| U.S., Russia agree on Syria weapons, Obama says force still option Posted: 14 Sep 2013 01:56 PM PDT  By Warren Strobel and Mariam Karouny GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia and the United States put aside bitter differences over Syria to strike a deal on Saturday that by removing President Bashar al-Assad's chemical arsenal may avert U.S. military action against him. After three days of talks in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded Assad account for his secret stockpile within a week and let international inspectors eliminate all the weapons by the middle of next year - an "ambitious" target, Kerry said. ...
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| In a sign of reforms to come, newcomers snap at heels of Japan's utilities Posted: 14 Sep 2013 04:13 PM PDT  By Aaron Sheldrick TOKYO (Reuters) - The Fukushima nuclear disaster is driving one of Japan's biggest industry overhauls since World War Two, as new, nimble suppliers take business from the big regional power monopolies, and manufacturers, from steelmakers to drinks firms, generate their own power and sell what they don't need. ...
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| Merkel hopes for re-election boost from Bavarian vote Posted: 14 Sep 2013 03:09 PM PDT  By Christiaan Hetzner MUNICH (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's allies look set to win almost 50 percent of the vote in the rich southern state of Bavaria on Sunday, helping the German chancellor and her conservatives with a show of strength a week before a federal election. The Christian Social Union (CSU) - sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) - has governed Bavaria for 56 years, styling itself the natural ruler of a state that is proud of its "laptop and lederhosen" economy and traditions. ...
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| Hurricane Ingrid soaking Mexico's Gulf Coast Posted: 14 Sep 2013 03:44 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical storm Ingrid strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane off Mexico's Gulf Coast on Saturday, becoming the second hurricane of the Atlantic season as it dumped heavy rain across eastern Mexico. Rain from the storm has caused river levels to rise and emergency services to prepare for evacuations, but state oil monopoly Pemex said its installations in the Gulf of Mexico were operating normally. Ingrid, with winds of 75 miles per hour, could grow even stronger over the next two days as it nears Mexico's coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. ...
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| Brazil's Rousseff urged by top advisers to cancel U.S. visit Posted: 14 Sep 2013 02:35 PM PDT  By Brian Winter SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Top advisers to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff are urging her to cancel her planned state visit to the White House next month after revelations the U.S. National Security Agency spied on her and other Brazilians. Among those now encouraging Rousseff to cancel the trip is former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a senior government official told Reuters on Saturday on condition of anonymity. Lula preceded Rousseff in office and remains enormously influential in important government decisions. ...
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| Syrian opposition elects moderate Islamist as prime minister Posted: 14 Sep 2013 01:50 PM PDT By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Dasha Afanasieva ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The opposition Syrian National Coalition elected a moderate Islamist as provisional prime minister on Saturday, hoping to avoid being sidelined as world powers renew diplomatic efforts to end the civil war. The SNC has long sought recognition as a government in exile, but has been hampered by internal divisions and varying pressures from its Arab and Western backers. The election of 48-year-old opposition campaigner Ahmad Tumeh is meant to show it can fulfill that role. ... |
| Hurricane Ingrid forms off Mexico Posted: 14 Sep 2013 04:57 PM PDT  XALAPA, Mexico (AP) — Ingrid became the second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season off Mexico on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of several thousand people while Tropical Storm Manuel threatened to cause flash floods and mudslides on the opposite side of the country.
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| Japan to switch off nuclear power, may be some time before it's on again Posted: 14 Sep 2013 04:17 PM PDT  By Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is set to be nuclear power-free, for just the third time in more than four decades, and with no firm date for re-starting an energy source that has provided about 30 percent of electricity to the world's third-largest economy. Kansai Electric Power Co's 1,180 MW Ohi No.4 reactor is scheduled to be disconnected from the power grid late on Sunday and then shut for planned maintenance. It is the only one of Japan's 50 reactors in operation after the nuclear industry came to a virtual halt following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. ...
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| Syria weapons deal averts US military move for now Posted: 14 Sep 2013 03:10 PM PDT  GENEVA (AP) — A diplomatic breakthrough Saturday on securing and destroying Syria's chemical weapons stockpile averted the threat of U.S. military action for the moment and could swing momentum toward ending a horrific civil war.
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| Erakovic, Safarova reach WTA Quebec final Posted: 14 Sep 2013 02:39 PM PDT  New Zealand's sixth-seeded Marina Erakovic and Czech third seed Lucie Safarova advanced to the final of the $235,000 WTA Bell Challenge with victories on Saturday.
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| Police: Nigeria youths retaliate, kill police Posted: 14 Sep 2013 02:33 PM PDT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Angry youths in a vigilante group mobbed and killed a policeman and threatened others Saturday in retaliation for the killing of one of their members in northeast Nigeria, police and military officials said, causing further friction in an area tense with violence from Islamic militants. |
| US, Russia seal landmark deal on Syria weapons Posted: 14 Sep 2013 02:08 PM PDT  The United States and Russia on Saturday unveiled an ambitious plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons by the middle of next year and left the door open to sanctions if Damascus failed to comply.
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| Egypt arrests two Gaza fishermen: Hamas Posted: 14 Sep 2013 01:51 PM PDT  Egyptian naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza Strip's southern coast and arrested two of them, the Islamist movement Hamas that rules the Palestinian enclave said.
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| Lashings of sequins at London Fashion Week Day 2 Posted: 14 Sep 2013 01:47 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Sequins, sparkly embellishments, and lots of it. Day 2 of London Fashion Week saw a mix of eccentric styles, but at least two designers agreed that "more is more" when it comes to piling on the glamor.
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| Egypt police warn Islamist protesters Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:55 PM PDT  Egypt's interior ministry on Saturday issued a tough new warning to Islamist protesters, pledging to crack down hard if demonstrators block roads or obstruct traffic.
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| Obama says U.S. remains prepared to act on Syria if diplomacy fails Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:51 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Saturday that Syria will be held to account if it fails to live up to its promises to surrender chemical weapons as he faced questions about how a deal brokered by U.S. and Russian diplomats would be enforced. In a statement, Obama said a framework deal was an important, concrete step toward getting Syria's chemical weapons under international control so they can ultimately be destroyed. The deal emerged from Geneva talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. ...
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| Canada's FM: Syria should not be given time Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:44 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — Canada's foreign minister John Baird is calling Syria's offer to begin providing information on its chemical arsenal 30 days after it signs an international convention banning such weapons "ridiculous and absurd."
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| Zanzibar president urges action after acid attacks Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:33 PM PDT  The president of Zanzibar on Saturday urged islanders to mobilise in the wake of two attacks that have seen British tourists and a Catholic priest doused with acid.
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| Canada eye Davis Cup final as Serbia struggle Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:31 PM PDT  Canada set their sights on a first Davis Cup final on Saturday after opening a 2-1 semi-final lead over hosts Serbia when Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac in the doubles.
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| Qaeda confirms drone death of Yemen leader: SITE Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:29 PM PDT  The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in an Internet posting has confirmed the death of senior AQAP member Qaeed al-Dhahab in a US drone strike late last month.
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| Syrian rebel infighting kills 5 near Iraqi border Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:26 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida-affiliated rebels battled more moderate Syrian opposition fighters in a town along the Iraqi border on Saturday, killing at least five people in the latest outbreak of infighting among the forces opposed to President Bashar Assad's regime.
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| Fidel Castro applauds Russian proposal on Syria Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:16 PM PDT  HAVANA (AP) — Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has published an article applauding a Russian-backed proposal to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons. The U.S. and Russia reached agreement Saturday to implement the plan amid an ongoing civil war in the Middle Eastern country.
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| Syria opposition names new interim premier Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:15 PM PDT  Syria's opposition National Coalition on Saturday named a moderate Islamist as its interim prime minister, in a key step towards forming a government.
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| Syrian opposition elects interim prime minister Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:14 PM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — The main Western-backed opposition group in Syria has elected an interim prime minister as it seeks to firm up its standing as a viable political alternative there. |
| Two tropical storms converge on Mexico Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:13 PM PDT VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Two tropical storms were converging on Mexico's east and west coasts Saturday, sparking authorities to evacuate coastal residents and set up shelters while watching rising rivers. |
| Spain rejects referendum sought by separatists Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:02 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Spain's prime minister has rejected a request by the leader of Catalonia to approve a referendum that would allow the northeastern region to decide whether to secede from the rest of the country.
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| Green party threatens to drop support for French government Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:55 AM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - The head of France's Green party on Saturday threatened to withdraw support for the Socialist government unless President Francois Hollande made a clearer commitment to protect the environment. The Greens have two ministers in the cabinet, at the housing and development ministries. While the government does not rely on Green support to pass legislation, its loss would leave little room for dissent among the Socialists and their left-wing allies to get laws through. ...
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| Chapter 7 a breakthrough in UN's Syria drama Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:48 AM PDT  Making Russia agree to take UN-backed action against Syria if President Bashar al-Assad breaches a chemical weapons deal announced Saturday is a victory for the United States, diplomats said.
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| Spain's Rajoy offers Catalonia talks, but no independence vote Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:43 AM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday offered to hold talks with Catalonia, but gave no indication he would allow the wealthy northwestern region to vote on independence. The offer of talks was made in a letter sent to the head of Catalonia's regional government, Artur Mas, only three days after hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a 400-km human chain to push their independence bid and demand a referendum. Growing calls for secession from Spain in the region of 7. ...
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| U.N. says Syria to come under chemical weapons treaty next month Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:41 AM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Saturday said it had received all documents necessary for Syria to join the chemical weapons convention and that Syria would come under the treaty starting on October 14. "The Convention will enter into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on the 30th day following the date of deposit of this instrument of accession, namely on 14 October 2013," the U.N. press office said in a statement. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Vicki Allen)
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| UAE leads Gulf front against Egypt's Islamists Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:36 AM PDT  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — More than six months ago, Dr. Mahmoud al-Jaidah was asked to step out of line as he transited through Dubai en route home to Qatar. He has been held ever since, allowed to visit his family once a month after a blindfolded trip from an undisclosed detention facility.
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| Funeral bombing, other attacks kill 25 in Iraq Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:34 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber attacked a funeral Saturday in northern Iraq attended by members of an ethnic minority, part of a series of assaults that killed at least 25 across the country, officials said.
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| Egypt's Mubarak waves, grins as his trial resumes Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian judge on Saturday named top security officials to testify in the retrial of former President Hosni Mubarak on charges related to the killings of around 900 protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster.
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| Rockets from Syria hit eastern Lebanon: security Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:30 AM PDT  Three rockets launched from across the border with Syria hit the Bekaa valley of eastern Lebanon Saturday, causing no casualties, a security source told AFP.
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