At least one dead in attack on Iranian dissident camp in Iraq

At least one dead in attack on Iranian dissident camp in Iraq


At least one dead in attack on Iranian dissident camp in Iraq

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:29 PM PST

(Reuters) - At least one person was killed and 20 wounded in a rocket attack on the camp of Iranian dissident group Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) in Iraq early on Saturday, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters.

Worried Indonesian president steps in to lead unpopular ruling party

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:03 PM PST

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's president has stepped in to take over his ruling party, so damaged by a series of corruption scandals that even its senior members concede it faces a rout in elections next year.

Syria troops resist Damascus rebel advance

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:29 PM PST

Government forces try to recapture sections of a key road as fierce clashes continue in the capital.

Opposition slams Chavez allies over Venezuelan devaluation

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:13 PM PST

Venezuela's Finance Minister Jorge Giordani talks to the media during a news conference at the headquarters of the Central Bank in CaracasCARACAS (Reuters) - Opposition leaders derided another currency devaluation by President Hugo Chavez's government as evidence of economic incompetence, while some anxious Venezuelans packed stores in fear of price increases. Though unseen in public since cancer surgery two months ago in Cuba, government ministers said Chavez personally ordered the fifth devaluation of the bolivar in a decade of socialist economics in the OPEC nation - this time by 32 percent. ...


Pakistan: Toll from suspected US strike now 9

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:52 PM PST

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say the death toll from a suspected U.S. drone strike in a restive tribal region has risen to 9, all of whom were militants.

Bangladesh ferry sinking kills 14, five still missing

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:13 PM PST

Rescue ferry is seen on the river Meghna after a ferry sank in MunshiganjDHAKA (Reuters) - At least 14 people died and five were still missing after a ferry carrying 50 people collided with a sand barge and sank on Bangladesh's giant Meghna River on Friday, officials said on Saturday. "Rescuers found 12 dead bodies inside the salvaged ferry, while two bodies were recovered yesterday," said Mohammad Saiful Hassan Badal, administrator of Munshiganj district, where the accident happened. Six of the dead were children, aged between two and 10. ...


Leaner New Year: China tones down the celebrations

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:19 PM PST

Chinese actors dressed as Qing Dynasty servants take part in a rehearsal of ancient Qing Dynasty ceremony for the upcoming Chinese New Year at Ditan Park in Beijing, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Chinese will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Feb. 10 this year which marks the Year of Snake. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING (AP) — Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for colorful and noisy displays of fireworks and generous-portioned banquets. This year, the festivities are likely to be a little more austere.


Opposition slams Chavez allies over Venezuelan devaluation

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:13 PM PST

CARACAS (Reuters) - Opposition leaders derided another currency devaluation by President Hugo Chavez's government as evidence of economic incompetence, while some anxious Venezuelans packed stores in fear of price increases.

India hangs man for his role in 2001 parliament attack

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:25 AM PST

NEW DELHI — India on Saturday hanged a Kashmiri man convicted of facilitating an armed attack on the nation's parliament in 2001, a controversial decision by the beleaguered national government in what is possibly a difficult election year.

Read full article >>

LA fugitive evades police in mountain manhunt

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:53 PM PST

Heavy snow hampers search for former police officer accused of killing three people in southern California.

VIDEO: Music brings young Afghans to US

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:19 PM PST

Members of an Afghan youth orchestra arrive in the US to tour iconic music venues and use music to shape their country's future, says the BBC's Jane O'Brien.

Mali hit by first suicide bombing

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:28 PM PST

Attack in Gao marks fighters' shift towards guerrilla tactics as French troops continue advance in country's northeast.

IRS Drone Strike: Form 1099

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:47 PM PST

Drone strikes are controversial these days and are a serious subject. Taxes may not be life threatening but they are serious too. After the recent spate of tax increases and at this tax-centric time of year, it's only natural to watch your pocketbook and start preparing to pay.

VIDEO: Music brings young Afghans to US

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:19 PM PST

Members of an Afghan youth orchestra arrive in the US to tour iconic music venues and use music to shape their country's future, says the BBC's Jane O'Brien.

Bangladesh ferry sinking kills 14, five still missing

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:13 PM PST

DHAKA (Reuters) - At least 14 people died and five were still missing after a ferry carrying 50 people collided with a sand barge and sank on Bangladesh's giant Meghna River on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

5 Ways to Keep the Right Customers for Your Startup

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:40 PM PST

Most startups are happy to find any customer, and will hang on for dear life to every one. Only later do they realize that some of these cost more than they are worth, or lead into commitments they can't sustain, but no business wants to violate the golden rule that every customer needs to be treated as if they were the only customer.

They Might Be Giant Blizzards

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:31 PM PST

Airlines closed up shop from Portland, Maine, down to New York City's three major airports earlier this afternoon, and more than 4,700 flights have been cancelled as a result of the storm they are calling and will continue to call Nemo, despite the best efforts of the National Weather Service. Portions of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York have also been closed, and governors of four states have declared a state of emergency. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has encouraged everyone to stay in, make dinner at home, and maybe watch a movie.

India executes Kashmiri militant for 2001 parliament attack

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:30 PM PST

An Indian policeman patrols a deserted road during restriction in SrinagarNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India hanged a Kashmiri militant on Saturday for an attack on the country's parliament in 2001, and security forces, anticipating protests in response to the execution, imposed a curfew in parts of Kashmir and ordered people off the streets. President Pranab Mukherjee rejected a mercy petition from Mohammad Afzal Guru and he was hanged at 8 a.m. (0230 GMT) in Tihar jail in the capital, New Delhi, officials said. India blamed the 2001 attack on the parliament of the world's largest democracy on militants backed by Pakistan. ...


'Concept Korea' Brings Top Korean Designers To New York Fashion Week

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:45 PM PST

When a country sponsors a fashion show, you run the risk of diplomacy drowning the fashion part of it. That wasn't the case at New York Fashion Week's Concept Korea presentation held Thursday at Lincoln Center.

Asia's Week: Painting Warships And Talking Peace

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:28 PM PST

Chinese and Japanese naval patrols in disputed waters increasingly look like an accident waiting to happen. An accident, and an escalation of bilateral animosity, may be closer than we think: Japan said this week that a Chinese warship had locked their radar on a Japanese vessel, a practise known in military circles as "painting" a target before firing on it. In Japanese eyes, this was a provocative step, as newly installed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made clear. China initially dodged questions on the radar incident, then issued a statement on Friday that denied any use of "fire-control radar". The defence ministry said Japan's claims were untrue. Japan has also said a helicopter was previously subject to the same treatment. If this wasn't enough to rattle nerves in Asia, Japan also accused Russia this week of an incursion by fighter planes of incursions into Japanese airspace (Russia has denied this).

Cameron touches raw nerve

Cameron touches raw nerve


Cameron touches raw nerve

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:35 AM PST

British budget stance unsettles EU partners, says Mark Urban

Millions prepare for Lunar New Year

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:51 AM PST

Tens of millions of people are preparing to celebrate Lunar - or Chinese - New Year, the most important annual holiday in large parts of Asia.

France plays down report of ransom paid for Niger hostages

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 12:27 PM PST

PARIS (Reuters) - France brushed off an allegation by a former U.S. diplomat that it paid a $17 million ransom, in vain, for the release of four hostages abducted in 2010 from Niger, a charge that contradicts the government's stated no-negotiation policy.

Big powers ready to respond if Iran addresses nuclear concerns: Kerry

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major powers are ready to respond if Iran comes to February 26 nuclear talks ready to address questions about its nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.

Protests force Georgia president to change speech venue

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 01:01 PM PST

TBILISI (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters who accuse Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of flouting human rights and stifling dissent forced him to change the venue of his annual address to the nation on Friday.

VIDEO: Culinary tribute to 'Dear Leader'

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:52 AM PST

North Korea has often been associated with famine and food shortages, but country's state news agency has released pictures of a national food competition held in the capital Pyongyang.

Slovenia protest adds pressure to crumbling government

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 12:02 PM PST

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Some 20,000 Slovenians took to the streets on Friday, adding pressure on a crumbling conservative government that is struggling to stay in power and avoid a bailout.

VIDEO: 'Ugly masks' chase winter away

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:50 AM PST

The annual ugly masks carnival in the Swiss city of Lucerne is staged to scare the winter away and welcome spring.

VIDEO: Culinary tribute to 'Dear Leader'

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:52 AM PST

North Korea has often been associated with famine and food shortages, but country's state news agency has released pictures of a national food competition held in the capital Pyongyang.

Canadian senator faces sexual assault charges

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:37 AM PST

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian senator faced charges of assault and sexual assault on Friday after spending the night in jail, a new stain on the reputation of the upper house of Parliament, which the government wants to reform.

The cost of Obama's secret drone war

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:06 AM PST

The cost of Obama's secret drone war

The cost of Obama's secret drone war

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:06 AM PST

The cost of Obama's secret drone war

Why Switzerland has so many guns

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:56 AM PST

The U.S. conversation about whether or not to introduce new guns laws, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting that killed 28 people, has often drawn upon international comparisons. American gun culture is largely unique, but advocates on both sides have often pointed to the gun-control success stories (we looked at Japanese and British gun laws) as well as the countries with relatively wide gun ownership, such as Israel. But what about Switzerland?

Read full article >>

Why uranium would make a North Korean nuclear test especially scary

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:48 AM PST

North Korea's recent threat to conduct an underground nuclear weapons test, its third, is provocative enough on its own. The North Korean nuclear weapons program is illegal, dangerous and destabilizing, has been widely condemned by the rest of the world and is even causing some tension (alas, probably relatively minor and temporary tension) in Pyongyang's all-important relationship with China.

Read full article >>

Arab Spring-style protests take hold in Iraq

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:47 AM PST

FALLUJAH, Iraq — This restive Sunni town, the first to rebel against U.S. troops a decade ago, is rising up once again, this time against the government the Americans left behind.

In an echo of the Arab Spring protests that have overturned regimes elsewhere in the region, angry residents have been staging weekly demonstrations against the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, calling, among a host of other demands, for him to step down and for Iraq's U.S.-brokered constitution to be replaced.

Read full article >>

Map: The world's most and least 'forward-looking' countries, based on Google searches

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:02 AM PST

Germany is the world's most forward-thinking country, and Pakistan is its least, according to a new report by researchers in the United Kingdom, which bases its assessment on Google searches.

Tobias Preis and Helen Susannah Moat of the Warwick Business School and University College London compiled their Future-Orientation Index by comparing how often Internet users in 45 countries Googled the years "2011" and "2013" in 2012. This year, Germany won the top spot, pushing out the U.K.; the United States ranked 11th, up from 15th last year.

Read full article >>

U.N. Calls on Papua New Guinea to Curb Violence After Burning Death of Woman

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:22 AM PST

The killing of a woman accused of sorcery is part of a pattern of vigilante attacks in the country, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.

UK's Cameron savors EU budget win as battles loom

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:13 AM PST

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron won praise from his party's anti-EU camp with a successful fight to cut the European Union budget, but tougher battles lie ahead when he seeks to win back powers from Brussels before a vote on Britain's EU membership.

Amish Sect Leader Gets 15 Years in Beard-Cutting Attacks

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 11:12 AM PST

Samuel Mullet Sr. was sentenced along with 15 followers for a series of beard- and hair-cutting attacks on other Ohio Amish that drew national attention.

Azerbaijan Is Rich. Now It Wants to Be Famous.

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 02:01 AM PST

Oil-rich, velvet-rope-poor Azerbaijan, a country about the size of South Carolina on the Caspian Sea, would very much like to be the world's next party capital.