Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: | | Dutch political parties close to budget deal: media Thu,12 Apr 2012 11:26 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch minority government and its ally, the Freedom Party, are close to reaching agreement on between 10 billion euros to 16 billion euros ($13.2-$21.1 billion) of budget cuts needed to curb a bloated deficit, Dutch media reported on Friday. Any package of spending cuts would still need to be evaluated by the government's economic think tank, the CPB, to ensure the measures were sufficient to bring the budget deficit within the European Commission's target of 3 percent of GDP. ... Full Story | Top | China's Ai Weiwei sues tax office in "evasion" case Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:46 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei is suing Beijing tax authorities for violating the law by imposing a 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) tax evasion penalty on the company he works for without allowing him access to evidence and witnesses, Ai said on Friday. Supporters of Ai, whose 81-day detention last year sparked an international outcry, have said the tax case is part of the government's effort to muzzle China's most famous social critic. ... Full Story | Top | China calls for calm after North Korea launch Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:30 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday called for call and restraint on the Korean peninsula after North Korea admitted its much hyped long-range rocket failed to deliver a satellite into orbit. "We hope all parties can maintain calm and restraint and not do anything to harm peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a two-line statement on the ministry's website. Pyongyang had defied pressure from the United States, China and others to push ahead with the launch it said was to put a weather satellite into orbit. ... Full Story | Top | Russia says North Korea launch contradicts U.N. council Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:15 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - North Korea's launch of a rocket contradicts a U.N. Security Council resolution restricting the use of ballistic technology, the Interfax news agency cited an unidentified Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying on Friday. Russia had earlier urged Pyongyang not to conduct the launch, saying it would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution regardless of its purpose and complicate efforts to revive six-party talks over North Korea's nuclear program. "U.N. Security Council Resolution No. ... Full Story | Top | Iran seeks dialogue, trust in nuclear talks: minister Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran hopes all sides in upcoming talks on its nuclear program will commit to comprehensive dialogue and that negotiators make "genuine efforts to reestablish confidence and trust," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Salehi said that to "solve the nuclear issue," the scope of talks this weekend in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany must address the concerns of all sides. ... Full Story | Top | Bissau soldiers attack home of poll front-runner Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:12 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau attacked the residence of former Prime Minister and presidential election front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior on Thursday in what regional ministers condemned as an attempted coup in the small West African state. Confusion and fear reined in the crumbling riverside capital, Bissau, after automatic weapons fire and several explosions sent residents scurrying for the shelter of their homes. State television and radio went off the air and armed soldiers were on the streets and controlling major roads in and out of the capital, witnesses and diplomats ... Full Story | Top | Iran seeks dialogue, trust in nuclear talks: minister Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:09 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran hopes all sides in upcoming talks on its nuclear program will commit to comprehensive dialogue and that negotiators make "genuine efforts to reestablish confidence and trust," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Salehi said that to "solve the nuclear issue," the scope of talks this weekend in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany must address the concerns of all sides. ... Full Story | Top | For Iran talks, trying to divine supreme leader's intent Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:06 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When U.S. officials join talks this weekend about Iran's nuclear program, they will be armed with profiles developed by intelligence agencies offering insight into what makes foreign leaders tick. One key player will not be at the table in Istanbul, where negotiations are scheduled between Iran and six world powers, but his stamp of approval will be required for any deal to fly. "Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has the final word on Iran's foreign, domestic, and security policies. He is the ultimate decision-maker," a U.S. official said. Since U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Australia's environment warrior Brown to quit politics Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:47 PM PDT Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's environment warrior Bob Brown, who built the Australian Greens into a powerful political force, announced on Friday he was quitting politics after 16 years in parliament and more than 30 years as an environmental campaigner. Brown, 67, who once heckled U.S. President George W. Bush when the president addressed Australia's parliament, said he was leaving politics to spend more time writing, taking photographs and bush walking in his home state of Tasmania. ... Full Story | Top | China to begin delivering oil ships to Iran in May Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:36 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese shipyards are expected to deliver the first of 12 supertankers to Iranian oil shipping operator NITC in May, two months ahead of a European ban that would make it difficult for most of the world's fleet to carry the OPEC member's oil. Another seven very large crude carriers (VLCCs) are scheduled for delivery by the end of this year from two Chinese shipyards, and the remaining four are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2013 in a total contract worth $1.2 billion, industry executives told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. meets on draft to authorize Syrian observer force Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:20 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council moved quickly on Thursday in an effort to honor a request from international Syria mediator Kofi Annan to authorize the deployment of a U.N. truce-monitoring force to prevent a fragile ceasefire from collapsing. Diplomats on the 15-nation council met behind closed doors to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution to authorize an initial deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers to Syria. They produced a revised draft, obtained by Reuters, that highlighted language Russia disliked, envoys said. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea suffers major blow as rocket crashes Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:15 PM PDT Reuters - PYONGYANG/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea admitted its much hyped long-range rocket failed to deliver a satellite into orbit on Friday while U.S. and South Korean officials said it crashed into the sea a few minutes after launch, dealing a blow to the reclusive state. Pyongyang had defied international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and others to push ahead with the launch timed to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the deceased founder of the state, and to coincide with the ascent to power of his grandson Kim Jong-un. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. council to meet Friday on North Korea rocket launch: envoys Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:06 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss a possible condemnation of North Korea's rocket launch, U.N. diplomats said on Thursday. They said the council hopes to unanimously agree to a statement condemning what several diplomats said was a violation of a U.N. ban on the use of ballistic missile technology by North Korea. The ban is part of Security Council sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests. Although the 10:00 a.m. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea confirms rocket launch failure Thu,12 Apr 2012 08:15 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday a satellite carried by a rocket it launched earlier in the day did not enter orbit, confirming neighboring countries' claims the long-range rocket launch ended in failure. "Scientists, technicians and experts are currently verifying the cause of the failure," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) Full Story | Top | Australia's miners end advertising truce with government Thu,12 Apr 2012 07:36 PM PDT Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's powerful mining lobby has launched an advertising campaign warning the Labor-led minority government against imposing more taxes, recalling its 2010 anti-tax crusade that helped bring down the then prime minister. Miners spent more than $20 million on advertising in 2010 to fight a resources tax by then Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd. Rudd was toppled by his deputy, Julia Gillard, who as prime minister watered down the tax to appease the mining sector. ... Full Story | Top | North Korean rocket launch was provocative act: White House Thu,12 Apr 2012 07:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday North Korea's failed rocket launch was a provocative act that left the country isolated and in violation of international law. "Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea's provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "While this action is not surprising given North Korea's pattern of aggressive behavior, any missile activity by North Korea is of concern to the international community. ... Full Story | Top | South Korea says trying to retrieve North Korea rocket debris Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:58 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's rocket launched on Friday exploded mid-air in the initial minutes of flight before falling in 20-odd pieces off South Korea's west coast, the South's defense ministry said. "We are conducting a search operation to retrieve the fallen objects," a defense ministry official said at a news briefing, adding the launch was a test of a ballistic missile. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance) Full Story | Top | Failed North Korean launch a warning to military buyers: U.S. Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:33 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's failed rocket launch was a propaganda effort that will scare off potential buyers of its military wares, a U.S. official said on Thursday. "This launch was in part a propaganda effort. That effort clearly failed and will have ramifications internally," an Obama administration official told Reuters. "This launch was also a chance for North Korea to showcase its military wares to prospective customers. The failure will make those customers think twice before buying anything." (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top | North Korean missile failed after launch: U.S. military Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:28 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A North Korean ballistic missile failed after launch on Thursday and fell into the sea west of South Korea, at no time posing a threat to land, the U.S. military said. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said it tracked the Taepo Dong-2 missile after its launch at 6:39 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The first stage fell into the sea 165 km (103 miles) west of Seoul, South Korea, and the remainder of the satellite-carrying missile was deemed to have failed. No debris fell on land and at no time was the missile or debris deemed a threat, NORAD said. ... Full Story | Top | Bissau soldiers attack home of poll front-runner Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:24 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau attacked the residence of former Prime Minister and presidential election front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior on Thursday in what regional ministers condemned as an attempted coup in the small West African state. Confusion and fear reined in the crumbling riverside capital, Bissau, after automatic weapons fire and several explosions sent residents scurrying for the shelter of their homes. State television and radio went off the air and armed soldiers were on the streets and controlling major roads in and out of the capital, witnesses and diplomats ... Full Story | Top | North Korea space agency says no information on rocket: South Korea media Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:09 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's space committee was cited as saying by South Korean TV networks on Friday that it had no information on the country's long-range rocket launch. That followed remarks from South Korea and Japan that the launch of Pyongyang's rocket, which the North said was carrying a satellite, ended in failure. (Reporting by David Chance; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) Full Story | Top | Japan to lift cooperation with other countries after North Korea rocket Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:50 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he plans to lift cooperation with related countries after North Korea launched a rocket, according to a government statement. He also ordered ministries to gather information urgently, the statement said. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Full Story | Top | Indonesia quake a record, risks for Aceh grow Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:10 PM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The powerful undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra this week was a once in 2,000 years event, and although it resulted in only a few deaths, it increases the risks of a killer quake in the region, a leading seismologist said. Wednesday's 8.6 magnitude quake and a powerful aftershock were "strike-slip" quakes and the largest of that type recorded, Kerry Sieh, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, told Reuters. "It's a really an exceptionally large and rare event," he said. ... Full Story | Top | Emerging world seeks single candidate for World Bank: Ocampo Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - Developing nations aim to back a single candidate to challenge the United States for the presidency of the World Bank, former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo said on Thursday, though he did not offer to stand aside in his bid for the job. Ocampo met Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega in the capital Brasilia as he seeks support from Latin America's top economy in a three-way race for the global lender's top seat. Ocampo is running against Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and U.S. nominee Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American health expert. ... Full Story | Top | Japan: North Korea rocket appears to have flown for one minute Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:03 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea's rocket appears to have flown for one minute before crashing into the ocean and has had no impact on Japanese territory, Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said on Friday. The Security Council of Japan will be holding a meeting on Friday morning, the government said. (Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Full Story | Top | Shooter of Florida teen Trayvon Martin pleads not guilty Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:56 PM PDT Reuters - SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A handcuffed George Zimmerman, charged with killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, appeared in court for the first time on Thursday and his lawyer said a not guilty plea was entered on his "frightened" client's behalf. The neighborhood watch volunteer's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, also said he wanted Zimmerman to be released on bond, but not until he could secure a safe place for him to stay while he faces murder charges in the February 26 killing of 17-year-old Martin in a quiet gated community in the central Florida town of Sanford. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea's rocket launch ends in failure: South Korea Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:54 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's much hyped long-range rocket launch on Friday ended in apparent failure, South Korean officials said, dealing a blow to the prestige of the reclusive and impoverished state that defied international pressure to push ahead with the plan. North Korea said it wanted the Unha-3 rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit, although critics believed it was designed to enhance the capacity of North Korea to design a ballistic missile deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the continental United States. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. council to meet Friday on North Korea launch: envoys Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will meet to discuss a possible response to North Korea's rocket launch on Friday, council diplomats said on Thursday. Earlier this week U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the 15-nation council should "respond credibly" to a North Korean missile launch. Western diplomats say that the most China, a permanent veto-wielding council member and North Korea's protector, would accept is a rebuke of Pyongyang. New sanctions, they said on condition of anonymity, are out of the question. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea's rocket launch fails: ABC News Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea's launch of a rocket on Friday that has drawn international criticism has failed, U.S. broadcaster ABC News said on its website, citing U.S. officials. ABC cited anonymous U.S. officials as saying the missile is believed to have crashed into the sea. (Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) Full Story | Top | Call for Friday protests is first test of Syria truce Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition activists called mass protests for Friday to test a fragile, day-old ceasefire by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, and international pressure mounted for Damascus to fully comply with a U.N.-backed peace plan. Anxious to build on a truce between the armed forces and rebels which brought an eerie calm to Syria on Thursday, after more than a year of clashes, the U.N. Security Council worked on a resolution authorizing U.N. observers to monitor it. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. official confirms North Korea launched rocket Thu,12 Apr 2012 04:18 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea launched a rocket as it had previously said it planned to do, a U.S. official said on Thursday. "We are confirming the rocket launched," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. (Reporting By Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top | U.N. meets on draft to authorize Syria observer force Thu,12 Apr 2012 03:52 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council moved quickly on Thursday in an effort to honor a request from international Syria mediator Kofi Annan to authorize the deployment of a U.N. truce-monitoring force to prevent a fragile ceasefire from collapsing. Diplomats on the 15-nation council gathered behind closed doors to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution to authorize an initial deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers to Syria. A fragile U.N. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. draft calls for up to 30 unarmed Syria observers Thu,12 Apr 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.S.-drafted resolution would have the U.N. Security Council authorize an initial deployment to Syria of up to 30 unarmed observers to monitor compliance with a fragile U.N.-backed ceasefire that took hold earlier on Thursday. The 2-page draft, obtained by Reuters, would have the 15-nation council say Damascus must "ensure full and unimpeded freedom of movement throughout Syria for all mission personnel, including access, without prior notice, to any place or establishment that the mission deems necessary." Earlier on Thursday U.N. ... Full Story | Top | Pakistan parliament backs recommendations on U.S. ties Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:46 PM PDT Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's parliament on Thursday unanimously approved recommendations from its national security committee on ties with the United States, including a demand to end drone strikes. Action on the recommendations has yet to be decided by the government. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a live televised speech to parliament that the government will attempt to implement them "in letter and spirit". He did not say whether Pakistan would reopen overland supply routes to U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top | Heavy weapons fire heard in Guinea-Bissau capital Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:40 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters)- - Heavy weapons fire echoed through the capital of Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, witnesses said, and soldiers surrounded the residence of former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, the frontrunner in a presidential election in the small West African state. The reason for the military action and Gomes Junior's whereabouts were not immediately known. Armed soldiers stopped journalists from approaching the residence, which is located almost opposite the Angolan embassy in the capital Bissau. Witnesses said the firing later subsided. ... Full Story | Top | British PM to assess Myanmar reforms during visit Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will tell Myanmar's president he is ready to call for an easing of European sanctions on the country when he makes an historic visit on Friday, the first by a British premier in six decades. Cameron will meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who in 2010 emerged from 15 years of house arrest to go on to score an April 1 by-election victory, and President Thein Sein, whose reforms in military-dominated Myanmar have startled those who for decades viewed the country as a pariah state. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. Council demands end to Sudan, South Sudan clashes Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:33 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council demanded on Thursday that Sudan and South Sudan stop border clashes which it said threatened to return the east African neighbors to a full-scale war. A statement from the 15-nation body also insisted that Khartoum stop air strikes and Juba withdraw troops from a vital oil field. Fighting along the ill-defined border between the former civil-war foes has led to a standoff over Heglig oil field after it was seized on Tuesday by troops from South Sudan, which declared independence last year. ... Full Story | Top | ICC defense lawyer wants Libya reported to U.N. Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:11 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A senior lawyer at the International Criminal Court has asked the court to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council over its failure to extradite Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader. Xavier-Jean Keïta, principal counsel at the ICC's Office of Public Counsel for the Defense, asked the court to reject an appeal filed by Libya on Tuesday requesting more time to transfer Saif-al Islam to the Netherlands. ... Full Story | Top | At least 13 militants reported killed in Yemen violence Thu,12 Apr 2012 02:09 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 13 fighters linked to al Qaeda were killed in Yemen on Thursday, officials and tribal sources said, as a government offensive against Islamist insurgents entered its fourth day. Residents and officials said three strikes by Yemeni warplanes on areas controlled by militant group Ansar al-Sharia killed at least six fighters near the southern town of Lawdar. One strike hit an army tank that had been captured by the militants on Monday, killing everyone inside it, the sources said. ... Full Story | Top | Interim Mali leader promises vote, anti-rebel fight Thu,12 Apr 2012 01:52 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - Former parliament speaker Dioncounda Traore took over as Mali's interim president on Thursday from the leaders of last month's coup, promising to hold elections and fight rebels occupying half the country. Traore, 70, a labor activist turned politician, was sworn in by Supreme Court President Nouhoum Tapily in the capital Bamako as part of a deal to restore civilian rule after army officers staged a March 22 coup in the West African state. The coup shattered predominantly Muslim Mali's image as one of the most peaceful and stable states in the region. ... Full Story | Top |
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