| Iran's Khamenei says nuclear talks show U.S. enmity Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:44 PM PST  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that nuclear negotiations with world powers had revealed U.S. enmity towards the Islamic state. Khamenei was speaking hours before the resumption of talks between Iran and the European Union in Geneva. "We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the United States) to deter its evil," Khamenei told a gathering, reported by the official IRNA news agency. "The nuclear talks showed the enmity of America against Iran, Iranians, Islam and Muslims." Talks between Iran and the EU started in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the practical details of implementing a nuclear agreement reached in Geneva in November, an EU spokeswoman in Brussels said.
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| India diplomat indicted, asked to leave U.S Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:54 PM PST  By Nate Raymond and David Brunnstrom NEW YORK/WASHINGTON D.C. (Reuters) - The Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-searching in New York caused a major rift between India and the United States was indicted for visa fraud on Thursday, and the U.S. government immediately asked her to leave the country. A U.S. government official said Washington accepted a request by India to accredit the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, at the United Nations and then asked New Delhi to waive the diplomatic immunity that status conferred. India denied the request, leading Washington to ask for her departure, the official said.
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| U.S. says China's fishing curbs 'provocative and potentially dangerous' Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:43 PM PST  By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, already at odds with China over that country's air defense zone, said on Thursday that new Chinese fishing restrictions in disputed waters in the South China Sea were "provocative and potentially dangerous." The legislature of China's Hainan province approved rules in November that took effect on January 1 requiring foreign fishing vessels to obtain approval to enter waters under its jurisdiction. Beijing claims almost the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. "The passing of these restrictions on other countries' fishing activities in disputed portions of the South China Sea is a provocative and potentially dangerous act," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news briefing. "China has not offered any explanation or basis under international law for these extensive maritime claims." "Our long-standing position has been that all concerned parties should avoid any unilateral action that raises tensions and undermines the prospects for a diplomatic or other peaceful resolution of differences." The fishing rules followed China's creation of an air defense identification zone in late November above the East China Sea in an area that includes islands at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute with Japan.
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| Afghanistan to free most inmates seen by U.S. as threat Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:22 PM PST  Afghanistan has enough evidence to try only 16 of 88 prisoners that the United States considers a threat to security and plans to free the remaining detainees, the president's spokesman said on Thursday. The move will further strain relations between the two countries that are already near breaking point over President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a security deal to shape the U.S. military presence after most foreign troops leave this year. The United States is strongly opposed to their release because it says the prisoners, being held in Afghanistan, have been involved in the wounding or killing of U.S. and coalition troops. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday the United States considers 72 of those detainees dangerous.
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| U.S. officials call for end to South Sudan violence, may cut aid Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:52 PM PST  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Sudan risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid if its government and rebel leaders do not end a wave of violence in the fledgling democracy formed with Washington's strong support, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Three weeks of fighting, often along ethnic lines, is ringing alarm bells in Washington over the prospect that the conflict could spiral into full-blown civil war, spawning atrocities or making South Sudan the world's next failed state. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has pledged $50 million in humanitarian aid for the people of South Sudan. But government officials and senators said during the hearing that hundreds of millions of dollars in support to the government could be stopped if the violence continues, as Washington pushes South Sudan's government, rebels, neighboring states and other allies to tamp down the conflict.
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| Suicide bomber kills 23 Iraqi army recruits Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:52 PM PST By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 23 Iraqi army recruits and wounded 36 in Baghdad on Thursday, officials said, in an attack on men volunteering to join the government's struggle to crush al Qaeda-linked militants in Anbar province. Brigadier General Saad Maan, spokesman for the Baghdad Security Operations Centre, said the bomber blew himself up among the recruits at the small Muthanna airfield, used by the army in the capital. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred a day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he would eradicate the "evil" of al Qaeda and its allies. Fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is also at the forefront of Syria's civil war, last week seized control of Falluja and parts of Ramadi, capital of Iraq's western Anbar province. |
| Death of Former Beauty Queen Prompts Soul-Searching, Anger in Venezuela Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:42 PM PST Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has publicly called Henrique Capriles, his chief political opponent, a fascist pig and a queer posh boy, out of touch with the people. Yet, on Wednesday, the pair shook hands in Miraflores presidential palace at a hastily arranged meeting of state governors, called in response to the murder of a 29-year-old former Miss Venezuela that has rocked the nation. "Nicolás," Capriles wrote on Twitter, which has become a key vehicle for political rhetoric in Venezuela, "I propose we put aside our profound differences and meet." Mónica Spear, 29, and her husband Henry Thomas Berry, 39, were driving with their 5-year-old daughter on holiday in Venezulea—they lived in the U.S. According to authorities, robbers on the highway between the town of Puerto Cabello and the central city of Valencia laid an obstacle on the dimly-lit road which punctured a tyre of their Toyota Corolla. |
| US scrambles to avert civil war in South Sudan Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:23 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Three years after midwifing South Sudan's birth, the United States is desperately trying to prevent the world's youngest nation from falling apart.
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| Indian diplomat will leave U.S. tonight: defense lawyer Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:13 PM PST The Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-searching in New York caused a major rift between India and the United States will leave the country on Thursday night after the U.S. State Department requested her immediate departure, her defense lawyer said. Washington accredited the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, at the United Nations, giving her immunity from criminal prosecution, and asked her to leave the country after India refused to waive her immunity. "As a result of her diplomatic status having been recognized, the federal court today recognized Dr. Khobragade's right to travel and she is pleased to be returning to her country," said her defense lawyer, Daniel Arshack, in a statement. |
| Boehner: US should help Iraq in anti-terror fight Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:59 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that the United States should provide more equipment and other aid to the Iraqi government in its battle against al-Qaida militants, but he ruled out a reintroduction of U.S. troops for now.
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| U.S. officials worry over South Sudan violence, may cut aid Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:42 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Sudan risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid if its government and rebel leaders do not end a wave of violence in the fledgling democracy formed with Washington's strong support, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Three weeks of fighting, often along ethnic lines, is ringing alarm bells in Washington over the prospect that the conflict could spiral into full-blown civil war, spawning atrocities or making South Sudan the world's next failed state. President Barack Obama's administration has pledged $50 million in humanitarian aid for the people of South Sudan. But government officials and senators said during the hearing that hundreds of millions of dollars in support to the government could be stopped if the violence continues, as Washington pushes South Sudan's government, rebels, neighboring states and other allies to tamp down the conflict. |
| Lawmakers: Snowden's leaks may endanger US troops Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:33 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Two congressmen say a classified Pentagon report on former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden asserts that most of the documents he took concerned current military operations. |
| Roma agree $10m Bradley deal with Toronto Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:24 PM PST  Rome (AFP) - Roma agreed to sell US international midfielder Michael Bradley to Major League Soccer club Toronto for $10 million on Thursday.
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| India diplomat indicted, asked to leave U.S. Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:14 PM PST  By Nate Raymond and David Brunnstrom NEW YORK/WASHINGTON D.C. (Reuters) - The Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-searching in New York caused a major rift between India and the United States was indicted for visa fraud on Thursday, and the U.S. government immediately asked her to leave the country. A U.S. government official said Washington accepted a request by India to accredit the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, at the United Nations and then asked New Delhi to waive the diplomatic immunity that status conferred. India denied the request, leading Washington to ask for her departure, the official said.
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| Central African parliament summoned by African leaders in Chad Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:59 PM PST  N'Djamena (AFP) - The Central African Republic's entire parliament flew to Chad on Thursday after being summoned by African leaders holding a special summit aimed at restoring peace in the restive country. All 135 lawmakers gathered in N'Djamena where they are expected to discuss the fate of rebel-turned-president Michel Djotodia, under fire for failing to prevent sectarian violence from tearing apart the country. African leaders meeting on the crisis suspended the talks on Thursday as they awaited the arrival of the lawmakers, whose vote is crucial for any change in the institutions of CAR's transitional government. Allami Ahmat, the secretary-general of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) earlier told journalists talks had been dominated by discussions over the fate of CAR's interim authorities.
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| Mubarak's last PM interested in running for Egyptian presidency Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:53 PM PST  Ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, said in a television interview broadcast on Thursday that he would run for president if the army chief does not contest elections. "I believe now I will run for the presidency," Shafik told Al Qahira Wil Nas television, adding that he would compete if army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stayed out of the race that is expected later this year. Shafik left Egypt last year after being defeated in the presidential election by Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood politician since overthrown by the army and now on trial for conspiracy and inciting violence while in office. Shafik's return would reflect a shift in the balance of power in Egypt since the army removed Mursi and set the Arab world's largest nation on a new course designed to lead to presidential and parliamentary elections.
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| Angela Merkel to visit Israel end February Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:46 PM PST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Israel at the end of February at the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for annual talks between the two governments, a statement said Thursday. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the two leaders had a phone conversation Thursday in which Netanyahu "invited the German government for talks at the end of February which must take place in Israel this year." The inter-governmental talks will be the first for Merkel's new team, a marriage of convenience between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU). Germany's support of Israel has been a constant since the Second World War, although Berlin has upped pressure recently on Netanyahu to show greater restraint in building settlements in the Palestinian territories.
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| David Bowie up for 2 prizes at UK's Brit Awards Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:44 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Musical chameleon David Bowie is starting the year with two nominations for Britain's leading music awards, the Brits.
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| Britain, Nigeria sign prisoner repatriation scheme Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:43 PM PST  Nigeria and Britain on Thursday signed a "compulsory prisoner transfer" agreement, allowing their nationals jailed in the other country to serve the rest of their time behind bars back home. The two countries said the scheme meant Nigerians who commit crimes in Britain and Britons who break the law in Nigeria will be "properly prepared for release into the community in which they will live following their release". But Amnesty International said it was "extremely concerned" about sending back criminals from Britain to Nigeria, where prison conditions have been described as "harsh and life-threatening". The London-based human rights group's deputy Africa director, Aster van Kregten, said Nigerian prisons were "appalling and damaging to the physical and mental well-being of inmates".
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| Severe tropical cyclone bears down on Tonga Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:41 PM PST By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - A category-four cyclone bearing down on the South Pacific island nation of Tonga with hurricane force winds is expected to make landfall in as little as 18 hours, Tonga Meteorological Services said on Thursday. Tropical Cyclone Ian, which has been hovering in a stretch of ocean between Fiji and Tonga since Monday, about 3,000 km (1,800 miles) east of Australia, was upgraded overnight from the less powerful category three and is now packing estimated average winds of 167 kph (103 mph), with gusts up to 231 kph. There are five stages of tropical storm, with Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 4,000 people and caused widespread destruction in the Philippines in November rated at five, the most powerful. Destructive winds could be felt in Tonga several hours before the centre of the storm makes landfall, the agency said. |
| UN says South Sudan death toll rising 'substantially' Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:37 PM PST  The United Nations said Thursday the South Sudan conflict death toll is "very substantially" higher than the 1,000 given so far, as it stepped up efforts to shelter civilians. The UN mission in South Sudan has cut all military links with the government army and is ready to act against any attack by the army one of its bases, UN officials said. Most concern is now focused on the oil town of Bentiu where rebel forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar are holding off the army of President Salva Kiir. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the outcome of the battle for Bentiu, capital of Unity state, was "unclear and fluid".
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| New talks on Iran nuclear deal open in Geneva Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:26 PM PST  Iran and world powers met Thursday to discuss how to implement a landmark deal aimed at containing Tehran's nuclear drive, less than two weeks before the agreement is due to take effect. Iranian, EU and US negotiators gathered in Geneva for their highest-level talks since hammering out the groundbreaking November 24 deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani also discussed the implementation of the accord in a phone conversation earlier in the day, according to the Kremlin. He also called on "certain countries … to respect their own commitments (under the Geneva deal) and avoid new strictures that would shadow their goodwill."
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| U.S. prosecutors say Indian diplomat has not left country Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST The diplomat at center of a controversy that has inflamed relations between India and Washington has not left the United States, contrary to an earlier U.S. assertion, a spokesman for the prosecution said Thursday. U.S. prosecutors had earlier Thursday said in a letter accompanying an indictment issued in the case that Devyani Khobragade was "very recently accorded diplomatic immunity status" and had left the country. But shortly afterwards, the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the prosecutor in the case, said that while Khobragade was to have left the United States on Thursday afternoon, she had not done so. |
| Unbeaten Jean wants Peterson to relive 'nightmare' loss Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:16 PM PST  Unbeaten Canadian challenger Dierry Jean intends to make Lamont Peterson relive his worst loss when they meet later this month for the American's International Boxing Federation light-welterweight title. Peterson, coming off a third-round stoppage loss to Argentina's Lucas Matthysse in a non-title bout last May, will defend his crown January 25 in his hometown against a confident Haitian-born rival. "In his mind I think he's not 100 percent OK so I think it's going to be a great opportunity to hurt him again," Jean said Thursday. Peterson, who grew up homeless on the streets of the US capital, says he has shaken off the loss to Matthysse.
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| France wins battle to ban 'anti-Semitic' comedian Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:08 PM PST  Nantes (France) (AFP) - France's Socialist government on Thursday claimed a last-gasp victory in its battle to prevent a controversial stand-up comic from launching a nationwide tour with a show widely condemned as anti-Semitic. Less than two hours before the comic, Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, was due to take the stage in the western city of Nantes, France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, overturned a local judge's ruling that the show should be allowed to go ahead. Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who has led the campaign to deny the comedian, who goes by his first name Dieudonne, a platform in France, hailed the ruling as a victory for the country's fundamental values. "That is not France and the highest (administrative) court in the land has said as much and has said it clearly.
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| As Bangkok 'shutdown' looms, Thailand's 'Teflon' economy put to the test Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:07 PM PST  By Orathai Sriring and Pairat Temphairojana BANGKOK (Reuters) - It has been nicknamed "Teflon Thailand" - an economy seemingly impervious to any lasting effects from regular spasms of violent political unrest. But with protesters vowing to "shut down" Bangkok on January 13 in their two-month-old bid to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the nickname seems more like a taunt. For while Southeast Asia's second-largest economy has proven surprisingly resilient to past unrest, analysts see signs of deeper damage this time that could pose longer-term problems for a country already grappling with slowing growth and outflows of global capital from its fragile financial markets. Tourism is taking a hit, infrastructure spending is delayed and investors and consumers are uneasy over a political crisis that promises more violence but no real solution.
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| U.N. boost in South Sudan likely complete within two months: official Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:06 PM PST An additional 5,500 U.N. peacekeepers deploying to South Sudan to help protect civilians sheltering at the world body's bases from violence should be operational within two months, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said on Thursday. Violence erupted in South Sudan's capital Juba in mid-December and spread to oil-producing regions and beyond, dividing the two-year-old land-locked country along ethnic lines. Some 60,000 civilians are being protected at U.N. bases. The U.N. Security Council approved plans on December 24 to almost double the number of U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police as worsening violence pushes the world's newest state to the verge of civil war. |
| West Brom name Pepe Mel as new coach Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:01 PM PST  West Bromwich Albion appointed former Real Betis boss Pepe Mel as their new head coach on Thursday, the English Premier League club announced. The 50-year-old Spaniard replaced Steve Clarke, sacked last month after a 1-0 defeat by Cardiff City left Albion two points off the relegation places. But, under caretaker manager Keith Downing, the Baggies are currently four points above the bottom three. Mel himself was sacked by Betis last month, with a 4-0 defeat by local rivals Sevilla helping seal his fate as the club failed to make good on last season's seventh-placed La Liga finish which took them into the Europa League.
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| White House hopeful Christie 'humiliated' by bridge scandal Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:59 PM PST  Governor Chris Christie's US presidential ambitions ran into a jam on Thursday, when he was forced to admit his staff lied to him about their role in blocking commuter traffic on a major bridge. The New Jersey leader, a larger-than-life Republican seen as a frontrunner for his party's 2016 presidential nomination, said he had been "embarrassed and humiliated" by the alleged dirty tricks. In a marathon news conference, Christie repeatedly apologized for his office's connection to the shutting down of local access lanes on the heavily-traveled George Washington Bridge in September. The lane closures caused massive traffic disruption for four days in the New Jersey town of Fort Lee, allegedly to punish the local mayor, who failed to endorse Christie's successful re-election bid.
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| Ruling blocks show by controversial French comic Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:48 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — A French comic who is considered anti-Semitic was banned from performing Thursday night just hours after a court in Nantes said he could go ahead with his show.
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| Castro makes first public appearance in nine months Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:47 PM PST  Cuban leader Fidel Castro has appeared in public for the first time in nine months, attending an art gallery opening near his home, the local press reported Thursday. Official media in Cuba and several foreign news outlets ran photographs showing a hunched Castro, 87, using a walking stick as he attended the inauguration of a gallery by Cuban artist Alexis Leyva. "He greeted artists and residents who applauded the new arrival with emotion," the official Communist Party newspaper Granma said, describing Castro's outing Wednesday evening to the Kcho Estudio Romerillo. The art gallery is next to Castro's residence in Havana's Romerillo neighborhood.
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| Egypt arrests American on charges of attacking police stations Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:33 PM PST Egyptian airport authorities have arrested an Egyptian-born American who belongs to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood on charges of taking part in violence against the state, security sources said on Thursday. The man, identified as 47-year-old Khaled Mahmoud Migahid, is accused of burning police stations, said the security sources. Egypt has launched a tough crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July after mass protests against his rule. Hundreds of Brotherhood members have been killed by security forces and thousands have been arrested. |
| Security alert in southern Russia after at least five bodies found Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:33 PM PST Russia has put security forces on combat alert in the southern Stavropol region after the discovery of at least five corpses with gunshot wounds and an explosive device there barely a month before the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Stavropol, about 300 km (190 miles) from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, is the gateway to the North Caucasus region, where Russia faces an insurgency by Islamist militants who have threatened to try to prevent the Olympics going ahead. |
| Iraq holding off on an offensive against al-Qaida Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:27 PM PST  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's government is holding off on waging an all-out offensive to retake two key cities from al-Qaida because of fears that civilian casualties could incite Sunni anger and push moderate tribal leaders to side with the extremists, analysts and military officials said Thursday.
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| Tour de France Trophy arrives in Leeds Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:26 PM PST  Leeds (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Leeds, the northern English venue for the start of this year's Tour de France, took delivery of the Grand Depart trophy on Thursday. The eyes of the cycling world will be on Leeds in some six months' time when the 2014 Tour starts on July 5, with Britain's Chris Froome set to defend the title he won last year. In all there will be three stages in England, with the first two in Yorkshire, as the peloton passes through Leeds, the Dales, Harrogate, York and Sheffield, before a third stage from Cambridge to London. "The interest and media coverage in the last couple of weeks to mark the new year and six months to go is an indication of how excited everyone is getting around Leeds and Yorkshire hosting the start of the Tour de France," said Keith Wakefield, the leader of Leeds City Council.
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| Government says 34 killed in raid on central Nigerian village Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:20 PM PST  Jos (Nigeria) (AFP) - Authorities in Nigeria's central Plateau state said Thursday that 34 people were killed in a brutal village raid in the centre of the country, in a revised deathtoll after the attack earlier this week. State Information Commissioner Yiljap Abraham said that 34 people were killed, 24 injured and 600 people displaced in the attack by gunmen on Shonong village in Plateau state on Monday. The state police chief Chris Olakpe had on Tuesday put the death toll at 17, with five of the victims burnt beyond recognition.
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| Toronto Mayor Rob Ford calls for decriminalizing pot Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:17 PM PST  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who has admitted to having smoked "a lot" of pot and was once caught with a joint by Florida police, called Thursday for marijuana decriminalization. "We have medicinal marijuana so a lot of people that are sick use it but (the federal government) won't legalize it or decriminalize it (and) I don't think they are going to ever do it unless the government changes," he added. Ford went on to say he has questioned the current prohibition. Liberal opposition Leader Justin Trudeau, the eldest son of late prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, has pushed for decriminalization.
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