Analysis: New China leaders must steady economy in 2013 before driving reform

Analysis: New China leaders must steady economy in 2013 before driving reform


Analysis: New China leaders must steady economy in 2013 before driving reform

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:10 PM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new leaders must stabilise the economy this year to keep employment high while avoiding a surge in housing prices and inflation that could undermine reforms needed to overhaul the country's export-oriented growth model.

Japan's Abe turns to South East Asia to counter China

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:12 PM PST

TOKYO/JAKARTA (Reuters) - The last time he was prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe's inaugural foreign trip was to China. In the job again 7 years later and relations with Beijing now chilly, Abe is turning first this time to the rising economic stars of Southeast Asia.

Leaders of Sudan, South Sudan to meet in second push for peace

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan will hold their second summit in a month on January 24, a Sudanese official said on Tuesday, in a fresh bid to defuse tensions over oil, territory and other disputes.

VIDEO: Religious art for Polish inmates

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:25 PM PST

Prison authorities set up workshops in iconography painting for its inmates.

'Slumdog' star: Rape could happen to me

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

In an incident eerily similar to a sexual assault that sent shock waves worldwide, Indian police say a woman was gang-raped over the weekend by seven men after she boarded a bus at night.

U.S. condemns comments by Egypt's Mursi as Islamist leader

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:01 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday strongly condemned disparaging comments about Jews that Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi was reported to have made almost three years ago when he was a Muslim Brotherhood leader, and urged him to repudiate his remarks.

Pakistani soldier killed in Kashmir standoff

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:49 PM PST

Latest violation of ceasefire comes as Indian PM says "there could be no business as usual with Pakistan".

Madagascar leader says will not run in vote, offers fresh start

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:17 PM PST

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's president Andry Rajoelina said on Tuesday he would not run in May elections, bowing to international pressure to give the island nation a fresh start after the coup that brought him to power.

India 'kills Pakistan soldier'

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:31 PM PST

Pakistan's military has accused the Indian army of killing one of its soldiers with "unprovoked firing" across the disputed Kashmir border.

Keep it down: Russia is recovering from a giant hangover

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:01 PM PST

Americans may already be weeks into their New Year's Resolutions, but Russians are just now starting to dry out from a two-week celebratory winter season that starts with New Year's Eve and ends with the Russian Orthodox Church's "Old New Year" on Jan. 14.

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Panetta reassures Portugal on Azores Islands after U.S. downsizes decades-old base there

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:52 AM PST

LISBON — The Pentagon's era of austerity is starting to pinch some remote corners of the globe, including a volcanic island in the mid-Atlantic.

The U.S. military has decided to drastically scale down Lajes Airfield, a base in the Azores Islands that for decades has served as a refueling station and rest stop for long-haul flights. Almost 1,000 U.S. troops and family members will come home by the end of next year, leaving behind a bare-bones crew to service the occasional flyby.

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India 'kills Pakistan soldier'

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:31 PM PST

Pakistan's military has accused the Indian army of killing one of its soldiers with "unprovoked firing" across the disputed Kashmir border.

Mars rover eyes rock drill site

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:25 PM PST

The US space agency says it is now ready for its Curiosity rover to start drilling on Mars, and has identified a patch of ground where this is likely to happen.

Second RAF aircraft leaves for Mali

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:23 PM PST

A second RAF C17 transport plane leaves Paris with supplies and personnel to help France's military mission against rebel forces in Mali, the MoD confirms.

Saudi activists: Kingdom trying to silence us

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:45 AM PST

According to rights groups, Saudi authorities have been increasingly targeting activists through the courts and other arbitrary means such as travel bans.

French rally: No to same-sex marriage

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:13 AM PST

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Sunday decrying the French president's plan to legalize same-sex marriage and adoptions.

Protesters rally against same-sex marriage in France

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:13 AM PST

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Sunday decrying the French president's plan to legalize same-sex marriage and adoptions.

Disabled Athletes Suit Up, Raising Questions of Logistics and Fairness

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 10:43 AM PST

Sports organizations are encountering more questions regarding inclusion of athletes with disabilities, but what is reasonable accommodation under the law has been debated.

Libya paid Mauritania $200 million to extradite ex-spy chief: lawyer

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 11:53 AM PST

AMSTERDAM/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya authorized payment of almost $200 million to Mauritania months after it extradited the Libyan ex-spy chief to face trial at home in defiance of an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest, Libyan government documents show.

Indian troops kill Pakistani soldier in Kashmir

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Indian troops killed a Pakistani soldier in the disputed territory of Kashmir late on Tuesday, the Pakistani army said, the fifth fatality in hostilities between the nuclear armed neighbors since the new year.

France keeps up Mali air strikes, African troop plan advances

France keeps up Mali air strikes, African troop plan advances


France keeps up Mali air strikes, African troop plan advances

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:26 AM PST

BAMAKO (Reuters) - France kept up its air strikes against Islamist rebels in Mali as plans to deploy African troops gathered pace on Tuesday amid concerns that delays could endanger a wider mission to dislodge al Qaeda and its allies.


VIDEO: UN lifts coca leaf ban in Bolivia

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:49 PM PST

Bolivia has managed to rejoin the UN's anti-drugs convention, despite allowing farmers to grow coca leaves.

Bank of Japan warns economic outlook weak, affirms easy policy pledge

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:15 AM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the central bank will continue with powerful monetary easing as the economy is likely to remain weak for the time being, hardening market expectations that it will expand stimulus again this month.


African troop deployment to take a week, says Hollande

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:52 PM PST

ABU DHABI, Jan 15 — French President Francois Hollande said today that the deployment of a joint African force to help French troops battle al Qaeda-affiliated militants in Mali could take "a good week". Speaking from a French military base in Abu Dhabi, Hollande also said French forces in Mali had overnight "made further strikes which hit their ...


West African army chiefs to approve Mali troops plan

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:33 PM PST

BAMAKO, Jan 15 — West African defence chiefs will today approve plans to speed up the deployment of African troops against Islamist rebels in northern Mali, with some regional soldiers seen arriving next week. France has already poured hundreds of troops into Mali and carried out days of air strikes in a vast desert area seized last year by an ...


Pakistan government will not bow to cleric, says minister

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 08:49 PM PST

ISLAMABAD, Jan 15 — Pakistani security forces fired shots in the air today to quell supporters of a populist Muslim cleric calling for the resignation of the beleaguered government while the interior minister dismissed his demands as unconstitutional. Sufi cleric Muhammad Tahirul Qadri, believed to be backed by Pakistan's powerful military, has ...


Clinton fit to testify on Benghazi attack

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:49 PM PST

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 — After a month's delay for health reasons, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before a congressional committee on January 23 to answer questions about the deadly attack on the US diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton was originally due to appear before the committee on December 20 but had to cancel after ...


New

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:32 PM PST

Handout picture taken by Jodi Rowley in 2009 and released by the Australian Museum showing Helen's Flying Frog, a new species of frog found in Nui Ong Nature Reserve in Binh Thuan province outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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Logistics industry to grow 9.5%: F&S

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:20 PM PST

The logistics industry in Malaysia is looking at a year-on-year growth of 9.5 per cent to RM139.74 billion this year from about RM129.93 billion last year, supported by the country's brisk external trade and stable economic growth.

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Perodua records sale of 189,000 units in 2012

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:50 PM PST

Perodua sold over 189,000 vehicles in 2012, its highest ever sales record, accounting for an estimated market share of 30.2 per cent.

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VIDEO: Newtown parents: Curb gun violence

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:44 PM PST

President Obama has said he is reviewing proposals to curb gun violence, a month after the Connecticut school shooting where 20 children and six adults were killed.

Picture perfect: camera trends from CES

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:08 PM PST

The big camera trends to emerge from this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) were focused on what differentiates these devices from their smartphone competition -- namely lens and image quality and professional performance.

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Samsung debuts smart TV app for indoor cycling

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:05 PM PST

For indoor cyclists hoping to give their workouts a fresh twist, Samsung has a smart TV interactive fitness app that helps you burn off the holiday excess while pedaling along.

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Vuzix will be first company to launch smart glasses

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:03 PM PST

Set to retail for under $500, Vuzix's M100 Smart Glasses will officially launch for summer 2013, a year before Google's much-heralded Project Glass augmented reality headsets.

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Pakistan government will not bow to cleric-minister

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:24 PM PST

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces fired shots in the air on Tuesday to quell supporters of a populist Muslim cleric calling for the resignation of the beleaguered government while the interior minister dismissed his demands as unconstitutional.


U.S. delegation seeks to calm spats between Japan, South Korea

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sent its top Asian diplomacy and security officials to South Korea and Japan to calm tensions between two U.S. allies whose squabbling has frustrated efforts to deal with a troublesome North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.


Japan PM's meeting with aides discussed Bank of Japan policy - economic minister

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:08 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed general monetary policy with his cabinet ministers and economic aides on Tuesday but they did not talk about the selection of the next Bank of Japan governor, Economic Minister Akira Amari said.


China's army told to prepare to fight: state media

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:36 PM PST

China's armed forces have been instructed to raise their fighting ability in 2013, state media reported Tuesday, amid heightened tensions with Japan over disputed islands.

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19 killed as Egypt train carrying troops derails: ministry

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:35 PM PST

A train carrying military conscripts derailed southwest of Cairo on Tuesday, killing 19 people and wounding 107, the health ministry said, highlighting the country's chronic transport problems.

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EC holds briefing on election preparation

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:24 PM PST

The Election Commission (EC) today held a two-day briefing for returning officers and assistant returning officers for the eastern zone to face the 13th general election to be held soon.

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