Cyprus parliament to vote on bank savings tax

Cyprus parliament to vote on bank savings tax


Cyprus parliament to vote on bank savings tax

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:42 PM PDT

Cypriot savers must pay up to 10 percent levy on bank deposits to receive 10bn eurozone bailout to recapitalise banks.

Syrian general defects from army

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:45 PM PDT

YouTube video purports to show logistics chief planning his defection from Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Under Xi, China seeks to cool island row with Japan

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:40 PM PDT

China's newly-elected President Xi delivers a speech during the closing session of the NPC in BeijingBy David Lague HONG KONG (Reuters) - In a break from months of saber rattling, China under new President Xi Jinping appears to be moderating its approach to a potentially explosive territorial dispute with Japan and taking measures to prevent accidental conflict. Ahead of Xi's appointment last Thursday, General Liu Yuan, a senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer close to the new leader, warned of the danger of war with Japan in a series of conciliatory commentaries and public remarks at odds with earlier bellicose rhetoric from military hawks. ...


Under Xi, China seeks to cool island row with Japan

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:40 PM PDT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - In a break from months of saber rattling, China under new President Xi Jinping appears to be moderating its approach to a potentially explosive territorial dispute with Japan and taking measures to prevent accidental conflict.

China leaders pledge clean government, less waste

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:08 PM PDT

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Premier Li Kiqiang, right, get to their seats during a plenary session of the NPC held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, China, Saturday, March 16, 2013. China's new leaders turned Saturday to veteran technocrats with greater international experience to staff a Cabinet charged with overhauling a slowing economy and pursuing a higher global profile without triggering opposition. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)BEIJING (AP) — China's new leaders pledged to run a cleaner, more efficient government and slash spending on official perks Sunday as the ceremonial legislature wrapped up a pivotal session to install a new leadership in a once-a-decade transfer of power.


In China's shadow, Gitmo Uighurs languish on Palau

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 10:01 PM PDT

In this photo taken on Feb. 9, 2013, former Guantanamo prisoners, from left, Ahmat Abdulahad, Davut Abdurahim and Abdulghappar Abdulrahman sit outside Abdulrahman's small apartment in Koror, Palau. Released from Guantanamo Bay military prison by the U.S. in 2009, Abdulahad and several other Uighur men have been struggling on the South Pacific island nation of Palau where they have been temporarily resettled. The men and Palau's new president say pressure from China has made it impossible for them to find a permanent home elsewhere. (AP Photo/Eric Talmadge)KOROR, Palau (AP) — Ahmat Abdulahad can't help but laugh at the irony of his predicament.


Depositors Pay Price in Cyprus Bailout Deal

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 02:36 PM PDT

Depositors in Cypriot banks will be hit Tuesday with a one-off tax of up to 9.9% on their savings as part of a $12.96 billion bailout from the euro zone and the IMF.

China Wraps Up Transfer of Power

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 09:32 PM PDT

China's new leader Xi Jinping pledged a cleaner, more efficient government Sunday as the country's ceremonial legislature wrapped up a pivotal session that installed the latest generation of communist leaders.

China, U.S. should stop war of words on hacking, says new Chinese premier

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 09:15 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States should avoid "groundless accusations" against each other about cyber-security and hacking into each other's computer systems, newly installed Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday.

China, U.S. should stop war of words on hacking, says new Chinese premier

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 09:14 PM PDT

China's newly-elected Premier Li answers questions during a news conference after the closing session of the NPC in BeijingBEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States should avoid "groundless accusations" against each other about cyber-security and hacking into each other's computer systems, newly installed Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday. Li's comments, at the close of China's annual meeting of parliament and a day after he assumed the premiership, come amid a war of words between Beijing and Washington over cyber-attacks and national security. A U.S. ...


New China premier pledges strong ties with US

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:40 PM PDT

Chinese soldiers march outside the Great Hall of the People before the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China, Sunday, March 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)BEIJING (AP) — China's new premier says his government is committed to strong relations with the U.S. and sees a strong outlook for trade and investment between the sides.


Memo To McCann, Mahoney: Come Up With Better Volt Ads

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 09:03 PM PDT

Now that the other shoe has dropped for Chevy advertising -- the end of its relationship with Goodby Silverstein, not long after the brand shucked the ineffective slogan conceived by the agency -- the next move by McCann should be this: a fresh, significant new campaign for Volt.

CERN Now Certain It Has Discovered The Higgs Boson

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:53 PM PDT

Last July, scientists at CERN announced that, using the Large Hadron Collider, it had discovered a particle that was consistent with the properties they'd expect to find in Higgs boson. A Higgs boson is the particle that the current model of physics describes as giving mass to all particles in the universe.

Vote count under way in Zimbabwe referendum

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:58 PM PDT

Vote expected to endorse new constitution that would limit powers of President Robert Mugabe.

China wraps up session to install new leadership

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 07:53 PM PDT

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Premier Li Kiqiang, right, get to their seats during a plenary session of the NPC held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, China, Saturday, March 16, 2013. China's new leaders turned Saturday to veteran technocrats with greater international experience to staff a Cabinet charged with overhauling a slowing economy and pursuing a higher global profile without triggering opposition. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)BEIJING (AP) — China's new leader Xi Jinping pledged a cleaner, more efficient government Sunday as the country's ceremonial legislature wrapped up a pivotal session that installed the latest generation of communist leaders in a once-a-decade transfer of power.


Chinese parliament appoints new leadership

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 09:05 PM PDT

Cabinet consisting mainly of technocrats faced with slowing economy, as President Xi promises more efficient government.

March Madness: A Lesson from Teams on the Bubble

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 06:33 PM PDT

If you follow college basketball, you're probably tired of hearing about "bubble teams." Every night, ESPN's experts weigh the fortunes of squads with pedestrian won-loss records. They dissect their seasons, measure them against each other, and forecast how many games they must win to earn an NCAA Tournament invite. It is the sports equivalent of an NBC sitcom, with all the will-they-or-won't-they drama of Ross and Rachel.

High-ranking Syrian general defects from army

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 06:52 PM PDT

BEIRUT — A high-ranking general in the Syrian army defected Saturday with the help of rebels and said morale is low among those still fighting for President Bashar al-Assad as the civil war enters its third year.

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Premier: Bulgaria will not take lead in blacklisting Hezbollah

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 06:36 PM PDT

SOFIA — Bulgaria's new interim prime minister said Saturday he would not initiate any move to impose European Union sanctions on the Islamist group Hezbollah, even though the country had implicated the Islamist movement in a bombing at a Black Sea resort.

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Nepal police break up anti-government rally

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:23 PM PDT

Opposition supporters protesting against appointment of chief justice as caretaker PM clash with police in Kathmandu.

Referendum polls close in Zimbabwe

Referendum polls close in Zimbabwe


Referendum polls close in Zimbabwe

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 01:09 PM PDT

Reports of violence mar lead-up to widely supported new constitution that would limit powers of President Robert Mugabe.

Pakistan government completes full term

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:59 PM PDT

Caretaker prime minister to manage government as parliament is dissolved in changeover hailed for its historic nature.

Man Utd 1-0 Reading

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 01:10 PM PDT

Wayne Rooney's first-half goal is enough for Manchester United to beat Reading as they move 15 points clear at the top.

Pakistan government makes history

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 01:02 PM PDT

Pakistan's government becomes the first to complete a five-year term, and will hand power to an interim administration in the run-up to new elections.

Pakistan government makes history

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 01:02 PM PDT

Pakistan's government becomes the first to complete a five-year term, and will hand power to an interim administration in the run-up to new elections.

VIDEO: Swiss woman 'gang-raped' in India

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:36 PM PDT

A Swiss woman has been gang-raped by a group of men in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police say.

Saudi cleric issues rare warning in call for reform

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT

RIYADH (Reuters) - One of Saudi Arabia's leading clerics has delivered a rare warning to the government that it could face "the spark of violence" if concerns over detainees, poor services and corruption are not addressed.

Tunisians mark politician's assassination

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:27 PM PDT

Biggest public demonstration since murder of Shokri Belaid turns into demonstration against Ennahda-led government.

Wales 30-3 England

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:27 PM PDT

A record 30-3 win over England sees Wales retain the Six Nations title - and deny the visitors a Grand Slam into the bargain

Little pomp for this papacy: Pope Francis sets casual style

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:10 PM PDT

VATICAN CITY — Inside a vast hall in the Holy See on Saturday, Pope Francis was greeting a procession of well wishers when a visually impaired radio journalist with a guide dog approached. Without skipping a beat, the new pontiff smiled, leaned over and blessed the golden retriever, eliciting surprised chuckles from the crowd.

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Top Syrian General Defects as War Enters Third Year

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 11:48 AM PDT

Brig. Gen. Mohammed Nour Ezzedeen Khallouf, who once led a military intelligence office widely believed to be a torture site, has joined the rebels against President Bashar al-Assad.

Libyan embassy suspends work in Cairo after protest

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:24 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Libyan embassy in Cairo on Saturday suspended work for security reasons, days after Egyptians protested in front of the building over the death of an Egyptian Copt in Libya.

Italy Chooses Speakers of Parliament

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:00 PM PDT

Italy's newly elected lawmakers chose speakers of the two legislative chambers, but the tortured vote underscores how hard it will be to form the parliamentary backing needed to form a new government.

North Korea Says Nuclear Arms Aren’t a Ploy

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:02 PM PDT

The statement was the latest in a series in which North Korea has appeared to harden its position on its nuclear weapons program.

Rebels fight Sudanese government troops in south Darfur

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels said on Saturday they had killed more than 200 soldiers in South Darfur, but the government said its troops had suffered only a "number" of casualties and repulsed an ambush.

Seton Hill Lacrosse Team’s Bus Crashes, Killing 2

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:33 PM PDT

A tour bus carrying the college's women's lacrosse team to a game went off the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday and crashed into a tree, authorities said.

The Caucus: Sarah Palin Lauds Insurgent Candidates at Conservative Retreat

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 11:13 AM PDT

In a pep talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Sarah Palin attacked the president from the opposing party and the Beltway Republican groups that are promoting traditional candidates over insurgents in Republican primaries.

Cities see housing benefit protests

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PDT

Thousands have demonstrated in a number of cities against government plans to cut benefit for those considered to have too much housing space.

First 'alive' liver transplants successful

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Feat at King's College Hospital in London could greatly increase number of organs available for transplantation.

Cyprus' savers bear brunt of unprecedented bailout

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:38 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The euro zone struck a deal on Saturday to hand Cyprus a bailout worth 10 billion euros ($13 billion), but demanded depositors in its banks forfeit some money to stave off bankruptcy despite the risks of a wider run on savings.

US study sees uptick in breast cancer in younger women

US study sees uptick in breast cancer in younger women


US study sees uptick in breast cancer in younger women

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:12 AM PDT

The incidence of advanced breast cancer among women aged 25 to 39 in the United States has increased over the past thirty years, a study said Wednesday.

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Google chairman Eric Schmidt to visit Myanmar

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 11:37 PM PDT

Google chairman Eric Schmidt will visit Myanmar next week, highlighting increasing Internet freedom in the former pariah state just weeks after a controversial trip to communist North Korea.

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Hidden agenda?

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 11:26 PM PDT

Wong Tack says he wants to contest in the coming general election, and use the political force to achieve the goal of opposing Lynas.

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US 'hair archaeologist' recreates coiffures of antiquity

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 11:20 PM PDT

By day, Janet Stephens cuts and colors at a hair salon. By night, she is an amateur archaeologist, meticulously recreating hairstyles dating back to the times of Roman antiquity.

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Zimbabweans start voting to adopt new constitution

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 10:25 PM PDT

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabweans began voting on Saturday in a referendum expected to adopt a new constitution that would clip presidential powers and lead to an election that will decide whether Robert Mugabe extends his three-decade rule.


Chavez's remains taken to military museum as Venezuela rules out embalmment

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 10:55 PM PDT

The body of Venezuela's late leader Hugo Chavez was taken Friday to the Historic Military Museum, while the government has ruled out the option to embalm his body.

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Millions of N. Koreans depend on food aid: UN

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 10:51 PM PDT

Millions of people remain dependent on external food aid in North Korea where nearly 28 percent of children under five are stunted from malnutrition, a UN official has said.

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Space trio lands in Kazakhstan after bad weather delay

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 09:05 PM PDT

ALMATY, March 16 — A Russian Soyuz capsule made a "bull's eye" landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan today, delivering a Russian-American trio from the International Space Station, a day after its originally scheduled touchdown was delayed by foul weather. NASA's Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin, who had manned ...


Reuters staffer, accused of aiding hackers, maintains innocence

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 07:26 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16 — A Reuters.com editor maintained his innocence after being suspended with pay yesterday following a federal indictment on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective. Matthew Keys, 26, a deputy social media editor, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, on three ...


Fireworks blast kills at least 13 Catholic pilgrims in Mexico

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 10:05 PM PDT

TLAXCALA (Reuters) - At least 13 people were killed and 154 others injured on Friday when a truck containing fireworks exploded in a freak accident in the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala, casting a pall over a Catholic procession in honour of a local patron saint.


ESSCOM area to get 6 police stations in a month

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 10:04 PM PDT

Six police stations and three more customs, immigration and quarantine stations are to be established within a month in the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) area, Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa said today.

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Philippines bets on joining gaming elite with mega casino

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 09:57 PM PDT

The Philippines was set to open a $1.2 billion giant casino on Saturday in a high-stakes bid to join the world's elite gaming destinations.

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Leader of Malaysia incursion has fled: reports

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 09:18 PM PDT

The leader of a band of Filipino militants whose incursion in Malaysia has left scores dead has reportedly fled even as his own family insist he is still in the country.

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Philippines bets on joining global gambling elite

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:51 PM PDT

(Philippines, City of Manila-AFP) - Array. Copyright (AFP RELAXNEWS/ AFPTV), 2013.

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Tablet 'designed for women' causes laughter, outrage on tech blogs

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:50 PM PDT

A tablet, "designed for women," has been causing a buzz on tech blogs after receiving a Valentine's Day marketing push that has not had quite the result the makers intended.

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Bursa to continue downside next week

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:40 PM PDT

Bursa Malaysia is expected to continue its downside next week, dampened by the investors' wait-and-see attitude, profit-taking and traders' caution ahead of 13th general elections.

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Rise of South transforming global power balance: UN

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:31 PM PDT

The rise of the South is radically reshaping the 21st century with developing nations driving economic growth, lifting hundreds of millions people from poverty and propelling billions more into a new global middle class, the UN said in its latest report.

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Where old and new media meet: Part 2

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:28 PM PDT

In the first part, we discussed the emergence of the convergence culture and how it affects the media and the way we tell our stories.

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Netflix will offer ultra-high definition video within two years

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:24 PM PDT

Netflix has revealed that it is working on an ultra-HD streaming solution and that it has already made a TV show in the format.
In an interview with The Verge, Neil Hunt, the company's Chief Product Officer, revealed that the video streaming service is developing its 4K technology with a view to being able to stream ultra-high definition content to its subscribers' homes "within a year or two."

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Azzimudie believed to have fled Sabah

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 08:18 PM PDT

A major offensive carried out by the Malaysian security forces to flush out remnants of the Sulu terrorists over the past 11 days has successfully crippled the group and forced its leader to abandon ship.

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