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| South Africa's Mandela still 'critical but stable' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:53 AM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Ailing anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela remained in hospital on Monday in a "critical but stable" condition, the government said. Mandela has been in a Pretoria hospital for more than three weeks receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection, his fourth hospitalization in six months. The faltering health of the 94-year-old, a figure admired globally as a symbol of struggle against injustice and racism, has reinforced a realization that the father of the post-apartheid South Africa will not be around forever. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says EU, all intelligence agencies seek info on each other Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:13 PM PDT  DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama played down a controversy over whether Washington had spied on its European allies, saying on Monday intelligence services around the world -- including in the EU -- seek additional insight beyond regular media reports. Obama, speaking at a news conference in Tanzania, said the United States would contact its European counterparts to address their concerns after studying allegations in a recent magazine article about the spying. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Investigators launch probe into death of 19 Arizona firefighters Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:28 AM PDT By Tim Gaynor PRESCOTT, Arizona (Reuters) - Fire investigators in central Arizona launched a probe on Monday into how wind-driven flames closed in on and killed 19 specially trained firemen in a tragedy that marked the greatest loss of life among firefighters in a U.S. wildland blaze in 80 years. The precise circumstances surrounding Sunday's deaths of all but one of a 20-member elite "hotshots" firefighting team remained unclear a day after they perished while battling a blaze that has destroyed scores of homes and forced the evacuation of two towns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt army gives Mursi 48 hours to share power Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:36 AM PDT By Yasmine Saleh and Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's armed forces handed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi a virtual ultimatum to share power on Monday, giving feuding politicians 48 hours to compromise or have the army impose its own road map for the country. A dramatic military statement broadcast on state television declared the nation was in danger after millions of Egyptians took to the streets on Sunday to demand that Mursi quit and the headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood were ransacked. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels threaten to target Shi'ite villages in Aleppo Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:04 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels in the northern province of Aleppo on Monday threatened to seize two Shi'ite Muslim villages that back President Bashar al-Assad unless they surrendered to the opposition. Activists say both Nubl and Zahra villages had been reinforced by Assad's allies in the increasingly sectarian war, among them fighters from Iran and Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite guerrilla group, Hezbollah. "We announce our intention to liberate Nubl and Zahra from the regime and its shabbiha (pro-Assad militia), and from the Hezbollah and Iranian elements," the rebels said in an Internet ... Full Story | Top |
| Snowden applies for asylum in Russia: immigration source Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:36 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has applied for political asylum in Russia, a Russian immigration source close to the matter said on Monday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a Wikileaks activist who is traveling with Snowden handed his application to a Russian consulate in the transit area at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport late on Sunday. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly, Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel, Editing by Steve Gutterman) Full Story | Top |
| Snowden applies for Russian asylum, Putin says stop harming U.S. Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:53 PM PDT By Alexei Anishchuk and Lidia Kelly MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has applied for political asylum in Russia, a Russian official said on Monday, but President Vladimir Putin said he was not welcome unless he stopped harming U.S. interests "as strange as that sounds coming from my lips". Wikileaks activist Sarah Harrison, who is travelling with Snowden, handed his application to a Russian consular official in the transit area at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport late on Sunday, Kim Shevchenko, a consul at the airport, told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama seeks to build Africa business ties on Tanzania stop Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:47 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal and Jeff Mason DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sought to advance a new U.S. economic partnership with Africa during a stop in Tanzania on Monday at the end of a tour of the fast-growing continent where Washington faces competition from China. Obama's trip to Dar es Salaam came three months after a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited shortly after taking office. Many Africans see the U.S. leader's three-nation tour of Africa as an attempt to play catch-up. ... Full Story | Top |
| Serena exit leaves Wimbledon in twilight zone Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:47 AM PDT  By Pritha Sarkar LONDON (Reuters) - Wimbledon entered the twilight zone on Monday as Serena Williams became the latest high-profile champion to fade into oblivion at a tournament where reputations and star status are counting for nothing. Just when it seemed that this year's grasscourt major had exhausted its quota of shocks with grand slam champions Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all blotted out of the draw by the second round, along came Sabine Lisicki. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks to calm European outrage over alleged spying Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:27 AM PDT By Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tried on Monday to reassure European allies affronted by reports of U.S. spying by suggesting all the world's intelligence services were involved in finding out the thinking of opponents and allies alike. The European Union has demanded the United States explain a report in a German magazine that Washington was spying on the bloc, saying that, if true, such surveillance was shocking. French President Francois Hollande called the alleged action intolerable, saying it could hinder U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Pakistan angers Afghans by suggesting Taliban share power - minister Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:20 AM PDT  By Dylan Welch and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistan has floated the concept of an Afghan power-sharing arrangement between Kabul and the Taliban as part of a peace talks "end game", Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Ershad Ahmadi said on Monday, a suggestion met with outrage in Kabul. The idea was raised in a Friday meeting between Pakistani national security adviser Sartaj Aziz and Afghan ambassador Umer Daudzai, Ahmadi told Reuters. It involved a form of federalism and ceding power in some Afghan provinces to the Taliban. ... Full Story | Top |
| Billionaire Saudi prince grilled in UK court over Gaddafi jet Monday, Jul 01, 2013 07:44 AM PDT  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - A billionaire Saudi prince told a London court on Monday that "each dollar counts" as he was cross-examined over his sale of an opulent private jet to Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi. The appearance by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, was a rare instance of a senior Saudi royal being subjected to a hostile public grilling. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear chief warns of 'dirty bomb' threat Monday, Jul 01, 2013 05:48 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - More action is needed to stop militants acquiring plutonium or highly-enriched uranium that could be used for atomic bombs, nuclear experts and government officials said on Monday. Speaking at a meeting in Vienna, Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned against a "false sense of security" over the danger of nuclear terrorism. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida jury hears watchman's account of killing Trayvon Martin Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:55 AM PDT  By Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Jurors on Monday heard neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman's account of how he shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin as his Florida murder trial moved into the second week of testimony. Zimmerman gave several statements to police, including one just after he shot Martin during a fight in a gated community in the central Florida town of Sanford on February 26 last year, and another taken during a videotaped re-enactment the next day. ... Full Story | Top |
| China says 'very firm' with North Korea on nuclear program: Kerry Monday, Jul 01, 2013 05:13 AM PDT  BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured him that Beijing had been "very firm" with North Korea on its need to end its nuclear program. North Korea's nuclear program was raised with Wang, and separately in three-way-talks between Kerry and his counterparts from Japan and South Korea, during a 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Brunei. Kerry said his meeting with Wang showed that Washington and Beijing were cooperating despite tensions over former U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas abortion fight to reignite in second special session Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:50 PM PDT  By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - When the Texas Legislature convenes on Monday for a second special session, the Republican majority will seek to do what it couldn't pull off in the first, when Democrat Wendy Davis stalled the measure for hours: Pass sweeping abortion restrictions. Opponents who crowded the State Capitol last week are vowing to continue their fight, but supporters of the proposal that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy have more time to pass it than they did in the first special session, when lawmakers focused initially on a redistricting issue. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kazakhstan to Britain: Don't lecture us on human rights Monday, Jul 01, 2013 03:49 AM PDT  By Andrew Osborn ASTANA (Reuters) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Monday nobody had the right to lecture his country after British Prime Minister David Cameron raised concerns about human rights in the former Soviet state. In Kazakhstan on a brief visit which saw 700 million pounds ($1.06 billion) of business deals, Cameron, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Nazarbayev, said he had discussed "at length" allegations about government repression. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq violence kills 761 in June: U.N. Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:50 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The number of people killed in militant attacks across Iraq reached 761 in June, lower than the multi-year high hit the previous month, the United Nations said on Monday. More than 1,000 people were killed in violence in Iraq during May, making it the deadliest month since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-07. Violence is still well below the level it was then, but al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate and other Sunni Muslim insurgents launch attacks on a daily basis, seeking to undermine the Shi'ite-led government and provoke wider confrontation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers seeks house arrest for Vatican monsignor Monday, Jul 01, 2013 05:00 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Magistrates on Monday questioned Nunzio Scarano, the Vatican prelate detained on suspicion of trying to smuggle tens of millions of euros into Italy, and lawyers asked that he be released into house arrest. "He explained everything he could. He cooperated in an extremely loyal and honest way. He said he was in good faith and at the disposal of the magistrates whenever they needed," lawyer Francesco Grimaldi told reporters outside Rome's Queen of Heaven jail after the three-hour interrogation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple applies to register 'iWatch' trademark in Japan Monday, Jul 01, 2013 03:36 AM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc has applied for a trademark for "iWatch" in Japan, a patent official said on Monday, signaling the iPhone maker may be moving ahead with plans for a watch-like device as gadget makers turn their attention to wearable computers. The trademark application, submitted on June 3 and released on the Japan Patent Office website on June 27, would cover computers, computer peripherals and wristwatches, the official said. He said it was unknown how long the application process would require. An Apple spokesman in Japan could not immediately be reached for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany says 'Cold War' behavior by U.S. would be unacceptable Monday, Jul 01, 2013 02:57 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government said on Monday if media reports of large-scale U.S. spying on the European Union were confirmed, it would be unacceptable Cold War-style behavior between partners who require mutual trust to forge a new transatlantic trade area. "If it is confirmed that diplomatic representations of the European Union and individual European countries have been spied upon, we will clearly say that bugging friends is unacceptable," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert. "We are no longer in the Cold War." Germany wanted an EU-U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry presses China, Southeast Asia to ease sea tensions Monday, Jul 01, 2013 01:58 AM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton and Stuart Grudgings BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pressed China and Southeast Asian nations on Monday to make progress on a plan to ease tensions in the South China Sea, reminding the region that Washington had national interests at stake in the disputes. Kerry, who made the comments as he arrived in Brunei for a regional security meeting, was speaking a day after China said it would hold formal discussions with Southeast Asian nations over the maritime disputes later this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| China state media blames Syria rebels for Xinjiang violence Monday, Jul 01, 2013 01:43 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese state media on Monday blamed Syrian opposition forces in unusually specific finger pointing for training Muslim extremists responsible for the deadliest unrest in four years in China's far-western region of Xinjiang. China has traditionally blamed violence in Xinjiang, home to Muslim Uighurs, on Islamic separatists who want to establish an independent state of "East Turkestan". ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. factories rebound, China struggles, Europe shows promise Monday, Jul 01, 2013 07:37 AM PDT  By Steven C. Johnson and Jonathan Cable NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing staged a modest rebound in June even as hiring declined sharply but activity among China's large goods producers slowed to multi-month lows as global demand weakened. Worries about the strength of the factory sector in the world's two biggest economies took some of the shine off survey results showing that Europe's prolonged economic slump may have at least stabilized and possibly reversed in some areas. "Global manufacturing is showing signs of renewed weakness. ... Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court denies bid to stop California gay marriages Sunday, Jun 30, 2013 06:25 PM PDT  By Casey Sullivan (Reuters) - A U.S. Supreme Court justice on Sunday rejected a long-shot bid to halt same-sex marriages in California, days after the high court let stand a trial judge's order declaring the ban unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy denied the application verbally, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg told Reuters. Supporters of the gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8, which California voters approved in 2008, asked the high court on Saturday to overrule a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order that lifted an injunction barring same-sex unions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Assad's forces battle to tighten control of central Syria Sunday, Jun 30, 2013 04:19 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces pounded Sunni Muslim rebels in the city of Homs with artillery and from the air on Sunday, the second day of their offensive in central Syria, activists said. They said rebels defending the old center of Homs and five adjacent Sunni districts had largely repelled a ground attack on Saturday by Assad's forces, backed by guerrillas from the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, but reported clashes and deaths within the city on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
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