debris engulfed a miners' camp on Friday in Maizhokunggar County where China Gold International Resources Corp Ltd operates its Jiama mine. Emergency workers and other miners spent the weekend digging through the landslide which was up to 50 meters deep in parts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's opposition thwarted over Kiev mayor Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 08:04 AM PDT  By Olzhas Auyezov KIEV (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Ukraine's re-energized opposition rallied outside parliament on Tuesday to press for early elections for the mayor of Kiev and oust an ally of President Viktor Yanukovich from the powerful post. But despite the show of strength, Yanukovich's Party of the Regions defeated the attempt to set a June date for the ballot. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dozens evacuated after fire on ferry off Istanbul Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 07:54 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Dozens of passengers were evacuated from a tourist ferry off the coast of Istanbul on Tuesday after a fire started on the vessel, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Turkish television showed smoke pouring from the back of the vessel, several hundred meters (yards) from the shore, as two other ferries drew up to rescue the stranded passengers. The cause of the fire was unknown. State-run news channel TRT said all passengers were safely evacuated from the ferry, which was travelling between Istanbul and the popular Princes' Islands in the Sea of ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Bersani again refuses coalition with center-right Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 07:39 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani restated his refusal to form a grand coalition with the center-right bloc led by Silvio Berlusconi, saying on Tuesday that a cross-party government would not be credible. Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party has repeatedly called for the center-left to form a coalition government with them, but the former prime minister is politically toxic to his traditional rivals. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Zuma rejects criticism of Central African mission Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 07:32 AM PDT  PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday defended his decision to send troops to Central African Republic, saying 13 soldiers killed by rebels there had died fighting for Pretoria's foreign policy, not his party's business interests. The South African force was involved in a nine-hour firefight with thousands of rebels who poured into Central African Republic's (CAR) capital Bangui last month and seized control of the country, which has rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium. ... Full Story | Top |
| Putin signs law to allow him to pick Russian governors Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 06:25 AM PDT  By Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Tuesday letting him pick candidates to lead Russia's regions if local lawmakers scrap popular polls, in what critics called a setback for democracy in the Russian leader's new term. The law allows each of the country's 83 regions to repeal direct elections of governors, introduced just last year in a concession during a wave of protests by Russians fed up with Putin's dominance and demanding a stronger political voice. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy president says "wise men" should finish work in 10 days Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 06:04 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - The two working groups appointed by President Giorgio Napolitano to try to identify a way out of Italy's political gridlock should have finished their work within 10 days, the president's office said on Tuesday. "The correct period should be 8-10 days," Napolitano said in a statement posted on the website of his Quirinale palace. The two groups, dubbed Napolitano's "wise men", will try to find common ground among the political parties on economic and institutional reforms, in the hope this will help the formation of a government following February's inconclusive election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Slovenia backs Croatia's EU entry after bank dispute set aside Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 06:03 AM PDT  LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia ratified Croatia's European Union accession bid on Tuesday after the two ex-Yugoslav republics agreed last month to set aside a 20-year old dispute over a shuttered bank that had blocked Zagreb's entry path. Croatia concluded EU accession talks in 2011 but needs all 27 EU members to ratify its entry before it can join the bloc on July 1. With neighboring Slovenia's parliament voting unanimously in favor, 23 member states have done that so far. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian Hamas Islamists re-elect Meshaal as leader Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 05:46 AM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - The Islamist Palestinian Hamas group re-elected the relatively pragmatic Khaled Meshaal as its leader on Tuesday despite past criticism of him by hardliners in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. A diplomat in the region said Egypt and Qatar had lobbied strongly on behalf of a reluctant Meshaal before the vote in Cairo by about 60 Hamas leaders who had met through the night. Born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Meshaal, 56, has lived in exile for decades and, like his Hamas comrades, rejects Israel's right to exist. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinians protest after prisoner dies in Israel of cancer Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 05:28 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli prison guards fired tear gas to quell disturbances by Palestinian inmates on Tuesday after a prisoner serving a life sentence over an attempt to bomb an Israeli cafe died of cancer. Maysara Abu Hamdeya's death threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tanzania mudslides kill 13 after heavy rain Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 04:47 AM PDT DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Mudslides after torrential rains have killed 13 people at a quarry in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Tanzania's buoyant economy has fuelled a building boom, especially in the center of the tourist town but high demand for construction materials has led to a proliferation of new quarries, raising concern for safety standards. "A heavy downpour on Sunday caused mudslides and flooding in some parts of Arusha. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief urges talks in North Korea crisis Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 04:43 AM PDT ANDORRA (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that a crisis over North Korea had gone too far and urged dialogue and negotiation to resolve the situation. "Nuclear threats are not a game. Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability," Ban said at a news conference in Andorra, where he was on an official visit. Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea's leader appeared to tamp down hostile rhetoric that had threatened impending war with the United States and South Korea. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fire at Islamic school kills 13 boys in Myanmar Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 03:46 AM PDT  By Aung Hla Tun and Min Zayar Oo YANGON (Reuters) - A fire caused by faulty electrical equipment killed 13 boys at an Islamic school in Myanmar on Tuesday, the fire service said, although some Muslims voiced concern since it followed a wave of anti-Muslim violence in the Buddhist-majority country. The boys suffocated after the fire broke out in a dormitory of the school in the central, multi-ethnic Botataung district of the former capital of Yangon at about 2:40 a.m. (2010 GMT on Monday). ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan begins releasing political prisoners Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 02:34 AM PDT  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan freed seven political prisoners on Tuesday, a day after President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ordered the release of all such detainees. The amnesty came after Sudan and South Sudan agreed in March to end hostilities and resume cross-border oil flows after coming close to war a year ago. Khartoum had accused its southern neighbor of supporting rebels trying to topple Bashir. Seven members of an opposition group were released from Kober prison in Khartoum at dawn on Tuesday, witnesses said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indian court lifts ban on Italian envoy leaving country Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 02:18 AM PDT  By Annie Banerji NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court lifted on Tuesday a three-week order banning Italy's ambassador from leaving the country after Italy sent two marines back to India to face trial over the deaths of two Indian fishermen. The court had earlier banned the ambassador, Daniele Mancini, from leaving after Italy announced it would not send the accused marines back after a home visit. But the Italian government changed its mind and sent the two back on March 22. "It's good news," Diljeet Titus, a lawyer representing the Italian marines, said of the court's decision. ... Full Story | Top |
| China expresses regret at North Korea restarting nuclear plant Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013 12:16 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry expressed regret on Tuesday that North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities, including its shuttered Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comments at a daily news briefing. North Korea will rebuild and restart nuclear facilities, including its mothballed uranium enrichment facility and the 5 MW Yongbyon reactor which it closed in 2007, its official KCNA news service said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard, Writing by Sui-Lee Wee) Full Story | Top |
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