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Sunday, March 11, 2012 12:00 AM PST

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: U.S. soldier detained in Afghanistan for shooting civilians Slovak leftist Fico sweeps to election victory Israeli strikes kill two Palestinians in Gaza China sacrifices growth to satiate inflation dragon Japan mourns; grapples with tsunami aftermath Insight: Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Continuity expected in North Korea: think tank Syria's Assad meets Annan, but gives little ground Blast at bus station in Kenyan capital kills three Mass grave in southern Mexico yields 167 bodies Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses Japan mourns tsunami dead; grapples with unfinished business France pessimistic on Syria vote, EU plans sanctions 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" Greece eyes elections after debt deal Israel kills five more Gaza militants; rockets hit Israel Big Hungary rally calls for government ouster Saudi women students boycott classes in rare protest 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 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 Nigeria hostages killed in bathroom during rescue: witness Afghan officials visit Guantanamo in peace bid Afghan foreign minister to visit Qatar to discuss Taliban talks Greece eyes 1 billion euro stimulus from EIB: PM adviser Syria begins pulling envoys out of EU: diplomats Bahrain says will hold dialogue to end crisis soon Smaller crowds challenge Putin after Russia poll 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 Israeli strikes kill two Palestinians in Gaza Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:15 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. Medics said the boy was killed by an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip. A Palestinian militant was killed in a separate strike in Gaza City, they said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed strikes were carried out but gave no further details. (Writing by Maayan Lubell) Full Story Top China sacrifices growth to satiate inflation dragon Sat,10 Mar 2012 10:03 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - If inflation is a dragon that must be slain, China's Premier Wen Jiabao has shown he is willing to sacrifice a part of the country's most vital asset to do so -- growth. Cutting China's 2012 economic growth target to 7.5 percent at the start of the annual meeting of parliament last week says clearly that too rapid an expansion makes inflation too tough to contain, given the reforms needed to create widespread wealth. That he did so in the week it was revealed that the annual rate of inflation in February receded to a 20-month low of 3. ... Full Story Top Japan mourns; grapples with tsunami aftermath Sat,10 Mar 2012 09:52 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. A year after 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, the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs. ... 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 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 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 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 Mass grave in southern Mexico yields 167 bodies Sat,10 Mar 2012 03:47 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Authorities are investigating a mass grave in southern Mexico containing 167 bodies that may have been dumped there at least 50 years ago, a Mexican official said on Saturday. The remains, found in a cave near the Guatemalan border, "disintegrated at the touch," said the official at the Chiapas state prosecutor's office. Investigators are trying to determine the age and gender of the victims and the cause of death, the official said on condition of anonymity. ... 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 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 France pessimistic on Syria vote, EU plans sanctions Sat,10 Mar 2012 02:06 PM PST Reuters - COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - French foreign minister Alain Juppe said on Saturday he was pessimistic over the chances of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria, after he and other EU foreign ministers discussed further sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's government. The Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the Arab Spring uprisings at a high-level meeting that will likely focus on the conflict in Syria. ... 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 Greece eyes elections after debt deal Sat,10 Mar 2012 12:37 PM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos formally submitted his candidacy to lead the Socialist PASOK party on Saturday, as the focus in Athens shifted to elections expected once an international bailout deal is cleared. Greece averted the immediate threat of an uncontrolled default on Thursday when it successfully concluded a bond swap deal under which private sector creditors agreed to accept deep cuts in the value of their holdings. "There is now more than just recession, budget cuts and tax increases ... ... 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 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 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 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 Afghan officials visit Guantanamo in peace bid Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:38 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Afghan government delegation visited the Guantanamo Bay military prison this week to secure approval from five Taliban detainees who may soon be moved to Qatar, a sign that the Obama administration is inching closer to establishing peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan. The delegation, which visited the top-security detention center in Cuba on Monday, included Ibrahim Spinzada, a senior foreign policy aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, sources familiar with the subject said. ... Full Story Top Afghan foreign minister to visit Qatar to discuss Taliban talks Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:38 AM PST Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasool will visit Qatar to meet government officials to discuss reconciliation with the Taliban, a ministry spokesman said on Saturday, in a sign the nascent peace process could gain momentum. Rasool is scheduled to leave for Qatar in under ten days, Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Greece eyes 1 billion euro stimulus from EIB: PM adviser Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:32 AM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece hopes to get 1 billion euros ($1.31 billion) in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) this year as a stimulus for its ailing economy, a senior official said on Saturday. Greece and the European Commission are pushing the EIB, the European Union's long-term investment arm, to disburse the funds, said Gikas Hardouvelis, top economic adviser to Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. "I believe in the end it will happen," Hardouvelis told Greece's Mega television, adding the EIB might channel the money into the Greek economy through local banks. ... Full Story Top Syria begins pulling envoys out of EU: diplomats Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:14 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Syria has begun pre-emptively withdrawing ambassadors from Europe because it fears EU members will expel them in response to President Bashar al-Assad's ruthless crackdown on an uprising, Arab diplomats said. They said Syrian envoys in a number of European Union countries had been told to come home by their government and were preparing to leave as soon as possible, although they did not specify the countries. EU member states have been discussing proposals, promoted by France, to collectively downgrade diplomatic ties both in EU capitals and Damascus, but with no agreement so far. ... Full Story Top Bahrain says will hold dialogue to end crisis soon Sat,10 Mar 2012 06:01 AM 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 but the opposition said it was unaware of such plans. The comments by Nabeel Al-Hamer, the king's media advisor, were published by the state news agency late on Friday after a leading Shi'ite cleric led what appeared to be the biggest opposition pro-democracy demonstration since a wave of protests erupted in February last year. ... Full Story Top Smaller crowds challenge Putin after Russia poll Sat,10 Mar 2012 05:33 AM PST Reuters - Thousands of Russians chanting "Time for change" challenged Vladimir Putin's presidential election victory on Saturday but their numbers were far fewer than in previous weeks. People who demonstrated in bright sunshine in central Moscow waved flags, balloons and banners and wore white ribbons, the symbol of protests that began three months ago. Echoing chants from previous rallies, they shouted "Russia without Putin". "The road will be long and hard, it will be no quick struggle, but we will do it all. ... Full Story Top

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