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| Suicide bomber kills 8 Kurdish security forces personnel in Iraq Sunday, Jul 28, 2013 12:25 AM PDT TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives blew himself up near a Kurdish security forces patrol killing at least eight of them early on Sunday, police said. The attack took place in the town of Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, in a notoriously violent region over which both the central government and autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan claim jurisdiction. (Reporting by Ghazwan Hassan; Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Louise Ireland) Full Story | Top |
| Germany's Schaeuble set to stay center stage in euro crisis Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 11:51 PM PDT  By Annika Breidthardt BERLIN (Reuters) - Two years ago, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was on the point of giving up his role as iron fist in the euro zone debt crisis, but the 70-year-old champion of closer European integration now seems likely to remain on Europe's center stage. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who made her independent-minded and famously irritable former rival finance minister in 2009, is expected to reappoint him if, as widely forecast, she wins a third term in the September 22 parliamentary poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Liberals, smaller tribes win seats in Kuwait vote after opposition boycott Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 11:13 PM PDT  By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT (Reuters) - Liberals and candidates from some of Kuwait's more marginalized tribes have won seats in a parliament which may prove more cooperative with ruling family members after opposition Islamists and populists boycotted the election. Saturday's election was the sixth since 2006 in the major oil producer where political upheaval and bureaucracy have held up the vast majority of initiatives in a 30-billion-dinar ($105-billion) economic development plan announced in 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| China orders nationwide government debt audit Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:18 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China's National Audit Office will conduct an audit of all government debt at the request of China's State Council or cabinet, it said in a statement on Sunday, underlining concern over rising debt levels in the world's second biggest economy. The audit office, responsible for overseeing state finances, made the announcement in a one-sentence item on its website, but gave no details on the audit. ... Full Story | Top |
| California prisons, hunger-strike backers clash over inmate death Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:16 PM PDT By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Supporters of California prison inmates staging a prolonged hunger strike said on Saturday that one of the prisoners who had been refusing meals has died, but state corrections officials said the death was under investigation as a suicide. The inmate, identified by mediators for protesting inmates as Billy Sell, died on Monday at the Corcoran State Prison in central California, where he was serving time in a "security housing unit" for prisoners held in solitary confinement, according to the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cambodia's Hun Sen set for victory in tense election Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 09:04 PM PDT  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodians voted on Sunday in an election likely to hand another five years in power to Asia's longest-serving prime minister, Hun Sen, but an energized opposition says there have been irregularities and it will continue to fight for true democracy. The opposition believes nearly a million names are missing from voter lists and has complained about the disruption of meetings, alleged vote-buying and campaigning by the security forces for Hun Sen, who defected from the genocidal Khmer Rouge and was first appointed premier in 1985. ... Full Story | Top |
| NBC plans Hillary Clinton miniseries, part of TV event strategy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 07:54 PM PDT  By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC plans to air a four-hour miniseries starring Diane Lane as former U.S. Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, part of the broadcast TV network's strategy to improve its ratings by luring viewers to one-time event programming. The part of Bill Clinton has not been cast, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said on Saturday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association. ... Full Story | Top |
| Business booms for asylum middlemen in Afghan exodus Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:35 PM PDT  By Rob Taylor and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - In a brightly lit travel agency in a gloomy Kabul mall, business is booming for Naser Gulzad. But all he can think about is shutting up shop and following his customers out of Afghanistan. Like many Afghans watching the exit of NATO-led troops and fearing a comeback by the Taliban or the country's notorious warlords, Gulzad wants desperately to join an exodus gathering pace ahead of what is expected to be a tumultuous 2014. "People are really worried about their own future and the future of Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police clash with protesters in Tunisia's Sidi Bouzid Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:29 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country's revolution and hometown of slain secular opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, witnesses said. Tensions have run high in Tunisia since Brahmi's Thursday assassination, and large protests throughout the day were met with police teargas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali scrambles to be ready for Sunday's 'fresh start' vote Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:19 PM PDT  By David Lewis and Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian election officials scrambled to distribute voting material for an election on Sunday intended to provide a fresh start to a country divided by a coup and a war in its desert north. Candidates wound up campaigns promising reconstruction and reconciliation but, underscoring security fears despite a successful French offensive against al Qaeda-linked fighters, an Islamist group threatened to attack polling stations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian, jailed in Mauritania for terror link, reported back home Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:09 PM PDT OTTAWA/NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - A Canadian man jailed for "terrorist conspiracy" in the west African nation of Mauritania arrived back in Canada under police escort on Friday after his sentence was cut on appeal, Canadian television said. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp and CTV News both quoted a government official as saying Aaron Yoon had flown into Toronto. Canada's foreign ministry said earlier in the day that it was aware Yoon had been released by Mauritanian authorities. ... Full Story | Top |
| California cop who pepper-sprayed students claims psychiatric damage Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 06:00 PM PDT  By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A former University of California policeman who drew widespread scorn for pepper-spraying peaceful student protesters is seeking worker's compensation for psychiatric damage he said he suffered in the 2011 incident. Video footage of then-campus police Lieutenant John Pike casually dousing student demonstrators in the face with a can of pepper spray as they sat on the ground at UC Davis came to symbolize law enforcement aggression against anti-Wall Street protests at the time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope urges Brazil's youth to seek change, fight apathy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:29 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle and Philip Pullella RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged Brazil's young people, who have protested against corruption in their country, to continue their efforts to change society by fighting apathy and offering "a Christian response." The 76-year-old pope spoke to a crowd estimated by the Vatican to be more than 2 million people gathered on Rio's famed Copacabana beach for an evening rally where he also urged young people to shun fleeting fads and be "athletes of Christ. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama disputes job projections for Keystone XL pipeline: NYT Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:25 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called into question the number of jobs that would be created from the controversial Keystone XL pipeline in an interview with the New York Times released on Saturday. "Republicans have said that this would be a big jobs generator," Obama said, according to the newspaper. "There is no evidence that that's true. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Shabaab claim attack on Turkish mission in Somalia, three dead Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:21 PM PDT  By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car loaded with explosives rammed into an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people, witnesses and officials said on Saturday, the latest in a series of blasts claimed by Islamist al Shabaab rebels. Al Shabaab was pushed out of bases in Mogadishu by Somali and African forces about two years ago, raising hopes of a return to relative security in a city hit by years of war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dozens shot dead, U.S. tells Egypt to pull 'back from the brink' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 05:00 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States urged Arab ally Egypt to pull "back from the brink" after security forces killed dozens of supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and opened a dangerous new phase in the army's confrontation with his Muslim Brotherhood. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters were hunkered down in a vigil at a Cairo mosque on Sunday, vowing to stand their ground despite a threat by the authorities to disperse them "soon". ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia leaders aim for new power-sharing deal 'in coming hours' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:58 PM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Coalition partners of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party said on Saturday they were in talks to reach a new power-sharing deal, in a bid to stave off unrest as protests intensified late into the night. The spokesman for the Constituent Assembly, Tunisia's transitional parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution, said he expected a deal in the coming hours. "The trend now is to move towards expanding the base of power," Mufdi al-Masady told a local radio station. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police fire teargas at violent protests in Sidi Bouzid Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:35 PM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country's revolution and hometown of slain opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, witnesses said. Angry demonstrators, who came out to protest Thursday's assassination of Brahmi, threw rocks at police, said local resident Mahdi al-Horshani. "Hundreds of protesters lit tires on fire to block roads and they threw rocks at the police," he told Reuters by telephone. "There is a lot of anger and frustration at the situation. ... Full Story | Top |
| With dozens dead, U.S. tells Egypt to pull 'back from the brink' Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:34 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States urged Arab ally Egypt to pull "back from the brink" after security forces killed dozens of supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and opened a dangerous new phase in the army's confrontation with his Muslim Brotherhood. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters were hunkered down in a vigil at a Cairo mosque on Sunday, vowing to stand their ground despite the imminent threat of a move to disperse them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel to approve prisoner deal in push to revive Palestinian talks Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 04:01 PM PDT  By Allyn Fisher-Ilan JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel was expected on Sunday to approve releasing more than 100 Arab prisoners as a step to renew stalled peace talks with the Palestinians ahead of plans to convene negotiators in Washington later this week. Ministers will vote on the move at the cabinet's weekly session, as well as proposed legislation to require a public referendum or vote on any peace agreement reached involving a withdrawal from land Israel captured in a 1967 war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Teresa Heinz Kerry leaves rehab hospital, full recovery expected Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, walked out of a Boston rehabilitation hospital on Saturday, nearly three weeks after suffering a seizure, and is expected to make a full recovery, the State Department said on Saturday. Heinz Kerry, a philanthropist and heiress, was rushed to a local hospital on July 7 after a seizure at the couple's vacation home on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket and was then taken to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Tunis Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:36 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police fired tear gas in front of parliament on Saturday to disperse secular protesters demanding the dissolution of the assembly and Islamists defending the legitimacy of their rule. Police began firing after the arrival of thousands of opposition protesters who had been attending the funeral of the assassinated secular politician Mohamed Brahmi, a Reuters reporter said. Protesters threw stones back at police and there were several injuries. Among those wounded was an opposition lawmaker from the same party as Brahmi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Up to 94 killed in tribal clashes in Darfur Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:23 PM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Up to 94 people have been killed in new clashes between two rival tribes in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, tribal leaders said on Saturday. Conflict has raged through the vast region since 2003 when African tribes took up arms against the Arab government in Khartoum, accusing it of neglect. Violence is down from a 2004-2005 peak, but fighting between rival tribes has increased sharply since January. Arab Misseriya tribesmen and members of the rival Salamat tribe in Um Dukhun in South Darfur clashed on Friday, said Ahmed al-Kheiri, a Misseriya leader. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama calls Korean War a victory, honors veterans Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:22 PM PDT  By Matt Haldane WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, President Barack Obama said on Saturday that U.S. troops and their allies achieved victory in that conflict despite a lukewarm reception when they returned home. The war ended in a stalemate in 1953, with the absence of a peace treaty resulting in a demilitarized zone that now separates North and South Korea. Pyongyang commemorated the day with a massive military parade and declared victory as well. "Here, today, we can say with confidence that this war was no tie. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's leaders must pull nation back from brink: U.S. Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 03:05 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Egypt's leaders must pull their country "back from the brink," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday, saying Egypt was at a pivotal moment after the killing of dozens of protesters. Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey's Erdogan slams EU for stance on Egypt bloodshed Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:27 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, an outspoken supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Mursi, lashed out at the European Union and others for failing to condemn strongly enough the killing of dozens in Cairo earlier on Saturday. Security forces shot dead dozens of Mursi supporters on Saturday, days after the army called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism" following its removal of Egypt's first democratically government on July 3. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. defense chief, in call with Egypt's Sisi, urges restraint Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:17 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed deep concern over violence in Egypt and urged restraint in a call on Saturday with the Egyptian army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after scores of protesters were killed in the last day. "The United States believes that the current transition needs to be marked by inclusivity, that Egyptian authorities should avoid politicized arrests and detentions, and take steps to prevent further bloodshed and loss of life," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Michigan attorney general backs pensioners in Detroit bankruptcy Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:14 PM PDT  By Susan Kelly (Reuters) - Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, said on Saturday he would defend retirees who risk losing public pensions because of Detroit's bankruptcy, putting him at odds with the city's emergency manager appointed by fellow Republican Governor Rick Snyder. Schuette, an elected official, said the Michigan state constitution is "crystal clear" in stating that pension plans are a contractual obligation that may not be diminished or impaired. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says narrowed Fed choices, to announce in months: NY Times Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:11 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has narrowed his choices to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to "some extraordinary candidates" and will announce his pick "over the next several months," he said in an interview with the New York Times. In the interview, released on Saturday, Obama said he wanted a Fed leader who would focus on helping the economy grow and not just work abstractly to keep inflation in check and markets stable, the Times reported. "The idea is to promote those things in service of the lives of ordinary Americans getting better," Obama said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief Ban condemns Egypt violence, urges respect for rights Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 02:02 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Saturday the violence following protests in Egypt, calling on security forces to respect the right to free speech and assembly and urging protesters to demonstrate peacefully. "The Secretary-General once again calls on the interim authorities to assume full responsibility for the peaceful management of the demonstrations and ensure the protection of all Egyptians," Ban's press office said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi man dies in kingdom from MERS coronavirus: Health Ministry Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 01:35 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi man has died of the coronavirus Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the Saudi Health Ministry said on Saturday, raising to 39 the number of deaths from the SARS-like virus in the kingdom where it first emerged last year. "The Ministry of Health has announced the death of one case, who had been previously announced to be infected with this virus in Asir, may Allah have mercy upon him," the ministry said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Accused Fort Hood shooter says he participated in war on Islam Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:38 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan said on Saturday that the United States military is engaged in a war with the Muslim religion, and he apologized for having participated in what he called "illegal and immoral aggression" against Muslims. In quotes published by Fox News from a six-page statement released to the television network, Fox said Hasan did not directly address the shooting at the Fort Hood, Texas army base in November, 2009. He is accused of opening fire on the base, killing 13 soldiers and injuring 32 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope, in candid speech, speaks of 'exodus' from the Church Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:26 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in a stunningly candid assessment of the state of the Catholic Church, said on Saturday it should look in the mirror and ask why so many people are leaving the faith of their fathers. On the penultimate day of his trip to Brazil, Francis delivered a long address to the country's bishops in which he suggested elements of what could become a blueprint for stopping what he called an "exodus. ... Full Story | Top |
| Quebec town mourns victims of fuel-tanker train disaster Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:16 PM PDT  By Christinne Muschi LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners filled the streets of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on Saturday, as the families of the 47 people killed in North America's worst railway disaster in two decades attended a memorial service at a local church. A trumpeter on the street played Ave Maria to the mourners as they gathered outside St Agnes church to watch the service on a massive screen. "It's still difficult," said Chantal Guay, a local resident who was among the crowd outside church. "We're all family in Lac-Megantic, everyone knows each other. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya PM to reshuffle cabinet, cut ministries after killings Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:08 PM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib and Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister said he would reshuffle the cabinet and reorganize the government to cope with the "urgent" situation in the country following killings in the eastern city of Benghazi that sparked violent demonstrations. Hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the assassination of a prominent political activist and critic of the Muslim Brotherhood, Abdelsalam al-Mosmary, who was shot dead on Friday after leaving a mosque in Benghazi. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan president names Benjamin as new foreign minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has named former Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin as the new foreign minister of the African oil producer, the first appointment in a new cabinet after firing the previous lineup. On Tuesday, Kiir sacked his entire cabinet, Vice President Riek Machar and put under investigation his top Sudan negotiator, Pagan Amum, amid a power struggle in the African nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi supporters picked off in Cairo violence Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:55 AM PDT  By Tom Perry and Noah Browning CAIRO (Reuters) - They fell one by one, picked off by gunmen who aimed for the chest and head, witnesses said. Some of the dead, supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi, were shot between the eyes. In one of the bloodiest incidents since Mursi was removed from power by the army, the violence started around midnight with a barrage of teargas fired by police to drive his Muslim Brotherhood backers away from a major Cairo flyover. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says rebels killed 123 people in north, majority civilians Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:28 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media accused insurgents on Saturday of killing 123 people, the majority of them civilians, during a rebel offensive this week to take the northern town of Khan al-Assad. A two-year revolt-turned-civil war has left more than 100,000 people dead and both forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels are accused by rights groups of war crimes. State news agency SANA said that "armed terrorist groups" committed a "massacre ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Death toll in Cairo attack 65: Egypt health ministry Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's health ministry said it had registered 65 killed on Saturday in what the Muslim Brotherhood has described as an attack by the security forces on supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in the capital Cairo. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood says 66 were killed and 61 were left "brain dead" in the attack. Hamdi Mahmoud, director of the health ministry press office, told Reuters that 65 had died, and a further nine were killed in overnight violence in Egypt's second city, Alexandria. (Reporting by Maggie Fickl; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Tom Perry) Full Story | Top |
| Serbian PM threatens to oust finance minister Saturday, Jul 27, 2013 10:25 AM PDT  By Maja Zuvela BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's prime minister piled pressure on Finance and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic on Saturday to cede one of his portfolios or face being ousted from the Balkan country's coalition government. "It's crucial to have a division of responsibilities by splitting the ministry of finance and economy if we are serious about pursuing our goal of economic and fiscal consolidation," Prime Minister Ivica Dacic told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
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