Articles by Reuters
We found 209 results.
Israel Plans Largest West-Bank Settlement Expansion in ’30 Years’
Jeffrey Heller, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Sep 2014
Israel announced on Sunday [31 Aug 2014] a land appropriation in the occupied West Bank that an anti-settlement group termed the biggest in 30 years. Some 400 hectares (988 acres) near Bethlehem were declared “state land, on the instructions of the political echelon” by the military-run Civil Administration.
→ read full articleRussia Demands Publication of Recordings from Downed Flight MH17
Reuters – The Telegraph,
1 Sep 2014
The data from the black boxes should be published, says Russia’s deputy defence minister, saying the ‘Boeing catastrophe throws up more and more questions’.
→ read full articlePlanned U.S. Cyber Warfare Program Could Hurt Innocent Countries: Snowden
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Aug 2014
In an interview with WIRED magazine made public Wednesday [13 Aug 2014], Snowden said the program – MonsterMind – could hurt countries caught in the middle as hackers could disguise the origin of their attacks by routing them through computers in other nations.
→ read full articlePutin Says Russia Should Aim to Sell Energy in Roubles
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Aug 2014
YALTA, Crimea – President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday [14 Aug 2014] Russia should aim to sell its oil and gas for roubles globally because the dollar monopoly in energy trade was damaging Russia’s economy.
→ read full articleBrazil Farmers Say GMO Corn No Longer Resistant to Pests
Caroline Stauffer, Reuters in São Paulo – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Aug 2014
Genetically modified corn seeds are no longer protecting Brazilian farmers from voracious tropical bugs, increasing costs as producers turn to pesticides, a farm group said on Monday [28 Jul 2014]. Producers want four major manufacturers of so-called BT corn seeds to reimburse them for the cost of spraying up to three coats of pesticides this year.
→ read full article‘No Safe Place for Civilians’ in Gaza, U.N. Says
Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jul 2014
Palestinian civilians in densely-populated Gaza have no place to hide from Israel’s military offensive and children are paying the heaviest price, the United Nations said on Tuesday [22 Jul 2014].
→ read full articleParis’s Return to Public Water Supplies Makes Waves beyond France
Geert De Clercq, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jul 2014
Nearly five years after Paris took the management of its water supply back into its own hands, the move is inspiring other cities at home and abroad and hurting profits at private water firms Veolia and Suez Environnement.
→ read full articleU.S. Retailers Look to Limit Pesticides to Help Honeybees
Carey Gillam, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jul 2014
U.S. companies are working to eliminate or limit use of a type of pesticide suspected of helping cause dramatic declines in honeybee populations needed to pollinate key American crops, officials said on Wednesday [25 Jun 2014].
→ read full articleU.S. Pledges Millions More in Aid to Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Jun 2014
The United States pledged millions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia on Saturday [7 Jun 2014], deepening American support to the Western-leaning countries on Russia’s border.
→ read full articleU.S. Recognizes Syria Opposition Offices as ‘Foreign Mission’
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 May 2014
The US said on Monday [5 May 2014] it would recognize the main opposition Syrian National Coalition offices as a diplomatic foreign mission and announced a $27 million increase in non-lethal assistance to mercenaries fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian forces have made gains on the battlefield and Damascus announced a presidential election for June 3, expected to be won by Assad.
→ read full articleDrug Resistant Superbugs a Serious Threat Worldwide, Says WHO
Kate Kelland, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 May 2014
The spread of deadly superbugs that evade even the most powerful antibiotics is no longer a prediction but is happening right now across the world, United Nations officials said on Wednesday [April 30 2014].
→ read full articleFukushima No. 1 Boss Admits Plant Doesn’t Have Complete Control over Water Problems
Yuka Obayashi, Reuters – The Japan Times,
28 Apr 2014
Abe Told an Olympic Committee Meet Situation Was Under Control – The manager of the Fukushima nuclear power plant has admitted to embarrassment that efforts have failed to bring under control the radioactive water, eight months after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the world the matter had been resolved.
→ read full articleU.S. Finalizing Plan to Boost Support for Mercenary Invaders in Syria – Sources
Mark Hosenball and Missy Ryan, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Apr 2014
The U.S. government is finalizing a plan to increase training and small-arms shipments for Syrian jihadists, two U.S. security sources said on Friday [4 Apr 2014], as Syrian government troops gain momentum following the collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks.
→ read full articleEdward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald via Video at Amnesty Event
Karl Plume, Reuters - TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Apr 2014
5 Apr 2014 – In Chicago, a crowd of nearly 1,000 packed a hotel ballroom at Amnesty International USA’s annual human rights meeting and gave Greenwald, who dialed in from Brazil, a raucous welcome before Snowden was patched in 15 minutes later from Russia – to a standing ovation.
→ read full articleA Quarter of Europe’s Bumblebees, Vital to Crops, Face Extinction: Study
Alister Doyle, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Apr 2014
Almost a quarter of Europe’s bumblebees are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitats and climate change, threatening pollination of crops worth billions of dollars, a study showed on Wednesday [2 Apr 2014].
→ read full articleChina Demands Explanation from U.S. on Huawei Spying Report
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Mar 2014
China wants a clear explanation from Washington over reports that the U.S. National Security Agency infiltrated servers at the headquarters of telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co HWT.UL, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday [24 Mar 2014].
→ read full articleIsrael Approves 184 New [Illegal] Settlement Homes
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Mar 2014
Israel’s Jerusalem municipality approved building plans on Wednesday [19 Mar 204] for 184 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, land that the Palestinians want for a future state.
→ read full articleThe Children of Japan’s Fukushima Battle an Invisible Enemy
Toru Hanai and Elaine Lies, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Mar 2014
Some of the smallest children in Koriyama, a short drive from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, barely know what it’s like to play outside – fear of radiation has kept them indoors for much of their short lives. Koriyama recommended shortly after the disaster that children up to two years old not spend more than 15 minutes outside each day. Those aged 3 to 5 should limit their outdoor time to 30 minutes or less.
→ read full articleZap! Australian Scientists Look at Lasers to Cull Space Junk
Pauline Askin, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Mar 2014
It may sound like science fiction but an Australian team is working on a project to zap orbital debris with lasers from Earth to reduce the growing amount of space junk that threatens to knock out satellites with a “cascade of collisions”.
→ read full articleWorld Bank Postpones Uganda Loan Over Anti-Gay Law
Anna Yukhananov, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Mar 2014
The World Bank on Thursday [27 Feb 2014] postponed a $90 million loan to Uganda’s health system over a law that toughened punishment for gays, an unusual move for an institution that typically avoids wading into politics.
→ read full articleUK Fraud Agency Charges 3 Ex-Barclays Bankers over Libor
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Feb 2014
Britain’s fraud agency has started criminal proceedings against three former bankers of Britain’s Barclays Plc for the alleged manipulation of Libor interest rates, it said on Monday [17 Feb 2014].
→ read full articleU.S. Now Bugging German Ministers in Place of Merkel – Report
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Feb 2014
The NSA has stepped up its surveillance of senior German government officials since being ordered by Barack Obama to halt its spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bild am Sonntag paper reported on Sunday [23 Feb 2014].
→ read full articleMyanmar Journalists on Trial for Reporting Alleged Chemical Weapons Factory
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Feb 2014
Myanmar police have charged five journalists with “disclosing state secrets” after their newspaper carried a story about an alleged chemical weapons factory, state media reported Sunday [16 Feb 2014].
→ read full articleU.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy “Deeply Concerned” About Japanese Dolphin Hunt
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jan 2014
20 Jan 2014 – In an unusual move, U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy has expressed deep concern over the traditional dolphin hunt in western Japan, where local fisherman corral dolphins in a secluded bay before killing many for meat.
→ read full articleEdward Snowden Tells German TV That NSA Is Involved in Industrial Espionage
Reuters in Berlin – The Guardian,
27 Jan 2014
In a lengthy interview broadcast on the public broadcaster ARD TV on Sunday [26 Jan 2014], Snowden said the NSA did not limit its espionage to issues of national security and cited the German engineering firm Siemens as one target.
→ read full articleNigerian Leader Signs Anti-Gay Law, Drawing U.S. Fire
Felix Onuah, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jan 2014
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday [13 Jan 2014] that criminalizes same-sex relationships, contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups.
→ read full articleExclusive: Secret Contract Tied NSA and Security Industry Pioneer
Joseph Menn, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Dec 2013
As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned.
→ read full articleUruguay Becomes First Country to Legalize Marijuana Trade
Malena Castaldi and Felipe Llambias, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Dec 2013
Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday [10 Dec 2013], a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
→ read full articleJapan Enacts Strict State Secrets Law despite Protests
Linda Sieg and Kiyoshi Takenaka, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Dec 2013
Japan enacted a state-secrets law toughening penalties for leaks on Friday [6 Dec 2013]. Media, publishers, lawyers and even entertainers have denounced the bill, which drastically expands the definition of state secrets and for some has echoes of Japan’s harsh authoritarian regime before and during World War Two.
→ read full articleSpain’s Anti-Protest Bill Criticized as Anti-Democratic
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Dec 2013
Spain’s conservative government agreed on Friday [29 Nov 2013] to toughen penalties for unauthorized street protests up to a possible 600,000 euro ($816,000) fine, a crackdown that belies the peaceful record of the anti-austerity protests of recent years.
→ read full articleEU Commission Fines Banks $2.3 Billion for Benchmark Rigging
Foo Yun Chee, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Dec 2013
EU antitrust regulators vowed to keep investigating rate- rigging on Wednesday [4 Dec 2013] as they slapped a record 1.7 billion euro ($2.3 billion) penalty on six financial institutions including Deutsche Bank, RBS and JPMorgan.
→ read full articleCanada Let NSA Spy on G20 Summit, Says Report
Reuters in Ottawa - The Guardian,
2 Dec 2013
Canada allowed the US National Security Agency to conduct widespread surveillance during the 2010 Group of 20 summit in Toronto, according to a media report that cited documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
→ read full articleJPMorgan Says ‘Mea Culpa’ in $13 Billion Record Settlement with U.S.
Aruna Viswanatha, David Henry & Karen Freifeld, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Nov 2013
But even after the settlement, the bank faces at least nine other government probes, covering everything from its hiring practices in China to whether it manipulated the Libor benchmark interest rate. It may still also face criminal charges linked to mortgage matters. The bank said last month it had set aside $23 billion to cover litigation expenses.
→ read full articleSix Powers Clinch Breakthrough Deal Curbing Iran’s Nuclear Activity
Parisa Hafezi and Justyna Pawlak, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Nov 2013
Aimed at easing a long festering standoff, the interim pact between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia won the critical endorsement of Iranian clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. President Barack Obama said the deal struck after marathon, tortuous and politically charged negotiations cut off Tehran’s possible routes to a nuclear bomb.
→ read full articleU.S., Israel Lose Voting Rights at UNESCO over Palestine Row
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Nov 2013
UNESCO has suspended the voting rights of the United States and Israel, two years after both countries stopped paying dues to the U.N.’s cultural arm in protest over its granting full membership to the Palestinians.
→ read full articlePolio Outbreak in Syria Threatens Whole Region, WHO Says
Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Nov 2013
Polio has broken out among young children in northeast Syria after probably originating in Pakistan and poses a threat to millions of children across the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday [29 Oct 2013].
→ read full articleSpecial Report – Help Wanted in Fukushima: Low Pay, High Risks and Gangsters
Antoni Slodkowski and Mari Saito, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Oct 2013
Tetsuya Hayashi went to Fukushima to take a job at ground zero of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. He lasted less than two weeks.
→ read full articleCanadian PM Says ‘Very Concerned’ by Brazil Spying Allegations
David Ljunggren, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Oct 2013
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed concern on Tuesday [8 Oct 2013] about allegations that Canada’s intelligence agency had targeted Brazil. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Monday demanded Canada explain a report that said the Communications Security Establishment Canada – the equivalent of the top-secret U.S. National Security Agency – had spied on Brazil’s Mines and Energy Ministry.
→ read full articleRussia to Push for Mideast Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Steve Gutterman, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Oct 2013
Russia wants to revive plans for a conference on ridding the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction now that Syria has pledged to abandon its chemical arms, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday [30 Sep 2013]. Such a move could put Moscow at odds with Washington that feared the event would be used to criticize Israel, the region’s only nuclear-armed state.
→ read full article4 Tons of Contaminated Rainwater Leaks at Fukushima Plant
Reuters - The Asahi Shimbun,
7 Oct 2013
Oct 2, 2013 – Four tons of rainwater contaminated with low levels of radiation leaked at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant during an operation to transfer the water between tank holding areas, the operator said Oct. 1.
→ read full articleChaotic Libya Appeals for Help to Restore Security
Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Julia Payne, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Sep 2013
Libya’s prime minister on Tuesday [17 Sep 2013] appealed to the outside world to help restore security, as it combats political chaos and tries to restart oil exports crippled by protesters at a cost of $130 million a day in lost income.
→ read full articleHorror of North Korean Prison Camps Exposed at U.N. Panel Hearing
Ju-min Park and Michelle Kim, Reuters – Townhall,
26 Aug 2013
Public executions and torture are daily occurrences in North Korea’s prisons, according to dramatic testimony from former inmates at a U.N. Commission of Inquiry that opened in South Korea’s capital on Tuesday [20 Aug 2013].
→ read full articleNew York Banking Regulator Targets Bitcoin and Other Virtual Currencies
Reuters – The Guardian,
19 Aug 2013
New York’s top banking regulator is considering issuing regulatory guidelines for Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, according to a memo posted on its website on Monday [12 Aug 2013]. Last year, the FBI reported that Bitcoin was being used by criminals to move money around the world.
→ read full articleInsight – After Disaster, the Deadliest Part of Japan’s Nuclear Clean-Up
Aaron Sheldrick and Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Aug 2013
The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant is preparing to remove 400 tonnes of highly irradiated spent fuel, a dangerous operation that has never been attempted before on this scale. Containing radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, more than 1,300 used fuel rods need to be removed from a building that is vulnerable to collapse.
→ read full articleIsrael Blocks EU Projects in West Bank over Settlement Measures
Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Jul 2013
Israel has blocked the European Union from aiding tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank in retaliation for Brussels’ ban on financial assistance to Israeli organizations in the occupied territories. An Israeli official said on Friday [26 Jul 1013] the move was a result of the EU decision “to sanction or boycott the settlements”.
→ read full articleSpecial Report: Thai Authorities Implicated in Rohingya Muslim Smuggling Network
Jason Szep and Stuart Grudgings, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Jul 2013
The beatings were accompanied by threats: If his family didn’t produce the money, Myanmar refugee Abdul Sabur would be sold into slavery on a fishing boat, his captors shouted, lashing him with bamboo sticks.
→ read full articleSyrians Fleeing War at Rate Not Seen Since Rwandan Genocide: U.N.
Michelle Nichols, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Jul 2013
The number of people fleeing the conflict in Syria has escalated to an average of 6,000 a day during 2013 – a rate not seen since the genocide in Rwanda nearly two decades ago, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday [16 Jul 2013].
→ read full articleHSBC Wins OK of Record $1.92 Billion Money-Laundering Settlement
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jul 2013
2 Jul 2013 – A federal judge has approved HSBC Holdings Plc’s (HSBA.L)(HBC.N) record $1.92 billion settlement with federal and state investigators of charges that it flouted rules designed to stop money laundering and thwart transactions with countries under U.S. sanctions.
→ read full articleFormer Enron CEO Skilling’s Sentence Cut to 14 Years
Kristen Hays and Anna Driver, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2013
A federal judge slashed 10 years off the prison sentence of former Enron Corp Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling on Friday [21 June 2013], a decision that could set him free as early as 2017.
→ read full articlePalestinian Children Tortured, Used As Shields by Israel: U.N
Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2013
A United Nations human rights body accused Israeli forces on Thursday [20 June 2013] of mistreating Palestinian children, including by torturing those in custody and using others as human shields.
→ read full articleSunni Clerics Call for Jihad against Syria’s Assad, Allies
Reuters, Newsmax – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jun 2013
Concluding a conference in Cairo at which more than 70 Sunni scholarly organizations were represented, a leading Egyptian preacher issued a call to holy war on Thursday [13 June 2013] against the Damascus government and its Shi’ite allies. He urged the faithful to send money and arms to Syria and pursue “all forms of jihad.”
→ read full articleSaudi Prince Sues Forbes after It Says He’s ‘Only’ Worth $20 Billion
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2013
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has sued Forbes for libel alleging its valuation of his wealth was short of the mark by $9.6 billion, The Guardian reported on Friday [7 June 2013]. He owns large stakes in Citigroup, News Corp and Apple Inc among others, and is also owner or part-owner of luxury hotels including the Plaza in New York, the Savoy in London and the George V in Paris.
→ read full articleColombia, FARC Rebels Reach Agreement on Agrarian Reform
Jeff Franks in Havana, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jun 2013
Colombia and the Marxist-led FARC rebels have reached agreement on the critical issue of agrarian reform, the two sides said on Sunday [26 May 2013] in a major step forward for the peace process aimed at ending their long war.
→ read full articleU.N. Assembly Slams Syrian Government’s ‘Escalation’ of War
Al Arabiya with Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2013
The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday [15 May 2013] condemned the Syrian government’s ”escalation” of the country’s war and backed the opposition Syrian National Coalition in transition talks. While the non-binding text has no legal force, resolutions adopted by the 193-nation assembly can carry significant moral and political weight, according to Reuters.
→ read full articleFormer Guatemala Dictator Rios Montt Convicted of Genocide
Mike McDonald, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2013
Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt was found guilty on Friday [10 May 2013] of genocide and crimes against humanity during the bloodiest phase of the country’s 36-year civil war and was sentenced to 80 years in prison. It was the first time a former head of state had been found guilty of genocide in his or her own country.
→ read full articleElephant Poaching On Rise in Chaos-Hit Central African Republic
Bate Felix, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 May 2013
Elephant poachers are taking advantage of the chaos in CAR to hunt down the animals in protected wildlife areas and openly sell their meat in village markets, campaigners said on Friday [26 Apr 2013]. Rhinos have already been hunted to extinction in the region due to demand for their horns for Asian medicinal concoctions.
→ read full articleMonsanto’s Roundup Linked to Parkinson’s, Infertility and Cancers
Carey Gillam, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2013
25 Apr 2013 – Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.
→ read full articleBabies as Young as Six Months Victims of Rape in War – U.N. Envoy
Michelle Nichols, Reuters - TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Apr 2013
In her first seven months as U.N. envoy on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura has visited a Congolese district where rebels raped babies, and Somalia where a woman was paid $150 (98.4 pounds) restitution for the rape of her 4-year-old daughter.
→ read full articleJapan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant Leaking Contaminated Water
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Apr 2013
As much as 120 tons of radioactive water may have leaked from a storage tank at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, contaminating the surrounding ground, Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Saturday [6 Apr 2013].
→ read full articleIceland Offers Hard Lessons for Cyprus on Capital Controls
Alistair Scrutton and Robert Robertsson, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Apr 2013
For Iceland, there was a sense of deja vu when Cyprus’s finance minister said capital controls would probably last “a matter of weeks”. Five years after a banking meltdown, the north Atlantic island has just extended its own controls indefinitely… Cyprus, by contrast, cannot devalue because it is a member of the euro zone.
→ read full articleChina Replaces Britain in World’s Top Five Arms Exporters – Report
Michael Martina, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Mar 2013
China has become the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, a respected Sweden-based think-tank said on Monday [18 Mar 2013], its highest ranking since the Cold War, with Pakistan the main recipient.
→ read full articleOpenly Gay Black Mayoral Candidate Was Beaten, Set On Fire His Family Say
Emily Le Coz, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Mar 2013
A gay, black mayoral candidate killed last week in Mississippi was beaten, dragged and set on fire before his body was dumped near a river, according to his family. In a statement issued late on Sunday [3 Mar 2013], the family of Marco McMillian said a coroner who performed an autopsy on his body told them about the gruesome manner of death.
→ read full articleNorth Korea Cites ‘Tragedy’ of Countries That Give Up Nuclear Programs
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Feb 2013
North Korea has bolstered its defenses against a “hostile” United States with its third nuclear test, it said on Thursday [21 Feb 2013], noting that countries that had bowed to U.S. pressure to abandon their nuclear plans had suffered “tragic consequences”. Libya abandoned its nuclear program in 2003 in a bid to mend relations with the United States and later saw leader Muammar Gaddafi overthrown in an uprising that was eventually supported militarily by Washington.
→ read full articlePalestinian Filmmaker Detained at Los Angeles Airport on Way to Oscars
Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Feb 2013
A Palestinian filmmaker on his way to the Academy Awards said on Wednesday [20 Feb 2013] he was held at Los Angeles International Airport and threatened with deportation before being allowed into the United States.
→ read full articleMan-Made Chemicals Cited in Health Scourges: UN Report
Robert Evans, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Feb 2013
Man-made chemicals in everyday products are likely to be at least the partial cause of a global surge in birth deformities, hormonal cancers and psychiatric diseases, a U.N.-sponsored research team reported on Tuesday [19 Feb 2013].
→ read full article[Tragicomic] Pentagon Urges Delay in “Devastating” $46 Billion Budget Cuts
David Alexander and Phil Stewart, Reuters – Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb 2013
The Pentagon’s civilian and military leaders warned in dire terms on Tuesday [12 Feb 2013] that $46 billion in budget cuts due to go into effect in two weeks would erode the nation’s ability to go to war and appealed to Congress to delay the reductions.
→ read full articleCatholic Cardinal Stripped of Duties as LA Diocese Child Abuse Files Released
Reuters – The Guardian,
4 Feb 2013
1 Feb 2013 – The Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles has removed a top clergyman linked to efforts to conceal abuse as it released thousands on files of priests accused of molesting children. Archbishop Jose Gomez said he had stripped his predecessor, the retired cardinal Roger Mahony, of all public and administrative duties. “I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behaviour described in these files is terribly sad and evil,” Gomez said in a statement released by the US’s largest Catholic archdiocese.
→ read full articleNiger Gives Green Light to U.S. Drone Deployment
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Feb 2013
Niger has given permission for U.S. surveillance drones to be stationed on its territory to improve intelligence on al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters in northern Mali and the wider Sahara, a senior government source said. The U.S. ambassador to Niger, Bisa Williams, made the request at a meeting on Monday [28 Jan 2013] with President Mahamadou Issoufou, who immediately accepted it, the source said.
→ read full articleU.S. Arms Sales to Asia Set to Boom on Pacific “Pivot”
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jan 2013
U.S. sales of warplanes, anti-missile systems and other costly weapons to China’s and North Korea’s neighbors appear set for significant growth amid regional security jitters.
→ read full articleExecutives at Collapsed Iceland Bank Jailed For Fraud
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Dec 2012
Two former executives at an Icelandic bank which collapsed in the 2008 financial meltdown were sentenced to jail on Friday [28 Dec 2012] for fraud which led to a 53 million euro loss, in the first major trial of Icelandic bankers linked to the crisis.
→ read full articleUN Urges End to U.S. Cuba Embargo for 21st Year
Louis Charbonneau, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Nov 2012
A record 188 U.N. members supported resolution on Cuba. Israel, Palau and U.S. only 3 states to vote against. Repeating an annual ritual, the U.N. General Assembly called on Tuesday [13 Nov 2012] for the United States to lift its trade embargo against Cuba, whose foreign minister said the blockade against the communist-run island was tantamount to “genocide.”
→ read full articleUS Denies Visas to Iranian UN Delegates
Reuters – The Guardian,
19 Nov 2012
The United States has denied visas to Iranian officials hoping to attend a UN meeting in New York, Iran’s state news agency reported on Saturday [17 Nov 2012]. The Iranian judiciary said in a statement that the US denied visas to members of an Iranian delegation that planned to travel to a meeting of the United Nations’ third committee on social issues and human rights. The judiciary body urged UN officials to warn the United States against such decisions and remind it of its obligations as UN host country.
→ read full articleMonsanto Corn Causes Tumors, Organ Damage in Rats
Ben Hirschler and Kate Kelland, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Sep 2012
Paris Asks Health Body to Investigate French Study Findings – In a study that prompted sharp criticism from other experts, French scientists said on Wednesday [19 Sep 2012] that rats fed on Monsanto’s genetically modified corn or exposed to its top-selling weedkiller suffered tumours and multiple organ damage.
→ read full articleShas Spiritual Leader Calls on Jews to Pray For Annihilation of Iran
Haaretz and Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Sep 2012
During his weekly sermon, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef says Jews should pray for destruction of the enemies of Israel, with an emphasis on Iran and Hezbollah. In the past, the Baghdad-born Yosef has stirred controversy by likening Palestinians to snakes, calling for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to “perish from this world” and describing non-Jews as “born only to serve us”.
→ read full articleTurkey Provides Surface-to-air Missiles for Syrian Insurgents
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2012
Rebels fighting to depose Syrian president Bashar al Assad have for the first time acquired a small supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to a news report that a Western official did not dispute. NBC News reported that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen of the weapons, which were delivered to them via neighbouring Turkey
→ read full articleGlaxoSmithKline Settles Healthcare Fraud Case for $3 Billion
David Ingram, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Jul 2012
GlaxoSmithKline Plc agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges and pay $3 billion to settle what government officials on Monday [2 Jul 2012] described as the largest case of healthcare fraud in U.S. history. GSK targeted the antidepressant Paxil to patients under age 18 when it was approved for adults only, and it pushed the drug Wellbutrin for uses it was not approved for.
→ read full articleIceland Economy Grows At Fastest Pace in Four Years
Niklas Pollard, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jun 2012
Iceland’s economy expanded in the first quarter at its fastest pace since its near-meltdown, powered by a surge in exports, tourism and domestic consumption. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.4 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year to put annual economic growth at 4.5 percent in the period, the highest since the first quarter of 2008, data from the statistics office showed on Friday [8 Jun 2012].
→ read full articleGermany Sets New Solar Power Record, Institute Says
Erik Kirschbaum, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Jun 2012
German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday [25-26 May 2012], the head of a renewable energy think tank said.
→ read full articleFirst Marines in Australia as U.S. Ramps Up Asia-Pacific Focus
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2012
About 200 U.S. Marines began a six month deployment in Australia on Wednesday [4 Apr 2012], in the first wave of a buildup of 2,500 troops due eventually to rotate through a de facto base in Darwin, as the U.S deepens its military presence in the Asia-Pacific.
→ read full articleText of Annan’s Six-Point Peace Plan for Syria
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2012
The 15-member United Nations Security Council is expected to endorse a deadline agreed to by Syria for a military withdrawal by April 10 [2012] and a comprehensive ceasefire no more than 48 hours later with rebel forces. The ceasefire is the key part of special envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan, which was presented to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27.
→ read full articleNigeria Oil Corruption Highlighted by Audits
Joe Brock and Tim Cocks, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Mar 2012
An important supplier to the United States because of the oil’s high gasoline content, Nigeria has attracted billions of dollars of investments from the world’s top oil companies. Yet poverty in Africa’s second biggest economy is rising, with almost 100 million people living on less than $1 a day, data released last month shows. The percentage of Nigerians living in absolute poverty – those who can afford only the bare essentials of food, shelter and clothing – has risen to around 60 percent.
→ read full articleFalse Flag? Bombing Puts India’s Trade Ties with Iran to the Test
Mayank Bhardwaj, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Feb 2012
“There are U.N. sanctions which India honours, those don’t cover the export of a vast range of products which India can export to Iran,” Trade Secretary Rahul Khullar said. “If the EU and the U.S. both want to stop exports to that country, please tell me why I should follow suit? Why shouldn’t I take up that business opportunity?” Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center said that India will find it increasingly difficult to placate both Iran, on the one hand, and the United States and Israel on the other.
→ read full articleMonsanto Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France
Marion Douet, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Feb 2012
A French court on Monday [13 Feb 2012] declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto(MON.N) guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides.
→ read full articleThousands of US Troops Deploying To Israel
Reuters, Nir Elias – Russia Today,
9 Jan 2012
Without much media attention, thousands of American troops are being deployed to Israel, and Iranian officials believe that this is the latest and most blatant warning that the US will soon be attacking Tehran.
→ read full articleFayyad: Palestinian Authority Will Soon Become Completely Incapacitated By Israel
Reuters – Haaretz,
28 Nov 2011
Palestinian PM meets with Norway FM, who says Israel’s withholding of tax funds from PA amounts to ‘waterboarding an economy’; Fayyad: This is our money. The Palestinian Authority is “fast approaching the point of being completely incapacitated” by Israel’s refusal to hand over tax revenues belonging to the authority, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday [24 Nov 2011].
→ read full articleSuper Weeds Pose Growing Threat to U.S. Crops
Carey Gillam - Reuters,
26 Sep 2011
An estimated 11 million acres are infested with “super weeds,” some of which grow several inches in a day and defy even multiple dousings of the world’s top-selling herbicide, Roundup, whose active ingredient is glyphosate.
→ read full articleRole Reversal: Latin America Taunts US on Debt Woes
Brian Winter - Reuters,
25 Jul 2011
Worries about Contagion; Brazil Now a U.S. Creditor – After three decades spent battling their own debt crises and getting constantly lectured about them by Uncle Sam, many Latin Americans are watching the countdown to a possible default in Washington with a mix of schadenfraude and fear of what a collapse might mean for them. For now, at least, most of the region enjoys an era of economic prosperity and comparatively tiny deficits.
→ read full articleBrazil: £10bn Amazonian Dam Approved
Reuters – The Independent,
6 Jun 2011
Brazil’s environment agency gave definitive approval yesterday [1 Jun 2011] for construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a controversial $17bn (£10.3bn) project in the Amazon that has been criticised by native Indians and conservationists. Critics of the dam include singer Sting, Hollywood director James Cameron and environmental group Greenpeace. The 3.75-mile dam will displace 30,000 river dwellers, partially dry up a 62-mile stretch of the Xingu river, and flood large areas of forest and grass land.
→ read full articleUN Claims Canberra Has Racist Policies
Reuters – The Independent,
30 May 2011
The United Nations top human rights envoy attacked Australia’s tough refugee policies and the treatment of outback Aborigines yesterday, saying there was a strong undercurrent of racism in the country. Long-standing policies of locking up asylum-seekers had “cast a shadow over Australia’s human rights record”, and appeared to be completely arbitrary, said Navi Pillay, the UN Human Rights Commissioner.
→ read full articleGreenpeace Slams Japan Response to Nuclear Crisis, Cites Sea Radiation
Reuters – Scientific American,
30 May 2011
Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday [26 May 2011] slammed Japan’s “continued inadequate response” to the nuclear disaster at a power plant after new data showed seaweed radiation levels 50 times higher than official limits. “In contrast, Japanese authorities claim that radioactivity is being dispersed or diluted and are undertaking only limited marine radiation monitoring,” it said.
→ read full articleJulian Assange Awarded Australian Peace Prize
Reuters – The Guardian,
16 May 2011
WikiLeaks’ Australian founder Julian Assange, who enraged Washington by publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, has been given a peace award for “exceptional courage in pursuit of human rights”. Assange was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation’s gold medal on Tuesday [10 May 2011] at the Frontline Club in London, only the fourth such award to be handed out in its 14-year history. The not-for-profit organisation is associated with the University of Sydney and supported by the City of Sydney.
→ read full articleUN Investigator: Israel Engaged in Ethnic Cleansing with Settlement Expansion
Reuters – Haaretz,
28 Mar 2011
U.S. academic Richard Falk spoke to UN Human Rights Council as it prepared resolution condemning settlement building in East Jerusalem and West Bank.
→ read full articleCambodia: Compromise Offer on US ‘Dirty Debt’
Reuters – The Independent,
21 Mar 2011
Cambodia has offered to repay 30 per cent of the debt owed to the US, as a “compromise” over money which it says was used by a pro-American government in the 1970s to repress its own people.
→ read full articleEgypt Decides to Open Gaza Crossing Partially
Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Feb 2011
Egyptian authorities decided on Friday [18 Feb 2011] to open the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip for humanitarian cases and to allow Palestinians stuck in Egypt to return to the enclave, state television reported.
→ read full articleAlcohol Kills More Than AIDS, TB or Violence: WHO
Stephanie Nebehay – Reuters,
21 Feb 2011
Alcohol causes nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence, the World Health Organization warned on Friday [11 Feb 2011]. Rising incomes have triggered more drinking in heavily populated countries in Africa and Asia, including India and South Africa, and binge drinking is a problem in many developed countries, the United Nations agency said.
→ read full articleParaguay Joins Latin American Neighbors in Recognizing Palestinian State
Reuters – Haaretz,
31 Jan 2011
Paraguay’s government said on Friday [28 Jan 2011] it had decided to recognize a Palestinian state based on borders before the 1967 war, following similar moves by other South American countries in recent months. Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and Uruguay have recently recognized a Palestinian state along the pre-war borders. Chile and Peru have also given recognition to a Palestinian state, but without specifying borders.
→ read full articleMedvedev: “As we did in 1988, Russia still recognizes an independent Palestine”
Barak Ravid and Reuters – Haaretz,
24 Jan 2011
Russian president makes announcement after meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in West Bank; Israeli officials fear recognition will cause a domino effect of other states following Russia’s lead, including China.
→ read full articleAsian Export Giants Pledge Support for the Eurozone
John Blau (Reuters, AFP) - Deutsche Welle,
17 Jan 2011
Japan has pledged to buy bonds from a eurozone rescue package to support Europe’s struggle with a seething debt crisis. The country follows China, which earlier this month renewed its commitment to buy Spanish debt.
→ read full articleWikiLeaks: Israel Aimed to Keep Gaza Economy on Brink of Collapse
Reuters – Haaretz,
10 Jan 2011
Cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv says Israeli officials wanted Gaza’s economy ‘functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis.’
→ read full articleBrazil Hosts First Palestinian ‘Embassy’ in Americas
Reuters – Haaretz,
3 Jan 2011
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lays foundation stone for future embassy in capital Brasilia. He thanked Brazil on Friday [31 Dec 2010] for recognizing his nation’s statehood with the first embassy in the Americas and said other countries were following suit.
→ read full article