| Syria details part of chemical arsenal, more to come Posted: 20 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT  By Anthony Deutsch and Oliver Holmes THE HAGUE/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria gave details of some of its chemical weapons to the OPCW arms watchdog at The Hague on Friday but needs to fill in gaps by next week to launch a rapid disarmament operation that may avert U.S. air strikes. At the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the U.N.-backed agency which is to oversee the removal of President Bashar al-Assad's arsenal, a spokeswoman said: "We have received part of the verification and we expect more." She did not say what was missing from a document one U.N. ...
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| U.S. general sees problems, progress in developing Afghan air force Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:13 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S.-led effort to train the Afghan air force faces big challenges ranging from security threats to possible repercussions from procurement scandals that have triggered a review of infrastructure and equipment projects, the U.S. general in charge said. "This is a hard deal. We're far from 100-percent guaranteed on delivery," said Air Force Brigadier General John Michel, who leads NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan, which is due to complete its training of the Afghan air force by December 31, 2017 - three years after most U.S. ... |
| U.S. says open for Iran talks based on 'mutual respect' Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:10 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is ready to engage in talks "on the basis of mutual respect" with Iran about its disputed nuclear program as long as Tehran is willing to demonstrate that its program is for civilian purposes, the White House said on Friday. "We have had a number of engagements with the Iranians and we'll continue to have conversations on the basis of mutual respect," Josh Earnest, the deputy White House spokesman, told reporters aboard Air Force One during President Barack Obama's flight earlier in the day to Missouri. ...
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| Child labor rising among Lebanon's Syria refugees: UNICEF Posted: 20 Sep 2013 11:37 AM PDT By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian refugees in Lebanon are becoming increasingly reliant on child labor to earn money for families now desperate to maintain basic necessities, the director of the United Nations children's agency said. Unlike other host countries, Lebanon has no formal camps to offer a safety net for Syrian refugees. Many are working to provide their own food, clean water and shelter, and children risk being pulled out of school and into the workforce. "Families are poor and destitute after two and a half years of war ... ... |
| Venezuela arrests ex-policemen who shamed new force Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:46 PM PDT CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities on Friday arrested six former policemen who appeared in uniform in a homemade video cursing and firing their pistols in the air, embarrassing a new national force set up to improve the police's dire image. The video, widely watched online, prompted fresh criticism of a government that is already under pressure as it tries to reform a patchwork of ill-paid, sometimes corrupt forces that have struggled to handle shocking violent crime rates. ... |
| Vatican removes deputy bishop in Peru after sex abuse allegations Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:01 PM PDT  LIMA (Reuters) - The Vatican, under Pope Francis' "zero-tolerance" policy for pedophile priests, removed an auxiliary bishop from his post in a Peruvian province because of allegations he sexually abused children, a bishop said on Friday. Luis Bambaren, the former president of Peru's bishops' conference and bishop emeritus of Chimbote, told local media that Gabino Miranda was dismissed as auxiliary bishop in the dioceses of Ayacucho, a poor Andean region in southern Peru, after he was accused of having sexual relations with minors. ...
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| I. Coast won't transfer ex-first lady to ICC Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:39 PM PDT  ABIDJAN (AFP) - Ivory Coast said Friday it would not transfer former first lady Simone Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, but would try her at home instead.The decision came 18 months after the ICC issued a warrant for her arrest over suspected crimes against humanity, charges which her husband and former president Laurent Gbagbo is also facing.Ivory Coast's cabinet decided to file a "motion to dismiss" the warrant. Her husband also awaits trial in The Hague over months of deadly violence that followed 2010 polls. ...
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| US, Iran talk nicely, but nuke progress uncertain Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:28 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran and the United States are making plenty of friendly gestures, but real progress is going to be harder. A notable first meeting between the two nations' presidents suddenly seems possible, but without nuclear concessions the U.S. is unlikely to give Tehran what it wants: an easing of punishing sanctions that have resulted in soaring inflation and unemployment.
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| US VP Joe Biden in Mexico, meeting with president Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:12 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday that he wants to deepen relations between the neighboring countries beyond drugs, security and immigration.
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| Renoir works, personal items fetch $1.3 mn at NY auction Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:11 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AFP) - A collection of over 100 letters, photos, plasters, drawings and personal items that once belonged to Pierre-Auguste Renoir were sold at auction in New York, despite protests from the Impressionist master's great-grandson.Sale organizer Heritage Auctions, which billed it as the largest collection of Renoir memorabilia, said the items earned nearly $1.3 million in total -- far short of the hoped-for $3 million. ...
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| Pope seeks historic easing of rigid Catholic doctrine Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:09 PM PDT  VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Francis has urged a break with the Catholic Church's harsh "obsession" with divorce, gays, contraception and abortion, in an interview signalling a dramatic shift in the Vatican's tone.The Argentine pope has brought a series of fresh perspectives to the notoriously rigid Church since his election in March, and his latest remarks on some of its key doctrines sent shock waves around the world. ...
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| Queen pours her dogs' gravy, says book on royal love for animals Posted: 20 Sep 2013 04:04 PM PDT  LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II is so fond of her corgis that she personally supervises their daily meal and pours the gravy for them herself, according to a new book on British royal pets since the 16th century."Pets by Royal Appointment", by author Brian Hoey, who has written about Buckingham Palace for more than 40 years, suggests that the monarch prefers animal company to those of humans. ...
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| US, Venezuela in overflight spat Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:58 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — U.S. officials said Friday that they had initially refused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro permission to fly over a segment of U.S. airspace on his way to China because his government made the request on short notice.
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| Biden emphasizes trade in Mexico trip Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:55 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden touted immigration reform and trade with Mexico during talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City on Friday, skirting a thorny spying scandal.Visiting the southern neighbor four months after US President Barack Obama, Biden sought to put the focus again on economic ties between the neighboring nations rather than security and the battle against drug cartels."Mr President, you and I have continued our conversation on security," Biden said at a press conference alongside Pena Nieto. ...
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| Acapulco road reopens, rescuers seek mudslide victims Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:51 PM PDT  ACAPULCO, Mexico (AFP) - Tourists trapped in flood-stricken Acapulco for almost a week packed into cars and buses on Friday after authorities reopened the road link to Mexico City following deadly storms.The good news for increasingly angry beachgoers contrasted with the grim search for scores of people missing in nearby mountains after a massive mudslide swallowed half of their village.While rescuers dug through mud in La Pintada, authorities were searching for a police helicopter that disappeared while conducting relief missions in the same mountain region of southwestern Guerrero state. ...
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| Merkel makes personal pitch in election home straight Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:34 PM PDT  BERLIN (AFP) - As fresh polls showed a tightening of Germany's election race Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised voters they will be in safe hands if she stays leader of Europe's economic giant."Germany has had four good years," she wrote in a letter mailed to over five million households ahead of Sunday's vote, in which she seeks a third term for her Christian Democratic Union (CDU)."We have achieved a lot together. I also want the next four years to be good," wrote Merkel, who is dubbed "Mummy" in her country and often called the world's most powerful woman. ...
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| Ankara police headquarters attacked by rocket fire: minister Posted: 20 Sep 2013 03:14 PM PDT  ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey's police headquarters came under attack from rocket fire in the capital Ankara on Friday evening, but no one was hurt, the interior minister said.Two rockets hit the building in the Dikmen suburb, Muammer Guler said, adding that another device that did not explode was found in a neighbouring garden.Police have set up roadblocks in a bid to intercept those responsible, the Dogan agency reported. ...
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| Nigeria forces take on 'Islamists' in capital Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:56 PM PDT  ABUJA (AFP) - Nigerian forces fought what they said was a gun battle with Islamist insurgents in the capital Abuja on Friday, but statements from witnesses and the US embassy suggested those involved were squatters.Nigeria's main intelligence agency said Boko Haram fighters opened fire on security agents in the capital who were searching for a weapons cache in a building under construction.If confirmed, it would be the first violence linked to the Islamist group to hit the Nigerian capital in months. ...
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| Syria sends watchdog chemical weapons inventory Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:51 PM PDT  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Syria has sent the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons an "initial declaration" outlining its weapons program, the organization said Friday, in keeping with the agreement Russia and the U.S. brokered to have Syria give up its chemical weapons arsenal.
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| Guinea parties continue to negotiate upcoming vote Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:43 PM PDT CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Political parties and negotiators in the West African nation of Guinea are meeting through the night in an effort to resolve an impasse over upcoming legislative elections. |
| BlackBerry to cut 4,500 jobs as revival effort fails Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:41 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AFP) - BlackBerry Friday said it would cut 4,500 jobs as the struggling Canadian smartphone maker retrenches in the face of hefty losses and weak sales of its new handsets.The news, showing BlackBerry's efforts at reviving its fortunes a stunning failure, pushes the once high-flying firm one step closer to extinction, analysts said.BlackBerry said it expects a loss of $950 to $995 million in second quarter mostly due to writedowns linked to poor sales of its Z10 smartphone, the device aimed at competing against Apple and Android devices. ...
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| McGuire drops champions Leeds into semi-finals Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:38 PM PDT  LONDON (AFP) - Danny McGuire's late drop-goal put defending Super League champions Leeds into the play-off semi-finals as they sealed an 11-10 win over familiar foes St Helens at Headingley on Friday.McGuire's kick three minutes from time proved the difference in the preliminary semi-final despite Willie Manu scoring two tries for Saints.Leeds were in command at 10-0 early in the second period after Kallum Watkins and Joel Moon crossed for tries either side of half-time, with Kevin Sinfield adding one conversion for the home side. ...
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| Russian Muslim clerics warn of unrest over ban of translation of Koran Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:16 PM PDT By Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's senior Islamic clerics warned the country's leaders on Friday unrest could erupt in Muslim communities in Russia and beyond if a court decision ordering the destruction of a interpretive translation of Koran is not overturned. Tuesday's ruling by a court in Novorossiysk, a city in southern Russia, ordered the widely read text outlawed under a Russian anti-extremism law that rights activists say has been abused by local officials out of prejudice or to persecute groups frowned upon by the dominant Russian Orthodox Church. ... |
| Guatemala convicts ex-police chief for student leader's disappearance Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:11 PM PDT By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan court sentenced a former national police chief on Friday to 40 years in prison for orchestrating the disappearance of a student union leader in 1984 during the country's bloody civil war. Hector Bol de la Cruz, chief of police from 1983 to 1985, was convicted in the kidnapping and disappearance of Fernando Garcia, last seen when officers detained him outside his home in the capital in 1984. ... |
| 'Northampton Clown' terrifies British town Posted: 20 Sep 2013 02:11 PM PDT  LONDON (AFP) - A mysterious clown dressed like the malevolent character from the Stephen King novel "It" has been scaring residents with random appearances in the British town of Northampton.The "Northampton Clown", whose identity remains unknown, said on Friday that the bizarre behaviour involving posting pictures of himself around the town was "harmless fun."The clown, who wears a white mask with red hair like the character Pennywise in King's 1986 book and holds balloons, has attracted a following of 147,000 people on Facebook. ...
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| White House: Iran overtures 'clearly not sufficient' Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned on Friday that diplomatic overtures from Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, while welcome, are not enough for it to consider loosening sanctions aimed at Tehran's nuclear program.White House national security spokesman Ben Rhodes said President Barack Obama has no plans to meet Rowhani at the UN General Assembly next week, and would maintain pressure on Iran when he addresses the body. ...
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| Obama to meet Abbas on Tuesday: White House Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:54 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the White House said.Obama is due to address the annual assembly of world leaders on Tuesday and will also find time to meet one-on-one with Abbas, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and Lebanon's Michel Sleiman, spokesman Ben Rhodes said.The meeting with Abbas comes six days before the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House amid ongoing Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations. ...
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| Mexico looks for landslide victims, chopper Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:48 PM PDT  ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Mexican soldiers dug through tons of mud and dirt Friday in their continuing search for landslide victims, as authorities looked for a federal police helicopter that went missing while carrying out relief operations on the flood-stricken Pacific coast.
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| AP Analysis: US-Russia Syria deal props up Assad Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:48 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — For Syria's divided and beleaguered rebels, the creeping realization that there will not be a decisive Western military intervention on their behalf is a huge psychological blow.
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| Province survive scare to extend Currie Cup lead Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:41 PM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Western Province survived a late scare to beat Griquas 19-13 Friday and go five points clear at the top of the South African Currie Cup table.Bottom team Griquas were camped inside the Province 22 for several minutes after the siren sounded, but finally lost possession and the chance to grab a shock win.It was a match title-holders Province should have wrapped up much earlier at a freezing, rain-lashed Newlands stadium in Cape Town.They dominated the scrums and stole several Griquas line-outs, but could not turn possession and territorial advantages into a decisive lead. ...
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| Iraqi leader denies holding 7 Iranian dissidents Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:31 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq denied Friday that it is holding seven missing members of an Iranian dissident group following a deadly attack on its compound north of Baghdad earlier this month. |
| Rockets hit Turkish police compound in Ankara, no one hurt Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:31 PM PDT  ANKARA (Reuters) - A police compound in the Turkish capital Ankara was struck by three rockets on Friday, Interior Minister Muammer Guler said. Two buildings belonging to the national police directorate in the district of Dikmen were hit, but no one was hurt, Guler said. A third rocket fell into the grounds. Dikmen is one of the places across Turkey where anti-government protests have flared in recent months. The television station NTV said it was not yet known who was behind the attack. ...
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| Super Typhoon Usagi closes in on Taiwan and Philippines Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:28 PM PDT  HONG KONG (AFP) - Super Typhoon Usagi, the most powerful cyclone of 2013 so far, was closing in on Taiwan and the Philippines on Saturday, packing gusts of nearly 300 kilometres (185 miles) per hour and bringing storm surge and torrential rain.Usagi, which intensified dramatically into a super typhoon in the early hours of Friday, is to roar through the Luzon Strait dividing the Philippines and Taiwan on Saturday morning as it barrels towards Hong Kong and the Chinese coast. ...
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| With shovels, rescuers seek bodies in Mexican village Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:25 PM PDT  LA PINTADA, Mexico (AFP) - Using shovels and pickaxes, hundreds of rescuers dug on Friday a mountain of mud that buried a Mexican village, making little progress in finding scores of missing people.Soldiers, marines and civil protection workers toiled through the night in La Pintada, a coffee-growing village in the mountains west of the Pacific resort of Acapulco.The little village has become ground zero of two devastating storms that swept across Mexico this week, flooding cities, breaking bridges and killing some 100 people nationwide. ...
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| Greece: Anti-terror police probe far-right Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:22 PM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's anti-terrorism division has taken over the investigation into the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, blamed on a supporter of the far-right Golden Dawn Party, the Public Order Ministry said Friday.
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| Kerry, Lavrov talk of 'strong' UN Syria resolution Posted: 20 Sep 2013 01:20 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke Friday about a "strong" United Nations Security Council resolution on ridding Syria of chemical weapons.The two top diplomats are in daily contact on the matter and sealed a deal in Geneva last weekend aimed at dismantling the Damascus regime's chemical arsenal.While welcoming Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans to the State Department, Kerry told reporters he had a fairly long phone conversation with Lavrov earlier in the day. ...
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