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| Colombia's Santos calls Venezuela plot accusations "crazy" Friday, May 31, 2013 12:55 PM PDT  By Eduardo Garcia BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday dismissed as "crazy" accusations made by his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro that Santos is involved in a plot to overthrow him, and called for a diplomatic solution to the dispute. Santos met with Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles earlier this week, triggering a furious reaction from Maduro, who accused Santos of "betrayal" and said he was in cahoots with Capriles to plot against him. ... Full Story | Top |
| CA-NEWS Summary Friday, May 31, 2013 12:54 PM PDT New poll shows Trudeau's opposition Liberals ahead in Canada OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's opposition Liberals, flying high under new leader Justin Trudeau, would most likely win an election held now but would not get a majority, according to a new poll. Trudeau, the telegenic son of former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau, took over the party leadership last month just before Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper became embroiled in a damaging expenses scandal. The next election is not due until October 2015. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran's petrochemical industry Friday, May 31, 2013 12:54 PM PDT  By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States blacklisted on Friday eight companies in Iran's petrochemical industry, sending a warning to the Islamic Republic's global customers as Washington strives to cut off funds to the country's nuclear program. Petrochemical companies owned or controlled by the Iranian government that are on the Treasury Department list include Bandar Imam Petrochemical Co, Bou Ali Sina Petrochemical Co and Mobin Petrochemical Co. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran presidential debate on economy dissolves into chaos Friday, May 31, 2013 12:49 PM PDT By Yeganeh Torbati and Zahra Hosseinian DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's first debate between candidates for the presidency degenerated into acrimony live on state television on Friday when, instead of discussing the economy, some of the hopefuls resorted to sniping over the questions and format. The testy exchange between the moderator and reformist Mohammad Reza Aref, moderate Hassan Rohani, and conservative Mohsen Rezaie was the subject of wide ridicule by Iranian viewers who had tuned in for the four-hour discussion. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy announces first case of SARS-like coronavirus Friday, May 31, 2013 12:27 PM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italy reported its first case of the SARS-like coronavirus on Friday, a 45-year-old man who had been travelling in Jordan, the health ministry said. The patient was in good condition and was being monitored in isolation, the ministry said in a statement. He was admitted to a hospital in Tuscany with a high fever, a cough and breathing difficulties. A resident of Italy with foreign nationality, the man recently spent 40 days in Jordan where one of his sons was suffering from an unspecified flu. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biden says U.S. and Brazil ready for deeper relationship Friday, May 31, 2013 12:19 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden wound up a visit to Brazil on Friday saying it was high time the two largest economies in the Americas became closer partners in trade, investment and energy. "We're ready for a deeper, broader relationship across the board on everything from the military to education, trade and investment," Biden told reporters after meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi edges Qatar to control Syrian rebel support Friday, May 31, 2013 12:19 PM PDT  By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has prevailed over its small but ambitious Gulf neighbor Qatar to impose itself as the main outside force supporting the Syrian rebels, a move that may curb the influence of Qatari-backed Islamist militants. Though governments in neither Riyadh nor Doha would provide official comment, several senior sources in the region told Reuters that the past week's wrangling among Syria's opposition factions in Istanbul was largely a struggle for control between the two Gulf monarchies, in which Saudi power finally won out. ... Full Story | Top |
| Assad forces advance; West, Russia exchange barbs ahead of talks Friday, May 31, 2013 12:01 PM PDT  By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad tightened their siege of rebels in a strategic town on Friday, in a counter-offensive that is shifting the balance of the Syrian war ahead of a peace conference next month. Rebels said they had managed to infiltrate new fighters into the town of Qusair on the Lebanese frontier, where they are encircled by Assad's army and his allies in Lebanon's Hezbollah militia who have openly joined the war on his behalf. ... Full Story | Top |
| IRS watchdog to issue new report on agency conferences -U.S. lawmaker Friday, May 31, 2013 11:32 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury Department's inspector general will issue a new report in the coming weeks that could heap more bad news on the Internal Revenue Service, showing results of an audit of the IRS use of taxpayer-funded conferences, a Republican critic of the agency said on Friday. Republican Representative Darrell Issa, among the lawmakers probing IRS scrutiny of Tea Party and other conservative groups' applications for tax-exempt status, will hold a hearing on the yet-to-be-released report on June 6, a congressional aide said. The panel will hear from J. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. woman, British man killed in Syria ambush : state media Friday, May 31, 2013 11:25 AM PDT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad killed a 33-year-old Michigan woman who had converted to Islam, and a British man during an ambush in a northwestern province, Syrian state media said on Friday. Nicole Mansfield's aunt, Monica Mansfield Speelman, told Reuters on Thursday the FBI had informed her that afternoon of the death of her niece, who was from Flint, Michigan. Syrian state television aired footage showing the body of the woman, who was dressed in a full black hijab. The footage also showed her American ID. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan TV editor says security agent threatened him with gun Friday, May 31, 2013 10:58 AM PDT By Hereward Holland JUBA (Reuters) - The head of South Sudan's only private television station said he was threatened at gunpoint by a national security agent who was attempting to censor its news programs. Nhial Bol, managing editor of Citizen TV in Juba, said the official showed up at his office late on Thursday and demanded that he hand over the broadcast schedule as well as all news materials relating Vice President Riak Machar. "He pulled out his pistol and said he was ready to shoot anybody who didn't show him respect," Bol told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish police fire tear gas in worst protests for years Friday, May 31, 2013 10:47 AM PDT By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests for years. Thousands of demonstrators massed on streets surrounding Istanbul's central Taksim Square, long a venue for political unrest, while protests erupted in the capital Ankara and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir. Broken glass and rocks were strewn across a main shopping street near Taksim. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain must investigate torture in Iraq, Afghanistan: U.N Friday, May 31, 2013 10:40 AM PDT By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations torture watchdog called on Britain on Friday to widen and speed up investigations into allegations that British forces tortured detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan and prosecute those responsible. British inquiries into alleged abuses by its forces in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 have been slow and there have been no prosecutions for torture or complicity in abuse, although there have been courts martial, the U.N. body said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspected attacker of French soldier under terror investigation Friday, May 31, 2013 10:38 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - A Muslim convert suspected of stabbing a French soldier in a religiously motivated attack was placed under formal investigation on Friday over an apparent act of terrorism, prosecutors said, a move that could lead to a trial. Alexandre Dhaussy, 22, was brought before an anti-terrorism judge who determined there was enough evidence of what prosecutors called a terror-related assassination attempt to proceed with an investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO to hold 2014 summit on Afghanistan troop withdrawal Friday, May 31, 2013 10:24 AM PDT By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NATO countries will hold a summit next year to discuss troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The United States and its 28 NATO allies have been working toward withdrawing combat troops in 2014, a milestone Rasmussen said is in sight. There are 62,000 U.S. troops and 34,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi associates accused over underage prostitution Friday, May 31, 2013 10:20 AM PDT By Sara Rossi MILAN (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors on Friday asked for jail sentences of seven years for three associates of Silvio Berlusconi for recruiting Karima El Mahroug, alias "Ruby the Heartstealer", for paid sex with the former prime minister when she was under 18 years old. A verdict in Berlusconi's own trial, on charges of paying for sex with a minor and abuse of office, is expected next month, a potential headache for the governing coalition of Prime Minister Enrico Letta, which depends on Berlusconi's support to survive. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanese parliament delays June election, deepening drift Friday, May 31, 2013 10:10 AM PDT By Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese lawmakers decided on Friday to extend their term by 16 months until November next year due to political deadlock and violence spilling over from neighboring Syria's civil war. The move provoked a protest in a main square near the parliament. Demonstrators garbed in black carried signs saying they were in mourning for the democratic process in Lebanon and some threw tomatoes at convoys of politicians driving past. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria begins release of Islamist suspects in peace effort Friday, May 31, 2013 10:07 AM PDT By Ibrahim Mshlizza and Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military released 58 women and children suspected of having links with Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram to local governments on Friday, who will in turn return them to their homes in a gesture meant to draw moderates into peace talks. President Goodluck Jonathan is launching his biggest offensive yet to oust Islamist insurgents seen as the main threat to Africa's top oil producer from their strongholds in the northeast. But he says he also wants to pursue a peaceful resolution with fighters willing to surrender. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU to relax banking sanctions to help Syrian rebels Friday, May 31, 2013 09:53 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European banks will be able to open branches and accounts in Syria for use by the opposition, European Union governments decided on Friday, relaxing economic sanctions to help the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. The decision comes days after the European Union lifted its arms embargo on Syria to allow weapons deliveries to the opposition, in hopes of tilting the balance of the two-year conflict in which more than 80,000 people have died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian police thwart freedom-of-assembly protests Friday, May 31, 2013 09:48 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained about 25 opponents of President Vladimir Putin who tried to protest on Friday against restrictions on freedom of assembly, activists said. Police seized opposition figure Eduard Limonov and several supporters who attempted to demonstrate on a central Moscow square without official permission to gather there. Some of the activists were hauled away minutes after they unfurled a black banner reading "Freedom of Assembly - Always and Everywhere!" and roughly shoved into police buses. Limonov's Other Russia group said about 20 were detained. ... Full Story | Top |
| Moscow threatens to speed missiles to Syria but also offers to delay Friday, May 31, 2013 09:38 AM PDT  By Thomas Grove MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia could speed up delivery of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria if the West intervenes, but also floated the idea of suspending the shipment, Russian media reported on Friday, as Moscow set out its negotiating position ahead of peace talks. A Russian arms industry source was quoted by Interfax news agency as threatening to hasten delivery of the hotly-contested S-300 missiles if the West were to impose a no-fly zone or Israel were to launch new air strikes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hague judges say Libya must hand over Gaddafi's son Friday, May 31, 2013 09:37 AM PDT THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled on Friday that Libya must hand over the son of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi to the court, which wants to try him for alleged crimes committed during the revolution that toppled his father. Libya had challenged the ICC's right to put Saif al-Islam Gaddafi on trial on the grounds that since Libya was planning its own proceedings, the ICC had no jurisdiction under the principle that it only intervenes if the local legal system is not up to the job. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain moves to freeze Swiss accounts of ruling party ex-treasurer Friday, May 31, 2013 09:28 AM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - A judge said on Friday he would ask Swiss authorities to freeze at least nine bank accounts linked to a former treasurer of Spain's ruling People's Party who is charged with bribery, tax evasion and other crimes. Examining Magistrate Pablo Ruz, of Spain's High Court, also expanded his investigation of alleged corruption in the People's Party, ordering the party to turn over information on expense accounts for top party officials and on the dates that business leaders visited party headquarters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic issues arrest warrant for ex-president Friday, May 31, 2013 09:26 AM PDT  BANGUI (Reuters) - The new government of Central African Republic has issued an international arrest warrant against deposed former president Francois Bozize, accusing him of "crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide", the state prosecutor said on Friday. Thousands of fighters from the Seleka rebel coalition, angered by what they said was Bozize's refusal to honor an earlier peace deal, marched into the capital Bangui on March 24, forcing him to flee to neighboring Cameroon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspect in killing of UK soldier arrested on release from hospital Friday, May 31, 2013 09:15 AM PDT  By Li-mei Hoang LONDON (Reuters) - One of two men accused of murdering a British soldier on a London street last week was arrested by detectives after being discharged from hospital on Friday. Michael Adebolajo, 28, had been undergoing treatment after being shot by police in the aftermath of the attack on Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, southeast London last Friday. He is now in custody at a south London police station where he is being quizzed by counter terrorism detectives on suspicion of murdering Rigby and the attempted murder of a police officer. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Germany tell Russia not to hurt Syria peace effort Friday, May 31, 2013 09:12 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Germany warned Russia on Friday that arming President Bashar al-Assad's forces could jeopardize international efforts to bring Syria's warring parties together for peace talks. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking after talks with his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, said Russian plans to send a sophisticated air defense system to Assad also put Israel's security at risk. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four Mexican tourists killed in bus accident in Egypt's Sinai Friday, May 31, 2013 08:58 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Four Mexican tourists were killed and 17 were injured, two of them critically, in a bus accident on Friday in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, the governor of South Sinai said. The tourists were travelling on a bus owned by a local tour company near Saint Catherine's monastery in central Sinai when their bus overturned and caught fire, medical and security sources said. At least 40 tourists, all from Mexico, were inside, the state news agency MENA reported. The injured tourists were transferred to three hospitals in the area, governor Khaled Fouda said. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Vatican bank head vows zero tolerance with suspect accounts Friday, May 31, 2013 08:57 AM PDT By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican bank is checking the account of every client including Holy See employees, its new chief said, in a campaign to root out any money-laundering at an institution prone to scandals for decades. Ernst von Freyberg's predecessor was dismissed for poor management, and the Vatican's financial watchdog said last week it was investigating six possible attempts to use the Holy See to launder money in 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top Zimbabwe court orders elections by July 31 Friday, May 31, 2013 08:50 AM PDT  By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court ordered President Robert Mugabe on Friday to hold elections before the end of July, adding to the political wrangling over the timing and funding of the vote in the southern African state. It was ruling on an application to the court by a Zimbabwean citizen demanding that Mugabe set an election date before the current parliament expires next month. Mugabe, 89 and in power since independence from Britain in 1980, is to face long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai in the vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hague judges say Libya must surrender Gaddafi Friday, May 31, 2013 08:47 AM PDT THE HAGUE (Reuters) - War crimes judges in The Hague ruled on Friday that Libya must surrender the son of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court, where he is wanted for alleged crimes committed during the revolution that toppled his father. Libyan authorities had argued that since they were already investigating Saif al-Islam's alleged crimes against humanity with a view to prosecuting him, the court had no jurisdiction under the principle that the court only intervenes where local legal systems are not up to the job. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlin not aware of U.S. drone strikes from German bases Friday, May 31, 2013 08:43 AM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany said on Friday it had no knowledge of U.S. drone strikes being directed from its territory after media reports alleged that the U.S. military was steering attacks on Islamist guerrillas in Africa from German bases. The use of drones is highly controversial in Germany, where an aversion to military conflict has prevailed since World War Two, and the reports sparked a strong response from opposition parties hoping to score points against popular Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a September election. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU exit would put Britain on par with Norway-UK minister Friday, May 31, 2013 08:32 AM PDT By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's promise of a referendum on his country's membership of the European Union is a "huge distraction" that risks reducing Britain's influence in the bloc to that of Norway, a government minister has warned. In an interview that highlights deep divisions within Britain's two-party coalition over Europe, Danny Alexander, the number two at Britain's finance ministry and a member of the Liberal Democrat party, the junior coalition partner, said a British EU exit would be "catastrophic at every level". ... Full Story | Top |
| Vietnam PM seeks regional unity as China pushes maritime claims Friday, May 31, 2013 08:16 AM PDT  By John O'Callaghan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Vietnam's prime minister called for unity among Southeast Asian countries as China asserts its claims to the energy-rich South China Sea, warning that any conflict could disrupt international trade and the global economy. Tensions in the decades-old territorial dispute between six Asian claimants have risen in recent weeks after Chinese vessels converged near a ship the Philippines ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry says unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapon Friday, May 31, 2013 08:10 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday he did not have high expectations that an upcoming presidential election in Iran would change the calculus over Tehran's nuclear program, repeating it was unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. At a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Kerry said Iran needs to understand that international patience was waning over the nuclear program that Tehran says is meant for peaceful purposes. "Every month that goes by gets more dangerous," Kerry said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan Taliban deny attacking Red Cross Friday, May 31, 2013 08:03 AM PDT By Mirwais Harooni Kabul (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban on Friday denied attacking the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jalalabad this week, saying the group never targets those who "truly serve" the people. Four insurgents, two wearing suicide vests, attacked the strictly neutral aid group's office in the eastern city on Wednesday, killing an Afghan guard. Senior officials from NATO's International Security Assistance Force told Reuters they believed the Taliban launched the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian tourist critically injured in Istanbul protests: medics Friday, May 31, 2013 08:00 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An Egyptian tourist is in a critical condition after being hit by a police gas canister in a crackdown on anti-government protests in Istanbul on Friday, a doctors' association said. The 34-year-old woman was undergoing an operation after suffering a brain haemorrhage, Istanbul Medical Chamber board member Huseyin Demirduzen told Reuters. A total of 12 people, including a pro-Kurdish MP, suffered trauma injuries and hundreds suffered respiratory problems due to the effects of tear gas during the clashes around Istanbul's central Taksim Square, Demirduzen said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Libya becomes 'the new Mali' as Islamists shift in Sahara Friday, May 31, 2013 07:59 AM PDT  By David Lewis BAMAKO (Reuters) - Suicide attacks on a French-run mine and a military base in northern Niger have shown how an Islamist threat is spreading across the weak nations of the Sahara, meaning France may be tied down there for years to come. Regional rivalries are aggravating the problem for Paris and its Western allies, with a lack of cooperation between Saharan countries helping militants to melt away when they come under pressure and regroup in quieter parts of the vast desert. ... Full Story | Top |
| Frankfurt 'Blockupy' protesters target ECB, banks, airport Friday, May 31, 2013 07:58 AM PDT  By Edward Taylor and Maria Sheahan FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Anti-capitalist demonstrators from the Blockupy movement paralysed Germany's financial center on Friday, cutting off access to the European Central Bank and Deutsche Bank's headquarters. Protesters against Europe's austerity policies, estimated by police at 1,500 but by Blockupy at 3,000, descended in the early hours on Frankfurt's financial district to disrupt business at institutions they blame for a deep recession in euro zone countries such as Spain and Greece. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain asks Germany to help lead reform of EU Friday, May 31, 2013 07:57 AM PDT  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Britain and Germany to lead a campaign to reform the European Union on Friday as he explained how the bloc could be overhauled and derided planned EU financial services regulation as "folly". In a speech in Germany aimed at persuading Europe's most powerful nation to back Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to try to reform the EU ahead of a possible British EU membership referendum, Hague set out some of the changes Cameron hopes to win. "We want to get on with the business of delivering that reformed EU. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kyrgyzstan sets state of emergency to protect Centerra mine Friday, May 31, 2013 07:54 AM PDT By Olga Dzyubenko BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan imposed a state of emergency on a northern district on Friday to protect Centerra Gold's Kumtor mine from protesters, but more unrest against the Canadian investor flared up in the country's south. Toronto-listed Centerra Gold's Kumtor mine, nestling in the Tien Shan mountains, is Kyrgyzstan's largest gold deposit and helps keep the Central Asian state's shaky economy afloat. But Centerra has come under immense local pressure. ... Full Story | Top |
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