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| South Sudan's president sacks cabinet and deputy president Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:44 PM PDT  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir sacked his entire cabinet and his deputy president on Monday and suspended his top negotiator at talks to defuse tensions with Sudan, state media said. State television cited a presidential decree saying the ministries would be run for now by their under-secretaries. It also said Vice President Riek Machar had been sacked, and Machar's spokesman James Gatdet Dak confirmed this. The decree said Kiir had suspended Pagan Amum, Secretary General of the ruling SPLM and South Sudan's top negotiator at talks with Sudan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kate and William show off Britain's new prince Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:43 PM PDT  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Prince William and his wife Kate gave the world its first glimpse of their new baby on Tuesday when they left hospital with the boy who is third in line to the British throne. To huge cheers from well-wishers and hospital staff, the beaming couple waved and took turns to hold their son, wrapped tightly in a white blanket with only the top of his head visible. "We are still working on a name, so we will have that as soon as we can," William told reporters, adding that he could not be happier. "He's got her looks, thankfully. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia says won't let FARC make media show of U.S. captive release Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:42 PM PDT  By Helen Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he would not allow FARC rebels to make a media circus of the release of a U.S. citizen they captured last month after the group "flagrantly violated" a promise to end kidnappings before peace talks began. In an irate address, Santos said he would deprive the FARC of any media benefit from the capture of Kevin Scott Sutay as he trekked across a dangerous jungle stretch of eastern Colombia. Santos also refused to allow former Senator Piedad Cordoba to participate in the handover. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria's opposition leaders lobby Paris for advanced weapons Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:36 PM PDT  By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Syria's opposition coalition said on Tuesday it still did not have enough sophisticated weapons to turn the tide against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and would try to convince Paris to provide more military help. Speaking ahead of a visit to the United States and the United Nations on Friday, newly elected Syrian National Coalition (SNC) leader Ahmed al-Jarba and rebel military commander General Salim Idriss were in Paris to meet French officials including President Francois Hollande. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada toughens rail safety rules after Quebec disaster Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:30 PM PDT  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's transport ministry beefed up its safety standards for rail companies on Tuesday following the Quebec fuel train disaster, insisting that two "qualified persons" run any train that hauls dangerous goods. In an emergency directive, most of which takes effect immediately, the ministry also said trains hauling dangerous goods must not be left unattended on a main track. The Quebec disaster, in which 47 people died, occurred early on July 6 after a single engineer parked his train on a main line near the small town Lac-Megantic. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tells Rwanda to immediately end support for M23 rebels Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:06 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday called on Rwanda to end support for M23 rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, saying there was evidence Rwandan military officials were involved. "We call upon Rwanda to immediately end any support for the M23 (and) withdraw military personnel from eastern DRC," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. She declined to say whether Rwandan President Paul Kagame was implicated. "I wasn't speaking to Kagame himself," she added. The call comes two days before U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rights group admits Congo report error, says conclusions stand Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:02 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch on Tuesday acknowledged including erroneous testimony in a report alleging that rebels in Congo carried out summary executions, raped women and recruited children while receiving support from Rwanda, but said it stands by the report's conclusions. Rwanda rejected the group's allegations, saying that the inclusion of incorrect testimony in its press release on Monday undermines the entire report. Rwanda also accused Human Rights Watch of paying for witness testimony, a charge the group denied. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt must protect Christians from turmoil: rights groups Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:59 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Security forces must do more to protect Egypt's Christian minority in the turmoil following the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, rights groups said on Tuesday, citing the mob killing of four near the southern city of Luxor. Coptic Christians account for about a tenth of Egypt's 84 million people. They have suffered discrimination for decades, but communal tensions and attacks rose sharply under Mursi, who was elected president a year ago following the fall of strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition gets U.N. meeting, rebel chief won't attend Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:53 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will hold an informal meeting with members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition this week, Britain's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday, but the chief rebel commander will not attend due to the situation inside Syria. The meeting will take place on Friday and include political and military representatives of the Syrian opposition, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said in a statement. Saudi-backed tribal leader Ahmed al-Jarba, the new president of the coalition, will lead the delegation, he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| At least nine die in Cairo violence, two killed in Sinai Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:52 AM PDT By Asma Alsharif and Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Cairo on Tuesday in clashes between opponents and Islamist supporters of Egypt's deposed President Mohamed Mursi, state-run media reported, keeping the most populous Arab nation in turmoil. The violence broke out before dawn near a Brotherhood protest at Cairo University, where Mursi supporters have been camped out since the army removed the Islamist politician from power on July 3 following protests against his rule. The Brotherhood described it as an attack on peaceful protesters. ... Full Story | Top |
| French mayor's Hitler remark to Roma triggers inquiry Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:51 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - A French prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation after a mayor was recorded telling a group of itinerant Roma parked illegally near his town that Hitler had not killed enough of them. Gilles Bourdouleix, who is also a lawmaker for of the centrist UDI party, made the comments during an altercation with the group, which had parked more than 100 cars on a field near Cholet, local media reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-CIA official to address government-wary hackers Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:36 AM PDT  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - A former CIA official and a retired Air Force general will address next week's Def Con hacking convention, which for the first time asked federal officials to steer clear because of anger over alleged government spying. Joseph DeTrani, a long-time CIA official who served as a U.S. envoy in talks with North Korea regarding its nuclear activities, will open the hackers' conference on August 2 with a speech about weapons of mass destruction and cyber technology. Former Air Force General Robert Elder, who created one of the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wrongful death suit in Quebec train crash filed in U.S. Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:24 AM PDT  By Casey Sullivan (Reuters) - The guardian of a girl whose Canadian father died in the tragic Quebec train crash this month filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Illinois on Monday against a number of railway and fuel services companies connected with the disaster. The lawsuit is believed to be the first filed in the United States related to the train derailment in the early hours of July 6 that sent 72 tankers of crude oil crashing into the village of Lac-Megantic in Quebec, where they exploded in a ball of fire, killing almost 50 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rocket attack in Libyan capital near tower housing embassies Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:16 AM PDT By Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A rocket-propelled grenade struck a residential building near a tower housing several foreign embassies and a major hotel in the Libyan capital on Tuesday, witnesses and a security source said. There were no reported injuries in the incident in which a balcony of a residential block was charred and holed, a Reuters reporter on the scene said. A security source said the rocket was launched from car which burst into flames. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek shipowner Restis arrested on money laundering charges Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 11:04 AM PDT  By Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek shipowner Victor Restis was arrested on charges of money laundering and embezzlement on Tuesday, becoming one of just a few prominent businessmen to be detained by police since Greece sank into crisis. Restis, who has a stake in Greece's top-selling newspaper and other media as well as his shipping fleet, is being investigated over bad loans of up to 500 million euros ($660 million) at FBBbank, a troubled lender that was wound down this year, court officials said. He has been accused of using his influence over the bank to secure a 5. ... Full Story | Top |
| Facebook blogger goads Zimbabwe's ruling party Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 10:30 AM PDT  By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A mysterious Facebook blogger purporting to be a disgruntled "Deep Throat" in President Robert Mugabe's party has become an unlikely election campaign star in Zimbabwe, attracting 275,000 online followers and the fury of the ZANU-PF establishment. With a daily stream of social tittle-tattle, outrageous personal slurs and explosive - if true - political allegations, "Baba Jukwa" ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baba-Jukwa/507656539289306 ) has created an unprecedented stir in the run-up to the July 31 poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Diluted Hezbollah terror listing by EU is largely symbolic Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 10:13 AM PDT  By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Europe's decision to blacklist Hezbollah's "military wing" was triggered by the Lebanese movement's growing role in Syria, but the partial ban may have little practical impact due to fears of destabilizing Lebanon and the wider Middle East. With a military force that rivals the Lebanese army, Shi'ite Hezbollah has used a mixture of political power and force since the end of Lebanon's 15-year civil war in 1990 to pursue its goals -- officially defending the country from neighbor Israel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Royal baby worth his weight in gold to 'the Firm' Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 09:49 AM PDT By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - The Firm, as Britain's royal family calls itself, has a new asset. With the world media in a frenzy over the birth of Prince William and his wife Kate's son, companies from airlines to champagne-makers have jumped on the chance to cash in on the wave of popularity sweeping over the royal family. From royal potties to blue-cream-filled doughnuts to china commemorative plates, the range of merchandise celebrating the birth of the prince ranges from the obvious to the bizarre. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia's business amnesty kicks off with a handful freed Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 09:34 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - An amnesty for Russia's jailed entrepreneurs, ordered by President Vladimir Putin, has begun with 13 people freed so far, the country's business ombudsman said on Tuesday. The amnesty was originally proposed by ombudsman Boris Titov last year and signed into law earlier in July as an attempt to correct failures in Russia's legal system, which has often seen entrepreneurs jailed on trumped-up charges. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU justice chief backs Bulgarian anti-graft protesters Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 09:27 AM PDT  By Angel Krasimirov SOFIA (Reuters) - The European Union's justice chief said on Tuesday she sympathized with Bulgarian protesters who have held almost daily rallies against corruption, and urged the government to reform its judicial system. Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of Sofia last month to protest against the new Socialist-led government's decision to name a powerful media magnate as the country's security chief. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chemical arms chief arrives in Beirut before Syria trip Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:55 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday on his way to Syria to discuss his probe into allegations that chemical arms have been used in Syria's civil war. Ake Sellstrom, a Swede, flew from Paris to Beirut and was due to drive overland to Syria, a source at Beirut's Rafik Hariri airport said, accompanied by the head of the U.N. Office of Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane. It was not clear exactly when they would make the short drive to the Syrian border. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey's main opposition leader lambastes PM over media freedom Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:42 AM PDT  ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition leader accused Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday of cowing local media into self-censorship after a journalist group said dozens of reporters were fired for their coverage of anti-government protests. The Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) said at least 72 journalists had either been fired, forced to take leave or had resigned in the past six weeks since the start of the unrest, which spread to cities around the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Madagascar opposition leader arrested, compounding crisis Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:38 AM PDT By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Police arrested an opposition leader in Madagascar on charges of holding an illegal rally on Tuesday, compounding the island nation's political crisis. Laza Razafiarison's small Avotr'i Madagasikara party has called for the departure of the country's interim president who came to power in a 2009 coup and has since fallen out with African and Western powers over planned elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pan-Kurdish congress planned to unify ranks amid regional turmoil Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:34 AM PDT ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurds from Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria have agreed to convene a pan-Kurdish congress to tackle historical divisions and position themselves to take full advantage of regional upheaval. Often described as the world's largest ethnic group without a state of their own, Kurds regard the modern borders that have carved up their homeland of "Greater Kurdistan" as a historical injustice. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian police crack billion euro tax evasion ring Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:27 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italian police have smashed a major tax evasion ring that smuggled 1 billion euros ($1.32 billion) a year for prominent show business, business and banking figures into the tiny state of San Marino, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The Rome prosecutor's office said the system served about 1,500 clients and had been operating since at least 2000. Tax evasion is estimated to cost Italy 120 billion euros a year, and cracking down on the practice has been a key part of recent efforts to reduce a huge public debt, equivalent to nearly 130 percent of annual output. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda says it freed 500 inmates in Iraq jail-break Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:20 AM PDT  By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda claimed responsibility on Tuesday for simultaneous raids on two Iraqi prisons and said more than 500 inmates had been set free in the operation, one of its most brazen in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, formed earlier this year through a merger of al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said it had stormed Baghdad's Abu Ghraib jail and another, some 20 km (12 miles) north of capital, after months of preparation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sultan of Oman pardons people jailed for 2011 protests Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:14 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Oman's Sultan Qaboos has pardoned activists jailed for taking part in anti-government protests two years ago, media reported, his latest gesture to citizens worried about unemployment and inadequate pay. Demonstrations erupted in parts of Oman in early 2011, following the outbreak of popular revolts in other Arab states. But unlike in Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain, the protests were focused on jobs and alleged corruption, rather than changing the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian charged under terrorism law with murder, mosque blasts Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:05 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - A 25-year old Ukrainian man appeared in court on Tuesday, charged under terrorism laws with the murder of a British Muslim in Birmingham and with planting explosive devices at three mosques. Pavlo Lapshyn, a post-graduate student, was arrested last Thursday following blasts at the mosques in separate towns in central England. He was also charged with the terrorism-related murder of 82-year old grandfather Mohammed Saleem, who was stabbed to death in April as he walked home after prayers at a mosque, in what police called a "swift, vicious attack". ... Full Story | Top |
| Moldovan doctors use household tools for surgery in leaked video Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 07:59 AM PDT CHISINAU (Reuters) - Doctors at a Moldovan state-run hospital used household tools, including an electric drill and pliers, to perform surgery in a video leaked to local press and published on the Internet, prompting outrage among the public and government officials. Local television stations ran the short but graphic video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6k8T5gfzBc), recorded at a children's hospital in Chisinau, repeatedly on Monday. Prime Minister Iurie Leance ordered Healthcare Minister Andrei Usatii on the same day to investigate the incident. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jailed Serbian tycoon released on record $16 million bail Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 07:27 AM PDT  BELGRADE (Reuters) - A Serbian court freed a retail tycoon accused of fraud and tax evasion on Tuesday after he posted a record 12 million euro ($16 million) bail pending his trial. One of the Balkans' richest and most influential figures, Miroslav Miskovic was indicted in May over a disputed privatization deal from a decade ago, on charges including abuse of office and tax evasion. He is also accused, along with his son Marko and nine others, of siphoning off 25 million euros from a privatized and now bankrupt road repair company between 2005 and 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Uganda charges opposition figure over rallies Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 06:48 AM PDT  KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's leading opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, will appear in court on Wednesday after he was arrested on suspicion he intended to stage illegal rallies. Activists from a group banned by the government said last week they were planning protests against what they see as unfair taxes on piped water and kerosene. Besigye has been detained several times since he championed opposition demonstrations over high fuel and food prices in 2011 that were crushed by the security forces, leaving at least nine people dead. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran condemns EU's blacklisting of Hezbollah Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 06:45 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran condemned on Tuesday the European Union's decision to put the armed wing of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on its terrorism blacklist and said the move was "contrary to all political and legal norms, surprising and unacceptable". Hezbollah was set up with the help of Iranian funds and military advisers some three decades ago and, along with Syria, is still Tehran's most important ally in the region, positioned as it is on the "frontline" with Iran's sworn enemy Israel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Jazeera accuses Egypt authorities of intimidation campaign Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 06:29 AM PDT  DOHA (Reuters) - The pan-Arab Al Jazeera television network accused Egyptian authorities on Tuesday of a sustained campaign of intimidation against its staff, rejecting charges of pro-Islamist bias in its reporting on the crisis in Egypt. Hours after the Egyptian military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on July 3, security forces raided the Cairo offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian news channel, which military sources accused at the time of broadcasting "incitement". ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel beefs up rocket defenses on Egypt border Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 06:03 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has boosted its rocket defenses near its southern border with Egypt to counter possible attacks from Islamist militants fighting security forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, Israeli officials said on Tuesday. Violence in Sinai has surged since the army ousted elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on July 3, with militants killing at least 20 people in almost daily assaults in the area. "We hear reports every day of attacks there and our concern is that the guns will be turned on us," Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said. ... Full Story | Top |
| French minister orders police action over mayor's Hitler remark to Roma Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 05:49 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The French interior minister has ordered police in western France to take action against a mayor and lawmaker who allegedly told a group of itinerant Roma, parked illegally near his town, that Hitler had not killed enough of them. Gilles Bourdouleix of the UDI centrist party was recorded by a local newspaper reporter making the comment during an altercation with the group, which had parked more than 100 camping cars on a field near Cholet without a permit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two more AstraZeneca employees questioned in China Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 05:27 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese police have questioned two more AstraZeneca employees in Shanghai, after a sales representative was taken away for questioning earlier, the British drug maker said on Tuesday. The two individuals are line managers of the sales representative who was detained on Friday, a spokeswoman for the company said. One of the managers is continuing to help the Shanghai Public Security Bureau with their inquiries. The spokeswoman said the company had no reason to think that the police inquiries were connected to any wider investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish troops kill civilian trying to cross into Syria Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 05:23 AM PDT  By Jonathon Burch ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish border patrol killed one of eight civilians trying to cross illegally from Turkey into Syria on the tense frontier, the Turkish military said on Tuesday. The shooting was the latest in a string of fatal incidents along the 900 km (560 mile) border and underscores a growing concern that Syria's more than two-year-old civil war is fuelling lawlessness and dragging in neighboring states. ... Full Story | Top |
| No tax rises of any kind in Germany, vows Merkel before election Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 05:16 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she was against tax rises of any kind in Europe's biggest economy if she is re-elected in September, a clear indication of where she expects the campaign to be fought. Merkel has previously said she is opposed to tax increases of the kind proposed by the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), who want to make the wealthy pay more, but the strong comments show she may be thinking more broadly about taxes. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Egypt turmoil, start-up firms find ways to flourish Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 04:00 AM PDT By Andrew Torchia CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's revolutions have been kind to Ahmed El-Kerdany. The young entrepreneur has raised millions of dollars of funding and kept his business growing through the country's worst political and economic turmoil in decades. In 2010, he and several friends in the city of Alexandria launched Mashaweer, a service which helps customers avoid the traffic in Egypt's gridlocked cities by running errands for them. In December that year, the firm began operating in Cairo. ... Full Story | Top |
| China cracks down on building projects in anti-graft move Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 03:53 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday ordered a five-year suspension of the construction of new official buildings, state media reported, in the latest move by President Xi Jinping to crack down on extravagance and pervasive corruption. The decision was "made in accordance with the country's frugality campaign", official news agency Xinhua said. Some structures built in violation of regulations had tainted the image of the Communist Party and stirred vehement public disapproval, the agency said. ... Full Story | Top |
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