Thousands rally to support embattled Tunisia government

Thousands rally to support embattled Tunisia government Kuwait forms new Cabinet, names al-Shamali oil minister Conciliatory tones in Egypt as envoys seek to avert bloodbath France to close embassy in Yemen temporarily on security fears Syrian rebels seize anti-tank missiles in raid on army base Libya's deputy prime minister resigns Pro-government rally draws tens of thousands in Tunisia Attack on Indian mission in Afghanistan raises specter of regional struggle Iran gets new president, vows 'constructive' foreign relations Zimbabwe's Mugabe declared winner, rival challenges poll result Turkish police fire water cannon, teargas at Istanbul protesters Car bomb explodes west of Bahraini capital Manama NSA revelations could hurt collaboration with 'betrayed' hackers Mali's Dembele breaks ranks, backs former PM Keita in run-off Exclusive: Egypt pro-Mursi alliance signals flexibility in talks Iranians may have abducted Briton in Dubai: UK government source Italy's fragile coalition bickers over Berlusconi conviction Brazil court sentences 25 police officers for prison massacre Greek police arrest German on suspicion of spying Egyptian army chief says does not 'aspire for authority' Robert Mugabe re-elected Zimbabwe's president: election commission EU concerned about lack of transparency in Zimbabwe election Egypt working toward political reconciliation, Sisi tells U.S MDC to challenge Zimbabwe election through 'all legal remedies': Tsvangirai Turkey appoints new military commanders as government asserts control Interpol issues global security alert after prison breaks Merkel challenger Steinbrueck blunders again as rain destroys posters Tunisian authorities say third bomb scare was a hoax Moroccans protest against pardon of Spanish pedophile Egyptian government appeals to Mursi supporters to leave camps Jailed Vietnam blogger ends hunger strike after five weeks Turkish man killed by stray bullet fired from Syria Australia enlists Nauru to aid in crackdown on boat refugees Indian row over poverty and policy extends to Harvard and Columbia

Thousands rally to support embattled Tunisia government   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:20 PM PDT By Tarek Amara and Erika Solomon TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution. Supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda officials said more than 150,000 attended. Fireworks flashed overhead and red Tunisian flags fluttered over a sea of demonstrators. ...Full Story	Top
Kuwait forms new Cabinet, names al-Shamali oil minister   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 06:10 PM PDT ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Mustapha al-Shamali was appointed oil minister in Kuwait's new Cabinet, state news agency KUNA said on Sunday after a parliamentary election in the major crude producer last month. The position was previously held on an acting basis by al-Shamali, after his predecessor, Hani Hussein, resigned in May under pressure from parliament. Oil policy in the OPEC member state is set by a Supreme Oil Council, so ministerial changes are less important than in other countries. ...Full Story	Top
Conciliatory tones in Egypt as envoys seek to avert bloodbath   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 06:02 PM PDT By Tom Perry and Matt Robinson CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed rulers and allies of its deposed Islamist president gave the first signs on Saturday of a readiness to compromise, pressed by Western envoys trying to head off more bloodshed. Faced with the threat of a crackdown on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, diplomacy appeared to pick up pace, a month to the day since Egypt's army deposed President Mohamed Mursi and plunged the country into turmoil. ...Full Story	Top
France to close embassy in Yemen temporarily on security fears   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 05:50 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would close its embassy in Yemen for several days from Sunday and urged its citizens in the country to take precautions because of elevated security threats. The decision came after similar moves by Britain and Germany, which followed a U.S. decision to close more than a dozen embassies temporarily in the Middle East and Africa. The U.S. State Department said on Thursday American embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo - would be closed that day because of unspecified security concerns. ...Full Story	Top
Syrian rebels seize anti-tank missiles in raid on army base   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:58 PM PDT By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels captured an ammunition depot north of Damascus from President Bashar al-Assad's forces on Saturday, activists said, seizing a hoard of anti-tank missiles and rockets which will strengthen their firepower after a string of defeats. Video footage of the raid showed delighted rebel fighters carrying out boxes of weapons from the arms cache in Denha, near the town of Yabroud, following an overnight attack. ...Full Story	Top
Libya's deputy prime minister resigns   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:31 PM PDT BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Libya's deputy prime minister, Awad al-Barasi, resigned on Saturday, saying he was not given enough powers to carry out his duties. "I cannot work in a dysfunctional government where my powers are lost," al-Barasi told a news conference in Benghazi. Barasi criticized Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's Cabinet, saying it did not deal with problems in a real manner. Zeidan said last week he would reshuffle the Cabinet and reorganize the government to cope with the urgent situation in the country following killings in the eastern city of Benghazi that sparked violent demonstrations. ...Full Story	Top
Pro-government rally draws tens of thousands in Tunisia   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:28 PM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution. Shouting, "No to coups, yes to elections," supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, called on supporters of the embattled government to join the rally to push back against a week of mass protests calling for the government's ouster. ...Full Story	Top
Attack on Indian mission in Afghanistan raises specter of regional struggle   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:52 PM PDT By Rafiq Shirzad JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Insurgents attacked the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's eastern capital on Saturday, killing nine people and reinforcing fears that a bloody regional power struggle will be played out in the country once most foreign troops leave. Twenty-three people were wounded when checkpoint guards stopped three attackers in a car as they approached the consulate in Jalalbabad city, the office of the governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Sherzai, said in a statement. ...Full Story	Top
Iran gets new president, vows 'constructive' foreign relations   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:51 PM PDT By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Hassan Rouhani took office as Iran's president on Saturday promising "constructive interaction with the world" after eight years under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad marked by diplomatic confrontation and damaging sanctions. The politically moderate 64-year-old cleric's resounding victory at June's election raised hopes of a negotiated end to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and an easing of the sanctions that have hit the OPEC country's oil exports. That could avert a possible new war in the Middle East. ...Full Story	Top
Zimbabwe's Mugabe declared winner, rival challenges poll result   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 01:19 PM PDT By Nelson Banya and MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Africa's oldest president, Robert Mugabe, was declared winner of Zimbabwe's election on Saturday, but his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, said he would challenge in court a result he called a fraud that would push the nation back into crisis. Mugabe, 89, who has ruled the former British colony in southern Africa since its independence in 1980, was formally proclaimed re-elected for a five-year term barely an hour after Tsvangirai announced his planned legal challenge. ...Full Story	Top
Turkish police fire water cannon, teargas at Istanbul protesters   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 12:39 PM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse small groups of anti-government protesters in central Istanbul on Saturday evening, television footage showed. There was a heavy riot police presence in the area around Istanbul's central Taksim square early in the evening, after calls for anti-government protests were made on social media. However there were no signs of large-scale protests. Halk TV footage showed police firing water cannon and teargas on the main pedestrian street leading to Taksim square and on adjoining side streets. ...Full Story	Top
Car bomb explodes west of Bahraini capital Manama   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:36 AM PDT MANAMA (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded near a recreational area in Budaiya, west of the Bahraini capital Manama, on Saturday but no casualties were reported, the Interior Ministry said. Two gas cylinders were planted in a parked vehicle but only one exploded, a ministry source told Reuters. Bahrain, a majority Shi'ite country ruled by the Sunni al Khalifa family, has been buffeted by political unrest since 2011, with mostly Shi'ite Bahrainis agitating for democratic reforms and more say in government. ...Full Story	Top
NSA revelations could hurt collaboration with 'betrayed' hackers   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:26 AM PDT By Joseph Menn LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The U.S. government's efforts to recruit talented hackers could suffer from the recent revelations about its vast domestic surveillance programs, as many private researchers express disillusionment with the National Security Agency. Though hackers tend to be anti-establishment by nature, the NSA and other intelligence agencies had made major inroads in recent years in hiring some of the best and brightest, and paying for information on software flaws that help them gain access to target computers and phones. ...Full Story	Top
Mali's Dembele breaks ranks, backs former PM Keita in run-off   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 11:21 AM PDT Bamako (Reuters) - The candidate of Mali's largest political party, who came third in the first round of the country's presidential election, broke ranks with his own party on Saturday and said he will back former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in a run-off. Dramane Dembele's move goes against his Adema-PASJ party's plans and deals a blow to the anti-junta coalition that had formed around former Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse, who will be Keita's contender in the August 11 second round. ...Full Story	Top
Exclusive: Egypt pro-Mursi alliance signals flexibility in talks   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 10:26 AM PDT By Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Allies of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi told mediators on Saturday they respected the popular will expressed in mass protests that led to his downfall, suggesting they might be backing away from a demand he be reinstated. Tarek El-Malt, spokesman for the pro-Mursi delegation that met envoys from the United States and the European Union, said his camp sought a resolution to Egypt's crisis based on the constitution that was suspended after he was deposed. ...Full Story	Top
Iranians may have abducted Briton in Dubai: UK government source   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:53 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is taking seriously allegations that a British-Iranian citizen who went missing in Dubai in June may have been kidnapped by "elements in Iran", a government source in London said on Saturday. Abbas Yazdi was reported missing on June 25 and his wife Atena has told Dubai-based news website 7Days that she fears he may have been kidnapped by Iranian intelligence officers. "We believe that allegations that elements in Iran might be responsible for Mr Yazdi's disappearance are plausible, and we are taking them very seriously," the source told Reuters. ...Full Story	Top
Italy's fragile coalition bickers over Berlusconi conviction   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:50 AM PDT By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - Politicians in Italy's fragile coalition government traded increasingly heated barbs on Saturday over a tax conviction that threatens the political future of center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi. The former prime minister has told his party to demand reform of the justice system - which he maintains found him guilty of tax fraud because of political bias - or withdraw from a delicate coalition with the center-left Democratic Party (PD) that has so far lasted three months. ...Full Story	Top
Brazil court sentences 25 police officers for prison massacre   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:41 AM PDT BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian court sentenced 25 police officers to 624 years in jail on Saturday for the killing of dozens of inmates in the country's bloodiest prison riot in which 111 people died two decades ago. Military police stormed Sao Paulo's Carandiru prison in 1992 to quell a riot sparked by a fight between two rival gangs that started with a quarrel during a soccer game. The revolt ended in a massacre that exposed the harsh conditions of prisons in Brazil and the rest of Latin America. It became the subject of a 2003 hit film. ...Full Story	Top
Greek police arrest German on suspicion of spying   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:29 AM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - A 72-year-old German man has been arrested on a Greek island on suspicion of spying for Turkey, police said on Saturday. The man told police he had photographed barracks and other military-related buildings on the island of Chios for five people he believed were Turkish nationals who paid him up to 1,500 euros ($2,000) for each assignment. Police suspect the individuals worked for the Turkish secret services, a Greek police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said, adding that investigations were ongoing. ...Full Story	Top
Egyptian army chief says does not 'aspire for authority'   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:26 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, asked by the Washington Post on Saturday whether he planned to run for president, said he did not "aspire for authority." "You just can't believe that there are people who don't aspire for authority," Sisi told the interviewer. Asked "Is that you?", he replied: "Yes." Sisi, who led the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi on July 3, urged the United States to use its leverage over Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood to end a political crisis that has killed scores over the past month. ...Full Story	Top
Robert Mugabe re-elected Zimbabwe's president: election commission   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:25 AM PDT HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has won re-election for a further five-year term, the Zimbabwe Election Commission said on Saturday. "Mugabe, Robert Gabriel, of ZANU-PF party is therefore duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect of today," commission head Rita Makarau told a news conference, giving the results of the July 31 vote which Mugabe's main challenger has rejected as a fraud. (Reporting by Cris Chinaka; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)Full Story	Top
EU concerned about lack of transparency in Zimbabwe election   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:21 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Saturday it was concerned about alleged irregularities and a lack of transparency in Zimbabwe's election, its strongest criticism so far of a poll that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has branded a "farce". The EU's verdict on the fairness of the elections will be crucial to deciding whether it continues to ease sanctions on the southern African country. "The EU is concerned about alleged irregularities and reports of incomplete participation, as well as the identified weaknesses in the electoral process and a lack of transparency. ...Full Story	Top
Egypt working toward political reconciliation, Sisi tells U.S   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 09:19 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the United States on Saturday that the new army-installed Egyptian leadership was working toward political reconciliation following the military overthrow of the president on July 3, the Pentagon said on Saturday. Sisi's made the comments during a telephone conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in which the Pentagon chief expressed concern about violence in Egypt after the military toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. ...Full Story	Top
MDC to challenge Zimbabwe election through 'all legal remedies': Tsvangirai   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 08:22 AM PDT HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Saturday his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) totally rejected an election result giving victory to President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and would exhaust all legal remedies to challenge it. The MDC would not participate in any government resulting from what he called a "fraudulent" election, Tsvangirai told a news conference in Harare. (Reporting Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)Full Story	Top
Turkey appoints new military commanders as government asserts control   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:45 AM PDT By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey appointed new military commanders on Saturday in an overhaul of its top ranks that underlined the government's control over armed forces which once dominated political life. NATO's second largest army is facing multiple challenges as conflict in neighboring Syria spills across the border and a peace process with Kurdish militants looks increasingly fragile. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who chaired the Supreme Military Council meeting, has eroded the army's power since his Islamist-rooted AK Party first came to power in 2002. ...Full Story	Top
Interpol issues global security alert after prison breaks   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:42 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Interpol issued a global security alert on Saturday advising its members to increase their vigilance against attacks after a series of prison breaks in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan that the agency is investigating to determine if they were linked. The Lyon, France-based Interpol said given that al Qaeda was suspected to be involved in some of the incidents, it was asking its 190 member countries to watch out for information connected to the prison breaks, with an aim to determine whether they were coordinated and also locate the escaped prisoners. ...Full Story	Top
Merkel challenger Steinbrueck blunders again as rain destroys posters   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 07:04 AM PDT By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's challenger Peer Steinbrueck suffered another setback to his gaffe-prone campaign when thousands of Social Democratic Party's (SPD) posters dissolved in the rain, Bild daily reported on Saturday. The posters - printed on ecologically friendly, recyclable paper and part of a national campaign Steinbrueck personally launched on Tuesday - fell apart when heavy rain hit the states of Saarland and Hesse. The SPD had no immediate comment. Bild quoted an SPD official saying: "The whole thing is incredibly embarrassing. ...Full Story	Top
Tunisian authorities say third bomb scare was a hoax   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 05:17 AM PDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's interior ministry said on Saturday that a suspected bomb placed near a colonel's home in Tunis was fake and came with a letter, purporting to be from al Qaeda, demanding the army stop its offensive near the Algerian border. Tunisian security forces launched major ground and air attacks on Friday in Mount Chaambi to try to rout Islamist militants, who launched a deadly assault on the army this week. The box contained only wires and batteries, the ministry said in a statement. "It was not a real explosive but rather a fake bomb," it said. ...Full Story	Top
Moroccans protest against pardon of Spanish pedophile   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:11 AM PDT By Aziz El Yaakoubi RABAT (Reuters) - Riot police broke up a protest by hundreds of Moroccans late on Friday against a royal pardon for a Spanish pedophile serving a 30-year sentence for raping and filming children as young as four. In running clashes with the demonstrators, baton-wielding police prevented them from gathering in front of the Moroccan parliament in the centre of the capital Rabat, injuring several people including journalists. ...Full Story	Top
Egyptian government appeals to Mursi supporters to leave camps   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 04:01 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-installed government on Saturday promised supporters of ousted President Mohamed Mursi a safe exit from their protest camps and urged them to rejoin the political process. Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said the protesters were being manipulated by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. "Your continued sit-ins have no legal or political use. You have a safe exit, you will be politically integrated," Latif said in an announcement on state television. ...Full Story	Top
Jailed Vietnam blogger ends hunger strike after five weeks   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 03:05 AM PDT HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese dissident jailed for criticizing the country's rulers has ended a hunger strike after five weeks when judicial authorities agreed to accept his complaint about poor treatment, his son said on Saturday. Nguyen Van Hai, better known as Dieu Cay, resumed eating on July 27 after the Supreme People's Procuracy, the prosecutor's office, agreed to look into his claim of abusive treatment. ...Full Story	Top
Turkish man killed by stray bullet fired from Syria   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:55 AM PDT DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A Turkish man was killed on Saturday by a stray bullet fired across the border from Syria into the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar, security sources said. Ramazan Zeybel, 45, died in hospital. He was the fourth Turkish citizen to be killed by stray shells and bullets fired during clashes in the neighboring Syrian town of Ras al-Ain. With an ethnic mix of Arabs, Kurds and others, Ras al-Ain has been a focus of clashes for months, with Kurdish militias fighting for control against Arab rebel fighters from the al Qaeda-linked hardline Sunni Islamist al-Nusra Front. ...Full Story	Top
Australia enlists Nauru to aid in crackdown on boat refugees   Saturday, Aug 03, 2013 02:08 AM PDT PERTH (Reuters) - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, facing an imminent election, enlisted the help of the Pacific Island nation of Nauru in his hardline policy of denying asylum seekers arriving by boat the right to settle in Australia. Rudd was reinstated in his job just over a month ago and has improved his Labor Party's previously dismal standing in opinion polls ahead of an election now due within weeks. His get-tough policy on asylum seekers is seen as a vote winner in poorer districts where immigrant numbers are high. ...Full Story	Top
Indian row over poverty and policy extends to Harvard and Columbia   Friday, Aug 02, 2013 10:46 PM PDT By Manoj Kumar and Rajesh Kumar Singh NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian government figures showing that poverty has been cut by a third since 2004 has set off a row between the country's main political parties on whether the data is accurate, and a slanging match between two of the world's best-known economists on the implications for policy. The debate boils down to what path India should take in coming years as slower growth puts further poverty reduction at risk in the world's second-most populous nation. ...