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Friday, March 30, 2012 12:03 AM PDT

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: France police swoop on suspected Islamists Japan government to submit tax hike plan, heads into political showdown U.S. drone strike kills 4 militants in North-Western Pakistan Dozens of Taliban killed in fighting in west Afghanistan Indonesia lawmakers vote on fuel hike after protests Kurds struggle for recognition in Syrian revolt Chavez back in Venezuela after radiation therapy North Korea test fires short-range missiles: reports Apple, Foxconn to revamp China work conditions RIM posts loss as new CEO begins to clean house U.S. may accept less stringent controls for Taliban detainees Rockets explode as Arab leaders meet in Baghdad Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform OLRTXT DBT GVD BANK BNK FIN WEU ES EUROP EZC NEWS ECB;BKIA.MC SAN.MC BBVA.MC CABK.MC Timeline: Spain's economic crisis Analysis: Obama could see silver lining if healthcare law rejected Apple, Foxconn revamp China work conditions Clinton to meet Saudi king amid Syria, Iran tensions U.S. may accept less stringent controls for Taliban detainees Canada deficit shrinks, reforms spark anger Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform Instant View: Apple, Foxconn promise better working conditions Canada budget does not tighten mortgage rules further Intrigue, treachery charges fly in fight for U.N. post Exclusive: West wants Saudi Arabia to keep up oil production Amid fresh diplomacy, U.S. still wary of direct Syria role Assad says foreign aid to rebels must stop under peace plan Air Canada complies with plane service law, Ottawa told Analysis: Springtime in Cuba? France bars four more Islamic preachers from entry French gunman buried in Toulouse after Algeria rejects body Chavez back in Venezuela after radiation therapy Belgium closes its embassy in Syria Ban Ki-moon tells Assad 'world is waiting' Two men torch themselves in Italy as hardship bites Analysis: To Canada and back, a new U.S. oil pipeline race Iran suspends accreditation for Reuters in Tehran Iran suspends accreditation for Reuters in Tehran BRICS flay West over IMF reform, monetary policy Russian bill would impose fines for gay "propaganda" France police swoop on suspected Islamists Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:04 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - French elite police arrested around 20 people in early morning swoops on suspected Islamist circles on Friday in several cities including Toulouse, scene of this month's killings of soldiers and Jewish children, a police source said. The arrests in Toulouse in the southwest, Nantes and Le Mans in western France, and in the Paris region, were carried out by the RAID police commando unit, the source said. The raids, less than a month from a presidential election, come just over a week after police hunted down and killed Mohamed Merah. ... Full Story Top Japan government to submit tax hike plan, heads into political showdown Thu,29 Mar 2012 10:40 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government on Friday will submit laws to double its sales tax by 2015 to fund swelling social security costs in the world's fastest-ageing nation, setting up a showdown that could split the ruling party, force early elections and deepen policy paralysis. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has staked his political career on the tax hike plan, but the chance of success looks slim as opposition parties in a divided parliament baulk at cooperating with the government. ... Full Story Top U.S. drone strike kills 4 militants in North-Western Pakistan Thu,29 Mar 2012 09:47 PM PDT Reuters - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed four suspected militants and wounded three others on Friday in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghanistan border, intelligence officials and militants said. The remotely piloted aircraft targeted a residential compound used by foreign militants in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a Pakistan Taliban commander told Reuters. "All of those killed and injured in this attack were Arab, they belonged to some Arab country," the commander said. ... Full Story Top Dozens of Taliban killed in fighting in west Afghanistan Thu,29 Mar 2012 09:11 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed in U.S. air strikes and a gunbattle in western Afghanistan after an insurgent attack on an Afghan army patrol, NATO and Afghan officials said on Friday. A spokesman of the International Security Assistance Force said the patrol came under attack in Gulistan district in western Farah province on Wednesday, prompting a call for air support. "Numerous insurgents were killed, and several motorbikes were damaged or destroyed" following two strikes by coalition aircraft, he said. ... Full Story Top Indonesia lawmakers vote on fuel hike after protests Thu,29 Mar 2012 08:57 PM PDT Reuters - JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament is set to vote on a controversial fuel price hike on Friday, with a leading political party threatening to scupper the plan in a move that could undermine confidence in Southeast Asia's largest economy. The government wants a 33 percent rise in petrol prices, currently the cheapest in Asia, from April 1 to reduce a swelling subsidy bill that threatens to undermine the budget discipline that led rating agencies to lift the country to an investment grade status. ... Full Story Top Kurds struggle for recognition in Syrian revolt Thu,29 Mar 2012 08:47 PM PDT Reuters - ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Veteran Kurdish human rights campaigner Radeef Mustafa lived in the shadow of huge Syrian secret police compounds towering over his decrepit hometown on the border with Turkey. When security police cracked his son's head open with an iron bar in a demonstration last year, Mustafa fled. He and his family came to Turkey where he joined the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), hoping the year-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad would end discrimination against the country's largest ethnic minority. ... Full Story Top Chavez back in Venezuela after radiation therapy Thu,29 Mar 2012 07:44 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela on Thursday after a first session of radiation treatment in Cuba that he hopes will cure his cancer and allow him to win a new six-year term in October. The 57-year-old socialist leader has said he will be flying back and forth to Havana over the coming weeks as he undergoes therapy, removing himself from the political stage just as his election rival ramps up his campaign. ... Full Story Top North Korea test fires short-range missiles: reports Thu,29 Mar 2012 07:21 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its west coast on Thursday believed to be part of a test to upgrade capabilities, said news reports published on Friday, quoting South Korean military officials. North Korea has raised tensions in recent weeks by announcing it would launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but regional powers are urging Pyongyang to drop the plan, saying it would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. ... Full Story Top Apple, Foxconn to revamp China work conditions Thu,29 Mar 2012 06:19 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc and its China manufacturing partner, Foxconn, agreed to improve wages and working conditions at factories accused of being sweatshops, a move that could set a new higher-cost benchmark for other Western users of Chinese labor. Under Thursday's landmark agreement, Foxconn, which makes Apple devices from the iPhone to the iPad, will hire tens of thousands of new workers, eliminate illegal overtime, improve safety protocols and upgrade worker housing and other amenities. It is a response to one of the largest investigations ever conducted of a U.S. ... Full Story Top RIM posts loss as new CEO begins to clean house Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:53 PM PDT Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion posted a net loss and its first slump in BlackBerry shipments for its holiday quarter since 2006, as its new CEO announced the initial steps in a strategic overhaul and would not rule out an eventual sale of the company. RIM's shares dropped as much as 9 percent on Thursday after the company said it would no longer issue financial forecasts and was reviewing "strategic opportunities" such as partnerships and joint-venture licensing, and other ways to leverage its assets. ... Full Story Top U.S. may accept less stringent controls for Taliban detainees Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:45 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has signaled a willingness to accept less-stringent controls on former Taliban leaders who could be transferred to Qatar as part of a deal between the United States and the Afghan militants to kick-start Afghan peace talks, U.S. officials said. ... Full Story Top Rockets explode as Arab leaders meet in Baghdad Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:20 PM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three rockets exploded around Baghdad on Thursday despite a massive security operation as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hosted the country's first Arab League summit in two decades. After years of war, Iraq's Shi'ite-led government had hoped the summit would highlight its growing stability and renewed role in the region, where Sunni Gulf nations have long been wary of Baghdad's close ties to Shi'ite power Iran. One rocket exploded on the edge of the fortified Green Zone where the Arab leaders were meeting. "The blast happened close to the Iranian embassy. ... Full Story Top Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:11 PM PDT Reuters - BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish workers angry at a labor reform the government calls an "unstoppable" necessity staged a general strike on Thursday, bringing factories and ports to a standstill and igniting flashes of violence on the streets. Hundreds of thousands attended largely peaceful marches throughout Spain, waving red flags and beating drums against the budget cuts of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was elected by a landslide only four months ago on a mandate to dig the country out of a debt crisis that has unnerved its European neighbors. ... Full Story Top OLRTXT DBT GVD BANK BNK FIN WEU ES EUROP EZC NEWS ECB;BKIA.MC SAN.MC BBVA.MC CABK.MC Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:11 PM PDT Reuters - Analysis: Spain's banks may need more public cash MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish banks, already hurting from a property crash, are facing a new wave of loan defaults as the economy sinks into recession and the government may have to find more money or ask Europe for help in filling the funding gap. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has ruled out asking for European aid which would come with difficult conditions and injecting more state money would also be unpalatable given the bad fiscal situation and rising borrowing costs. But both ideas have resurfaced due to fresh concerns over Spain's lenders. ... Full Story Top Timeline: Spain's economic crisis Thu,29 Mar 2012 05:11 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Here is a look at Spain's economy since 2008 as workers walk out on strike a day before a new austerity budget. 2007: - Spain has a public account surplus of more than 2 percent of gross domestic product and the economy grows by 3.5 percent, largely due to a construction boom. By 2008, the property bubble has burst, the surplus has become a deficit and growth has fallen to 0.9 percent. March 2008: - Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wins a second term in office but fails to secure an outright majority in parliament. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Obama could see silver lining if healthcare law rejected Thu,29 Mar 2012 04:57 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The conventional wisdom is that it would be a political disaster for Democratic President Barack Obama, and a boon for Republicans, if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down all or most of Obama's healthcare overhaul. That could be: The healthcare law - which among other things would require most Americans to buy health insurance - is Obama's signature achievement in domestic policy, and the number-one target of many Republicans in this year's elections. ... Full Story Top Apple, Foxconn revamp China work conditions Thu,29 Mar 2012 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a landmark development for the way Western companies do business in China, Apple Inc said on Thursday it had agreed to work with partner Foxconn to tackle wage and working condition violations at the factories that produce its popular products. Foxconn - which makes Apple devices from the iPhone to the iPad - will hire tens of thousands of new workers, clamp down on illegal overtime, improve safety protocols and upgrade worker housing and other amenities. The moves come in response to one of the largest investigations ever conducted of a U.S. ... Full Story Top Clinton to meet Saudi king amid Syria, Iran tensions Thu,29 Mar 2012 04:14 PM PDT Reuters - RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks to weigh limited options available to end the violence in Syria and launch a "strategic forum" with Gulf allies against a backdrop of growing tensions with Iran. The world's main superpower and its top oil exporter have been strategic allies since the 1940s, but deep disagreements over how to tackle the Arab popular uprisings last year strained the relationship. Although the two states have mended that rift, differences persist over both regional issues and energy policy, amid U.S. ... Full Story Top U.S. may accept less stringent controls for Taliban detainees Thu,29 Mar 2012 03:36 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has signaled a willingness to accept less-stringent controls on former Taliban leaders who could be transferred to Qatar as part of a deal between the United States and the Afghan militants to kick-start Afghan peace talks, U.S. officials said. ... Full Story Top Canada deficit shrinks, reforms spark anger Thu,29 Mar 2012 02:42 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada opted for the slow road to a balanced budget and kept spending cuts relatively mild in a cautious budget on Thursday that was nonetheless packed with controversial reforms that ranged from raising the retirement age to fast-tracking approvals for big oil and mining projects. The Conservative government maintained a promise made last year to eliminate its budget deficit, small by international standards at 1.5 percent of gross domestic product, by the 2015-16 fiscal year after adjusting for promised spending cuts. It cuts discretionary spending by 6. ... Full Story Top Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform Thu,29 Mar 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish workers angry at a labor reform the government calls an "unstoppable" necessity staged a general strike on Thursday, bringing factories and ports to a standstill and igniting flashes of violence on the streets. Hundreds of thousands attended largely peaceful marches throughout Spain, waving red flags and beating drums against the budget cuts of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was elected by a landslide only four months ago on a mandate to dig the country out of a debt crisis that has unnerved its European neighbors. ... Full Story Top Instant View: Apple, Foxconn promise better working conditions Thu,29 Mar 2012 01:34 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Apple Inc has agreed to work with partner Foxconn to improve wages and working conditions at the Chinese factories that produce its popular electronics products. The move follows an investigation by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and a crescendo of criticism that Apple's products are built by mistreated, underpaid workers. The following are immediate comments. JUSTIN FELDMAN, HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVOCATE, PUBLIC CITIZEN "In theory it's an improvement, but it actually has to happen. Without an effective oversight mechanism there is no accountability. ... Full Story Top Canada budget does not tighten mortgage rules further Thu,29 Mar 2012 01:06 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's federal budget on Thursday did not include any measures to tighten mortgage rules further as a means of cooling down the housing market. "The government continuously monitors housing finance risks and takes action when necessary. Adjustments to the rules for government-backed and insured mortgages were announced in July 2008, February 2010 and January 2011," the budget document noted without hinting at similar new steps. ... Full Story Top Intrigue, treachery charges fly in fight for U.N. post Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:56 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Accusations of threats, Cold War-style treachery and backstage attempts by Russia to punish a former Soviet republic are turning a routine election for a high-profile but largely ceremonial U.N. post into a bitter diplomatic tussle. Serbia and Lithuania are vying for the presidency of the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly. The 12-month post involves chairing the annual gathering of world leaders in New York in September and other U.N. events. But the assembly has no real power. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: West wants Saudi Arabia to keep up oil production Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:50 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Oil consuming nations may seek reassurance from Saudi Arabia that it will not cut oil production and neutralize the impact on oil prices if consumer countries release emergency reserves, diplomats and industry sources said. The issue may be raised by a U.S. delegation, led by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which is in Riyadh this weekend to discuss Syria with Gulf states. Clinton will see Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. ... Full Story Top Amid fresh diplomacy, U.S. still wary of direct Syria role Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:47 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton departs on Thursday for fresh diplomacy aimed at halting Syria's bloodshed, but there is little sign the Obama administration is ready to deviate from its hands-off approach. Clinton's talks in Riyadh with foreign ministers from Gulf states will likely be anchored by a new peace proposal from U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan. It is the latest bid to broker a diplomatic end to more than a year of fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's troops and opponents to his family's decades-long rule. ... Full Story Top Assad says foreign aid to rebels must stop under peace plan Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:36 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday Syria would spare no effort to ensure the success of international envoy Kofi Annan's peace mission but warned it would not work without securing an end to foreign funding and arming of rebels opposing him. Assad is under international pressure to call his troops and tanks back to their bases, a year into a popular revolt against his iron rule. Fighting between troops and rebels killed at least 38 more people on Thursday, 15 of them soldiers. ... Full Story Top Air Canada complies with plane service law, Ottawa told Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:26 PM PDT Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Air Canada is complying with a law that requires it to maintain aircraft-repair services in several Canadian cities, despite the closure last week of spin-off Aveos Fleet Performance Inc, a parliamentary committee was told on Thursday. That view is good news for the Canadian government, which has come under growing pressure from unions and opposition members of Parliament who want it to force Air Canada to maintain facilities that were shut down earlier this month when Aveos ceased Canadian operations and laid off 2,600 workers. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Springtime in Cuba? Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:22 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - This week's three-day visit to Cuba by Pope Benedict marked another milestone in the Roman Catholic Church's cautious efforts to expand its role in the communist-run island. Havana's Cardinal Jaime Ortega called it a "Springtime of faith." While it remains unclear if or how the visit will change anything in Cuba, most analysts agree any notion of a 'Cuban spring' in terms of political change is still a long way off. ... Full Story Top France bars four more Islamic preachers from entry Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:08 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France barred four Islamic preachers from entering the country on Thursday after banning prominent preacher Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi and another Egyptian cleric who wanted to attend a Muslim conference in Paris. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Interior Minister Claude Gueant said in a joint statement the four preachers "call for hate and violence ... and, in the current context, present a strong risk of upsetting public order". ... Full Story Top French gunman buried in Toulouse after Algeria rejects body Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:01 PM PDT Reuters - TOULOUSE (Reuters) - An al Qaeda-inspired gunman who killed seven people in France before police besieging his home shot him dead was buried on Thursday in Toulouse where the violence occurred after its mayor dropped a refusal to permit the ceremony in the city. Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, was to have been interred in a village in the North African country at the request of his father who lives there, but this was declined for security reasons, Abdallah Zekri, an adviser to the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, told Reuters earlier in the day. ... Full Story Top Chavez back in Venezuela after radiation therapy Thu,29 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela on Thursday after a first session of radiation treatment in Cuba that he hopes will cure his cancer and allow him to win a new six-year term in October. The 57-year-old socialist leader has said he will be flying back and forth to Havana over the coming weeks as he undergoes therapy, removing himself from the political stage just as his election rival gears up his campaign. ... Full Story Top Belgium closes its embassy in Syria Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:39 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Belgium has closed its embassy in Damascus because of deteriorating security in the Syrian capital and in protest at the government's use of violence against civilians, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Belgium is immediately recalling its ambassador to Brussels together with two other staff members, the ministry said. It will retain one diplomat in the country, based in the European Union's offices. Countries including France, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States have already closed their embassies in Syria. ... Full Story Top Ban Ki-moon tells Assad 'world is waiting' Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:39 AM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Syria's President Bashar al-Assad must turn his acceptance of a six-point peace plan into action to divert his country from a "dangerous trajectory" with risks for the entire region. "It essential that President Assad put those commitments into immediate effect. The world is waiting for commitments to be translated into action. The key here is implementation, there is no time to waste," Ban told an Arab League Summit in Baghdad on Thursday. (Reporting by Patrick Markey; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story Top Two men torch themselves in Italy as hardship bites Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:37 AM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - A Moroccan worker in Italy set himself on fire on Thursday in protest at not being paid for months, a day after an Italian businessman set himself alight over a tax dispute, police said. The 27-year-old construction worker is recovering in hospital after dousing himself in petrol and lighting it outside Verona city hall in northern Italy, police said. Police said the man told them he was desperate after not being paid for four months and running out of money. ... Full Story Top Analysis: To Canada and back, a new U.S. oil pipeline race Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:20 AM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - Even as big U.S. oil pipelines invest billions of dollars to ship booming oil production south from Canada and North Dakota, a new race is underway in the opposite direction. Two of the country's biggest pipelines, both now underutilized, are competing to pump a special type of ultralight oil from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest, betting on growing demand from Canadian producers for the "diluent" necessary to get their heavy oil sands bitumen flowing to refiners. ... Full Story Top Iran suspends accreditation for Reuters in Tehran Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:19 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The Iranian government has suspended the press accreditation for Reuters staff in Tehran after the publication of a video story on women's martial arts training which contained an error. Reuters, the news arm of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information group, corrected the story after the martial arts club where the video was filmed made a complaint. The story's headline, "Thousands of female Ninjas train as Iran's assassins", was corrected to read "Three thousand women Ninjas train in Iran". ... Full Story Top Iran suspends accreditation for Reuters in Tehran Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:09 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The Iranian government has suspended the press accreditation for Reuters staff in Tehran after the publication of a video story on women's martial arts training which contained an error. Reuters, the news arm of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information group, corrected the story after the martial arts club where the video was filmed made a complaint. The story's headline, "Thousands of female Ninjas train as Iran's assassins", was corrected to read "Three thousand women Ninjas train in Iran". ... Full Story Top BRICS flay West over IMF reform, monetary policy Thu,29 Mar 2012 11:03 AM PDT Reuters - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Leaders of the BRICS group of emerging market nations pressed Western powers to cede more voting rights at the IMF this year and flayed the rich world's reflationary monetary policies for putting global economic stability in jeopardy. "This dynamic process of reform is necessary to ensure the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Fund," Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa said in a joint declaration after their one-day summit in New Delhi. ... Full Story Top Russian bill would impose fines for gay "propaganda" Thu,29 Mar 2012 10:34 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers have submitted a bill that would impose fines for spreading gay "propaganda" among minors, setting up a tolerance test for the Kremlin-controlled parliament ahead of Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president. The bill echoes local laws whose adoption in cities including St. Petersburg has drawn an outcry from human rights and gay activists, who say they could be used to clamp down on the gay community. ... Full Story Top

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