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Sunday, July 8, 2012 8:31 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Texas to test 1965 voting rights law in court Saudi police arrest prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric European commissioner to take action over Libor scandal: FT Miliband calls for two new national banks World business confidence cools, U.S. a bright spot Blood and oil tinge South Sudan's first birthday Factbox: One year on, South Sudan struggles to develop South Sudan rebel now president takes on poverty, graft Timeline: South Sudan - born out of conflict Libya's Jibril calls for grand coalition Obama team targets Romney over taxes, Republicans cry foul Greek government wins confidence vote, bigger battles loom Syria's Assad says Annan peace plan must not fail Annan arrives in Damascus, Syria tests missiles Lawmakers signal deep "fiscal cliff" deadlock Egypt president recalls parliament, generals meet Nigeria senator killed at mass burial after ethnic clash Bombs, clashes in Afghanistan kill 35 including seven NATO soldiers Locals vow revenge for Afghan woman's execution Congressman Barney Frank weds in same-sex marriage Bank's Tucker to testify on rate rigging row Australian mining magnate Rinehart makes media push Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to U.S. Russian town poses questions as flood recedes Congo rebels seize strategic eastern town Seven NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan Mexican electoral officials confirm Pena Nieto win Sikorsky, U.S. sign $7.3 billion Black Hawk order France eyes structural change to save auto sector Yemeni soldiers free officer they abducted Employers not rattled yet by "fiscal cliff" U.S. arms makers: uncertainty paralyzing investment, jobs Joint Eurogroup presidency unlikely: French finance minister Egypt army meets to discuss presidential decree Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to US Russia's Putin acts tough but faces flood risks Italy's Monti hits back at critical employers Clinton: Syria must end violence to avoid "catastrophic assault" Sikorsky eyes foreign deals to offset U.S. drop Protest-hit Libyan oil terminals reopen: NOC Texas to test 1965 voting rights law in court Sun,8 Jul 2012 06:46 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Voting Rights Act - a cherished safeguard for minority voters since 1965 - has been under siege for two years and this week faces one of its toughest tests on an apparent path to the U.S. Supreme Court. Twenty-five hours of argument, starting on Monday and spread over five days, will help the judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decide whether Texas can require voters to present a photo identification at the polls. Formulated at a time of racial turmoil, the Voting Rights Act passed 77-19 in the U.S. ... Full Story Top Saudi police arrest prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:58 PM PDT Reuters - JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - A prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric wanted for "sedition" was arrested in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province late on Sunday after being shot in the leg by police in an exchange of fire, the Interior Ministry said. Activists said reports that Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr had been arrested prompted demonstrations in the mostly Shi'ite Qatif region of the Eastern Province, which has been the focal point of protests alleging discrimination, and where the cleric was seen as a leading radical. ... Full Story Top European commissioner to take action over Libor scandal: FT Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:28 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Michel Barnier, the European commissioner in charge of financial regulation, is expected to bring forward changes to his market abuse directive and regulation within in the next weeks, the Financial Times said on Monday. In response to the Libor rigging scandal, Barnier will amend reforms to European Union market abuse rules so that potential "loopholes" are closed and criminal sanctions specifically cover tampering with indices such as Libor and Euribor, the newspaper said. ... Full Story Top Miliband calls for two new national banks Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:27 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Opposition leader Ed Miliband will on Monday call for the country's big five banks to be forced to sell hundreds of branches to create at least two major competitors by 2015. The proposal comes as politicians argue over how best to respond to an interest rate rigging scandal that reignited public anger towards banks which many people blame for sinking the economy into recession. "Let's break the dominance of the big five banks. ... Full Story Top World business confidence cools, U.S. a bright spot Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:05 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global business confidence cooled in June as the euro zone debt crisis took its toll, though corporate sentiment in the United States held up better, a survey from financial information firm Markit showed on Sunday. The percentage of companies around the world that expected business activity to rise over the next 12 months outnumbered those anticipating a decline by a margin of 37 percent, according to Markit's global business outlook survey. ... Full Story Top Blood and oil tinge South Sudan's first birthday Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese celebrating their nation's first birthday on Monday will bask in the pride of their hard-won political freedom, but many may ask when they will enjoy the material benefits promised by the government of former rebels. Cleaners have swept Juba's dusty streets, hawkers have been peddling red, green and black national flags, and government workers have hung colorful bunting from lampposts to prepare for the ceremonies. ... Full Story Top Factbox: One year on, South Sudan struggles to develop Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - South Sudan, the world's newest state, on Monday marks the first anniversary of its independence from the north. The division of Sudan, which until last year was the biggest country in Africa, followed a 2005 peace deal that ended a north-south civil war. Here are some facts about South Sudan: HEAD OF STATE: Salva Kiir POPULATION: 8.26 million Note: The 2009 census showed a total Sudanese population of 39.15 million, with 30.89 million living in the north and 8.26 million in the south. The south contested the census and said it had undercounted the Southerners. ... Full Story Top South Sudan rebel now president takes on poverty, graft Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, who fought as a rebel chief in one of Africa's longest civil wars, has confronted those two old and deadly enemies of development - poverty and corruption - in his first year as head of the world's newest state. The guerrilla fighter turned president, who likes to wear wide-brimmed cowboy hats, has also faced persisting hostility from South Sudan's arch-foe to the north, Sudan, from whom it wrested independence last year after a secession vote that followed the end in 2005 of more than two decades of civil war. ... Full Story Top Timeline: South Sudan - born out of conflict Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A 2005 peace agreement ended more than two decades of civil war fought between African rebels in the south of Sudan, and the government in Khartoum in the mostly Muslim, Arabic-speaking north. But despite the accord, north-south tensions have persisted after South Sudan's independence in 2011, the first anniversary of which is being celebrated in Juba on Monday. ... Full Story Top Libya's Jibril calls for grand coalition Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:53 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Libya's wartime rebel prime minister Mahmoud Jibril called for the some 150 political parties in the North African nation to back the creation of a grand coalition government, as election results were due to come in on Monday. The call came as Libyans celebrated Saturday's largely peaceful national assembly election, the first free national poll in Libya after 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi which went ahead despite widespread fears of violence. ... Full Story Top Obama team targets Romney over taxes, Republicans cry foul Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:45 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's campaign and top Democrats on Sunday called on Mitt Romney to release more personal tax records and raised questions about his offshore assets that the Republican challenger's campaign condemned as an "unseemly and disgusting" character assault. Democrats and Republicans tussled over the economy, but it was Romney's offshore assets that Democrats seized on during the Sunday talk shows in their quest to portray him as a wealthy man out of touch with ordinary Americans. Romney faces Obama in the November 6 election and polls indicate a close race. ... Full Story Top Greek government wins confidence vote, bigger battles loom Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:44 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's new conservative-led government won parliamentary approval on Monday, but faced the much tougher task of convincing European partners and the IMF to give it more time to meet the terms of its bailout. There had been little doubt the government would sail through the confidence vote after a heated three-day debate in which it pledged to win back the trust of foreign lenders. All 179 ruling coalition deputies backed the motion in the 300-seat parliament. ... Full Story Top Syria's Assad says Annan peace plan must not fail Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said U.N. envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan to end 16 months of bloodshed was being hindered by countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia providing support for "terrorists". "We know that (Annan) is coming up against countless obstacles but his plan should not be allowed to fail, it is a very good plan," Assad told German television channel Das Erste in an interview. ... Full Story Top Annan arrives in Damascus, Syria tests missiles Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kofi Annan is due to hold talks on Monday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who said U.S. political support for "terrorists" was hindering the peace envoy's plan to end 16 months of bloodshed. Assad also accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of supplying the rebels trying to overthrow him with arms and other support. "We know that (Annan) is coming up against countless obstacles but his plan should not be allowed to fail, it is a very good plan," Assad told German television channel Das Erste. ... Full Story Top Lawmakers signal deep "fiscal cliff" deadlock Sun,8 Jul 2012 03:17 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers signaled on Sunday a worsening deadlock in Congress over how to tackle critical fiscal deadlines looming at year's end, including deciding whether to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. A scenario known by economists as the "fiscal cliff" could unfold at the end of the year. Historically low tax rates first enacted under Republican former President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003 are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, as are jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and a temporary payroll tax cut. In addition, $1. ... Full Story Top Egypt president recalls parliament, generals meet Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's new president on Sunday ordered a parliament dominated by his Islamist party to reconvene, challenging the authority of the generals who had dissolved the assembly in line with a court order. President Mohamed Mursi's decree appeared to catch off guard the generals who handed power to him on June 30. State media said the army's supreme council held an emergency meeting and a council member, declining to be named, told Reuters the generals had not been given prior warning. The military had been running Egypt since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. ... Full Story Top Nigeria senator killed at mass burial after ethnic clash Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:50 PM PDT Reuters - JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Nigerian senator and several other people were killed on Sunday when gunmen attacked a mass burial for 63 victims of violence the previous day in ethnically mixed Plateau state, a government official said. Saturday's clashes between security forces and armed Fulani herdsmen erupted after the military said they intervened when fighting broke out between Fulani migrants and indigenous tribes in the Barkin Ladi district in Plateau. A spokesman for the Fulani said the military opened fire on them because the government favors indigenous tribes. ... Full Story Top Bombs, clashes in Afghanistan kill 35 including seven NATO soldiers Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - At least 35 people, including seven NATO soldiers, were killed in a string of roadside bombs and clashes on Sunday, one of the most violent days in the country for months. A bomb killed six NATO troops in the east, the coalition said without elaborating, after an insurgent attack in the south killed one foreign soldier. Twenty-eight Afghan civilians and police were killed in southern Kandahar and Helmand provinces, officials said. ... Full Story Top Locals vow revenge for Afghan woman's execution Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT Reuters - CHARIKAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Sayed Jalal furrowed his eyebrows in anger as he vowed to avenge the public execution of a woman in front of a large crowd not far from Kabul, brazen violence that spurred shock and sharp condemnation from Afghan authorities and the United States. The Taliban denied involvement in the killing in Parwan province, in which an unnamed woman's head and body were riddled with bullets at close range in punishment for alleged adultery. Authorities in Kabul directly blamed the Islamist group. "We will take revenge for this. ... Full Story Top Congressman Barney Frank weds in same-sex marriage Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Democratic Representative Barney Frank wed his longtime partner, James Ready, on Saturday, becoming the first sitting congressman to enter into a same-sex marriage. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick officiated the ceremony and added some levity by saying Frank, 72, and Ready, 42, had vowed to love each other through Democratic and Republican administrations alike, and even through appearances on Fox News, according to Al Green, a Democratic congressman from Texas. "Barney was beaming," said Green, who attended the ceremony. ... Full Story Top Bank's Tucker to testify on rate rigging row Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:13 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A row about how much top politicians and officials knew about interest rate rigging will intensify on Monday as the man tipped to be the next Bank of England governor reveals what he told Barclays, the bank at the eye of the global storm. Paul Tucker, deputy governor of the Bank, will appear before a panel of politicians asking key people what they knew about Barclays and other banks submitting inaccurate figures for Libor, a key interbank lending rate. He appears at 1530 GMT. Earlier this month, Barclays was fined a record $450 million by U.S. ... Full Story Top Australian mining magnate Rinehart makes media push Sun,8 Jul 2012 02:06 PM PDT Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - When Australian mining mogul Gina Rinehart, one of the world's richest women, flew to Cambodia to meet former trafficked children whose education she was financing, she was showing a little known side of her character. The "Pilbara Princess" is one of Australia's most written about personalities for her ruthless business dealings, a fortune from family mining interests and an endless string of lawsuits, including against her own children, to protect those riches. She has not been feted for her softer side or public largesse. ... Full Story Top Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to U.S. Sun,8 Jul 2012 01:56 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has invited Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region's Islamists. Washington, long wary of Islamists and an ally of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, shifted policy last year to open formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, the group behind Mursi's win. Mursi formally resigned from the group after his victory. ... Full Story Top Russian town poses questions as flood recedes Sun,8 Jul 2012 12:36 PM PDT Reuters - KRYMSK, Russia (Reuters) - It seemed there was nothing but water in the early hours of Saturday when residents say a seven-meter wave came crashing down on the Russian Black Sea town of Krymsk, flooding a neat row of new brick houses where families lay sleeping. In the hours that followed, the streets of Krymsk turned into raging torrents that swept along debris and drowned animals, and floodwaters filled some homes to the ceiling in this town of 57,000. At least 139 people have been killed in the deluge in Krymsk. ... Full Story Top Congo rebels seize strategic eastern town Sun,8 Jul 2012 12:21 PM PDT Reuters - GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo seized a second town from fleeing government forces on Sunday, witnesses and a rebel spokesman said, a further embarrassment for the U.N.-backed army after the insurgents took a mineral transit town. The capture of the town of Rutshuru on Sunday opens the way for a possible rebel advance on Goma, the provincial capital about 70 km (43 miles) to the south. On Friday, the rebels seized Bunagana, an important mineral transit town, driving about 600 Congolese soldiers across the border into Uganda. ... Full Story Top Seven NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan Sun,8 Jul 2012 12:10 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Six NATO soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, after an insurgent attack in the south killed one foreign soldier, coalition statements said. The deaths take the number of NATO troops killed in the last two days to eight, one of the deadliest periods of violence for foreign troops in weeks. A string of roadside bombs and clashes in the south killed at least 24 Afghan civilians and police earlier on Sunday. (Reporting by Amie Ferris-Rotman, editing by Tim Pearce) Full Story Top Mexican electoral officials confirm Pena Nieto win Sun,8 Jul 2012 12:08 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Enrique Pena Nieto won Mexico's July 1 presidential election by 3.3 million ballots, or almost 7 percentage points, although allegations of excessive campaign spending and voter fraud could be reviewed by the electoral tribunal, officials said on Sunday. Vote counts also confirmed that Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and its allies in the Green Party would have a minority in both houses of Congress, which could complicate his agenda when he takes office in December. According to the final count, Pena Nieto got 19.2 million votes, or 38. ... Full Story Top Sikorsky, U.S. sign $7.3 billion Black Hawk order Sun,8 Jul 2012 11:53 AM PDT Reuters - FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp , has signed a five-year $7.3 billion agreement that will provide the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force with more H-60 Black Hawk helicopters and other versions of the utility aircraft, according to several sources familiar with the deal. The agreement puts in force a multi-year procurement that was approved by Congress as part of the Pentagon's fiscal 2012 budget. It includes several variants of the helicopter to be used by the different military services and runs through fiscal 2016. ... Full Story Top France eyes structural change to save auto sector Sun,8 Jul 2012 11:31 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France will not let its auto industry collapse and plans to unveil structural measures to help the struggling sector stay afloat, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said on Sunday, as the threat of closure looms over a major production center. Moscovici said a plan to save the auto sector, which was first floated this week by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, would be unveiled in the next month, including job-saving solutions for a Peugeot PSA factory near Paris. "We will have to take measures in the coming month," he told BFM news television. ... Full Story Top Yemeni soldiers free officer they abducted Sun,8 Jul 2012 11:26 AM PDT Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni soldiers on Sunday freed a senior officer who they kidnapped last month, an official said, in a case that raised concerns about the unity of an army engaged in a U.S.-backed offensive against Islamist militants. A popular uprising last year triggered a string of defections from the army, dividing its ranks into pro and anti-government camps that fought each other and dragged the impoverished state to the brink of civil war. ... Full Story Top Employers not rattled yet by "fiscal cliff" Sun,8 Jul 2012 10:33 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - American employers are keeping their fingers crossed that politicians will steer away from a "fiscal cliff" of major tax hikes and spending cuts in early 2013, and, so far at least, have not gone back to a defensive recession-mode. Executives are prepared to reduce hiring or staffing if need be, but they say they are counting on the U.S. Congress to strike a last-minute deal. ... Full Story Top U.S. arms makers: uncertainty paralyzing investment, jobs Sun,8 Jul 2012 10:29 AM PDT Reuters - FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - Uncertainty about the depth of U.S. budget cuts is having a paralyzing effect on the American defense industry's plans for investment and hiring, top executives from the sector warned on Sunday. "It's very hard for anyone - the government or industry - to make big commitments without knowing what's going to happen," Mick Maurer, who became president of United Technologies Corp's Sikorsky Aircraft unit on July 1, said in an interview. ... Full Story Top Joint Eurogroup presidency unlikely: French finance minister Sun,8 Jul 2012 10:25 AM PDT Reuters - AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici poured cold water on a media report on Sunday that France and Germany could split between them the presidency of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers. The mandate of the Eurogroup's current chairman, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, expires at the end of the month but officials signaled last month that his term could be extended. ... Full Story Top Egypt army meets to discuss presidential decree Sun,8 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's military council, which handed powers to an Islamist president last month, held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a presidential decree ordering the dissolved parliament to reconvene, the state news agency reported. It said the meeting was headed by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who leads the council that had governed Egypt after Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. The council had dissolved the Islamist-led parliament based on a court order this month. ... Full Story Top Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to US Sun,8 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has invited Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region's Islamists. Washington, long wary of Islamists and an ally of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, shifted policy last year to open formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, the group behind Mursi's win. Mursi formally resigned from the group after his victory. ... Full Story Top Russia's Putin acts tough but faces flood risks Sun,8 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - It took only a few hours before Vladimir Putin was aboard a luxury helicopter, surveying the flood waters in southern Russia that have killed 150 people. Television channels showed the Russian president asking pointed questions and then grilling the governor and other local officials unsmilingly about whether they had acted quickly enough to save lives. Seven months after the start of protests that have weakened Putin's authority, he can ill afford any slip-ups as he deals with the first big natural disaster since his return to the Kremlin. ... Full Story Top Italy's Monti hits back at critical employers Sun,8 Jul 2012 09:05 AM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti hit back at the increasingly critical employers lobby Confindustria on Sunday, saying that its complaints about the government were helping to push up Italian borrowing costs and damaging companies. Confindustria's new leader Giorgio Squinzi has branded the government's labor reform inadequate, warned that recession is deepening and called for more help for small firms since he took over in May. ... Full Story Top Clinton: Syria must end violence to avoid "catastrophic assault" Sun,8 Jul 2012 09:04 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday Syria's opposition forces were growing more effective and the sooner the violence ended, the higher the chances of sparing the Syrian government from a "catastrophic assault". "The sooner there can be an end to the violence and a beginning of a political transition process, not only will fewer people die, but there is a chance to save the Syrian state from a catastrophic assault that would be very dangerous not only to Syria but to the region," Clinton said at a news conference. ... Full Story Top Sikorsky eyes foreign deals to offset U.S. drop Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:23 AM PDT Reuters - FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - Sikorsky Aircraft, the helicopter maker owned by United Technologies Corp , on Sunday said it has a large backlog of international orders and sees good opportunities for growth in countries like Brazil, India, Turkey, China and Mexico. Mick Maurer, who took over as president of Sikorsky on July 1, said revenue would be flat for several years due to a decline in U.S. military spending and the fact that several larger foreign orders were not slated for delivery until 2014. ... Full Story Top Protest-hit Libyan oil terminals reopen: NOC Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:22 AM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Three major oil exporting terminals in eastern Libya shut down by political protests have restarted, and production blocked by the move has resumed, the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Sunday. Local militia on Thursday enforced a 48-hour stoppage to protest against Saturday's election of a national assembly they complain does not adequately represent Libya's eastern region, slated to get 60 of the 200 seats. The election, the first in a generation in the North African country, went ahead despite violent protests on the day. ... Full Story Top

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