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Monday, July 30, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Army sergeant acquitted of negligent homicide in soldier's suicide Judge clears Arizona late-term abortion ban to take effect Japan flags China military's policy role as potential risk Factbox: Japan's military: well-armed but untested in battle Romney's foreign controversies overshadow economic message U.N. team to visit North Korea flood areas Key lawmakers reach deal on new Iran sanctions Giant panda delivers sixth cub at San Diego Zoo, breaks record Obama warns of economic "headwinds," sees euro surviving U.S. defense chief: Syria military must remain intact when Assad goes U.N. mission chief's convoy attacked in Syria: U.N.'s Ban Aleppo rebels say they stand firm in "regime's grave" Prosecutors turn to "extreme indifference" charge in Colorado shooting case Cardiff camp helps set Afghani Faisal free Layoff notices unneeded before end-of-year budget cuts: Labor Department Obama administration says states will join Medicaid expansion Romney riles Palestinians with digs at culture, economy Colorado shooting suspect charged with first-degree murder Mailers fret over post's looming payment default Survivors of crash that killed Cuba's Paya say it was accident Mississippi church's refusal to host black wedding sparks anger South Carolina's first gent deploying to Afghanistan Mali Islamists stone couple to death for adultery Polish Solidarity distances itself from Romney visit Yemen confirms Italian is detained by tribesmen Female punk band goes on trial in Russia for Putin protest Assange's mother says U.S. bent on extraditing WikiLeaks founder Pakistan to push for intelligence sharing at U.S. talks Olympics ticket broker to co-host Romney fundraiser Hosts beat Argentina amid Falklands row Deadlocked Congress running out of time to take big steps Army sergeant acquitted of negligent homicide in soldier's death A test for Tea Party in Texas Republican Senate runoff Tuesday U.S. sets duties on washers from Mexico, South Korea North Korea face U.S. in nuclear women's clash Egypt court move suspends constitution row Religious freedom in Egypt "quite tenuous": Clinton Russia to get stronger nuclear navy, Putin says Supreme Court may review case over DNA samples Democrats look to back gay marriage at convention Army sergeant acquitted of negligent homicide in soldier's suicide Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:54 PM PDT Reuters - WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - A military jury found a U.S. Army sergeant not guilty on Monday of negligent homicide in the death of a Chinese-American soldier who officials say killed himself in Afghanistan after enduring hazing and racial slurs. Sergeant Adam Holcomb, 30, was the first of eight soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based in Alaska to face a court-martial in connection with Private Danny Chen's death in October 2011. ... Full Story Top Judge clears Arizona late-term abortion ban to take effect Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:53 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - A federal judge refused on Monday to block an Arizona law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, saying it does not impose a "substantial obstacle" to the procedure, and cleared the way for the statute to take effect on Thursday. The ruling marked a stinging legal defeat for abortion-rights advocates who cited the Arizona law as the most extreme example of late-term abortion prohibitions enacted in more than half a dozen states, and they vowed to immediately appeal the decision. U.S. ... Full Story Top Japan flags China military's policy role as potential risk Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:32 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Tuesday flagged as a potential risk a possible rise in Chinese military's role in shaping Beijing's foreign policy and said aspiring nuclear power North Korea remained a serious regional threat under its new leader. In its annual defense white paper, Tokyo cited views that relations between China's army and the Communist Party were "getting complex" and said they were a matter of concern. It did not elaborate on how ties between the military and Party had changed. "This situation calls for attention as a risk management issue," the paper said. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Japan's military: well-armed but untested in battle Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:32 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan flagged as a potential risk a possible rise in China's military's role in shaping Beijing's foreign policy in its latest defense white paper on Tuesday, and said North Korea remained a serious regional threat under its new leader. Following are some facts about Japan's military. SIZE AND CAPABILITIES Japan has a standing military of about 225,000 personnel, about one-tenth of China's and one-fifth of North Korea's, but bigger than that of Britain. ... Full Story Top Romney's foreign controversies overshadow economic message Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:23 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney's campaign tried to keep the domestic political focus on the U.S. economy and jobs on Monday, although the effort was overshadowed by more controversy from a foreign trip after he made remarks that upset Palestinians. Hoping to take advantage of President Barack Obama's "you didn't build that" comment, Romney's campaign sent teams of high-profile supporters to 18 events in a dozen swing states to hammer home its message that Obama is an anti-business lover of big government. ... Full Story Top U.N. team to visit North Korea flood areas Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:22 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - A United Nations team will visit North Korea from Tuesday to assess damage caused by recent floods, with a view to developing an aid plan, a U.N. official told Reuters on Monday. The team will include some U.N. workers already in North Korea, said Christopher de Bono, chief of communications for East Asia and the Pacific for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The planned trip follows a meeting between U.N. and North Korean officials on Monday, at which Pyongyang presented its assessment of the damage, he said without elaborating on the meeting. ... Full Story Top Key lawmakers reach deal on new Iran sanctions Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:17 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers are a step closer to finalizing new sanctions aimed at further restricting Iran's oil revenues after negotiators from the Senate and House of Representatives agreed on a compromise bill on Monday. If passed, the sanctions would add further pressure on top of penalties imposed by the United States and European Union earlier this year on countries that fail to slash purchases of Iranian oil - sanctions the West hopes will prevent Tehran from building nuclear weapons. ... Full Story Top Giant panda delivers sixth cub at San Diego Zoo, breaks record Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:12 PM PDT Reuters - SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The most prolific giant panda in captivity outside of China, Bai Yun, has proved her mettle yet again with the delivery of her sixth live cub at the San Diego Zoo - an unnamed baby panda that weighed about 4 ounces (113 grams) at birth. Bai Yun, who gave birth on Sunday, was the first giant panda born in captivity in China, where giant pandas are an endangered species. The 20-year-old panda's pregnancy was considered high risk because of her age, according to zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons. ... Full Story Top Obama warns of economic "headwinds," sees euro surviving Mon,30 Jul 2012 06:01 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned on Monday the U.S. economy would face continuing "headwinds" over the next few months, with Europe's debt crisis still posing a challenge, but predicted the euro zone and its currency would remain intact. "I don't think ultimately that the Europeans will let the euro unravel but they are going to have to take some decisive steps," Obama said at a campaign fundraiser in New York. "I am spending an enormous amount of time trying to work with them, and (Treasury Secretary) Tim Geithner is trying to work with them," he said. ... Full Story Top U.S. defense chief: Syria military must remain intact when Assad goes Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:55 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Government forces in Syria should be held together when President Bashar al-Assad is forced from power, the U.S. defense secretary said on Monday, warning that the mistakes of the Iraq war must not be repeated. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in an interview with CNN during a visit to Tunisia, said maintaining stability in Syria would be important under any scenario that sees Assad leave power. "I think it's important when Assad leaves, and he will leave, to try to preserve stability in that country," Panetta said. ... Full Story Top U.N. mission chief's convoy attacked in Syria: U.N.'s Ban Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:55 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The convoy of Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye, head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria, was attacked over the weekend and only the vehicles' armor prevented injuries, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday. "Yesterday the convoy of General Gaye was attacked by armed attacks," Ban told reporters in New York, according to a transcript of his remarks issued by the U.N. press office. "Fortunately there were no injuries." He gave no further details about the attack, though U.N. ... Full Story Top Aleppo rebels say they stand firm in "regime's grave" Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:55 PM PDT Reuters - ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian military has stepped up its campaign to drive rebels out of Aleppo, where fighters said they were holding firm, vowing to turn the country's largest city into the "grave of the regime". Opposition activists denied a government declaration that its forces had recaptured the Salaheddine district, in southwest Aleppo, straddling the most obvious route for Syrian troop reinforcements coming from the south. ... Full Story Top Prosecutors turn to "extreme indifference" charge in Colorado shooting case Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:37 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Colorado prosecutors are taking advantage of a well-used tool that legal experts say could help ensure a conviction of the former graduate student accused of opening fire at a midnight showing of the new "Batman" film: the charge of murder with extreme indifference. For each of the victims of the shooting spree in a Denver suburb that left 12 people dead and 58 wounded, prosecutors charged James Holmes with two murder counts - one standard first-degree murder charge, plus one count of murder with extreme indifference. ... Full Story Top Cardiff camp helps set Afghani Faisal free Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:35 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Afghan boxer Ajmal Faisal did not think he would make it to the London Olympics - his training sessions were prohibitively expensive and more often than not restricted by Taliban or political party opposition. Yet on Monday Faisal became Afghanistan's sole representative at the boxing arena and only its second Games fighter since U.S. forces began bombing the country in retaliation against its Taliban rulers' refusal to hand over the al Qaeda leaders responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks. ... Full Story Top Layoff notices unneeded before end-of-year budget cuts: Labor Department Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:31 PM PDT Reuters - Washington (Reuters) - The Obama administration told defense contractors on Monday they would not have to issue notices just before the November presidential election warning workers of potential layoffs due to looming budget cuts. The Labor Department advisory said the circumstances surrounding the planned cuts were too uncertain to require defense and other federal contractors to comply with provisions of a law requiring employees to be notified 60 days before major layoffs or plant closures. Under current law, the U.S. ... Full Story Top Obama administration says states will join Medicaid expansion Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:30 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday said it expects that U.S. states will eventually join its planned expansion of the Medicaid healthcare program as they evaluate the benefits of providing health coverage to more low-income people. U.S. ... Full Story Top Romney riles Palestinians with digs at culture, economy Mon,30 Jul 2012 05:25 PM PDT Reuters - RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians accused U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney of racism on Monday by suggesting disparities between the Israeli and Palestinian economies had cultural roots, while ignoring Israel's occupation of the West Bank. In a speech to fundraisers in Jerusalem, Romney, visiting Israel to boost his electoral credentials ahead of a November 6 election bid against President Barack Obama, said Israel's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was about twice that of the Palestinians. ... Full Story Top Colorado shooting suspect charged with first-degree murder Mon,30 Jul 2012 04:57 PM PDT Reuters - CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - The former graduate student accused of opening fire at a midnight screening of the new "Batman" film in Colorado, killing 12 people, was charged on Monday with 24 counts of first-degree murder, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. James Holmes, who was arrested behind a suburban Denver multiplex minutes after the July 20 shooting at a packed showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," also faces 116 counts of attempted murder in one of the worst outbursts of U.S. gun violence in recent years. ... Full Story Top Mailers fret over post's looming payment default Mon,30 Jul 2012 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mail industry companies are concerned about a looming default by the Postal Service on a $5.5 billion payment for future retiree health benefits, saying it adds to uncertainty about agency and helps speed the movement away from traditional mail. The Postal Service has said for months that it could not afford to make the massive payment, which was originally due in 2011 but was delayed by Congress until August 1. Congress has so far made no significant push to delay the health pre-payment again. ... Full Story Top Survivors of crash that killed Cuba's Paya say it was accident Mon,30 Jul 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - Two European politicians who survived a car crash that killed prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya said on Monday that no other vehicle was involved and denied suggestions they had been deliberately forced off the road. Their versions appeared to support the Cuban government's description of the accident, contradicting suggestions by Paya's family and some fellow dissidents that another vehicle may have hit the car from behind to cause the crash. They have called for an international investigation. ... Full Story Top Mississippi church's refusal to host black wedding sparks anger Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:51 PM PDT Reuters - TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - A predominantly white church in Mississippi, a state with a long history of racial divisions, has stirred racial tensions after refusing to host the wedding of a black couple who had regularly attended its services. The Reverend Stan Weatherford of First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, a small community in southern Mississippi, told the couple their wedding plans made some congregants uncomfortable, according to Barbara Mack, a longtime church member. ... Full Story Top South Carolina's first gent deploying to Afghanistan Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:49 PM PDT Reuters - CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - The soldier husband of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is deploying to Afghanistan for a year-long stint that begins in January, the governor's office said on Monday. It will be the first overseas deployment for First Lieutenant Michael Haley, 42, who joined the Army National Guard in 2006. "This deployment is the reason I joined the National Guard," he said in a statement. "It is important to me to be able to give back." Nikki Haley, a Republican, was elected governor in 2010. ... Full Story Top Mali Islamists stone couple to death for adultery Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:30 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - An al Qaeda-linked Islamic militant group in control of northern Mali stoned to death a married couple accused of engaging in extramarital affairs, the group's spokesman said. The couple were publicly executed in the remote town of Aguelhok, near the vast West African nation's northern border with Algeria, on Sunday, a spokesman for the Ansar Dine group told Reuters. "These two people were married and had extra-conjugal relations. Our men on the ground in Aguelhok applied sharia (Islamic law)," said Sanda Ould Bounama, reached by telephone on Monday. ... Full Story Top Polish Solidarity distances itself from Romney visit Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:24 PM PDT Reuters - GDANSK, Poland (Reuters) - Solidarity, the trade union movement which led the Polish struggle against communist rule, distanced itself on Monday from a visit to Poland by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, saying he supported attacks on unions in his own country. Romney was in Poland on the third and final leg of a tour aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials and demonstrating that he would be a viable alternative to President Barack Obama on the world stage. ... Full Story Top Yemen confirms Italian is detained by tribesmen Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:14 PM PDT Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - An Italian embassy security officer who was kidnapped in Yemen on Sunday was seized by tribesmen and is being detained in the oil-producing province of Maarib, Yemen's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. The abductors are demanding compensation for the arrest of one of their relatives and the return of land they say they own in the capital Sanaa, a tribal source told Reuters. The incident highlights continuing instability in Yemen five months after former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was formally replaced by his deputy under a plan designed to forestall a slide into lawlessness. ... Full Story Top Female punk band goes on trial in Russia for Putin protest Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:04 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three members of a Russian female punk band went on trial on Monday, facing up to seven years in jail for protesting against Vladimir Putin inside a Moscow cathedral, a prosecution they said was aimed at spreading fear and silencing dissent. The trial of the women from the band "Pussy Riot" is being seen as a test of the longtime leader's tolerance of opposition at the start of his third presidential term. ... Full Story Top Assange's mother says U.S. bent on extraditing WikiLeaks founder Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:03 PM PDT Reuters - QUITO (Reuters) - Julian Assange's mother said she handed evidence to Ecuador's government on Monday indicating Washington is bent on extraditing her son to the United States, where she fears the WikiLeaks founder could face execution. Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for nearly six weeks as he awaits a decision on his asylum request by the leftist government of Rafael Correa. The Australian anti-secrecy campaigner, who antagonized Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published secret U.S. ... Full Story Top Pakistan to push for intelligence sharing at U.S. talks Mon,30 Jul 2012 03:03 PM PDT Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan's spy chief will call for an end to U.S. military drone strikes in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and push for a sharing of technology and intelligence during a visit to Washington this week, the country's interior minister said on Monday. But indications are that Islamabad's demands for a halt to drone attacks may receive a less-than-sympathetic hearing from top Obama administration officials. ... Full Story Top Olympics ticket broker to co-host Romney fundraiser Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Olympics ticket broker whose company apologized last week for distribution problems at the London Games is co-hosting a fundraiser for Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Indiana this week. An invitation to the fundraiser in Evansville, Indiana, scheduled for Saturday, lists Sead Dizdarevic, founder and owner of the ticket-selling companies Jet Set Sports and CoSport, as one of 24 "event co-chairs. ... Full Story Top Hosts beat Argentina amid Falklands row Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:50 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain beat Argentina 4-1 on Monday in a physical but fair match between two teams who said they blocked out any rivalry stemming from a dispute between the nations over a tiny south Atlantic archipelago 30 years ago. Despite several tough tackles, some strong words, and a total of five time suspensions between two and 10 minutes, not unusual in hockey, it remained a fair match. Athletes playing in front of roaring British spectators, who chanted "Rule Britannia", afterwards glossed over the heightened media attention due to the politics of the game. ... Full Story Top Deadlocked Congress running out of time to take big steps Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:49 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress is limping toward what some see as a not-so-deserved five-week vacation starting on Friday, dimming hopes it will complete work on many or any of the major issues confronting it, from taxes, agriculture, and trade with Russia to cyber security and postal service reform. Campaigning, not legislating, appears to weigh most heavily on the minds of congressional Republicans and Democrats in the run-up to the November 6 elections to pick the next president, 435 members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the 100-member Senate. ... Full Story Top Army sergeant acquitted of negligent homicide in soldier's death Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:36 PM PDT Reuters - WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - A military jury found a U.S. Army sergeant not guilty on Monday of negligent homicide in the death of a Chinese-American soldier who officials say killed himself in Afghanistan after enduring hazing and racial slurs. Sergeant Adam Holcomb, 30, was the first of eight soldiers to face a court-martial in connection with Private Danny Chen's death in October 2011. ... Full Story Top A test for Tea Party in Texas Republican Senate runoff Tuesday Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:34 PM PDT Reuters - AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The conservative Tea Party movement is hoping former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz topples establishment Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst in a fiercely competitive Republican primary runoff for an open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday. A poll released over the weekend by the Democratic survey group Public Policy Polling showed Cruz ahead by 10 percentage points, 52 percent to 42 percent, an increase from a five-point lead two weeks earlier. The automatic telephone survey of likely Republican runoff voters, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3. ... Full Story Top U.S. sets duties on washers from Mexico, South Korea Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday set preliminary anti-dumping duties on about $1 billion worth of residential washing machines from Mexico and South Korea in a case brought by American manufacturer Whirlpool. The department estimated Mexico manufacturers were selling the washers in the United States at prices 33.30 percent to 72.41 percent below fair value. It said South Korean producers were undercutting prices by 9.62 percent to 82.41 percent. In an odd twist, one of the two Mexican manufacturers hit with the 72.41 percent preliminary duty was Whirlpool itself. ... Full Story Top North Korea face U.S. in nuclear women's clash Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:13 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - North Korea face the United States in an Olympic women's soccer match on Tuesday that will pit the hermit state against the global superpower it has loathed since they fought a Cold War conflict six decades ago. The hostility is very much a live issue in world diplomacy, with Washington intent on frustrating the North's nuclear armaments ambitions. In 2002, President George W. Bush branded North Korea part of an "axis of evil", along with Iran and Iraq. ... Full Story Top Egypt court move suspends constitution row Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:03 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The struggle over Egypt's new constitution was temporarily suspended on Monday when a court deferred until late September the next step in a legal row that had threatened the dissolution of the body writing it. The adjournment of a battle that has overshadowed one of the main components of Egypt's transition to democracy after the Arab Spring uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak could give the current constitutional assembly time to complete its work. ... Full Story Top Religious freedom in Egypt "quite tenuous": Clinton Mon,30 Jul 2012 02:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Religious freedom in Egypt appears to be "quite tenuous" and its government has failed to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of sectarian violence, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday. Clinton made the comment as the State Department released a report that found a marked deterioration in religious freedom in China, where official interference with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries may have contributed to a dozen self-immolations. ... Full Story Top Russia to get stronger nuclear navy, Putin says Mon,30 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT Reuters - SEVERODVINSK, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin oversaw the start of construction of one of Russia's newest generation submarines on Monday and vowed to boost nuclear naval forces to safeguard the country's position as a leading sea power. Warning that its navy would protect top energy producer Russia's interests in the oil-rich Arctic, Putin led the ceremony to begin building the submarine Prince Vladimir, named after the ruler who founded a precursor state to modern Russia. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court may review case over DNA samples Mon,30 Jul 2012 01:42 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The Supreme Court signaled on Monday that it may review whether law enforcement officials may collect DNA samples from people who have been accused, but not convicted, of serious crimes. Chief Justice John Roberts put on hold an April 24 decision by a divided Maryland Court of Appeals overturning the 2010 rape conviction of Alonzo Jay King. A lower court had sentenced King to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was arrested for assault in 2009 and police used his DNA to link him to an unsolved 2003 rape. ... Full Story Top Democrats look to back gay marriage at convention Mon,30 Jul 2012 01:37 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic Party is aiming to include support for gay marriage in its party platform this year for the first time in its history, a Democratic source said on Monday. The platform drafting committee unanimously approved language on Sunday endorsing same-sex marriage among the policy positions that will be presented to the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where President Barack Obama will formally accept the party's nomination in early September to run for re-election. ... Full Story Top

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