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Sunday, March 11, 2012 12:01 AM PST

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Japan mourn; grapples with tsunami aftermath Israeli strikes kill two Palestinians in Gaza Abu Dhabi freezes new hotel licenses: paper U.S. soldier detained in Afghanistan for shooting civilians Slovak leftist Fico sweeps to election victory Insight: Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change Last inmates pardoned by former Mississippi Governor released Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Belgium extends austerity measures Continuity expected in North Korea: think tank Barclays bank pay packages excessive - Cable Syria's Assad meets Annan, but gives little ground Blast at bus station in Kenyan capital kills three Barclays bank pay packages excessive - Cable Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Democratic Representative Inslee to step down, focus on governor race Japan mourns tsunami dead; grapples with unfinished business Ethiopian troops clash with al Shabaab in Somalia Bahrain says to start talks, drop charges for some medics France's Hollande battles Sarkozy over "race" Israel kills five more Gaza militants; rockets hit Israel Big Hungary rally calls for government ouster Saudi women students boycott classes in rare protest Top-rated nations "have bigger say" in Juncker succession German idea for new EU constitution gets mixed response Air strikes in Yemen kill 45 suspected Qaeda militants Slovak left poised to win election, sink reformists Libya interior minister calls time on rogue militias German SPD wants concessions for backing fiscal pact Iraq militia stone youths to death for "emo" style Cocoa smugglers on motorbikes evade Ivorian guards Ethiopian, al Shabaab forces clash in Somalia Brazil to extend IOF tax to longer maturities, paper says Taliban Guantanamo detainees agree to Qatar transfer: official Arabs urge Russia to back Syria peace plan Nigeria hostages killed in toilet during rescue - witness U.S. deeply skeptical about Syria military options Ethiopian, al Shabaab forces clash in Somalia Italy condemns botched British raid in Nigeria Nigeria hostages killed in bathroom during rescue: witness Japan mourn; grapples with tsunami aftermath Sat,10 Mar 2012 11:52 PM PST Reuters - OFUNATO, Japan (Reuters) - With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear rallies, Japan marked on Sunday one year since an earthquake and tsunami killed thousands and set off a radiation crisis that shattered public trust in atomic power and the nation's leaders. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeast coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for, and the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs. ... Full Story Top Israeli strikes kill two Palestinians in Gaza Sat,10 Mar 2012 11:29 PM PST Reuters - GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft on Sunday killed two Palestinians, one a 12-year-old boy, medical sources in Gaza said, as cross border violence continued for a third day with militants firing rockets into the Jewish state. Medics said the boy was killed by an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip and identified him as Ayoub Assaleya. A Palestinian militant was killed in a separate strike in Gaza City, they said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the strikes and said the army was checking on the reports that a boy was killed. ... Full Story Top Abu Dhabi freezes new hotel licenses: paper Sat,10 Mar 2012 11:24 PM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi will not issue new hotel licenses in the capital of the United Arab Emirates until further notice due to oversupply, a local newspaper reported on Sunday, citing a tourism official. However, none of the already issued licenses will be revoked even if construction of the hotels has not begun, said al-Rroya al-Eqtisadiyya, quoting Naser al-Riyami, an official in the emirate's tourism authority. ... Full Story Top U.S. soldier detained in Afghanistan for shooting civilians Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:47 PM PST Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier has been detained in Afghanistan for shooting and wounding several civilians in southern province Kandahar, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition said on Sunday. "It was a shooting incident involving multiple civilians wounded," said the spokesman, Captain Justin Brockhoff, adding that there were no initial reports of deaths in the attack which took place on Sunday. Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between President Hamid Karzai's government and U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. "U.S. ... Full Story Top Slovak leftist Fico sweeps to election victory Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:37 PM PST Reuters - BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia's leftist leader Robert Fico on Sunday assured Brussels he was a partner to rely on after a landslide election victory that will oust a government that collapsed over whether to back euro zone bailouts. A triumphant Fico said his centre-left Smer had won an outright majority in parliament, in line with near complete results, but said he was ready to take on a coalition partner if any of the other parties were ready to support his agenda. ... Full Story Top Insight: Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:24 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Three months after Japan's March 11 triple disaster, a long-time expert on the country arrived in Tokyo to research a book he intended to entitle "Rebirth of a Nation." Months later, Richard Samuels is calling his work "The Rhetoric of Crisis." A year after the huge earthquake, deadly tsunami and the world's worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century jolted the country, it is clear that even a shock of such magnitude failed to snap it out of its economic and political torpor. "So far it seems there was more talk of change than change itself. ... Full Story Top Last inmates pardoned by former Mississippi Governor released Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:32 PM PST Reuters - STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Reuters) - The last three inmates still in prison who had been pardoned by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour were released on Saturday, two days after the state's highest court cleared the way for their freedom. The release of the prisoners could be the final chapter in a controversial saga that began in January when Barbour issued more than 200 pardons as he left office, the most in modern Mississippi history. The pardons prompted an outcry from victims of those released and the families of victims. ... Full Story Top Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:20 PM PST Reuters - TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum swept the Kansas caucuses on Saturday with 51 percent of the vote, giving him a boost going into crucial primary votes in the South next week. The conservative former senator from Pennsylvania was well ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who was at 21 percent, and former House of Representative Speaker Newt Gingrich at 14 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul had 12 percent. ... Full Story Top Belgium extends austerity measures Sat,10 Mar 2012 05:54 PM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's government agreed early on Sunday to extend austerity measures by 1.82 billion euros ($2.39 billion) to keep its 2012 budget deficit within EU limits. After a full week of talks, ministers from the six-party coalition also decided to freeze a further 650 million euros of spending in case a weak economy meant further savings were required, the government said in a statement on Sunday. It added that it would provide further details at a news conference planned on Sunday morning. ... Full Story Top Continuity expected in North Korea: think tank Sat,10 Mar 2012 05:31 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A delegation of North Korean officials in New York have indicated there will be "continuity" in the secretive state following the death in December of long-time leader Kim Jong-il, a former senior State Department official said on Saturday. A North Korean delegation, led by Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, met on Saturday for some six hours with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy think tank. In a news conference following the meeting, Evans Revere, a former senior U.S. ... Full Story Top Barclays bank pay packages excessive - Cable Sat,10 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PST Reuters - NEWCASTLE (Reuters) - Multi-million pound pay deals for the chief of Barclays and other executives of the bank are excessive and unjustified, Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Saturday, calling on its shareholders to take action to curb huge payouts. But the government would not intervene over high payouts to executives at taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland, because it wanted to avoid micro managing the lender, rescued by a state bailout during the 2008 credit crisis, he said in an interview. ... Full Story Top Syria's Assad meets Annan, but gives little ground Sat,10 Mar 2012 03:56 PM PST Reuters - President Bashar al-Assad told U.N./Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Saturday that no political solution was possible in Syria while "terrorist" groups were destabilizing the country. "Syria is ready to make a success of any honest effort to find a solution for the events it is witnessing," state news agency SANA quoted Assad as telling his guest. "No political dialogue or political activity can succeed while there are armed terrorist groups operating and spreading chaos and instability," the Syrian leader said after about two hours of talks with the former U.N. ... Full Story Top Blast at bus station in Kenyan capital kills three Sat,10 Mar 2012 03:56 PM PST Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - An explosion at a bus station in downtown Nairobi killed at least three people and wounded 40 on Saturday evening, with eight still in critical condition, the Kenya Red Cross said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Kenyan capital was hit by grenade attacks in October after Kenya sent troops into neighboring Somalia to fight al Shabaab, the militant group linked to al Qaeda. Police quickly blamed the Somali rebels. ... Full Story Top Barclays bank pay packages excessive - Cable Sat,10 Mar 2012 03:53 PM PST Reuters - NEWCASTLE, England (Reuters) - Multi-million pound pay deals for the chief of Barclays and other executives of the British bank are excessive and unjustified, Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Saturday, calling on its shareholders to take action to curb huge payouts. But the government would not intervene over high payouts to executives at taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland, because it wanted to avoid micro managing the lender, rescued by a state bailout during the 2008 credit crisis, he said in an interview. ... Full Story Top Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Sat,10 Mar 2012 03:35 PM PST Reuters - TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum swept the Kansas caucuses on Saturday with 51 percent of the vote, giving him a boost going into crucial primary votes in the South next week. The conservative former senator from Pennsylvania was well ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who was at 21 percent, and former House of Representative Speaker Newt Gingrich at 14 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul had 12 percent. ... Full Story Top Democratic Representative Inslee to step down, focus on governor race Sat,10 Mar 2012 02:53 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Democratic Representative Jay Inslee said on Saturday he would step down from Congress later this month to focus on his campaign for governor of Washington state. Inslee, who has served since 1999, said his resignation would take effect on March 20. He is vying with Republican Rob McKenna, the state attorney general, to replace Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire. A recent poll had the two rivals tied. "I am excited about focusing full-time on talking about my job-creation agenda and building a new economy for Washington state," Inslee said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Japan mourns tsunami dead; grapples with unfinished business Sat,10 Mar 2012 02:29 PM PST Reuters - OFUNATO, Japan (Reuters) - With a minute of silence, tolling bells and prayers, Japan will on Sunday mark the first anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis that shattered public trust in atomic power and the nation's leaders. A year after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeastern coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for, the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs. ... Full Story Top Ethiopian troops clash with al Shabaab in Somalia Sat,10 Mar 2012 01:32 PM PST Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Dozens died in fighting between al Shabaab rebels and Ethiopian troops near the central Somali town of Baidoa and another small town on Saturday, residents, regional officials and the Islamist rebels said. There were differing accounts of which side bore the brunt of casualties in the small town of Yurkud early on Saturday, the heaviest clashes involving Ethiopian troops since they returned to Somalia in force last year after withdrawing in early 2009. ... Full Story Top Bahrain says to start talks, drop charges for some medics Sat,10 Mar 2012 01:03 PM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - An adviser to Bahrain's King Hamad said the Gulf Arab state would hold a "comprehensive dialogue" soon to end a year-long political crisis and the government said it was dropping charges against most medics in a controversial trial. The U.S. ally, home to Washington's Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since democracy protests erupted last year only to be crushed by force one month later. Manama has faced international pressure to redress abuse suffered by majority Shi'ite Muslims during its crackdown and start political reforms. ... Full Story Top France's Hollande battles Sarkozy over "race" Sat,10 Mar 2012 12:41 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - French Socialist Francois Hollande will ask lawmakers to vote on a proposed removal of the word "race" from the French Constitution if he is elected president in May, the frontrunner said in a speech on Saturday. The 57-year-old Hollande also praised the diversity of France's ethnic makeup, saying the country was "proud of its diversity", further distancing himself from incumbent rival Nicolas Sarkozy's tough talk on immigration and calls for clear labeling of halal meat. ... Full Story Top Israel kills five more Gaza militants; rockets hit Israel Sat,10 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST Reuters - Israel killed four Gaza militants on Saturday as violence sparked by the death of a militant leader a day earlier escalated with gunmen firing more than 90 rockets at Israel, injuring four people, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. In all Israel, has killed 14 militants in aerial strikes launched since Friday, Hamas medics said. In the latest attack, a gunman was killed on a motorcycle and another was critically wounded and later died of his injuries, medics said. ... Full Story Top Big Hungary rally calls for government ouster Sat,10 Mar 2012 11:08 AM PST Reuters - BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested outside Hungary's parliament on Saturday calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his centre-right government which they say has undermined democratic values and weakened the economy. "Today we must say decisively and clearly, Viktor Orban and his gang must be voted out as soon as possible at an election," Peter Konya, leader of the Hungarian Solidarity Movement, told about 6,000 supporters. ... Full Story Top Saudi women students boycott classes in rare protest Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:57 AM PST Reuters - JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Thousands of students at an all-female university in Saudi Arabia boycotted classes on Saturday, protesting against poor services, witnesses said, in a rare display of dissent from women in the conservative Islamic kingdom. It was the second protest at King Khalid university in the southern town of Abha in a week - security forces broke up a demonstration there on Wednesday, leaving dozens injured, students told Reuters. The protests first erupted when the university cancelled cleaning services, saying students needed to take better care of their campus. ... Full Story Top Top-rated nations "have bigger say" in Juncker succession Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:40 AM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Euro zone countries with a top credit rating might have a bigger say in talks to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as chairman of the bloc's finance ministers, a Greek newspaper quoted German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble as saying on Saturday. Asked in an interview in weekly To Vima whether Juncker's successor would have to come from a triple-A country, Schaeuble said: "Member states that observe the euro zone's fiscal rules and are rewarded for this by the rating agencies and the market will possibly have better chance to promote their candidates for the post. ... Full Story Top German idea for new EU constitution gets mixed response Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:27 AM PST Reuters - COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A German suggestion to debate once more the creation of an EU constitution won mixed responses on Saturday, with France's foreign minister welcoming the idea but only nine countries planning to attend a seminar in Berlin. Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said on Friday the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, drafted after Dutch and French voters rejected a proposed constitution in 2005, was not enough to keep European decision-making structures effective. ... Full Story Top Air strikes in Yemen kill 45 suspected Qaeda militants Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PST Reuters - SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - U.S. drone attacks killed at least 25 al Qaeda-linked fighters including one of their leaders while a Yemeni air force raid killed 20 more in the south, sources said on Saturday, in the biggest airstrikes since Yemen's new president took office. Militants have expanded their operations in southern Yemen during months of turmoil which paralyzed the country and eventually unseated former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was replaced in a February vote by Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. ... Full Story Top Slovak left poised to win election, sink reformists Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:40 AM PST Reuters - BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Leftist former prime minister Robert Fico appeared poised to sweep to victory in Slovakia's election on Saturday on a pledge to tax the rich, amid high unemployment and budget austerity. Polls showed the 47-year-old lawyer could win 40 percent of the vote, knocking his reformist rival Mikulas Dzurinda's centre-right SDKU out of power and possibly out of parliament. ... Full Story Top Libya interior minister calls time on rogue militias Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:38 AM PST Reuters - MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's Interior Minister has warned militias outside the control of the central government to put down their arms or face confrontation with the new national security forces. The militias spearheaded the rebellion which last year forced out Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Months later, some of them still occupy government buildings and man checkpoints while answering to their own commanders, not the government. ... Full Story Top German SPD wants concessions for backing fiscal pact Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:25 AM PST Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SPD) will back new euro zone budget discipline rules on condition the government agrees extra measures like a financial transaction tax, SPD leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a German daily. Chancellor Angela Merkel requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament to get new euro zone budget discipline rules approved at home, given that they would affect national sovereignty, making her dependent on the opposition. ... Full Story Top Iraq militia stone youths to death for "emo" style Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:11 AM PST Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 14 youths have been stoned to death in Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by Shi'ite militants against youths wearing Western-style "emo" clothes and haircuts, security and hospital sources say. Militants in Shi'ite neighborhoods where the stonings have taken place circulated lists on Saturday naming more youths targeted to be killed if they do not change the way they dress. ... Full Story Top Cocoa smugglers on motorbikes evade Ivorian guards Sat,10 Mar 2012 08:37 AM PST Reuters - OSSEIKRO, Ghana (Reuters) - In the dusty town of Osseikro just inside Ghana's border with Ivory Coast, the only billboard for miles welcomes visitors with the order: "Stop Smuggling Cocoa". But the garish sign, put up by Ghana's cocoa sector body during this year's harvest, has done little to deter smuggling through a town which is a hotspot for the illicit trade. "All of our cocoa is going to Ghana this year because of the prices," said Eric Comoe, head of a cocoa-growers cooperative in the Ivorian town of Abengourou, 30 km (20 miles) over the border. ... Full Story Top Ethiopian, al Shabaab forces clash in Somalia Sat,10 Mar 2012 08:36 AM PST Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab rebels attacked Ethiopian troops in southern Somalia on Saturday and dozens were killed in hours of fighting, residents, regional officials and the Islamist rebels said. There were differing accounts of which side bore the brunt of the fighting in the small town of Yurkud, the worst involving Ethiopian troops since they returned in force to Somalia last year after withdrawing in early 2009. ... Full Story Top Brazil to extend IOF tax to longer maturities, paper says Sat,10 Mar 2012 08:34 AM PST Reuters - * IOF to be extended to loans maturing in up to 5 years-Folha * Would be second IOF change in less than two weeks SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil will extended a 6 percent tax known as the IOF on overseas loans with maturities of up to five years, local newspaper Folha De S.Paulo reported on Saturday. The tax had previously been charged when companies in Brazil took foreign loans maturing up to two years, but was extended to three years on March 1. The change will be enacted at the beginning of next week, the newspaper reported, without citing sources. ... Full Story Top Taliban Guantanamo detainees agree to Qatar transfer: official Sat,10 Mar 2012 08:18 AM PST Reuters - Five Taliban detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison have agreed to be transferred to Qatar, a move Afghanistan believes will boost a nascent peace process, President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said on Saturday. The transfer idea is part of U.S. efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to avoid prolonged instability in Afghanistan after foreign combat troops leave the country at the end of 2014. ... Full Story Top Arabs urge Russia to back Syria peace plan Sat,10 Mar 2012 08:15 AM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Gulf Arabs told Russia in blunt language on Saturday its failure to take a tough line on Syria had allowed killing to continue and urged Moscow to back an Arab peace effort that includes a call for Russian ally President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Qatar, which with Saudi Arabia has led efforts to isolate Assad, also told Arab ministers in Cairo and the Russian foreign minister who joined them, it was time to recognize the exiled Syrian National Council as Syria's legitimate representative. ... Full Story Top Nigeria hostages killed in toilet during rescue - witness Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:58 AM PST Reuters - SOKOTO, Nigeria (Reuters) - The wife of one of the guards who held a Briton and an Italian hostage in northern Nigeria said on Saturday the two men were taken into a toilet and shot dead during a failed attempt to rescue them by British and Nigerian forces. The wife, who gave her name only as Hauwa and said she was 31, cried into her hands as she spoke to Reuters. Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara were kidnapped last May while working for a construction company in northwest Nigeria. They were killed on March 8 by their captors after gunfire erupted during an abortive rescue attempt. ... Full Story Top U.S. deeply skeptical about Syria military options Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:52 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration is exploring options to halt the bloodshed in Syria but is deeply skeptical of military intervention out of fear it could worsen the humanitarian crisis, according to a White House official. In a briefing with a small group of reporters on Friday, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, contrasted the situation in Syria with Libya, where a NATO campaign bolstered rebels who eventually toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last year. ... Full Story Top Ethiopian, al Shabaab forces clash in Somalia Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab rebels attacked Ethiopian troops in southern Somalia on Saturday and dozens were killed in hours of fighting, residents, regional officials and the Islamist rebels said. There were differing accounts of which side bore the brunt of the fighting in the small town of Yurkud, the worst involving Ethiopian troops since they returned in force to Somalia last year after withdrawing in early 2009. ... Full Story Top Italy condemns botched British raid in Nigeria Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PST Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - A diplomatic row broke out between London and Rome on Friday over Britain's failure to inform the Italian government before launching a botched hostage rescue mission in Nigeria. The raid resulted in the deaths of a Briton and an Italian held hostage by what Nigerian authorities said was a militant Islamist group. Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara had been kidnapped last May while working for a construction company in northwest Nigeria. ... Full Story Top Nigeria hostages killed in bathroom during rescue: witness Sat,10 Mar 2012 07:29 AM PST Reuters - SOKOTO, Nigeria (Reuters) - The wife of one of the guards who held a Briton and an Italian hostage in northern Nigeria said on Saturday the two men were taken into a bathroom and shot dead during a failed attempt to rescue them by British and Nigerian forces. The wife, who gave her name only as Hauwa and said she was 31, cried into her hands as she spoke to Reuters. Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara were kidnapped last May while working for a construction company in northwest Nigeria. They were killed on March 8 by their captors after gunfire erupted during an abortive rescue ... Full Story Top

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