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| Netanyahu calls Palestinian leader Abbas, urges peacemaking Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:37 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and said he hoped the two sides could resume peace talks, stalled for three years, Israeli officials said. Netanyahu offered greetings for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, his office said, adding that he told Abbas: "I hope we will have the opportunity to speak with one another not only during festivals, and will start negotiating. It's important. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama urges calm in wake of Zimmerman verdict Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:35 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called for calm Sunday after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, saying his death was a tragedy and that the country should seek ways to stem gun violence. "We are a nation of laws and a jury has spoken," he said in a statement. "I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son." The president said he was aware the Florida case has elicited strong feelings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Column: Zimmerman - A trial that was all about race Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:28 PM PDT By Nicholas Wapshott (Reuters) - Will George Zimmerman's trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin and the all-too predictable acquittal change anything? Will it prevent racial profiling in the future? No. Will it keep guns out of the hands of reckless and feckless flakes? No. Will it ensure that from now on gun licenses are administered more closely? No. Above all, will it prevent such needless killings from happening again? Certainly not. It would have been encouraging to imagine that the loss of Martin's young life would change something, but it won't. ... Full Story | Top |
| Body of French hostage found in Mali: RFI Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:26 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The body has been found in Mali of French geologist Philippe Verdon, who was taken hostage in November 2011, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Sunday. French President Francois Hollande said in his Bastille Day speech on Sunday it was possible Verdon died several weeks ago but his death was not officially confirmed. Citing a source close to the matter, RFI said DNA checks showed that the body found in the north of Mali was that of Verdon and it would be repatriated to France in a few days. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian lawmaker likens black minister to orangutan Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:24 PM PDT By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - A senior parliamentarian in the anti-immigration Northern League party likened Italy's first black minister to an orangutan and only apologized on Sunday after a storm of criticism. Cecile Kyenge, an Italian citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been the target of repeated racial slurs since her appointment as integration minister in April. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senior Republican says U.S. must step up efforts to get Snowden Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:12 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key congressional Republican said on Sunday that the Obama administration must step up efforts and exert "any and all pressure" on Russia to get it to hand over Edward Snowden, the former U.S. spy agency contractor turned fugitive leaker. "I'm sure Russia loves this," Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said of the Snowden drama that has opened the United States to international criticism. McCaul told "Fox News Sunday" that the Russians are "making a mockery" of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada PM to unveil new team of ministers after scandal: sources Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 12:07 PM PDT  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will conduct a major cabinet shuffle on Monday to put a fresh face on a Conservative government struggling to overcome an expenses scandal, two political sources said on Sunday. Harper aides have made clear for months the prime minister intended to make changes to the government over the summer. The new cabinet will be unveiled at about 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Monday, the sources told Reuters. Harper spokesman Andrew MacDougall declined to comment when asked about the timing of the shuffle. ... Full Story | Top |
| Reid, McConnell yield no ground in filibuster showdown Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:43 AM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate's top Democrat and Republican yielded no ground on Sunday as they neared a showdown over President Barack Obama's executive-branch nominees that could dramatically change how the Senate operates. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid charged that Republican obstructionism has prevented Obama from getting much of his second-term team in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Malawi rules out interim deal over lake dispute with Tanzania Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:36 AM PDT LILONGWE (Reuters) - Malawi will not accept any interim deal on a disputed boundary on Lake Malawi with neighboring Tanzania until the wrangle over sovereignty is settled, President Joyce Banda told mediators on Sunday. Malawi, which sits to the west of Africa's third-largest lake, claims the entire northern half of the lake while Tanzania, to the east, says it owns half of the northern area. The southern half is shared between Malawi and Mozambique. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan's Bashir arrives in Nigeria to anger of rights groups Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:33 AM PDT  ABUJA (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for an African Union summit on HIV/AIDS as his hosts chose to ignore an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. Bashir, accused of masterminding genocide and other atrocities during Sudan's Darfur conflict, which has left some 200,000 people dead, in theory risks arrest if he travels to one of the more than 120 states including Nigeria that have signed up to the ICC. He has been refused trips to Uganda, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia in the past because of his indictment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo army clashes with M23 rebels close to eastern city of Goma Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:31 AM PDT KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's army clashed with fighters from the M23 rebel group close to the eastern city of Goma on Sunday, in what appeared to be the most serious combat for several weeks. In a statement, M23 said the fighting started at 2 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) when the army attacked its positions in the town of Mutaho, some 7 km (4 miles) from Goma, a city of a million inhabitants. The rebel group, which sparked international outcry when it seized Goma in November, said its troops were responding firmly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs in Iraqi Shi'ite provinces kill 24 Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:22 AM PDT  By Aref Mohammed BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A string of bomb blasts in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim provinces of Iraq killed at least 24 people on Sunday, police and medics said. The violence is part of a sustained campaign of militant attacks this year that has prompted fears of wider conflict in a country where ethnic Kurds and Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have yet to find a stable power-sharing compromise. A suicide bomber killed at least four people in a Shi'ite mosque in the town of Mussayab, and in Kut city, a car bomb went off in a busy market, killing five, police and medics said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fear of Fed and China slowdown take a toll Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:20 AM PDT  By Alan Wheatley, Global Economics Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) - Emerging economies that have thrived on ultra-loose U.S. monetary policy and insatiable Chinese demand for natural resources are in for another rude wake-up call this week. The twin tailwinds are not turning into outright headwinds. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will explain - yet again - in two days of congressional testimony that his plan to buy fewer bonds is not the same as raising interest rates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's new finance minister faces daunting task Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:08 AM PDT By Patrick Werr CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's new finance minister is a U.S.-educated economist who will need all his training to help pull his country out of an acute financial crisis aggravated by renewed political turmoil. Ahmed Galal, managing director of the Cairo-based Economic Research Forum since 2007 and for 18 years a researcher at the World Bank, said he had accepted the post of finance minister in the army-backed government of Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimmerman, cleared in Trayvon Martin death, faces outrage Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:03 AM PDT  By Ellen Wulfhorst and Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Cleared by a Florida jury, George Zimmerman walked free from criminal charges in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin but still faces public outrage, a possible civil suit and demands for a federal investigation. The six women jurors who deliberated for 16 hours over two days found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter Saturday night in a case that has polarized the U.S. public. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jay-Z tops British album chart for first time Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 11:02 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Rapper Jay-Z has reached the top of the British album charts for the first time with his new release "Magna Carta...Holy Grail", sales figures showed on Sunday. The hip hop artist knocked the English folk rock band Mumford & Sons off the number one spot, according to the Official Charts Company, which compiles the weekly rundown. Jay-Z's new album features guest appearances by his wife Beyonce and singer Justin Timberlake. Seven of his previous albums have entered the British top 40, but none had reached the number one position, the compiler said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel wants tough EU line on Internet firms after spying outcry Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 10:25 AM PDT  By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Sunday to push for tougher EU data protection rules and force Internet firms to be more open as she tried to reassure voters before a September election about intrusive snooping by U.S. intelligence in Germany. In an interview with ARD television, Merkel also said she expected the United States to stick to German laws in future, the closest she has come to acknowledging that its spying techniques may have breached German rules. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. pens deal for unarmed surveillance drones over Congo Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 10:18 AM PDT  By Alexandria Sage PARIS (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo will begin using unarmed drones on a trial basis to monitor its war-torn east, the head of peacekeeping operations told Reuters on Sunday. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, in Paris to attend France's Independence Day celebrations, told Reuters a deal signed on Friday with an unnamed company would allow for a "complete picture of what is happening" on the ground. Thick forests, rugged terrain and few roads have complicated peacekeepers' efforts to control the area. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republican governor Perry defends Texas abortion measure Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:57 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Governor Rick Perry on Sunday defended a measure passed by the Texas legislature to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, saying states - not the federal government - should decide such matters and rejecting criticism that the law would shut down most of the state's abortion clinics. The Republican-controlled legislature gave final passage to the measure on Friday and sent it to the Republican governor to sign into law. Perry had called a second special session of the legislature to get the bill passed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Uganda frets over rebel threat as Congo refugees reach 66,000 Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:48 AM PDT By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda is worried that a rising stream of refugees fleeing fighting in eastern Congo could give easy passage for rebels to launch attacks in the country, the military said on Sunday. The Uganda Red Cross Society said 66,000 Congolese refugees have so far crossed into the east African country since the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) started attacking the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Kamangu on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senior U.S. diplomat Burns to visit Egypt this week Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:46 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will visit Egypt this week to meet interim government officials and stress the need to end violence and move toward a democratically elected government, the State Department said on Sunday. Burns will also hold talks with executives and members of civil society, said a department statement that made no mention of whether he will meet with the military that ousted President Mohamed Mursi or Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood supporters. "In all these meetings, he will underscore U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel's Netanyahu says Iran closer to nuclear 'red line' Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:42 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran was getting closer to the "red line" he set for its nuclear program and warned the international community not to be distracted by the crises in Syria and Egypt. Tehran was continuing enrichment activities and building inter-continental ballistic missiles, which could give it a military nuclear capability, he said on CBS' "Face the Nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian army chief says no group barred from politics Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:39 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a speech on Sunday that no movement would be barred from participating in politics, as he sought to explain his decision to oust elected President Mohamed Mursi amid fierce criticism from Islamists. Addressing an armed forces gathering in Cairo, Sisi said Mursi had lost legitimacy because of mass demonstrations against him. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande points to economic recovery, urges optimism Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:33 AM PDT  By Nicholas Vinocur PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said Europe's second-largest economy was recovering and tried to fight deepening pessimism in an interview on Sunday, two days after ratings agency Fitch stripped the country of its last top-notch credit rating. He urged the French to be more positive, highlighting a slight rebound in industrial output data, a bump in consumer spending and an improved forecast from France's central bank for growth in the second quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt government takes shape Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:23 AM PDT  By Noah Browning and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's interim prime minister filled senior posts on Sunday in a cabinet that will lead the country under an army-backed "road map" to restore civilian rule following overthrow of elected President Mohamed Mursi. Hazem el-Beblawi, a 76-year-old liberal economist appointed interim prime minister last week, is tapping technocrats and liberals for an administration to govern under a temporary constitution until parliamentary elections in about six months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting in South Sudan forces thousands into bush Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:17 AM PDT  By Andrew Green JUBA (Reuters) - Fighting between South Sudan's army, rebels and rival tribes has sent thousands of people fleeing into the bush in the east of the country, U.N. and aid officials said on Sunday. South Sudan's army is facing a rebellion from local politician David Yau Yau in the vast Jonglei state, and new clashes have broken out between rival Lou Nuer and Murle tribes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tanzania wants stronger mandate for Sudan's Darfur peacekeepers Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 09:14 AM PDT By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania said on Sunday it would seek a stronger mandate for peacekeepers in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region after seven of its troops were killed in an ambush on Saturday. The head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, told Reuters in Paris that the situation in the area was "totally unacceptable". Tanzania said 36 members of its contingent of soldiers and police had been ambushed by rebels some 20 km (12 miles) from Khor Abeche in South Darfur. Seventeen others were wounded, including two women. "We are communicating with the ... Full Story | Top |
| Polish leader egged during visit to Ukraine massacre site Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 08:53 AM PDT  KIEV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian man smeared Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski with a broken egg when he visited the site of a 1943 massacre of Poles in neighboring Ukraine on Sunday, police said. The attack followed a move by the Polish parliament last week to recognize the massacre by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War Two as "ethnic cleansing bearing the hallmarks of genocide". The move upset Ukrainian nationalists who view the UPA as heroes and freedom fighters. On Sunday, Komorowski visited the western Volyn region and attended mass at a Catholic church. ... Full Story | Top |
| G4S in talks with shareholders about possible cash call Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 08:40 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British security firm G4S has held talks with large investors about the prospects for tapping them for cash, a spokesman for the company said on Sunday. G4S CEO Ashley Almanza has ordered a sweeping review of G4S and is expected to announce measures to try and repair its balance sheet when he reports half-year results in August, the spokesman confirmed. Asked about the possibility of a rights issue, Almanza told Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper: "Shareholders have been asked about this. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Sting in dragon's tail for foreign companies in China Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 08:23 AM PDT  By Sujata Rao LONDON (Reuters) - China's vast market for foreign goods and services, once seen by global companies as a modern-day El Dorado, is becoming a weight around their necks as its growth slows. The rise of the Chinese economic "dragon" over the last two decades has transformed international business. But now the country is in the grip of a slowdown due to a slump in exports and banking sector excesses, as recent data has shown. That has led fund managers worldwide to re-assess their investments in companies with a focus on the world's No.2 economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt to freeze assets of 14 Brotherhood, Islamist leaders Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 08:11 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's public prosecutor on Sunday ordered that the assets of 14 Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including its head Mohamed Badie, be frozen, judicial sources said. Also included in the measure were his deputy, Khairat El-Shater, and the deputy head of the Brotherhood's political party, Essam El-Erian, the sources added. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh; editing by Mike Collett-White and Kevin Liffey) Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian tourist haunts rejoice at Islamist's downfall Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:27 AM PDT  By Noah Browning GIZA, Egypt (Reuters) - These days there may be more mummies than tourists in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and few footprints in the sand around the Pyramids. Visitors to Cairo's wonders are scarce, a little over a week after the military deposed the first freely elected leader and deadly street violence shook the capital, making life harder for the millions of Egyptians who depend on tourism. But for those making a living from the visitors, there are signs of hope. ... Full Story | Top |
| Liberal economist says accepts finance minister post Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:25 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Liberal economist Ahmed Galal said on Sunday he had agreed to become Egypt's finance minister in the state's army-backed interim government. Egyptian Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi has been holding meetings with candidates for his new cabinet, which is expected to be formed in the next few days. Nabil Fahmy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the United States, had earlier said he accepted the post of foreign minister. Senior Judge Mohamed Amin el-Mahdy also said he agreed to take the post of justice minister. (Writing by Yasmine Saleh, editing by Mike Collett-White) Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Reaction to the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:15 AM PDT (Reuters) - Former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted on Saturday of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of black unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. The following is reaction to the verdict: Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin's father, said in a tweet after the verdict's announcement: "Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY. God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Six-woman jury that acquitted George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:15 AM PDT SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A jury of six women acquitted neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman on Saturday of all charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager. The jurors declined to speak after the verdict was announced, according to a court official. A glimpse of the women - five of whom are white and one of whom is Hispanic - who reached the verdict in the racially fraught case follows. Juror B29 was the sole Hispanic member on the jury panel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Trials that captivated U.S. public over past decade Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:15 AM PDT (Reuters) - Millions of Americans followed the televised trial of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted on Saturday of murdering unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, a shooting death that sparked a national debate over race and gun rights. Here are 10 other trials that have gripped the American public in the past decade: * Casey Anthony: Many television viewers were transfixed by the seven-week murder trial in 2011 of 25-year-old Casey Anthony, accused of the 2008 killing of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rajoy's risky bet on Spanish economic recovery Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 07:08 AM PDT  By Julien Toyer MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Mariano Rajoy is making a risky political bet in claiming recovery is close at hand as a recent economic upturn is fragile and even if it persists an austerity-weary public may not feel much benefit, analysts and sources say. For weeks, the government has tried to move away from the gloomy picture it presented in April when it updated its economic strategy, pointing at encouraging trade, labor cost and deficit numbers instead. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany's anti-euro party stalls before election Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 06:57 AM PDT  By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Just three months since its launch in a blaze of publicity, Germany's anti-euro party is failing to strike a chord with voters and is unlikely to fulfill predictions it will pose a threat to Chancellor Angela Merkel in September's election. Despite recent developments in Greece and Portugal reviving fears of another flare-up in the euro crisis, polls show support for the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) languishing around 2 percent, short of the 5 percent needed to enter parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait sends $200 million worth of oil to Egypt: newspaper Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 06:56 AM PDT  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait has sent two oil tankers carrying crude and diesel worth $200 million to Egypt, a Kuwaiti newspaper said on Sunday, part of a $4 billion aid package pledged by the Gulf Arab state last week after the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Kuwait last week joined other oil-producing Gulf states in pledging a massive aid package worth $12 billion to Egypt in a show of support after the army toppled the Muslim Brotherhood government. Most U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies regard the Brotherhood as a threat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis - Charges unlikely, but Murdoch tape won't help his business case Sunday, Jul 14, 2013 06:43 AM PDT  By Kate Holton and Jennifer Saba LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The recall of Rupert Murdoch to a committee of the British parliament over a secret tape of him dismissing the alleged illegal behaviour of his journalists is likely to cause personal embarrassment for the world's most famous media mogul but no criminal charges. It could, however, further complicate his business dealings in Britain, where his firm has long wanted to take full control of the pay-TV group BSkyB and where it is still locked in negotiations with the government over regulation of the press. ... Full Story | Top |
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