| Washington warns Assad over 'undeniable' chemical weapons attack Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:57 PM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton and Erika Solomon WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States put Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on notice on Monday that it believes he was responsible for using chemical weapons against civilians last week in what Secretary of State John Kerry called a "moral obscenity." "President (Barack) Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people," Kerry said in the most forceful U.S. reaction yet to the August 21 attack. Speaking after U.N. ...
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| U.S. points finger at Assad over Syria gas attack Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:49 PM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry laid the groundwork on Monday for possible military action against the Syrian government over a chemical weapons attack, implicating President Bashar al-Assad's forces in a "moral obscenity." In the most forceful U.S. reaction yet to last week's gas attack outside Damascus, Kerry said President Barack Obama "believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people." Kerry spoke after U.N. ...
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| Palestinians killed in Israeli raid, peace talks continue Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:19 PM PDT  By Ali Sawafta and Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians during an early morning raid in a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, hours before negotiators met for another round of peace talks, Palestinian sources said. Israeli border police said they entered the Qalandiya camp, near Jerusalem, to arrest a man and were confronted by a crowd throwing firebombs and rocks. Witnesses said the Israeli forces opened fire and hospital officials told Reuters three men were killed. ...
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| Italy PM forges ahead with cuts even as coalition row rages Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:20 PM PDT  By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Italy's cabinet passed a package of measures to trim public spending on Monday, undeterred by a row with Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party that is threatening to bring down the prime minister's coalition and has rattled markets. The measures included cutting funding for official cars by a fifth, reducing consultancies now valued at 1.2 billion euros per year, and a decree that will gradually convert about 150,000 temporary state administration contracts into permanent ones. ...
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| Dogged rebels the target of Syria gas attacks: activists Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:50 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - A diplomat and activists said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had been trying for some time, in vain, to dislodge rebels from the areas not far from central Damascus that were hit by suspected chemical weapons last week. Assad has strongly denied carrying out chemical attacks, telling Russian newspaper Izvestia on Monday that the allegation "insults common sense" and that the rebels were responsible for what could be the world's worst poison gas strike in 25 years. ...
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| Tropical depression Fernand kills 13 as it weakens over Mexico Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:21 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed when torrential rains triggered deadly landslides as a weakening tropical depression Fernand moved northwest over central Mexico on Monday and away from the country's major oil installations. Nine people were killed in the town of Yecuatla, three in the city of Tuxpan, and one in the town of Atzalan, all in Mexico's eastern Veracruz state, Governor Javier Duarte said. "All of (the deaths) were caused by landslides in the hills above their homes," Duarte said at a press conference. ...
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| Brazil's top diplomat resigns over row with Bolivia Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:59 PM PDT  Brazil's foreign minister resigned Monday over soaring tensions with La Paz after Brazilian diplomats spirited away a Bolivian opposition senator wanted for corruption.
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| Mexico mass kidnap linked to vendetta: official Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:42 PM PDT  Mexico City authorities said Monday vengeance was the motive behind the kidnapping of a dozen young people who were found in a mass grave near the capital.
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| UN at site of alleged chemical attack in Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:42 PM PDT  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — U.N. experts collected samples and testimony from Syrian doctors and victims of an alleged chemical weapons attack Monday following a treacherous journey through government and rebel-held territory, where their convoy was hit by snipers.
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| Brazilian Foreign Minister Patriota to step down, move to U.N. Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:26 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota will leave his post and become Brazil's representative at the United Nations, the president's office said on Monday. Brazil's current representative at the U.N., Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, will take over Patriota's post as the new foreign minister. The switch comes days after a Brazilian diplomat under Patriota helped a Bolivian senator who had been accused of corruption enter Brazil. (Reporting by Reese Ewing and Eduardo Simoes; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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| Migrants tell of ordeal in train crash; 6 dead Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:26 PM PDT  CHONTALPA, México (AP) — Hundreds of Central Americans riding atop a cargo train in hopes of getting to the U.S. were being threatened and extorted by armed men before the train derailed and killed at least six, survivors told The Associated Press on Monday.
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| US builds case for Syria strikes Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:57 PM PDT  The United States Monday built a humanitarian and legal case for military action against Syria, rooted in the proposition that an "undeniable" chemical attack had shattered international codes of war.
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| Kerry: Chemical arms use in Syria an 'obscenity' Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:51 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday outlined the clearest justification yet for U.S. military action in Syria, saying there was "undeniable" evidence of a large-scale chemical weapons attack, with intelligence strongly signaling that Bashar Assad's regime was responsible.
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| U.S. lawmakers call on Obama to consult them on Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:43 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers urged President Barack Obama on Monday to consult them as he decides how to respond to last week's apparent poison gas attack in the Damascus suburbs, with some complaining that they have not been fully informed. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a tough statement on Monday, saying that the suspected chemical weapons attack was a "moral obscenity" and accused Syria's government of covering it up. He added that the Obama administration was consulting with allies and members of Congress and would decide soon how to respond. ...
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| Peace meet cancelled over deaths: Palestinian official Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:40 PM PDT  Israeli-Palestinian peace talks slated for Monday were scrapped after three Palestinians were shot dead in the West Bank, a Palestinian official said, although the US sponsors of the process denied the report.
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| Thirteen dead in Mexico mudslides: authorities Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:26 PM PDT  Mudslides crashed through several homes in eastern Mexico on Monday, killing at least 13 people after a tropical storm pelted the state of Veracruz with heavy rains, officials said.
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| Rooney tries in vain as United, Chelsea draw Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:01 PM PDT  Wayne Rooney may have played his way out of a transfer to Chelsea after a committed display in Manchester United's 0-0 draw against their Premier League rivals on Monday.
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| Libya warns will destroy tankers illegally exporting oil Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:53 PM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya warned on Monday it will attack and destroy any tanker illegally exporting oil after forces last week fired at a Liberian-flagged tanker close to the country's largest crude oil export terminal. The tanker, which sought to load crude oil that armed protesters blocking the country's main export ports were attempting to sell illegally, managed to flee, Abdul Razak al-Shbahi, the spokesperson for the minister of defense, told Reuters. ... |
| Colombia, rebels resume peace talks after pause Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:35 PM PDT  FARC rebels resumed peace talks with the Colombian government in Havana Monday after a brief pause in reaction to a proposal that any deal be put to a national referendum.
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| Iraq fights public relations battle over death tolls Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:29 PM PDT  As Iraq struggles to stem spiralling violence in the latest chapter of its years-long war against militants, authorities are waging a public relations battle over the number of people killed.
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| Venezuela nabs hitmen in alleged plot to kill Maduro Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:28 PM PDT  Venezuela said Monday it derailed a plot to kill President Nicolas Maduro, arresting two hitmen it said wanted to execute the leftist leader on orders from a Colombian ex-president.
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| Congo army battles M23 rebels near eastern city of Goma Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:19 PM PDT By Kenny Katombe GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A U.N. brigade tasked with neutralizing armed groups in Congo has assisted the country's army in clashes with eastern rebels on Monday, ending a brief lull in days of fighting that has killed and wounded dozens. The violence, the most serious in months, is the first major test for the newly deployed U.N. Intervention Brigade which has an unprecedented mandate to launch military operations against M23, one of the rebels at the heart of nearly two decades of conflict. A senior officer with the brigade told Reuters that U.N. ... |
| Kerry: U.S. will respond to ‘moral obscenity’ of Syria massacre Posted: 26 Aug 2013 02:01 PM PDT  Chemical weapons use "undeniable"; U.S. response necessary, Kerry says.
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| Palestinians say round of talks halted after clash Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:56 PM PDT  QALANDIA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian officials said they called off a planned round of peace talks Monday after Israeli soldiers killed three protesters during clashes following an arrest raid in the West Bank.
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| Casualties as Congo and UN forces fight rebels Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:46 PM PDT  GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese troops came under fire from rebels in the country's volatile east Monday as fighting resumed just outside Goma, a city of nearly 1 million people near the volatile Congolese-Rwandan border, army officials said.
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| UN has 'valuable' chemical evidence despite attack Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:40 PM PDT  UN experts in Syria gathered "valuable" evidence Monday on a suspected chemical weapons attack near Damascus despite coming under sniper fire, UN officials said.
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| Russia warns West against Syria attack without UN approval Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:35 PM PDT  Russia on Monday warned the West against intervening militarily in the Syrian conflict without the approval of the UN Security Council, saying such action would violate international law.
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| Russian lawmaker proposes banning gays from donating blood Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:19 PM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian lawmaker has said parliament should ban blood donations from homosexuals, news agencies reported on Monday, upsetting activists already angry at a nationwide ban on gay 'propaganda'. "We will suggest an amendment to the law on (blood) donations on the order of the Health Ministry that returns homosexuals to the list of contra-indicated donors," Interfax quoted parliamentarian and Moscow mayoral candidate Mikhail Dyegtyaryov as saying. ... |
| Syria resumes bombardment of attack site: White House Posted: 26 Aug 2013 01:13 PM PDT  The United States on Monday accused Syrian forces of again shelling the site of a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus, soon after the departure of a UN inspection team.
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| Rural Andean churches plagued by sacred art theft Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:59 PM PDT  LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The thieves tunneled under the thick walls of the colonial-era Roman Catholic church in the tiny southern Bolivian town of San Miguel de Tomave, emerged through the floor and made off with five 18th-century oil paintings of inestimable value.
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| White House says it is undeniable that chemical weapons used in Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:58 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that it is undeniable that chemical weapons were used in Syria and that there is little doubt that the Syrian government used them. President Barack Obama, said White House spokesman Jay Carney, is evaluating the appropriate response to the use of chemical weapons but has made no decision on how to respond. Carney had no time frame for when Obama would decide. "There is very little doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime is culpable," said Carney. ...
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| Egyptian Islamist groups seek truce with army Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:53 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — Two former militant groups offered to call off street protests if the government agrees to ease its pressure on Islamists, a move that underscores how a onetime strong Islamist movement is now bowing to an unprecedented crackdown by security authorities.
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| Western leaders mull military response in Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:48 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Western leaders are discussing whether to stage a military response to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. France and Germany, which refused to support the 2003 Iraq invasion, suggested Monday they may take part. Russia said any such intervention would violate international law.
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| Kerry: Syria chemical arms use 'moral obscenity' Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry declared Monday that there was "undeniable" evidence of a large-scale chemical weapons attack in Syria, toughening the Obama administration's criticism of Bashar Assad's regime and outlining a justification for possible U.S. military action. |
| Russia, West on collision course over Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:37 PM PDT  Russia's two-and-a-half year dispute with the West over the conflict in Syria hit a new peak Monday as Moscow warned against military action without UN approval and cast doubt over the regime's involvement in a claimed chemical weapons attack.
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| US gave Iraq intel in 1980s, ignored chemical attacks: report Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:16 PM PDT  The United States provided Iraq with intelligence on preparations for an Iranian offensive during the Iran-Iraq war even though it knew Baghdad would respond with chemical weapons, Foreign Policy magazine reported Monday.
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| Canada backs US, Britain in calling for Syria action Posted: 26 Aug 2013 12:12 PM PDT  Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on Monday called for a "firm response" to a deadly gas attack in Syria, following discussions with the NATO country's allies.
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