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| Japan's Abe says "restoration of sovereignty day" signals hope Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 11:48 PM PDT  By Stanley White TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Sunday for a renewal of a "sense of hope and determination" in marking for the first time the restoration of Japan's post-war sovereignty, part of a drive to repair what conservatives consider dented national pride. Abe, who is riding a wave of popularity after being swept back into office in a landslide election last December, wants to revise the post-war, U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution and rewrite Japan's wartime history with a less apologetic tone. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cuba's young see bleak future, many want to leave Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:35 PM PDT  By Jeff Franks HAVANA (Reuters) - On weekend nights in Havana, young hipsters fill the sidewalks at a busy intersection near the seafront and spill into the park below, passing rum bottles between them, smoking cigarettes and playing guitars. Black t-shirts, low-slung jeans, oddball haircuts and tattoos are in vogue at this spot, a favorite hangout for Cuban youth with a counter-cultural, slightly rebellious feel to it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli air strike hits Gaza militant base after rocket fired: military Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:02 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli aircraft hit a site belonging to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in response to a rocket that militants fired from the territory into southern Israel, the Israeli military said. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the air strike hit a training base belonging to the group in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip but nobody was hurt. No militant group had initially taken responsibility for launching the rocket. It landed in an open field and did not cause damage or injuries, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Capriles raised false hopes on vote audit: election body Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:32 PM PDT  By Daniel Wallis and Enrique Andres Pretel CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's electoral authority said on Saturday the opposition created false hopes about a vote audit being prepared after President Nicolas Maduro's narrow election win, adding that his rival had failed to present compelling proof of foul play. The National Electoral Council had stressed from the start that the "expanded" audit it agreed to after the April 14 vote would not change the results, which made Maduro the successor to the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama pokes fun at critics, media at annual press dinner Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:24 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama poked fun at the media, his critics and himself on Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a star-filled event where journalists and celebrities mixed with the Washington elite. Joined at the dinner by his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, the president gently knocked Republicans for not working with him on policy priorities and made a rare reference to his race when urging the opposition party to be cooperative. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Maduro pledges continued alliance with Cuba Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:20 PM PDT  HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba and Venezuela signed cooperation accords on Saturday for 51 projects as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on his first trip to the island since his election, pledged to maintain the close alliance forged by his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Maduro said they would jointly spend $2 billion this year on "social development," but it was not clear if he was discussing the 51 projects, few details of which were disclosed, or other works. ... Full Story | Top |
| Icelanders oust government over austerity program Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:05 PM PDT  By Balazs Koranyi and Robert Robertson REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Fatigued by years of austerity and swayed by promises of debt relief, Icelandic voters dumped the Social Democrats from power on Saturday, returning a center-right government that ruled over its stunning financial collapse just five years ago. Once a European financial hub, this windswept north Atlantic island of glaciers, geysers and volcanoes has been limping along for years, still crippled from a crash that brought it to its knees in just a matter of days. ... Full Story | Top |
| Algerian president in France for medical tests after minor stroke Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 08:56 PM PDT  By Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been transferred to France for further medical tests after suffering a minor stroke on Saturday, Algeria's official news agency said. The APS agency said late on Saturday that Bouteflika, 76, was in Paris at the recommendation of his doctors. He was hospitalized after a minor stroke, according to an earlier state press agency report that quoted the prime minister as saying his condition was "not serious. ... Full Story | Top |
| Older Boston bombing suspect spoke of "jihad" with mother: report Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 06:44 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The older suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings spoke to his mother about "jihad" in a 2011 phone call secretly recorded by Russian officials, CBS News reported on Saturday. Authorities learned of the wiretapped discussion between Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of two ethnic Chechen brothers suspected of carrying out the April 15 blasts in Boston, and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva within the last few days, CBS said. It provided no other details. A spokesman for the FBI on Saturday declined to comment on the report. CNN quoted U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Century after peak first scaled, Alaska mountain's name still disputed Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 06:07 PM PDT  By Yereth Rosen ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A century after the first climber reached the summit of North America's tallest peak, a growing movement of Alaskans is seeking to have it renamed Denali, a moniker meaning "the High One" that is traditionally used by Native Alaskans. The 20,320-foot (6,194-metre) peak is officially named "Mount McKinley" after the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley, although many mountain climbers and locals refer to it by the name used by the region's Athabascan people. ... Full Story | Top |
| FBI removes boat used by Boston bombing suspect to storage Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 06:05 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks (Reuters) - Investigators have removed from its Watertown, Massachusetts, backyard the now-famous boat used as a hiding spot by one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, and have taken it to an evidence storage facility, the FBI said on Saturday. The boat was the scene of high drama when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old ethnic Chechen charged with the April 15 bombing that killed three people and wounded 264, was captured by authorities on April 19 after a tense day of searching in the Boston area. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 05:58 PM PDT  By Mary Wisniewski LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) - In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority. Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to lift its ban on women priests, but to be ordained and start their own congregations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico detains 108 in immigration sweep; most from Central America Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 04:52 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities said on Saturday they detained 108 undocumented immigrants along highways, at bus stations and on a cargo train route that thousands of Central Americans use every year to cross Mexico and enter the United States illegally. Ninety five Central Americans, mostly from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, were detained in the southern states of Oaxaca and Tabasco during sweeps by federal police in the last 24 hours, Mexico's migration institute said in a statement. Seven of the Central Americans were children, the institute said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iceland centre-right opposition takes big early election lead Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 04:27 PM PDT  By Balazs Koranyi and Robert Robertson REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's centre-right parties took a commanding early lead in elections on Saturday, staying on course to return to power with promises of tax cuts and debt relief just five years after presiding over the country's spectacular economic collapse. The Independence and Progressive Parties, which ruled the nation, often in coalition, for nearly 30 years before the 2008 collapse, had collected close to half the votes counted so far, putting them solidly ahead of the ruling Social Democrats and on track to form Iceland's next government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan "Robin Hood" aims to wrest election from the rich Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 03:45 PM PDT  By Mehreen Zahra-Malik MUZAFFARGARH, Pakistan (Reuters) - With a flick of the reins, Jamshed Dasti launched his run for Pakistan's parliament from the back of a donkey cart, cantering through the rutted streets of his home town to file his nomination papers as supporters erupted into cheers. With the opening act in his campaign unfolding exactly as planned, Dasti beamed the beatific smile of a man who might look like an underdog, but who is sure he has the momentum to humble his wealthy rivals at next month's general elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mississippi man linked to ricin letters charged with biological weapons use Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 03:30 PM PDT  By Robbie Ward TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi martial arts instructor was charged on Saturday with attempting to use a biological weapon after a ricin-laced letter was sent to President Barack Obama earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested at his Tupelo home shortly after midnight by FBI agents following searches of the residence and a former business as part of the ricin letter investigation. He was later charged with "developing ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil's Vale agrees to pay workers as it exits Argentina mine Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 02:56 PM PDT SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian mining giant Vale SA will pay two and a half months' salary to workers in Argentina as part of an agreement signed on Friday allowing the miner to exit the $6 billion Rio Colorado potash project. The payments will go to about 4,900 subcontractors, a spokeswoman said on Saturday, declining to give further details on the cost of the accord. The agreement could put an end to months of uncertainty for Vale, which suspended work on the fertilizer project in December and announced its intention to pull out in March. ... Full Story | Top |
| California government draws battle lines over schools funding Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 02:42 PM PDT By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A controversial plan to shift billions of dollars in education funding toward the poorest school districts and away from wealthier ones is fast becoming a personal crusade for California Governor Jerry Brown, who this week promised "the battle of their lives" to legislators who dare to oppose it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama chides lawmakers over flight delay fix, budget conflict Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 02:27 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama chided Republicans on Saturday for approving a plan to ease air-traffic delays caused by federal spending cuts while leaving budget cuts that affect children and the elderly untouched. The Senate and the House of Representatives backed a plan this week to give the Department of Transportation flexibility to cover immediate salaries of air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration who had been furloughed as part of budget cuts known as the "sequester. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four arrested as Bangladesh building toll rises to 352 Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 02:06 PM PDT  By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - Two factory bosses and two engineers were detained in Bangladesh on Saturday, three days after the collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands killed at least 352 people. More were being pulled alive from the rubble at the building, where police said as many as 900 people were still missing in Bangladesh's worst ever industrial accident. The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 mainly young women workers was still on the run. ... Full Story | Top |
| Algerian President Bouteflika hospitalized: report Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 01:48 PM PDT  By Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was hospitalized after a minor stroke on Saturday, according to the state press agency report that quoted the prime minister as saying his condition was "not serious". The health of 76-year-old Bouteflika is a central factor in the stability of an oil-exporting country of 37 million people that is emerging from a long conflict against Islamist insurgents. The APS new agency said Bouteflika had an "ischemic transitory attack", or mini-stroke, at 12:30 p.m. (0730 EST). ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan rebels attack city, push closer to capital Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 01:15 PM PDT By Khalid Abdelaziz and Ulf Laessing KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels from Sudan's Darfur region launched a dawn attack on the city of Um Rawaba on Saturday, taking their fight closer to the capital Khartoum, witnesses said. The attack marks the biggest push by a rebel alliance that is seeking to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Fighting had hitherto been limited mainly to remote regions of Darfur and South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which border South Sudan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungary's leftist opposition edges towards alliance Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 01:01 PM PDT  BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's opposition Socialists said on Saturday they had agreed with the second largest political force on the left, the party Together 2014, to field joint candidates in next year's elections. The country's leftist opposition has been divided, preventing it from capitalizing on dissatisfaction in the recession-hit central European country, whose conservative government has been accused of chipping away at European democratic standards. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Rooney tops English Premier League wealth list Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 12:51 PM PDT LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is the richest player in the Premier League with a fortune estimated at 51 million pounds ($79.01 million), according to the Sunday Times newspaper's sporting rich list. Twenty-four Premier League players are among the top 100 richest sportsmen in Britain and Ireland. Rooney's fortune has risen by six million pounds from 2012 and his combined wealth with wife Coleen is estimated at 64 million pounds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: No good military options for U.S. in Syria Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 12:49 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart and Peter Apps WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite President Barack Obama's pledge that Syria's use of chemical weapons is a "game changer" for the United States, he is unlikely to turn to military options quickly and would want allies joining him in any intervention. Possible military choices range from limited one-off missile strikes from ships - one of the less complicated scenarios - to bolder operations like carving out no-fly safe zones. One of the most politically unpalatable possibilities envisions sending tens of thousands of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. top court justice Breyer has surgery after bicycle fall Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 12:34 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer had shoulder surgery Saturday to repair a broken bone after a fall from his bicycle, the top court said. Breyer, 74, injured his right shoulder in a fall from his bicycle on Friday afternoon near the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington. He was taken by ambulance to Georgetown University Hospital, where he had surgery on Saturday morning, the court said in a statement. Breyer, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, is viewed as a moderate on the liberal wing of the nine-member court. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Letta sets moderate course with new government Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 12:25 PM PDT By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - There is much about Italy's new center-left prime minister Enrico Letta, who named his cabinet on Saturday, that is likely to please financial markets and Rome's international partners. He is young, moderate and pro-European, and despite his low public profile he has been a member of the European political elite for many years. Letta speaks fluent English and has a sound grasp of economics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mississippi man charged with attempted use of a biological weapon Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 12:15 PM PDT  By Robbie Ward Tupelo, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi martial arts instructor arrested early on Saturday was charged with possession of the biological agent ricin and with attempting to use it as a weapon, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. James Everett Dutschke, age 41, was arrested following searches of his home and a former business as part of an investigation into ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and two other public officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Saccomanni moves from central banker to economy minister Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 11:55 AM PDT By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italy's new Economy Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni is a 70-year-old central banker virtually unknown to the general public, who should reassure financial markets and the rest of Europe that the country will not stray from fiscal orthodoxy. He has spent most of the last 46 years at the Bank of Italy, where he is deputy governor, having been passed over for the top job when Mario Draghi left in 2011 to head the European Central Bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| Stalemate over, Italy's Letta names new government Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 11:47 AM PDT  By James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left politician Enrico Letta named a coalition government on Saturday, making one of Silvio Berlusconi's closest allies deputy prime minister and ending two months of damaging political stalemate. Letta has said his priorities would be the economy, unemployment and restoring faith in Italy's discredited political institutions as well as trying to turn Europe away from austerity to focus more on growth and investment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt president invites judges to discuss judicial reform crisis Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 11:03 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has invited senior figures from the judiciary to discuss a crisis triggered by proposed reforms that would push out thousands of judges, state media said on Saturday. Islamist lawmakers have put forward a bill that would force out more than 3,000 judges by lowering the retirement age, causing a revolt among the judiciary and widening political divisions in the country more than two years after a popular uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak. ... Full Story | Top |
| FAA says air travel system to be normal Sunday night Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:56 AM PDT  (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it had suspended all employee furloughs and that it expects the U.S. air travel system to return to normal by Sunday evening Eastern Time. The suspension follows passage on Friday of a bill allowing the agency to shift money within its budget to halt furloughs of air-traffic controllers that started April 21. The furloughs, prompted by automatic budget cuts, caused thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations throughout the week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Comoros protests against anti-government plot, mercenary involvement Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:47 AM PDT  MORONI (Reuters) - Politicians and civil society groups on the coup-prone Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros on Saturday protested against an attempt to destabilize the government and warned that people linked to an infamous mercenary were at the heart of the plot. Comoros authorities said there was a conspiracy to undermine the country's rulers and last week arrested around 10 people for alleged involvement in the attempt to destabilize the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Madagascar president Ratsiraka to contest July election Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:13 AM PDT  By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's former president Didier Ratsiraka will contest national elections in July in a bid to become the Indian Ocean island state's leader for the third time, his supporters said on Saturday. Madagascar has been in crisis since Andry Rajoelina, now president, led an uprising that ousted former President Marc Ravalomanana from office in 2009, triggering turmoil that scared off investors and devastated the vital tourism sector. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Key ministers in Enrico Letta's new Italian government Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 10:11 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left politician Enrico Letta named a new coalition government on Saturday after reaching a deal with Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party ended the stalemate since February's deadlocked election. The government will be sworn in on Sunday before a vote of confidence expected on Monday with support from Letta's Democratic Party, Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) and the centrist bloc led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hague judges issue sharp rebuke to Kenyatta prosecutors Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:59 AM PDT  By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Judges hearing the case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the International Criminal Court have sharply rebuked prosecutors for failing to disclose evidence that could be used in his defense, but stopped short of restarting the trial. While the reprimand will have no impact on the trial itself, it is a fresh blow to prosecutors who accuse Kenya's newly-elected president of orchestrating bloody post-election clashes five years ago in which 1,200 people died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Luxembourg's Juncker reshuffles government Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:53 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker on Saturday reshuffled his government following the resignation of his justice minister earlier this month. Juncker will take responsibility for religion in addition to his duties as prime minister, two sources in his Christian Social Party (CSV) told Reuters. Finance Minister Luc Frieden stays in office, but also gets responsibility for communications. Francois Biltgen resigned to stand for office as a judge in the Court of Justice of the European Union, the bloc's highest court, which is based in Luxembourg. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea says detained American tourist to face trial Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:50 AM PDT  By Jane Chung SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday that a Korean-American tourist, jailed by the reclusive state since late last year, will face trial for "committing crimes" against the North. The move comes amid a diplomatic standoff between North Korea and the United States, and as Pyongyang has threatened to attack U.S. military bases in the Pacific and the South. A number of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| President says Libya harbors Chadian mercenaries Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:25 AM PDT  N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's President Idriss Deby on Saturday that Chadian mercenaries had set up a training camp in neighboring Libya from where they could seek to destabilize his country, an accusation Libyan authorities denied. Deby said during a radio interview that the mercenaries were free to roam around the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, hundreds of kilometers (miles) north of the Chadian border. "I do not want the new Libya to serve as the source of any plot to destabilize Chad," Deby said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Militants kill five Iraqi soldiers, Sunni protesters form "army" Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 09:21 AM PDT  By Kamal Naama RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Militants shot dead five Iraqi soldiers in the Sunni Muslim stronghold province of Anbar on Saturday and protesters said they were forming an "army" after four days of unrest that raised fears of a return to widespread sectarian civil conflict. More than 170 people have been killed since Tuesday when security forces stormed a Sunni protest camp in the town of Hawija, triggering clashes that spread to other Sunni areas in western and northern areas. ... Full Story | Top |
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