Top News - Breaking News - World News from Reuters (April 2011 Diet)

[Reuters]

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has agreed to sign a Gulf-brokered power transition, called on Friday for early elections to prevent bloodshed as three months of protests raged on in the fractious country.

Source: Saleh calls for early election as Yemenis protest

[Reuters]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday launched a study of the health, safety and security impact of the accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations would undertake "a U.N. system-wide study on the implications of the Fukushima accident" and present the findings at a high-level meeting on the implications of the crisis to be held during the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.

The report "will address a variety of areas, including environment, health, food security, sustainable development and the nexus between nuclear safety and nuclear security," Ban said in a statement.

"It will also present system-wide views on how to improve disaster risk preparedness," he said. "In producing this study, it is my intention to highlight the need to strengthen the capacity of the relevant international organizations, particularly the IAEA, recognizing its central role."

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukio Amano, said on Thursday that the Japanese nuclear crisis remained very serious though there were some signs of progress.

Source: U.N. launches study of Japan nuclear crisis

[Reuters]

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. special forces were embedded with Pakistani troops on intelligence-gathering missions by the summer of 2009, confidential American diplomatic cables showed, a revelation that could hurt the Pakistani military's public image.

The disclosure comes a day after another set of cables showed that Pakistan's powerful army chief not only tacitly agreed to the covert U.S. drone campaign against militants, but asked for "continuous Predator coverage" of the tribal areas by these aircraft. The army denied the contents.

The local Dawn newspaper, which said it obtained the secret dispatches from WikiLeaks, said they reveal that U.S. special forces were deployed with Pakistani troops in joint operations in Pakistan by September of 2009.

"Through these embeds, we are assisting the Pakistanis collect and coordinate existing intelligence assets, the cables quoted then American ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson as saying.

Pakistan's powerful military faced rare criticism after a secret U.S. special forces raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden not far from the capital Islamabad this month.

The infuriated army said the assault, which has severely strained ties between the two countries, was a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. But Pakistanis lashed out at the country's generals because they did not know about the raid.

Several cables showed the United States was eager to embed American troops with Pakistani soldiers, Dawn reported.

Source: Diplomatic cables show joint U.S.-Pakistan intelligence missions

[Reuters]

ANDECHS, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday affirmed her high opinion of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, tipped as a candidate to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund.

Source: Germany again mentions Lagarde as possible IMF head

[Reuters]

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's opposition signed a Gulf-brokered transition deal on Saturday that will ease President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power within a month, provided he ratifies the agreement as promised on Sunday.

Source: Yemen opposition signs transition of power deal

[Reuters]

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece must avoid debt restructuring and push on with budget cuts and privatisations to overcome its debt crisis, the country's Prime Minister George Papandreou and senior ECB officials said on Saturday.

Source: Greek PM, ECB officials reject debt restructuring

[Reuters]

VICKSBURG, Miss (Reuters) - With weeks to go before the flood waters of the crested Mississippi River fully recede, officials in Vicksburg, Mississippi, are advising caution and preparing for an aggressive cleanup.

Source: Vicksburg officials urge caution, plan for cleanup

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top congressional Republicans on Sunday suggested they could compromise on the two biggest issues -- healthcare and taxes -- that stand in the way of a deal to get the United States' debt under control.

Source: Republicans suggest deal possible on taxes, health

[Reuters]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain endorsed French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as an "outstanding candidate" for IMF chief on Saturday, the first G7 country to officially back her as Dominique Strauss-Kahn's successor.

Source: Britain endorses Lagarde as new IMF chief

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top congressional Republicans said on Sunday they would be open to a compromise on healthcare costs, one of the biggest stumbling blocks in a deal to get the United States' debt under control.

Source: Republicans suggest deal possible on healthcare