Saturday, December 8, 2012

Egyptian opposition to shun Mursi's national dialogue

Egyptian opposition to shun Mursi's national dialogue

Egyptian opposition to shun Mursi's national dialogue

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:06 PM PST

A protester against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi waves an Egyptian flag in front of Republican Guard soldiers standing behind a barbed wire barricade guarding the presidential palace in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi was expected to press ahead on Saturday with talks on ways to end Egypt's worst crisis since he took office even though the country's main opposition leaders have vowed to stay away. Cairo and other cities have been rocked by violent protests since November 22, when Mursi promulgated a decree awarding himself sweeping powers that put him above the law. ...

Pakistan tribal sources say U.S. drone strike kills al Qaeda commander

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 01:09 AM PST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Tribal sources from Pakistan's northwest said on Saturday a U.S. drone attack had killed a senior al Qaeda commander in the latest blow to the militant Islamist group that has been targeted in many similar attacks. Abu Zaid was killed in the drone strike on a hideout in Pakistan's North Waziristan, one of the tribal regions near the border with Afghanistan, early on Thursday, the sources said. Zaid had just moved to the hideout a few days ago, they said. ...

Iran's long-range missiles said to lag U.S. intelligence fears

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:10 PM PST

An Iranian long-range shore-to-sea missile called Qader (Capable) is launched during Velayat-90 war game on Sea of Oman's shoreWASHINGTON (Reuters) - An internal report for the U.S. Congress has concluded that Iran probably is no longer on track, if it ever was, to having an ocean-crossing missile as soon as 2015. The study casts doubt on a view long held by U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran could be able to test-fly by 2015 an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, if it receives "sufficient foreign assistance. ...

Feted in Gaza, Hamas leader to attend "victory rally"

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:32 AM PST

Hamas chief Meshaal waves to the crowd as he rides in a car beside senior Hamas leader Haniyeh in GazaGAZA (Reuters) - After receiving a hero's welcome on his return from decades in exile, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal will attend a rally in Gaza on Saturday to mark the founding of his Islamist group and celebrate "victory" over Israel. At least 200,000 Palestinians are expected to attend the outdoor event, which is likely to be used by Meshaal to promote Hamas's growing stature in the Arab world and push the case for reconciliation with its secular political rival, Fatah. ...

Philippines declares state of calamity after deadly typhoon

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:56 AM PST

Mud flow is pictured among toppled trees and crops in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha in Compostela Valley, southern PhilippinesNEW BATAAN, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino declared a state of national calamity on Saturday, four days after this year's strongest typhoon left nearly 1,000 people dead or missing mostly in the country's resource-rich south. A price freeze on basic commodities was put into effect, and local governments were authorized to utilize their calamity funds for search, relief and rescue operations. The national disaster agency put the death toll at 459 and a further 532 were missing, mostly in the Mindanao provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. ...

Karzai says to raise attack on spy chief with Pakistan

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:49 AM PST

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday a suicide bombing that wounded his intelligence chief was planned in the Pakistani city of Quetta and that he would raise the issue with Islamabad. Karzai stopped short of blaming the Pakistani government directly. But he said the issue would be raised with neighboring Pakistan, a regional power seen as critical to U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan before NATO combat troops leave by the end of 2014. ...

Clinton to testify on Benghazi attack report: U.S. lawmaker

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:51 PM PST

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton listens to a question during a joint news conference with Irish PM Kenny in DublinWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify on a report expected to be released next week on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, a top Republican lawmaker said on Friday. "I have just received confirmation from Secretary Clinton's office that the secretary of state will appear before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss, in an open hearing, the findings and the recommendations in the report," Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. ...

Bahrain Crown Prince calls for new dialogue with opposition

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:38 PM PST

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa speaks at the opening ceremony of the 8th IISS Regional Security Summit, the Manama Dialogue, in ManamaMANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's Crown Prince renewed calls for dialogue with the country's opposition late on Friday, saying only talks could break a deadlock in the Gulf Arab state beset by unrest. The ruling Al-Khalifa family, who are Sunni Muslims, used martial law and help from Gulf neighbors to put down a revolt against alleged discrimination of Bahrain's majority Shi'ite population in March last year, but violence has resumed. Protesters and police clash almost daily and the island has seen a number of bombings this year. ...

China suspends eight officials for mine deadly mine accident: report

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:28 PM PST

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China suspended eight officials and arrested two others over a coal mine accident this week that killed 17 people in southwest China's Yunnan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The eight suspended officials include Fuyuan county's coal industry bureau chief and the bureau's deputy director, Xinhua said, quoting Fuyuan's publicity office. China's mines are the deadliest in the world because of lax enforcement of safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a robust economy. ...

Feted in Gaza, Hamas leader to attend "victory rally"

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:23 PM PST

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal talks during his interview with Reuters in DohaGAZA (Reuters) - After receiving a hero's welcome on his return from decades in exile, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal will attend a rally in Gaza on Saturday to mark the founding of his Islamist group and celebrate "victory" over Israel. At least 200,000 Palestinians are expected to attend the outdoor event, which is likely to be used by Meshaal to promote Hamas's growing stature in the Arab world and push the case for reconciliation with its secular political rival, Fatah. ...

US: 200 teens have been detained in Afghan war

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:50 PM PST

FILE - In this photo reviewed by the U.S. military, U.S. military personnel stands on a guard tower at the U.S. run Parwan detention facility near Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan in this Sept. 27, 2010 file photo. The U.S. military has detained more than 200 Afghan teenagers who were captured in the war for about a year at a time at a military prison next to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations The U.S. military has detained more than 200 Afghan teenagers who were captured in the war for about a year at a time at a military prison next to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations.The U.S. military has detained more than 200 Afghan teenagers who were captured in the war for about a year at a time at a military prison next to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations in a report distributed this week. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)The U.S. military has detained more than 200 Afghan teenagers who were captured in the war for about a year at a time at a military prison next to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations.

Philippine typhoon rescue operations hampered

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:11 AM PST

Rescuers work to retrieve another flash flood victim from the debris of Tuesday's Typhoon Bopha at New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines Friday Dec. 7, 2012. Rescuers were digging through mud and debris Friday to retrieve more bodies strewn across a farming valley in the southern Philippines by a powerful typhoon. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)Search and rescue operations following a typhoon that killed nearly 600 people in the southern Philippines have been hampered in part because many residents of this ravaged farming community are too stunned to assist recovery efforts, an official said Saturday.

Egypt delays early voting on new constitution

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:35 PM PST

Egyptian protesters gather outside the presidential palace after they broke through a barbed wire barricade that was keeping them from getting closer to the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Egypt's political crisis spiraled deeper into bitterness and recrimination Friday as thousands of Islamist backers of the president vowed vengeance at a funeral for men killed in bloody clashes earlier this week and large crowds of the president's opponents marched on his palace to increase pressure after he rejected their demands. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)Egypt postponed early voting on a contentious draft constitution, and aides to President Mohammed Morsi floated the possibility of canceling the whole referendum in the first signs Friday that the Islamic leader is finally yielding to days of protests and deadly street clashes.

China's Xi leads campaign to cut pomp

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:33 AM PST

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, China's newly appointed leader Xi Jinping gestures as he attends a meeting with foreign experts at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. New communist leader Xi is on a mission to soften the image of Chinese officialdom, winning kudos for his breezy personal style and ordering leaders to take a knife to the pomp, formality and waste that have alienated many among the public. (AP Photo/Ed Jones, Pool)New communist leader Xi Jinping is on a mission to soften the image of Chinese officialdom, winning kudos for his breezy personal style and ordering leaders to take a knife to the pomp, formality and waste that have alienated many among the public.

Syrian rebels set sights on Damascus airport

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:37 PM PST

This image from amateur video AP obtained from Ugarit News has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting and shows a rebel firing a weapon around a corner at Syrian government forces in Damascus, Syria Friday Dec. 7, 2012. Fighting around the Syrian capital has intensified in recent days as rebels press a battle they hope will lead to the collapse of President Bashar Assad's regime after 20 months of conflict. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP Video)Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad set their sights Friday on the capital's international airport in a bid to cut off the regime's supplies, clashing with government troops nearby and again forcing the closure of the airport road.

Polarizing Indian politician seeks another win

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:27 PM PST

In this Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 photo, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi attends a press conference to release the poll manifesto for the upcoming state assembly elections in Ahmadabad, India. Eleven years after Modi became the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat - and 10 years after brutal anti-Muslim rioting left over a 1,100 people there dead - Modi is campaigning for his third term. Nearly everyone expects him to be swept into office, and the top leadership of his rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party is already hailing him as a future prime minister. But few politicians in India are as polarizing as Modi. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)For thousands of voters in this dusty little town, nothing is impossible for Narendra Modi, the man they believe has worked magic to reinvent the economic landscape of his part of India. But still they gasp when the curtains open and Modi — suddenly, magically — appears in front of them.

UK hospital: Nurse involved in Kate hoax call dies

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:01 PM PST

Two policemen stand guard outside King Edward VII hospital , in central London, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. King Edward VII hospital says a nurse involved in a prank telephone call to elicit information about the Duchess of Cambridge has died. The hospital said Friday that Jacintha Saldanha had been a victim of the call made by two Australian radio disc jockeys. They did not immediately say what role she played in the call. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)The news that Prince William and the former Kate Middleton were expecting their first child — joyous news for a couple looking forward to starting a family — immediately turned bittersweet with the simultaneous announcement that the duchess was being hospitalized for acute morning sickness. Then there was an invasion of her privacy by two disc jockeys who impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to gain information on her condition.

Karzai: Afghan spy chief bomber came from Pakistan

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:52 AM PST

Afghan traffic policemen stand near the scene where Afghanistan's Intelligence Chief Asadullah Khalid was wounded in an assassination attempt on him in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Afghanistan's intelligence chief was wounded Thursday in an assassination attempt in the capital, Kabul, Afghan officials said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)Afghan President Hamid Karzai says a suicide attack that wounded the Afghan intelligence chief was planned in neighboring Pakistan.

UN talks nearing weak deal on climate

Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:47 AM PST

Local and international activists march inside a conference center under a giant statue of a spider to demand urgent action to address climate change at the U.N. climate talks in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. A dispute over money clouded U.N. climate talks Friday, as rich and poor countries sparred over funds meant to help the developing world cover the rising costs of mitigating global warming and adapting to it. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are poring over new draft agreements on emissions cuts by rich countries and aid for poor ones as United Nations climate talks spilled into the weekend.

APNewsBreak: Dhaka factory lost fire certification

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:19 AM PST

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 file photo, Bangladeshi firefighters battle a fire at a garment factory in the Savar neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late. A Dhaka fire official said the Tazreen factory's fire safety certification had expired on June 30, and fire officials refused to renew it because the building did not have the proper safety arrangements. The factory did not have any fire exits for its 1,400 workers, many of whom became trapped by the blaze. Investigators said the death toll would have been far lower if there had been even a single emergency exit. (AP Photo/Hasan Raza)The factory where 112 garment workers died in a fire should have been shut down months ago. The fire department refused to renew the certification it needed to operate, a top fire official told The Associated Press. And its owner told AP that just three of the factory's eight floors were legal. He was building a ninth.

Starbucks tax avoidance has Brits frothing mad

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST

As the US considers higher tax rates for the wealthy to deal with a budget crunch, a similar debate is going on across the pond. But in the UK, it's not the individually wealthy who are being eyed: It's those multinational corporations who, despite turning over hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue, routinely pay little to no tax on their local profits.

Key evidence for Argentina's largest human rights case found in Florida

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:39 AM PST

A plane discovered in 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, allegedly used by Argentina's military dictatorship to drop suspected leftists to their death into the Rio de la Plata, is now providing key evidence in the country's biggest human rights case ever.

India tests ways to help farmers cope with climate change

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:01 AM PST

Like his father, Venkatappah has spent his life growing rice and vegetables on two acres of land in this village three hours from Bangalore. Harvesting a good crop from these dry, rocky slopes has become tougher in recent years as the monsoon rains have become more erratic.

Norwegian protesters say EU Nobel Peace Prize win devalues award

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:41 AM PST

Since the decision this October to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, many have questioned its worthiness, given the current social and economic turmoil there. Among the critics who will be booing loudest at the award this coming week will be the Norwegians themselves – including some in government.

Kids Helping Kids is run by kids – and for kids

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:21 AM PST

Kids Helping Kids (KHK) is about turning passion into action, whether its baking bread to raise money for a playground or collecting thousands of used shoes.

Test passed? Japan's earthquake causes quick response near Fukushima

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:07 AM PST

For thousands of people living in the region of Japan devastated by last year's triple disaster, Friday's earthquake served as an unwelcome reminder of their vulnerability to sudden, violent seismic shifts – and as a warning to the rest of the country.But thanks in large part to the sheer force of the March 11 tragedy, and painful memories of its human toll, people in the vicinity of the quake's epicenter knew what to do as soon as TV stations issued a tsunami warning: Drop everything and head to higher ground. ...

Briefing: Catalonia's bid to breakaway from Spain

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:51 AM PST

Catalonia is considering pursuing a path toward independence from Spain. In November regional elections, parties that openly support holding a referendum on the issue won two-thirds of the parliamentary seats, although political rivalries could upend the plan. Spain's central government has long promised to block any referendum. A referendum would add constitutional instability to the country's economic crisis. Here are the basics:

With Hamas's confidence waxing, Khaled Meshaal arrives in Gaza

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:16 AM PST

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Colombia: Peace talks resume, but local hope dampens

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:39 AM PST

Negotiators for the government of Colombia and leftist rebels resumed talks in Havana, Cuba this week to try to end this country's intractable war, but the hopes for peace for Colombians at home have been dampened.

Izhar Gafni invents a cardboard bicycle that may revolutionize transportation

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

Izhar Gafni smiles and shakes his head in wonder when asked about the whirlwind of events that have taken place since news of his revolutionary cardboard bicycle first made international headlines a few weeks ago.
Posted by Harshad at 1:29 AM

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