| West presses Ukraine, offers treatment to injured activist Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST  By Alastair Macdonald KIEV (Reuters) - Western governments pressed Ukraine's president to compromise with protesters camped on the streets, prompting a war of words with Russia on Saturday and offering treatment to an opposition activist who says he was tortured. At an annual security conference in Munich, founded at the height of the Cold War, Ukrainian opposition leaders met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and European officials and the Russian foreign minister accused Western powers of fomenting protests against President Viktor Yanukovich. Sergei Lavrov said the West had "imposed" on Ukraine to cooperate with its NATO defense alliance, while Kerry said the Ukrainian protesters believed "their futures do not have to lie with one country alone - and certainly not coerced". Opposition leaders said they felt "huge support" after European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said closer ties to the EU were still on offer to Kiev and Kerry assured them that Washington and the EU "stand with the people of Ukraine" in "the fight for a democratic, European future".
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| U.S. denies it sought direct negotiations with Syria in Geneva Posted: 01 Feb 2014 12:43 PM PST  WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Washington denied claims by Syria's foreign minister on Saturday that American diplomats had sought to negotiate directly with their Syrian counterparts at last week's 'Geneva 2' peace conference in Switzerland. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States had offered to connect with Syrian officials "on a staff level" through the United Nations and Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi.
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| Suicide bomber kills three in Lebanese Hezbollah stronghold Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:03 PM PST  By Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed three people at a petrol station in a stronghold of the Shi'ite militant Hezbollah movement on Lebanon's northern border on Saturday, the latest sign that Syria's civil war is spilling over into its small neighbor. The blast occurred in the town of Hermel at the northern end of the Bekaa Valley, an area populated mainly by Shi'ite Muslims among whom Hezbollah draws its support. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) cited witnesses who said the perpetrator entered the petrol station and asked to buy fuel before detonating the bomb, leaving a meter-deep hole in the ground and setting the station and nearby cars on fire. Images broadcast on Hezbollah's Al Manar television showed fire raging beside a severely damaged petrol station as well as emergency vehicles and security forces at the scene.
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| Jordanian Islamist prisoners stage hunger strike Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:37 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamist prisoners in Jordan, including several prominent figures linked to al Qaeda, began a hunger strike on Saturday to protest about jail conditions, sources and officials said. Among the 120 hunger strikers are radical cleric Abu Qatada, who was deported from Britain last July after a lengthy legal battle, and Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a leading al Qaeda thinker, the sources said. "They have totally rejected the meals and food provided by the state until their demands for better treatment are met," Sheikh Saad Huneity, a Jordanian Salafi jihadist leader who has previously spent years in detention, told Reuters. Jordan has stepped up arrests of Islamists along its border with Syria in recent months, detaining scores of people trying to cross over to join jihadist groups fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. |
| Political paralysis looms as Thais go to polls Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:48 PM PST  By Martin Petty BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai voters go to the polls under heavy security on Sunday in an election that could push the divided country deeper into political turmoil and leave the winner paralyzed for months by street protests, legal challenges and legislative limbo. The risk of bloodshed at the ballot remains high, a day after seven people were wounded by gunshots and explosions during a standoff between supporters and opponents of embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a north Bangkok stronghold of her Puea Thai Party. The usual campaign billboards, glossy posters and pre-election buzz have been notably absent this time, as will be millions of voters fearful of poll violence or bent on rejecting a ballot bound to re-elect the political juggernaut controlled by Yingluck's billionaire brother, Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, 64, is loved and loathed in Thailand, but his parties have won every poll since 2001.
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| Iraqi army prepares to storm militant-held Falluja Posted: 01 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST  By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces are preparing to storm Falluja and break a month-long standoff with militants who are in control of the city, senior security officials and troops told Reuters on Saturday. Anti-government fighters, among them insurgents linked with al Qaeda, overran two cities in the Sunni-dominated western province of Anbar on January 1. At least 12 people were killed in bombings across Iraq on Saturday, mostly in the capital Baghdad, just 70 km (40 miles) away from Falluja, a city currently surrounded by the army. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had held off an all out assault on the city to give local tribesmen a chance to expel the militants themselves, but security officials told Reuters a decision had been made to enter Falluja by 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Sunday.
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| Thailand braces for tense national election Posted: 01 Feb 2014 04:43 PM PST  BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand braced for tense nationwide elections Sunday, a day after gun battles broke out at a busy Bangkok intersection between government supporters and protesters trying to derail the polls by blocking the delivery of ballots to voting stations.
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| Video shows beheading of man in Syria by al Qaeda rebels Posted: 01 Feb 2014 04:37 PM PST Rebels in Syria with ties to al Qaeda have decapitated a man believed to have been a pro-government Shi'ite fighter, an amateur video of the public beheading posted to the Internet on Saturday showed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group which posted the video, said the beheading was conducted by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a foreign-led group fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic emirate in Syria. The Britain-based Observatory, which opposes Assad and has an extensive network of sources across Syria, said the video was taken in the central province of Homs. Hard-line Islamist rebels with links to al Qaeda have come to dominate the largely Sunni Muslim insurgency against Assad, who is supported by members of his minority Alawite sect - an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam - as well as Shi'ite fighters from Iraq and Lebanon's Hezbollah. |
| Wondolowski double leads US past South Korea 2-0 Posted: 01 Feb 2014 04:21 PM PST  CARSON, California (AP) — Chris Wondolowski scored both goals in the United States' 2-0 victory over South Korea in an international friendly Saturday.
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| Cardozo fails on late penalty as Benfica draw Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:57 PM PST  LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Substitute Oscar Cardozo marked his return from a back injury with a forgettable finale after failing on a late penalty for 10-man Benfica to draw 1-1 at Gil Vicente in the Portuguese league on Saturday.
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| Fiorentina loses 1-0 at Cagliari in Serie A Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:17 PM PST  MILAN (AP) — Fiorentina fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat at Cagliari as it lost ground in the race for a Champions League place, while AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf's winning start in the Italian league ended on Saturday.
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| New gay rights party to stand in S. African elections Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:17 PM PST  A new party that will defend gays and lesbians against violence and persecution will stand in South Africa's elections this year, its spokesman said Saturday. "We need a voice in parliament to protect women from being raped because people want to cure them from being lesbians," Michael Herbst of the Equal Rights Party told AFP. "We need someone in parliament when boys are bullied at school because they are thought to be gay," said the retired professor of health studies at the University of South Africa. "South Africa has one of the most beautiful constitutions that guarantees the rights of the people who are lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, et cetera.
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| Germany, France, Swiss advance in Davis Cup Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:14 PM PST  Germany knocked out Spain in the Davis Cup on Saturday and was rewarded with an even bigger hurdle against France in the quarterfinals in April.
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| Car bomb kills at least 3 in Lebanese Shiite town Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:09 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — A car bomb blew up Saturday near a gas station in a Shiite town in northeast Lebanon, killing at least three people, officials said. |
| Kerry downplays key U.S. senator's opposition on trade talks Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:05 PM PST  By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's opposition to President Barack Obama's push for authority to fast-track trade deals should not stand in the way of U.S. congressional passage of the measure. Reid, a Democrat, is the senior member of Obama's party in Congress. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama asked for fast-track trade negotiation authority. Legislation before the House of Representatives and Senate would grant the White House power to submit free trade deals to Congress for an up-or-down vote, without amendments.
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| Production resumes at Areva's Niger uranium mines Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:04 PM PST  Production resumed Saturday at French nuclear giant Areva's two uranium mines in Niger, which had shut down for weeks for maintenance amid hard-fought negotiations over the firm's tax rate. "The machines are running and production resumed this morning," Salifou Chipkaou, secretary general of mining union SYNAMIN, told AFP by phone from the mining town of Arlit in northern Niger. An Areva spokesman confirmed that operations had resumed at the two mines, Cominak and Somair. The shutdown came as Niger's government and the company, which is 80 percent owned by the French state, are holding tough talks over the future of uranium mining in the west African country, which is the world's fourth-largest uranium producer but is mired in poverty and ranks last on the United Nations' Human Development Index.
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| Valencia beats Barcelona 3-2 in Spanish league Posted: 01 Feb 2014 03:01 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Barcelona stumbled to a 3-2 home loss against Valencia on Saturday, giving Atletico Madrid a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the Spanish league.
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| Golden Dawn chooses backup name in case of ban Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:41 PM PST  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — If Golden Dawn is banned, the name National Dawn will do instead.
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| Top Asian News at 10:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST BANGKOK (AP) — Gunfire rang out across a busy intersection in Thailand's capital for more than an hour Saturday as government supporters clashed with protesters trying to derail tense nationwide elections one day before the vote begins. At least seven people were wounded, including an American photojournalist. People caught up in the mayhem crouched behind cars and ducked on a pedestrian bridge while others fled inside a nearby shopping mall. Several masked gunmen wearing armored vests bent down under a highway overpass as one of them fired a weapon concealed in a green sack. |
| South African strike talks suspended until Tuesday Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:10 PM PST  "Talks will resume on Tuesday," the government's Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration said in a statement. Jimmy Gama of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) that launched the strike of around 80,000 miners on January 23, crippling the platinum sector, told AFP: "The employers need time to reflect on the proposals, and they will do an offer on Tuesday." For their part, the CEOs of the world's top three platinum producers -- Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin -- said they would continue efforts to resolve the dispute while raising the spectre of restructuring and layoffs if the strike persisted. "It is imperative that a resolution is affordable, achievable and sustainable," Chris Griffith, Terence Goodlace and Ben Magara said in a joint statement.
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| Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 01 Feb 2014 02:02 PM PST BANGKOK (AP) — Gunfire rang out across a busy intersection in Thailand's capital for more than an hour Saturday as government supporters clashed with protesters trying to derail tense nationwide elections one day before the vote begins. At least seven people were wounded, including an American photojournalist. People caught up in the mayhem crouched behind cars and ducked on a pedestrian bridge while others fled inside a nearby shopping mall. Several masked gunmen wearing armored vests bent down under a highway overpass as one of them fired a weapon concealed in a green sack. |
| France advances to Davis Cup quarterfinals Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:36 PM PST  LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, France (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet beat Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-5 to give France an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia and a spot in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
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| First joy as Libya crowned CHAN champions Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:36 PM PST  Libya won their first continental tournament Saturday after beating Ghana in the African Nations Championship 4-3 on penalties when their final ended 0-0 after extra time. Excellent goalkeeping by the Mediterranean Knights' Muhammad Nashnoush and a poorly-aimed attempt that went wide from Ghana's Joshua Tijane clinched the victory following a lacklustre game. Having come on the pitch late in the second half, Libya's star scorer Abdelsalam Omar failed to add to his two earlier goals in the tournament. He came within a hair's breadth of hitting home 16 minutes into extra time, but his header in front of the box went straight into keeper Stephen Adam's hands.
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| Title-chasing Monaco snatches 2-2 draw at Lorient Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:35 PM PST A late equalizer by Monaco snatched a 2-2 result at Lorient on Saturday but it lost ground on Paris Saint-Germain in a French title race that Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri already says is over. |
| Activists: Syrian forces launch new Aleppo strikes Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:35 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian military helicopters dropped barrels packed with explosives in the government's latest air raids on rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least 23 people including a family trapped in a burning car, activists said.
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| USA, Canada headed for another gold medal matchup Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:33 PM PST  SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Canada and the United States.
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| Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:32 PM PST BANGKOK (AP) — Gunfire rang out across a busy intersection in Thailand's capital for more than an hour Saturday as government supporters clashed with protesters trying to derail tense nationwide elections one day before the vote begins. At least seven people were wounded, including an American photojournalist. People caught up in the mayhem crouched behind cars and ducked on a pedestrian bridge while others fled inside a nearby shopping mall. Several masked gunmen wearing armored vests bent down under a highway overpass as one of them fired a weapon concealed in a green sack. |
| Panathinaikos draws 1-1 at OFI Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:23 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Ze Eduardo's penalty kick in the 86th minute allowed OFI to salvage a 1-1 draw against visiting Panathinaikos in the Greek league on Saturday. |
| Women's race timed for Tour de France finish Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:19 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Finally, the Tour de France is giving women a more visible role than just congratulating the male riders during cycling's marquee event. |
| Diver killed working on Concordia in Italy Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:18 PM PST  ROME (AP) — A diver died Saturday while working on the shipwrecked Costa Concordia, apparently gashing his leg on an underwater metal sheet while preparing the wreck for removal, officials and news reports said.
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| Ukrainian opposition buoyed by wave of Western support Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST  By Stephen Brown and Alexandra Hudson MUNICH (Reuters) - The opposing sides of Ukraine's political crisis put their cases to world powers on Saturday, with the opposition buoyed by pledges of support from the West while Ukraine's foreign minister accused Europe of forcing Kiev into a strategic choice. Meanwhile the United States and Europe, which held private meetings with the opposition, exchanged angry words with Russia, accusing it of exactly the same thing - strong-arming Kiev into an unpopular alliance. "Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said. Boxer-turned-opposition-leader Vitaly Klitschko told reporters at the annual security meeting in Munich: "I leave the conference stronger because I feel huge support from friends of Ukraine.
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| Syria death toll tops 136,000, future talks uncertain Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:05 PM PST  The death toll in Syria's civil war has topped 136,000 after January saw one of the conflict's bloodiest months, an NGO said Saturday, as violence claimed yet more civilian lives. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll at the end of January was at least 136,227. The Britain-based group's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said "January was among the bloodiest months since the beginning of the conflict" in March 2011. The Observatory said the real toll could be much higher because of the extreme secrecy of rebels, jihadists and the regime about casualty figures.
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| Germany knocks out Spain in Davis Cup Posted: 01 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST  FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber secured Germany's place in the Davis Cup quarterfinals by winning their doubles for an unassailable 3-0 lead over Spain on Saturday.
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