| Taliban attack Afghanistan in "spring offensive" Posted:  KABUL (Reuters) - Heavy explosions, rockets and gunfire rattled Kabul on Sunday as Afghanistan's Taliban launched a "spring offensive" with multiple attacks targeting Western embassies, the NATO force's headquarters and the parliament building. The assault, one of the most serious on the capital since U.S.-backed Afghan forces removed the Taliban from power in 2001, highlighted the ability of militants to strike the heavily guarded diplomatic zone even after more than 10 years of war. It was also another election-year setback in Afghanistan for U.S. ...
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| U.N. peace monitors in Syria set to begin mission Posted:  BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.N. peace monitors are due to start their mission in Syria on Monday to oversee a shaky ceasefire undermined by persistent violence and the shelling of the opposition stronghold of Homs by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. The ceasefire is part of a broader peace plan brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan, but it looked increasingly under threat throughout the weekend as the government vowed a crackdown on a wave of "terrorist attacks" in Syria. ...
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| Summit sex scandal takes shine off Colombia efforts Posted:  CARTAGENA, Colombia (Reuters) - Gracing the cover of the latest Time magazine and trumpeting his nation's security achievements, President Juan Manuel Santos had hoped the Summit of the Americas would showcase the modern face of Colombia. Yet global media coverage from this weekend's gathering of more than 30 heads of state has focused instead on a scandal after members of U.S. President Barack Obama's security detail were caught with prostitutes in historic Cartagena. ...
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| Gulf states to meet Tuesday on UAE-Iran island row Posted: DUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states will meet in Qatar on Tuesday to discuss a territorial dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Iran over a small island in the Strait of Hormuz that both claim, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Sunday. The UAE recalled its ambassador from Tehran on Wednesday after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Abu Musa island, 60 km (40 miles) off the UAE, as part of a tour of Iran's Gulf coast, a visit described by the UAE foreign minister as "a flagrant violation of the UAE's sovereignty. ... |
| U.S. political rhetoric to stay as China widens yuan band Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's widening of the yuan's trading band will do little to blunt criticism of its currency policy by the United States and the Treasury Department said on Sunday more progress was needed to correct a "misalignment" of the exchange rate. Not much shift in the political rhetoric from Washington was expected in the wake of China's milestone move on Saturday to allow the yuan to rise or fall 1 percent from a mid-point every day, effective Monday, from its previous 0.5 percent limit. ...
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| Secure despite rocket fiasco, N.Korea's Kim lauds military Posted:  PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea's new leader delivered his first major public speech on Sunday as the impoverished state celebrated the centenary of its founder's birth, calling for a push to "final victory" despite a failed rocket launch two days earlier. A jowly Kim Jong-un, clad in black and the third of his line to rule North Korea, read monotonously from a script in Pyongyang's central square after goose-stepping soldiers and sailors showcased the North's military power in a parade in spring sunshine. ...
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| Mali ready to talk to rebels, not "foreigners" Posted: NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Mali's interim president is willing to open dialogue with Tuareg-led rebels and Islamists occupying the north of the West African country, but "armed foreign jihadist groups" among them should leave, a Malian envoy and mediator said on Sunday. "We want to resolve the difficulties in the north of our country through dialogue and negotiation," Tiebile Drame, a prominent Malian politician and mediator for interim Malian President Dioncounda Traore, told Reuters in Nouakchott. ... |
| Worst of crisis over, governments must act: ECB's Asmussen Posted:  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The worst of the euro zone crisis appears to be over and it is now up to governments to tackle debt problems remaining in their countries, European Central Bank policymaker Joerg Asmussen said on Sunday. "The ball is with governments, they have to act," Asmussen told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on its website late on Sunday. ...
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| Israel moves to thwart pro-Palestinian "fly-in" Posted:  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - More than 40 pro-Palestinian activists reached Tel Aviv's international airport on Sunday as part of an attempted "fly-in", only to be detained as Israel denied them entry and scrambled to stop other campaigners boarding flights in Europe. Israel's decision to distribute "no-fly" lists to European carriers and deploy hundreds of police at Ben Gurion airport underlined its deep concern over international campaigns against its treatment of the Palestinians. ...
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| Insight: Myanmar's power struggle endangers economic boom Posted:  KYA-OH, Myanmar (Reuters) - The banging of Win Maung's hammer echoes across the farming village of Kya-oh in parched central Myanmar, as twilight descends upon its thatched-roof homes. His arms and legs streaked in oil, the 48-year-old is struggling to repair a 22-horsepower diesel engine in a wheezing generator, the only power source for about 200 villagers whose homes will soon be enveloped by darkness. It is a familiar scene in rural Myanmar. "I'm not sure it can be fixed quickly. I'm not sure what the problem is," he says. ...
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| String of attacks rock Afghan capital, provinces Posted:  Taliban insurgents struck the heart of the Afghan capital and three eastern cities Sunday, firing automatic weapons and grenades at embassies, government buildings and NATO bases as they launched the spring fighting season with the boldest and most complex assault in years.
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| Truce eroding as first UN monitors head to Syria Posted:  Syria's 4-day-old cease-fire appeared to be quickly eroding Sunday, with regime forces firing dozens of tank shells and mortar rounds at neighborhoods in the opposition stronghold of Homs, hours before the arrival of a first team of U.N. truce monitors.
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| 'Matilda' mops up 7 prizes at theater's Oliviers Posted:  Mischievous musical "Matilda" dominated British theater's Olivier Awards on Sunday, winning seven prizes including a joint best-actress trophy for the four children who play the title role.
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| Cuba split leaves summit without declaration Posted:  A summit of nearly 30 Western Hemisphere leaders has ended without a joint declaration due to divisions over Cuba and Argentine claims to the Falkland Islands.
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| Obama: US, Colombia trade deal a 'win' Posted:  President Barack Obama is praising the free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia, saying it includes protections for workers and the environment that will serve as a "win" for both countries.
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| Pope seeks prayers, strength ahead of anniversary Posted:  Pope Benedict XVI prayed Sunday for the strength to carry on as he marks two major milestones this week: his 85th birthday and the seventh anniversary of his election to the papacy.
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| Prayers and silence mark Titanic centenary Posted:  With prayers, a hymn and a moment of silence broken by a ship's deep whistle, passengers and crew on a memorial trip marked 100 years to the moment since the Titanic sent more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.
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| Israel nabs fly-in activists at airport Posted:  Israel detained dozens of international activists as they landed at its main airport on Sunday, preventing them from entering the country to participate in a planned solidarity mission with Palestinians in the West Bank.
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| Egypt's Islamists set back in presidential race Posted:  The elimination of three of the main contenders from Egypt's presidential race has eroded the chances of an Islamist candidate to seize the country's top job.
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| Taliban attack Pakistan prison, free 380 prisoners Posted:  Taliban militants armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades battled their way into a prison in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, freeing close to 400 prisoners, including at least 20 described by police as "very dangerous" insurgents, authorities and the militants said.
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