World News liveblog
Reuters live coverage of events around the world. Follow @ReutersWorld on Twitter for top news and @ReutersLive for live video events.
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Some of Chavez's best-known quotes
ON BUSH'S DEFENSE SECRETARY, DONALD RUMSFELD, 2006
"The lord of war is Donald Rumsfeld, one of the dogs of the devil."
ON ISRAEL, DURING A VISIT TO IRAN, 2006
"Israel criticizes Hitler a lot, so do we, but they've done something very similar, even worse, than what the Nazis did."
AT A SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS' SUMMIT, 2006
"I think we are suffering from political impotence. We need political Viagra."
ON THEN-BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, 2006
"You are an imperialist pawn. ... Go straight to hell."
Read the full Reuters article for more. -
Reuters gallery: Living in a shipping container
A child stands at the door of a shipping container serving as his accommodation, in Shanghai, March 4, 2013.
REUTERS/Aly Songby Clare Richardsonon Mar 4, 2013 at 6:10 PM -
Suicide bomber kills at least 5 Iraqi policemen
A suicide bomber in a car killed at least five policemen and wounded 12 people, including civilians, on Monday in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, police and medics said.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack but suicide bombings are the hallmark of al Qaeda's local wing, the Islamic State of Iraq, which aims to take back ground lost to the Iraqi security forces.
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A Syrian Army officer briefs his men to prepare for an offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, March 4, 2013. REUTERS/George Ourfalian
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Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad applaud after being briefed by a Syrian Army officer in preparation for an offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, March 4, 2013. REUTERS/George Ourfalian
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Revellers are covered in coloured cornflour powder as they take part in the Holi One festival in Cape Town, March 2, 2013. The event is inspired by the Hindu Holi spring festival of colour which originated in India. Picture taken March 2, 2013. REUTERS/Mark Wessels
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NATO expects decision on post-2014 Afghan force by mid-year
NATO expects a decision by the middle of this year on the size of a training force to be kept in Afghanistan once most foreign troops leave in 2014, alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday.
The Pentagon has said a NATO-led training force of between 8,000 and 12,000 was under consideration.
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Special Report: Freedom fizzles out in China's rebel town of Wukan
Zhuang Liehong, a 28-year-old cigarette and liquor salesman, was fed up. Businessmen were seizing land here in Wukan, his hometown fishing village in southern China. Village officials not only didn't help - they had secretly sold the land. Outside authorities did nothing.
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Pope Benedict bid farewell to the Vatican, boarding a helicopter that soared over the Vatican grounds and Colosseum en route to the papal summer retreat.
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VICE published photos today showing former NBA star Dennis Rodman sitting next to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the two enjoy a basketball game. Rodman arrived in North Korea on Tuesday to film a documentary in a rare visit by a U.S. citizen. From VICE:
Following the game, Rodman gave a stirring speech that extended an olive branch to the Hermit Kingdom. The VICE crew is currently having a reception at the Supreme Leader's house, and Duffy has invited Kim Jung-un to America and to tour the VICE offices.
Click here to see the photos. -
Egypt in political clinch as economic cliff looms
Two years after a pro-democracy uprising, Egypt resembles a rickety bus rolling towards a cliff, its passengers too busy feuding over blame to wrench the steering wheel to safety.
Foreign exchange reserves are dwindling. Tourism is moribund. Investment is at a standstill. Subsidised diesel fuel and fertilizer are in short supply, while the cost of subsidies is swelling the budget deficit unsustainably.
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Pistorius shot girlfriend through door: prosecutor
"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius put on his artificial legs and walked across his bedroom before firing four shots through a locked bathroom door, killing his cowering girlfriend in cold blood, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
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Latest update: Meteorite explodes over Russia, more than 1,000 injured
A meteorite streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people.
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Amateur video purports to show the downing of one of President Bashar al-Assad fighter jets in Hama. Sarah Sheffer reports.
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Venezuela to publish photos of recuperating Chavez: information minister
(Reuters) - The Venezuelan government will publish photographs of Hugo Chavez on Friday, the information minister said on Twitter, in what would be the first sight of the president since he had cancer surgery in Cuba on December 11.
(Reporting by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Vicki Allen) -
Meteorite hits central Russia, more than 500 people hurt
(Reuters) - More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.
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It’s a groom’s market in China’s big cities, with more eligible women than men. For ladies facing pressure from parents and friends to find a mate, there is a new option -- the 'rent-a-boyfriend.'
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On Valentine's Day in Japan and South Korea, men will get a free pass on giving gifts. Today, it's up to the women to shower the men in their lives with chocolate. The tables will turn next month on March 14, "White Day," when men are expected to buy a white gift (marshmallows or lingerie, for example).
This article from CNN points out that Valentine's Day is just one of several "calendar-dictated romantic days" in South Korea:Next is Black Day on April 14, when downbeat singles who didn't receive any goodies head to local Chinese restaurants to commiserate over their loneliness while eating jjajyangmyeon, or "black noodles."
Surprisingly, one of the most popular gift-giving days of the year is November 11, or Pepero Day, so named in honor of a favorite Korean stick-shaped snack.
Here's AFP with some historical context for the $11 billion chocolate business in Japan:Chocolate has been available in Japan since at least 1797, when it was given to prostitutes by Dutch traders -- the only Europeans allowed a foothold in an otherwise closed country where travelling abroad was punishable by death.
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Protesters wearing masks depicting Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (2nd L) and Basque premier Inigo Urkullu (2nd R) carry scissors, beside a man dressed as Cupid during a Valentine's Day themed demonstration against central and Basque regional government cuts in Bilbao, February 14, 2013. Stickers on protesters' coats read, "I love Social cuts". REUTERS/Vincent West
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A protester carries snacks with pictures of Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy during a Valentine's Day themed demonstration against central and Basque regional government cuts in Bilbao, February 14, 2013. REUTERS/Vincent West
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A riot policeman patrols the streets during the second anniversary of the February 14 uprising in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama, February 14, 2013. A Bahraini teenager was killed by security forces on Thursday, an opposition website reported, as activists demonstrated on the second anniversary of an uprising demanding democratic reforms in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Tyres burn on a road to create a blockade to mark the second anniversary of the February 14 uprising, in Budaiya, west of Manama, February 14, 2013. Protesters burnt tires and blocked most of the major roads leading to various highways causing delays in the early morning traffic. Alerts were issued to citizens of Britain and the U.S. residing in the country, according to their embassies. British and American schools were given a day off following the alert. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Syria death toll likely near 70,000, says U.N. rights chief
The death toll in Syria is likely approaching 70,000 - up almost 10,000 from the start of the year - and civilians are paying the price for the U.N. Security Council's lack of action to end the conflict, the U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday.
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IAEA, Iran end nuclear talks in Tehran, no detail-ISNA
VIENNA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran ended a day of talks in Tehran on Wednesday, but there was no immediate word on the outcome, the Iran Students' News Agency reported.
The "negotiations between Iran and the Agency which started Wednesday morning ... ended a few minutes ago. There is still no news of the details from this meeting," ISNA said.
(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Zahra Hosseinian; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Michael Roddy) -
An airplane is seen parked at Aleppo international airport, controlled by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, February 12, 2013. Activists said clashes erupted between Free Syrian Army fighters and government troops near Aleppo international airport, and they said civilian airplanes were used to supply the regime forces with weapons and food. REUTERS/Malek Al Shemali
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Syrians look behind as they sit in the back of a pickup truck as they return from the closed Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli at the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province February 13, 2013. A Syrian minibus exploded at a crossing on Turkey's border with Syria near the Turkish town of Reyhanli on Monday, killing 14 people including Turkish citizens and wounding dozens more, Turkish officials said. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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One-man bank keeps German village business running
(Reuters) - Peter Breiter, 41, is an unusual banker. Not for him the big bonuses, complicated financial instruments and multi-million deals.
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A troubled homecoming for Bin Laden “shooter”
Phil Bronstein, the former editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, has written a 15,000 word yarn that describes the courage, humility and poor job prospects of the Navy SEAL who apparently killed Osama bin Laden.
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Rebels' raid poses Mali guerrilla war threat for French
Malian troops hunted house-to-house in Gao on Monday for Islamist insurgents whose surprise attack inside the northern town at the weekend posed a risk of France's forces becoming entangled in a messy guerrilla war in Mali.
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U.N. says 5,000 Syrian refugees fleeing each day
About 5,000 refugees are fleeing Syria each day, seeking safe haven in neighboring countries, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.
"This is a full-on crisis," Adrian Edwards, spokesman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told a news briefing in Geneva. "There was a huge increase in January alone, we're talking about a 25 percent increase in registered refugee numbers over a single month."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a ceremony to launch a countdown clock for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Bolshoi Ice Dome in the Black Sea resort of Sochi February 7, 2013. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
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Tunisian protesters ransack police station in capital
Tunis, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters attacked and ransacked a police station in the Tunisian capital on Thursday in a second day of unrest over the killing of an opposition figure, witnesses said.
Hundreds of youths stormed the police station and threw its furniture, eeqipment and files into the street before fleeing, the witnesses said.
(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Angus MacSwan) -
Britain's parliament backs gay marriage in initial vote
LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Tuesday backed legalising gay marriage in the first of several votes on the issue after a debate which split Prime Minister David Cameron's ruling Conservative party in two.
The draft law, which proposes legalising same-sex marriage in 2014, was carried by 400 votes to 175 votes. The legislation is several stages away from becoming law, but has already exposed rifts within Cameron's party at a time when he is facing growing talk of a possible leadership challenge.
(Reporting By Andrew Osborn) -
Members of the Free Syrian Army stand on the back of a truck in Khan al-Assal area near Aleppo, February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof
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Islamic summit to urge Syria transition: draft
CAIRO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Leaders of Islamic nations will call for a dialogue between the Syrian opposition and government officials "not involved in oppression" to end two years of civil war, a draft communique seen by Reuters on Tuesday said.
The declaration, due to be issued after a two-day summit of 56-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo starting on Wednesday, does not mention President Bashar al-Assad and pins most of the blame on his government for continued violence.
The text discussed by foreign ministers at a preparatory meeting on Tuesday came after Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib offered to meet Assad's deputy to negotiate a way to end the bloodshed, in which the United Nations says at least 60,000 people have died.
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One dead, dozens hurt as police clash with Egypt protesters
At least one protester was shot dead and dozens wounded on Friday when riot police clashed with demonstrators demanding the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, witnesses said.
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Rights allegations in Mali cloud France Hollande's visit
A French-led offensive against Islamists in Mali has led to civilian deaths from air strikes and ethnic reprisals by Malian troops, human rights groups said on Friday, a day before President Francois Hollande was due to visit the country.
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Moscow, UN play down report of four-way Syria talks
AMMAN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Moscow and the United Nations played down Syrian opposition assertions that its leader would hold a joint meeting with the U.N. Syria envoy and officials from the United States and Russia at a security conference in Munich on Saturday.
But a Russian diplomatic source did not rule out a meeting taking place 'spontaneously' at the weekend Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in the southern German city.
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A general view of buildings damaged after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad, in Deraa, January 28, 2013, in this picture provided by Shaam News Network. REUTERS/Ali Abu Salah/Shaam News Network/Handout
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A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover during clashes in Haresta neighbourhood of Damascus February 1, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
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Curtains erected as protection from snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad are seen in a neighbourhood of Homs, January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Yazan Homsy
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Reuters: WHITE HOUSE SAYS IRAN'S INSTALLATION OF ADVANCED URANIUM ENRICHMENT CENTRIFUGES WOULD BE PROVOCATIVE STEP IN VIOLATION OF U.N. RESOLUTIONS
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Erdogan to seek referendum on Turkey constitution if no deal
ANKARA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he would seek a referendum on changes to the constitution, expected to include the creation of an executive presidency, if no deal is reached with the opposition within two months.
Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics since his AK Party first came to power in 2002, is widely viewed as wanting to become the head of state in a newly constituted executive presidency at elections due next year.
A cross-party parliamentary commission charged with drafting a new constitution had been expected to finish its work by the start of this year but has failed to reach a consensus.
(Reporting by Gulsen Solaker; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Jon Boyle) -
Violence between anti-government protesters and police continues in several Egyptian cities. Julie Noce reports.
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Hundreds defy Egyptian curfew to rally against president
CAIRO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Hundreds of anti-government protesters took to the streets of the Egyptian cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez late on Monday in defiance of President Mohamed Mursi's declaration of a curfew and a state of emergency after days of deadly unrest.
The crowds shouted "Down down with Mohamed Mursi, down down with the state of emergency," in Ismailia and similar slogans were heard in the other cities along the Suez Canal.
Around 50 Egyptians have been killed in clashes between protesters and police. Most of the deaths happened in Port Said and Suez and Mursi declared a curfew in the three canal cities from 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) to 6 a.m. (0400 GMT).
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo, writing by Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Putin says Russia will follow up fast after Ukraine call with Biden
MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would send ideas to Washington within a week to follow up his talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on the Ukraine crisis.
