| South Africa building site collapses, one dead, dozens feared trapped Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:15 PM PST  By Zandi Shabalala TONGAAT, South Africa (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and dozens were feared trapped under rubble on Tuesday after a soccer pitch-sized section of a shopping mall under construction collapsed near the South African city of Durban, emergency services and police said. Witness Fiona Mooneal, who lives across a railway line from the construction site, was standing in her kitchen washing up teacups when the three-storey building collapsed as though it had been dynamited. That sound - it was terrible." It was not yet clear what caused the three-storey building in the town of Tongaat, 30 km (20 miles) north of Durban, to collapse although Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala said local authorities had tried to halt construction a month ago. "There are areas of the law that they did not follow in terms of building of this infrastructure," Shabalala told broadcaster ENCA.
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| Exclusive: Syria's chemical weapons may be destroyed at sea - sources Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:10 PM PST  Syria's chemical weapons could be processed and destroyed out at sea, say sources familiar with discussions at the international body in charge of eliminating the toxic arsenal. Four days after Albania rejected a U.S. request that it host a weapons decommissioning plant, Western diplomats and an official of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague told Reuters the OPCW was studying whether it might carry out the work at sea, on a ship or offshore rig. Confirming the discussion, the OPCW official stressed there had been no decision: "The only thing known at this time is that this is technically feasible," the official said on Tuesday. While other states, notably Japan, have dealt with chemical weapons at sea, mounting such a large and complex operation afloat would be unprecedented, independent experts said.
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| Suicide bombings kill 23 near Iran embassy in Beirut Posted: 19 Nov 2013 11:57 AM PST By Laila Bassam and Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two suicide bombings rocked Iran's embassy compound in Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people including an Iranian cultural attache and hurling bodies and burning wreckage across a debris-strewn street. A Lebanon-based al Qaeda-linked group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility and threatened further attacks unless Iran withdraws forces from Syria, where they have backed President Bashar al-Assad's 2-1/2-year-old war against rebels. Security camera footage showed a man in an explosives belt rushing towards the outer wall of the embassy in Beirut before blowing himself up, Lebanese officials said. In a Twitter post, Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the religious guide of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, said the group had carried out the attack. |
| Egypt police fire teargas to clear Tahrir Square Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:10 PM PST  By Tarek Fahmy and Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police fired teargas to drive protesters out of Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, breaking up a demonstration commemorating 42 protesters killed two years ago while opposing the government that took power after Hosni Mubarak's downfall. The rally was aimed against people the protesters felt had "betrayed" the revolution - Mubarak loyalists, the military council that ruled for 17 months after his fall and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which won subsequent elections but was ousted by the military in July. But many in the crowd voiced their desire to overthrow what they called the new "military junta", the government installed by the army after removing Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Several hundred riot police moved in shortly before midnight to clear the few dozen protesters still in Tahrir Square, a Reuters reporter said.
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| U.N. committee slaps Syria, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar for rights abuses Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:15 PM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. General Assembly committee on Tuesday condemned Syria for widespread human rights abuses and expressed concern about such violations in Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, but also welcomed pledges by Iran and Myanmar's presidents to improve some areas. The draft resolution on Iran was approved with 83 votes in favor, 36 against and 62 abstentions; the draft on Syria was adopted with 123 votes in favor, 13 against and 46 abstentions;
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| Afghan security deal clouded by dispute over U.S. admission of 'mistakes' Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:31 PM PST  By Hamid Shalizi and Lesley Wroughton KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last-minute efforts to finalize a security pact between the United States and Afghanistan were clouded on Tuesday by differences over whether President Barack Obama had agreed to issue a letter acknowledging U.S. mistakes made during the 12-year war. But Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, insisted that such an offer - which would draw criticism from Republicans and anger American war veterans - is "not on the table." A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said an Obama letter was part of talks on a long-sought security pact that would allow a residual force of U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
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| One dead, 50 feared trapped in S.Africa mall collapse Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:10 PM PST  Tongaat (South Africa) (AFP) - Hundreds of rescuers worked into the night searching for survivors in the rubble of a half-built mall that collapsed near the South African city of Durban, killing one person and injuring dozens. Police spokeswoman Mandy Govender said one person was confirmed dead and 26 people had been pulled from the debris after the roof of the mall collapsed. "An estimated 50 are underneath the rubble," said paramedic Neil Powell at the scene.
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| UN votes to condemn Syria rights abuses Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:58 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (United States) (AFP) - A UN committee on Tuesday slammed rights abuses by the Syrian government after a debate marked by a bitter clash between the UN envoys of Saudi Arabia and Syria. The committee also passed resolutions condemning Iran and North Korea and calling on Myanmar to release political prisoners and ease the suffering of Rohingya Muslims. The Syria resolution -- passed with 123 nations in favor, 13 against and 46 abstaining -- laid most of the blame for the huge death toll on the Syrian government. The resolution strongly condemned "the continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms and all violations of international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities and the government-affiliated shabbiha militias."
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| 'Too fat to fly' Frenchman now too fat for Eurostar Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:51 PM PST  A clinically obese Frenchman stranded in the United States because he was deemed too heavy to fly finally took a plane to Britain Tuesday -- only to be refused travel home by the Eurostar cross-channel train. Kevin Chenais, 22, who weighs 230 kilos (500 pounds), arrived at London's Heathrow airport with his parents after Virgin Atlantic agreed to fly him back from New York. He had been in the US since May 2012 for treatment for a hormone imbalance and had been set to return home on British Airways last month, but the airline refused to accept him as a passenger, saying he was too heavy. Chenais, who was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes, praised Virgin for flying him out from New York's JFK airport and paying for the economy-class flights for him and his parents.
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| Obama says unclear if deal on Iran's nuclear program is near Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:47 PM PST President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it is unclear whether major world powers and Iran will soon be able to reach an agreement on restricting Iran's nuclear program. With more talks set for this week, Obama injected a note of caution, telling a Wall Street Journal forum that, "We don't know if we'll be able to close a deal with Iran this week or next week." Arguing that a proposed agreement should be accepted by skeptical U.S. allies like Israel, Obama said an agreement with Iran now would buy some time to see if the world would be able to say Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. |
| World powers, Iran make new attempt to clinch nuclear deal Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:47 PM PST  By Justyna Pawlak and Fredrik Dahl GENEVA (Reuters) - World powers aim to clinch a preliminary deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in politically charged talks resuming in Geneva on Wednesday to end a long standoff and head off the risk of a wider Middle East war. The United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came tantalizingly close to winning concessions from Iran on the scope of its nuclear work in return for some sanctions relief at negotiations in the Swiss city on November 7-9. Top policymakers from the sextet have since said that an interim accord on confidence-building steps to start defusing a decade of suspicion and hostility between the West and Iran could finally be within reach. The last meeting, which ended November 9, stumbled over Iran's insistence that its "right" to enrich uranium be recognized, and disagreement over its work on a heavy-water reactor near Arak, which could yield plutonium for atomic bombs once it becomes operational.
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| JPMorgan hit for record $13 bn over mortgage bonds Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:41 PM PST  JPMorgan Chase will pay a record $13 billion to settle a litany of lawsuits over high-risk mortgage securities it sold as safe bets ahead of the housing bust, officials announced Tuesday. The settlement with federal and state authorities included an acknowledgement by the largest US bank that it routinely bundled low-rated loans into securities that were billed as high-quality to investors. Officials said the settlement, the largest ever against an individual company, held JPMorgan to task for reckless conduct that led to the financial crisis. "This settlement is a major step in restoring confidence in our financial markets," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
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| Hamas announces birth of two lion cubs in Gaza Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:39 PM PST  Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Gaza's Hamas-run authorities on Tuesday announced the birth of two lion cubs in the Palestinian enclave, named in honour of the last bout of fighting between the Islamists and Israel. The cubs were born less than a week after the first anniversary of the eight-day conflict between Hamas and Israel in November 2012. "The lioness gave birth yesterday (Monday) to two cubs, one male and one female," said Nahed al-Majdub, head of the "Bissan" amusement park, set up by the Hamas-run interior ministry. The names refer to the Fajr missiles Hamas fired at Israel in the conflict in November 2012 and the name the Palestinian Islamist movement gave to the fighting, "Operation Stones of Clay."
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| Cabinet switch buttresses Argentina's left-leaning economic model Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:30 PM PST  By Caroline Stauffer and Guido Nejamkis BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - President Cristina Fernandez's new Cabinet picks this week confirmed a deepening of Argentina's left-leaning economic model rather than a policy switch needed to confront escalating inflation and dwindling foreign currency reserves. After the president's first public appearance since an October 8 operation to remove blood that pooled on her brain, her office late on Monday announced the promotion of leftist economist Axel Kicillof to economy minister and the replacement of the central bank director and agriculture minister. Kicillof has served as deputy economy minister. Analysts said the 42-year-old Kicillof already had more influence on Fernandez than the man he replaced, Hernan Lorenzino, who was given the job of ambassador to the European Union.
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| German intelligence agency to step up counterintelligence -official Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:05 PM PST Germany's domestic intelligence agency is planning to expand its counterintelligence operations to include friendly countries following revelations about the United States' extensive spying program, a senior German security official said. The disclosure of eavesdropping by the U.S. National Security Agency, which media reports said included tapping German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone, have been a wake-up call for a state that traditionally did not spy on its allies. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has until now only systematically observed countries of concern, while allies in the European Union and NATO were observed only if there was a concrete suspicion, such as that they were spying on Germany or recruiting spies in the country, the official said. |
| Obama plunges ahead toward Iran nuclear deal Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:58 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — On the eve of new talks, President Barack Obama is plunging ahead in search of a nuclear agreement with Iran despite outright opposition from American allies in the Middle East and deep skepticism, if not open hostility, from Congress.
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| US, Afghans work toward agreement on night raids Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:48 PM PST  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In a phone call Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged "mistakes" and asked Afghan President Hamid Karzai to allow American forces to enter Afghan homes in "exceptional circumstances" as the two sides rushed to finalize the wording of a draft security agreement ahead of a meeting of tribal elders who must approve the deal.
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| Toronto mayor says he smoked crack 'maybe once' Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:47 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — Toronto's scandal-plagued mayor said he's smoked crack "maybe once" and said the city council has no business stripping him of his powers, implying in a television interview Tuesday that many councilors are guilty of similar behavior.
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| Toronto mayor vows to go clean while city hall changes the locks Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:46 PM PST  By Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford vowed on Tuesday he would stay away from drugs, alcohol and "bad company" as he tries to rebound from a drug scandal that prompted city council to strip away much of his power. Ford, who insists he is neither an alcoholic nor a drug addict, said he had not had a drink in three weeks. 100 percent." Ford made the comments one day after the city council voted to remove much of his power.
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| Puerto Rico's glowing lagoon goes nearly dark Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:43 PM PST  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A glowing lagoon off Puerto Rico's northeast coast has gone nearly dark and biologists on Tuesday were trying to find out why.
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| Amid chaos, Toronto mayor's family shuns spotlight Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:41 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — While the spotlight shines brightly on Toronto's embattled and erratic mayor, Rob Ford's wife and two children have remained almost invisible — save for one widely known embarrassing incident. Little is known about his family, although it is clear that his wife craves her privacy.
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| Afghanistan, US solve security pact impasse Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:30 PM PST  Afghanistan and the United States have solved a key sticking point in a crucial security pact just two days before it was due to be voted on by Afghan tribal and political leaders, an Afghan official said Tuesday. Aimal Faizi, President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, told reporters in Kabul that the deal would allow US troops to enter Afghan homes once Nato forces withdraw in 2014 but only in "extraordinary circumstances" where there was an urgent risk to life. Faizi said President Karzai and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Tuesday during final negotiations for the bilateral security treaty (BSA) which will shape Washington's future military presence in the war-scarred nation. Even if a final agreement is reached, Afghanistan has insisted that the BSA must be approved by a mass gathering of tribal chieftains and politicians.
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| White House says no apology planned for Afghanistan Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:08 PM PST The United States does not intend to issue an apology to Afghanistan as part of the framework for a security pact that could allow U.S. troops to remain in the country after 2014, the White House said on Tuesday. The Afghan government said it had reached a deal on a security pact after receiving assurances that President Barack Obama would write a letter acknowledging U.S. mistakes made during the war. Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, told CNN in an interview no apology was in the works. "There is not a need for the United States to apologize to Afghanistan. |
| Obama appeals to lawmakers on Iran sanctions Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:06 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama personally appealed to senators Tuesday to hold off on seeking additional sanctions on Iran while the U.S. and other world powers negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran.
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| Mertesacker gives England sinking feeling Posted: 19 Nov 2013 03:02 PM PST  Germany procured a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory over England in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday, consigning their old rivals to successive home defeats for the first time since 1977. The sides' first meeting since Germany's bruising 4-1 win in the last 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was decided by a 39th-minute header from Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker. Roy Hodgson's England had opportunities to equalise, notably when Andros Townsend hit the post in the second half, but after Friday's 2-0 loss to Chile at the same venue, they end the year with a pair of defeats. Germany have now won on their last six visits to England -- including a penalty shoot-out success at Euro 96 -- and will look ahead to 2014 with their status as serious World Cup contenders intact if not enhanced by a polished but unspectacular performance.
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| Nigerian troops kill two in shootout with insurgents Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:57 PM PST  Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigerian troops killed two suspected Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in a shootout in the northern city of Kano on Tuesday, seizing assault rifles and ammunition, a military spokesman said. The clash followed the arrest of two armed insurgents in nearby Katsina state on Monday, said Captain Ikedichi Iweha in a statement. "Following interrogation of the terrorists, a further cordon and search operation was also conducted this morning... at Gayawa general area of Ungogo Local Government Area" in Kano, he said.
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| Afghans say deal agreed with U.S. for Obama to acknowledge war 'mistakes' Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:54 PM PST By Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government said on Tuesday it had reached a deal on the framework of a security pact with the United States after receiving assurances that President Barack Obama would issue a letter acknowledging U.S. mistakes made during the 12-year war. But despite the Afghan announcement, the Obama administration did not confirm that it had agreed to such a letter, which could draw criticism from Republicans and anger U.S. veterans of the war. And the State Department said some issues between the sides still had to be resolved before a final deal was reached with Afghanistan that would allow U.S. troops to stay there beyond 2014. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a phone call on Tuesday, overcame the main stumbling blocks to an agreement that will be put before the Loya Jirga, an assembly of Afghan tribal and political leaders due to meet in Kabul on Thursday, Karzai's spokesman said. |
| Botswana says no fracking in premier wildlife park Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:53 PM PST  Botswana's government Tuesday said environmental protection was key in its search for natural gas, rejecting claims that fracking was already under way in the country's top wildlife park. "There are currently no fracking operations going on in the country except exploration drilling by various exploration companies," said a statement from the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources. This week, the Open Society Initiative for Southern African (OSISA) said Botswana had granted concessions "over vast tracts of land" while keeping the public in the dark about the developments.
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| South Africa shock world champions Spain Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:52 PM PST  Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) - World champions Spain suffered only a second loss in 17 matches this year after losing 1-0 to South Africa in a friendly international on Tuesday. Midfielder Bernard Parker scored the early second-half winner, chipping goalkeeper Victor Valdes from close range and a desperate lunge from a defender could not keep the ball out. Spain rarely threatened to equalise until Alvaro Arbeloa came close deep in stoppage time at the Soccer City stadium where they defeated the Netherlands 1-0 to win the 2010 World Cup. The shock defeat came five months after the only other reverse for La Roja (The Red Fury) this year -- a 3-0 hiding from hosts Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.
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| IKEA execs charged over snooping allegations Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:46 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — France issued preliminary charges Tuesday against the CEO and chief financial officer of IKEA France in a case alleging they snooped illegally on employees and customers.
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| Iran eyes nuclear deal but accuses Israel of sabotage Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:40 PM PST  Iran on Tuesday voiced optimism on a nuclear deal ahead of talks in Geneva but accused Israel of trying to sabotage them and of stoking Mideast tensions, following bomb attacks on its embassy in Beirut. "I think there is every possibility for success," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, said after meeting his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino in Rome. "I go to Geneva with the determination to come out with an agreement at the end of this round," Zarif said. But he said Israel was trying to undermine the talks, after an Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman accused Tel Aviv of being behind the attacks on Iran's embassy -- a charge immediately denied by Israel.
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| Vatican unveils new frescoes in top catacomb Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:37 PM PST  ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Tuesday unveiled newly restored frescoes in the Catacombs of Priscilla, known for housing the earliest known image of the Madonna with Child — and frescoes said by some to show women priests in the early Christian church.
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| Venezuela's Congress approves decree powers for Maduro Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:28 PM PST  By Andrew Cawthorne and Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan lawmakers granted President Nicolas Maduro yearlong decree powers on Tuesday that he says are essential to regulate the economy and stamp out corruption but adversaries view as a thinly veiled power grab. Hundreds of supporters of the ruling Socialist Party cheered outside the National Assembly as the so-called Enabling Law was passed, while a recording of Maduro's late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, singing Venezuela's anthem rang out inside the hall. "With this Enabling Law we are following an order by President Chavez," said Diosdado Cabello, president of the National Assembly and a staunch supporter of Maduro. "He told us to pass all the laws necessary to wring the necks of the speculators and the money launderers." The result of Tuesday's vote on decree powers had been widely expected after Maduro garnered votes he needed during a preliminary debate last week.
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| DR Congo militia boss to face ICC verdict in February Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:21 PM PST  Former Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga will face judgement before the International Criminal Court on February 7 in his war crimes trial, in which he is accused of using child soldiers and women as sex slaves. "Today, the trial chamber... scheduled a hearing to deliver the judgement in the case of the prosecutor vs Germain Katanga," the Hague-based tribunal said in a statement on Tuesday. Katanga, 35, went on trial four years ago and faces seven counts of war crimes and three of crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, stemming from conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile east.
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| Ghana backs down on proposed condom tax Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:21 PM PST  Ghana on Tuesday backed down on a proposed tax on imported condoms after mooting increased levies on foreign-made goods as a way of cutting government debt. Finance Minister Seth Terkper made the announcement as he presented the 2014 budget, backing parliament's proposal last week to raise overall sales tax by 2.5 percent. "The preference for VAT (value added tax) is more efficient," he said. Ghana has been seeking to cut spending and raise revenue in the wake of a year of grim economic news, including a ratings downgrade due to concerns over the country's ballooning deficit.
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