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| CA-NEWS Summary Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:57 AM PDT U.S. to send missile defenses to Guam over North Korea threat SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang. Hours later, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB seen on hold, markets look for signs of later cut Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:55 AM PDT  By Eva Kuehnen FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Thursday but investors will be looking for any signs it is preparing for a cut in coming months to help lift the euro zone out of recession. Despite a recent drop in economic sentiment and falling inflation, a Reuters poll of 73 economists showed little change in expectations, with rates set to remain at 0.75 percent - tiny, but still the highest level among the world's major central banks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt sees IMF loan agreement in two weeks Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:35 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's planning minister said on Thursday the government expects to reach a final agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a $4.8 billion loan within two weeks, the state news agency MENA reported. Ashraf al-Araby also said that Cairo had not requested an increase in the amount of the loan, needed to avert a deepening economic crisis. An IMF delegation resumed long-delayed negotiations with Egypt on Wednesday and government officials have said it is expected to stay until April 15. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jailed Kurdish rebel leader calls for unarmed withdrawal- paper Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:26 AM PDT  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his fighters to withdraw from Turkey without their weapons under a peace process to end a decades-old insurgency, the Yeni Safak daily reported on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| China mobilizes to fight new bird flu; Japan, Hong Kong on guard Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 12:18 AM PDT  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China said it was mobilizing resources nationwide to combat a new strain of deadly bird flu that has killed three people, as Japan and Hong Kong stepped up vigilance against the virus and Vietnam banned imports of poultry from the mainland. The new H7N9 bird flu strain does not appear to be transmitted from human to human but authorities in Hong Kong raised a preliminary alert and said they were taking precautions at the airport. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to send missile defenses to Guam over North Korea threat Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 11:49 PM PDT  By Jack Kim and Phil Stewart SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang. Hours later, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast. It was not clear if the North planned to fire the rocket or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian youths shot to death as West Bank seethes Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 10:56 PM PDT  By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Israeli troops have shot dead two Palestinian youths in the occupied West Bank, medical officials said on Thursday, as confrontations entered a third day following the death of a prisoner in an Israeli jail. The Israeli army said troops fired on Palestinians who threw fire bombs after dark on Wednesday at a guard post near Tulkarm in the northern West Bank. One body was swiftly recovered and a second was found in the early hours of Thursday. Palestinian officials named the dead men as Amer Nassar, 17, and Naji Belbisi, 18. ... Full Story | Top |
| Desmond Tutu wins $1.7 million Templeton Prize Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 09:52 PM PDT  By Maria Golovnina LONDON (Reuters) - South African anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu has won the 2013 Templeton Prize worth $1.7 million for helping inspire people around the world by promoting forgiveness and justice, organizers said on Thursday. A leading human rights activist of the late 20th century, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town played a pivotal role in the downfall of apartheid and subsequently worked to heal wounds in South Africa's traumatized society. Tutu, 81, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for standing up against white-minority rule. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea again blocks access to industry zone, Southerners remain Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 08:51 PM PDT  By Ju-min Park PAJU, South Korea (Reuters) - North Korea barred entry to a joint industrial complex it shares with the South for a second day on Thursday, Seoul's Unification Ministry said, and demanded extended notice of when hundreds of South Korean workers planned to leave. The state's KCNA news agency again threatened complete closure of the zone, a lucrative money-spinner for impoverished Pyongyang, if South Korea kept up what the agency termed its insults against the North's government. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea repeats threat to shut down Kaesong Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 08:30 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea repeated its threat to shut down Kaesong industrial zone, where 123 South Korean firms operate factories, if the South's government continued to insult it and worsen the situation by mentioning a possible military action against it. "The puppet conservative group and its media have refused to drop their confrontational ways and continued to say that we will not dare to do anything about the Kaesong industrial zone ... because it is a 'source of cash'," KCNA quoted the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland as saying. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea tells South firms in Kaesong to pullout by April 10 Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 08:21 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has told the association of companies that are operating factories in the Kaesong industrial zone to complete pulling out by April 10, an executive of the association said on Thursday. The association has asked the North to extend the deadline until April 13 but has not received a reply, Ok Sung-suk, vice president of the association, said. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance) Full Story | Top |
| Sudden flooding kills at least 46 people in Argentina Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 07:56 PM PDT  LA PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) - Flash floods killed at least 46 people and forced about 1,500 residents to evacuate the Argentine city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires province, government officials said on Wednesday. Some people drowned after being trapped in their cars or while walking along city streets when the water rose suddenly on Tuesday night, while others were electrocuted, provincial governor Daniel Scioli told reporters. The same storm killed at least five people in Buenos Aires, which lies about 60 km (36 miles) northwest of La Plata. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea government says report of North ordering Kaesong pullout "distorted" Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 07:53 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said reports that North Korea had ordered companies in the Kaesong joint industrial zone to pull out by April 10 were "distorted" and it had merely requested a list of people who planned to leave by that date. "The North's request to several companies for a schedule of people returning to the South by April 10 has been distorted to say the North had requested a total pullout," the Unification Ministry said. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea seen moving mid-range missile to east coast: reports Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 06:13 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has moved what appears to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Thursday, quoting multiple government sources privy to intelligence from U.S. and South Korean authorities. It was not clear if the missile was mounted with a warhead or whether the North was planning to fire it or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying. "South Korean and U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea can likely revive reactor in six months, needs years for more bombs Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 05:58 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea can probably restart a mothballed plutonium-producing reactor in six months if it is determined to do so and the site has suffered no major structural damage, but it may take years to produce significant new atom bomb material. Pyongyang announced on Tuesday that it would revive the aged Yongbyon five-megawatt research reactor that yields bomb-grade plutonium, but stressed it was seeking a deterrent capacity. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Serial" defector steals trawler, sails back to North Korea Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 05:38 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - A "serial" North Korean defector has given a substantial U.S. and South Korean military presence the slip, stealing a 9-tonne fishing trawler to return to the impoverished North, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. South Korea's Yonhap described the 28-year-old crab fisherman, identified only as Lee, as a "serial" defector who had made what appeared to be his fourth dash to the North. ... Full Story | Top |
| Capriles mocks "skin-deep" socialists before Venezuela vote Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 05:04 PM PDT  By Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition presidential candidate tore into government leaders on Wednesday as false revolutionaries lining their pockets while professing faith to the late Hugo Chavez's radical socialism. Trailing in opinion polls ahead of the April 14 vote, Henrique Capriles is attacking acting President Nicolas Maduro and other senior officials as a corrupt and incompetent coterie unable to solve Venezuelans' basic problems. "They talk of socialism, but it's on the surface only. ... Full Story | Top |
| Regional leaders refuse to recognize Central African Republic coup leader Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 04:27 PM PDT  By Madjiasra Nako N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - African heads of state on Wednesday refused to recognize rebel leader Michel Djotodia's self-appointment as president of Central African Republic, calling instead for the creation of a new transitional body to guide the country to elections. The decision, taken at a summit of leaders from the central African region, further isolates Djotodia, who led thousands of insurgents into the former French colony's crumbling riverside capital Bangui on March 24, ousting President Francois Bozize. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian youth shot to death as West Bank seethes Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 04:04 PM PDT  By Ali Sawafta and Allyn Fisher-Ilan RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian youth in the West Bank, a Palestinian medic said, as confrontations went into a third day after the death of a prisoner held by Israel provoked street clashes and rocket fire. Medical staff said troops brought the body of 17-year-old Amer Nassar from the village of Anabta to a hospital near Tulkarm, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to send missile defenses to Guam over "clear" North Korea danger Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 03:55 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it will soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described as a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang. The announcement came just hours before North Korea's army said it had ratified an attack against the United States, potentially involving a nuclear strike, the latest in a series of provocations testing President Barack Obama's policy of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cuba ballet says seven dancers defected in Mexico last month Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 03:02 PM PDT HAVANA (Reuters) - Seven members of the National Ballet of Cuba, one of the communist-led country's proudest and most prestigious institutions, defected last month while the troupe toured Mexico, a spokesman for the ballet said on Wednesday. "Yes, it's true, they stayed in Mexico, the seven, they defected, it's a reality," said the spokesman, who asked not to be identified. According to Miami-based website www.cafefuerte.com, six of the dancers crossed into the United States from Mexico and are now in Miami, center of the U.S. Cuban exile community, while one remained in Mexico. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. official puts onus on Iran in upcoming nuclear talks Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 02:39 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Progress in this week's nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers depends on how Tehran responds to a proposal offered by the six in February, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. "How far we get ... depends on what the Iranians come back with in terms of a response on the substance to our proposal," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There has been a very positive line out of Tehran on the talks so far. We hope that that positive talk will now be matched with some concrete responses and actions on the Iranian side," the official added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Albanian PM's coalition ally switches sides ahead of polls Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 02:18 PM PDT  By Benet Koleka TIRANA (Reuters) - The junior partner in Albania's ruling coalition pulled out of government on Wednesday and allied itself with the opposition Socialist Party ahead of parliamentary elections on June 23. Prime Minister Sali Berisha promptly named three ministers to replace those who left his cabinet when their Socialist Integration Movement (SIM) withdrew from government and said he was confident parliament would approve his nominees on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel kills Palestinian teenager in West Bank confrontation: medics Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 02:06 PM PDT RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian youth, aged 17, in a confrontation after darkness fell on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, where tensions have risen since the death of a Palestinian prisoner this week, a Palestinian medic said. The Israeli military confirmed troops opened fire on several Palestinians who threw fire-bombs at a guard post in the Tulkarm region of the West Bank. A Palestinian medic said troops later delivered the teenager's body to a local hospital. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korean army says it has "ratified" nuclear strike against U.S. Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 01:44 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - North Korea said it had "ratified" a merciless attack against the United States, potentially involving a "diversified nuclear strike". "We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sees real danger from North Korea, trying to defuse tensions Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 01:44 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sees a "real and clear" danger from North Korea, given its nuclear and missile capabilities and bellicose rhetoric, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday. "We take those threats seriously," Hagel said, addressing an audience at the National Defense University in Washington. "We are doing everything we can, working with the Chinese, others, to defuse that situation on the peninsula." (Reporting by Phil Stewart) Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon OKs Lockheed or Boeing fighters sale to South Korea Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 01:44 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department said on Wednesday it has approved the sale of either the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighter or Boeing Co's F-15 Silent Eagle fighter to South Korea, which is expected to announce the winner of a 60-jet competition later this year. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, which oversees foreign military sales, notified U.S. lawmakers Friday about the possible sales to South Korea as tensions continued to mount with North Korea. The agency said U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Showcase building in Russia's Chechnya engulfed in flames Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 01:30 PM PDT  GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) - A 45-storey building in the middle of Grozny meant to showcase the regeneration of the capital of Russia's Chechnya region after years of civil war was engulfed in flames on Wednesday. Dozens of fire crews battled for hours to extinguish the fire that spread quickly through the newly built and vacant building - the highest in the city that was once a byword for destruction and chaos during two wars in the 1990s. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan Taliban kill 44 in suicide attack on courtroom Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 01:04 PM PDT  By Sharaf Stanekzai HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Nine Taliban suicide bombers killed themselves and 44 others on Wednesday in an attack on a courtroom in western Afghanistan where 10 of their comrades were on trial, a local official said. Causing the biggest death toll in a single attack since 2011, the militants, strapped with explosives, stormed the governor's compound in the capital of Farah province, bordering Iran, where the trial was taking place. Thirty-four of the dead were civilians, the rest Afghan security forces, the governor's spokesman Abdul Rahman Zhwandai said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Mexican mayor arrested on suspicion of helping kidnappers Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 12:50 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A former mayor in Mexico has been arrested on suspicion of helping a criminal gang kill two men when he ran the western town of Villa Corona last year, prosecutors said on Wednesday. In February 2012, two men who had escaped from kidnappers in Villa Corona went to the police for help but were instead handed over to the gang by the mayor and then killed, the attorney general's office of Jalisco state said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spanish king's daughter charged in corruption inquiry Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  By Elisabeth O'Leary and Emma Pinedo MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Princess Cristina, daughter of King Juan Carlos, was charged on Wednesday with being an accomplice in an embezzlement case against her husband, the latest high-level graft investigation to anger Spaniards suffering a severe recession. Examining magistrate Jose Castro ordered the princess, 47, to appear before him on April 27 to answer charges of complicity in a pre-trial investigation that started two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Serbia has days to decide on Kosovo: minister Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 12:24 PM PDT  By Matt Robinson and Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia has days to decide whether to accept a "catastrophic" plan to end the ethnic partition of its former Kosovo province or risk losing out on talks on joining the European Union, the country's powerful deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. The warning followed marathon talks between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo, their eighth encounter in almost as many months as the EU pushes to stabilize relations between the two and set Serbia on the path to membership of the bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya investigating Zueitina oil pipeline blast Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 12:04 PM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib NEAR ADJABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) - Libya is investigating the cause of an explosion late on Tuesday on oil and condensate pipelines to the eastern port of Zueitina, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said. The blast occurred at 10 p.m. local time on a section of the pipeline linking Field 103, which is operated by Zueitina Oil company, to the export terminal, the state energy company said in a statement on its website. Zueitina workers said repairs were being made and oil was expected to flow through the pipeline to the terminal in a day or two. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portuguese government defeats no confidence motion Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 11:57 AM PDT  By Andrei Khalip and Daniel Alvarenga LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's government defeated a no confidence motion on Wednesday, yet the move united all the opposition in parliament against austerity policies and rattled the stock market. The vote was largely symbolic as the ruling centre-right coalition holds a comfortable majority, but Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said the motion gave the impression of political instability just when Lisbon needs investor confidence to regain full access to debt markets. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. offers up to $5 million reward for Uganda warlord Kony, others Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 11:32 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday offered a reward of up to $5 million each for fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and some of his top aides in the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group. Kony, who has been accused of terrorizing northern Uganda for 20 years and was ejected from the country along with his rebel group in 2005, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The warlord and a few hundred followers are now believed to roam the remote jungle straddling the borders of South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Uganda suspends hunt for warlord Kony after coup Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 11:32 AM PDT  By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda has suspended the hunt for fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army fighters, blaming hostility towards foreign troops by Central African Republic rebels who seized power last month. About 100 U.S. special forces helping with intelligence and logistical support also called off operations temporarily, a U.S. embassy official said, but it was not immediately clear if troops from other countries in the regional force were also giving up the search. Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portugal government defeats no confidence motion, warns of instability Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 10:51 AM PDT  LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's austerity-minded government defeated on Wednesday a no confidence motion, which nevertheless united all the opposition in parliament, showing growing resistance against further budget tightening under an EU/IMF bailout. The vote was largely symbolic as the ruling centre-right coalition holds a comfortable majority in parliament, yet Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho warned the move created political instability. The main opposition Socialists and the two smaller left-wing parties backed the motion, garnering 97 votes in a 230-seat parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Western envoys to attend ICC-indictee Kenyatta's inauguration Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 10:33 AM PDT  By Edmund Blair NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United States and several other European nations are expecting to send ambassadors to attend the swearing in next week of Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president-elect who is indicted for crimes against humanity at The Hague. Western diplomats said this level of attendance was in line with their policy of having only "essential contacts" with indictees of the International Criminal Court. A European Union official also said EU envoys were seeking to meet Kenyatta. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt court bars Gaddafi cousin's extradition to Libya Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 10:28 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court barred the extradition of a cousin of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to his home country on Wednesday, saying Ahmed Gaddaf Alddam should be tried in Egypt, officials said. Gaddaf Alddam, who is wanted in Libya for alleged counterfeiting, forgery, fraud and money laundering, is under investigation on suspicion of attacking Egyptian police during his arrest last month. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope stresses "fundamental" value of women in Church Wednesday, Apr 03, 2013 10:23 AM PDT  By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis stressed the "fundamental" importance of women in the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, a message hailed as a significant shift from the position of his predecessor Benedict. Supporters of liberal reform of the Church have called on it to give a greater voice to women and recognize their importance to the largest religious denomination in the world, and some groups call for women to be ordained as priests. ... Full Story | Top |
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