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| Rockets hit south Beirut after Hezbollah vows Syria victory Sunday, May 26, 2013 12:38 AM PDT  By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two rockets hit a Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Beirut on Sunday and wounded several people, residents said, a day after the leader of Lebanese Shi'ite militant movement Hezbollah said his group would continue fighting in Syria until victory. It was the first attack to apparently target Hezbollah's stronghold in the south of the Lebanese capital since the outbreak of the two-year conflict in neighboring Syria, which has sharply heightened Lebanon's own sectarian tensions. ... Full Story | Top |
| CA-NEWS Summary Sunday, May 26, 2013 12:01 AM PDT Syrian opposition struggles for unity as battle rages ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, as government forces launched a fierce onslaught on a rebel-held border town to try to gain the upper hand in the civil war. A failure of the opposition to unite could weaken the hand of Russia and the United States, co-sponsors of a proposed peace conference on the war, which has killed 80,000 and threatens to spill over borders and whip up wider sectarian violence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bitter election aftermath undermines Malaysian PM Najib Sunday, May 26, 2013 12:01 AM PDT  By Niluksi Koswanage KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak may have won this month's disputed election but he faces a fight for legitimacy that could slow reforms, embolden a strong opposition protest movement and spark a leadership battle. Already the signs are not good. At a busy intersection across from one of Kuala Lumpur's fanciest shopping malls, a huge poster of Najib and his deputy has been defaced, a rare display of public disrespect in the Southeast Asian nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pipeline explosion halts gas supplies to southern China: Xinhua Saturday, May 25, 2013 10:50 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A section of a cross-country gas pipeline in China exploded on Sunday, injuring at least two people and halting gas supplies, local media said. The second west-east natural gas pipeline, which transports gas from central Asia to south China, exploded in an industrial zone in China's southeastern province of Jiangxi, state news agency Xinhua said. The pipeline has a capacity to transport 30 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Energy released from the explosion knocked over people hundreds of meters away, Xinhua said, without detailing the length of the exploded pipeline. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scandal engulfs Indian cricket; web of players, bookies faces scrutiny Saturday, May 25, 2013 07:01 PM PDT  By Amlan Chakraborty and Sudipto Ganguly NEW DELHI (Reuters) - It wasn't a typical photo opportunity for Indian cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth as he stood outside a New Delhi court in a pair of faded jeans and a dark blue full-sleeve tee-shirt. Flanked by two policemen and his face covered with a black cloth, one of the most recognizable sportsmen in India kept his head bowed as newspaper photographers clicked away. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arab spring nations face delayed economic recovery: IMF Saturday, May 25, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Arab spring countries face rising social tensions that could thwart an early economic recovery from over two years of political turmoil that has worsened fiscal pressures and threatens macroeconomic stability, a senior IMF official said on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Swedish capital returning to normal after week of violence Saturday, May 25, 2013 05:01 PM PDT  Sweden's capital was relatively calm on Saturday night with only isolated incidents of violence by youths after nearly a week of car-burnings and vandalism that have highlighted growing inequality in Swedish society. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry stresses respect for human rights with Nigerian president Saturday, May 25, 2013 03:47 PM PDT  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry, who last week expressed concern about allegations of gross human rights violations by Nigerian forces fighting the Boko Haram Islamist sect, raised the issue with the country's president directly on Saturday, a U.S. official said. ... Full Story | Top |
| British police arrest 3 over soldier's killing Saturday, May 25, 2013 03:39 PM PDT  British counter-terrorism police on Saturday arrested three people suspected of involvement in the killing of a soldier hacked to death in a London street by two men shouting Islamist slogans. The killing of the soldier in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack has led to angry protests against radical Islam and fears of a possible anti-Muslim backlash. Michael Adebolajo, 28 and Michael Adebowale, 22, are under armed guard in hospital after being shot and arrested by police on suspicion of murder on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Between 180-200 French militants have fought in Syria: Le Monde Saturday, May 25, 2013 02:02 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Between 180 and 200 French citizens have traveled to Syria in the past year to join a two-year-old rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, le Monde reported on Saturday, citing figures from France's internal DCRI and external DGSE security services. That number, which is higher than a previous estimate of about 50, includes fighters who took up arms with rebel groups like the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. About two dozen have already returned to France, Le Monde said. ... Full Story | Top |
| France rules out Iran taking part in Syrian peace talks Saturday, May 25, 2013 02:02 PM PDT By John Irish ABU DHABI (Reuters) - France's foreign minister on Saturday ruled out Iran taking part in a proposed Syria peace conference, saying Tehran was involved in the conflict and had no desire for peace. Laurent Fabius will host Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at a dinner on Monday to discuss how to nudge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition into the talks in Geneva. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nasrallah says Hezbollah will bring victory to Syrian ally Assad Saturday, May 25, 2013 02:02 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of Lebanese guerrilla movement Hezbollah said on Saturday his group would stay in the Syrian war "to the end of the road" and bring victory to its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Hassan Nasrallah, head of the militant Shi'ite Muslim group, said in a televised speech that Syria and Lebanon were facing a threat from radical Sunni Islamists, which he argued was a plot devised by the United States and its allies to serve Israel's interests in the region. "We will not rely on anyone ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian opposition struggles for unity as battle rages Saturday, May 25, 2013 02:02 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, as government forces launched a fierce onslaught on a rebel-held border town to try to gain the upper hand in the civil war. A failure of the opposition to unite could weaken the hand of Russia and the United States, co-sponsors of a proposed peace conference on the war, which has killed 80,000 and threatens to spill over borders and whip up wider sectarian violence. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| At least five killed as Guinea protests escalate Saturday, May 25, 2013 01:28 PM PDT CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least five people were killed on Saturday when security forces in Guinea opened fire on protesters in opposition strongholds in the capital, medical sources and witnesses said. The violence brings to 11 the number of people killed since Thursday in unrest that began over election preparations but has frequently degenerated into looting and clashes between ethnic groups. "According to our information, they (the five) all died after being shot," said Thierno Maadjou Sow, president of the OGDH human rights group. ... Full Story | Top |
| French soldier stabbed while on patrol near Paris Saturday, May 25, 2013 01:06 PM PDT By Nicolas Bertin PARIS (Reuters) - A French soldier patrolling a business neighborhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck and injured on Saturday by a man who fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said. The 23-year-old was patrolling in uniform with two other soldiers as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terror surveillance plan when he was approached from behind around 6 p.m. and attacked with a knife or a box-cutter. ... Full Story | Top |
| As border tightens, some U.S.-Mexico neighbors reach across the fence Saturday, May 25, 2013 12:32 PM PDT  By Tim Gaynor NACO, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican activist Maria Elena Borquez takes up a paintbrush and daubs a bright splotch of color on the rusted steel fence separating the small Mexican town of Naco from a neighboring town in the United States. "The wall projects hostility," she said, paint pot in hand and surrounded by youngsters from both the United States and Mexico. "The idea is to transform it with art, friendship, colors and life ... into something that unites us," said Borquez, who is director of the local museum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomb in Yemeni military vehicle kills two and injures six Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:42 AM PDT ADEN (Reuters) - A remotely-detonated bomb planted in a military vehicle killed a soldier and a civilian and injured six other soldiers in the Hadramaut region of eastern Yemen on Saturday evening, a local security official said. The explosion took place in the town of al-Shehr as the vehicle drove along a main road, the official said. He added Islamist militants were suspected of the bombing. Islamist militants seized control of swathes of south and east Yemen during the political chaos of the Arab Spring in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army says rescues hostages taken by Islamists Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:26 AM PDT  ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's military has freed a number of women and children held hostage by Islamist sect Boko Haram, the army said on Saturday, after its offensive in the northeast of the country overran three of the insurgents' camps. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video earlier this month that the group had kidnapped several women and children in retaliation against security forces who, it says, detained the wives and children of its members without cause. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hezbollah, Syrian government forces advance in border town Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:11 AM PDT  By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict said. Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad said additional tanks and artillery had been deployed around opposition-held territory in Qusair, a Syrian town close to the Lebanese border. "I've never seen a day like this since the battle started," said Malek Ammar, an activist speaking from the town by Skype. ... Full Story | Top |
| New fighting in central Sudanese state Saturday, May 25, 2013 10:52 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - New fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and rebels in a central state where insurgents launched a major attack last month, both sides said on Saturday. The government is grappling with an umbrella of rebel groups trying to move its fight to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir from remote regions in Darfur in the west and the eastern Blue Nile state bordering Ethiopia closer to Khartoum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt court rejects religious slogans in election law Saturday, May 25, 2013 10:41 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's highest court ruled on Saturday that parts of a revised election law setting out terms for a parliamentary vote were unconstitutional, casting fresh doubt over a poll that has already been delayed. The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament had approved the law last month and sent it to the Supreme Constitutional Court to check the legality of the voting procedures for a new lower house. Opposition politicians had denounced the text of the revised election law approved by parliament and repeated threats to boycott the vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Interpol rejects Russia's 'political' case against fund manager Browder Saturday, May 25, 2013 09:20 AM PDT By Jason Bush MOSCOW, May 25 - Interpol has refused to include UK-based fund manager William Browder on its international search list after deciding that Russia's tax evasion case against him is "of a predominantly political nature". The decision is the latest twist in a long-running battle between the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Browder, whose investment company Hermitage Capital was once the largest investor in Russia's equity market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Niger attacks launched from southern Libya: Niger's president Saturday, May 25, 2013 09:12 AM PDT  NIAMEY (Reuters) - Islamist militants who carried out simultaneous suicide attacks on an army base and a French uranium mine in northern Niger two days ago came from southern Libya, Niger's president said on Saturday. President Mahamadou Issoufou said the raids showed Libya was a source of regional instability, months after France launched an air-and-ground assault on northern Mali, which Paris warned had become a launchpad for attacks by al Qaeda-linked groups. ... Full Story | Top |
| Madagascar president sets out terms for quitting election race Saturday, May 25, 2013 09:10 AM PDT  By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's president Andry Rajoelina, under international pressure not to seek re-election in July, has set out the terms under which he would withdraw from the race, but warned that the specter of civil war loomed over the Indian Ocean island. Madagascar has been in political crisis since 2009 when Rajoelina seized power with military support, ousting former President Marc Ravalomanana and triggering turmoil that scared off investors and devastated the vital tourism sector. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian pro-, anti-gay activists arrested after defying ban Saturday, May 25, 2013 07:50 AM PDT  By Jason Bush MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained around 30 pro- and anti-gay activists in central Moscow on Saturday, imposing the city's ban on gay rights demonstrations. The arrests, underlining Russia's tough response to public demonstrations by gay groups, coincided with the first ever gay rally in neighboring Ukraine, which was allowed by the authorities and protected by the police. Russia's parliament has given preliminary approval to a ban on "homosexual propaganda" targeting minors, which critics say would effectively ban gay rights demonstrations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Aid groups urge EU to fulfil commitments to Palestinians Saturday, May 25, 2013 07:10 AM PDT  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A group of 80 international aid agencies urged the European Union on Saturday to follow through on pledges it made last year to back Palestinian communities seen as vulnerable to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Not enough action has been taken since EU foreign ministers last May urged Israel to ease curbs to growth on Palestinian villages and criticized its settlement policies, the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) said in a report. British Foreign Secretary William Hague and U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian-linked death toll grows in Lebanon's Tripoli Saturday, May 25, 2013 06:26 AM PDT TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - The death toll in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli reached 25 on Saturday in the seventh straight day of clashes between factions supporting opposing sides in Syria's two-year civil war, security sources said. Residents heard sounds of rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire throughout the night and into Saturday morning in one of the most violent bouts of fighting so far in the city. Two people were killed on Saturday, according to medical sources. Security sources said 25 had died in the clashes in the past week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sixth night of violence in Sweden, but police say capital calmer Saturday, May 25, 2013 06:24 AM PDT  By Mia Shanley STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Community patrols and a beefed-up police presence helped to calm violence around Stockholm overnight on Saturday but 20 to 30 cars were still torched in poor immigrant suburbs and serious incidents were reported outside the capital for the first time. The rioting in Stockholm abated after a week of masked youths vandalizing schools and police stations, setting cars alight and hurling stones at firefighters, police said. "It was much calmer - rocks weren't being thrown at police or firefighters - and that's a sign that it's calmer. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan suspends two biggest dailies for critical coverage: editors Saturday, May 25, 2013 05:38 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's security services temporarily suspended the country's two biggest newspapers to punish them for writing about army operations against rebels and the future plans of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, editors said on Saturday. Sudan has clamped down on independent media, think tanks and non-governmental groups since it discovered plans for a coup against Bashir's government in November. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's first gay march held under police protection Saturday, May 25, 2013 05:03 AM PDT  KIEV (Reuters) - About 100 Ukrainian gay rights activists held the country's first gay rally on Saturday, helped by police who arrested 13 people for trying to break up the march. The activists walked for about 250 meters (yards) along Victory Avenue in the capital Kiev while Orthodox Christian activists nearby chanted slogans denouncing them. "Ukraine is not America. Kiev is not Sodom,' shouted one anti-gay demonstrator over a loudspeaker. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide car bombing in Russia's Dagestan injures 11 Saturday, May 25, 2013 04:30 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew herself up in car near a police building in Russia's Dagestan region on Saturday, injuring 11 policemen and passers-by, Russian media reported. Dagestan, an ethnically mixed, mostly Muslim region between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, has become the most violent province in the North Caucasus, where insurgents say they are fighting to carve out an Islamic state out of southern Russia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan school bus explosion and blaze kill 17 children: media Saturday, May 25, 2013 03:53 AM PDT  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Seventeen Pakistani children burnt to death on Saturday when a gas cylinder on the bus taking them to school exploded, media said. Ten children were injured in the blaze on the outskirts of Gujrat, 100 miles southeast of Islamabad, DawnNews said. Many vehicles in energy-starved Pakistan are powered by relatively cheap compressed natural gas and cylinder blasts are common. (Reporting by Nick Macfie; Editing by Ron Popeski) Full Story | Top |
| EU steps up quest to solve youth unemployment Saturday, May 25, 2013 03:13 AM PDT  By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders have decided youth unemployment and the risk of social breakdown are among the toughest challenges they face and finding solutions will be a top priority for the coming months. In a letter released late on Friday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said youth unemployment was one of the most pressing issues for the 27-member European Union. ... Full Story | Top |
| Freeport Indonesia union says mine shut but maintenance under way Saturday, May 25, 2013 01:49 AM PDT  JAKARTA (Reuters) - Between 35 and 40 percent of workers at Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc's Indonesian unit returned to work on Saturday to carry out maintenance work after a tunnel collapse that killed 28 people, a union official said. The resumption of work was a possible sign the firm was gearing up towards restarting operations at the world's No. 2 copper mine. Arizona-based Freeport suspended operations at the remote Papua mine on May 15, at a cost estimated at about $15 million a day in lost production. ... Full Story | Top |
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