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| CA-NEWS Summary Monday, May 27, 2013 11:48 PM PDT Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas. Intensified government offensives are widely seen as a bid to strengthen Assad's position before a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia for next month. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese city bans anti-refinery protests ahead of trade fair Monday, May 27, 2013 11:48 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - The government of the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming on Tuesday banned residents from protesting next week against planned chemical production at a refinery, the ban coinciding with the opening of an important trade fair. An increasingly affluent urban population has begun to object to a China's policy of growth at all costs, which has fuelled the economy for three decades, with the environment emerging as a focus of concern and protests. ... Full Story | Top |
| Money laundering distorts Colombia's economic comeback Monday, May 27, 2013 11:09 PM PDT  By Helen Murphy and Nelson Bocanegra PUERTO NUEVO, Colombia (Reuters) - Rotting wooden planks heave as dozens of barefoot Wayuu Indians carry washing machines, fans and stereos on their backs from the hull of a cargo ship docked on the tip of northern Colombia. Throughout the night, they unload thousands of boxes piled 30 feet high and haul them down the battered ramp to waiting trucks. By torchlight, customs director Claudia Gaviria rips open a box at the makeshift wharf at Puerto Nuevo on the La Guajira peninsula. She counts the number of fans against documents supplied by the ship. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three Lebanese soldiers killed by gunmen - military source Monday, May 27, 2013 10:20 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a military checkpoint in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, killing three soldiers before fleeing to the nearby Syrian border, a Lebanese military source said. The source said two of the soldiers died in the attack, near the town of Arsal, and a third died later in hospital. The border areas around Arsal are used by Syrian rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad to smuggle weapons and fighters from Lebanon across into Syria, and the region has seen previous clashes between the Lebanese military and gunmen. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House security adviser calls for deeper China military ties Monday, May 27, 2013 09:53 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States called for deeper military ties with China on Tuesday, including working closer together in areas like peacekeeping, fighting piracy and disaster relief, despite growing tensions between the two on a range of security issues. White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon made the remarks at a meeting with senior Chinese military leader Fan Changlong, two weeks ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents in California. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea halts more nuclear reactors over fake certificates Monday, May 27, 2013 08:59 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea is suspending the operations of two nuclear power reactors and extending a shutdown of a third for maintenance to replace cables that were supplied using fake certificates, the country's nuclear regulator said on Tuesday. The country previously halted the operations of some of its 23 reactors last November after a scandal emerged over parts being supplied using fake documents. Asia's fourth-largest economy is heavily dependent on oil, gas and coal imports, but usually gets about a third of its electricity from nuclear power generation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian spy HQ plans stolen by Chinese hackers: report Monday, May 27, 2013 08:42 PM PDT By Rob Taylor CANBERRA (Reuters) - Chinese hackers have stolen the blueprints of a new multi-million-dollar Australian spy headquarters as part of a growing wave of cyber attacks against business and military targets in the close U.S. ally, a Australian news report said. The hackers also stole confidential information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which houses the overseas spy agency the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, Australia's ABC Television said late on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abandoned Chinese baby rescued from toilet pipe Monday, May 27, 2013 08:08 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern China have rescued an abandoned newborn baby boy lodged in a sewage pipe directly beneath a toilet commode, state television reported, in a case which has sparked anger on social media sites. There are frequent reports in Chinese media of babies being abandoned, often shortly after birth, a problem attributed variously to young mothers unaware they were pregnant, the birth of an unwanted girl in a society which puts greater value on boys or China's strict family planning rules. ... Full Story | Top |
| France analyzing samples of suspected Syrian chemical weapon elements Monday, May 27, 2013 06:57 PM PDT By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France is testing samples of suspected chemical weapon elements used against Syrian rebel fighters and smuggled out by reporters from Le Monde newspaper and will divulge the results in the next few days, a senior French official said on Monday. The official also said Paris recently carried out its own tests on other samples it had obtained that had indicated the use of battlefield gas. "Samples were handed to our intelligence services by the Le Monde journalists," the senior official said on condition of anonymity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chile, Argentina order evacuation around volcano Monday, May 27, 2013 06:31 PM PDT  SANTIAGO/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Chilean and Argentine authorities on Monday declared a red alert and ordered the mandatory evacuation of a 25-km (15.5-mile) radius around the active Copahue volcano, which straddles the border between the two Andean nations. The volcano - located some 500 km (310 miles) south of capital Santiago, between Chile's Bio Bio region and Argentina's Neuquen province - has seen increasing seismic activity in recent weeks but has not erupted, Chilean authorities said. "This doesn't necessarily mean the volcano will start erupting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fire on Royal Caribbean cruise ship cuts short Bahamas trip Monday, May 27, 2013 06:21 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Fire aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship forced it to dock at Freeport, Bahamas, on Monday, with all passengers and crew safe but the rest of the trip canceled, the cruise company reported. Grandeur of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, was on a seven-night trip that left Baltimore on Friday. The 916-foot-long (280-metre) ship was en route to CocoCay, Bahamas, when a fire occurred in its mooring area early on Monday, the company said in a statement. The fire was extinguished in about two hours and the 17-year-old vessel was redirected to Freeport, the company said. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU failure will allow UK, France to arm Syrian rebels Monday, May 27, 2013 05:15 PM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak and Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain and France are free to supply weapons to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad from August, after attempts to renew an EU arms embargo on Syria failed on Monday. After a marathon negotiating session in Brussels, EU governments failed to bridge their differences and let a ban on arming the opposition expire, with France and Britain scoring a victory at the expense of EU unity. Britain and France have made a commitment not to deliver arms to the Syrian opposition "at this stage," an EU declaration said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lavrov says convening Syria conference 'a tall order' Monday, May 27, 2013 05:03 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Holding a conference to end Syria's civil war will be a "tall order", Russia's foreign minister said on Monday after talks with his U.S. counterpart, but he saw some chance of success. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they would do their utmost to bring Syria's warring parties to the table, as fighting intensified and new allegations of chemical weapons use surfaced. ... Full Story | Top |
| Second former Peru president faces inquiry before campaign Monday, May 27, 2013 03:40 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Alejandro Toledo was grilled in Congress on Monday over his family's purchase of a luxury home in Lima, making him the second former president to face inquiries that could narrow the 2016 presidential field. A preliminary investigation by the attorney general's office into Toledo's real estate dealings comes as two-time former President Alan Garcia faces official inquiries over thousands of presidential pardons he granted to convicted drug traffickers during his 2006-2011 term. Both politicians have denied any wrongdoing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported Monday, May 27, 2013 03:23 PM PDT  By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas. Intensified government offensives are widely seen as a bid to strengthen Assad's position before a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia for next month. ... Full Story | Top |
| Toronto mayor loses two more top aides after crack scandal Monday, May 27, 2013 03:10 PM PDT  By Julie Gordon and Allison Martell TORONTO (Reuters) - Two top aides quit Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's office on Monday as the embattled leader of Canada's biggest city faces lingering allegations he was caught smoking crack cocaine on video, accusations he has firmly denied. The departures of the mayor's press secretary and deputy press secretary came just days after Ford fired his chief of staff. The mayor confirmed on Monday that both George Christopoulos and Isaac Ransom left of their own accord. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's Hague says EU arms embargo on Syrian rebels effectively ends Monday, May 27, 2013 03:06 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A failure by European Union governments to agree on extending an arms embargo on Syria effectively ends the EU's ban on supplying arms to Syrian rebels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday. "We have brought to an end the arms embargo on the Syrian opposition," Hague said after inconclusive talks between EU foreign ministers. He said Britain had no immediate plans to send arms to Syria. He said EU member states would reassert all other existing EU sanctions on Syria. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Senator McCain met with rebels in Syria: spokesman Monday, May 27, 2013 02:47 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain, a former presidential candidate and an outspoken advocate for U.S. military aid to the Syrian opposition, met with some of the rebels during a surprise visit to the war-torn country on Monday, his spokesman said. Spokesman Brian Rogers confirmed McCain's meeting with the rebels, but declined to give any details about the visit, which may fuel pressure on Washington to intervene in a conflict that is believed to have claimed 80,000 lives. The visit came as U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea says death toll from protest rises to 12 Monday, May 27, 2013 02:28 PM PDT CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least 12 people have been killed in Guinea during five days of protests over preparations for a legislative election, the government of the West African state said on Monday. Guinea's opposition called its members onto the streets in March to protest at the government's plan to go ahead with the vote on June 30, over fears the vote will be rigged. More than 50 people have been killed in total and about 350 wounded since the protests began. Opposition leaders temporarily suspended demonstrations this month to allow U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chile, Argentina order evacuation around stirring southern volcano Monday, May 27, 2013 01:40 PM PDT  SANTIAGO/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Chilean and Argentine authorities on Monday declared a red alert and ordered the mandatory evacuation of a 25-km (15.5-mile) radius around the active Copahue volcano, which straddles the border between the two Andean nations. The volcano - located some 500 km (310 miles) south of capital Santiago, between Chile's Bio Bio region and Argentina's Neuquen province - has seen increasing seismic activity in recent weeks but has not erupted, Chilean authorities said. "This doesn't necessarily mean the volcano will start erupting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cambodian police clash with thousands of garment workers, 23 hurt Monday, May 27, 2013 12:53 PM PDT PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - At least 23 workers were hurt in Cambodia on Monday when police using stun batons moved in to end a protest over pay at a factory that makes clothing for U.S. sportswear company Nike, a worker and a trade union representative said. Police with riot gear were deployed to move about 3,000 mostly female workers who had blocked a road outside their factory owned by Sabrina (Cambodia) Garment Manufacturing in Kampong Speu province, west of the capital, Phnom Penh. ... Full Story | Top |
| More than 70 killed in wave of Baghdad bombings Monday, May 27, 2013 12:52 PM PDT  By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighborhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq. No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts. ... Full Story | Top |
| H1N1 flu outbreak kills 17 in Venezuela: media Monday, May 27, 2013 12:46 PM PDT CARACAS (Reuters) - An outbreak of H1N1 flu has killed 17 people in Venezuela and infected another 250, private media and local authorities said on Monday. H1N1, often referred to as swine flu, was a flu strain that swept around in the world in a 2009/2010 pandemic. "We're suffering a tail-end of the pandemic," a former Venezuelan health minister, Rafael Orihuela, told a local TV station, commenting on the widespread reports of 17 deaths in the South American nation of 29 million people. Most of the cases were in border states near Colombia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Premier Li says China, Germany could be economic 'dream team' Monday, May 27, 2013 12:46 PM PDT  By Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) - China is ready to open up new sectors of its economy to German investors, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday, in comments that highlight Beijing's drive for a special bilateral partnership with Berlin bypassing the EU. "If we both come together in an ideal and optimal way, a dream team will emerge," Li told representatives of German business during a visit to Berlin, his first to a European Union capital since becoming premier in March. ... Full Story | Top |
| On Memorial Day, Obama pays tribute to fallen Monday, May 27, 2013 12:27 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama paid tribute on Monday to fallen men and women of the U.S. armed services during a Memorial Day ceremony in which he reminded Americans that the country was still at war. During a solemn visit to Arlington National Ceremony, the resting ground for many military casualties, Obama noted in remarks to visitors that next year would mark the last Memorial Day of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU governments fail to reach deal on Syria arms embargo: Austria Monday, May 27, 2013 12:03 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments have failed to reach an agreement on easing an arms embargo on Syria to help rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on Monday. EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday to bridge their differences over the issue, with Britain and France pushing to allow European governments to deliver arms. Austria and several other EU capitals oppose such moves. "I regret that after long talks it was not possible to find a compromise with the UK and France," Spindelegger told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Center-left leading in Rome mayor election but run-off likely Monday, May 27, 2013 12:01 PM PDT By Steve Scherer and Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - The center-left candidate for Rome mayor in an election seen as a test of Italy's fragile coalition government was leading the field, projections showed on Monday, but the ballot is likely to go to a run-off next month. Ignazio Marino of the Democratic Party (PD) would get from 41 to 43 percent of the vote while his center-right rival, incumbent Gianni Alemanno of Silvio Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party, was set to take 28-30 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bashir threatens to close oil pipeline in row with South Sudan Monday, May 27, 2013 11:43 AM PDT  By Ulf Laessing KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan will close a pipeline carrying oil exports from South Sudan if Juba continues to support rebels operating on Sudanese soil, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Monday. The long-time foes agreed to resume cross-border oil flows in March but relations have worsened in the past days over Sudan's accusations, which are denied by South Sudan. Landlocked South Sudan, which became independent from the north in 2011, needs to use northern oil facilities to sell its crude and have any hope of propping up its moribund economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya denies Niger attacks launched from its territory Monday, May 27, 2013 11:31 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Libya dismissed on Monday Niger's assertion that the Islamist insurgents who attacked an army base and a uranium mine there last week had come its desert south, an area many countries fear has become a safe haven for militants. Thursday's attacks killed 24 soldiers and one civilian and damaged machinery at an Areva mine that supplies uranium to France's nuclear power program. Militants said the raids were retaliation for Niger's role in the French-led war on Islamists in Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo warlord says will not back down from U.N. brigade Monday, May 27, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Jonny Hogg MUTAHO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Eastern Congo's most powerful warlord stands on a hillside, surrounded by heavily armed fighters, and gazes down on the sprawling lakeside city of Goma spread invitingly below him in the distance. Exactly what General Sultani Makenga is contemplating for his M23 rebels is a matter of some urgency, both for a government that has struggled to contain the revolt and for a new U.N. force tasked with disarming Congo's insurgent groups. Six months ago, Makenga's fighters routed the ill-disciplined army and swept past U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspicious powder, political threats sent to Italian papers Monday, May 27, 2013 10:56 AM PDT MILAN (Reuters) - An envelope containing a suspicious white powder and threats to President Giorgio Napolitano and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi was sent to the Milan headquarters of major newspaper Corriere della Sera on Monday, a police spokesman said. He said another envelope containing a grey powder was sent to the Milan offices of Il Giornale, a daily owned by the Berlusconi family. Il Giornale made no mention of any threats. According to Corriere della Sera, a short message in the envelope said "Berlusconi and Giorgio Napolitano will be killed. Traitor to the homeland". ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kidnap two South African citizens in Yemen Monday, May 27, 2013 10:41 AM PDT SANAA (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen seized two South African citizens in the Yemeni city of Taiz on Monday and police were trying to determine who was behind the kidnapping, an Interior Ministry source said. It was the latest attack targeting foreigners in the impoverished Arab state, where the government is struggling to restore law and order since a power transfer deal in late 2011 saw former President Ali Abdullah Saleh hand over to his deputy following months of pro-democracy protests. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bashir threatens to close pipeline in row with South Sudan Monday, May 27, 2013 10:33 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan will close "forever" an oil pipeline carrying oil exports from South Sudan if Juba supports rebels operating on Sudanese soil, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Monday. "I now give our brothers in South Sudan a last, last warning that we will shut down the oil pipeline forever if they give any support to the traitors in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile," Bashir said on state television, referring to insurgents operating in three Sudanese regions. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing) Full Story | Top |
| Sudan's army seizes back town from rebels in oil state Monday, May 27, 2013 10:28 AM PDT  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has seized back a town from rebels who took it a month ago, the government said on Monday as it continued a push against insurgents it says are backed by South Sudan. The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), an umbrella of rebel groups that launched an assault on several towns late in April, confirmed it had withdrawn from the town, Abu Kershola, saying it had done so to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. In April, the rebels, who aim to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, briefly occupied Um Rawaba, a major city in central Sudan, before withdrawing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Protests over murdered British soldier, pressure on Cameron Monday, May 27, 2013 10:03 AM PDT  By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Around a thousand far-right protesters shouting "Muslim killers, off our streets" marched through central London on Monday against a backdrop of swelling anti-Muslim feeling following the killing of a British soldier last week. Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old soldier, was hacked to death in broad daylight in a south London street by two men who said they killed him in the name of Islam. The attack has shocked Britain and stirred an anti-Muslim backlash, including attacks on mosques. ... Full Story | Top |
| Politically tense Mozambique starts voter registration Monday, May 27, 2013 10:01 AM PDT By Marina Lopes MAPUTO (Reuters) - Mozambique began registering voters this week in preparation for a presidential election that has provoked deadly political violence between the ruling party and its main rival. The process had a chaotic start, with many registration posts opening late or not at all due to technical problems, frustrating those queuing in long lines in Mozambique's cities and towns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ethiopian leader accuses international court of racial bias Monday, May 27, 2013 09:45 AM PDT  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the current chairman of the African Union, on Monday accused the International Criminal Court of racial bias and targeting Africans for prosecution, The Hague-based court was set up to bring the perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice - a mission that Hailemariam said it has lost sight of. "The intention was to avoid any kind of impunity but now the process has degenerated into some kind of race-hunting," Hailemariam told reporters at the end of African Union summit in Addis Ababa. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey likely to move ahead on EU path in June Monday, May 27, 2013 09:44 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey is likely to take a long-awaited step on its path towards European Union entry next month, EU officials said on Monday, after France eased its opposition to Ankara's accession talks. Turkey's EU talks have ground to a halt in recent years, in part because of opposition from France, as well as because of an intractable dispute between Ankara and Cyprus. But relations with France have improved since the arrival of President Francois Hollande last year, and Paris has agreed to drop its opposition to discussing Ankara's preparations in some policy areas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Historic mafia case to put Italian state on trial Monday, May 27, 2013 09:36 AM PDT  By Wladimiro Pantaleone PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Sicilian mob bosses and high-ranking Italian officials, both former and current, went on trial on Monday over allegations they held secret negotiations to stop a wave of deadly mafia bombings in the early 1990s. The trial stems from a murky and tumultuous period in Italian history when the "Bribesville" corruption investigations t brought down the political establishment around the same time as a string of mafia bombs killed 21 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| African leaders create emergency military force Monday, May 27, 2013 09:12 AM PDT By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African leaders said on Monday they would immediately create a military rapid reaction force to deal with regional coups, rebellions and wars, seeking to reduce the continent's reliance on foreign troops and funds for its defense. African Union (AU) Chairman and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced the creation of the so-called African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises, and said South African President Jacob Zuma had proposed the force. ... Full Story | Top |
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