| Islamist coalition calls for dialogue to ease Egypt's crisis Posted: 16 Nov 2013 10:15 AM PST  By Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - A coalition of Islamists said on Saturday it was ready to seek dialogue to end Egypt's bloody political crisis, on condition that the army-backed government halt a security crackdown. The public offer was the first of its kind by the group since the violent dispersal of pro-Islamist sit-ins this summer, and it notably did not call for the reinstatement of ousted president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The most populous Arab state was thrown into turmoil after the army overthrew Mursi on July 3. It was not immediately clear if the move would be backed by top leaders of the Brotherhood, which is part of the alliance, the National Coalition to Support Legitimacy, or how the military-backed government would respond.
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| Aid flows to typhoon survivors as Philippines struggles to rebuild Posted: 16 Nov 2013 04:35 AM PST  By Aubrey Belford TANAUAN, Philippines (Reuters) - Long-delayed emergency supplies flowed into the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines on Saturday, reaching desperate families who had to fend for themselves for days, as the United Nations more than doubled its estimate of homeless to nearly two million. The aid effort was still patchy, with relief officials reporting a surge in desperate, hungry survivors trying to leave the coastal city of Ormoc, 105 km (65 miles) west of Tacloban, the worst-affected major city. More than a week after Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 3,633 with tree-snapping winds and tsunami-like waves, hundreds of international aid workers set up makeshift hospitals and trucked in supplies. Residents of Tanauan, a fishing town about 15 km (9 miles) southeast of Tacloban, said they only started receiving substantial aid on Friday after being forced to survive on biscuits and dispose of dead bodies on their own for days.
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| Iran, world powers close to nuclear deal: Russia's Lavrov Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:03 PM PST  By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Global powers and Iran are close to a preliminary deal to rein in Tehran's nuclear program and should not pass up a "very good chance" to clinch it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks broadcast on Saturday. Six nations negotiating with Iran hope the talks can produce an agreement that would be the first step towards a comprehensive deal to end a decade-long standoff with Tehran and provide assurances it will not build nuclear weapons. "Our common impression is that there is a very good chance that must not be passed up," Lavrov said of a recent discussion with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, when asked whether the Geneva talks could be successful. "The steps that must be taken to defuse the situation and create conditions for a final resolution of the Iranian nuclear problem are clear to both the six nations and Iran," he said in the interview with Moscow-based TV Tsentr.
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| Old guard's candidate beats favorite in tense Maldives vote Posted: 16 Nov 2013 11:56 AM PST  By J.J. Robinson MALE (Reuters) - Abdulla Yameen won the Maldives presidential election run-off on Saturday, narrowly defeating the favorite Mohamed Nasheed in a ballot that voters hoped would end two years of political turmoil that has hit the vital tourism sector. The crisis occasionally spilled over into violent protests in the Indian Ocean holiday paradise after Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president in 2008, was forced to resign early last year in what he said was a coup. Three previous attempts to hold the election were annulled or delayed in as many months and, although Nasheed led the first round a week ago, Yameen had the support of resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim, who was eliminated in that ballot. He is a half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years and is considered a dictator by rights groups and opponents.
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| Britain to launch probe into union intimidation: report Posted: 16 Nov 2013 04:45 PM PST  Britain will investigate allegations of bullying and intimidation by labor unions just a weeks after a high-profile dispute between workers and a petrochemical firm, Sky News reported late on Saturday, citing the office of Prime Minister David Cameron. The announcement comes less than a month after the Grangemouth petrochemical plant in Scotland was nearly closed following a dispute between unions and operator Ineos. An Ineos director said at the time that he feared for the safety of his wife and children after 30 Unite members protested outside his house, prompting Cameron to describe alleged picketing of refinery managers' homes as "quite shocking." Ineos announced it would shutter the Grangemouth plant in October after failing to reach a deal with the Unite union following the dismissal of a representative led to workers backing strike action. The Unite union, also a donor to Labour, was accused - but later cleared - of hijacking the selection of a candidate to contest a parliamentary seat in the Scottish town of Falkirk.
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| Captain without a ship - Marcos clan mayor at eye of Philippine storm Posted: 16 Nov 2013 04:03 PM PST  By Andrew R.C. Marshall and Stuart Grudgings TACLOBAN, Philippines (Reuters) - Minutes before a tsunami-like storm surge slammed into the Philippine coastal city of Tacloban, a tall man in a motorcycle helmet strode along the shore through ferocious typhoon winds. Mayor Alfred Romualdez, 51, was wearing the headgear to protect against what he called a wind so strong "it would take your eyes out." He didn't see the wall of water coming and was lucky to survive the catastrophe that killed at least 819 people there and 3,633 across the central Philippines. The disaster not only flattened his city, it also dredged up a history of enmity between his political clan, led by shoe-loving former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and the family of President Benigno Aquino -- the country's two most influential political families. President Aquino, under mounting criticism over his handling of the disaster, has sought to deflect some blame toward Romualdez's administration, whose staff and security forces have been decimated by the storm.
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| Seven bodies found in hidden graves near Acapulco: reports Posted: 16 Nov 2013 05:04 PM PST The bodies of seven people were found buried in several hidden graves in a rural area near the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, local media reported on Saturday. The seven bodies, all men, were found in five graves, magazine El Proceso said on its website. Six other bodies were found on Thursday in hidden graves in El Salto, another small town in the rural area outside of Acapulco, once a fashionable international resort. Almost 80,000 people have died since former President Felipe Calderon launched a campaign against drug cartels in 2006. |
| Church services held in typhoon-shattered city Posted: 16 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST  TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — Churches in parts of the Philippines destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan are holding Sunday services.
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| Cole, Baines on equal footing, says Hodgson Posted: 16 Nov 2013 03:05 PM PST  Ashley Cole's tenure as England's automatic first-choice left-back appears to be at an end after national manager Roy Hodgson said he was now on level pegging with Everton's Leighton Baines. Cole, 32, has been England's regular number three since 2001, amassing 105 caps, but he has come under increasing pressure from 28-year-old Baines and was recently dropped by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Hodgson has confirmed that Cole will start in Tuesday's friendly against Germany, Baines having played in the 2-0 loss to Chile on Friday, but the England manager says he no longer sees Baines as a mere understudy.
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| Ivory Coast, Nigeria qualify for World Cup Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:33 PM PST  Calabar (Nigeria) (AFP) - Ivory Coast joined Nigeria in the World Cup finals on Saturday after a 1-1 draw against Senegal gave them a 4-2 aggregate win on a tense night in neutral Casablanca. Ivory Coast reached a third successive World Cup but they had to survive a tense conclusion to their play-off second leg clash after Senegal had gone ahead 1-0 on the night through a 77th-minute penalty by substitute Moussa Sow after the lively Sadio Mane was fouled by Didier Drogba.
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| Brother of ex-strongman elected Maldives president Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:28 PM PST  MALE, Maldives (AP) — Voters in the Maldives have chosen the brother of the archipelago nation's former strongman to be their new president over the country's first democratically elected leader in a closely fought runoff election on Saturday.
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| Unknown group says it killed 2 activists in Greece Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:27 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police are investigating a statement by an unknown group claiming responsibility for the killing of two members of the far-right Golden Dawn party. |
| German far right draws 1,500 to anti-refugee demo Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:15 PM PST  SCHNEEBERG, Germany (AP) — A protest organized by Germany's biggest far-right party has drawn hundreds to a torch-lit march against refugees for the second time this month.
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| Golden Chan, Wagner light up Paris GP Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:11 PM PST  World champion Patrick Chan gave a performance which he believes can win him gold at the Sochi Olympics as American Ashley Wagner successfully defended her women's title at the Trophee Bompard figure skating Grand Prix in Paris on Saturday. Chan won a fourth Paris gold in spectacular style as fellow Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir claimed their third in ice dancing on the last day of competition at the fifth of the six-round ISU Grand Prix series. Wagner, 22, held off Russian teenagers Adelina Sotnikova and Anna Pogorilaya, who claimed silver and bronze respectively, to stay top of the podium. The 22-year-old outshone Japanese rival Yuzuru Hanyu as he followed his record in Friday's short programme with a new world best in both the free skate, 196.75 points, and overall total score, 295.27.
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| Hall leads England into WCup semis with France victory Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:04 PM PST  Wigan (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Ryan Hall stormed back to the top of the Rugby League World Cup try scoring chart as England defeated France 34-6 on Saturday to book a semi-final clash with New Zealand. Hall saw Brett Morris and Jarryd Hayne pull level with him on six prior to kick off at the DW Stadium in Wigan after both scored four in Australiaâ s own quarter-final rout of the USA. However Hall was to go back top as he dotted down twice in the first half of Englandâ s comfortable win over France, Josh Charnley matching the 25-year-old with a double of his own. Sean Oâ Loughlin and Brett Ferres scored in the second half as France stood firm for the most part while Sam Tomkinsâ farewell to Wigan ended with a sin-binning in the dying moments.
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| Israel looks to muzzle witness in U.S. anti-terror case Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:57 PM PST By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli government has decided to prevent a key witness from testifying in an anti-terrorism case in the United States, drawing accusations that it is caving in to pressure from China. The lawsuit revolves around allegations that Bank of China knowingly allowed Palestinian militants to use its accounts to finance their operations, including a suicide attack in the city of Tel Aviv in 2006 that killed 11 people. Families of the dead, among them 16-year-old American holidaymaker Daniel Wultz, have launched at least two cases in the United States against China's fourth largest lender. Plaintiffs hoped that evidence from a former Israeli intelligence officer, who allegedly told Chinese counterparts in 2005 about suspicious transactions, would prove decisive. |
| Commonwealth to put on united front after summit rifts Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:54 PM PST  Commonwealth leaders were to wrap up a summit in Sri Lanka Sunday, looking to put on a united front after talks dominated by a bitter dispute over war crimes allegations. Leaders were expected to issue joint statements on issues such as debt management and funding to combat the threat of climate change to smaller countries before flying out of Colombo. But the show of unity will do no more than mask the divisions within Commonwealth ranks after three days of talks which have been overshadowed by recriminations over the bloody end in 2009 to Sri Lanka's 37-year war. The summit was dealt several body blows before it began with the leaders of Canada, India and Mauritius all deciding to stay away to protest Colombo's rights record.
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| France vows to continue support for Mali in fight against terror Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:46 PM PST  French Interior Minister Manuel Valls vowed Saturday that his government would continue to support Mali in its fight against terrorism, despite a planned withdrawal of most of its troops. Valls, visiting Mali in the final stages of a French-led military operation to oust Al-Qaeda-linked militants from the desert north, pledged to help the former French colony build up its army to combat the continuing threat posed by rebel violence. "France is mobilised alongside Mali in the fight against terrorism," he told reporters after he was welcomed by Malian Security Minister Sada Samake. French troops entered Mali in January to halt an advance on the capital Bamako by the Islamists and allied Tuareg rebels.
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| North Sea storm prevents rescue of sailors from blazing cargo ship Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:38 PM PST The 32 crew of a Danish cargo vessel on fire in the North Sea off Norway were trapped on board on Saturday night as a storm prevented rescue helicopters lifting sailors off. Three helicopters were scrambled from Norway to assist the Britannia Seaways, operated by the Danish firm DFDS, about 80 miles off the town of Floroe, said Per Fjeld, a spokesman for Norway's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. Nevertheless, the 11,000 deadweight tonne ship, carrying military equipment from northern Norway to Bergen, was still running under its own power. |
| Nigerian army says killed 20 Boko Haram Islamists Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:38 PM PST  Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigeria's army has killed 20 suspected members of Boko Haram in a renewed offensive against the Islamist insurgency, a military spokesman said Saturday. "In the late hours of Friday November 15, 2013, troops ... launched an offensive operation along Gwoza - Bita Damboa Road, where Boko Haram insurgents were flushed out," said Mohammad Dole, an army regional spokesman. The town of Bita is a Boko Haram stronghold from where insurgents launch attacks on nearby villages and passing motorists, said Dole. Twenty Boko Haram members were killed, and scores of vehicles and motorcycles destroyed, he said.
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| Nigerian state votes in test for president Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:24 PM PST  Awka (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigeria's Anambra state went to the polls on Saturday to choose its next governor, with the result viewed as a benchmark of public support for the country's president before a national vote in 2015. Some 1.8 million voters were registered to decide the successor to incumbent Peter Obi, who steps down in March next year after completing a maximum two, four-year terms. Most polls had closed by 1900 GMT, said Kayode Idowu, a spokesman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In all, 23 candidates are vying for the governorship, including Nigeria's main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which has yet to hold Nigeria's presidency since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.
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| Yameen to be sworn in as Maldives leader after shock win Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:11 PM PST  Malé (Maldives) (AFP) - Abdulla Yameen was to be sworn in as the Maldives new president Sunday after his shock win over former leader Mohamed Nasheed, drawing a line under a bout of turmoil on the paradise islands. Yameen secured 51.3 percent of the popular vote compared to 48.6 percent for ex-president Nasheed in Saturday's run-off vote after a contest wracked by lengthy delays that were viewed as politically motivated, Elections Commission results showed. He added: "The MDP (Nasheed's Maldives Democratic Party) has always asked for a government elected by the people. Today is a happy day for the Maldives -- we now have an elected government."
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| Defections split the center-right in Italy Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:10 PM PST  ROME (AP) — Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's political heir pledged on Saturday to keep Italy's fragile coalition government afloat now that he has split with the media mogul and formed a potentially rival center-right party.
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| Islamists call for dialogue in Egypt after coup Posted: 16 Nov 2013 01:06 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — A Muslim Brotherhood-led alliance said Saturday it is ready for a national dialogue to end Egypt's political standoff, for the first time not formally demanding the nation's toppled Islamist president return to power.
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| Greek militant group claims Golden Dawn killings Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:59 PM PST  A Greek anti-establishment group has claimed responsibility for a drive-by shooting this month that killed two supporters of the far-right Golden Dawn party and raised fears of an escalation of political violence. The previously unknown group "Militant People's Revolutionary Forces" said the attack had been carried out in retaliation for the fatal stabbing of anti-fascism rapper Pavlos Fissas, to which a Golden Dawn sympathizer has confessed. "The armed attack-response ... is the starting point of the people's campaign to send the neo-Nazi scum of Golden Dawn where they belong, to the dustbin of history," it said. The shooting of the two young Golden Dawn supporters outside the party's offices in Athens on November 1 came at a time of growing public anger against a party widely regarded as neo-Nazi and accused of attacks against migrants and leftists.
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| Floods hit thousands in S.Africa Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST  Widespread flooding after heavy rains in South Africa has affected over 18,000 people, a emergency management official said Saturday. Weekend rains caused floods that blocked roads, provoked landslides and cut off power to areas around Cape Town, according to the city's disaster management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes. At least one woman died and another is missing after floodwaters swept their car off a bridge near Stellenbosch, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Cape Town, police said.
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| Williams rage after Maldonado claims 'sabotage' Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:54 PM PST  Deputy team chief Claire Williams on Saturday rejected all insinuations of sabotage made by want-away driver Pastor Maldonado against the British Formula One team. Venezuelan Maldonado had suggested his poor performance in qualifying at the United States Grand Prix was the result of "dirty tricks" including altering tyre pressures and temperatures. In Saturdayâ s qualifying session, Maldonado failed to make progress beyond Q1 while team-mate Valtteri Bottas reached the top ten shootout and qualified ninth, nine places ahead of him. Two days earlier, in a pre-race media news briefing, a prickly Maldonado told reporters: â I think I delivered more to the team than they did for me."
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| Clashes hit Libyan capital after militia attack Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:38 PM PST  TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Soldiers and government-affiliated militias stormed a military base occupied by gunmen in Libya's capital on Saturday, sparking fresh fighting that left four dead a day after a deadly militia attack on protesters.
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| Israel blocks witness in US anti-terrorism case Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:26 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government prohibited a former security official from testifying in a landmark anti-terrorism case in the United States, court documents showed Saturday, drawing accusations from victims of Palestinian violence that the country was caving in to political pressure from China.
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| Thousands march in Naples over toxic waste dumps Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST ROME (AP) — Thousands of families have marched in Naples to demand a quick cleanup of toxic waste that has been dumped by the local Camorra crime syndicate for decades. |
| Italian film about truck driver wins in Rome fest Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:22 PM PST  ROME (AP) — An Italian film about a truck driver's travels across Europe has taken the top award of best film at the Rome film festival.
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| Riski business for Coleman's new Wales dawn Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:12 PM PST  London (AFP) - Wales manager Chris Coleman's first game since signing a new two-year contract ended in disappointment on Saturday as Finland snatched a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Cardiff.
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| Protest against Dutch blackface holiday tradition Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:08 PM PST  AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday to the delight of thousands of children. But some adults protested vigorously against one element of the beloved tradition they find racist: his servant in blackface makeup, Black Pete.
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| Lancaster urges England to maintain All Blacks standard Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:03 PM PST  Stuart Lancaster said his England side could compete with the world's best after their November campaign ended with a 30-22 defeat by New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday. England, fresh from wins this month over Australia and Argentina, were bidding for back-to-back victories against world champions New Zealand after their record 38-21 success at Twickenham in last year's corresponding clash. Having been 17-3 down early on, England fought back gamely to lead 22-20 heading into Saturday's final quarter before New Zealand, with wing Julian Savea scoring his second try, pulled away again in a match where All Blacks No.8 Kieran Read also crossed the Red Rose try-line.
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| Nigeria military says 29 Islamists killed in two battles Posted: 16 Nov 2013 12:01 PM PST  Nigerian troops have killed 29 suspected Islamist militants in two days of fighting in the northeast, where President Goodluck Jonathan's forces are trying to stamp out Boko Haram's four-year-old insurgency, the military said on Saturday. A raid late on Friday targeted a Boko Haram base in the town of Bita in the Gwoza hills along the Cameroonian border, where the Islamists have set up camp after being pushed out of semi-desert areas further north. "During the encounter, 20 Boko Haram terrorists were killed, scores of vehicles and 50 motorcycles were destroyed. A soldier was killed and three other soldiers were wounded in the operation," said Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Dole, a spokesman for Nigerian forces in the northeasterly Borno state.
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| Search for missing a hellish routine after typhoon Posted: 16 Nov 2013 11:58 AM PST TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — John Lajara peers under a slab of crumbled concrete, lifts a sodden white teddy bear then drops it back into the filth. He reaches again into the rubble and pulls out a boot, a treasured find in this typhoon-flattened village. But he's searching for something far more precious — the body of his brother, Winston. |
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