| Hit by scandal and resignations, Turk PM names new ministers Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:14 PM PST  By Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday after three members quit over a corruption scandal that has posed an unprecedented challenge to his 11-year rule. The third, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, turned on the premier. They don't have any value in terms of democracy," said Koray Caliskan, an associate professor at Istanbul's Bogazici University. The fact that the shake-up happened over Christmas cushioned the blow to Turkey on dormant international markets.
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| Egypt designates Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:58 PM PST  By Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - The Egyptian government intensified its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday, formally listing the group as a terrorist organization after accusing it of carrying out a suicide bomb attack on a police station that killed 16 people. The move marked a major escalation in the army-backed government's campaign to suppress the Islamist movement that propelled Mohamed Mursi to the presidency 18 months ago but has been driven underground since the army toppled him in July. It gives the authorities the power to charge any member of the Brotherhood with belonging to a terrorist group, as well as anyone who finances the group or promotes it "verbally, or in writing". This is an important tool for the government to close any door in the face of the Brotherhood's return to political life," said Khalil al-Anani, a Washington-based expert on the movement.
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| Israel plans new settlement push while freeing Palestinian prisoners Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:02 PM PST  Israel plans to announce a push for more construction in Jewish settlements when it frees two dozen Palestinian prisoners next week, an Israeli official said on Wednesday, in a move that could jeopardize U.S.-brokered peace talks. Palestinians have said any further settlement expansion could scuttle the negotiations, which resumed in July after intensive shuttle diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to pledge more settlement building, often timing the announcement of these plans to offset the anger of far-right political partners at Israel's release of Palestinians jailed for deadly attacks.
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| China to celebrate Mao's birthday, but events scaled back Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:06 PM PST  By Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - China celebrates the 120th birthday of Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China, on Thursday, but will be scaling back festivities as President Xi Jinping embarks on broad economic reforms which have unsettled leftists. Mao has become a potent symbol for leftists within the ruling Communist Party who feel that three decades of market-based reform have gone too far, creating social inequalities like a yawning rich-poor gap and pervasive corruption. While members of the party's elite inner core, the Politburo Standing Committee, are likely to attend a high-profile event in Beijing to mark the anniversary, activities nationwide have been toned down, two sources with ties to the leadership told Reuters. China last month unwrapped its boldest set of economic and social reforms in nearly three decades, relaxing its one-child policy and further freeing up markets in order to put the world's second-largest economy on a more stable footing.
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| Remittances throw lifeline to Philippines' typhoon survivors Posted: 25 Dec 2013 03:58 PM PST  By Rosemarie Francisco PALO, Philippines (Reuters) - A sister living on the other side of the world gave Roberto Retanal what he needed most to piece his humble home back together after the devastating typhoon that tore through his village in the central Philippines last month. There are some 10 million Filipinos living and working abroad, sending regular remittances to help their families get by. "Filipinos dug even deeper," said Pia de Lima, spokeswoman for Western Union in Asia-Pacific, which cancelled transaction fees for three weeks after the typhoon for money coming in from 43 countries. The typhoon Haiyan killed nearly 6,100 people, with around 1,800 still listed missing.
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| South Sudan President Kiir urges end to tribal atrocities Posted: 25 Dec 2013 09:52 AM PST  By Aaron Maasho and Carl Odera JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir called for an end to wanton killings and tribal-based atrocities on Wednesday, as government troops clashed with rebels loyal to his former deputy in an oil-producing region of the country. This is unacceptable," Kiir said, according to an official Twitter account of South Sudan's government. Western powers and east African states, keen to prevent more chaos in a fragile region, have tried to mediate between Kiir, a Dinka, and rebel leader Riek Machar, a Nuer, who was vice president until Kiir sacked him in July. A South Sudan government official said Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta would arrive in Juba on Thursday morning to help mediate as well.
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| England make steady start after being sent in Posted: 25 Dec 2013 04:52 PM PST  Alastair Cook and Michael Carberry gave beleaguered England a confident start after the tourists were sent into bat on the opening morning of the fourth Ashes Test on Thursday. Australia captain Michael Clarke, with the Ashes already secured with a 3-0 series lead, won the toss and attempted to put the pressure straight on the tourists under overcast skies but the move had no early reward. England got to first drinks without losing a wicket for 44 runs with Cook on 25 and Carberry not out 18. Carberry was dropped on two in the seventh over when he edged Ryan Harris to the slips cordon.
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| Libya PM hopes last-ditch mediation can end oil crisis Posted: 25 Dec 2013 04:01 PM PST  Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan expressed hope on Wednesday that last-ditch mediation can end a crisis sparked by the months-long blockade of eastern oil terminals by striking security guards. "Delegations whose tribes have their own initiatives have decided to engage in mediation to find a solution to the crisis," Zeidan told reporters. Armed protesters have refused to lift their blockade of vital oil terminals in eastern Libya, despite a tribal pledge to do so, sending output plummeting to 250,000 barrels per day from the normal level of almost 1.5 million bpd. "We prefer to give an opportunity to these initiatives, which will be the last," said Zeidan.
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| 17 Haitians dead as migrant boat capsizes off Turks and Caicos Posted: 25 Dec 2013 03:02 PM PST  The toll was one fewer than first reported and thirty-three people were rescued and taken to an immigration detention center, police commissioner Colin Farquhar said, adding "no further casualties are anticipated." These people will be repatriated to Haiti at the earliest opportunity," he said. The emergency response is being led by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The Governor in the Turks and Caicos Islands is keeping us informed of developments."
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| UN force fires on Ugandan rebels in DR Congo after deadly attack Posted: 25 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST  A special UN force in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo used helicopters Wednesday to fire on Ugandan rebels and help government troops retake the town of Kamango after an attack that killed civilians. "South African helicopters in the UN intervention force were asked by FARDC (the DR Congo army) to give them support to recapture Kamango," said a senior officer with the UN mission to DR Congo (MONUSCO) who declined to be identified by name. "We have already taken back Kamango," said Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Amuli, a FARDC army spokesman in North-Kivu province, the mineral-rich but volatile region plagued by a number of armed groups.
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| Mapuche leader found dead in reservoir she opposed Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:59 PM PST SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Mapuche Indian leader who became the face of Chile's environmental movement was found floating in a reservoir she spent a decade trying to prevent from being created, and authorities said Wednesday they were awaiting autopsy results although the death appeared accidental. |
| Israel's Netanyahu hits out at Abbas over attacks Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:58 PM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed disappointment Wednesday that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has failed to condemn fresh attacks on Israelis, as a watchdog questioned the legality of Israeli reprisals. An Israeli man was shot dead Tuesday while working on the border fence with the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military retaliated with a wave of strikes that killed a toddler and wounded six other Palestinians. The retaliation, which also came a day after a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman in the West Bank, prompted an Israeli human rights group to demand a probe into what it called an "unlawful" attack on a civilian home. "The terrorist attacks of recent days against Israelis are the direct result of incitement to hatred in the press and broadcast in Palestinian schools," Netanyahu said in a statement.
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| Egypt declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:47 PM PST  Egypt's military-installed rulers declared the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted president Mohamed Morsi a "terrorist" organisation Wednesday, signalling a wider crackdown after blaming it for a deadly police compound bombing claimed by a jihadist group. A Muslim Brotherhood leader lambasted the decision and said the organisation would keep up its protests across Egypt despite the unprecedented move against the 85-year-old group, the country's oldest and largest Islamist movement. The decision is likely to accelerate a crackdown on the Brotherhood that has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, in street clashes and seen thousands imprisoned since Morsi's overthrow by the military in July. The decision lumps together Al-Qaeda-inspired militants who have killed scores of police and soldiers with the more moderate Brotherhood, although authorities have provided no proof of any links between the two.
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| 17 migrants die in capsizing off Turks and Caicos Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:42 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — At least 17 migrants from Haiti died Wednesday when their overloaded sailboat capsized as it was being towed to shore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials in the British territory said. |
| Syrian artists turn to black humour to mark Christmas Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:37 PM PST  Syrian artists have turned to black humour to depict the brutal war devastating their country as they marked on Wednesday the third Christmas since the deadly conflict erupted. Their works posted on the Internet reflect the tragedy that has struck Syria where violence has reportedly killed more than 126,000 people and forced millions to flee. One of the most poignant illustrations by graphic designer Sedki al-Imam shows Santa Claus riding his sleigh through a starry, deep blue sky but instead of reindeer it is being pulled by warplanes. Another drawing by graphic designer Wissam al-Jazairi shows a brightly-coloured Santa Claus slumped in front of rows of tombstones at a snow-filled cemetery.
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| 18 migrants die in capsizing off Turks and Caicos Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:27 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — At least 18 migrants from Haiti died Wednesday when their overloaded sailboat capsized as it was being towed to shore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials in the British territory said. |
| AP Exclusive: Al-Qaida leader targeting UN workers Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:22 PM PST  BAGHDAD (AP) — The shadowy leader of a powerful al-Qaida group fighting in Syria sought to kidnap United Nations workers and scrawled out plans for his aides to take over in the event of his death, according to excerpts of letters obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
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| Turkey: Government reshuffle after ministers quit Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:15 PM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday reshuffled his Cabinet after three key ministers resigned over a sweeping corruption and bribery scandal that has targeted his allies and rattled his government.
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| Hodgson's Christmas wish -- to bottle England talent Posted: 25 Dec 2013 02:11 PM PST  England boss Roy Hodgson has been so impressed by the form of his young players in World Cup year that he wishes he "could bottle" their talent. Tottenham winger Andros Townsend, West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison and West Brom striker Saido Berahino have all made their mark in the Premier League this season. "At the moment, I've seen a lot of our England players and contenders for England places playing extremely well. I wish I could bottle up some of the form and keep it," Hodgson told Sky Sports News.
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| Bodies litter liberated South Sudan town Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:29 PM PST  Bor (South Sudan) (AFP) - In the shade of a tree close to the slow waters of the White Nile river, a body killed during the fighting over South Sudan's town of Bor gathers flies. On the bumpy road towards the heavily fortified compound of the United Nations peacekeepers, another body of man lies beside the track. Bor, state capital of South Sudan's power-key eastern state of Jonglei, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Juba, was seized by forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar a week ago. Occasional shots still rang out on Wednesday afternoon, as soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) said they were hunting down possible hold-out rebels to secure the town.
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| Air blitz death toll in Syria's Aleppo passes 400 Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:15 PM PST  The death toll from a 10-day Syrian regime air offensive on Aleppo rebels passed 400 Wednesday, as Pope Francis called on Christmas Day for aid access to the war-torn country. But even as the European Union and Arab League condemned the campaign in Syria's second city, a Russian company signed a major energy exploration deal with the Damascus government. Aleppo has been divided into regime and rebel-held enclaves since a massive opposition offensive in the northern city in July last year. The regime has been bombarding the rebel-held areas using TNT-packed barrels since December 15, in an offensive the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said has left 410 people dead, including 117 children, as of Tuesday night.
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| US drone strike kills three in northwest Pakistan Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:09 PM PST  Miranshah (Pakistan) (AFP) - A US drone strike targeting a militant compound killed at least three suspected insurgents in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border late Wednesday, officials said. The attack took place around midnight in Qutab Khel village, five kilometres (three miles) south of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal region, a stronghold for Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants. "A US drone fired two missiles on a militant compound, killing at least three suspected insurgents," a senior security official told AFP. A security official in Peshawar confirmed the attack and casualties.
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| Egypt names Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group Posted: 25 Dec 2013 12:45 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military-backed interim government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization Wednesday, intensifying its campaign of arrests and prosecutions targeting its members and tightening the noose on the group's network of charities and businesses.
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| Fighting rages in South Sudan as UN moves to boost force Posted: 25 Dec 2013 12:31 PM PST  Bor (South Sudan) (AFP) - South Sudan's army battled rebel forces Wednesday in an oil flashpoint while troops flushed out insurgents in Bor after its recapture, as the United Nations moved to double its peacekeeping force to stave off civil war. Thousands are believed to have been killed in more than a week of violence pitting troops loyal to President Salva Kiir against those backing his rival Riek Machar, a former vice president who was sacked in July. Amid reports of bodies piled in mass graves, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the two rivals to negotiate an end to the spiralling violence in the world's youngest nation. "South Sudan is under threat – but South Sudan is not alone," Ban said in a Christmas Day radio and video message to the people of the violence-wracked nation.
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| 18 migrant dies in capsizing off Turks and Caicos Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:41 AM PST MIAMI (AP) — At least 18 migrants from Haiti died Wednesday when their overloaded sailboat capsized as it was being towed to shore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials in the British territory said. |
| French tanks deploy at Bangui airport amid heavy gunfire Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:41 AM PST  Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - Heavy arms fire triggered panic Wednesday in the Central African capital Bangui, prompting a French force to deploy tanks near the airport, where tens of thousands of residents are seeking refuge from deadly sectarian violence. The tanks took positions at the entrance to the airport, where French and African peacekeepers are based, after automatic weapons fire and explosions shook several parts of the city. Tens of thousands of people have been sheltering in precarious conditions on the airport grounds since the sectarian bloodletting erupted early this month in the former French colony, claiming hundreds of lives. Automatic weapons fire, much of it from heavy machine guns, was heard but apparently not directed at the airport.
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| Snowden warns of loss of privacy in Christmas message Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:39 AM PST  By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details of electronic surveillance by American and British spy services, warned of the dangers posed by a loss of privacy in a message broadcast to Britain on Christmas Day. In a two-minute video recorded in Moscow, where Snowden has been granted temporary asylum, he spoke of concerns over surveillance and appeared to draw comparison with the dystopian tale "1984" which described a fictional state which operates widespread surveillance of its citizens. "Great Britain's George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of information. And that's a problem because privacy matters, privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be." The "Alternative Christmas Message", broadcast annually on Britain's Channel 4 television since 1993, mimics the format of the yearly address to the nation by Queen Elizabeth.
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| Report chastises U.S. EPA for retreat on Range pollution charges Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:34 AM PST By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was criticized in an internal report for dropping charges that Range Resources Corp was polluting drinking water while "fracking" for natural gas. Range is using the hydraulic fracturing technique in Parker County, Texas where one homeowner complained in August 2010 that he could set his drinking water on fire. Six U.S. senators had asked the agency's internal watchdog - the Office of the Inspector General - to evaluate a 2012 decision to drop an order that had forced Range to provide drinking water to residents, and stop contamination. The EPA withdrew its order in March of that year after legal action by the company. |
| Official: Israel plans new settlement construction Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:31 AM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel likely will announce new plans for construction in Jewish settlements next week, an official said Wednesday, a move that is likely to trigger an international uproar and threaten peace talks with the Palestinians.
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| Israeli actors sit out show at settlement theater Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — A trio of Israeli stage actors is refusing to perform in an acclaimed play before a theater in a West Bank Jewish settlement, part of a burgeoning domestic movement against the government's settlement policies.
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| Truce agreed in besieged town near Damascus Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:11 AM PST  The Syrian government and rebels in a besieged town near Damascus have reached a landmark truce agreement to allow aid access to trapped civilians, an activist told AFP on Wednesday. Under the truce in Moadamiyet al-Sham, the official flag was raised over the area on Wednesday and will be flown for 72 hours, in exchange for much-needed food supplies for thousands of trapped civilians, said Abu Malek of the town's opposition Local Council. "A truce came into force on Wednesday, and the people have accepted as a gesture of goodwill to fly the regime flag over the town's water towers," Abu Malek said via the Internet. "Then in the next phase, people who were displaced should be allowed to return home, without being arrested, and the checkpoints around the city must be removed," said Abu Malek.
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| Ukrainian journalist beaten up and left in ditch Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:04 AM PST  A Ukrainian opposition activist and journalist known for her investigations into corruption among senior state officials was beaten up by unknown attackers on Wednesday. Tetyana Chornovil was assaulted near the capital Kiev hours after an article she wrote on the assets of top government officials was published. The freelance journalist was left with a broken nose, concussion and numerous bruises, online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported. Kiev has been gripped by street protests since late November when President Viktor Yanukovich's government refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union.
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| Outrage in Ukraine after brutal attack on opposition reporter Posted: 25 Dec 2013 10:44 AM PST  Unknown assailants have savagely beaten a dogged Ukrainian journalist who has taken part in pro-EU rallies, triggering outrage among the opposition locked in a confrontation with President Viktor Yanukovych. Tetyana Chornovil, who writes for the Ukrainska Pravda opposition website, was attacked overnight Tuesday outside the capital Kiev, police said in a statement, citing the journalist. The prominent journalist, known for her critical reports about Yanukovych and top officials, was driving to Kiev when she noticed she was being followed by a car. President Yanukovych condemned the attack and ordered Interior Minister Vitali Zakharchenko to find those responsible.
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| Christmas Day bombings in Iraq's capital kill 37 Posted: 25 Dec 2013 10:05 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants in Iraq targeted Christians in three separate Christmas Day bombings in Baghdad, killing at least 37 people, officials said Wednesday. |
| Pope prays for South Sudan, Syria on first Christmas Posted: 25 Dec 2013 09:58 AM PST  Pope Francis on Wednesday called for humanitarian aid access in Syria and "social harmony" in South Sudan on his first Christmas in the Vatican after months of shaking up the papacy with his humble style and common touch. Francis also pleaded for divine aid to rescue child soldiers "robbed of their childhood" and for peace in the conflict-torn Central African Republic which he said was "often forgotten and overlooked". "Too many lives have been shattered in recent times by the conflict in Syria, fueling hatred and vengeance," the 77-year-old pope told a crowd of tens of thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square.
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