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| China denounces 'groundless' accusations by U.S. on Snowden Tuesday, Jun 25, 2013 12:17 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday the United States' accusations of Beijing facilitating the departure of fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden from Hong Kong were "groundless and unacceptable". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing that all parties should accept that the Hong Kong government had handled Snowden's case in accordance with the law. ... Full Story | Top |
| China-U.S. ties under strain, but not imperiled by Snowden Tuesday, Jun 25, 2013 12:07 AM PDT  By Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ties with the United States are coming under strain over the flight of wanted U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden from Hong Kong, with Beijing's main state newspaper praising him on Tuesday for "tearing off Washington's sanctimonious mask". The White House said the decision by the Chinese territory to allow Snowden to leave was "a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship. ... Full Story | Top |
| Qatar emir hands power to son, no word on prime minister Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:49 PM PDT  By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani handed power on Tuesday to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, taking the rare step for a Gulf Arab ruler of voluntarily ceding power to try to ensure a smooth succession. But the 61-year-old emir made no immediate mention of the public face of Qatar's assertive foreign policy, prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, a veteran politician who had been expected also to step down. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australia seeks Triton superdrones for Indian Ocean overwatch Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:48 PM PDT By Rob Taylor CANBERRA (Reuters) - Rising Indian Ocean rivalries as China seeks to safeguard key energy lifelines loom behind an Australian push for a $3 billion fleet of maritime superdrones, which will likely boost intelligence sharing with the United States. With elections looming and pressure for budget savings, the purchase of up to seven MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft has emerged as rare point of bipartisan agreement between Australia's Labor government and conservative opponents, but both sides are reluctant to discuss their wider strategic aims. ... Full Story | Top |
| New emir seen maintaining Qatar's role as power broker Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:00 PM PDT  By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's new emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is widely expected to push ahead with his father's drive that transformed the wealthy Gulf Arab gas exporter into a regional power broker. A graduate of Britain's prestigious Sandhurst military academy, 33-year-old Sheikh Tamim is said to be a warm and affable pragmatist as well as being an avid fan of Britain's Manchester United who enjoys playing tennis and other sports. ... Full Story | Top |
| Qatar's outgoing emir, a visionary for tiny Gulf state Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:46 PM PDT  By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - To his admirers, Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is a champion of the common man's struggle against tyranny, and a visionary who turned billions of dollars in energy revenues into strategic international investments. To his critics, the 61-year-old ruler only pretends to be a friend of the masses, for while he backed Arab Spring revolts against autocracy, he clamped down on freedoms at home. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran condemns Egypt's sectarian killings as 'contradicting Islam' Monday, Jun 24, 2013 09:41 PM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's foreign ministry condemned the killing of four Shi'ite Egyptians near Cairo, saying such extremism violated the tenets of Islam, state television reported late on Monday. "The Islamic Republic of Iran denounces any act of extremism and violence which contradicts Islam and the tenets of Islam," read a foreign ministry statement published by the website of English-language news channel, Press TV. "Iran is certain that the sensible and revolutionary Egyptian nation, through its prudent leaders ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghan forces put down attack on presidential palace: police Monday, Jun 24, 2013 09:38 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan forces put down an early morning attack by Taliban insurgents on the presidential palace and nearby buildings in central Kabul on Tuesday, with police saying all the assailants had been killed after a 90-minute gunfight. A Reuters reporter at the palace said the attack began soon after 6:30 a.m. (0200 GMT) when at least one man opened fire with an automatic rifle at a gate to the palace in the central Shash Darak district. Karzai's whereabouts were not immediately known, though he had been due to attend a press event at the palace after 9 a.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ten car bombs kill 39 in Iraqi capital Monday, Jun 24, 2013 09:22 PM PDT  By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Ten car bombs exploded across the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing nearly 40 people in markets and garages on the evening of a Shi'ite Muslim celebration, police and medical sources said. Some of the attacks targeted districts where Shi'ites were commemorating the anniversary of the birth of a revered Imam, but there also were explosions in mixed neighborhoods and districts with a high population of Sunnis. ... Full Story | Top |
| All assailants in attack on Afghan presidential palace killed: police Monday, Jun 24, 2013 08:54 PM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - An early morning insurgent attack on Tuesday on Afghanistan's presidential palace has been put down with all the assailants killed, Kabul's police chief said. General Ayoub Salangi told Reuters the gunfight ended after about 90 minutes with all the attackers killed. (Reporting by Mirwais Harooni and Dylan Welch, Editing by Ron Popeski) Full Story | Top |
| Taliban say they attacked Afghan presidential palace Monday, Jun 24, 2013 08:08 PM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an early morning attack on the presidential palace and nearby government and other buildings as fighting raged in the area. "Today at 6.30 a.m. a number of martyrs attacked the presidential palace, defense ministry and the Ariana Hotel," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message. The Ariana Hotel is known to house the headquarters of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Ron Popeski) Full Story | Top |
| Singapore smog eases as Indonesian planes waterbomb fires Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:49 PM PDT  By John O'Callaghan and Chris Nusatya SINGAPORE/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Air quality in Singapore improved significantly to "moderate" pollution levels on Saturday, as Indonesian planes waterbombed raging forest fires and investigators scrambled to determine the cause of one of Southeast Asia's worst air pollution crises. Indonesia's environment minister said eight domestic firms were suspected of being responsible for the blazes on Sumatra island that blanketed neighboring Singapore in record levels of hazardous smog. ... Full Story | Top |
| No sign of Snowden as Aeroflot plane lands in Havana Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:22 PM PDT  HAVANA (Reuters) - An Aeroflot flight from Moscow that was being closely tracked by media organizations in case Edward Snowden, the former security contractor who revealed details of U.S. surveillance programs, was on board, landed in Cuba uneventfully on Monday. Russian reporters on board the flight and foreign press gathered at Havana airport reported no sightings of Snowden or any unusual security. When the captain of the Aeroflot plane emerged from customs he was surrounded by photographers. He pulled out his own camera, took picture of the photographers and said "No Snowden, no. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil's Rousseff calls for constitutional vote to quell protests Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:15 PM PDT  By Brad Haynes and Maria Carolina Marcello SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff sought to overcome a sudden wave of national discontent with a surprising call on Monday for a referendum on what would be the country's most ambitious political reform in decades. Rouseff proposed a national vote on amending Brazil's constitution in a meeting with governors and mayors the week after the country's largest protests in 20 years jolted politicians of all stripes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asia driving 'explosion' in global arms trade: study Monday, Jun 24, 2013 05:46 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Asian powers are outpacing the United States to become the biggest spenders on defense by 2021 and are fuelling an "explosion" in the global arms trade, a study showed. The global arms trade jumped by 30 percent to $73.5 billion between 2008-2012 in spite of the economic downturn, driven by surging exports from China and demand from countries like India, and is set to more than double by 2020, defense and security consultancy IHS Jane's said on Tuesday. "Budgets are shifting East and global arms trade is increasing competition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon faces tumult after deadliest Syria-related clashes Monday, Jun 24, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese government will try on Tuesday to secure the country after the deadliest violence since the start of a two-year conflict in neighboring Syria that has pushed Lebanon's myriad militia to clashes. Gunfights between the army and Sunni Muslim radical groups in the southern port of Sidon extended into Monday night after Lebanese soldiers stormed a complex holding gunmen loyal to a radical Islamist cleric and arrested dozens of his supporters. Violence also spread to the city of Tripoli in the north. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. angry about Snowden's protectors, but will it get even? Monday, Jun 24, 2013 05:16 PM PDT  By Paul Eckert and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials and lawmakers have made it clear they're furious at the governments that have played a role in enabling fugitive security contractor Edward Snowden's globe-trotting, but the United States is expected to take a restrained approach to any retribution. President Barack Obama's administration has been trying to track Snowden since he slipped out of Hong Kong and flew to Moscow on Sunday, but his whereabouts remained a mystery amid a blizzard of speculative reports that he could be headed to Cuba, Ecuador, or Iceland. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. presses Russia as mystery over Snowden deepens Monday, Jun 24, 2013 03:03 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Lidia Kelly WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States on Monday increased pressure on Russia to hand over Edward Snowden, the American charged with disclosing secret U.S. surveillance programs, and said it believed he was still in Moscow despite reports he was leaving for Cuba. Earlier Snowden, until recently a contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, had been expected to fly to Havana from Moscow, perhaps on the way to Ecuador, but he was not seen on the plane and Russian officials declined to say where he was. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil's Rousseff proposes political reform to quell protests Monday, Jun 24, 2013 02:56 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Monday proposed a popular referendum to embark on a sweeping political reform in response to the country's largest public protests in 20 years. Rousseff called for a public vote to eventually amend Brazil's constitution as she sought to seize the momentum in a national debate set off by two weeks of increasingly disruptive demonstrations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Qatari emir set to hand over to son, little policy change seen Monday, Jun 24, 2013 02:27 PM PDT  By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - The emir of Qatar told his family on Monday he would hand power to his son, al Jazeera reported, preparing the wealthy gas-exporting Gulf Arab country for a highly unusual step in a region where hereditary rule normally means for life. The U.S.-allied state is geographically small, with 2 million people, but is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, a global investment powerhouse, a force in international media and a backer of Arab Spring revolts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Behind Snowden's Hong Kong exit: fear and persuasion Monday, Jun 24, 2013 02:08 PM PDT  By James Pomfret and Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hunkered down in a small apartment in Hong Kong, Edward Snowden was running out of options. The United States had charged him with felonies under the Espionage Act and demanded that Hong Kong authorities arrest him. His trio of high-powered local lawyers had warned the former U.S. spy agency contractor he might be stuck in legal limbo for years - and possibly detained - if he stayed put and requested asylum in the city-state of Hong Kong, where authorities answer to China's central government in Beijing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy court convicts Berlusconi on sex charges Monday, Jun 24, 2013 01:43 PM PDT  By Silvia Aloisi and Sara Rossi MILAN (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi was handed a seven-year jail sentence on Monday for abuse of office and paying for sex with a minor, adding to the complications facing Italy's fragile left-right government. The former prime minister will not have to serve any jail time before he has exhausted an appeals process that could take years, but the conviction angered members of his centre-right party who questioned whether he should continue to support the coalition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sectarian killing rattles fearful Egypt Monday, Jun 24, 2013 12:58 PM PDT  By Alastair Macdonald and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's president, accused of fuelling sectarian hatred, promised swift justice on Monday for a deadly attack on minority Shi'ites as he tried to quell broader factional conflict to avoid a threatened military intervention. The army, which handed power to elected Sunni Islamists a year ago after decades of oppression, have warned Mohamed Mursi - and his liberal opponents - to end an increasingly violent deadlock or see troops back on the streets to impose order. There was little sign of reconciliation, however. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany proposes delaying EU-Turkey talks over protests Monday, Jun 24, 2013 12:55 PM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Justyna Pawlak LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Germany proposed on Monday postponing a new round of EU membership talks with Turkey by about four months to signal the bloc's displeasure at its crackdown on anti-government protests. The European Union had planned to revive Turkey's EU ambitions on Wednesday by opening a new chapter, or policy area, in the talks - the first opened since 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court invites Qataris to swear loyalty to new emir: al Jazeera Monday, Jun 24, 2013 12:34 PM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Qataris are being invited to go to the royal court on Tuesday and Wednesday to swear loyalty to Crown Prince Tamim as the Gulf Arab state's new emir, Qatari-owned al Jazeera television reported on Monday. "The Emiri Diwan (royal court) will receive citizens tomorrow and the day after to pledge allegiance to Sheikh Tamim as the country's emir," the station said, following reports that the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, 61, planned to hand power on Tuesday to Sheikh Tamim, 33, his son. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Writing by William Maclean; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic gold mine collapses, at least 37 dead Monday, Jun 24, 2013 12:22 PM PDT BANGUI (Reuters) - At least 37 gold miners died and many others were injured in the Central African Republic when a pit in which they were working collapsed after heavy rains, the country's presidency said on Monday. The incident happened on Sunday at a gold mine in Ndassima, some 440 km (273 miles) east of the capital, Bangui, and three days of national mourning have been declared. "The toll of 37 is provisional as there were many injured," said Prosper Ndouba, spokesman for the president's office. ... Full Story | Top |
| President's son says Uganda not a monarchy after succession row Monday, Jun 24, 2013 12:09 PM PDT KAMPALA (Reuters) - The son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he would not inherit power like a monarch, after a general accused Uganda's veteran leader of grooming his son to take over. But son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who commands an elite military unit, did not rule out standing for election for the post in the future in comments published by his spokesman on Facebook. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House presses Russia to expel Snowden; sharp words for China Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:55 AM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House pressed Russia on Monday to exercise all options to expel Edward Snowden and slammed China for allowing the former U.S. spy agency contractor who disclosed government surveillance secrets to leave Hong Kong. White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters it was the U.S. assumption that Snowden was still in Russia and he dismissed suggestions that the decision to allow Snowden to depart Hong Kong was a technical one. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek PM reshuffles cabinet to overcome government crisis Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:48 AM PDT  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras reshuffled his cabinet on Monday, aiming to bolster his government days after the smallest party in the ruling coalition quit over the closure of state TV, leaving him with a tiny majority in parliament. In a move to quell concerns he was riding roughshod over his coalition partners and appease the Socialist PASOK party, his only remaining ally, Samaras named its chief Evangelos Venizelos deputy prime minister and foreign minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| At least 37 dead as Central African Republic gold mine collapses Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:46 AM PDT BANGUI (Reuters) - At least 37 gold miners died in Central African Republic when a pit in which they were operating collapsed after heavy rains, the country's presidency said on Monday. The incident happened on Sunday at a gold mine in Ndassima, some 440 km (273 miles) east of the capital, Bangui. "The toll of 37 is provisional as there were many injured," said Prosper Ndouba, spokesman for the president's office. (Reporting by Paul-Marin Ngoupana; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| Eight soldiers killed in India's Kashmir, attacks escalate Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:43 AM PDT  SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Eight soldiers were killed and six others injured in rebel attacks in India's Jammu and Kashmir state, an army spokesman said on Monday, in a sign of escalating violence ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the state. Militants have escalated attacks on security forces since March this year, killing 27 security men so far, with Monday's the deadliest so far. The security incidents follow protests in February when India hanged Mohammad Afzal Guru for an attack on parliament in 2001. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Britain, attempts to cut spending fuel angst over cherished state Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:36 AM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - When the chief enforcer for Britain's finance ministry suggested that the army should cut spending further because it had more horses than tanks, he provoked an indignant response from one of his own colleagues in the cabinet. As Britain prepares to say who will take the pain for more cuts, the row over ceremonial horses versus tanks shows just how hard it is to trim the size of a state that the government says has been overspending for years. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House expects Russia to look at all options to expel Snowden back to U.S. Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:27 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday said it expects the Russian government to "look at all options available" to expel former government contractor Edward Snowden back to the United States to face espionage charges. The White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the United States also registered strong objections to authorities in Hong Kong and China through diplomatic channels at the decision to let Snowden flee. And "noted that such behavior is detrimental to U.S.-Hong Kong and U.S.-China bilateral relations," Hayden said. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan's army holds, beats civilians: HRW Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:27 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - South Sudan's army has detained some 130 civilians without charges in a central state since February, beating some of them severely, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. Rights groups accuse South Sudan's army and security forces, a loose umbrella of former guerillas from decades of civil war with Khartoum, of committing abuses. HRW said the governor of Lakes state had ordered the army in February to detain 50 people each from two villages which had been locked in tribal fighting. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. hopes to get Taliban peace talks 'back on track' Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:16 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is still hoping to have peace talks with the Taliban and Afghan officials but is not sure it will be possible, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Monday. Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said at a media briefing that there have been hopeful signs for the talks. "We want to see if we can get it back on track," he said. "We don't know whether that's possible." A new date for discussions has not yet been set and James Dobbins, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has not met with Taliban representatives, Ventrell said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia will have to optimize spending: Medvedev Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:05 AM PDT  By Darya Korsunskaya MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian government, facing an economic slowdown, will have to focus its spending efforts on priority areas, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday. Medvedev was addressing a meeting of a fiscal planning commission at which new figures were released showing that federal spending would rise by only 3 percent in nominal terms next year. That represents a sharp slowdown from spending growth of 17.8 percent last year, stoked by pre-election spending that helped President Vladimir Putin win election for a third presidential term. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's 5-Star ends losing streak to elect mayor in Sicily Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:58 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement got some rare good news on Monday, when it upset expectations to elect its candidate as mayor in the Sicilian city of Ragusa after weeks of in-fighting and declining support in polls. The result is a reminder of 5-Star's enduring appeal to millions of Italians. Its recent travails had led some commentators to predict a rapid demise after its stunning performance at February's national election when it won a quarter of votes cast. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bombs kill 39 in Iraqi capital Baghdad Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:46 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Ten car-bomb explosions killed at least 39 people across the Iraqi capital on Monday, police and medical sources said. In the central district of Karada, two parked car bombs went off killing at least eight people, and another two car bombs exploded simultaneously near a market in the western district of Jihad, killing eight. Violence has been increasing in Iraq in recent months, with more than 1,000 people killed in May alone, making it the deadliest month since the sectarian bloodletting of 2006-07. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jews tell pope of concern over moves to make Pius XII a saint Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:42 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A Jewish leader expressed concern to Pope Francis on Monday over attempts to make a saint of World War Two-era Pope Pius XII, who has been accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust. Francis made no mention of his wartime predecessor during his talks with members of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), but the pontiff repeated the Roman Catholic Church's condemnation of anti-Semitism. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africans resigned over 'critical' Mandela Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:32 AM PDT  By Jon Herskovitz JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africans adopted a mood of sombre resignation on Monday to the inevitability of saying goodbye to former president Nelson Mandela after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader's condition in hospital deteriorated to critical. Madiba, as he is affectionately known, is revered among most of South Africa's 53 million people as the architect of the 1994 transition to multi-racial democracy after three centuries of white domination. ... Full Story | Top |
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