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| Accused Fort Hood shooter says he participated in war on Islam Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:38 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan said on Saturday that the United States military is engaged in a war with the Muslim religion, and he apologized for having participated in what he called "illegal and immoral aggression" against Muslims. In quotes published by Fox News from a six-page statement released to the television network, Fox said Hasan did not directly address the shooting at the Fort Hood, Texas army base in November, 2009. He is accused of opening fire on the base, killing 13 soldiers and injuring 32 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michigan attorney general backs pensioners in Detroit bankruptcy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:33 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, said on Saturday he would defend retirees who risk losing public pensions because of Detroit's bankruptcy, putting him at odds with the city's emergency manager appointed by fellow Republican Governor Rick Snyder. Schuette, an elected official, said the Michigan state constitution is "crystal clear" in stating that pension plans are a contractual obligation that may not be diminished or impaired. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope, in candid speech, speaks of 'exodus' from the Church Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:26 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a stunningly candid assessment of the state of the Catholic Church, said on Saturday it should look in the mirror and ask why so many people are leaving the faith of their fathers. On the penultimate day of his trip to Brazil, Francis delivered a long address to the country's bishops in which he suggested elements of what could become a blueprint for stopping what he called an "exodus. ... Full Story | Top |
| Quebec town mourns victims of fuel-tanker train disaster Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:16 PM PDT  By Christinne Muschi LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners filled the streets of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on Saturday, as the families of the 47 people killed in North America's worst railway disaster in two decades attended a memorial service at a local church. A trumpeter on the street played Ave Maria to the mourners as they gathered outside St Agnes church to watch the service on a massive screen. "It's still difficult," said Chantal Guay, a local resident who was among the crowd outside church. "We're all family in Lac-Megantic, everyone knows each other. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya PM to reshuffle cabinet, cut ministries after killings Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:08 PM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib and Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister said he would reshuffle the cabinet and reorganize the government to cope with the "urgent" situation in the country following killings in the eastern city of Benghazi that sparked violent demonstrations. Hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the assassination of a prominent political activist and critic of the Muslim Brotherhood, Abdelsalam al-Mosmary, who was shot dead on Friday after leaving a mosque in Benghazi. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan president names Benjamin as new foreign minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has named former Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin as the new foreign minister of the African oil producer, the first appointment in a new cabinet after firing the previous lineup. On Tuesday, Kiir sacked his entire cabinet, Vice President Riek Machar and put under investigation his top Sudan negotiator, Pagan Amum, amid a power struggle in the African nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian forces kill dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 11:46 AM PDT  By Tom Perry and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Saturday, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism". Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli cabinet to weigh prisoner release before Palestinian talks Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 11:15 AM PDT  By Allyn Fisher-Ilan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet will consider releasing more than 100 Arab prisoners held by Israel in order to boost prospects for talks expected with the Palestinians in Washington next week, Israeli officials said on Saturday. Israel's agreement to free the inmates, held since before a 1993 interim accord with the Palestinians, is seen as critical to U.S. hopes of convening Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to resume peace talks that have been stalled since 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Shabaab claim attack on Turkish mission in Somalia, three dead Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 11:00 AM PDT  By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people, witnesses and officials said on Saturday, the latest in a series of blasts claimed by Islamist al Shabaab rebels. Al Shabaab was pushed out of bases in Mogadishu by Somali and African forces about two years ago, raising hopes of a return to relative security in a city hit by years of war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi supporters picked off in Cairo violence Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:55 AM PDT  By Tom Perry and Noah Browning CAIRO (Reuters) - They fell one by one, picked off by gunmen who aimed for the chest and head, witnesses said. Some of the dead, supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi, were shot between the eyes. In one of the bloodiest incidents since Mursi was removed from power by the army, the violence started around midnight with a barrage of teargas fired by police to drive his Muslim Brotherhood backers away from a major Cairo flyover. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says rebels killed 123 people in north, majority civilians Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:28 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media accused insurgents on Saturday of killing 123 people, the majority of them civilians, during a rebel offensive this week to take the northern town of Khan al-Assad. A two-year revolt-turned-civil war has left more than 100,000 people dead and both forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels are accused by rights groups of war crimes. State news agency SANA said that "armed terrorist groups" committed a "massacre ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Cairo attack 65: Egypt health ministry Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's health ministry said it had registered 65 killed on Saturday in what the Muslim Brotherhood has described as an attack by the security forces on supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in the capital Cairo. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood says 66 were killed and 61 were left "brain dead" in the attack. Hamdi Mahmoud, director of the health ministry press office, told Reuters that 65 had died, and a further nine were killed in overnight violence in Egypt's second city, Alexandria. (Reporting by Maggie Fickl; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Tom Perry) Full Story | Top |
| Serbian PM threatens to oust finance minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:25 AM PDT  By Maja Zuvela BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's prime minister piled pressure on Finance and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic on Saturday to cede one of his portfolios or face being ousted from the Balkan country's coalition government. "It's crucial to have a division of responsibilities by splitting the ministry of finance and economy if we are serious about pursuing our goal of economic and fiscal consolidation," Prime Minister Ivica Dacic told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lindy Boggs, congresswoman and civil rights crusader, dies at 97 Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 09:12 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lindy Boggs, who took over her husband's congressional seat to become a crusader for women's equality and civil rights, died Saturday at 97. Her death was confirmed by ABC News, where Boggs' daughter, Cokie Roberts, is a journalist. The matriarch of a powerful Washington family, Boggs served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Louisiana Democrat for 18 years, beginning in 1973, when she become the first woman elected to Congress from her state. She was a permanent chairwoman of the 1976 Democratic National Convention and also served as U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwaitis head to the polls for sixth time since 2006 Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:56 AM PDT  By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaitis voted for the sixth time in seven years on Saturday in a parliamentary election boycotted by the main Islamist and populist opposition, which may help liberals and independents win seats. Turnout was expected to be low in summer temperatures hitting 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and as Kuwaitis become fed up with voting in short-lived parliaments. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bananas thrown at Italy's first black minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:52 AM PDT By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Some of Italy's top politicians on Saturday rallied behind the country's first black minister, a target of racist slurs since her appointment in April, after a spectator threw bananas at her while she was making a speech. Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge, who is originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, was appearing at a political rally in Cervia in central Italy on Friday, when someone in the audience threw bananas towards the stage, narrowly missing it. Kyenge has faced almost daily racial slurs and threats since joining the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb hits Turkish staff building in Somali capital, 3 dead: police Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 08:17 AM PDT By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into the gates of an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people, witnesses and police said on Saturday, the latest in a series of blasts over the past two months. "A suicide car bomb targeted a building housing Turkish embassy workers near k4 (Kilometer Four)," Ahmed Mohamud, police officer told Reuters from the scene of the blast. Mohamud later said the number of dead was three - Somali civilians and a suspected suicide bomber, while nine others had been wounded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb hits Turkish staff building in Somali capital, two dead - police Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:31 AM PDT MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into the gates of an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing two people, witnesses and police said on Saturday. "A suicide car bomb targeted a building housing Turkish embassy workers near k4 (Kilometre Four). So far two people dead," Ahmed Mohamud, police officer told Reuters from the scene of the blast. It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing, but in the past, al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels have claimed responsibility for attacks, including one in-mid July that killed eight civilians. Full Story | Top |
| Libyans vent anger at Islamists after activist's shooting Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:28 AM PDT By Ghaith Shennib and Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Protesters attacked offices of Libya's Muslim Brotherhood and the headquarters of a liberal coalition on Saturday after demonstrations sparked by assassinations in the eastern city of Benghazi turned violent, witnesses said. Hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the killing of a prominent political activist and critic of the Brotherhood, Abdelsalam al-Mosmary, who was shot dead on Friday after leaving a mosque. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Tunis Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:26 AM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired tear gas in front of parliament on Saturday to disperse secular protesters demanding the dissolution of the assembly and Islamists defending the legitimacy of their rule. Police began firing after the arrival of thousands of opposition protesters who had been attending the funeral of the assassinated secular politician Mohamed Brahmi, a Reuters reporter said. Protesters threw stones back at police and there were several injuries. Secular opposition parties are demanding the dissolution of the parliament and the Islamist-led government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in twin suicide bombing in Pakistan rises to 52 Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:58 AM PDT  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The death toll from a pair of coordinated suicide bombs targeting Shi'ites in a volatile Pakistani town near the Afghan border rose to 52 overnight, officials said on Saturday, in one of the worst sectarian attacks in the country in months. Tensions between Shi'ite Muslims and Pakistan's majority Sunnis have risen in past years, with radical Sunni Islamist groups frequently attacking Shi'ites whom they see as heretics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Forced to flee war, many Malian refugees to miss vote Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:55 AM PDT  By Misha Hussain and Abdoulaye Massalatchi DAKAR/MANGAIZE, Niger (Reuters) - When Talhatou Hallahi Maiga heard that Malian officials had dispatched new ID cards to the desert north in preparation for Sunday's presidential election, he slipped out of a refugee camp in neighboring Niger and went to collect his. "I'm a patriot. I want to vote and that is why I did not hesitate to travel," he said, referring to a 70 km (45-mile) trip by bush taxi from Mangaize in Niger to Menaka, his hometown in northeastern Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungarian PM urges ethnic kin, scattered by history, to unite Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:53 AM PDT  By Christian Lowe and Sandor Peto BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, called on ethnic Hungarians around the world on Saturday to unite to build a strong nation, tapping into nostalgia for a country dismembered when Europe's maps were re-drawn nearly a century ago. Many Hungarians today view the 1920 Treaty of Trianon as a national tragedy because it took away two-thirds of the country's territory and left millions of ethnic Hungarians living in what are now Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. and Syria say chemical arms talks were 'productive' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:51 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations and Syria said on Saturday that negotiations between Damascus and the U.N. chemical weapons investigator were "productive", but did not say if his team would be allowed to probe allegations that such weapons had been used in the country's civil war. Ake Sellstrom's full team has not been allowed into Syria due to diplomatic wrangling over access. His mission this week was to prepare the ground for an investigation. Sellstrom met Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, and a joint U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brotherhood accuses Egyptian security forces of shooting dead dozens Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:29 AM PDT  By Tom Perry and Noah Browning CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Saturday, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism". Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement said. "They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," said Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi likely to go to same prison as Mubarak: minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:47 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who has been accused of murder and other crimes, is likely to be transferred to the same Cairo prison where former leader Hosni Mubarak is now held, the interior minister said on Saturday. Mohamed Ibrahim also said pro-Mursi sit-ins would "God willing, soon ... be dealt with" based on a decision by the prosecutor, who has been examining legal complaints by citizens about the protests that have blocked major Cairo thoroughfares. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU, China resolve solar dispute - their biggest trade row by far Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:26 AM PDT  By Robin Emmott and Ben Blanchard BRUSSELS/BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the European Union defused their biggest trade dispute by far on Saturday with a deal to regulate Chinese solar panel imports and avoid a wider war in goods from wine to steel. After six weeks of talks, the EU's trade chief and his Chinese counterpart sealed the deal over the telephone, setting a minimum price for panels from China near spot market prices. ... Full Story | Top |
| New clashes between army and rebels in Sudan's main oil state Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:24 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - New clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels erupted on Saturday in the country's main oil-producing state of South Kordofan, bordering South Sudan, witnesses and rebels said. The violence is likely to worsen relations between the African neighbours, as Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting insurgents operating on Sudanese soil and using the South's territory as retreat bases. Juba denies this. Residents in Dalang, one of the largest towns in South Kordofan, said they could hear shooting and explosions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Belgium keeper Gillet's match-fix ban upheld in Italy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:50 AM PDT ROME, July 27 (Reuters) - A tribunal has rejected Torino goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet's appeal against the Belgian international's match-fixing ban of three years and seven months, the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) said on Saturday. Gillet, who has won nine caps for his country, was one of 20 people suspended over two matches involving his former club Bari in Serie B in 2008 and 2009. The tribunal's appeal decision could now signal the end of the 34-year-old's career. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia demands Interpol explain refusal to track down financier Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:44 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Interpol must explain why it has rejected Moscow's two requests to put British hedge fund head and anti-corruption campaigner William Browder on its search list, the Russian Interior Ministry said on Saturday. The decision is the latest twist in a long-running battle between the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Browder, whose investment company Hermitage Capital was once the largest investor in Russia's equity market. Russia has sentenced U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| China state media says 18 more detained in GSK probe Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:21 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - At least 18 more people have been detained in China in connection with a corruption scandal involving British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, state media reported, giving more details on an investigation that has rocked the company. China's state radio reported late on Friday on its website that police in the central city of Zhengzhou had "recently held, in accordance with the law, 18 GlaxoSmithKline (China) employees and some medical personnel". It provided no details of the detentions nor say exactly when they happened. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fed's Lacker says exit from bond-buying program must be quick Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:01 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - The U.S. central bank must end its bond-buying program quickly and an end to the program was "in sight", a senior Federal Reserve official said in a German magazine on Saturday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke jolted markets in late May with plans to ease back on stimulus efforts once the economy improves. The Fed is likely to reduce its monthly bond purchases later this year and stop them altogether by mid-2014, as long as the economic recovery unfolds as expected, Bernanke has said. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU's Ashton deplores deaths in Egypt, urges halt to violence Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:30 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "deeply deplores" deaths during demonstrations in Egypt and urges all sides to halt violence, the EU said on Saturday. "(Ashton) is following with concern the latest developments in Egypt and deeply deplores the loss of life during yesterday's demonstrations ... She also calls on all actors to refrain from violence and to respect the principles of peaceful protest and non-violence," a spokeswoman for Ashton said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb explodes in Tunis hours before secular politician's funeral Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 01:08 AM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - A bomb in a police car exploded on Saturday in the Tunisian capital of Tunis hours before the funeral of assassinated secular opposition political Mohamed Brahmi, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said. There were no casualties from the blast near a police station in the residential La Goulette district, Mohammad Ali Aroui said. The Interior Ministry has accused hardline Islamists of Brahmi's murder. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Louise Ireland) Full Story | Top |
| North Korea heralds 60th anniversary of war 'victory' with massive parade Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:09 AM PDT  By Se Young Lee and Maxim Duncan PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Korean War truce on Saturday with a massive military parade trumpeting the revolutionary genius of three generations of leaders that gave it "Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War". Leader Kim Jong-un was joined by Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on the podium overlooking Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung square to inspect a massive throng of soldiers in goosestep and a display of weapons including its mid-range missiles. ... Full Story | Top |
| China military urges vigilance over Japan's defense plan Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:05 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defence Ministry on Saturday urged international vigilance of Japan's military plans after it unveiled an interim report calling for strengthened armed forces, including the possible acquisition of the ability to hit enemy bases. Japan's proposal - its latest step away from the constraints of its pacifist constitution - is part of a review of defense policy by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which released an interim report on the issue on Friday. Final review conclusions are due by the end of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Muslim Brotherhood says more than 70 killed in Cairo attack Friday, Jul 26, 2013 11:39 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 70 people died on Saturday after security forces attacked supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said, adding the toll could be much higher. Al Jazeera's Egypt television station reported 120 had died and some 4,500 had been injured in the early morning violence on the fringes of a round-the-clock vigil being staged by backers of Mursi near a Cairo mosque. (Reporting by Maggie Fick, Editing by Crispian Balmer) Full Story | Top |
| Former North Korean child beggar wins fame as TV chef Friday, Jul 26, 2013 10:42 PM PDT By Narae Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - With her flower-print dress and black hair dyed a fashionable light brown, Kim Ha-na does not seem like a former child beggar who risked her life three times trying to escape from North Korea before finally fleeing at the age of 15. Kim, 25, settled in South Korea in 2005, and has recently gained television fame with a run in the competitive cooking show Masterchef Korea. She hopes her spell in the spotlight will help her find her father, who she last saw as they tried to flee across the North Korean border into China, with North Korean guards in hot pursuit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight - Obama and Syria: a trail of half-steps, mixed messages Friday, Jul 26, 2013 10:08 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the Syrian civil war deepened and anti-government rebels struggled to unify their fractious forces, the White House early last year quietly convened an elite group of senior policymakers to advise President Barack Obama. Their unusual mandate: think outside the box on how to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blast kills six, wounds dozens in Philippine southern city Friday, Jul 26, 2013 09:59 PM PDT MANILA (Reuters) - A powerful blast ripped through a crowded popular nightclub in a southern Philippine city late on Friday, killing six people and wounding dozens, police said on Saturday, a reminder of the security challenges despite rising economic growth. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and an army spokesman said security forces are looking into a potential motive for the attack, including the possible involvement of communist rebels who are active in the area. ... Full Story | Top |
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