| Netanyahu draws "red line" on Iran's nuclear program Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:39 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew his "red line" for Iran's nuclear program on Thursday despite a U.S. refusal to set an ultimatum, saying Tehran will be on the brink of a nuclear weapon in less than a year. By citing a time frame in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu - who has clashed with President Barack Obama over the urgency of military action against Iran - appeared to suggest no Israeli attack was imminent before the November 6 U.S. presidential election. ...
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| U.S. temporarily reduces staff in Libyan embassy Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:24 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States is temporarily withdrawing more staff from its embassy in Libya's capital for security reasons, but hopes to send them back early next week, the State Department said on Thursday. "This is a temporary further drawdown of staff for security reasons. We will review our posture again early next week with the goal of restoring staff as soon as conditions allow," a State Department official said in New York, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is attending the U.N. General Assembly. U.S. ...
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| Syria rebels say launch "decisive battle" in Aleppo Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:30 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said they had launched a major attack in Aleppo on Thursday at the start of a "decisive battle" to push President Bashar al-Assad's forces out of the country's biggest city. Heavy fighting was reported in around 14 districts by opposition activists and several rebel brigades, though the scale of the fighting could not be confirmed independently. A video posted on YouTube by rebels showed Abdulqadir al-Saleh, the head of the biggest rebel force in Aleppo, the Tawheed Brigade, carrying a walkie talkie and announcing the start of the assault. ...
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| France's Hollande stakes credibility on 2013 budget Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:09 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande puts his fiscal credibility on the line on Friday when he delivers France's toughest budget in 30 years in the face of a stagnant economy, record unemployment and plunging poll ratings. The Socialist leader's first budget, to be presented to the cabinet at a mid-morning meeting, needs to make 30 billion euros ($39 billion) in savings to keep deficit-cutting pledges on track and not fall foul of financial markets. ...
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| Sudan, South Sudan sign deals to restart oil, secure border Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan signed deals on Thursday to secure their shared border and boost trade, paving the way for the resumption of oil exports but stopping short of ending other disputes remaining after the South's secession. The border deal, reached after three weeks of negotiations in Ethiopia, will throw both ailing economies a lifeline and prevent, for now, a resumption of the fighting that broke out along the frontier in April and came close to war. ...
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| Britain's Hague meets Ecuador's top diplomat in U.S. on Assange Posted: 27 Sep 2012 09:32 AM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister William Hague sought on Thursday to allay his Ecuadorean counterpart's concerns about the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying Britain's extradition law has "extensive human rights safeguards." Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault allegations. His lawyers and Ecuador's government fear that could lead to extradition to the United States, where he could face charges stemming from WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of U.S. ...
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| Militants attack Iraq jail, free prisoners Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:33 PM PDT TIKRIT (Reuters) - Militants attacked a prison in the Iraqi city of Tikrit late on Thursday, freeing dozens of inmates and clashing with security guards in the surrounding area, security sources and an eyewitness said. The prison, which housed several hundred inmates, many of whom are suspected of links with al-Qaeda, was attacked by unidentified gunmen following a car bomb explosion outside the main gate. "Until now, the prison is in the hands of the gunmen. ... |
| China's dorm room discontent emerges as new labor flashpoint Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:52 PM PDT  TAIYUAN, China (Reuters) - Twenty-three-year old factory worker Wang spends up to 12 hours a day making iPhone components in China, but his major complaint is not about the monotony of the production line - it is about his degrading worker-bee life inside the dormitory. Wang, who did not want his full name published, is among thousands of workers housed in a vast complex where tensions aggravated by regimented and cramped living conditions boiled over on Sunday into a violent mass riot. ...
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| NATO resuming more operations with Afghans, Pentagon says Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:48 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NATO-led forces are resuming operations alongside their Afghan counterparts in growing numbers, a week after commanders curtailed some joint missions due to a surge in insider attacks and tensions over an anti-Islamic video, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The Pentagon did not provide precise figures on the extent of the increase in partnering since the new policy was enacted. But Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said most units in Afghanistan were conducting "normal partnered operations at all levels. ...
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| In rare appearance, Germany's Kohl makes plea for European unity Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:23 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who reunified Germany and pushed the country into the euro, urged Europe to press ahead with closer integration despite a crisis of the single currency, saying the continent must never again descend into conflict. In a rare public appearance to mark 30 years since he became chancellor, Kohl was celebrated by party allies, an array of former presidents and prime ministers, as well as Angela Merkel, a former protégé with whom he has had a frosty relationship since she turned on him over a decade ago. ...
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| AP EXCLUSIVE: Study: UN misconduct goes unpunished Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:40 PM PDT When U.N. staffers on peacekeeping missions were accused of misconduct or corruption over the last couple of years, more than two-thirds of them were exonerated by the U.N.'s internal tribunal system, according to research provided to AP by a whistleblower-protection group. |
| Israel's Netanyahu draws his "red line" for Iran Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:44 PM PDT  In his most detailed plea to date for global action against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb.
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| Spain, Greece launch austerity plans to secure aid Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:35 PM PDT  Spain and Greece outlined plans Thursday to reduce government spending and raise taxes to convince international lenders and financial markets they are on track to cut their deficits.
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| Syrian military's text to rebels: 'Game over' Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:01 PM PDT  Cellphones in Syria rang, buzzed and chirped Thursday with an ominous text message from the military to members of the armed rebellion: "Game over."
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| Clinton presses China on maritime spats Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:23 PM PDT  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged China's top diplomat on Thursday to peacefully resolve increasingly tense maritime disputes with Japan and its smaller neighbors in Southeast Asia.
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| Mexico catches alleged drug capo 'El Taliban' Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:28 PM PDT  Mexican marines acting on U.S. intelligence seized the leader of a breakaway faction of the hyper-violent Zetas cartel, officials said Thursday, proclaiming the third such arrest in a month as a victory for a bi-national strategy focused on removing the leadership of Mexico's powerful organized crime groups.
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| Town debates future of house of Hitler's birth Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:02 PM PDT  Living space in Braunau is scarce, but an imposing Renaissance-era building stands empty in this post-card pretty Austrian town because of the sinister shadow cast by a former tenant: Adolf Hitler.
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| Abbas accuses Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' Posted: 27 Sep 2012 10:59 AM PDT Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of ethnic cleansing Thursday for building settlements in east Jerusalem. |
| Arrest of Google Brazil head stirs debate over Web Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:08 PM PDT  The arrest of a top Google executive is reviving a debate about Brazilian laws that hold services such as YouTube responsible for the videos posted on them, making the country a hotbed of attempts to stifle digital content.
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| Isleworth Mona Lisa conjures new art world mystery Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:10 PM PDT  The mystery behind the most enigmatic smile in art — Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" — just got a little more complicated.
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