Sunday, December 9, 2012

Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests

Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests

Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 06:32 PM PST

A sign is pictured on a barbed wire barricade guarding the presidential palace in Cairo, as Republican Guard soldiers stand in line behind the barricadeCAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has cancelled a decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked deadly violence, but did not delay this month's referendum on a new constitution as his opponents had demanded. The announcement that Mursi had scrapped his November 22 decree followed hours of talks on Saturday at his presidential palace, billed as a "national dialogue" but which was boycotted by his main opponents and had little credibility among protesters. One opposition group dismissed Mursi's efforts at appeasement as the "continuation of deception. ...

Syrian rebels elect new military commander

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:45 AM PST

Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest against Syria's President Assad after Friday prayers in Binish, near IdlibAMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebel groups have chosen a former officer to head a new Islamist-dominated command, in a Western-backed effort to put the opposition's house in order as President Bashar al-Assad's army takes hits that could usher his downfall. In Turkey, a newly formed joint command of Syrian rebel groups has chosen Brigadier Selim Idris, one of hundreds of officers who have defected from Assad's army, as its head, opposition sources said on Saturday. ...

Man suspected of involvement in Benghazi attack held in Egypt

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 05:01 PM PST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities are holding a man whose militant group is suspected of links to an attack in Libya in which the American ambassador was killed, U.S. officials in Washington and a security source in Cairo said on Saturday. "They arrested Mohamed Gamal," said one U.S. official. The security source in Cairo, giving the man's full name as Mohamed Gamal Abu Ahmed, said the suspect was being questioned about an alleged role in the attacks in Benghazi in September in which Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador, died along with three other American officials. U.S. ...

Italy PM Monti says he will resign when budget passed

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:51 AM PST

Italy's Prime Minister Monti gestures at the World Policy Conference in CannesROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti announced on Saturday that he would resign once the 2013 budget is approved, potentially bringing forward an election due early next year and fuelling speculation that he might run. The surprise announcement came two days after Silvio Berlusconi's party withdrew parliamentary support for the technocrat government and hours after Berlusconi said he would run to become premier for a fifth time on a platform that attacks Monti's stewardship of the economy. ...

Insight: Making France work again

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:04 AM PST

ECUEILLE, France (Reuters) - Shirt manufacturer Marc Roudeillac was delighted when 48 of the 49 staff in his factory in central France voted to adapt their strict 35-hour week contracts to meet the up-and-down demand of the fashion trade. Then the labor inspector stepped in and ruled the contracts must not be changed. So Roudeillac began an overtime system with 25 percent hourly bonuses. Again, the seamstresses were happy - until the government this year scrapped tax breaks on overtime. ...

U.S. drone strike kills another al Qaeda commander in Pakistan

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:53 AM PST

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed a senior al Qaeda commander in Pakistan's northwest on Sunday, military intelligence officials said, the second militant leader to be killed in strikes by the unmanned aircraft in three days. The attack killed Mohammad Ahmed Almansoor and three others in a village close to Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border. The drone fired missiles at a house with Almansoor inside, destroying two rooms and a car. ...

Chavez returning to Cuba for more cancer surgery, names successor

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 10:23 PM PST

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez smiles as he speaks during a Council of Ministers at Miraflores Palace in CaracasCARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez returns to Cuba on Sunday for another operation after doctors found a recurrence of his cancer, and the president named a successor for the first time in a sign his illness could force him to step aside. Supporters prepared to gather in city squares across the South American country, shocked and saddened by the news from the 58-year-old socialist leader, who made the announcement in a late-night broadcast on Saturday from the presidential palace. ...

Bangladesh police fire tear gas at election protest

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 AM PST

DHAKA (Reuters) - Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters staging blockades across Bangladesh on Sunday as part of an opposition campaign for an independent caretaker administration to oversee next year's national election. Police and witnesses said supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and its allies set ablaze about 30 buses, trucks and cars in the capital Dhaka and other parts of the country. ...

China police detain two Tibetans for inciting self-immolations

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:43 AM PST

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Police have detained a Tibetan monk and his nephew in southwestern China for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in anti-Chinese protests, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. Ninety-two Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule since 2009, with at least 75 dying from their injuries. The number of these cases have increased significantly this year, with 28 alone in November. ...

Weakened typhoon set to make second landfall in Philippines

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 09:10 PM PST

Residents search for their missing relatives among debris swept by floodwaters at the height of Typhoon Bopha, in New Bataan townNEW BATAAN, Philippines (Reuters) - A much-weakened storm was set to make landfall in the Philippines' northwest on Sunday, five days after the year's strongest typhoon killed 540 people and caused crop damage worth about 8 billion pesos ($195.38 million) in the south. The Philippines weather bureau issued storm alerts for northern provinces on the main island of Luzon as Bopha, with greatly reduced winds at its centre of 55 kph (35 mph), changed course back towards land after heading into the South China Sea. ...

South Africans await word on Mandela's health

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:48 AM PST

People walk past a mural showing former South African President Nelson Mandela in the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. South Africa's presidency says that Mandela, 94, was admitted to a hospital Saturday in the nation's capital for tests. (AP Photos/Jon Gambrell)People in South Africa say they're worriedly awaiting further word about former President Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized.

Egypt panel recommends referendum be held on time

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 05:43 PM PST

An Egyptian protester takes a picture with his mobile of his children on top of an Egyptian army tank outside the presidential palace, background, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012. Egypt's military warned Saturday of 'disastrous consequences' if the crisis that sent tens of thousands of protesters back into the streets is not resolved, signaling the army's return to an increasingly polarized and violent political scene.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)A national dialogue committee said a referendum on a disputed draft constitution will be held on schedule, but President Mohammed Morsi has agreed to rescind the near-absolute power he had granted himself.

Hugo Chavez says he needs cancer surgery again

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 10:47 PM PST

In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez holds up a crucifix during a televised speech form his office at Miraflores Presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012. Chavez announced Saturday night that his cancer has returned and that he will undergo another surgery in Cuba. Chavez, who won re-election on Oct. 7, also said for the first time that if his health were to worsen, his successor would be Vice President Nicolas Maduro.(AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office, Marcelo Garcia)Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more surgery for cancer, announcing on television that the illness has returned after two previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Romanian gov't expected to win bitter elections

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:37 AM PST

People walk by a large electoral poster of the ruling Social Liberal Union in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. Romania will hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)Romanians braved snow and heavy rain on Sunday to vote in a parliamentary election that the center-left government is expected to win. But the outcome could worsen a longstanding dispute between this nation's top two officials.

5 dead as heavy snow hits Balkans

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:04 AM PST

Residents walk on a snow covered street in downtown Zagreb, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012. Parts of eastern and central Europe were hit hard by heavy snow and freezing temperatures. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have killed at least 5 people and caused travel chaos across the Balkans.

Syrian rebels get new leadership in bid to unite

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:48 PM PST

In this Friday, Dec. 07, 2012 photo, damaged buildings are seen along a desolate street on the front line after several weeks of intense battles between rebel fighters and troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Amarya district of Aleppo, Syria. As fears grow in the West that Syrian President Bashar Assad will unleash chemical weapons as an act of desperation, NATO moved forward Thursday with its plan to place Patriot missiles and troops along Syria's border with Turkey to protect against potential attacks. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)Rebel commanders from across Syria have joined forces under a united command they hope will increase coordination between diverse fighting groups and streamline the pathway for arms essential to their struggle against President Bashar Assad.

North Korea considers delaying rocket launch

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 10:20 PM PST

FILE - This Dec. 4, 2012 file satellite image taken by GeoEye and annotated and distributed by North Korea Tech and 38 North shows snow covering the Sohae launching station in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, including the path where trailers would be used to move the rocket stages from the assembly building to the launch pad in preparation for a Dec. 10-22 launch. North Korea may postpone the controversial launch of a long-range rocket that had been slated for liftoff as early as Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, North Korean state media said Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/GeoEye via North Korea Tech and 38 North, File) MANDATORY CREDITNorth Korea may postpone the controversial launch of a long-range rocket that had been slated for liftoff as early as this week, state media said Sunday, as international pressure on Pyongyang to cancel the provocative move intensified.

Italy's PM says he intends to quit over crisis

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 07:24 PM PST

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 file photo, Italy's former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, left, talks to Italian Premier Mario Monti, back to camera, at the lower chamber in Rome. Although Berlusconi resigned in disgrace a year ago, has been convicted of tax fraud and now faces plunging poll numbers, the media baron confirmed to reporters Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, that he'll try for a fourth term. Berlusconi yanked support for Premier Mario Monti's technocrat government on Thursday, increasing the prospects for early elections. Monti calls the political crisis triggered by the loss of Berlusconi's support "manageable" and says his government has rescued Italy from financial disaster. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday he is resigning soon, saying he can no longer govern after Silvio Berlusconi's party withdrew crucial support. It paves the way for early elections a year after the unelected economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster.

South African icon Nelson Mandela hospitalized

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 09:50 AM PST

FILE -In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President, Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. South African President Jacob Zuma says that former President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital in Pretoria to undergo tests. Zuma issued a statement Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012 saying that Mandela is "doing well and there is no cause for alarm." (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela was admitted to a military hospital Saturday for medical tests, though the nation's president told the public there was "no cause for alarm" over the 94-year-old icon's health.

US drones kill 3 suspected militants in Pakistan

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:17 AM PST

Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed three suspected militants near the Afghan border.
Posted by Harshad at 1:30 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)