| Putin critic Khodorkovsky in Germany after pardon Posted: 20 Dec 2013 03:03 PM PST  By Lidia Kelly and Michelle Martin MOSCOW/BERLIN (Reuters) - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Russian oil tycoon jailed for a decade after posing a challenge to Vladimir Putin, was freed by a presidential pardon on Friday and immediately flew to Berlin where he hoped to be reunited with his family. Once Russia's richest man, the 50-year-old looked pale and thin but happy in a photograph of him being greeted by German well-wishers on the tarmac after landing on a private jet. President Putin, who surprised Russians and gave a brief lift to the stock market by announcing Khodorkovsky's pardon on Thursday, said he was acting out of "principles of humanity" because Khodorkovsky's mother was ill. A Russian government source said freeing his best-known and potentially most powerful critic could deflect international complaints about Putin's human rights record as Russia prepares to host the Winter Olympics at Sochi in seven weeks' time.
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| Video raises worries of Britons fighting with Syria militants Posted: 20 Dec 2013 03:05 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Internet video surfaced this week depicting a masked man in Syria with a working-class British accent, urging British Muslims to travel there and join one of the most radical Islamist rebel militias fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. In the three-minute video, the man, wearing a black hood with eyeholes, loads what he says is a Glock 19 pistol with bullets he says come from the Free Syrian Army, a more moderate rebel group supported by the West. "Where are you when they are slaughtering our children and our fathers?," the man says during the course of a diatribe in which he taunts fellow British Muslims and encourages them to go into battle. After firing a burst of gunfire into the air, the video ends with the man saying: "I also invite you all over to the land of jihad." The video, posted on YouTube on December 17 and being studied by Western intelligence agencies, highlights what security officials say is an increasingly large role played in the Syrian conflict by foreign fighters, including Europeans.
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| Mexico's president signs law to reform energy market, attract investment Posted: 20 Dec 2013 11:48 AM PST  Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday signed into law a radical reform of the country's energy market, ending a 75-year oil and gas monopoly in the hope of attracting major investments to increase production. "This is a transformational reform ... that will allow the country to produce more energy at lower costs," Pena Nieto said at the signing ceremony flanked by lawmakers at the national palace. The overhaul of three articles of Mexico's constitution passed the Congress last week and over the weekend was approved by a majority of the country's state legislatures. The president's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and his conservative allies in Congress approved the reform arguing that it promises more jobs and economic growth by allowing private sector participation in country's lucrative oil, gas and electricity sectors.
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| Czech center-left pushes for deal on cabinet posts Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:09 PM PST  By Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka made what he called a final offer on Friday to the smallest party in a potential center-left coalition in a push to form a new government by the end of the year. The Social Democrats want to form a government with centrist movement ANO and the Christian Democrats to fill the void in policymaking since a center-right cabinet collapsed in June amid a bribery and spying scandal. A deal looked closer on Friday after the Social Democrats, winners of an October snap election by a small margin, bowed to demands by the Christian Democrats and offered the party the agriculture ministry along with the culture ministry and a minister without portfolio. The Christian Democrat party will vote on whether to accept the offer on Saturday, a spokeswoman said.
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| With cash, Ukraine's political foes bring fight to Washington Posted: 20 Dec 2013 12:51 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rival political factions facing each other on the streets of Ukraine have also enlisted heavyweight lobbyists in Washington, some with connections at the highest levels of U.S. government, to promote their causes to American policymakers, media and members of Congress. Among the high-profile lobbyists registered to represent organizations backing Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich's government are prominent Democratic lobbyist Anthony Podesta and former Republican congressional leaders Vin Weber and Billy Tauzin. Meanwhile, Yanukovich's most prominent political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister who is serving a seven-year prison term for alleged abuse of power, is represented in Washington by former Democratic Congressman Jim Slattery, a partner in the law firm Wiley Rein LLP.
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| Turkish prime minister faces biggest threat of his rule Posted: 20 Dec 2013 12:46 PM PST  By Ayla Jean Yackley and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's purge of the police command spread to other state institutions on Friday, widening a crackdown on what he described as a foreign-backed conspiracy to undermine him and create a "state within a state". The crisis, Erdogan's biggest challenge in 11 years as Turkey's leader, raised fears of damage to the Turkish economy and a fracturing in his AK Party, helping drive the lira to a historic low. ...
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| Exclusive: Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:48 PM PST  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned. Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the NSA created and promulgated a flawed formula for generating random numbers to create a "back door" in encryption products, the New York Times reported in September. Reuters later reported that RSA became the most important distributor of that formula by rolling it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used to enhance security in personal computers and many other products. Undisclosed until now was that RSA received $10 million in a deal that set the NSA formula as the preferred, or default, method for number generation in the BSafe software, according to two sources familiar with the contract.
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| Cuba to eliminate currency for foreigners Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:43 PM PST  HAVANA (AP) — Cuba's top economic official says the country will eliminate a special currency designed for foreign exchange as part of a move to end the island's unique double-currency system.
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| Feared 'Tiger' is out as top cop in Honduras Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:37 PM PST  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' national police chief, a man who intimidated many in this violent country with a fearsome reputation colored by allegations he ran death squads a decade ago, is out of a job.
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| India applies to U.N. to try to solve diplomat crisis Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:36 PM PST  By Jonathan Allen and Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - India asked the United Nations on Friday to accredit a New York-based diplomat who was arrested for visa fraud, in an apparent attempt to defuse a crisis with the United States over her treatment by U.S. authorities who strip searched her. A U.N. spokesman said the organization had received an official request from New Delhi to accredit Devyani Khobragade as a member of India's permanent U.N. mission in what seemed to be a move to give her a stronger form of diplomatic immunity. Khobragade's arrest has enraged India, which is demanding that all charges be dropped against her.
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| British PM pays tribute to Lockerbie dead, 25 years on Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:04 PM PST  London (AFP) - Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday expressed Britain's "unconditional admiration" for the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing on the attack's 25th anniversary.
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| Canadian court strikes down anti-prostitution laws Posted: 20 Dec 2013 03:38 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — Canada's highest court struck down the country's anti-prostitution laws Friday, a victory for sex workers who had argued that a ban on brothels and other measures made their profession more dangerous. The ruling drew criticism from the conservative government and religious leaders.
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| Foreigners flee slaughters in South Sudan Posted: 20 Dec 2013 03:28 PM PST  Battles between rival ethnic groups spread across South Sudan on Friday as foreign governments scrambled to get their nationals away from reported slaughters and a refugee buildup. African ministers pushed President Salva Kiir to start talks with his former vice president Riek Machar. But the death toll mounted and the United Nations strongly condemned an attack on one of its bases in which at least 11 civilians and two Indian peacekeepers were killed. The UN says more than 35,000 people are sheltering in its compounds across the country and Juba airport was packed with foreigners scrambling to escape the chaos.
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| Spain gov't approves new restrictive abortion law Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:58 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Spain's conservative government on Friday approved tight restrictions on abortion, allowing the practice only in the case of rape or when there is a serious health risk to the mother or fetus.
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| U.S. adds new charges against bin Laden son-in-law Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:56 PM PST  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Friday added two charges to an indictment accusing Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden who once served as a spokesman for al Qaeda, of conspiring to kill Americans. According to a superseding indictment filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Abu Ghaith now also faces charges of providing material support and resources to terrorists, and conspiracy to provide such support and resources. Stanley Cohen, a lawyer for Abu Ghaith, declined immediate comment, saying he had yet to review the indictment. The indictment adds details of alleged "overt acts," including participation in a propaganda video around November 9, 2001, in which he, bin Laden and others are said to have discussed the upcoming attacks.
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| Khodorkovsky arrives in Germany after lightning release Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:55 PM PST  Russia's most famous prisoner and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Friday arrived in Germany a free man after more than 10 years behind bars, in a whirlwind release hours after his surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin. The former oil tycoon was escorted out of his prison in northwestern Russia, in a hush-hush operation worked out behind the scenes with the German government and brokered by Berlin's former foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. In a dizzying succession of events, the father of four then boarded a plane that landed at Berlin's Schoenefeld airport. A source told AFP that Khodorkovsky's ailing mother Marina, 79, who has cancer, was currently in Russia but planned to fly out on Saturday to Berlin where she has been undergoing treatment.
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| Mass wedding to promote Islamic society in Nigeria Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:46 PM PST  KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic religious authorities married 1,111 couples at a mass wedding aimed at combating rising rates of divorce, births out of wedlock, and the number of impoverished widows and divorcees forced to make a living on the streets in Muslim northern Nigeria.
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| Rebels said to control some S. Sudan oil fields Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:39 PM PST  JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Armed rebels were said to be in control of some of South Sudan's oil fields Friday, raising questions of how long the country's oil will flow and whether Sudan could enter the conflict which showed no signs of ending.
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| Islamic extremists attack Nigerian barracks Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:27 PM PST MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic extremists firing anti-aircraft rockets and rocket-propelled grenades attacked a tank battalion barracks in northeast Nigeria and set the entire complex ablaze, the military and witnesses say. |
| Syria mosque shelling kills cleric, Aleppo rebels advance: NGO Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:20 PM PST  Beirut (AFP) - Syrian army shelling of a mosque in the central city of Homs killed a prominent cleric Friday, while Islamists rebels in Aleppo to the north made a fresh advance, a monitoring group said.
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| France finds itself alone again in Central Africa Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:18 PM PST PARIS (AP) — France is alone again on an unwieldy mission in Africa and is pushing reluctant European allies to cough up troops and resources. Not for the first time, EU countries are expressing unconditional moral support — but little else. |
| Cipriani stars as Sale sink Irish Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:16 PM PST  London (AFP) - Danny Cipriani was on top form as Sale Sharks cruised to a 15-3 win over London Irish in the English Premiership on Friday.
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| Indians attack Domino's as U.S. diplomatic dispute simmers Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:13 PM PST By Shyamantha Asokan and Sruthi Gottipati NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian protesters ransacked a Domino's Pizza outlet in a Mumbai suburb on Friday, demanding a ban on U.S. goods, as officials from the two countries tried to defuse a dispute over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York. The United States said it wanted to "move beyond" the matter and underscored the importance of its ties with India, but a senior Indian official called for an American apology. Police and the Indian franchise of the U.S. chain said no one was hurt in the attack, which came amid unrelenting rage in India over the arrest and subsequent strip-search of Devyani Khobragade for visa fraud and under-payment of her housekeeper, also an Indian national. India has demanded that the charges be dropped against the diplomat. |
| AP's Top 10 photos of 2013 Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:02 PM PST  How to sum up an entire year of news in just 10 photos? The very notion is daunting when we consider that the AP's award-winning team of hundreds of staff photographers, freelancers and photo editors sends out some 3,000 photos every 24 hours - over 1 million photos a year - to our subscribers around the globe.
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| Timeline: Case of Indian diplomat arrested in New York Posted: 20 Dec 2013 02:02 PM PST By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, 39, deputy consul general in New York, on charges of visa fraud and lying about payments to her housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, has sparked outrage in India and protests this week in both countries. The following is a timeline of events: Fall of 2012 - At Khobragade's home in India, the diplomat meets at least twice with Richard to discuss potential employment as her housekeeper in New York. September 27, 2012: Khobragade electronically files with the U.S. State Department for an A-1 visa, available only to persons traveling on official business for their nation's government. October 15, 2012 - Khobragade electronically files for Richards with the U.S. State Department for an A-3 visa, which is typically given to personal employees and servants of A-1 visa holders and requires an interview. |
| Obama tells Congress 'no need' for new Iran sanctions Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:48 PM PST  President Barack Obama issued a stern defense of his outreach to Iran on Friday, warning US lawmakers not to derail diplomatic efforts to curtail the Islamic state's nuclear program. In an end-of-year news conference, Obama said efforts in Congress to pass tougher economic sanctions could damage recent moves to halt Tehran's alleged drive to refine nuclear fuel and build a weapon. And he once again underlined that any break in the diplomatic momentum towards a deal could force Washington into another military conflict with a Middle East power. Obama said the six-month interim agreement struck last month between Iran and world powers should stand as a test of Tehran's willingness to come to a deal with the international community.
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| Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky a free man Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:44 PM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — In a few breathtaking hours, one-time oil baron Mikhail Khodorkovsky went from being a prisoner locked away for a decade in the remote depths of northern Russia to being a free man in Berlin. As he sped between those extremes, questions trailed behind.
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| BlackBerry shares surge despite record losses Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:42 PM PST  BlackBerry shares staged an unexpected rally Friday after news of a record loss from the struggling smartphone maker was offset by an announcement of a manufacturing partnership with Taiwan-based Foxconn. BlackBerry shares surged 15.52 percent to end the day at $7.22. Analysts said the company's turnaround efforts could get a boost from the five-year partnership with Foxconn, described as "the world's largest manufacturer of electronic products and components." Foxconn will develop and manufacture a number of new devices and help manage inventory -- an area where BlackBerry has struggled.
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| Family of Lockerbie bomber hope to appeal conviction Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:36 PM PST  The family of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only person convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing which killed 270 people, on Friday told the BBC they hope to appeal against his conviction. Megrahi, who died from cancer in Tripoli last year after being released on compassionate grounds from a Scottish prison, always maintained his innocence. His brother Abdel-Hakim Al-Megrahi told the British broadcaster that the family "wanted the truth to be revealed", as the world prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the atrocity. Megrahi was found guilty of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing all 259 people on board and another 11 people on the ground.
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| France: It's not sexting, it's textopornographie Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:07 PM PST PARIS (AP) — France, a nation with a centuries-old reputation for seduction, now has a word for sexting. |
| Tan set to face fan fury over Mackay row Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:05 PM PST  Cardiff's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan has been warned he faces a backlash from fans if he follows through on his threat to sack manager Malky Mackay. Mackay's position looks increasingly precarious after the Scot was given an ultimatum by Tan to resign or face being sacked. Mackay failed to turn up for his Friday morning press conference ahead of Saturday's trip to Liverpool, although he has travelled to Merseyside for the Premier League fixture at Anfield. Tan has already made himself unpopular with Cardiff fans by changing the colour of the club's home kit from its traditional blue to red, as well as hinting he would be prepared to change the club's name in the future.
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| Libyan man cannot pursue torture case in UK court: judge Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:02 PM PST  A British judge on Friday ruled that a Libyan man who claims Britain was complicit in his torture by Moamer Kadhafi's regime cannot sue the authorities in an English court. High Court judge Peregrine Simon said Abdul-Hakim Belhaj had a "well-founded claim" against intelligence officers and former foreign secretary Jack Straw, but that because it involved four foreign states, it was beyond the jurisdiction of the English courts. Leigh Day, the legal firm representing Belhaj, said they were seeking an appeal against the ruling, which they said was made in order not to "damage relations with the US". Belhaj, who became Tripoli's military commander after the Libyan leader was ousted in the 2011 revolution, claims British involvement in his illegal rendition.
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| Lloyd Webber's sexy 'Stephen Ward' seduces some Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:01 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Reviewers were largely seduced, rather than scandalized, on Friday by the latest musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber — surely the first in the impresario's highly successful career to include an orgy scene.
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| Manatee death toll hits record in Florida, 'Red Tide' blamed Posted: 20 Dec 2013 12:52 PM PST A record number of manatees died in Florida waters this year and the leading killer of the endangered mammals was a toxic algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission's research institute said it documented 803 manatee deaths in state waters between January 1 and December 13, the most for any year since record-keeping began in 1974. That was more than double the 392 manatee deaths in Florida in 2012 and up sharply from the 453 deaths recorded in 2011. "The previous record was 766 manatee deaths and that was in 2010," commission spokesman Kevin Baxter said on Friday. |
| Vienna Philharmonic strips ex-Nazis of honors Posted: 20 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST VIENNA (AP) — The famed Vienna Philharmonic orchestra has quietly stripped six former senior Nazi officials of honors awarded them — a late act of contrition for its embrace of the Hitler era that included purging Jewish members from its ranks. |
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