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| Washington community grieves growing toll in U.S. mudslide Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:57 AM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - The grim task of combing through debris from a mudslide that obliterated dozens of homes on the outskirts of a rural Washington town came to a standstill briefly on Saturday for a moment of silence. It's hard to grasp," said volunteer Bob Michajla, 66, who has been helping to search part of the debris field that covers a square-mile (2.6 square-km). Everybody knows everybody in this valley." One more body was found on Friday in the muck and rubble left after the rain-soaked hillside above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River collapsed without warning on the outskirts of Oso, northeast of Seattle, a Snohomish County official said. Full Story | Top |
| Fuel cache blows up in Egypt, killing 10 Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:56 AM PDT Ten people were killed on Saturday in Egypt when an explosion ripped through a house where a man had been hoarding state-subsidized fuel to sell in the black market. A further 37 people were wounded by the explosion in the village of Shotora in the southern province of Sohag, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Fuels including gasoline and diesel are sold at a fraction of their real price in Egypt thanks to long-standing government subsidies that soak up a fifth of the state budget and have given rise to black markets and smuggling. Full Story | Top |
| Senegal shuts land border with Guinea to prevent Ebola spreading Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:54 AM PDT By Daniel Flynn and Saliou Samb DAKAR/CONAKRY (Reuters) - Senegal closed its land border with Guinea on Saturday to try to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, which Guinean authorities say is suspected of killing 70 people in what would be the deadliest outbreak in seven years. The discovery of 11 people suspected to have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia in recent days has stirred concern that one of the most lethal infectious diseases known to man could spread in a poor corner of West Africa, where health systems are ill-equipped to cope. Senegal's Interior Ministry said it had closed the land border with Guinea in the southern region of Kolda and the southeastern region of Kedougou. Full Story | Top |
| Cuba approves law aimed at attracting foreign investment Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:31 AM PDT  By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's National Assembly passed a new foreign investment law on Saturday that aims to bring badly needed capital to the communist economy by offering steep tax cuts and promising a climate of investment security. Analysts and Cuban-based diplomats have expressed skepticism over the law, uncertain whether the one-party state has undergone a genuine change of heart and truly wants to attract foreign investors on international terms. Areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, sugar, nickel mining, building renovation and real estate development are considered ripe for investment. Cuba needs to attract $2 billion to $2.5 billion in foreign direct investment per year to reach its economic growth target of 7 percent, minister for foreign trade and investment Rodrigo Malmierca said on Cuban state television on Friday night. Full Story | Top |
| GM recall process will be under congressional microscope Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:09 AM PDT  By Ben Klayman and Richard Cowan DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra faces Congress next week she will have to explain how the top brass at the biggest U.S. automaker can say they knew nothing for more than a decade about a faulty ignition switch linked to crashes and at least 12 deaths. For lawmakers trying to find who to blame for the lack of responsiveness by GM and its regulator to the tragedies, and in particular the multi-year delay in recalling potentially dangerous vehicles off the roads, it may turn out to be a frustrating couple of days. GM built a system to deliberately keep senior executives out of the recall process. Instead, two small groups of employees in the vast GM bureaucracy were tasked with making recall decisions, a system GM says was meant to bring objective decisions. Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb kills three soldiers in attack on Lebanese army checkpoint Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 11:00 AM PDT A suicide bomber killed himself and three soldiers when he detonated a car bomb at a Lebanese army checkpoint in the border town of Arsal on Saturday, Lebanese security sources said. Arsal is home to thousands of Syrian refugees but also Syrian rebels and their Lebanese allies who have fled a Syrian army advance on the Syrian side of the border. Lebanese Sunni militants accuse the Lebanese army of conspiring with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters into Syria to support Assad fight a Sunni-led revolt. Full Story | Top |
| Dollar reserve role secure but set to shrink: BIS Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:58 AM PDT  By Patrick Graham BERLIN (Reuters) - The dollar's share of central bank reserves may fall by as much as 10-15 percentage points in coming years without threatening its role as the world's main reserve currency, a senior official from the Bank of International Settlements said on Saturday. Peter Zoellner, head of the banking department at the central banks' central bank, also told one of the year's biggest gatherings of foreign exchange dealers that the role of China's renminbi would continue to grow. He expected trading and central bank reserves held in the yuan to continue to expand "at a sustained pace" but saw no prospect that the Chinese currency could replace the dollar as the reserve of choice over the next couple of decades. "It could happen that the percentage will go slightly down with the reserve currency from between 65 and 70 maybe to between 50 and 60 percent," he told the ACI Financial Markets Association congress in Berlin. Full Story | Top |
| Crimean Tatars' want autonomy after Russia's seizure of peninsula Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:55 AM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska BAKHCHISARAY, Crimea (Reuters) - The Crimean Tatars' assembly voted on Saturday in favor of seeking "ethnic and territorial autonomy" for the indigenous minority on the Black Sea peninsula annexed from Kiev by Moscow. The 300,000-strong Muslim minority make up less than 15 percent of Crimea's population of 2 million and has so far been overwhelmingly opposed to Russia's annexation of the peninsula. Crimean Tatars' assembly leader Refat Chubarov told more than 200 delegates: "In the life of every nation there comes a time when it must make decisions that will determine its future." "I ask you to approve ... the start of political and legal procedures aimed at creating ethnic and territorial autonomy of the Crimean Tatars of their historic territory of Crimea." The assembly subsequently voted in favor of his proposal, made in the Crimean Tatars historic capital of Bakhchisaray. Full Story | Top |
| Russia sees no need for Ukraine incursion, Lavrov to meet Kerry Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:42 AM PDT  By Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it had "no intention" of invading eastern Ukraine, responding to Western warnings over a military buildup on the border following Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The comments by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were followed by news that he would meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris on Sunday, as both sides moved to ease tensions in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. Speaking on Russian television, Lavrov reinforced a message from President Vladimir Putin that Russia would settle - at least for now - for control over Crimea despite massing thousands of troops near Ukraine's eastern border. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt court sentences two Mursi supporters to death Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:27 AM PDT An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced two supporters of former President Mohamed Mursi to death for committing murder during violence that broke out in Alexandria last year after the army deposed the Islamist head of state. The two men - Mahmoud Ramadan and Abdullah el-Ahmedi - were standing trial on charges that included throwing youths from the roof of a building in the Mediterranean city. The judge ruled that their files be referred to the mufti, the country's highest religious authority to whom death sentences are always sent for review. In a separate case on Monday, an Egyptian court in the southern province of Minya sentenced 529 supporters of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood to death, drawing strong criticism from Western governments and human rights groups. Full Story | Top |
| Hezbollah leader defends Syria intervention Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:27 AM PDT Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday called for domestic support for his militants after a year of growing sectarian violence in Lebanon following the Shi'ite militant group's intervention in the Syrian war. "Some in Lebanon say the resistance (Hezbollah) has nothing to do with Syria," Nasrallah told supporters via a television link from a secret location in South Lebanon. He justified sending his forces to a foreign war by saying that Sunni rebel groups would "eliminate everyone in Lebanon" if they won in Syria. "The problem in Lebanon is not that Hezbollah went to Syria, but that we were late in doing so," he said. Full Story | Top |
| GM expands ignition switch recall to 2.6 million cars Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:22 AM PDT  By Paul Lienert DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co expanded its global recall of cars with defective ignition switches to 2.6 million on Friday, adding 971,000 later-model vehicles due to concerns over faulty replacement parts. About 95,000 faulty switches were sold to dealers and parts wholesalers, of which about 5,000 remain on shelves. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Russian foreign ministers to meet in Paris on Sunday to discuss Ukraine Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:14 AM PDT SHANNON, Ireland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Paris on Sunday to discuss ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The meeting follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday to discuss a U.S. diplomatic proposal for Ukraine. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Angus MacSwan) Full Story | Top |
| Obama ends four-nation trip in diplomatic limbo over Ukraine Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:08 AM PDT  By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama ended a four-nation foreign trip on Saturday in the same situation as he began it - facing great uncertainty about a diplomatic way out of the Ukraine crisis. His diplomatic consultations in The Hague, Brussels and Rome over the past week all resulted in a strong show of unity between the United States and Europe that Russia must face consequences should it move against southern or eastern Ukraine. But it remains an open question whether the European allies would be able to stomach the kind of crippling sanctions required to significantly undermine Russia's economy since some of their own economies would be jolted as well. A late-night phone call on Friday between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the possibility that Moscow might be willing to negotiate a diplomatic outcome. Full Story | Top |
| China unveils anti-graft rules for urbanization drive -state media Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:06 AM PDT  China has unveiled plans to tackle corruption and abuse of power in the real estate sector, state media said, as it tries to smooth the way for the mass migration of millions of Chinese into cities from the countryside. The anti-graft plans are part of an urbanization program designed to underpin a restructuring of China's economy, the world's second largest, away from exports towards one based mainly on domestic consumer demand. Corruption is rife in China, particularly within the state administration where many officials and their dependants have grown rich by abusing their authority, often in the areas of real estate and land ownership. The rules will strengthen penalties for fraud and illegal use of public housing and specify the responsible governments and departments as well as the conditions for abuse of power, neglect of duty, bribery and fraud, Xinhua said. Full Story | Top |
| UK lawmaker calls insurance review leak an 'extraordinary blunder' Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 09:02 AM PDT  The head of the UK parliament's Treasury Committee on Saturday described as an "extraordinary blunder" the leak of a planned review by the financial services watchdog into the life insurance industry, which sent shares in insurers tumbling. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was due to announce the investigation in its annual business plan on Monday. But a senior FCA supervisor outlined the review in a press interview on Friday. "On the face of it, this is an extraordinary blunder," Andrew Tyrie, the Treasury Committee head, said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Slovak voters turn out for cliffhanger presidential vote Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 07:43 AM PDT  By Jiri Skacel and Jan Lopatka BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak voters turned out in unexpectedly higher numbers on Saturday for the runoff in the country's presidential election where an underdog philanthropist is challenging political heavyweight Prime Minister Robert Fico. Bookmakers are giving the edge to political newcomer Andrej Kiska, a businessman turned philanthropist riding on the wave of anti-Fico sentiment among right-wing voters as well as distrust in mainstream political parties because of graft scandals. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine aid bill delayed a few more days in U.S. Congress Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 07:22 AM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly approved aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, but the measure will not become law until at least next week, congressional aides said on Friday. The House of Representatives left for the weekend without approving a final version of the legislation. After weeks of partisan wrangling over what should be contained in the legislation, the Senate and House on Thursday quickly passed separate, and largely similar, bills to help stabilize Ukraine's weak economy and punish those involved for Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. As the measures passed, congressional leaders reached an agreement for the Republican-controlled House to approve the Democratic-led Senate bill and send it to President Barack Obama to sign into law before the end of the week. Full Story | Top |
| Taliban attack election commission HQ in Kabul ahead of vote Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 07:21 AM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents attacked the Independent Election Commission headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, staff and police said, in the their third big assault on the capital this week aimed at derailing the April 5 presidential election. Afghan security forces battled the militants for about five hours, while frightened IEC staff and eight international United Nations employees took refuge in safe rooms inside the compound, a security source and staff said. Four suicide bombers were involved in the attack and all were killed in gunbattles, according to an Afghan army general on the scene in the eastern part of the capital. An investigation team is in the area," said commander Qadam Shah Shaheem, adding that three security force members had been injured in the operation. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Klitschko pulls out of election, backs 'Chocolate King' Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 06:41 AM PDT  By Alessandra Prentice KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's presidential election effectively became a two-horse race on Saturday after boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko pulled out and threw his weight behind confectionary oligarch Petro Poroshenko. Klitschko's withdrawal sets up a May 25 contest between the man known as the 'Chocolate King' and former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. Several opinions polls already had him in the lead even before he said he would run to succeed ousted president Viktor Yanukovich. Speaking on Saturday, Poroshenko said the political forces that brought down Yanukovich must stick together to tackle the huge economic and security challenges facing Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Turkey begins espionage investigation after Syria leak Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 06:22 AM PDT  By Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has started an espionage investigation after a discussion between top officials on potential military action in Syria was leaked on YouTube, heralding a possible government crackdown on its political opponents after elections on Sunday. The recording of the meeting between Turkey's intelligence chief, foreign minister and deputy head of the military was by far the most serious breach in weeks of highly sensitive leaks, a scandal which Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has cast as a plot to sabotage the state and topple him. Erdogan and his aides have blamed the Hizmet movement of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally whose followers have influence in the police and judiciary, of running a "dirty campaign" of espionage to implicate him in corruption ahead of crucial nationwide municipal elections on Sunday. "Tomorrow we will teach those liars and slanderers a lesson," Erdogan told a jubilant crowd of supporters in Istanbul's working class Kartal district on Saturday, vowing his ruling AK Party would triumph at the polls. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: GM crash victims' families who settled may revisit deals Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 05:47 AM PDT  By Jessica Dye, Julia Edwards and Paul Lienert (Reuters) - Two families who settled with General Motors Co over fatal crashes linked to faulty ignition switches are considering trying to overturn the agreements, after the company disclosed it had known about the issue for years. A second family also told Reuters it is preparing to try to break the deal and then sue GM. Neither family has yet done so, however, and trying to win such actions will be difficult. To undo a settlement, plaintiffs would have to convince a judge that they were intentionally misled or defrauded by the other party, according to legal experts and plaintiffs' lawyers. Full Story | Top |
| Osborne denies report that independent Scotland would keep pound Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 05:04 AM PDT  Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne on Saturday denied a newspaper report that Scotland may keep the British pound even if it votes for independence later this year, an issue at the heart of the Scottish secession debate. Polls show the question of what currency an independent Scotland would use has been high in Scottish voters' minds ahead of an independence referendum on September 18, with many worrying about the economic uncertainties a new currency would bring if they voted to end the 300-year-old union with England. "Walking out of the UK means walking out of the UK pound," he said on Saturday in a joint statement with Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander. Scottish nationalists want to share the pound in a currency union with the UK and retain the services of the Bank of England. Full Story | Top |
| Loyalty to embattled Erdogan lies deep in Turkey's pious heartlands Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 04:56 AM PDT  By Alexandra Hudson KONYA, Turkey (Reuters) - If Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is fighting the toughest battle of his political career as corruption allegations swirl and elections approach, Turkey's conservative Anatolian heartlands appear to have his back. Here, far from dividing his pious core supporters, the graft scandal and bitter power struggle with a U.S.-based cleric have served only to stir more devotion to a man they see as Turkey's greatest modern leader, delivering hospitals and schools and breaking the grip of secular elites over the past decade. One senior official called the crisis "one of the biggest in Turkish history" and the government has responded by blocking Twitter and YouTube, drawing public anger and international condemnation. But in Konya, a conservative city that gave Erdogan's AK Party 70 percent of the vote in a 2011 general election, many see the scandal as the prime minister does: part of a "dirty plot" to unseat him by ruthless and immoral political enemies. Full Story | Top |
| Top U.S. general to visit Israel amid strategy differences Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 04:40 AM PDT  The United States' top military officer will visit Israel next week where he will meet the defense minister who has angered Washington by criticizing its strategies in the Middle East and Ukraine. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon in Jerusalem on Sunday, an Israeli government official said on Saturday. In a statement, the Israeli military said Dempsey and his hosts would discuss "issues of mutual strategic interest, while continuing to build on this important defense relationship". The visit would reflect "the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security," it said. Full Story | Top |
| Taiwan protest over China trade pact won't deter any Ma-Xi meeting Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 04:26 AM PDT  By Michael Gold TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said on Saturday student protests over a controversial trade pact with mainland China will not affect the potential for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Taiwan's parliament building has been occupied by hundreds of protesters for almost two weeks over the government's decision to agree to a deal that would open 80 of China's service sectors to Taiwan, and 64 Taiwanese sectors to China. Taiwan and China have been ruled separately since the Communists defeated the Nationalists and took power on the mainland in 1949, though relations have warmed considerably since the China-friendly Ma won the presidency in 2008 and secured re-election in 2012. Full Story | Top |
| After days of searching, volunteer pulls sister's body from Washington mudslide Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 04:02 AM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Days after risking his own life and defying arrest by joining the search for Washington state mudslide victims in a vast, mucky debris field near Oso, Dayn Brunner retrieved the body of the No. 1 person he had been looking for - his sister. Brunner, 42, recounted the tragic coincidence in an interview with Reuters on Friday, two days after it unfolded on the enormous mound of mud and rubble left by last Saturday's disaster, which has claimed at least 26 lives and left 90 people still missing. Brunner said he was on the mud pile on Wednesday afternoon when other rescue workers found a blue object and called him over to the spot. It was the same color as the car his sister, Summer Raffo, 36, was known to have been driving through the area when the slide struck. Full Story | Top |
| One more victim found in Washington state mudslide debris field Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 04:02 AM PDT (Reuters) - The body of one more person killed in a Washington state mudslide was found on Friday in the debris field where searchers are scouring the muck for about 90 people missing nearly a week after the disaster, a county official said. Snohomish County Executive Director Gary Haakenson said that person was not included in the official death toll of 17, which remained steady. The new remains appeared to bring to 10 the number of victims that authorities have said have been found but not yet identified or added to the official death toll. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Russia threatened countries ahead of U.N. vote on Ukraine: envoys Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 03:28 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said. The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding resolution on the Ukraine crisis. Full Story | Top |
| China charges 4 surviving suspects of Kunming attack Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 03:26 AM PDT China has laid out the charges against the four surviving suspects in a knife attack in the southwestern city of Kunming this month that left at least 169 dead or injured, the official People's Daily newspaper said on Saturday. The charges against the suspects of the March 1 attack, in which 29 were killed and about 140 injured, include organizing, leading and participating in a terrorist organization and murder, the newspaper said on its microblog. The four surviving suspects are likely to be given the death penalty, judging by the crimes they are accused of. Courts in China are controlled by the ruling Communist Party, which has already clearly apportioned blame. Full Story | Top |
| Russia threatened countries ahead of UN vote on Ukraine-envoys Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 03:08 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said. The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding resolution on the Ukraine crisis. Full Story | Top |
| Syrian forces take two villages near Lebanon Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 03:03 AM PDT Syrian forces took control of two villages near the Lebanese border on Saturday after driving out rebels, state media said, helping President Bashar al-Assad secure the route connecting Damascus with Aleppo and the Mediterranean coast. The fall of Flita and Ras Maara, two of the last rebel bastions in the area, is likely to push militants and refugees over the border into Lebanon, risking further destabilizing the Mediterranean country whose own 15-year civil war ended in 1990. "The Army and Armed Forces restored stability and security to the towns of Ras Maara and Flita ... after getting rid of the fleeing terrorists and destroying their weapons," state news agency SANA said. Assad needs to secure the route to transport chemical agents out of Syria via the coast, part of an agreement with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to remove Syria's chemicals weapons arsenal. Full Story | Top |
| Eleven killed in Central African Republic grenade attack Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 02:24 AM PDT Eleven people died in the capital of the Central African Republic after a grenade exploded among mourners gathered for a funeral, the Red Cross said on Friday, in what residents said was an attack on Christians. Tit-for-tat inter-communal violence in the impoverished, landlocked country has intensified in recent days as Christian militia have become more militarised, aid workers say. Two thousand French soldiers and 6,000 strong African Union peacekeeping mission have failed to stop the raging violence in the landlocked, impoverished country that has killed thousands. Residents told Reuters a Muslim tossed a hand grenade at a crowd in a Christian district of Bangui's PK5 neighbourhood on Thursday night. Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's Mugabe says will boycott EU-Africa summit over wife's visa Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 02:23 AM PDT  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will not attend a European Union-Africa summit next week if his wife is denied a visa to travel with him, his spokesman said on Friday. Mugabe, 90, and his wife Grace are subject to travel bans by the EU because of allegations about human rights abuses and election-rigging but the union allowed Zimbabwe's sole ruler to attend the meeting after pressure from the African Union. The president, and Zimbabwe will not be there if they continue to hold out on the visa," Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba said. Full Story | Top |
| Kenyan president says tourism sector "on its knees" after attacks Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 02:21 AM PDT  By James Macharia NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's vital tourism sector is "on its knees" after attacks by al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants carried out in retaliation for its intervention in neighbouring Somalia, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday. Kenyatta met ethnic Somali leaders and asked for their help in identifying people they thought may be behind attacks that have dented the president's plans to boost the tourism sector in east Africa's biggest economy. Kenya has large Somali communities in parts of the country near the frontier with Somalia and in Eastleigh, a part of the capital Nairobi known as "Little Mogadishu" for its large Somali population. Tourist arrivals in Kenya in the first five months of 2013 were down 15 percent on the previous year as visitors stayed away, worried by attacks blamed on Somalia's al Shabaab rebel group and by fears of trouble around elections in March, which in the event passed off peacefully. Full Story | Top |
| Guinea seeks to stem spread of deadly Ebola virus in capital Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 02:20 AM PDT  By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - Authorities in Guinea scrambled on Friday to halt the spread of Ebola in the capital as the Health Ministry identified another four suspected cases of a deadly virus outbreak that is estimated to have already killed 70. Officials said the previous day that five cases of Ebola had been detected in Conakry, a city of more than 2 million people, some 300 km (185 miles) from the previous infections in the West African country's remote southeast. Authorities in Guinea have launched an investigation into the movements of the infected men in Conakry and steps are being taken to deal with anyone who came into contact with them, the government said in a statement. In neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia, 11 more people have died from suspected Ebola, stirring concern that one of the most lethal infectious diseases known to man could be spreading in an impoverished region ill-equipped to cope. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters rally against PM ahead of Senate vote Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 02:16 AM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters rallied across Bangkok on Saturday in their latest bid to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a day before a crucial vote to elect a new Senate. Waving flags and blowing whistles, protesters marched from Lumpini Park in the business district of Bangkok, where protesters retreated to earlier this month, toward the city's old quarter after a brief hiatus in anti-government rallies. "We expected the crowd to be around 50,000-strong but the number of protesters doesn't look like it will exceed 30,000." A grenade exploded as protesters passed the Foreign Ministry offices, but no one was hurt, police said. Thailand has been in crisis since former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, was ousted in a 2006 coup. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese ships search new area for Malaysian plane Saturday, Mar 29, 2014 01:28 AM PDT  By Jane Wardell and Matt Siegel SYDNEY/PERTH (Reuters) - Chinese ships trawled a new area in the Indian Ocean for a missing Malaysian passenger jet on Saturday, as the search for Flight MH370 entered its fourth week amid a series of false dawns over sightings of debris. Australian authorities coordinating the operation moved the search 1,100 km (685 miles) north on Friday after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded the Malaysia Airlines plane travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian radar screens on March 8. A Chinese military aircraft spotted three suspicious objects on Saturday in the new search area some 1,850 km (1,150 miles) west of Perth, colored white, red and orange respectively, the official Xinhua news agency said. That sighting follows reports of "multiple objects of various colors" by international flight crews on Friday, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Full Story | Top |
| BlackBerry wins court order against TV host Ryan Seacrest's Typo Friday, Mar 28, 2014 08:13 PM PDT  (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd won a preliminary injunction on Friday to ban Ryan Seacrest's Typo Products LLC from selling a $99 iPhone case after a judge agreed that television host's company had likely infringed on BlackBerry's patents. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco said that the Canadian mobile phone maker had established a "likelihood" of proving that Typo infringed its patents, while mentioning that Typo had not sufficiently challenged the patents in question. The preliminary injunction prohibits Typo from the sale of its keyboard, which is a part of the relief sought by Blackberry. "BlackBerry is pleased that its motion for a preliminary injunction against Typo Products LLC was granted. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge OKs class action in e-book suit against Apple Friday, Mar 28, 2014 06:27 PM PDT  By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge in New York granted class certification on Friday to a group of consumers who sued Apple Inc for conspiring with five major publishers to fix e-book prices in violation of antitrust law. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said the plaintiffs had "more than met their burden" to allow them to sue as a group. She rejected Apple's contentions that the claims were too different from each other, or that some plaintiffs were not harmed because some e-book prices fell. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. Full Story | Top |
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