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| China's graft-fighting Xi tells party future is on the line Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 11:14 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party will only be able to mark its 100th birthday in eight years time if officials can learn from the selfless sages of the past, party chief Xi Jinping said in remarks published on Sunday, taking another swipe at corruption. Xi, who will take over the reins of state power from outgoing President Hu Jintao at this month's annual full session of parliament, has made fighting pervasive graft a central theme since assuming the top job in the party and military in November. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico's ruling party opens door to tax, energy changes Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 08:30 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party paved the way on Saturday for possible tax hikes and an overhaul of state oil giant Pemex as it seeks to spur growth in Latin America's second-biggest economy. PRI delegates at a congress in Mexico City voted to change the party's position on refusing to consider the imposition of a value-added tax on food and medicine, and giving the party scope to open up Pemex to more private capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spending cut showdown threatens Obama's second-term agenda Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:50 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just hours after across-the-board spending cuts officially took effect, President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Saturday to work with him on a compromise to halt a fiscal crisis that threatens the economy and his broader domestic policy agenda. The failure by Obama and Republicans to agree to halt the $85 billion "sequester" cuts virtually guaranteed that fiscal issues would remain center stage in Washington for weeks, crowding out Obama's proposals to reform immigration, tighten gun laws and raise the minimum wage. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chad says it killed Algeria hostage mastermind in Mali Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:00 PM PST  N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian soldiers in Mali have killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the al Qaeda commander who masterminded a bloody hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant in January, Chad's military said on Saturday. The death of one of the world's most wanted jihadists would be a major blow to al Qaeda in the region and to Islamist rebels already forced to flee towns they had seized in northern Mali by an offensive by French and African troops. "On Saturday, March 2, at noon, Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base. ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu gets 14 more days to form new Israeli government Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 04:37 PM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an additional 14 days to try to form a new government after he was unable to complete the task during an initial 28-day period. Talks with potential partners have been deadlocked since elections on January 22 and if he is unable to form a government by March 16 a new poll could be called - a delay that also puts into question a planned visit by President Barack Obama. ... Full Story | Top |
| Big cuts spur calls to Congress from irate constituents Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 04:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress is getting an earful about the big spending cuts beginning to hit government services from worried and irate constituents, including one senator's own spouse. Democratic Senator Thomas Carper of Delaware said his wife, "my most important constituent," asked him, "Why can't you guys get your act together? Do you know what people think of you guys?" "I told her that Washington needs to work more like Delaware," said Carper, a former governor of the state. "In Delaware, Democrats and Republicans work together." They have not worked together in Washington. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt needs to fix economy, strike IMF deal: Kerry Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 04:35 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday it is vital that Egypt revive its economy and that the country's fractious political parties reach agreement on painful economic reforms to secure an IMF loan. The country's foreign currency reserves have dived to little more than a third of levels before the 2011 revolution and the budget deficit is soaring as a sliding Egyptian pound pushes up the cost of state subsidies for imported fuel and food. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chad says kills Algeria hostage mastermind in Mali Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 03:50 PM PST N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian soldiers in Mali have killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the al Qaeda commander who masterminded a bloody hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant in January, Chad's military said on Saturday. The death of one of the world's most wanted jihadists would be a major blow to al Qaeda in the region and to Islamist rebels already forced to flee towns they had seized in northern Mali by an offensive by French and African troops. "On Saturday, March 2, at noon, Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base (... ... Full Story | Top |
| A push for change in China as new leaders take the helm Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 03:02 PM PST  YUANGUDUI, China (Reuters) - For Chen Qiuyang, the new Chinese leadership that formally takes over this month can radically improve her life by doing just one thing: providing running water in her village in a remote corner of the northwestern province of Gansu. "We have to carry water from the well on our shoulders several times day. It's exhausting," Chen, who looked older than her 28 years, said in Yuangudui village, resting on a stool outside her home after completing another trip to the well. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria and Iran condemn U.S. plan to aid anti-Assad rebels Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:55 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria and Iran joined forces on Saturday to condemn moves by Western powers to aid rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, with the Syrian leader singling out Britain as a "shallow and immature" power. In an television interview with The Sunday Times newspaper shown in London late on Saturday, Assad said Britain's involvement in the Syria crisis had been naive and unrealistic. "I think they (Britain) are working against us, and they are working against the interests of the UK itself," Assad said in English-language remarks broadcast by Britain's Sky TV. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Chavez undergoing "tough" chemotherapy, VP says Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:41 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been undergoing "tougher" new treatment for cancer, including chemotherapy at the military hospital where he has been for the past two weeks, his vice president said. Speaking after a Catholic Mass to pray for Chavez's health, Nicolas Maduro described how the socialist president had personally given the order to leave Cuba in mid-February, two months after his latest cancer surgery there. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Porto lead in peril after draw at Sporting Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:22 PM PST LISBON, March 2 (Reuters) - Troubled Sporting held Porto to a 0-0 draw on Saturday that could lead to the champions being displaced at the top of the Portuguese Premier League later in the weekend. Second-placed Benfica, one point off the pace with a game in hand, can reach the summit by winning at second from bottom Beira Mar on Sunday. "This was not a positive result. What a waste," said Porto's Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spending cut debate casts pall over Obama's second-term agenda Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just hours after across-the-board spending cuts officially took effect, President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Saturday to work with him on a compromise to halt a fiscal crisis that threatens the economy and his broader domestic policy agenda. The failure by Obama and Republicans to agree to halt the $85 billion 'sequester' cuts virtually guaranteed that fiscal issues would remain center stage in Washington for weeks, crowding out Obama's proposals to reform immigration, tighten gun laws and raise the minimum wage. ... Full Story | Top |
| SpaceX cargo capsule cleared for Space Station docking on Sunday Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:02 PM PST  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 2 - A cargo capsule owned by Space Exploration Technologies was cleared for a belated docking at the International Space Station on Sunday after engineers resolved a problem with the spacecraft's thruster pods, NASA said on Saturday. The Dragon spacecraft, built and operated by privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, missed its scheduled arrival on Saturday after problems surfaced with three of its four thruster rocket pods shortly after launch on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Budget cuts force Yellowstone to delay opening Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 02:01 PM PST  CODY, Wyoming (Reuters) - During the first full week of March every year, the mountain passes of Yellowstone National Park rumble with the sounds of hulking snow plows operated by two dozen, mostly seasonal workers. This month, the plows will be silent. The costly and complex road-clearing operation that was scheduled to start on Monday will be postponed this year because of the U.S. government's across-the-board budget cuts known as the "sequester," which took effect on Friday. Park managers have to trim $1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Las Vegas Sands says "likely" violated U.S. corruption act Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 01:39 PM PST  (Reuters) - Las Vegas Sands Corp said it "likely" violated the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which outlaws the bribery of foreign officials, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday. The filing marks the first disclosure by the casino operator, controlled by founder and billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, that is was under investigation. The SEC subpoenaed company documents in February 2011 relating to its compliance with the antibribery act while the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: North African al Qaeda's Belmokhtar Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 12:52 PM PST (Reuters) - Chad said on Saturday its soldiers in Mali had killed al Qaeda commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the al Qaeda mastermind of a bloody hostage-taking in Algeria in January. Here are some facts about Belmokhtar: - Belmokhtar's Mulathameen group claimed responsibility for the capture of Algeria's In Amenas gas plant, jointly-owned by BP, Statoil and Algeria's state energy company Sonatrach, in January. Up to 37 foreigners died after troops stormed the complex to end the hostage crisis in which 29 militants were also killed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portuguese march against austerity, want government out Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 11:37 AM PST  LISBON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese poured into the streets of Lisbon and other cities on Saturday to demand an end to austerity dictated by an international bailout and the resignation of the center-right government. The rallies, which follow the introduction of the biggest tax hikes in living memory, mark the greatest public show of discontent since demonstrations last September forced the government to adjust some of its austerity measures. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greece faces bailout review, plays down public sector job losses Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 11:20 AM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - Officials from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund return to Athens on Sunday to assess Greece's performance under a bailout plan as the government plays down the prospect of public sector job cuts. The heads of the "troika" mission from the EU, IMF and the European Central Bank will meet Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras to review progress on privatizations, tax administration reforms, bank recapitalization and steps to shrink the public sector. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea says investigating shootings as protest death toll mounts Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 10:34 AM PST  CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least one person was killed by gunfire and three others injured in ongoing street clashes in Guinea on Saturday, and the government said it was investigating whether security forces used live rounds against civilians. Two civilians and one police officer have been killed and hundreds of people injured since tensions over upcoming legislative polls triggered unrest in the West African nation's capital Conakry last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N.'s Ban, Syria mediator frustrated at failure to stop war Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 10:30 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi expressed frustration on Saturday at the failure to end Syria's conflict and said the United Nations was ready to facilitate peace talks. Ban and Brahimi met in Mt. Pelerin, Switzerland, to discuss the two-year-old war that has killed more than 70,000 people. In a joint statement, they said "they regretted that the government and armed opposition forces have become increasingly reckless with human life and stressed the importance of accountability for war crimes against humanity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian army, rebel clashes bring conflict to Iraq doorstep Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 10:27 AM PST RABIA, Iraq (Reuters) - Clashes between the Syrian army and rebels at a border post brought the civil war close to neighboring Iraq, where troops fired warning shots into the air, residents, officials and a Reuters reporter said. Insurgents seized control of half of the northeastern Syrian town of Yaarabiya, including a border post with Iraq, in a battle with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Friday and early Saturday, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ethnic Albanians clash with police in Macedonia Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 10:14 AM PST  SKOPJE (Reuters) - Riot police in Macedonia clashed on Saturday with ethnic Albanian protesters who torched a bus and attacked shops in a second day of violence triggered by the appointment of a former guerrilla fighter as defense minister. Ethnic tensions continue to simmer in the impoverished former Yugoslav republic more than a decade since it was brought to the brink of civil war during an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish captives to be released by Kurdish rebels: agency Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 10:07 AM PST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels are planning to release a group of captured Turkish officials within the next 10 days as part of a broader peace deal, the state-run Anatolia Agency reported on Saturday. The PKK has been fighting Turkey's central government since 1984 and is negotiating with the authorities to try to end a conflict that has claimed some 40,000 lives. Anatolia quoted a Turkish politician, Gultan Kisanak, as telling a news conference in Arbil, northern Iraq: ""I hope these (public) officials will reunite with their families soon. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council sets stage for lifting Somalia arms embargo Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 09:41 AM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is considering lifting an arms embargo on Somalia's government for one year so it can beef up its army to combat Islamist fighters, according to a draft resolution that is due to be voted on by the divided council on Wednesday. The Somalia government has asked for the arms embargo to be lifted and the United States has been pushing the council to agree, but Britain and France have been wary of removing the ban in a country already awash with weapons, diplomats say. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico's ruling party convenes to seek change on tax, energy Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 09:39 AM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party begins a congress on Saturday to overhaul its manifesto and open the door to major changes in energy and tax law to spur faster economic growth. The PRI, as the party is known, plans to vote on measures that would allow President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration to consider imposing a value added tax (VAT) on food and medicines and to allow more private investment in state oil firm Pemex. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt deal with IMF of paramount importance: Kerry Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 09:20 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's need to reach a loan deal with the IMF is "paramount", U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday. Kerry also said he was certain that U.S. cooperation with Egypt can only happen if Cairo makes the right fundamental choices regarding the International Monetary Fund. Egypt said on Thursday it would invite an IMF team to reopen talks on a $4.8 billion loan, and the Investment Minister Osama Saleh expressed hope that a deal could be done by the end of April. ... Full Story | Top |
| Odinga alleges unfairness before Kenyan vote Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 09:00 AM PST  KAREN, Kenya (Reuters) - One of Kenya's top two presidential rivals accused the electoral commission on Saturday of disadvantaging him by "design or omission" in Monday's vote, a poll intended to reassert the rule of law after savage post-election tribal fighting in 2007. Prime Minister Raila Odinga, locked in a tight race against Uhuru Kenyatta, told Reuters he was still confident of a first-round victory, but his comments hint at legal wrangles and tension if the result is as close as surveys suggest. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's Mugabe denies violent campaign ahead of elections Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 08:18 AM PST  BINDURA, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe on Saturday denied his ZANU-PF party had launched a violent campaign to intimidate rivals in elections expected in July, which he hopes will extend his 33 years in power. Addressing a rally to mark his 89th birthday last week, Africa's oldest leader denied accusations by the rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that ZANU-PF was playing dirty ahead of the presidential and parliamentary polls. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO says its troops shot dead two Afghan boys Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 08:04 AM PST KABUL (Reuters) - NATO said on Saturday its forces had accidentally shot dead two Afghan boys, in the latest of a series of reports of civilian deaths at the hands of international troops. The shooting in the southern province of Uruzgan could further strain the relationship between the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has demanded U.S. special forces leave another province over allegations of torture. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq monthly death toll down in February Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:46 AM PST  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Militants killed 136 Iraqis in February, fewer than the previous month, as the country continues to grapple with insurgents just over a year after U.S. troops withdrew, health ministry figures showed on Saturday. The country's precarious sectarian and ethnic balance has come under growing strain from the conflict in neighboring Syria, which is whipping up tensions between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims in Iraq and the wider Middle East. The figures showed 88 civilians, 22 soldiers and 26 policemen were killed last month. A further 228 people were wounded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian demonstrators rally in support of U.S. adoption ban Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:41 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched through Moscow on Saturday in an orderly show of support for a ban on adoptions of Russian children by Americans, echoing President Vladimir Putin's demands for better care for Russian orphans in their homeland. Carrying signs with slogans including "Children are our future" and "America - hands off our children", activists mixed bitter criticism of the United States with calls for improvements in Russia's own care system. "These children are ours. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda issues English-language advice magazine for militants Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:17 AM PST RIYADH (Reuters) - Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Islamist movement's most active branch, has released an English-language magazine advising would-be militants on how to torch parked cars and cause traffic accidents. The magazine, released on militant websites, also warns France to pull back from Mali and lists 11 public figures in the West, including author Salman Rushdie, who it says are "wanted dead or alive for crimes against Islam". ... Full Story | Top |
| Spending cuts won't end pressures on Pentagon budget: analysts Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 06:10 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Budget cuts that force the Pentagon to slash $46 billion in spending this year would do little to relieve long-term financial pressures facing the military, but it could lead the services to begin addressing the issue, analysts said on Friday. Once the Pentagon puts civilian employees on unpaid leave, shortens flying hours, delays ship maintenance and takes other steps to address the cuts known as sequestration that go into effect late on Friday, it will still face rising costs in healthcare, pay and benefits, and weapons development, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Premature Fed pullback could "short-circuit" recovery: Bernanke Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:37 AM PST  (Reuters) - Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said on Friday that pulling back on aggressive policy measures too soon would pose a real risk of damaging a still-fragile recovery. There has been some disagreement within the Fed of whether the central bank's bond-buying program, which is designed to push down long-term interest rates, should be phased out. Fed Board Governor Jeremy Stein argued recently there were signs of overheating in certain financial markets and that the central bank should consider using monetary policy to address such risks if they persist. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Jaguar Land Rover studying full production in India - sources Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:34 AM PST  MUMBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is investigating the potential of manufacturing cars in India, company sources said, as the British luxury carmaker looks to build on its growth in emerging markets with the help of Indian parent Tata Motors. JLR, which has ridden a wave of surging demand in China and other emerging markets to post record profits over the past year, is "actively exploring the possibility" of building cars from scratch in India, said one company source. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to stress need for Egypt consensus for IMF deal Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:28 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will stress the importance of Egypt reaching an IMF loan agreement and the need for political consensus on painful economic reforms, a senior U.S. official said on Saturday. Kerry arrived in Egypt on his first visit to the Arab world since taking office for talks with the leaders of a country that is mired in political and economic crisis two years after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. With Egypt's pound and foreign currency reserves sliding, the official said that if Cairo could agree on a $4. ... Full Story | Top |
| Diaspora Kenyans, unable to vote abroad, feel cheated Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:28 AM PST JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Kenyans living abroad say they feel cheated about not being able to vote in Monday's closely contested election, even though the millions of dollars in remittances they send back home each year are a major fillip to east Africa's biggest economy. There are an estimated 2.5 million Kenyans in the diaspora, many living in the United States and Britain, but also in Germany and Kenya's east African neighbours. ... Full Story | Top |
| Third of children in conflict-ridden Congo denied schooling: UN Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:26 AM PST * Vast country among world's least developed * Many families cannot afford to send children to school * Problem worst in mining and conflict zones KINSHASA (Reuters) - Nearly a third of Congolese children are missing out on schooling as conflict, poverty, and weak governance take their toll, according to a study from the United Nations. Democratic Republic of Congo is recovering from decades of dictatorship and two wars that left millions dead and the country's infrastructure in ruins. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chavez undergoing "tough" chemotherapy: Venezuela VP Saturday, Mar 02, 2013 05:16 AM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ailing President Hugo Chavez has been undergoing "tougher" new treatment for cancer including chemotherapy at the military hospital where he has been for the last two weeks, his vice-president said. Speaking late on Friday after a Catholic Mass to pray for Chavez's health, Maduro described how the socialist president had personally given the order to leave Cuba in mid-February, two months after his latest cancer surgery there. ... Full Story | Top |
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