Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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French police launch new swoops on suspected Islamists
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:47 PM PDT
Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Elite French police arrested 10 suspected Islamists in early morning raids on Wednesday in several cities, including Marseille, a police source said. The DCRI domestic intelligence service, supported by elite RAID and GIPN commandos, also carried out arrests in the southern cities of Pau and Valence, and the northeastern town of Roubaix, the source said. ... Full Story | Top |
Iraq says Iran proposes Baghdad as nuclear talks venue
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:33 PM PDT
Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iran has proposed holding the next round of talks with six world powers over its disputed nuclear program next week in Iraq instead of Turkey, Iraq's foreign minister said on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday the April 13-14 negotiations with Iran would be held in Istanbul, the first such meeting since January 2011 when the two sides failed even to agree on an agenda. ... Full Story | Top |
Analysis: Success of Annan peace plan for Syria hinges on Russia
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:10 PM PDT
Reuters -  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The success or failure of Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria will depend largely on how willing Russia is to keep sustained pressure on a government that Moscow is determined to protect from Western calls for "regime change." Even if, as expected, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fails to comply fully with an April 10 deadline to halt military operations and pull its army out of population centers, U.N. diplomats say Annan will keep pushing Russia and China to help him pressure Damascus to end the year-long conflict. The former U.N. ...
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Analysis: Success of Annan peace plan for Syria hinges on Russia
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:09 PM PDT
Reuters -  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The success or failure of Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria will depend largely on how willing Russia is to keep sustained pressure on a government that Moscow is determined to protect from Western calls for "regime change." Even if, as expected, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fails to comply fully with an April 10 deadline to halt military operations and pull its army out of population centers, U.N. diplomats say Annan will keep pushing Russia and China to help him pressure Damascus to end the year-long conflict. The former U.N. ...
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Addicts embody cocaine boom in Brazil's "cracklands"
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:02 PM PDT
Reuters - SAO PAULO (Reuters) - When night falls, street crack marketplaces open for business. The gritty transactions of the drug trade take over in city neighborhoods that hum with legitimate commerce by day. Throngs of stupefied buyers crowd around dealers before skulking away behind the telltale glow of cigarette lighters. These are not the images that Brazil wants to project. ... Full Story | Top |
Romney close to Republican nomination after victories
Tue,3 Apr 2012 08:37 PM PDT
Reuters -  MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Mitt Romney made a big leap toward winning the Republican U.S. presidential nomination with a clean sweep of three primaries on Tuesday that handed a stinging defeat to chief rival Rick Santorum. The victories in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C. will increase appeals from Republican party leaders for Santorum to quit so that Romney can gird for a difficult fight against President Barack Obama in the November 6 election. ...
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First Marines in Australia as U.S. ramps up Asia-Pacific focus
Tue,3 Apr 2012 07:52 PM PDT
Reuters -  (Reuters) - About 200 U.S. Marines began a six month deployment in Australia on Wednesday, in the first wave of a buildup of 2,500 troops due eventually to rotate through a de facto base in Darwin, as the U.S. deepens its military presence in the Asia-Pacific. The deployment of Marines to northern Australia has sparked concern in China, where officials have questioned whether it is part of a larger U.S. strategy aimed at encircling it and thwarting the country's rise as a global power. ...
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Japan, Britain set to agree on joint development of arms: paper
Tue,3 Apr 2012 05:55 PM PDT
Reuters -  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and Britain are set to agree to begin joint development of arms following Tokyo's easing of its ban on exports of military equipment late last year, the Mainichi daily reported on Wednesday. It will mark the first time that Japan has worked with a country other than the United States on military equipment after making an exception for the U.S. missile defense program. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his British counterpart David Cameron are expected to formally agree to begin talks when they meet on April 10 in Tokyo, the paper said. ...
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Police: Accused Oakland gunman targeted administrator, classmates
Tue,3 Apr 2012 04:55 PM PDT
Reuters -  OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - A former student accused of killing seven people and wounding three others in a shooting rampage at a small Christian college in Oakland was gunning for a school administrator and classmates who he felt had treated him unfairly, police said on Tuesday. Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said that 43-year-old One Goh, expelled from Oikos University for "anger management" issues, has been cooperative since being taken into custody after Monday's shootings but "not particularly remorseful. ...
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U.S., Afghanistan near deal on night raids: official
Tue,3 Apr 2012 04:53 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and Afghan officials are close to a deal to change the way night raids are conducted in Afghanistan, giving Afghan security forces the lead role and providing judicial oversight of a practice hated by Afghans but seen as effective by American forces, a U.S. defense official said on Tuesday. The deal is expected to help clear the way for a broader strategic partnership agreement that will govern the U.S. presence in Afghanistan once Afghan forces take full responsibility for security by the end of 2014. The U.S. ...
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Canada's move to buy F-35 jets flawed: watchdog
Tue,3 Apr 2012 04:52 PM PDT
Reuters -  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's decision to buy F-35 fighter jets was based on bad data from officials who deliberately downplayed the costs and risks, the government's spending watchdog said on Tuesday, further tainting a project that is already delayed and well over budget. The report by Auditor-General Michael Ferguson is an embarrassment for the Conservative government, which announced in July 2010 that it would buy 65 of the fifth generation Joint Strike Fighters made by Lockheed Martin. ...
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James Murdoch quits as BSkyB chairman
Tue,3 Apr 2012 04:05 PM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - James Murdoch resigned as chairman of BSkyB on Tuesday to prevent his links to a tabloid phone-hacking scandal from undermining the pay TV group, which has so far escaped the worst of the damage convulsing its controlling shareholder News Corp. In a bitter blow to Murdoch, until last year seen as heir apparent to his father Rupert's media empire, James said he would step down from the British pay-TV company where he made his name as a talented executive in his own right. ...
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Obama targets Romney by name as Republican race shifts
Tue,3 Apr 2012 03:45 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON/MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama attacked Mitt Romney directly on Tuesday for backing a controversial Republican budget plan, marking a shift into the general election as the former Massachusetts governor edged toward becoming his party's presidential nominee. Obama rarely mentions the Republican front-runner by name, preferring to let Romney battle it out with party rival Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator. ...
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First Marines in Australia under new security deal
Tue,3 Apr 2012 03:40 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Some 200 U.S. Marines arrived in Australia late on Tuesday for a six-month deployment, the first of 2,500 troops expected to rotate through a de facto base in Darwin as part of plans to deepen the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific. The deployment of Marines to northern Australia has sparked concern in China, where officials have questioned whether it is part of a larger U.S. strategy aimed at encircling it and thwarting the country's rise as a global power. ...
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Russian Church: under attack after backing Putin
Tue,3 Apr 2012 03:09 PM PDT
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Orthodox Church said on Tuesday it was under attack from unspecified "anti-Russian forces" seeking to erode its authority after it threw its weight behind Vladimir Putin before last month's presidential election. The unusually strongly-worded statement listed a recent protest performance by an all-girl punk band in Moscow's main cathedral as well as media allegations against Patriarch Kirill as examples of such attacks. ...
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Czech PM tells coalition partner to stop threats
Tue,3 Apr 2012 02:58 PM PDT
Reuters -  PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas on Tuesday warned a rebellious coalition partner to stop playing political games, saying he was unafraid of a fresh election if the Public Affairs party made good on its threat to leave his government. Responding to an ultimatum issued by his junior coalition partner, which said its ministers may resign as early as Wednesday unless he met their demands, Necas warned Public Affairs to weigh their next step carefully. "The moment their ministers hand in resignations, any room for talks ... ...
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UK snooping row casts doubt on Cameron leadership
Tue,3 Apr 2012 02:45 PM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - Plans to boost digital surveillance powers have pushed Britain's government into a row it can ill afford, after a week of gaffes that have raised questions over Prime Minister David Cameron's leadership. The plan involves monitoring all phone calls, texts, emails and online activities to help tackle crime and militant attacks, a move condemned even by some within Cameron's Conservative Party and labeled by critics as a "snooper's charter". ...
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Quebec puts Air Canada on notice over Aveos
Tue,3 Apr 2012 02:42 PM PDT
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Quebec's attorney general said on Tuesday he had notified Air Canada of its legal obligation to keep a maintenance center operating in the province and would take legal action if he did not receive a satisfactory response from the country's No.1 airline. The province said in March it was considering legal action against Air Canada to keep a Montreal aircraft maintenance facility open. Its concern follows the closure of the facility, operated by an important Air Canada contractor. ...
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China keen on free trade pact with U.S.: Greenberg
Tue,3 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China is eager to begin talks on a free trade pact with the United States and key leaders seem willing to step away from the state capitalism Beijing has been pursuing, a senior U.S. executive with access to China's leadership said on Tuesday. Maurice Greenberg, chairman of Starr International Company Inc and former AIG chief, met with Premier Wen Jiabao, Wen's expected successor Li Keqiang and other top official's during a two-week visit to China. ...
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Canada car sales up in March but pace slows
Tue,3 Apr 2012 02:29 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Canadian auto sales rose for a third consecutive month in March, and Ford regained its crown as the No. 1 seller, but the pace of sales slowed as demand returned to what Ford Canada's chief executive said was a "more realistic" level. Industry sales rose 2.8 percent in March to 157,750 cars and trucks, according to statistics compiled by independent automotive consultants, DesRosiers. Continued demand for smaller, fuel-efficient cars drove the increase, which was considerably smaller than the sales gains in Canada in the first two months of the year. January's 15. ... Full Story | Top |
Canada air safety checks have big flaws: auditor
Tue,3 Apr 2012 01:40 PM PDT
Reuters -  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's system for monitoring airline safety has major flaws that could result in more accidents unless improvements are made, the government's spending watchdog said on Tuesday. Auditor General Michael Ferguson said that although the transport department's regulations call for aviation companies to be inspected every year, about 70 percent of them were not investigated in the 2010-11 fiscal year. "Transport Canada is not adequately managing the risks associated with its civil aviation oversight," he said. ...
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Canada opposition sees low bar for Quebec independence
Tue,3 Apr 2012 01:37 PM PDT
Reuters -  OTTAWA (Reuters) - The new head of Canada's main opposition party says a simple majority should allow independence for French-speaking Quebec, a far lower bar than the one accepted by other pro-Canada parties and one that could make independence more likely. Thomas Mulcair, a Quebecker who took over as head of the left-leaning New Democrats last month, said Canada would have to negotiate independence for Quebec if a majority of voters opted for that. "Quantitatively clear... ...
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U.S. puts bounty on Pakistani suspect in Mumbai attacks
Tue,3 Apr 2012 01:14 PM PDT
Reuters -  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The United States has posted a $10 million reward for help in the arrest of a Pakistani Islamist leader, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, suspected of masterminding attacks on India's financial capital and its parliament. The reward comes at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Pakistan and is likely to increases pressure on Pakistan to take action against the former Arabic scholar, who has recently addressed rallies in Pakistan despite an Interpol warrant for him. Released from house arrest in 2009, Saeed is a free man in Pakistan. ...
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Russia says kills five Islamists in Caucasus
Tue,3 Apr 2012 01:13 PM PDT
Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian security forces killed five Islamist rebels suspected of plotting suicide attacks in the capital of the republic of Ingushetia on Tuesday, Russia's anti-terrorism committee (NAK) said in a statement. The Kremlin is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus and President Dmitry Medvedev has called the North Caucasus separatist movement Russia's top domestic security problem. The NAK statement said the rebels opened fire on security forces after they attempted to stop their car. It said all five were killed in the shooting. ... Full Story | Top |
Mali junta defies deadline for handing over power
Tue,3 Apr 2012 01:12 PM PDT
Reuters -  BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's junta ignored a demand by neighbors for an immediate exit from power on Tuesday, instead simply repeating its offer to hold open-ended talks on a future transition to civilian rule. Malians rushed to stock up on petrol and cash after the 15-state ECOWAS West African bloc launched trade and diplomatic sanctions aimed at forcing the leaders of last month's coup to stand down. ...
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Peru leader sends brother to solitary confinement
Tue,3 Apr 2012 12:47 PM PDT
Reuters -  LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's president sent his loquacious brother to solitary confinement this week to end his embarrassing spectacles - only to have him show up in court on Tuesday and say he was beaten and bruised by prison guards. Antauro Humala, the cowboy hat-wearing younger brother of President Ollanta Humala, is serving a 19-year prison sentence for leading an attempted 2005 coup against former President Alejandro Toledo in which killed four police officers were killed. ...
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Brazil tax cuts, credits throw lifeline to industry
Tue,3 Apr 2012 12:13 PM PDT
Reuters -  BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's government unveiled a new package of tax cuts, low-cost credits and other relief for ailing industries on Tuesday, seeking to resurrect a once-booming economy struggling to regain momentum. In a speech to business leaders in the capital, Brasilia, President Dilma Rousseff said the measures are necessary to revive Latin America's biggest economy and help Brazil defend itself against what she called "predatory competition" from low-cost rivals in the global marketplace. ...
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Factbox: Wisconsin Republican primary vote
Tue,3 Apr 2012 12:12 PM PDT
Reuters -  Factbox: Wisconsin Republican primary vote April 3 - The race to win the Republican Party's nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in the November general election turns to the Midwestern state of Wisconsin on Tuesday. Here are a few facts about Wisconsin and the primary. Forty-two delegates are up for grabs in Wisconsin's winner-take-all contest where 18 delegates will be awarded on a state-wide basis and another 24 per congressional district. The primary is open, meaning registered Democrats and independents can vote in the Republican contest. ...
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Czech government shudders as party threatens to quit
Tue,3 Apr 2012 11:59 AM PDT
Reuters -  PRAGUE (Reuters) - A junior party in the Czech ruling coalition threatened to leave the government on Tuesday, triggering the worst in a long string of crises for the austerity-minded administration and raising the chance of an early election. Public Affairs, the smallest member of a three-party cabinet, said its ministers would resign on May 1 and demanded Prime Minister Petr Necas meet a list of conditions for it to continue supporting the government. ...
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Violence continues as Syria ceasefire nears
Tue,3 Apr 2012 11:23 AM PDT
Reuters -  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Opposition activists accused Syrian troops of shelling two cities on Tuesday in a campaign to weaken forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad's government before a ceasefire deadline next week. Rebel fighters also kept up their attacks, killing three soldiers in separate actions in northern Syria, activists said. Assad has agreed to a ceasefire negotiated by international peace envoy Kofi Annan from April 10, the latest effort to end a year of bloodshed stemming from an uprising against his rule. An advance team from the U.N. ...
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Italian 78-year-old jumps to death after pension cut
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:56 AM PDT
Reuters - PALERMO, Sicily (Reuters) - A 78-year-old Italian woman leapt to her death from a fourth floor balcony on Tuesday after her pension was cut, police said. Authorities had recently reduced her monthly pension to 600 euros from 800 and she had become overwhelmed with concern about not being able to make ends meet, her children told local police in Gela, southern Sicily. Suicide attempts connected to economic woes are reported regularly in Italy, which is struggling with a recession, rising unemployment and increasingly severe austerity measures. ... Full Story | Top |
Egypt liberals spurn Islamist offer, threaten protest
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:42 AM PDT
Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian liberals have refused to sit on a body drafting a new constitution dominated by Islamists, despite an offer by the Muslim Brotherhood to give them more seats, in a sign of growing political polarization after the fall of Hosni Mubarak. The new constitution is due to be written by a 100-member assembly of politicians and public figures over the next six month. ... Full Story | Top |
Netanyahu says sanctions hurting Iran but not enough
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:32 AM PDT
Reuters -  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that international sanctions were hurting Iran's economy but not enough to persuade it to curb its nuclear ambitions even slightly. "The Iranian government ... is having economic troubles but it has yet to move backward, even a millimeter, in its nuclear program," Netanyahu told a news conference he called to mark his right-wing government's third anniversary in power. "Will these difficulties bring the government in Tehran to stop its nuclear program? Time will tell. I cannot say to you that this will happen. ...
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Qatar to talk to all sides in Afghan peace process
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:17 AM PDT
Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar, which is to allow the Afghan Taliban to open a political office on its soil, said on Tuesday it would talk to all Afghan parties in an effort to reinvigorate the peace process. The state QNA news agency quoted Minister of State for International Cooperation, Khalid Mohamed al-Attiyah, as saying "We will talk to all parties," in response to a question on his country's role in reconciling Afghan factions. He was speaking after meeting Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasool for talks that dealt with the opening of the Taliban office in Doha, QNA said. ... Full Story | Top |
Qatar says won't hand VP Hashemi over to Baghdad
Tue,3 Apr 2012 10:03 AM PDT
Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar said on Tuesday it will not hand Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi - accused by the Iraqi authorities of running death squads - over to his own government. Iraq, whose sectarian divisions risk reoopening over the case against Hashemi, one of the senior Sunni Arab politicians in a central government led by Shi'ite Muslims, had demanded Qatar return him a day earlier. But Qatar said it was unable to comply with the request. ... Full Story | Top |
Sarkozy denies funding suspicions ahead of vote
Tue,3 Apr 2012 09:28 AM PDT
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday dismissed speculation about undeclared contributions to his 2007 campaign as nothing more than smear tactics ahead of his re-election bid. Fighting an uphill battle to win a second term in an election that starts in less than three weeks, Sarkozy had previously declined to comment on new developments in a judicial probe into links between his party and France's richest woman. ...
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RBC to buy full ownership of RBC Dexia
Tue,3 Apr 2012 09:13 AM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada said on Tuesday it would buy the 50 percent stake in custody joint venture RBC Dexia that it does not already own from Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, or BIL, for 837.5 million euros ($1.1 billion). Canada's No. 1 bank said the acquisition of RBC Dexia, which safeguards securities for institutional investors, would boost its earnings moderately in 2013. RBC Dexia also handles fund and pension-administration, along with other services for a client base that is spread across the globe. ... Full Story | Top |
France's Sarkozy seen losing runoff despite gains
Tue,3 Apr 2012 09:03 AM PDT
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy may top the first round of a presidential election this month but still lose a runoff on May 6 as most fringe voters say they will back Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, opinion polls show. Sarkozy pulled into the lead for the April 22 first ballot in yet another poll on Tuesday, but surveys for the second round have stabilized with Hollande firmly ahead, as supporters of other candidates prefer him to the conservative incumbent. ...
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Iran says could hit U.S. if it came under attack: paper
Tue,3 Apr 2012 08:46 AM PDT
Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States would not be safe from retaliation if Iran is attacked by Washington, the Iran newspaper quoted a senior Revolutionary Guards commander on Tuesday as saying. "In the face of any attack, we will have a crushing response. In that case, we will not only act in the boundaries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, no place in America will be safe from our attacks," Massoud Jazayeri was quoted as saying by the daily. Iran would not strike any country first, he said. Tehran is locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program. ... Full Story | Top |
Rivals reach deal to end power crisis in Gaza
Tue,3 Apr 2012 08:41 AM PDT
Reuters - GAZA (Reuters) - The Gaza Strip's Hamas government and the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) agreed to an Egyptian-brokered deal on Tuesday to end a fuel crisis that has caused daily power cuts in the territory, officials said. Under the agreement, an Israeli company will supply industrial diesel for the Gaza Strip's only power plant and a temporary mechanism will be put in place whereby Hamas can pay the bill without dealing directly with its enemy, Israel. "The Hamas authorities in Gaza will pay the money ... ... Full Story | Top |
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