Victims of Costa shipwreck mark anniversary

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck and relatives of the 32 people who died marked the first anniversary of the grounding Sunday with the unveiling of memorials to the victims, a tearful Mass in their honor and a minute of silence to recall the exact moment that the cruise ship rammed into a reef off Tuscany.One of the most moving tributes came first, with the daybreak...

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Politicians slam "extremely generous" wind power cable scheme

LONDON (Reuters) - A new system devised to attract investors to spending money on connecting Britain's offshore wind farms is too generous and does not offer a good deal for consumers, a parliamentary committee said on Monday.The government wants a huge fleet of offshore wind farms to produce between 8 percent and 15 percent of Britain's electricity by 2020 to reduce carbon emissions.All wind farms...

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Somali witnesses to failed rescue describe mayhem

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The night of mayhem and death started with the sound of helicopters above pitch-black fields. When it was over, the French intelligence agent who had been held hostage for more than three years was almost certainly dead, as was at least one French commando, and the home that served as the agent's final jail was destroyed. And now the Somalis living in the muddy farm town...

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Pope makes longtime aide a bishop in St. Peter's

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has rewarded his longtime loyal secretary by making him a bishop in an elaborate ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica.The pontiff and Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, a fellow German, embraced warmly. Benedict, 85, held up well during the nearly three-hour long service Sunday, which also marked Epiphany, a Catholic feast day.Gaenswein, 56, has been Benedict's closest aide...

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Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany with icy dip

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of young men are plunging into icy rivers and lakes across Bulgaria and Romania to retrieve crucifixes cast by priests in an old ritual marking the feast of Epiphany.By tradition, a wooden cross is cast into the water and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits.In the central Bulgarian city of Kalofer, 350 men in traditional...

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Cameron plays down status of top credit rating

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said the credibility of his deficit-cutting policy was more important than the judgment of credit rating agencies, as the threat of third recession since the financial crisis looms.Britain has held onto its top triple-A credit rating while the United States and France have suffered downgrades, but that endorsement has looked increasingly shaky as the...

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Richardson: NKorea trip is private, humanitarian

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says the State Department should not be nervous about a visit he's making to North Korea with Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt.The State Department has advised against his making the trip. But Richardson says he doesn't work for the U.S. government.Richardson said Friday he's concerned about an American citizen detained in North Korea,...

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Abbas sees Palestinian unity as Fatah rallies in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Abbas predicted the end of a five-year split between the two big Palestinian factions as his Fatah movement staged its first mass rally in Gaza with the blessing of Hamas Islamists who rule the enclave."Soon we will regain our unity," Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the 2007 civil war between the two factions, said...

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Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teen shot by Taliban, is released from UK hospital

A daily summary of global reports on security issues. Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was shot in the head by the Taliban in the fall for promoting girls’ education, was released from a British hospital yesterday. Malala, who will spend the next few weeks with her family in the UKbefore returning to the hospital for more surgery, quickly became an international symbol of...

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What does Google want with North Korea?

Google chairman Eric Schmidt plans to visit North Korea as early as next week in what analysts see as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s drive to give an appearance of closing the vast digital divide between his isolated country and the rest of the world.Although Mr. Schmidt is not expected to reach any real deal with the North, his presence there seems to show a desire in North Korea to improve...

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France's Bardot threatens exile over elephants

PARIS (AP) — Sex symbol-turned-animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot is threatening to join actor Gerard Depardieu in Russian exile unless France halts the scheduled euthanasia of two sick circus elephants.The 1960s screen diva says authorities have ignored her "numerous proposals" to save Baby and Nepal, a pair of 42-year-old elephants dying of tuberculosis at a Lyon zoo.In a statement on her foundation's...

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In South Korea, Kim Jong-un's New Year speech generates surprise - and doubt

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un signaled his desire for improved relations with South Korea in a New Year’s Day address that South Korean officials see as an unsatisfying attempt to appear conciliatory.A day after Kim Jong-un stressed the need for resolving North-South confrontation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan responded Wednesday by calling for North Korea to make “wise and right...

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Mandela's recovery "on track" at home: South African government

 Former South African President Nelson Mandela's recovery is 'on track' at his home in Johannesburg, the government said on Wednesday in its first statement since the anti-apartheid hero was released from hospital a week ago.Mandela, 94, who has been in frail health for several years, spent nearly three weeks in a Pretoria hospital in December for treatment of a lung infection and surgery to...

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Italy's Monti fires opening salvo of second-term campaign

 Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti pledged to cut labor taxes to fuel growth on Wednesday as he shed his neutral technocrat stance and fired the opening salvo of his campaign for a second term.The former European Commissioner was appointed in November 2011 to lead an unelected right-left government of experts to save Italy from financial crisis after Silvio Berlusconi quit amid a sex...

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After 'peaceful' 2012, Kashmiris urge end to war-time measures

Government tallies in Kashmir find that 2012 was the most peaceful year since an armed rebellion began in the disputed region in 1989. Despite that, no measures have been taken to demilitarize the region or to revoke the draconian laws that provide impunity to paramilitary forces here.A report released by the Jammu and Kashmir state last week put hard numbers on the widely-observed notion that armed...

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Is Russia trying a dead whistle-blower because of a US law?

At the center of the stormiest US-Russia diplomatic crisis since the cold war stands the enigmatic figure of Sergei Magnitsky, for whom the US Senate has named a punitive new law that imposes harsh visa and economic sanctions against scores of Russian officials who are deemed to have committed serious human rights violations.The tale of Mr. Magnitsky, a corporate lawyer who blew the whistle on a vast...

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Syrian rebels set sights on Damascus airport

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad set their sights Friday on the capital's international airport in a bid to cut off the regime's supplies, clashing with government troops nearby and again forcing the closure of the airport road. A fighter who is part of the push against Damascus International Airport declared it a legitimate target, claiming that the regime has...

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Egypt delays early voting on new constitution

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt postponed early voting on a contentious draft constitution, and aides to President Mohammed Morsi floated the possibility of canceling the whole referendum in the first signs Friday that the Islamic leader is finally yielding to days of protests and deadly street clashes. Tens of thousands marched on the presidential palace after pushing past barbed wire fences installed by the...

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Egyptian opposition to shun Mursi's national dialogue

CAIRO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mohamed Mursi was expected to press ahead on Saturday with talks on ways to end Egypt's worst crisis since he took office even though the country's main opposition leaders have vowed to stay away. Cairo and other cities have been rocked by violent protests since November 22, when Mursi promulgated a decree awarding himself sweeping powers that put him above the law. The...

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Venezuela's Chavez returns from Cuba after treatment

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez made a theatrical return home on Friday after medical treatment in Cuba, walking and joking in a first public appearance for three weeks that quashed rumors he may have been at death's door. "So, where's the party?" an ebullient and robust-looking Chavez said after flying in before dawn to the surprise and delight of supporters. "I'm happy and...

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