| Qaeda bomber adept at breaching aviation security Posted:  LONDON (Reuters) - A Saudi bombmaker believed behind several failed but ingenious attempted attacks on the West is the most likely creator of an improved "underwear bomb" discovered in a plot foiled by U.S. and allied authorities, security experts and officials say. Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who once provided the bomb for a suicide mission by his younger brother, a fellow militant, is described by security officials as one of the most dangerous and innovative explosives experts ever to serve al Qaeda. ...
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| Fears of Syrian civil war deepen; U.S. aids opposition Posted:  UNITED NATIONS/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Security forces killed at least 10 people in fighting across Syria on Tuesday, activists said, in a 14-month-old revolt that international mediator Kofi Annan, the Red Cross and Arab League warned was deteriorating into a civil war. Clashes between government forces and rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad raged overnight in Syrian towns and flared again during the day, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Despite an initial pause in fighting on April 12, a promised ceasefire has not taken hold. ...
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| Exclusive: China considers delay of key party congress: sources Posted:  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party is seriously considering a delay in its upcoming five-yearly congress by a few months amid internal debate over the size and makeup of its top decision-making body, sources said, as the party struggles to finalize a once-in-a-decade leadership change. The two most senior posts, of president and premier, are not considered in much doubt. But any delay in the congress, no matter the official reason, would likely fuel speculation of infighting over the remaining seats in the nine-member politburo standing committee which calls the shots in China. ...
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| Greece sinks deeper into crisis, chance of govt fades Posted:  (Reuters) - Greece sank deeper into crisis on Tuesday when the Leftist candidate for prime minister set conditions for a new coalition which the biggest party said would destroy the country. Antonis Samaras, leader of the conservative New Democracy party which finished first in Sunday's election, said Leftist Alexis Tsipras would drive Greece out of the euro with his demand that pledges made in exchange for an EU/IMF bailout be torn up. "Mr. Tsipras asked me to put my signature to the destruction of Greece. I will not do this," Samaras said. ...
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| Putin and Medvedev complete job swap in Russia Posted:  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's lower house of parliament confirmed former president Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister on Tuesday, completing a job swap with Vladimir Putin that has sparked protests against the two leaders' grip on power. The approval vote, comfortably won by Medvedev as Putin looked on, ignored growing concern in the country that keeping power in the hands of the same men who have led Russia for the past four years will bring political and economic stagnation. ...
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| Sudan rebels say take town in Darfur in new push Posted: KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region said on Tuesday they had seized control of a town from Sudanese government troops, part of their campaign to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's government. "Our forces entered Girayda, south of Nyala, and took over the garrison completely," Abdullah Mursal, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction led by Minni Minnawi, said. "We want to bring the downfall of the regime. And to do that we have to take over cities before we reach Khartoum," he added. ... |
| Al Jazeera shuts English bureau after China visa denial Posted:  BEIJING (Reuters) - Al Jazeera has closed the China bureau for its English channel after Chinese authorities refused to renew its correspondent's visa, marking the first time an accredited foreign correspondent has been forced to leave the country in over a decade. Melissa Chan had reported from Beijing for Al Jazeera's English language channel since 2007, as well as maintaining a Twitter feed with more than 15,000 followers. "China addressed this problem in accordance with laws and regulations. ...
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| Libya holds first civilian trial of alleged Gaddafi supporters Posted:  ZAWIYAH, Libya (Reuters) - Libya began its first civilian trial of alleged supporters of Muammar Gaddafi's regime on Tuesday, officials said, as five men accused of planning to create instability by "terrorist acts" appeared in the dock. Judge Amer al-Turki did not read out a charge sheet but adjourned the trial, which is being held in the western town of Zawiyah, for a week at the request of defense lawyers. Ali Ashaab Mohammed, the head of the court, said the men had been arrested in Zawiyah, just west of the capital Tripoli. "Today's case ... is about a group of former regime loyalists ... ...
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| Italy's Monti pushes for EU growth agenda with Rehn Posted:  ROME (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mario Monti on Tuesday set out Italy's priorities for growth in the euro zone, calling for changes in the way budget deficits are calculated and urging the EU Commission to be more active in setting a growth agenda. Speaking at a conference attended by EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, Monti said the time for studying and talking about how to boost the euro zone's stagnant economy was over. "I exhort Commissioner Rehn and the Commission to take a very active and leading role," said Monti. ...
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| Netanyahu surprise gives Israel grand coalition Posted:  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a unity government on Tuesday in a surprise move that could give him a freer hand to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and seek peace with the Palestinians. The coalition deal, negotiated secretly over the past days and sealed at a private meeting overnight, means the centrist Kadima party will join Netanyahu's rightist coalition, creating a majority with 94 of parliament's 120 seats. ...
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| UN envoy warns of civil war in Syria Posted:  International envoy Kofi Annan gave a bleak assessment of the crisis in Syria on Tuesday, saying violence remains at "unacceptable levels" and warning that his peace plan is the country's last chance to avert a disastrous civil war.
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| Crisis threatens Europe's storied way of life Posted:  from its sophisticated lifestyle to its cherished welfare benefits like guaranteed health care and a secure retirement, to a sense among many Europeans of being the world's elite.
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| Al-Qaida bomb master: 'Brutality' and 'novelty' Posted:  Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri has built a reputation as al-Qaida's bomb-making savant one potential near miss at time: Explosive-rigged underwear aboard a Christmas flight to the U.S. in 2009, printers fitted with high-grade explosives the next year and now possibly a metal-free device that could avoid airport detectors.
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| Left-wing leader rejects Greek austerity pledge Posted:  The smoldering debate over European austerity flared hotter Tuesday as the left-wing politician trying to form a new Greek government declared that his country is no longer bound by its pledges to impose crippling cutbacks in return for rescue loans.
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| Netanyahu emerges as strongman with unity deal Posted:  Now backed by a parliamentary supermajority, Benjamin Netanyahu has tremendous room to maneuver on Israel's most pressing issues: peace with the Palestinians, possible war with Iran, and the growing rift at home between religious and secular Jews.
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| Britain's Cameron: UK must stand by spending cuts Posted:  Britain must stick to its tough austerity measures despite doubts elsewhere in Europe over the best remedy to fix the continent's stalled economies, Prime Minister David Cameron insisted Tuesday.
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| Mideast nuclear conference in jeopardy Posted:  Hopes dimmed Tuesday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms.
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| Puerto Rico aims to become fully bilingual by 2022 Posted:  The governor of Puerto Rico is trying to do what more than a century of American citizenship has failed to accomplish: make Puerto Ricans fluent in English.
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| 9 convicted in racially sensitive UK sex ring case Posted: Nine men of Pakistani and Afghan descent were convicted Tuesday of luring girls as young as 13 into sexual encounters using alcohol and drugs, in a case that has heightened racial tensions in Britain and stirred protests among the far right. |
| Al-Jazeera says China has expelled reporter Posted: Al-Jazeera's sole English-language reporter in China has been expelled, the pan-Arab news network said Tuesday. It's the first time since 1998 that Beijing has kicked out an accredited foreign journalist. |
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