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| Benefits time bomb ticking for UK Conservatives Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:27 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - The last thing a British Conservative government wants in an election year is a rise in taxes for the middle class, yet that appears to be what Finance Minister George Osborne will deliver in his drive to cut costs. By the time the country votes for a new parliament in May 2015, many better off families may have been claiming benefits they are no longer entitled to for more than a year. The money will be recouped via their taxes, leaving many with hefty bills. ... Full Story | Top |
| French troops deploy to last of Mali rebel strongholds Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:21 PM PST DAKAR (Reuters) - French troops have been deployed at the airport of the northern Malian town of Kidal, the last rebel stronghold in the north, a French officer and a local official told Reuters on Wednesday. "I can confirm it. They arrived late last night and they deployed in four planes and some helicopters," said Haminy Belco Maiga, president of the regional assembly of Kidal. A French officer said operations were "ongoing" in Kidal, the last of northern Mali's major towns to be retaken by French forces after they reached Gao and Timbuktu earlier this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali secures recaptured towns, donors pledge funds Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:21 PM PST  DOUENTZA/GAO, Mali (Reuters) - French-backed Malian troops searched house-to-house in Gao and Timbuktu on Tuesday, uncovering arms and explosives abandoned by Islamist fighters, and France said it aimed to hand over longer-term security operations in Mali to an African force. An 18-day offensive in France's former West African colony has pushed the militants out of major towns and into desert and mountain hideouts to head off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia scraps law enforcement deal with Washington Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:00 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is scrapping its agreement with Washington to cooperate on law enforcement and narcotics control, another sign of deteriorating ties between the Cold War-era foes since Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin last year. The order, signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and posted on the government website on Wednesday, said the agreement, which came into force in 2002, "does not address current realities and has exhausted its potential". Moscow is unhappy with a law passed by the United States last year imposing sanctions on alleged Russian human rights abusers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel to give Palestinians $100 million in withheld funds Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:47 PM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's administration around $100 million in tax revenues that had been withheld in retaliation for his statehood bid in the United Nations, Israeli officials said on Wednesday. They described the handover as a one-time deal, signaling rightist Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not formally scrapped sanctions that have hurt the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank and worried world powers. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N.'s Ban says aid response for Syria "very limited" Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:26 PM PST KUWAIT (Reuters) - The United Nations is receiving only limited support for its aid to millions of Syrians, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in published remarks, adding its humanitarian work needed "generous" help from a donor pledging conference on Wednesday. The gathering in the Gulf Arab state of Kuwait will seek $1 billion of aid for Syria's neighbors sheltering 700,000 registered refugees, and another $500 million to bankroll humanitarian work for 4 million Syrians inside their country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sixty-five people executed in Syria's Aleppo: activists Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:26 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 65 people were found shot dead with their hands bound in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday in a "new massacre" in the near two-year revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said. Opposition campaigners blamed the government but it was impossible to confirm who was responsible. Assad's forces and rebels have been battling in Syria's commercial hub since July and both have been accused of carrying out summary executions. U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan says militant bases broken up near Afghan border Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:25 PM PST PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani security officials broke up more than a dozen militant sanctuaries in the Khyber tribal region this week and killed 23 fighters, they said, while tribal sources said pro-Taliban groups killed 20 pro-government militants. The Lashkar-e-Islam and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant groups attacked villages in the Tirah region and killed residents when they tried to stop them entering the area, the security officials said, requesting anonymity. Tirah is a maze of valleys on a route from Afghanistan to the Pakistani city of Peshawar. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian PM surprises with September election call Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:00 PM PST  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard set national elections for September 14, stunning voters on Wednesday with eight months notice of the vote in a bold move designed to end political uncertainty surrounding her struggling minority government. The election date means Gillard's government will serve a full three-year term, although analysts said the early notice meant she had started an eight-month campaign and lost her ability catch opposition leader Tony Abbott by surprise with a snap early poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:06 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Just over a week into his second term, President Barack Obama took his fight for immigration reform to the West on Tuesday and pushed Congress to quickly find a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. But as Obama praised a bipartisan immigration plan during a speech in Las Vegas, disagreement emerged between the White House and Republicans that underscored the difficulty of resolving an emotive issue that has long defied a legislative fix. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazilian cities crack down on nightclubs after deadly fire Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:28 PM PST  SANTA MARIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Cities across Brazil are cracking down on nightclubs to ensure that they comply with fire regulations after a weekend blaze destroyed a club in the southern university town of Santa Maria, killing 235 people. The fire was Brazil's deadliest in half a century and the tragedy resonated across the country, with many people demanding those responsible be prosecuted and that the government tighten up on safety. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria "breaking up before everyone's eyes:" envoy tells U.N. Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:45 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be able to cling to power for now but the country is "breaking up before everyone's eyes," diplomats told Reuters. Brahimi appealed to the 15-nation council to overcome its deadlock and take action to help put an end to the Syrian civil war. However, it was not clear whether his latest report, which diplomats said was his bleakest since his appointment last year, would persuade Russia to agree to support concrete U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blind dissident urges global pressure on China over rights Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng urged the United States on Tuesday not to let business concerns prevent it from pressing China over human rights, saying America must never "offer the smallest compromise" on its principles. Chen is a self-taught legal advocate whose escape from house arrest last April and subsequent refuge in the U.S. Embassy embarrassed China and led to a diplomatic tussle that ended with him leaving China to study in New York. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi due in Germany on visit shortened by Egypt crisis Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:18 PM PST  CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi is to leave Egypt's political crisis behind on Wednesday with a short trip to Germany to seek urgently needed foreign investment and convince Europe of his democratic credentials. But with the Egyptian army chief warning on Tuesday that the state was on the brink of collapse after days of lethal street violence, Mursi cancelled plans to go on to Paris from Berlin and will instead hurry back to Cairo later in the day. ... Full Story | Top |
| $7.3 million camp for Afghan police found nearly empty: inspectors Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A $7.3 million base camp built to house 175 Afghan Border Police was sitting virtually empty two months after it was handed over to Afghan authorities, and some equipment like wood-burning stoves had been dismantled, U.S. inspectors reported on Tuesday. The facility, located in Kunduz Province, consisted of 12 buildings, including a dining hall, that were contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers and completed September 3, 2012, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU takes on task of rebuilding Mali army Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:20 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has a vital role to play in rebuilding Malian army that is badly paid, poorly equipped and seriously weakened by a year of defeats, the commander of a new EU military training mission said on Tuesday. French General Francois Lecointre, speaking after an initial fact-finding trip to Mali, where troops are fighting with French help to push back Islamist rebels who occupied the north of the country, said the army there was in a "very broken-down" state. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. optimistic Syria aid meet will win major funding Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:45 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations has received promises of major donations at this week's $1.5 billion aid conference for millions of Syrians affected by nearly two years of conflict, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday. Wednesday's pledging conference in Kuwait will seek $1 billion of aid for Syria's neighbors sheltering 700,000 registered refugees, and another $500 million to bankroll humanitarian work for 4 million Syrians inside their country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fear, threats and bad food: life aboard a sanctions-hit Iranian ship Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:13 PM PST  CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - The eight Indian crew members on board the MV Amina had no inkling they were trapped on the frontline of the West's economic war against Iran. All experienced seamen, they joined the Iranian-flagged cargo ship last year. Within months, they were caught up in a fight to prevent the ship fleeing to international waters to escape port arrest in Sri Lanka. Having disobeyed the captain's orders to weigh anchor, their courage turned to fear. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear watchdog backs Iran's denial of Fordow blast Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:48 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog made clear on Tuesday it had seen no sign of any explosion at one of Iran's most sensitive nuclear plants, backing up Tehran's denial of media reports that such an incident had taken place last week. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in an unusual move, made a brief statement after some Israeli and Western media at the weekend reported there had been significant damage at the underground Fordow uranium enrichment facility. ... Full Story | Top |
| CP Railway sees big profit boost in 2013 after tough fourth quarter Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:17 PM PST  TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd said on Tuesday its aggressive efficiency push would pay off in a 40 percent increase in earnings this year, sending its shares to an all-time high even after it reported a sharp drop in profit on charges related to the restructuring. Management at CP Railway, Chief Executive Hunter Harrison said, "made a number of hard decisions this quarter ... With these decisions now behind us, we anticipate record-setting financial and operational results starting in 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| France calls for international observers in Mali Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:47 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France favors a quick deployment of international monitors to Mali to ensure that human rights are not abused, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Tuesday. French and Malian troops over the past two weeks have driven Islamist insurgents out of some areas of north Mali they occupied last year. The Islamists imposed severe sharia (Islamic law) in areas they seized, authorizing stoning for adulterers and amputations for thieves while forcing women to don veils. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi cancels Paris visit amid crisis at home Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:42 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has canceled a planned visit to Paris this week, France's presidency said on Tuesday, as a political crisis flares in Egypt. Mursi had been due to arrive in Paris on Thursday afternoon following a visit to Berlin on Wednesday and later meet Hollande over breakfast on Friday. Mursi's spokesman Yasser Ali said in Cairo that the president would reschedule a visit at another time. When pressed to give a reason, he said: "The president will travel to Germany on a one-day trip and return to Egypt to closely follow the situation. ... Full Story | Top |
| For Mali Islamist rebels, death came from the sky Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:03 AM PST DOUENTZA, Mali (Reuters) - The group of Islamist rebels occupying this dusty northern Malian town at the gateway to Timbuktu had been slaughtering a cow to eat at a small hotel. The next instant, they were caught in an explosive blizzard of flying concrete and shrapnel. "They ate no meat. Many were killed, maybe 40," said Hamidou Dicko, a neighbor who had peered over his mud-brick wall at the hotel - used by the rebels as a base - after the French warplanes attacked late on January 12. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraqi Kurds woo more oil majors in contest with Baghdad Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:02 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdistan said it is negotiating with two or three major international companies to operate oilfields and expects to announce the outcome in about a month, in a move likely to further heighten tensions with Baghdad. The remarks by Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami on Tuesday highlight the autonomous region's resolve to push ahead with development of its oil resources independently of the Baghdad-based central government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain ups aid for Mali, Africa but wary of mission creep Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:37 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain increased its offer of aid to France and African governments on Tuesday to help them counter Islamist militants in Africa but limited the scope of its support for fear of being dragged into an Afghanistan-style quagmire. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told parliament that up to 240 soldiers could take part in missions to train African troops, and that at least 90 more are already taking part in logistical operations to support French troops fighting in Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuelan vice president says Chavez is "very optimistic" of recovery Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:34 AM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Hugo Chavez is upbeat about recovering from cancer and confident in his medical team, his No. 2 said on Tuesday in the latest message from the Venezuelan leader's sickbed in Cuba. "He told us with great strength: 'I am very optimistic, I trust completely in the treatments I am undergoing, I will beat this again. I'm holding onto Christ and life,'" Vice President Nicolas Maduro said of Chavez's words to him on a recent visit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wife of deposed Honduran leader leads presidential race: poll Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:29 AM PST TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran presidential candidate Xiomara Castro, the wife of deposed former President Manuel Zelaya, is leading the race to become the next head of the Central American country, according to a poll released on Tuesday. Political newcomer Castro, the Liberty and Refoundation Party candidate who established her reputation while fighting for her husband's right to rule after his 2009 military-led ouster, leads with 25 percent of those questioned saying they would vote for her, according to the CID Gallup poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU could deploy peace force in post-conflict Syria: adviser Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:24 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union planners are looking at ways to help stabilize Syria when the civil war is over, and sending an EU military force to keep the peace could be an option, the bloc's top military officer said on Tuesday. The EU has a 2,000-strong rapid reaction force, known as a battle group, on standby at all times, ready for peace keeping or humanitarian action in an emergency, but it has never yet been deployed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian investigators search liberal governor's office Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:06 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Masked Russian police searched the office of a liberal regional governor who has connections with opponents of Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in what Kremlin critics said was part of a campaign to put pressure on foes of the president. The federal Investigative Committee said law enforcement officers searched the office of Kirov region governor Nikita Belykh as part of a criminal investigation into the alleged theft of 90 million roubles ($3 million). Belykh denied any wrongdoing and said he was cooperating with the investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| As Suez cities burn, canal shipping sails on, for now Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:48 AM PST ABOARD RMS QUEEN MARY (Reuters) - Egypt's army stepped forward on Tuesday from its new place in the shadows of the fledgling democracy and pledged to defend the state after a week of bloody street violence in cities along the Suez Canal. It was a measure of the canal's place in Egypt's economy, and the world's, that army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi explained the military deployment ordered by President Mohamed Mursi in terms primarily of protecting a waterway he called a "vital strategic interest" - it handles about a tenth of all global trade by sea. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea's Kim dashes early hope but U.S. still seeks change: Clinton Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:43 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's missile tests and menacing rhetoric have disappointed U.S. expectations that young leader Kim Jong-un would be different than his father but Washington still hopes to persuade Pyongyang to change course, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday. "With a new young leader we all expected something different," Clinton said in a town hall-style session put together by the State Department and broadcast worldwide. "We expected him to focus on improving the lives of the North Korea people, not just the elite, but everyone. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tourists out in force despite slowdown, set for strong year in 2013: U.N. Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:37 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Global tourism is proving resilient in the face of an economic slowdown, with tourist numbers growing at close to pre-crisis levels in 2012 and expected to increase by almost as much this year, the UN World Tourism Organisation said on Tuesday. Europe held onto its position as the world's most-visited region in 2012 but the Asia-Pacific is catching up, recording the biggest increase in tourists in 2012 and expecting another strong performance this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel boycotts U.N. human rights scrutiny Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:33 AM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - Israel boycotted the United Nations' human rights forum on Tuesday, becoming the first country ever to decline to attend a session that was due to scrutinize its own rights record. Israel's no-show at the Human Rights Council drew widespread criticism, including a tacit rebuke from the United States which said the U.N. process of reviewing human rights was a "valuable mechanism" as it was applied to all countries. The council had been due to examine Israel under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of human rights in all U.N. member states. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gay German minister raps Russia on homosexual rights: Spiegel Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:29 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's openly gay foreign minister has told Moscow's envoy to Berlin a Russian draft law banning "homosexual propaganda" contravenes human rights and could harm the country's ties with Europe, Spiegel online said on Tuesday. The German foreign ministry confirmed the meeting on Monday evening between Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Russia's ambassador in Berlin, Vladimir Grinin, but declined to comment on what they discussed. Westerwelle had made clear that in Germany's view the law violated the European human rights convention, the report said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali crisis could exacerbate security challenges in Libya: U.N. Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:26 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A military intervention by France in Mali to combat Islamist rebels could exacerbate a "precarious" security situation in Libya, where armed groups have targeted security officials and diplomats, the United Nations said on Tuesday. U.N. special envoy Tarek Mitri, head of the U.N. mission in Libya, said that country's government faced a serious security challenge in the east, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in September. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama giving $155 million in humanitarian aid to Syrians Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:33 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the United States would boost humanitarian aid to Syria and urged other nations to do more to help the United Nations, which is struggling to assist some 4 million people in the war-torn country and more than 700,000 who have fled it. Obama said he authorized an additional $155 million in aid for food, medical care and clothing for Syrians and refugees, bringing the U.S. total to $365 million. He issued a video statement on youtube.com with Arabic subtitles speaking directly to Syrians. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greens' push for conservative vote gives Merkel headache Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:16 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Greens are on a roll after a big jump in their support in a regional election this month confirmed the growing mainstream appeal of a party once seen as a fringe leftist movement but which now poses a challenge to Angela Merkel. Worryingly for the conservative Chancellor ahead of a federal election in September, support for the Greens is spreading from the cities to rural areas once dominated by her Christian Democrats. In Lower Saxony on Jan 20. ... Full Story | Top |
| Timeline of Germany's Greens Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:16 AM PST (Reuters) - Formed in 1980 as a loose coalition of pacifists, socialists environmentalists and feminists, the Greens may become kingmakers after Germany's September 2013 federal election. Here is a look at significant Greens moments in Germany: October 1992 - Germany's Greens co-founder Petra Kelly is found dead. Kelly was one of its first members of parliament. She was shot dead by her partner, former general and Green politician Gert Bastian, who then killed himself. Sept/Oct 1998 - Social Democrats under Gerhard Schroeder win the federal election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt pounds slides, worries about IMF loan weigh Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:14 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's pound weakened further against the dollar at the central bank's foreign exchange auction on Tuesday on worries that turmoil on the streets could further delay a long-awaited IMF loan. At Tuesday's foreign exchange auction, the central bank set a cut-off price of 6.6525 pounds to the dollar, prompting the currency to weaken to 6.6857 on the interbank market, where the authorities limit how far the currency can move. The pound has now lost 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hundreds of Qaeda-linked militants reinforce south Yemen bastion Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:11 AM PST SANAA (Reuters) - Hundreds of al Qaeda-linked militants arrived in southern Yemen on Tuesday to reinforce Islamist fighters facing a major government offensive following the breakdown of talks to free three Western hostages, an official and residents said. Air strikes against militant targets in the al Qaeda stronghold of al-Manaseh and ambushes by the Islamist fighters after Monday's army assault, killed at least six insurgents and 14 soldiers, including 11 killed by a suicide bomber. ... Full Story | Top |
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