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| U.S. says willing to meet with Iran on nukes but no talks set Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 06:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The New York Times reported on Saturday that the United States and Iran have agreed in principle to hold one-on-one negotiations on Iran's nuclear program but the White House quickly denied that any talks had been set. The Times, quoting unnamed Obama administration officials, said earlier on Saturday the two sides had agreed to bilateral negotiations after secret exchanges between U.S. and Iranian officials. The newspaper later said the agreement was "in principle. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB's Knot backs German call for EU budget commissioner Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 05:05 PM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymaker Klaas Knot has thrown his support behind German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble's call for a euro zone commissioner with power over European Union nations' budgets. The EU needs not only stricter budget discipline but also stronger debt controls, Knot, who heads the Dutch Central Bank, told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag in an interview published on Sunday. "I welcome the idea ... if we can manage to keep a better eye on these aims it would represent huge progress. It is worth thinking about Wolfgang Schaeuble's idea carefully. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada blocks $5.2 billion Petronas bid for Progress Energy Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:56 PM PDT  TORONTO/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Canada has blocked Malaysian state oil firm Petronas' C$5.17 billion ($5.2 billion) bid for gas producer Progress Energy Resources in a surprise move that could signal problems for a much larger Chinese deal in the country's energy sector. Canada's announcement late on Friday, minutes before a deadline, was a blow to Petronas, whose domestic oil supplies are shrinking and which has been seeking to boost its resources beyond Malaysia and volatile areas such as Sudan. It also raises doubts over Chinese oil group CNOOC's C$15. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentine leader orders evacuation of ship seized in Ghana Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:51 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Argentina's president on Saturday ordered 326 sailors to evacuate a Navy frigate that was seized in Ghana to help bondholders try to recoup debts from the South American country's 2002 default. The Libertad, a training frigate, was detained in the Ghanaian port of Tema on October 2 under a court order obtained by NML Capital Ltd, an affiliate of investment firm Elliott Management. The firm says Argentina owes it over $300 million on defaulted sovereign bonds and it will only release the ship if the country pays it at least $20 million. ... Full Story | Top |
| Confusion in Libya over fate of former Gaddafi spokesman Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:41 PM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan militias captured Muammar Gaddafi's chief spokesman on Saturday, the government said, but an audio clip posted on Facebook purporting to be the voice of Moussa Ibrahim denied his capture. There was no independent verification of the authenticity or timing of the Facebook post, dated October 20, a year to the day after the dictator's death. A statement from the prime minister's office said Ibrahim, who was the mouthpiece of the Gaddafi regime during last year's war, was caught in the town of Tarhouna, 70 km (40 miles) south of Tripoli. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says no plans for one-on-one meeting with Iran on nuclear issue Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Saturday denied a report in the New York Times that said the Obama administration had agreed to one-on-one talks with Iran on its nuclear program. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement the United States would continue to work with fellow permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to resolve the issue. "It's not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections," the statement said. "We continue to work with the P-5 (five permanent members of the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| United States, Iran agree to one-on-one nuclear talks : New York Times Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:17 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Iran have agreed for the first time to one-on-one negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing Obama administration officials. Iranian officials have insisted the talks not begin until after the November 6 U.S. election because they want to know which U.S. president they will be negotiating with, a senior administration official told the Times. ... Full Story | Top |
| With Romney closing in, Obama to launch swing state blitz Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 04:13 PM PDT  WASHINGTON/DEL RAY BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Facing a cliffhanger re-election attempt, President Barack Obama will launch a round-the-clock, two-day campaign blitz through six battleground states next week to try to fend off the challenge from Republican Mitt Romney. Polls show Obama's strong debate performance this week gained him little or no ground against the former Massachusetts governor with just over two weeks until the November 6 election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Race tightens for Obama, Romney ahead of final debate Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 03:52 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The race between President Barack Obama and rival Mitt Romney has tightened in the days before their final televised debate, with the Republican closing the gap on Obama's slight but steady lead in a Reuters/Ipsos online poll. Data from the daily tracking poll released on Saturday showed the Democratic incumbent with a small lead over the former Massachusetts governor, but the margin has narrowed from Friday and from results earlier in the week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon to bury slain intelligence official Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 03:45 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's political opposition has called for a mass turnout at Sunday's funeral for slain intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan, turning the ceremony into a political rally against Syrian authorities and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hassan, who uncovered an alleged Syrian bomb plot inside Lebanon two months ago, was killed in a huge car bomb blast that also killed seven other people and wounded 80 in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis : Canada takes hard line on natural resources, no matter the cost Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 02:45 PM PDT  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada signaled a tough line on control of its natural resources with its surprise rejection of a Malaysian bid for gas company Progress Energy Resources Corp., putting concerns about state-owned firms above fears of damaging an already dented international reputation. In a ruling with huge repercussions for CNOOC Ltd's proposed $15.1 billion takeover of Nexen Inc, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said the C$5.2 billion ($5.3 billion) bid by Petronas would not be of "net benefit" to Canada. ... Full Story | Top |
| Progress seeks to address Ottawa's concerns Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 02:41 PM PDT  CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Progress Energy Resources Corp said on Saturday that it would take the next 30 days to determine the nature of concerns that led to Ottawa's rejection of its takeover by Malaysia's Petronas and try to find remedies. Chief Executive Michael Culbert said in a statement that Progress's board and staff were disappointed by the 11th-hour rejection announced late Friday. He stressed that the long-term health of Canada's gas industry and the future of liquefied natural gas exports were dependent on investment by international companies such as Petronas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Left makes gains in Czech Senate election Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 01:21 PM PDT PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech left cemented its dominant position in the upper house of parliament in an election on Saturday, after fiscal tightening and sleaze scandals eroded support for the right. The vote adds to the woes of the centre-right cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Necas, which faces a crucial confidence vote in the lower house next week that could trigger an early election. "It is a clear message from voters for the government, a second within a single week, that it should end," said opposition Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka. ... Full Story | Top |
| Monti expects to see Italy recovery signs within months Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 01:14 PM PDT  CERNOBBIO, Italy (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Saturday he expected it would be only a few more months before signs of recovery start to emerge in the recession-hit Italian economy. Addressing an agriculture conference in northern Italy, Monti spoke of "a few months, just a few months I hope that we have left before we start seeing clear signs of recovery." Italy has been in a recession since the middle of last year, weighed down by austerity measures passed by Monti's government to cut the country's massive debt, including tax hikes, spending cuts and a pension overhaul. ... Full Story | Top |
| West Bank vote held to help plug Palestinian democracy gap Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 01:03 PM PDT  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians voted in elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for the first time in six years on Saturday, but their scant choice of candidates put them out of step with democratic revolutions elsewhere in the Arab world. The results of the local ballots were expected to reaffirm the Western-backed, mainly secular Fatah party, which runs a de facto government in the slivers of land not policed by Israel, in the face of a boycott by its Islamist arch-rival, Hamas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sierra Leone opposition plans to review mining code, contracts Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 12:51 PM PDT FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party plans to introduce a raft of reforms to the mining and oil sectors if it wins elections next month, according to its election program released on Saturday. The Sierra Leone People's Party's (SLPP) presidential candidate, former junta leader Julius Maada Bio, hopes to dislodge incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma's All People's Congress government in the November 17 poll. The SLPP's manifesto proposes a review of all existing mining and oil deals as well as the law that governs the mining sector, according to a copy obtained by Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five Colombian soldiers killed, first deadly clash amid peace talks Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 12:47 PM PDT BOGOTA (Reuters) - Five Colombian soldiers were killed by FARC rebels in the first major incident since peace talks between the Andean country's government and guerrilla leaders began earlier this week, the army said on Saturday. The government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) started a peace process on Thursday in Norway aimed at finding a negotiated end to the five-decade-old conflict. The negotiations move to Cuba on November 15. ... Full Story | Top |
| Putin flexes muscle in big test of Russia's nuclear arsenal Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 12:34 PM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin took a leading role in the latest tests of Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal, the most comprehensive since the 1991 Soviet collapse, the Kremlin said on Saturday. The exercises, held mostly on Friday, featured prominently in news reports on state television which seemed aimed to show Russians and the world that Putin is the hands-on chief of a resurgent power. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait opposition to boycott vote, calls for protests Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 12:30 PM PDT  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Opposition groups in Kuwait say they will boycott December 1 parliamentary elections, calling changes to the voting system announced by the government on Saturday a "coup against the constitution". Kuwait has been torn by a power struggle between the government, controlled by the ruling Al-Sabah family, and the elected parliament. The turmoil has blocked development plans and paralyzed the political system. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says death toll rises to 23 in meningitis outbreak Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 12:08 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. death toll from fungal meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections has risen by two to 23, with North Carolina reporting its first death, health officials said on Saturday. Tennessee's death total in the outbreak rose to eight, the highest state total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website. States reported 13 new cases of fungal meningitis, raising the total to 281. There are also three peripheral infections caused by injections into joints. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen forces endanger health care by raiding hospitals :HRW Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 11:20 AM PDT ADEN (Reuters) - An international rights group has accused Yemeni security forces of endangering health care in the southern city of Aden by forcibly removing wounded activists from hospitals and exchanging fire with gunmen seeking to block the arrests. Yemen, trying to recover from months of political unrest that eventually forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power, is grappling with numerous security challenges after last year's uprising, including al Qaeda-linked insurgents, southern secessionists and Shi'ite Muslim rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya tells separatist group: surrender or face arrest Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 10:54 AM PDT MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya on Saturday told members of a separatist group to surrender or face arrest as the east African country intensified a crackdown on the movement ahead of an election next year. The Mombasa Republican Council's (MRC) campaign for the secession of Kenya's Indian Ocean coastal strip, a tourist hotspot and trade hub, is just one of many concerns ahead of the March election, the first since the 2007 poll after which some 1,200 people were killed and thousands displaced. ... Full Story | Top |
| British protesters demand end to "failing" austerity Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 10:42 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of British protesters marched through London on Saturday calling for an end to public spending cuts and tax rises launched by a government they accuse of elitism and ignorance about the plight of recession-hit voters. Blowing horns and whistles, demonstrators streamed past the Houses of Parliament behind a banner declaring "Austerity is Failing", and called on Prime Minister David Cameron to do more to revive Britain's struggling economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya government says former Gadhafi spokesman captured Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 10:37 AM PDT  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The former spokesman of Moammar Gadhafi's government has been captured, exactly a year after the death of the Libyan dictator, the prime minister's office said on Saturday. Moussa Ibrahim, who was the mouthpiece of the Gaddafi regime during last year's war, was caught in the town of Tarhouna, 70 km (40 miles) south of Tripoli. "Moussa Ibrahim has been arrested by forces belonging to the Libyan government in the town of Tarhouna and he is being transferred to Tripoli to begin interrogation," a statement from the prime minister's office said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian workers rally against job losses, spending cuts Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 09:51 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Thousands of Italian trade unionists rallied in central Rome on Saturday to protest against public spending cuts, job losses and factory closures, urging Mario Monti's government to do more to help workers hit by recession. "We're here to support all the workers who are in dispute with their companies during this economic crisis," said protester Michele Giuliva as he joined the rally organized by the left-leaning CGIL union, Italy's biggest. "The government is thinking only of bond spreads. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian opposition "election" hit by cyber attack: organizers Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 09:35 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - An online election to choose a "shadow parliament" opposed to Russia's President Vladimir Putin was disrupted on Saturday by a cyber attack, activists said. "Today we already know that there are some problems with the server, there are some attacks," Sergei Udaltsov, a prominent protest leader, said at rally on Saturday. Opponents of Putin say elections in Russia are rigged in favor of his ruling party and are instead holding their own internet contest which they hope will reinvigorate the flagging opposition movement. Information on their website, www.cvk2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria envoy presses Damascus for ceasefire Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 09:27 AM PDT  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi met Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Damascus on Saturday, pressing for a brief ceasefire between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels seeking his overthrow. Brahimi has called for a ceasefire during next week's Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday to stem the bloodshed in a 19-month-old conflict which activists say has killed at least 30,000 people and claimed the lives of 220 more on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen-style power transfer not suitable for Syria: Turkey Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 09:27 AM PDT SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's power transfer deal, which allowed President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, is no longer a suitable model for a solution in Syria, the Turkish foreign minister said at a news conference in Sanaa on Saturday. The Yemeni model has previously been suggested a way to end bloodshed in Syria that has killed some 30,000 people in the last 19 months. Saleh was given immunity from prosecution. "The Yemen solution was suitable for Syria nine months ago," Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference in Sanaa with his Yemeni counterpart. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait sets elections for December 1 but opposition will boycott Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 09:20 AM PDT  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's main opposition said it would boycott parliamentary elections set for December 1. after the cabinet announced the poll date and changes to the voting system on Saturday. The opposition, which holds a parliamentary majority, described changes to the electoral law as a "coup against the constitution" and called for a protest march on Sunday, said Ahmed al-Dayen, an opposition politician. ... Full Story | Top |
| Twin Iraq blasts kill eight in Baghdad Shi'ite district Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:59 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two bombs killed at least eight people and wounded 38 more in a busy market in Baghdad's Kadhimiya District on Saturday, police and hospital sources said, breaking weeks of relative calm. The blasts hit the Iraqi capital ahead of next week's Islamic Eid al-Adha festival, a period when security officials believe al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliates and other Sunni Islamist insurgents may attempt a major attack. Police said the bombs blew up inside a busy public market and most of the victims were women and children. "We heard a loud explosion so we ran to see what happened ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Police in Azerbaijan arrest dozens of opposition activists Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:48 AM PDT BAKU (Reuters) - Police in Azerbaijan arrested dozens of opposition activists who gathered in the capital Baku on Saturday demanding the president's resignation and the dissolution of parliament. Protesters shouted: "Shame!", "Dissolve the parliament!" and "Resignation!", while uniformed and plain clothed police officers pushed some of them onto what looked like city buses. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel's toughest political ally turns milder on Greece Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:47 AM PDT  MUNICH (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to have convinced the toughest audience in her political camp that Greece should be given the benefit of the doubt, and possibly more time to meet its painful savings targets. Venturing south to talk to her Bavarian conservative allies can be like a trip into the lion's den for Merkel. The Christian Social Union's (CSU) approach to the euro zone crisis is often one of bruising euro-skepticism. ... Full Story | Top |
| Morocco denies pagan rock carving destroyed Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:40 AM PDT RABAT (Reuters) - The Moroccan government has denied that an 8,000-year-old rock engraving depicting the Sun as a divinity has been destroyed in the south of the country in an attack residents had blamed on ultra-orthodox Salafi Muslims. Communications Minister Mustafa el-Khalfi took journalists to the site of the pagan engraving in the Toukbal National Park to demonstrate that reports of its destruction were untrue. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt Brotherhood party leader seeks broad alliance with rivals Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:33 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood's political party will seek an inclusive majority in Egypt's parliament through alliances with rivals, its new chief said, addressing fears of a narrowly Islamist outcome to the uprising against autocratic rule. The Freedom and Justice Party elected Saad al-Katatni, 61, as FJP leader on Friday, replacing Mohamed Mursi who has gone on to become the first elected president of the Arab world's most populous state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Qaeda warns Hollande against French hostage rescue Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:29 AM PDT  NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - A leader of al Qaeda's north African wing warned France on Saturday that any attempt to forcibly rescue six French citizens held hostage by the militant group could lead to their death. French President Francois Hollande is pushing hard for military action against al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali to quash what he sees as a growing risk of them launching an attack on French soil, diplomatic sources said earlier this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel seizes pro-Palestinian activist ship off Gaza Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 08:04 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli navy seized an international pro-Palestinian activist ship on the Mediterranean high seas on Saturday to prevent it breaching Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, a military spokeswoman said. She said no one was hurt when marines boarded the SV Estelle, a three-mast schooner, and that it was rerouted to the Israeli port of Ashdod after it ignored orders to turn away from the Hamas-governed Palestinian enclave. ... Full Story | Top |
| China urges restraint as tensions mount between two Koreas Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 07:55 AM PDT SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China on Saturday urged North and South Korea to exercise restraint and safeguard peace on the peninsula, after the communist north threatened to fire on the south. Impoverished North Korea said on Friday it would attack if Seoul allowed activists to drop anti-northern leaflets on its territory, in its most strident warning against its long-time foe for months. South Korea's defence minister told parliament its military would retaliate in the event of attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanese PM suspects assassination linked to bomb plot Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 07:47 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday he suspected the assassination of a senior Lebanese intelligence chief was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in an earlier bomb plot. As fear and anger gripped Lebanon over Friday's car bomb attack, Mikati also said the president had asked him to stay in his post despite his offer to resign and make way for a national unity government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian workers rally against job losses and plant closures Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 07:27 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Thousands of Italian trade unionists rallied in central Rome on Saturday to protest against growing job cuts and factory closures, urging Mario Monti's government to do more to help workers hit by a year-long recession. "We're here to support all the workers who are in dispute with their companies during this economic crisis," said protester Michele Giuliva as he joined the rally organized by the left-leaning CGIL union, Italy's biggest. "The government is thinking only of bond spreads. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel's top diplomat scorns EU rebuke on Jerusalem settlement Saturday, Oct 20, 2012 07:08 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's foreign minister on Saturday dismissed criticism by the European Union of Jewish settlement on occupied land the Palestinians seek for a state, advising the 27-nation bloc to attend to its own problems instead. The comments by Avigdor Lieberman, a hardliner who serves as Israel's top diplomat by dint of his clout in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, suggested an appeal to right-wing voters ahead of the January 22 national election. ... Full Story | Top |
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