| Ukraine opposition seeks million-strong rally in Kiev Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:07 PM PST  By Gareth Jones and Alissa de Carbonnel KIEV (Reuters) - Organisers hope one million protesters will turn out in Kiev on Sunday to pile more pressure on Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich as he seeks closer ties with Russia after dumping a trade pact with the European Union. The rally will further heighten tension in the weeks-long standoff between the Yanukovich government and its opponents. The confrontation has raised fears for political and economic stability in Ukraine, a sprawling ex-Soviet republic of 46 million people which borders four EU countries and is the main transit route for Russian gas to Europe. We want to live in a modern state and we will achieve this," said Vitaly Klitschko, an opposition leader who says Yanukovich wants to turn the clock back to the Soviet past.
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| Sports-mad South Africa salutes Mandela 'The Captain' Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:11 AM PST  By Ed Cropley and Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Sports-mad South Africa saluted Nelson Mandela on Saturday with smiles and moments of silence in honour of the late anti-apartheid leader, who inspired people to pursue the impossible from politics to the playing field. The tributes stretched across the sporting spectrum, from club cricket and fun runs to top fixtures such as a League Cup final between Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates, the Soweto giants believed to have been Mandela's favourite soccer side. In their first comments since his death on Thursday evening, Mandela's family thanked South Africa and the wider world for their support. Saturday's Cup final before a 40,000 crowd in the northeast city of Nelspruit was preceded by a moment of silence in honour of South Africa's first black president, whose early sporting prowess, particularly in boxing and soccer, was cut short when he was jailed for 27 years by the apartheid government.
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| Obama defends interim Iran deal, seeks to assure Israel Posted: 07 Dec 2013 03:42 PM PST  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday defended an interim deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program and, seeking to reassure Israel, pledged to step up sanctions or prepare for a potential military strike if Tehran fails to abide by the pact. U.S. relations with Israel have been strained by the interim agreement, reached between Iran and major world powers including the United States, which was designed to halt advances in Iran's nuclear program and buy time for negotiations on a final settlement.
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| French, African troops try to halt C. African Republic killings Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:58 PM PST  By Emmanuel Braun BANGUI (Reuters) - French soldiers were cheered by residents on Saturday as they began patrolling densely populated neighborhoods of Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, which has been rocked by waves of killings between Muslim and Christian communities. Attacks on civilians in Bangui continued for a third day, aid workers said. France is deploying 1,600 troops to its former colony, where at least 400 people have died in three days of violence between the Seleka rebel group that seized power in March and Christian self-defence militias, which has spilled over into religious violence in the capital and beyond. Peter Bouckaert, Human Rights Watch's emergency director, said Seleka fighters burned houses in Bossangoa, about 300 km (190 miles) north of Bangui, after French jets flew overhead.
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| Iran presses ahead with uranium enrichment technology Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:41 AM PST  Iran is moving ahead with testing more efficient uranium enrichment technology, a spokesman for its atomic energy agency said on Saturday, in news that may concern world powers who last month agreed a deal to curb Tehran's atomic activities. Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying that initial testing on a new generation of more sophisticated centrifuges had been completed, underlining Iran's determination to keep refining uranium in what it says is work to make fuel for a planned network of nuclear power plants. Although the development does not appear to contravene the interim agreement struck between world powers and Iran last month, it may concern the West nonetheless, as the material can also provide the fissile core of a nuclear bomb if enriched to a high degree.
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| Rising power India sees no U.S.-style Gulf security role Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:14 PM PST  By William Maclean MANAMA (Reuters) - Rising naval power India has no intention of becoming a U.S.-style protector of Gulf Arab states, even if the region's states asked it to take on that role, its foreign minister said on Saturday, citing his country's avoidance of foreign military deployments not mandated by the United Nations. Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid added without elaborating that any effort by fellow Asian powers Japan and China to become a strategic security partner of the Gulf would not necessarily help secure the region, where deployed U.S. forces are currently the dominant military power. Khurshid was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a security conference in Bahrain that debated whether a United States increasingly self reliant in oil might show less commitment to safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, the world's main energy artery through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass. We certainly don't believe that the presence of any other power, such as China or Japan, or what have you, would necessarily contribute to the security of the region." Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel told the meeting on Saturday that the United States has a proven and enduring commitment to Middle East security, backed by diplomatic engagement as well as warplanes, ships, tanks, artillery and 35,000 troop.
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| Dyche hits back at critics as Burnley go top Posted: 07 Dec 2013 04:52 PM PST  Burnley manager Sean Dyche took the chance to hit back at the critics after his side returned to the top of the Championship with a 1-0 win over Barnsley. Dyche's team had surrendered first place in the second tier after going five matches without a win. But Michael Kightly netted the only goal of the game in the 65th minute at Turf Moor on Saturday to seal a priceless three points that put Burnley firmly back in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League. Dyche never doubted his players were good enough to recover from their mini-slump and he was quick to tell the critics to get off his back.
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| First Australian gay weddings held in capital city Posted: 07 Dec 2013 04:27 PM PST  CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Gay and lesbian couples from around Australia joined in fragile marriages in Canberra on Saturday under the nation's beleaguered same-sex union laws that face a challenge in the courts within a week.
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| Senate proposal: open Mexico oil to private firms Posted: 07 Dec 2013 03:49 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican senate committee on Saturday proposed the most dramatic oil reform in decades that would open the country's beleaguered, state-run sector to private companies and investment.
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| France, AU send more troops to African nation Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:26 PM PST  BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — France and the African Union on Saturday announced plans to deploy several thousand more troops into embattled Central African Republic, as thousands of Christians fearing reprisal attacks sought refuge from the Muslim former rebels who now control the country after days of violence left nearly 400 people dead — and possibly more.
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| US says Israel peace deal security guarantees possible Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:05 PM PST  The United States said Saturday it had conducted its deepest-ever analysis of Israel's security needs and believed a two-state solution with Palestinians could include sufficient guarantees to safeguard the Jewish state. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry revealed some details of the US effort to convince Israel that its security could be ensured in any final peace deal. Kerry said US Middle East security envoy General John Allen was working closely with Israeli forces to test scenarios and work out how to satisfy Israeli needs for years to come. "He is helping us make sure that the border on the Jordan River will be as strong as any in the world, so that there will be no question about the security of the citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, living to the west of it," Kerry said at the Brookings Institution's Saban Forum.
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| French troops pour into Central Africa after deadly clashes Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST  Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - French troops received a triumphant welcome as they deployed in strife-torn Central African Republic on Saturday, while the African Union said it would nearly double its force in a bid to stamp out deadly sectarian violence. Cheering residents honked horns, danced and banged on saucepans as some 200 French troops rolled into the mainly Christian town of Bouar in the west of the country. The communal violence, which has terrorised rural towns for months, flared in the capital Bangui on Thursday, leaving at least 300 dead in a wave of attacks, the Red Cross said.
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| Obama warns 'ideal world' Iran deal not possible Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST  President Barack Obama warned Saturday that Israel's vision of an "ideal" nuclear agreement with Iran was unrealistic and put the chance of any acceptable final deal emerging at no more than 50/50. But Obama argued that the best possible available agreement with Tehran was likely to be better than the alternatives, and it was therefore imperative to try to secure one. Obama, speaking at the Brookings Institution's Saban Forum in Washington, said a deal was possible that included enough verification safeguards to assure foreign powers Tehran could not build a nuclear bomb. He indicated that could include a very "modest" option for Iran to enrich uranium as part of a peaceful nuclear program under intense scrutiny by outside observers that would ensure Tehran was kept from "breakout" capacity needed to race to build an atomic weapon.
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| Israeli patrol on Golan targeted by bomb from Syria: Israel Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:57 PM PST The Israeli army said on Saturday that an Israeli military vehicle had been damaged by a bomb set off on the Syrian side of the frontier of the occupied Golan Heights. The attack on Friday was thought to be the first targeted bombing of Israeli forces since the start of Syria's civil war although the army could not confirm that was the case. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said Israel would not tolerate such actions and warned factions not to test the Jewish state's resolve. On several occasions Israel has responded after stray munitions landed in Israeli-controlled territory, often aiming tank shells across the border at the sources of fire in Syria. |
| Obama: Chances for final Iran deal 50-50 or worse Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:56 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Saturday he believed the chances for a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran are 50-50 or worse, yet defended diplomacy as the best way to prevent Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons.
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| Selby claims historic 100th maximum break Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:37 PM PST  Defending champion Mark Selby made history at the UK Championship on Saturday when he completed the 100th maximum break in professional snooker during his winning semi-final against Ricky Walden. The Englishman's 147 will earn him a prize of £55,000 ($90,000, 66,000 euros) in addition to a £4,000 bonus for recording the highest break in the tournament -- provided his achievement is not matched.
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| US vet Merrill Newman, 85, home from North Korea Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:36 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A tired but smiling 85-year-old U.S. veteran detained in North Korea for several weeks returned home Saturday to applause from supporters, yellow ribbons tied to pillars outside his home and the warm embrace of his family.
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| Harry's South Pole race curtailed; trek goes on Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:31 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Organizers of an Antarctic charity race involving Prince Harry said Saturday they are suspending its competitive element because of harsh conditions, but plan to continue the journey to the South Pole.
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| Gunmen attack liquor stores in Baghdad, killing nine Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:29 PM PST Gunmen attacked 12 liquor stores in Baghdad on Saturday, killing nine people, police said, the latest in a series of assaults on alcohol sellers in the capital. Police said most of the victims were members of Iraq's Yazidi Kurdish minority who tend to staff alcohol stores. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Shi'ite Muslim militias, who warn against practices they see as going against their strict interpretation of Islam, are believed to have been behind assaults on liquor stores and cafes earlier this year. Even though many Iraqis shun alcohol, forbidden under Islamic law, the country is a generally less conservative Muslim society than neighbours such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, thanks to its mix of Shi'ites, Sunnis, ethnic Kurds and Christians. |
| U.S. ice storm causes blackouts, delays in Texas, Arkansas Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:29 PM PST By Jana Pruet DALLAS (Reuters) - Freezing weather gripped parts of the United States on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of people in Texas and Arkansas coping in the cold without power after a winter storm made roads impassable and caused severe flight delays. "What's happening across most of the country is we're getting a very early taste of winter," Mike Muscher, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said on Saturday. More than 3,300 travelers were forced to sleep on cots overnight at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where workers had managed to thaw only two of its seven runways by Saturday morning. At the height of the storm, some 267,000 electricity outages were reported in Texas, according to utility provider Oncor, but that number was down to about 130,000 early on Saturday. |
| France's Hollande says difficult for CAR head to stay in place Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:18 PM PST French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday it would be difficult for the current head of Central African Republic to stay in place because he let the crisis there unfold. France is deploying 1,600 troops to its former colony, where at least 400 people have died in three days of violence between the Seleka rebel group that seized power in March and Christian self-defence militias, which has spilled over into religious violence in the capital and beyond. "I don't want to point fingers but we cannot keep in place a president who was not able to do anything, or even worse, who let things happen," Hollande said in an interview broadcast on the France 24 TV channel. He said elections should be held before 2015 when the mandate of the interim president, Michel Djotodia, ends. |
| Flight chaos in Britain after air traffic control glitch Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:15 PM PST  A "technical problem" in Britain's air traffic control system sparked hundreds of flight cancellations on Saturday, leaving thousands of angry passengers stranded. Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) said the glitch, which hit major airports including London's Heathrow, was caused by a faulty switch between its night-time and daytime operating systems at its control centre in Swanwick, southern England. The error caused delays and cancellations for 11 hours at airports from Dublin to Glasgow, before NATS finally announced that the problem had been fixed. He added that the agency's communications system, used to contact air traffic control agencies across Europe, was "very complex" and the biggest of its kind on the continent.
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| Israeli soldiers accused of killing Palestinian boy in West Bank Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:09 PM PST A 15-year-old Palestinian boy died of a gunshot wound in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, hospital officials said, and his father and two friends blamed Israeli troops guarding a nearby settlement for the shooting. An Israeli military spokeswoman said a military police investigation had been opened but she did not have more details of events. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel in a statement for the "cold-blooded assassination" and said it was destructive to the peace process. Doctors at the Ramallah hospital to where Wajih Wajdi Al-Ramahy was taken, said he died of a single gunshot wound. |
| Journalists: Rising hostility to press in Ecuador Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:07 PM PST  QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Investigative journalist Juan Carlos Calderon received multiple death threats after launching something rare in the claustrophobic media climate of today's Ecuador, a digital magazine exposing high-level corruption.
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| France to ask EU allies to fund African military force Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:58 PM PST  France on Saturday committed itself to helping establish and finance a pan-African military force capable of intervening in crises like the current conflict in the Central African Republic. A two-day summit attended by leaders of all but a handful of African states, concluded with French President Francois Hollande pledging to help the African Union turn its plans for a rapid reaction force, agreed in principle earlier this year, into a functioning unit by 2015 "We all agreed on the fundamental principle that it is up to Africa to ensure its own security," Hollande said. "For Europe to ensure its own defence, Africa must be able to ensure its own.
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| Sudan's VP resigns: Bashir Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:55 PM PST  Sudan's Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, a key figure behind the Islamist-backed coup 24 years ago, has resigned to pave the way for a new government, President Omar al-Bashir said Saturday. "Ali Osman will voluntarily step down", as he did in 2005 following the signing of a peace agreement that ended 22 years of civil war, Bashir was quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying. Taha "is the spearhead and the leader of change in the formation of a new cabinet," Bashir said without elaborating. Critics of Bashir's regime have become increasingly vocal since the government slashed fuel subsidies in September, leading to the worst urban unrest of his rule.
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| Hagel given assurances on Afghan security deal Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:49 PM PST  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said Saturday he received assurances from Afghanistan's defense minister that a stalled security agreement with the United States would be signed in "a very timely manner."
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| Palestinians: Soldiers shoot dead 15-year-old boy Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:47 PM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Relatives say Israeli soldiers shot dead a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the West Bank on Saturday.
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| Phillips happy to be back playing club rugby Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:28 PM PST  Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips expressed his content at having made his Racing-Metro debut on Saturday despite the fact it came in a heavy European Cup loss to Harlequins. Phillips, who was sacked by Racing's Top 14 rivals Bayonne in October for allegedly turning up drunk to a video training session -- a charge he denies, made his debut for the blue-and-whites when he came on for Maxime Machenaud and played the final 18 minutes. "Personally, I'm happy to have played my first match with Racing, but it's obviously not the result we wanted," said the veteran British and Irish Lion scrum-half.
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| South Africa plans funeral of the ages for Mandela Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:25 PM PST  A grieving South Africa started preparing Saturday to host a unique gathering of world leaders for Nelson Mandela's funeral, as his family expressed their profound sadness and loss at the anti-apartheid icon's death. Across the country, ordinary South Africans gathered in groups large and small, to both mourn and celebrate the life of the prisoner turned president who transformed their country and became a global symbol of hope and freedom. Presidents, religious leaders and cultural figureheads from all corners of the world are expected for the funeral, which will see a cortege with Mandela's coffin pass through the streets of Pretoria on three consecutive days. His family on Saturday compared the loss of their adored patriarch to the trauma of separation during his long incarceration in Robben Island.
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| Air traffic glitch fixed after flight delays in UK Posted: 07 Dec 2013 12:06 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at Britain's busiest airports Saturday after a technical glitch left the main air traffic control center unable to operate at full capacity for much of the day.
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| Mandela's jailer praises the anti-apartheid icon Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:55 AM PST  CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — He was with Nelson Mandela during all those years the anti-apartheid icon was imprisoned on Robben Island. And, like millions around the world, he has been hit hard by Mandela's death.
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| Bashir announces Sudan vice president resignation: state media Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:46 AM PST  Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced the resignation of First Vice President Ali Taha on Saturday, state media reported, the first move in a cabinet reshuffle to be announced later in the day. Taha held the country's second-highest political position as first vice president and was the main negotiator in Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 which brought an end to the Sudanese civil war. "(He) resigned to make space for the youth and there are no conflicts between us," state media quoted Bashir as saying. Bashir is currently holding a meeting with the office of the ruling National Congress Party leaders to approve the cabinet reshuffle.
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| Czech PM says hopes to shun Mandela funeral Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:45 AM PST  Outgoing Czech Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok said he was hoping to shun the funeral of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela next week, in comments he didn't realise were being recorded and that went viral on Saturday. Talking to Defence Minister Vlastimil Picek, his neighbour in parliament on Friday, Rusnok said "I hope the president will go instead. The private chat was captured by parliament microphones, then broadcast by the public Czech Television at night before going viral on the web Saturday. He added he hoped President Milos Zeman would go to the funeral, but the Czech Republic's first-ever directly elected 69-year-old head of state is recovering from a knee injury and his participation is doubtful.
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| Czech premier not happy to attend Mandela funeral Posted: 07 Dec 2013 11:39 AM PST  PRAGUE (AP) — Many world leaders have said they wouldn't miss Nelson Mandela's funeral for anything, but Czech Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok isn't among them.
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