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| U.N. agrees multi-billion dollar framework to tackle deforestation Friday, Nov 22, 2013 11:30 AM PST By Stian Reklev WARSAW (Reuters) - U.N. negotiators on Friday agreed rules on financing forest projects in developing nations, paving the way for multi-billion dollar investments from governments, funding agencies and private firms in schemes to halt deforestation. The agreement on "results-based" funding for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) was a rare breakthrough at the climate talks in Warsaw, where negotiators are struggling to make progress in discussions on emissions cuts and climate change aid. The deal was "another big step forward", said Ed Davey, the British minister for energy and climate change. Under the new rules, the fledgling Green Climate Fund will play a key role in channeling finance for projects to host governments, who in turn must set up national agencies to oversee the money. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea confirms detention of U.S. citizen: State Department Friday, Nov 22, 2013 11:24 AM PST  North Korea has confirmed through Swedish officials in Pyongyang that it has detained a U.S. citizen, a State Department official said on Friday, after reports that an 85-year-old California man was pulled off a plane as he was about to leave the country. "Our Swedish protecting power has been informed of the detention of a U.S. citizen," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. The family of Merrill Newman, a retiree from Palo Alto, California, and Korean War veteran, said he was taken away by North Korean officials. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, six powers may be edging toward compromise nuclear deal Friday, Nov 22, 2013 11:19 AM PST By Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers appeared closer on Friday towards clinching an elusive interim deal under which Tehran would curb its contested nuclear program, with diplomats saying a major sticking point may have been overcome. A compromise deal over Iran's insistence that its "right" to enrich uranium be internationally recognized has been proposed, they said, possibly opening the way to a breakthrough in intensive negotiations that began in Geneva on Wednesday. The United States and other Western powers say there is no such thing as a right to enrich - a process that can yield both electricity and nuclear bombs - but Iran views it as a matter of national sovereignty and crucial to any deal that would resolve a decade-old standoff over its nuclear intentions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Geneva on Friday evening and planned to participate, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Full Story | Top |
| Bombings, shootings kill at least 23 across Iraq Friday, Nov 22, 2013 11:14 AM PST At least 23 people were killed in bombings and shootings in Iraq on Friday, police and medical sources said, the latest in the worst wave of sectarian attacks to sweep the country in five years. The deadliest attack took place in a predominantly Sunni Doura neighborhood in southern Baghdad, where two roadside bombs exploded near a soft drinks store, killing six people and wounding 18, the police and medics said. Another roadside bomb hit the vehicle of a government-backed Sunni militia's patrol in the Sunni neighborhood of Tarmiya in the north of the Iraqi capital, killing three fighters and wounding another three, police said. Two roadside bombs also went off near Sunni mosques in the southern and western outskirts of Baghdad after Friday prayers, killing three worshippers and wounding 12, the police said. Full Story | Top |
| Mexican cartel kingpin's son nabbed on drug charges in Arizona Friday, Nov 22, 2013 11:09 AM PST A son of Mexican drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada has been arrested in Arizona on cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking charges, authorities said on Friday. Federal agents arrested Serafin Zambada-Ortiz as he crossed into Nogales, Arizona, from Mexico on Wednesday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said. He was arraigned on trafficking charges at the U.S. District Court in Tucson on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona said. El Mayo Zambada is the right-hand man of powerful Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, and the U.S. State Department has offered a $5 million reward for his capture. Full Story | Top |
| Five plead guilty after cocaine ship is seized in Ghana waters Friday, Nov 22, 2013 10:59 AM PST Four citizens of Guyana and one Ghanaian pleaded guilty on Friday to charges related to the seizure of a ship carrying tens of millions of dollars' worth of cocaine, a senior legal official said. Ghanaian authorities impounded the Guyana-registered MV ATIYAH on Tuesday and arrested the five when they discovered it was carrying 400 kilos (880 pounds) of cocaine worth around $50 million, according to a statement by the Ghana Narcotics Control Board (NACOB). The vessel was monitored at sea and detained by anti-narcotics officers working with the Ghana Navy once it entered territorial waters, NACOB said, without giving further details. In recent years, Latin American drug cartels have increasingly used West Africa's string of weak coastal states, including Ghana, as transit points for drugs being smuggled to the lucrative European market. Full Story | Top |
| Merkel hopeful 'grand coalition' deal will be done next week Friday, Nov 22, 2013 10:59 AM PST  By Andreas Rinke MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she expected a difficult final few days of coalition negotiations but was hopeful that her conservatives and the Social Democrats would reach agreement on a new government next week. The SPD were a distant second and have been in talks for a month with Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), about forming a "grand coalition". They will present final proposals to party leaders, including Merkel and SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel, next week. The CSU had an especially strong result in Bavaria, and her warnings of the need to compromise with the SPD were met by an awkward silence from the hall, although her speech was nevertheless applauded warmly at the end. Full Story | Top |
| RA Yemeni MP killed, shots fired at U.N. envoy's convoy-security sources Friday, Nov 22, 2013 10:47 AM PST By Adel Al-Khader SANAA (Reuters) - Attackers on a motorbike shot dead a Yemeni parliament member in Sanaa and a gunman opened fire on a convoy carrying the United Nations' envoy to Yemen without causing any injuries or damage, in two separate incidents on Friday, security sources said. Jamal Benomar's office swiftly denied the report, saying there was no gunfire directed at the motorcade. The attacks underscore the fragility of Yemen, a U.S. ally grappling with a host of challenges, including from al Qaeda militants, southern separatists and Shi'ite Houthi rebels in the north, as it pursues reconciliation talks aimed at restoring stability to the country. A security source said parliament member, Abdul Karim Jedban, who is also a delegate to the reconciliation conference, was killed in a drive-by shooting by two men on a motorbike as he left a mosque in Sanaa. Full Story | Top |
| Tymoshenko urges Ukrainians to rally over U-turn on EU Friday, Nov 22, 2013 10:05 AM PST By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday called on people to take to the streets after President Viktor Yanukovich's government dropped plans for a landmark deal with the European Union and revived talks on ties with Russia. Several hundred demonstrators, ringed by riot police, had already gathered in central Kiev denouncing the government's action even before Tymoshenko issued her emotional appeal. The protests evoked memories of the Orange Revolution, which Tymoshenko co-led, but their numbers could not compared with the tens of thousands who massed nine years ago. In a separate statement, Tymoshenko said she had felt "simply like killing" Yanukovich when she heard of the government's U-turn. Full Story | Top |
| White House hopeful for Iran agreement in Geneva: spokesman Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:42 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached between western powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program during talks in Geneva, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Friday. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu) Full Story | Top |
| Afghanistan rejects U.S. call for quick security deal Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:38 AM PST  By Jessica Donati and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - The future of U.S. troops in Afghanistan remained in doubt on Friday after a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai rejected a U.S. call to sign a security pact by the end of the year rather than after next year's presidential election. The United States has repeatedly said it will not wait until after the April 2014 vote to seal the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and rejected Karzai's suggestion for the signing to take place next year "properly and with dignity". Without an accord, the United States could pull out most of its troops by the end of 2014, as it did two years ago when it failed to negotiate a deal with Iraq. "They have set other deadlines also, so this is nothing new to us." Karzai had suggested on Thursday, as the Afghan leaders began a meeting known as a Loya Jirga, that the signing of the pact should wait until after the poll. Full Story | Top |
| White House presses Afghans to sign security pact this year Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:38 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House again urged Afghan leaders on Friday to sign a security pact before the end of the year, saying timing was key if the United States was going to keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014. "We look forward to an agreement that can be signed by both sides. We need it done by the end of the year," White House spokesman Jay Carney told a news briefing. "We can't push it into next year and be expected to plan for a post 2014 military presence," he said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton) Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Old assumptions questioned in Arafat's mysterious death Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:35 AM PST  By Crispian Balmer RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - President Yasser Arafat's spartan bedroom remains largely as he left it in 2004, when he flew off to France for treatment for a mystery illness only to return home two weeks later in a coffin. Arafat's body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag, was buried nine years ago, but conspiracy theories he was poisoned were never laid to rest, with accusations flying on all sides. Should evidence emerge that Israel killed the Palestinian leader, a legacy of rancor could wreck the chances of peace for years to come. Like many Palestinians, Imad Abu Zaki, one of Arafat's closest bodyguards, has no doubt who did it. Full Story | Top |
| Syria Islamists unite as faction-fighting goes on Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:32 AM PST  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Erika Solomon AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamist fighters in Syria have joined forces to form what may be the biggest rebel army in the country, further undermining Western-backed military commanders and potentially challenging al Qaeda. The announcement on Friday of a common leadership for the Islamic Front, an amalgam of six major Islamist groups which had earlier declared an intention to merge, coincided with accounts of a battle on the Turkish border between rival Islamists that ended with al Qaeda allies taking control of the town of Atma. Factional fighting and fragmentation among those seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have hampered the revolt and the latest effort to unite has yet to show that it can result in effective coordination among groups which between them control large parts of Syria and some tens of thousands of fighters. Gains by Assad since the United States held back from intervening following a poison gas attack on rebel territory in August have both hardened many rebels against the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), notionally charged with coordinating the war, and also galvanized some major formations to come together. Full Story | Top |
| Syria mediator Brahimi holding talks with Iran and Russia Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:32 AM PST Syrian mediator Lakhdar Brahimi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday on a planned international conference aimed at ending Syria's civil war, Brahimi's spokeswoman said. "They discussed preparations for 'Geneva 2' in general, not specifically Iran's participation," Khawla Mattar told Reuters in Geneva where they met at the United Nations complex. "They were catching up." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who flew to Geneva on Friday to join talks between six major powers and Iran on curbing its nuclear program, was expected to meet Brahimi later in the day or on Saturday, according to diplomats and a source in the Russian delegation to the Iran negotiations. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Brazil's Rousseff working to prevent a debacle in 2014 Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:27 AM PST  By Brian Winter and Cesar Bianconi BRASILIA (Reuters) - Seen from Brazil's modernist, glass-walled presidential palace, 2014 looks like a minefield. A downgrade of Brazil's credit rating seems possible, if not likely. The World Cup of soccer, which Brazil will host in June and July, could end up revealing to billions of TV viewers the shoddy government planning and transportation bottlenecks that have frustrated investors here for years. To top it all off, leftist President Dilma Rousseff is up for re-election in October - meaning if any of those things go horribly awry, she might lose her job. Full Story | Top |
| Lebanese man identified as one of Iran embassy bombers: source Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:21 AM PST  Lebanese authorities have identified one of the suicide bombers who attacked the Iranian embassy in Beirut this week as a Lebanese Islamist, a security source said on Friday. The man was from the southern port city of Sidon, and was known to have had links with Islamist groups, the source said. The attack was claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which threatened more attacks if Iran did not end its involvement in the 2-1/2-year-old Syrian conflict. The civil war that has divided Syria along sectarian lines has frequently spilled over into its smaller neighbor, with its own fragile sectarian balance. Full Story | Top |
| Russia steals 'Ukrainian bride' at the altar Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:19 AM PST  By Timothy Heritage and Richard Balmforth MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's abrupt decision to return to Mother Russia's bear hug after a flirtation with western Europe can be traced back to a secretive meeting of their two presidents two weeks ago. The country of 46 million, squeezed between the European Union and Russia, on Thursday froze plans to sign a trade pact with the EU which would have marked a historic shift away from its former Soviet masters in Moscow. Ukraine said on Friday the move was tactical and motivated only by economics. Russia denied using economic and political pressure to blackmail Ukraine into submission. Full Story | Top |
| Compromise floated on enrichment issue in Iran nuclear talks -envoys Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:14 AM PST By Louis Charbonneau GENEVA (Reuters) - A major sticking point in nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers may have been overcome with compromise language in a draft deal regarding Iran's demand for a "right to enrich" uranium, Western diplomats said on Friday. Iran has insisted that any pact to curb its sensitive nuclear activity explicitly recognize its right to refine uranium, a process that can produce fuel for civilian power plants or atomic bombs. Western powers say there is no such thing as a right to enrich under international law. This issue has emerged as one of the most difficult areas of disagreement between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, diplomats close to the Geneva negotiations said. Full Story | Top |
| Sinopec oil pipeline blast kills 35 in eastern China Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:07 AM PST  By Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - An explosion in a Sinopec Corp oil pipeline killed 35 people in Qingdao in eastern China on Friday, causing a blaze that took several hours to bring under control and halting operations at a major oil port, media and ship brokers said. Qingdao is one of China's largest crude oil import terminals, supplying at least two major Sinopec refineries -- the Qingdao plant and Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical Corp -- as well as many small, independent refineries. Full Story | Top |
| Shots fired at convoy of U.N.'s Yemen envoy, no one hurt: security source Friday, Nov 22, 2013 09:01 AM PST Gunmen fired shots at a convoy carrying the United Nations' envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, on Friday but no one was hurt in the attack, a security source said. The source, who had been travelling in the convoy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, said guards escorting the convoy had opened fire on the attackers who then fled the scene. Benomar is trying to push forward a dialogue on national reconciliation, part of a power transfer deal prompted by mass protests in 2011 that forced veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in office. The talks have got stuck mainly on disagreement over demands by southern separatists to restore the state that merged with North Yemen in 1990. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. maritime court tells Russia to free Greenpeace ship Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:59 AM PST  By Michael Hogan HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - The U.N. maritime tribunal on Friday ordered Russia to release a Greenpeace ship and 30 people arrested in a protest against Russian Arctic oil drilling, most of whom have just been released from detention on bail. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg said it had accepted a request from the Netherlands to order the provisional release of the Dutch-registered Arctic Sunrise and its crew, which Russia detained on September 18 to international protest. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would study the ruling, but that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over its prosecution. It said it hoped the decision had been "objective" and had taken into account what it said were violations of international law by the Greenpeace vessel. Full Story | Top |
| Child killed by gunfire in clashes in Egypt's Suez city Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:57 AM PST A 10-year-old boy shot dead on Friday near clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in Egypt's northern city of Suez, security and medical sources said. Mursi's supporters have staged frequent protests across Egypt, many of them after Friday prayers, since the army deposed him on July 3 in response to mass protests against his rule, and arrested most of the top leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood. On Friday, around 500 supporters of Mursi gathered in the central Awel-el-soor neighborhood of Suez and chanted slogans against the army and police. Clashes broke out with opponents of Mursi and rocks were thrown and shots exchanged, witnesses said. Full Story | Top |
| Philippines struggles to keep typhoon aid, donations graft-free Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:52 AM PST  By Karen Lema and Rosemarie Francisco MANILA (Reuters) - As millions of dollars pour in for more than four million left homeless by a typhoon in the central Philippines, authorities are grappling with a familiar problem - how to stop fraudulent claims and prevent greedy politicians taking advantage. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have committed a total of more than $1 billion in grants and emergency loans to support reconstruction and relief efforts. The Philippines comes in at 105 out of 176 countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index, with the cleanest country, New Zealand, at number one. "EVERYONE ON HIGH ALERT" Philippine disaster officials this week warned donor agencies and the public about two individuals - including one using the surname of President Benigno Aquino - who have been soliciting aid for typhoon victims on behalf of the defense minister. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry plans to join Iran Geneva talks but could cancel: diplomats Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:49 AM PST U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is tentatively planning to join the nuclear talks in Switzerland between Iran and six world powers, though he has not confirmed his plans and could still pull out, Western diplomats said on Friday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is en route to Geneva for the meetings between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, a Russian diplomatic source said earlier on Friday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, diplomats close to the talks said foreign ministers from the six powers would come to Geneva if negotiators were close to reaching an interim deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from international sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Full Story | Top |
| Czech police end search of Lufthansa flight after bomb threat Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:47 AM PST Czech police were questioning a 34-year-old man who they said made a hoax bomb threat against a Lufthansa flight that landed in Prague on Friday, a police spokeswoman said. Police and bomb experts found no explosive device after searching the plane and 144 passengers for several hours when the Frankfurt to Prague flight landed around 10:40 a.m. Airport operations were not affected, a spokeswoman for Vaclav Havel Airport Prague said earlier. Full Story | Top |
| EU loses out on Ukraine, but may have dodged a bullet Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:45 AM PST  By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - In post-Soviet Europe, Russia looks to have won a decisive victory by convincing Ukraine to reject a trade deal with the European Union and deepen ties with Moscow instead. Once any sense of rejection or thwarted ambition passes, the reality remains that taking Ukraine under its wing, a highly indebted country of 46 million people stricken by corruption and unpredictable politics, could have proven a costly and difficult burden for the EU, at least in the short term. And in the longer term, it remains possible that Ukraine will turn its gaze back to the West and seek to reopen talks on deeper EU trade and political ties, although that is now unlikely to happen until after Ukrainian elections in 2015. In explaining its decision to reject the deal, due to have been signed at a summit in Vilnius next Friday, Ukraine's prime minister put it down to economic pragmatism, and sought to keep alive the idea of strategic ties with the EU in the future. Full Story | Top |
| Torture rife in Uzbekistan, U.N. watchdog says Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:19 AM PST  By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Torture is rife in prisons and police stations in Uzbekistan, where activists are rounded up and routinely mistreated in a crackdown on dissent, the U.N. torture watchdog said on Friday. "Indeed when it comes to practicising torture, Uzbekistan represents one of countries where torture occurs systematically, and sometimes in the worst forms," George Tugushi, an expert from Georgia on the committee, told a news briefing. The panel of 10 independent experts called on Uzbekistan to carry out prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of torture and punish those responsible. President Islam Karimov's government should report back within a year on its progress in wiping out torture and arbitrary imprisonment of human rights defenders and journalists imprisoned for their work, it said. Full Story | Top |
| Women enslaved in UK beaten and emotionally abused: police Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:13 AM PST  By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - Three women enslaved for 30 years in a London house were beaten and subjected to psychological abuse, in one of the worst cases of domestic servitude to emerge in Britain, police said on Friday. The women were rescued from the house in south London four weeks ago after calling an anti-slavery charity for help. Investigators said the three women had faced physical abuse including beatings over decades in servitude. "What we are finding is a complicated and disturbing picture of emotional control over many years," Commander Steve Rodhouse told a news conference, adding it could take months to unravel exactly what had happened over the past 30 years. Full Story | Top |
| Q&A: Is there a 'right' to enrich uranium? Iran says yes, U.S. no Friday, Nov 22, 2013 08:12 AM PST By Fredrik Dahl GENEVA (Reuters) - Disagreement over whether Iran has the right under international law to enrich uranium goes to the heart of the decade-old dispute over its nuclear program and has held up diplomacy to end the standoff. Uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants - Iran's stated purpose for its atomic energy drive - but can also provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb if processed much further, which the West fears may be Tehran's ultimate aim. "Iran's enrichment is non-negotiable and there is no solution without respecting Iran's right to enrichment," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran's chief negotiator, said this week. The United States says no country has that explicit right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the 1970 global pact designed to prevent the spread of atomic bombs. Full Story | Top |
| Canada inflation tame but retail sales jump surprises Friday, Nov 22, 2013 07:51 AM PST  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Tame Canadian inflation figures on Friday lent support to the central bank's stance of keeping interest rates ultra-low, but surprisingly upbeat retail sales data signaled pockets of economic vitality. Statistics Canada said annual inflation in October dipped below the Bank of Canada's target range, dropping to a five-month low of 0.7 percent from 1.1 percent in September. But separate data out on Friday also showed retail sales were three times stronger than expected in September, driven by booming auto demand. The Bank of Canada, which aims to keep inflation near the middle of its 1 to 3 per cent target range, has kept its key overnight interest rate at a near-record low of 1 percent since September 2010 in an effort to spur economic growth. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says sea tribunal has no authority in Greenpeace case Friday, Nov 22, 2013 07:42 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Friday said an international maritime tribunal that ruled against it in a case brought by the Netherlands had no jurisdiction over its criminal prosecution of 30 people arrested for a Greenpeace protest over Arctic oil drilling. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued the statement after Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea said it had accepted a Dutch request to order the provisional release of the Dutch-registered ship Arctic Sunrise and its crew. (Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Steve Gutterman) Full Story | Top |
| EU enlargement chief says has not fully given up on Ukraine pact Friday, Nov 22, 2013 07:27 AM PST The European Union's enlargement chief said on Friday he had "not fully given up" on signing a landmark trade and cooperation agreement with Ukraine at a summit next week, despite Kiev saying it was suspending work on the accord. "No, we have not fully given up as we were not actually officially informed by the Ukrainian side that the signature is impossible at Vilnius," , Stefan Fuele told reporters, referring to the November 28-29 EU summit with eastern European countries in Lithuania. If the deal with Ukraine is not signed next week, he held out hope it could be signed at an EU-Ukraine summit next year. Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Latvian store collapse jumps to 47 Friday, Nov 22, 2013 07:26 AM PST By Aija Braslina RIGA (Reuters) - Rescue workers pulled bodies from the ruins of a collapsed supermarket in the Latvian capital Riga on Friday as the death toll rose to 47 in the Baltic state's worst disaster in decades. Rescue workers cleared away rubble from the store, which had occupied around 1,500 square meters (5,000 square feet), as ambulances and fire engines stood by. Police said the death toll had reached 47 as of 10 a.m. ET, including three rescue workers. "In the past hours, no survivors have been found," said Viktorija Sembele, a rescue service spokeswoman. Full Story | Top |
| Six Islamist factions unite in largest Syria rebel merger Friday, Nov 22, 2013 07:04 AM PST  The six largest Islamist rebel factions in Syria declared a new Islamic Front on Friday, forming the largest alliance of opposition fighters yet in the 2-1/2-year conflict. Syria's fractious rebel forces have tried many times to unify their ranks and failed. Islamist rebel commanders, in a video aired on al Jazeera, said their new union would not only seek to oust President Bashar al-Assad but establish an Islamic state. "This independent political, military and social formation aims to topple the Assad regime completely and build an Islamic state where the sovereignty of God almighty alone will be our reference and ruler," said Ahmed Eissa, who heads the Suqour al-Sham brigades. Full Story | Top |
| China corruption watchdog to target senior officials in revamp Friday, Nov 22, 2013 06:38 AM PST China's ruling Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog is to overhaul some of its functions and target all senior officials, as part of reforms to deepen its war on corruption. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said all officials, including members of the party's decision-making 25-member Politburo and party chiefs from the provinces, were "within the scope of supervision visits". It would station its officials in all party organs and government departments, the statement on its website said. Previously, only government departments and certain party organs would be supervised by the agency. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. climate talks bogged down over CO2 cuts, aid, on last day Friday, Nov 22, 2013 06:19 AM PST  By Nina Chestney and Megan Rowling WARSAW (Reuters) - Disputes over when rich and poor nations will set greenhouse gas targets and over climate aid to the developing world threatened to sink U.N. climate talks on the final day on Friday. Negotiators from around 195 countries are working to lay the foundations for a new global climate accord that is due to be agreed in 2015 in Paris, and come into force after 2020, but few concrete steps have emerged from two weeks of talks in Warsaw. It was hoped the conference would at least produce a timetable to ensure ambitious emissions cut targets and climate finance pledges are set in time for Paris. Rich countries want to emphasize future emission targets for all, while developing nations say industrialized nations must lead in setting targets and foot most of the bill because they have historically accounted for most emissions. Full Story | Top |
| Putin: Western states must bring Syrian opposition to peace talks Friday, Nov 22, 2013 06:16 AM PST ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Western states must persuade the Syrian opposition to attend talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government which he said should take place as soon as possible. Russia, which backs Assad, and the United States, which supports the opposition, announced plans in May to convene a "Geneva 2" conference to try to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed well over 100,000 people since March 2011. "Russia took on the responsibility of convincing the Syrian leadership. It is up to our partners, who must convince the opposition to do the same," Putin said at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Full Story | Top |
| Doubt over election after Madagascar military handed control of regions Friday, Nov 22, 2013 06:06 AM PST  By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's government has replaced a third of the country's regional governors with senior military officers, raising concern that a run-off vote in the first presidential election since a coup in 2009 will be rigged. December's ballot pits against each other two aspirants backed by Madagascar's biggest political rivals - coup leader Andry Rajoelina and the man he ousted, Marc Ravalomanana. "We are worried by this decision which comes on the eve of the second round," Mamy Rakotoarivelo, president of the national assembly and a senior figure in the Ravalomanana camp, told Reuters. "We're worried that pressure, direct or indirect, will be put on voters." A government statement issued on Wednesday showed changes to 10 of the Indian Ocean island's 22 regions. Full Story | Top |
| Samaras tells Merkel 'no hole' in Greek aid program Friday, Nov 22, 2013 06:03 AM PST  Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Friday he saw no financing hole in the current aid program for Greece and any decision on further debt relief could only be taken once final data on the budget surplus is available next year. Samaras said at a news conference in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel he was optimistic there would soon be a deal on a new aid tranche with the troika of international creditors. The Greek prime minister spoke of "light at the end of the tunnel" after Athens confirmed it would emerge from a six-year recession next year and more than doubled its forecast for the budget surplus before interest payments for this year. Posting a primary surplus would open the way for Greece to ask for debt relief from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, whose inspectors are in the middle of their latest review of Greece's performance on its reform targets. Full Story | Top |
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