| Pakistan Taliban secretly bury leader, vow bombs in revenge Posted: 02 Nov 2013 08:34 AM PDT  By Saud Mehsud and Hafiz Wazir DERA ISMAIL KHAN/WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban fighters secretly buried their leader on Saturday after he was killed by a U.S. drone aircraft and quickly moved to replace him while vowing a wave of revenge suicide bombings. The Pakistani government denounced the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud as a U.S. bid to derail planned peace talks and summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest. Some lawmakers demanded the blocking of U.S. supply lines into Afghanistan in retaliation.
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| Two French journalists abducted, killed in northern Mali Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:22 PM PDT  By Adama Diarra and John Irish BAMAKO/PARIS (Reuters) - Two French radio journalists were killed by gunmen in northern Mali on Saturday shortly after being abducted in the town of Kidal, French and Malian officials said. The French government confirmed that 58-year old Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont, 51, both journalists at RFI radio, had been found dead. "The French president ... expresses his indignation over this heinous act," Francois Hollande's office said in a statement. Kidal is the birthplace of a Tuareg uprising last year that plunged Mali into chaos, leading to a coup in the capital Bamako and the occupation of the northern half of the country by militants linked to al Qaeda.
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| Europe's spies work together on mass surveillance: Guardian Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:42 AM PDT  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Spy agencies across Western Europe are working together on mass surveillance of Internet and phone traffic comparable to programs run by their U.S. counterpart denounced by European governments, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday. Citing documents leaked by fugitive former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden, the Guardian said methods included tapping into fiber optic cables and working covertly with private telecommunications companies. The Guardian named Germany, France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands as countries where intelligence agencies had been developing such methods in cooperation with counterparts including Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ.
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| Sectarian clashes kill 55 in north Yemen Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:01 AM PDT The death toll in four days of clashes between rival Muslim clans in north Yemen rose to 55 on Saturday, one of the clans said, as the Yemeni government tried to broker a ceasefire in a region that lies largely outside its control. Shi'ite Houthi rebels launched an attack on the town of Damaj, held by their Sunni Salafi rivals, on Wednesday. The army said earlier a ceasefire had come into effect on Friday afternoon, but a Salafi spokesman then said clashes had continued on Saturday, and that in all 55 Salafis had been killed by rockets and tank fire. Yehia Abuesbaa, the head of a presidential committee tasked with ending the fighting in Damaj, said a ceasefire was now expected to come into effect on Sunday. |
| Georgian PM names successor, ties with Russia a priority Posted: 02 Nov 2013 08:33 AM PDT  By Margarita Antidze TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's prime minister named Interior Minister Irakly Garibashvili as his successor on Saturday, handing a close ally the task of treading a political tightrope between Russia and the West. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili has said he will quit as premier after Georgy Margvelashvili is sworn in as president on November 17. Margvelashvili was elected last month to take over from Mikheil Saakashvili, who spent a decade in power pursuing friendly relations with the West - often at the expense of Russia. He named his successor at the headquarters of his Georgian Dream coalition.
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| Rousseff urges Cabinet to speed up Brazil works projects before election Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:56 PM PDT  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who is expected to seek re-election in 2014, urged Cabinet ministers on Saturday to speed up major infrastructure and public services projects, amid concerns about delays with much-needed road, hospital and port improvements. Rousseff met in Brasilia with 15 Cabinet ministers, all of them presiding over ministries related to infrastructure and social policy matters. She asked the ministers to agree on a common timetable for completing the projects, the president's chief of staff, Gleisi Hoffmann, told a news conference. Brazil is scrambling to lift anemic investment levels that have kept its economy stagnant.
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| Accused Los Angeles airport shooter could face death penalty: prosecutor Posted: 02 Nov 2013 04:38 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The man accused of opening fire at the Los Angeles International Airport faces charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport, U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte told reporters on Saturday. Under the charges, federal prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, Birotte said. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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| 17 killed in Nigerian church stampede: official Posted: 02 Nov 2013 03:39 PM PDT  Seventeen people were killed and dozens of others injured on Saturday in a stampede following the end of an overnight church vigil in eastern Nigeria, a government spokesman said. "We have visited the hospital in Nkpor and found 17 corpses that were brought in from the scene of the disaster," spokesman Mike Udah told AFP.
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| Officials: 2 French journalists killed in Mali Posted: 02 Nov 2013 03:39 PM PDT  DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gunmen abducted and killed two French radio journalists on assignment in northern Mali on Saturday, French and Malian officials said, grabbing the pair as they left the home of a rebel leader.
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| Two French journalists found dead after Mali kidnapping Posted: 02 Nov 2013 03:23 PM PDT  Two journalists with Radio France Internationale (RFI) were found dead on Saturday after being kidnapped by armed men in Mali's troubled northeast, government and security sources said. Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon were on their way to interview a spokesman for the Tuareg separatist group the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in the rebel stronghold of Kidal when they were abducted outside his home. French President Francois Hollande called a meeting of his ministers for Sunday to establish "jointly with Malian authorities and UN forces, the conditions of the killings". Hollande and Malian leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita spoke over the telephone, the French president's office said, reaffirming their determination "to relentlessly pursue the fight against terrorist groups that are present in northern Mali".
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| Tropical Depression churns toward Mexico's Pacific coast Posted: 02 Nov 2013 03:22 PM PDT A tropical depression took aim at the Pacific coast of Mexico on Saturday, threatening heavy rains in a broad swath of western Mexico near the same area where other storms have caused major flooding over the past couple of months. Tropical depression Eighteen-E was churning over the Pacific Ocean 360 miles south of the resort city of Los Cabos at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and could become a tropical storm by Saturday night or Sunday, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said. If the system becomes a tropical storm - with sustained winds of at least 39 mph - it will be called Sonia. |
| Greek police: Golden Dawn slaying was point-blank Posted: 02 Nov 2013 03:19 PM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Police investigating the slaying of two members of the far-right Golden Dawn party and the serious wounding of a third person said Saturday the assailant finished off his victims at point-blank range before escaping on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
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| Egypt TV criticized for suspending popular satire Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:58 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — A private Egyptian TV station came under fire from public figures and fans of a widely popular satirist Saturday after it blocked the airing of his weekly show critical of the military and the country's recent nationalist fervor.
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| French riot police use tear gas on anti-tax protesters Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:54 PM PDT  Quimper (France) (AFP) - French riot police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators in north-west France on Saturday, after some protesters hurled stones and iron bars at them in a rally against a controversial green tax and layoffs. Three demonstrators were arrested while four protesters and a police officer were injured after scuffles broke out during the protest on Saturday afternoon. Protest organisers said 30,000 people, including hauliers, fishermen and food industry workers, had gathered in the town of Quimper in Brittany to demonstrate against an environmental tax on trucks and layoffs, even though the government had earlier in the week suspended the application of the so-called ecotax. The prefect of the department of Finistere, Jean-Luc Videlaine, blamed the violence on a "marginal group" of right-wing extremists, who he said were believed to be among the protesters.
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| Greece probes extremist link to neo-Nazi murders Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:50 PM PDT  Greek authorities believe an extremist group may be behind a drive-by shooting outside the offices of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in which two men were killed and another wounded, sources close to the investigation said Saturday. Investigators are examining "all avenues, particularly those that link these events to extremist groups" behind a series of attacks on politicians, police, banks and the media, according to one source. The revelation came as the mother of the wounded man, 29-year-old Alexandros Gerontas, called on Greek people to "overcome their differences" for the good of the country and to "stop the bloodshed". In a television interview she described her son, who remains in hospital in a serious condition, as "peaceful" and said he visited the Golden Dawn offices occasionally but not regularly.
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| Kerry heads to Middle East to shore up key Arab ties Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:43 PM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the Middle East Saturday, aiming to shore up decades-old alliances with Egypt and Saudi Arabia left badly frayed by the turbulence sweeping the region. Egyptian state media said the top diplomat would visit Cairo Sunday for the first time since Washington froze part of its $1.5 billion in annual aid, angered by the bloodshed and lack of democratic progress since the July ouster of president Mohamed Morsi. It would come just a day before Islamist leader Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president, is due to go on trial on charges of inciting the murder of protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012. Clashes and unrest between supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and military security forces have left about 1,000 dead since he was overthrown by the army on July 3.
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| Gritty Pirates hold Ahly in CAF Champions League final Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:08 PM PDT  Home team Orlando Pirates snatched a 1-1 draw with defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt in the CAF Champions League first leg match in Johannesburg on Saturday. Seven-time champions Ahly went in front after 14 minutes through a free kick delivered by their durable campaigner Mohamed Aboutrika. Thabo Matlaba fired home the vital equaliser for Pirates in full time stoppage time to leave the second leg final wide open. A 1-1 draw at home not the greatest result, but I believe we can score there in Egypt," said Pirates coach Roger de Sa.
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| Los Angeles airport terminal re-opens as shooting probed Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:07 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles International Airport terminal where a gunman opened fire on Friday morning, killing an unarmed federal airport security officer and wounding others, re-opened to travelers the day after the shooting as authorities probed the motive behind the attack. Authorities have identified the suspected shooter as Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, and they said he was shot and wounded by police in an exchange of gunfire at Terminal 3 at one of the world's busiest airports. Authorities said the gunman fatally shot one TSA officer, identified as Gerardo Hernandez, 39, who was the first from the agency to be killed in the line of duty. Hernandez was at a document verification checkpoint when he was shot, said a TSA official who spoke on condition of anonymity. |
| Tunisia ruling Islamists, opposition deadlocked over PM Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:48 PM PDT  Tunisia's ruling Islamist party Ennahda and the opposition were deadlocked in talks Saturday to choose a new prime minister tasked with steering the country out of a months-long political crisis. "We have not reached a consensus yet but we are on the way," senior Ennahda official Ameur Larayedh earlier told reporters. Tensions have gripped Tunisia since the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and were exacerbated with the murder this year of two opposition politicians by suspected Islamist radicals. Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party whose resignation has been demanded by the opposition, has pledged to step down and allow the creation of a government of independents as part of a roadmap.
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| Funeral in Spain for 129 Franco victims found in mass graves Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:34 PM PDT  Aranda de Duero (Spain) (AFP) - The families and friends of 129 people killed during Spain's civil war, on Saturday held a "dignified burial" for the victims of General Francisco Franco's forces, whose remains were found in mass graves. Urns containing the victims' remains were placed inside a tomb in northern Spain's Arando de Duero where a memorial has been erected in their honour. Jose Maria Rojas, a spokesman for the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, told AFP the 129 people had been killed between July and October 1936 by Franco's forces. The bodies, which were found in four mass graves around Arando de Duero after a lengthy search, were "among 600 people killed in a 25-kilometre radius" around the town, said Maria Rojas.
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| Body of Hamas militant recovered from Gaza tunnel Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:24 PM PDT  Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The body of a Hamas militant was recovered from a tunnel in Gaza on Saturday, a security source said, amid conflicting reports of the clashes with Israeli troops in which he was killed. "The body ... was recovered from a tunnel after digging for more than 20 metres (yards) underground near the border" with Israel, east of Khan Younis in the central Gaza Strip, the source said. Four commanders of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas that rules Gaza were killed late Thursday in clashes sparked by an Israeli raid to destroy the tunnel.
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| Niger arrests 150 migrants in crackdown after Sahara deaths Posted: 02 Nov 2013 01:02 PM PDT Niger arrested about 150 people trying to cross its border into Algeria on Friday in a crackdown on networks ferrying migrants across the Sahara following the death of 92 people in a failed desert crossing last month. The migrants, including 18 Nigerians, were arrested while travelling in a convoy of five vehicles, rescue worker Almoustapha Alhacena and a security official, who asked not to be identified, said on Saturday. "The migrants were mostly men with a few children. They were arrested in the desert and are being held in Arlit, the town from where they illegally left for Algeria," the security official said. |
| Arsenal go five clear, United, City stroll Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PDT  Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Arsenal reasserted their title credentials on Saturday with an impressive 2-0 victory over Liverpool that sent them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Arsene Wenger had seen his side beaten by Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea in their previous two home games, but they prevailed through goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey to confirm their role as the team to beat. Liverpool arrived at the Emirates Stadium hoping to leapfrog Arsenal to the top of the table, but the hosts took a 19th-minute lead when Cazorla hooked home after an initial header came back off the post.
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| In midst of Syrian war, giant Jesus statue arises Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — In the midst of a conflict rife with sectarianism, a giant bronze statue of Jesus has gone up on a Syrian mountain, apparently under cover of a truce among three factions in the country's civil war.
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| French hostages in West Africa Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:34 PM PDT Two French journalists were killed in the northern Mali town of Kidal on Saturday after being taken hostage by armed gunmen, bringing to three the number of French citizens killed in the country since Paris intervened militarily in its former colony in January. The deaths came just days after four French hostages kidnapped in Niger by al Qaeda's north African (AQIM) wing were released following secret talks with officials from the West African country. Paris launched air strikes and sent hundreds of soldiers into Niger's neighbor Mali at the start of the year to drive back al Qaeda-linked rebels it said could turn the West African country into a base for international attacks. |
| Air raids on rebel areas near Damascus, Kurds advance: NGO Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:31 PM PDT  Syrian air and land forces pressed efforts to crush rebel-held pockets around Damascus on Saturday, as Kurdish fighters in the country's north drove home advances against jihadist groups, monitors said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air force carried out raids on Sbeineh, south of the capital, as regime troops shelled the town. "The strike was part of the regime's offensive against rebel areas in and around southern Damascus," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. There has been a marked escalation along Damascus' southern belt, which has been under a suffocating siege for months, giving rise to widespread malnutrition especially among children.
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| Author Yasmina Khadra to run for Algerian president Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:28 PM PDT  Author Yasmina Khadra said on Saturday that he plans to run as an independent candidate in Algeria's April 2014 presidential election. I am a candidate for the 2014 presidential election," he told AFP by telephone. Yasmina Khadra, whose real name is Mohammed Moulessehoul but who adopted a pen name to cover his identity as a new author, was born in 1955 in Algeria's Sahara desert region. He is the winner of several international awards for his novels and currently heads the Algerian Cultural Centre in Paris.
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| Fugitive eco-activist says granted Australian visa Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:28 PM PDT  Fugitive eco-warrior Paul Watson says he has been granted an Australian visa, but explained that he cannot for the moment lead anti-whaling campaigning, due to legal action. The 62-year-old Canadian, who arrived in the United States this week after 15 months on the run at sea, said he was confident that his Sea Shepherd organization's campaign was in good hands. "Australia granted my visa this week and it is wonderful to realize that I am now welcome to return to Australia when I so choose to do so," he said in an update on his Facebook page, posted late Friday local time. "I will however not be leading Operation Relentless nor will I be involved in the campaign," he said, adding that he was "prohibited" from campaigning by a US court injunction, even if he is fighting it.
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| Egypt family feud kills 10: police Posted: 02 Nov 2013 12:18 PM PDT  Cairo (AFP) - Ten people were killed in a feud between two families who went on a shooting rampage in a town of central Egypt on Saturday, security officials said.
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| French say 2 journalists killed in north Mali Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:27 AM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Two French radio journalists were kidnapped by gunmen in northern Mali on Saturday and killed hours later, the French Foreign Ministry said.
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| Burnley held as Leicester close on leaders Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:23 AM PDT  Burnley's advantage at the top of the Championship was cut to one point on Saturday as the leaders were held to a 2-2 draw at Millwall, while second placed Leicester won 3-0 at Watford. Sean Dyche's team trailed 2-0 at The Den as first half goals from Australia striker Scott McDonald and Nigerian defender Danny Shittu put the hosts in control. But Burnley forward Sam Vokes reduced the deficit before the break and an own goal from Millwall's Australian defender Shane Lowry in the 55th minute rescued a point for the Clarets. Burnley's unbeaten run has now extended to 10 league games, but the visitors were unable to make it eight consecutive league wins, failing to keep up with their best ever start to a season back in 1897.
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| Dundee United denied famous win as Celtic snatch point Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:11 AM PDT  Celtic needed a stoppage time goal from Charlie Mulgrew to earn a 1-1 draw with Dundee United at Parkhead in their Premiership clash on Saturday that preserved their unbeaten start to their title defence. Dundee United looked to be heading for their first win at Celtic Park since December 1992 thanks to a first half strike from Stuart Armstrong. However, Mulgrew popped up two minutes into stoppage time to head Emilio Izaguirre's cross past Radoslaw Cierzniak to leave his side five points clear of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who reduced the gap with a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock. Celtic manager Neil Lennon will be impressed by his side's never-say-die attitude that sees them become the first Celtic team to complete the first quarter of a season unbeaten in a decade.
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| Fire breaks out in Saudi prison, riots and gunshots reported Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:06 AM PDT A fire broke out at a prison in northern Saudi Arabia and rioting and gunshots were reported, a Saudi news website said on Saturday. The official said a statement was expected later from prison authorities. The news website www.sabq.org reported that security forces were at the scene in the Buraidah prison, where the fire was reported in three rooms. |
| RFI: 2 French journalists kidnapped in north Mali Posted: 02 Nov 2013 11:04 AM PDT DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Two journalists working for French radio station RFI were kidnapped Saturday in Mali's northern city of Kidal, the station and a Mali military head said. |
| Germans: European spy agencies swap tech tips Posted: 02 Nov 2013 10:47 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Germany's foreign intelligence agency confirmed Saturday that it swaps information on the latest technological developments with its European counterparts, but denied a report that it tried to bypass legal restrictions on Internet surveillance to be able to use advanced technology developed by the British. |
| Germany's SPD: no coalition without dual citizenship, labor reform deal Posted: 02 Nov 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Holger Hansen BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) will not agree to a "grand coalition" with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives without agreement on core issues including labor market reforms and expanding dual citizenship, its leader said. The SPD got the green light from party members two weeks ago to start coalition talks after it pledged not to budge on 10 "non-negotiable" demands, also including infrastructure investment and equal pay.
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| England beat Australia in one-off Test Posted: 02 Nov 2013 10:31 AM PDT  England launched their November campaign with a come-from-behind 20-13 victory over Australia at Twickenham on Saturday as the Wallabies' bid for a Grand Slam fell at the first hurdle. England were 13-6 down early in the second half and would have been 10 points adrift had Quade Cooper kicked a penalty. But two tries in seven minutes from captain Chris Robshaw and fly-half Owen Farrell turned the tide as England regained the Cook Cup against a Wallaby side they will face in the pool phase of the 2015 World Cup in England. Defeat extended Australia's poor 2013 record to eight defeats from 11 matches, with just three wins.
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