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| Egyptian armed forces chief sets ultimatum Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:38 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, head of the Egyptian armed forces, issued a statement on Monday giving feuding politicians 48 hours to settle their differences or the military would impose its own "roadmap" for the country. Here is a transcript of his broadcast remarks, translated by Reuters: "Egypt and the entire world witnessed protests yesterday by the great Egyptian people, expressing their views and their will in a peaceful, civil and unprecedented manner. Everyone saw the movement of the Egyptian people and listened to their voice with respect and interest. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top Vatican bank managers resign after Monsignor's arrest Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:27 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Two top managers of the scandal-plagued Vatican bank resigned on Monday following the arrest of a high-ranking cleric with close ties to the financial institution, in the latest of a string of embarrassments for the Holy See. Director Paolo Cipriani and deputy-director Massimo Tulli stepped down three days after the Vatican was rocked by the arrest of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, who is accused of plotting with two other people to smuggle 20 million euros into Italy from Switzerland. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Nour Party fears army return to politics Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:23 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's second biggest Islamist party said on Monday it feared the army's return to public life "in a big way" after the military gave politicians 48 hours to resolve the country's political crisis. The Nour Party believed Egypt's national security was threatened by the division between the ruling Islamists and their opponents, Khaled Alam Eddin told the website of the Al-Ahram newspaper. "But we have fears about a return of the army once again in the picture in a big way," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy PM summons coalition partners as tensions rise Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:16 PM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta called a government meeting after a coalition partner threatened to withdraw support on Monday, citing frustration with a slow pace of reforms to tackle a deep recession. "Italian politics has its problems. On Thursday we will have a 'control room' meeting and I'm sure we will resolve these problems," Letta told reporters in Israel after the leader of the centrist Civic Choice group Mario Monti warned he could withdraw from the coalition. ... 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 |
| Former drug dealer says Bulger's name taboo on the street Monday, Jul 01, 2013 12:10 PM PDT  By Stephanie Simon BOSTON (Reuters) - A former cocaine dealer who sought to protect his criminal empire by aligning with reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger testified on Monday that even as he worked with Bulger's closest associates he knew better than to utter the boss's name. Joseph Tower, who said he used to run a "pretty big empire" selling cocaine and marijuana in the Boston area, said everyone in the underworld knew not to mention the widely feared Bulger or even his nicknames - "Whitey" and "Boots" - in connection with any sort of criminal activity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt forces arrest Brotherhood leader's guards: sources Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:47 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces arrested 15 armed bodyguards of the number two in the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat El-Shater, on Monday after an exchange of fire in which no one was injured, security sources said. The Brotherhood's political party, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), denied the report, and quoted Shater as saying his private driver had been kidnapped after shooting in the area. ... 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 |
| Snowden applies for Russian asylum, Putin says stop harming U.S. Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:25 AM 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 |
| Egyptian Islamist Wasat party head-quarter firebombed Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:18 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The headquarters of the moderate Egyptian Islamist party Wasat was set on fire on Monday, in an expansion of attacks on Islamist organizations across the country. Unidentified assailants threw petrol bombs at the building. Earlier on Monday, the headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood was overrun by youths who ransacked the building after those inside were evacuated following a night of violence that killed eight people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Governments warn about nuclear terrorism threat Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:13 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - More action is needed to prevent militants acquiring plutonium or highly-enriched uranium that could be used in bombs, governments agreed at a meeting on nuclear security in Vienna on Monday, without deciding on any concrete steps. A declaration adopted by more than 120 states at the meeting said "substantial progress" had been made in recent years to improve nuclear security globally, but it was not enough. Analysts say radical groups could theoretically build a crude but deadly nuclear bomb if they had the money, technical knowledge and materials needed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama calls on neighbors to stop fuelling Congo conflict Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:08 AM PDT  By Drazen Jorgic and Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday called on states around the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern region to stop fuelling conflict there and implement a peace deal. After 11 nations signed the peace agreement, the United Nations started deploying an intervention force, MONUSCO, to neutralize armed groups in the mineral-rich area that has been racked by conflict for years and is desperately underdeveloped. But a U.N. ... 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 |
| Islamists in Syria's Aleppo ban 'provocative dress' for women Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:04 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamist rebels in Syria's northern city of Aleppo issued an order on Monday banning women from dressing in what it considered provocative styles, angering some locals who accuse the group of overstepping its powers. The Islamic law council of Aleppo's Fardous neighborhood issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning all Muslim women from wearing "immodest" dress and announcing plans to apply such rules to all female inhabitants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria neighbors block thousands from fleeing: rights group Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:04 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's neighbors have closed or tightened restrictions at several border crossings, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded within Syria's dangerous frontier regions, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. It said Iraq, Jordan and Turkey had all restricted the flow of people trying to flee a conflict which has killed 100,000 people and, according to the United Nations, has already driven 1.7 million more to take sanctuary outside Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
| Code words and safe phones: anatomy of a money smuggling plot Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:48 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - To most people, a book is a book. But to Monsignor Nunizio Scarano, a Vatican official arrested on charges of money smuggling, a "book" was a code word for one million euros in cash, a report by the judge on the case said. "Encyclopaedia," and "bookmarks" were among other code words that Scarano, who had close connections to the Vatican bank, used in phone conversations with secret service agent Giovanni Zito and broker Giovanni Carenzio, it said. The three were arrested on Friday for allegedly attempting to smuggle 20 million euros ($26. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi meets Egypt army chief after ultimatum Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:28 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamist President Mohamed Mursi met the head of Egypt's armed forces along with the prime minister on Monday, according to a statement on the president's official Facebook page. The page was updated after General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a virtual ultimatum to Mursi to reach a power-sharing agreement with his political rivals within 48 hours. The Facebook page showed a photograph of Mursi with Sisi and Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, sitting in easy chairs and smiling. It was not clear when it was taken. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Paul Taylor) 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 |
| Colombian peace talks resume in Cuba amid tensions Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:03 AM PDT By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - The Colombian government and leftist FARC rebels clashed on Monday over how to incorporate Latin America's oldest guerrilla movement into the democratic process, as they began the latest round of peace talks in Havana. The FARC reiterated its demand that Colombia's 2014 general election be postponed a year in favor of a constituent assembly to chart the country's political future. The government has repeatedly rejected the proposal and insisted a peace agreement must be reached by the end of 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. takes over Mali peacekeeping mission, doubts over vote Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:01 AM PDT By Adama Diarra BAMAKO (Reuters) - The United Nations took over command of an African peacekeeping force in Mali on Monday, bolstering the mission in a country still threatened by militants and weeks away from what analysts warn could be chaotic elections. The transfer of command will bring in soldiers from beyond Africa and eventually see the operation more than double in size. Western and regional powers want to keep order in the West African country after a tumultuous 18 months when soldiers toppled the president and al Qaeda-linked rebels seized the desert north. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon says it won't speculate on Egypt's next 48 hours Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:44 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Monday declined to speculate on what might happen in Egypt during the next 48 hours, saying it was still reviewing the statement by the Egyptian army giving the nation's feuding politicians a deadline to agree on an inclusive roadmap for the country's future. "We're in the process of reviewing that statement. We're not entirely sure what's going to happen one way or the other in the next 48 hours, so I wouldn't engage in any kind of speculation," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Muslim Brotherhood's reign in Egypt will end within a week: ex-PM Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:40 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - The reign of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, political home of struggling President Mohamed Mursi, will end within a week, former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafik said on Monday. Shafik, whom Mursi narrowly beat in a presidential run-off vote last year, also did not rule out seeking the presidency once again. He was speaking before Egypt's armed forces issued a virtual ultimatum to Mursi by calling on the nation's feuding opposition to agree on a roadmap for the country's future within 48 hours. "We are going through a stage, which we knew we'd inevitably have to go through. ... 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 |
| Egypt's Moussa says army sides with will of the people Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:24 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Former Egyptian presidential candidate Amr Moussa welcomed an army statement on Monday giving rival politicians 48 hours to resolve the country's standoff, saying it reflected the will of the people. "Wasting more time will make things worse. The invitation to meet the demands of the people within the next few hours is a historical opportunity which should not be lost," Moussa, a liberal politician and former foreign minister, said in a statement. (Writing by Tom Perry/Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
| Bosnians step up 'baby protests' against political inertia Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:23 AM PDT  By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - About 3,000 demonstrators blocked downtown Sarajevo's streets on Monday in a sit-down protest at the failure of Bosnian lawmakers to pass a law on the registration of newborn babies. The protesters included young mothers who set up an improvised playgroup for babies on the lawn outside parliament. The so-called "Baby Protests" sprung up after a court suspended a law on the issuing of identity numbers for citizens, used for everything from medical documents to passports, effectively halting the registration of newborn babies. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brotherhood politician rejects army statement Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:07 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said "everyone" rejected a statement issued by the armed forces that set a 48-hour deadline for politicians to settle the country's political standoff. "Everyone rejects the statement of the armed forces," Yasser Hamza, a member of the FJP's legal committee, told Al Jazeera. "Solutions will be in the framework of the constitution," he said. "The age of military coups is over." (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt protest organizers welcome army, to march again Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:03 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - The founder of an Egyptian protest movement which brought millions out to demand President Mohamed Mursi resign said on Monday he welcomed an ultimatum from the army to politicians and urged people to rally again until Mursi quit. Mahmoud Badr, of the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition told a televised news conference: "The statement of the armed forces has a single idea - supporting the will of the Egyptian people at this moment, which means early presidential elections." (Reporting by Shadia Nasralla and Shaimaa Fayed; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) Full Story | Top |
| Greek government majority rises after independent lawmakers join Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:00 AM PDT  ATHENS (Reuters) - Two independent lawmakers have joined Greece's ruling New Democracy party, the prime minister's office said on Monday, bolstering the coalition government's majority to five seats. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's government was left with a tiny majority in parliament last month following the departure of one of his junior partners over the abrupt closure of the state broadcaster. New Democracy and the Socialist PASOK combined have 155 lawmakers in the 300-seat assembly. (Reporting Harry Papachristou; Writing by Karolina Tagaris) Full Story | Top |
| 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 |
| There won't be coup against Mursi: Brotherhood politician Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:49 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - A senior Muslim Brotherhood politician said on Monday that no state institution would stage a coup against elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and warned against misinterpreting an army statement. "For an institution of state to come and stage a coup against the president, this will not happen," said Yasser Hamza, a leader of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. "Any force that goes against the constitution is a call for sabotage and anarchy." (Reporting by Tom Perry; Writing by Paul Taylor) Full Story | Top |
| Obama prods Egypt government on democracy, urges peace Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:47 AM PDT DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama prodded the government of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Monday to work with the opposition and do more to enact democratic reforms, saying U.S. aid to the North African nation was based on such criteria. Obama, speaking at a news conference in Tanzania, said the United States, which gives Egypt $1.3 billion a year in military aid plus other support, was concerned about the violence and urged all sides to work towards a peaceful solution. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran holds Slovak tourists over photos: media Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:38 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian judicial authorities have opened an investigation into eight Slovak citizens, arrested on suspicion of taking photographs of "restricted areas", Iranian media reported on Monday. Slovak media reported last week that a group of Slovak tourists had been arrested three weeks earlier and accused of taking aerial photographs, including some of military installations, from hang gliders. Some Slovak reports said they had been paragliding. Iran has repeatedly leveled accusations of espionage against foreign nationals and Iranians in recent years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama seeks to build Africa business ties on Tanzania stop Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:32 AM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal and Jeff Mason DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is seeking to build a new economic partnership with Africa as he visits 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 occurs three months after a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who came shortly after taking office. Many Africans see the U.S. leader's three-nation tour of Africa as an attempt to play catch-up. The U.S. president, whose arrival was marked by a 21-gun salute, meets his predecessor, George W. ... Full Story | Top |
| Billionaire Saudi prince grilled in UK court over Gaddafi jet Monday, Jul 01, 2013 08:00 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. The prince is being sued by Daad Sharab, a Jordanian businesswoman who says she was not paid a promised $10 million (6. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands demand China honor Hong Kong democracy pledge Monday, Jul 01, 2013 07:15 AM PDT  By Greg Torode and Grace Li HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands braved typhoon rains in Hong Kong on Monday to demand China live up to its promise to allow fully democratic elections there in 2017 amid mounting fears of increased meddling by Beijing's Communist Party leaders. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, with the promise of universal suffrage as an "ultimate aim" in its mini-constitution, making it potentially the first place on Chinese soil to enjoy fully democratic elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU orders security sweep after U.S. spying allegations Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:26 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Monday it had ordered a security sweep of EU buildings after reports that a U.S. spy agency had bugged EU offices in Belgium and the United States. Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU's executive Commission, "has instructed the competent Commission services to proceed to a comprehensive ... security sweep and check," Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen told reporters. The EU is demanding clarification from the United States after the spying allegations were reported by Der Spiegel magazine. The 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 |
| Israel launches crackdown on pro-settler vandal 'terrorists' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:12 AM PDT  By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced a crackdown on Monday against Jewish ultranationalists who vandalize Palestinian property, saying they were tantamount to terrorists and their attacks could fan sectarian violence. The move followed the arrest of a 22-year Israeli from an Orthodox Jewish town near Tel Aviv for the vandalism of a Christian monastery in the occupied West Bank last year. The attack was carried out in solidarity with hardline Jewish settlers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood vows action after HQ attacked Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:05 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood said on Monday that armed men who ransacked its national headquarters had crossed a red line of violence, and the movement was considering action to defend itself. Gehad El-Haddad, spokesman of the Islamist movement, told Reuters in a telephone interview that Egyptians would not sit by and tolerate attacks on their institutions. "It's very dangerous for one entity in society to take up violence as a means of change because it may entice others to do so. ... 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 |
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