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Sunday, July 8, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Taiwan island votes yes for first casino resort Saudi police arrest prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric Church of England seen delaying women bishop vote 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 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 Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to U.S. Congo rebels seize strategic eastern town Mexican electoral officials confirm Pena Nieto win Putin seeks answers after deadly southern Russia floods Yemeni soldiers free officer they abducted Egypt army meets to discuss presidential decree Italy's Monti hits back at critical employers Clinton: Syria must end violence to avoid "catastrophic assault" Protest-hit Libyan oil terminals reopen: NOC Peace envoy Annan arrives in Damascus-Reuters witness Netanyahu moves to end religious military exemptions Sudan protesters teargassed, politician arrested Dutch populists suffer, economy displaces immigration Donors offer $16 billion Afghan aid at Tokyo conference U.S., Pakistan ties still raise tough questions: Clinton France, Germany celebrate friendship amid crisis Syria tests missiles against coastal attack Cash-strapped Italians ignore summer sales Italy PM: Euro zone must tackle high bond yields Norway oil pay talks fail again, shutdown looms Russian port resumes operations after flood Italy PM: Eurogroup must tackle higher euro zone spreads Italy PM: include non-euro states in European integration Eni blames sabotage for Nigeria oil spillage Taiwan island votes yes for first casino resort Sun,8 Jul 2012 05:27 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A referendum in a small island group on Saturday has paved the way for Taiwan's first casino, welcome news for global gambling companies keen to expand in Asia's fast growing casino industry. Almost 57 percent of Matsu's voters opted in favor of government plans to build a casino, Taiwanese media reported. Las Vegas players including Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts have been among the many companies keen on setting up a resort in Taiwan given its close proximity to China and large markets such as Korea and Japan. ... 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 Church of England seen delaying women bishop vote Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - YORK, England (Reuters) - The Church of England looks set to delay its final vote on the consecration of women as bishops following a campaign to scupper it by supporters angry at a last-minute concession to traditionalists. Positions have become so entrenched at the church's General Synod, or parliament, in York, northern England, that an adjournment seems the most likely outcome during Monday's debate, resulting in the amendment being sent back to the House of Bishops to think again. ... 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 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 02:45 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 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 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 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 Putin seeks answers after deadly southern Russia floods Sun,8 Jul 2012 11:58 AM PDT Reuters - KRYMSK, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into accusations that officials could have done more to prevent floods killing at least 150 people in southern Russia, hoping to limit the criticism that has followed earlier disasters. Putin moved quickly to visit Krymsk - the worst-hit town - on Saturday and promised compensation for victims the day after water rose above head-height in some houses and turned streets into raging torrents. ... 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 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 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 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 Peace envoy Annan arrives in Damascus-Reuters witness Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:21 AM PDT Reuters - DAMASCUS (Reuters) - International peace envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, a day after admitting that his peace plan had so far failed to end 16 months of bloodshed. Annan arrived with deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad at the Dama Rose hotel in the capital, where United Nations observers have been staying since suspending their patrols because of a steep increase in the level of violence. (Reporting by Marwan Makdessi; Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Tim Pearce) Full Story Top Netanyahu moves to end religious military exemptions Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:18 AM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the go-ahead on Sunday to reforms that would end the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from compulsory military service, in an about-face hours after 20,000 Israelis marched for change. Military service is a highly emotive issue for Israelis, most of whom start a two or three-year service at the age of 18. Many are also called up for reserve duty. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men are exempt to allow them to pursue religious studies. "Everyone must bear the burden. ... Full Story Top Sudan protesters teargassed, politician arrested Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Police in Sudan fired teargas at university student protesters in Khartoum on Sunday after authorities arrested an opposition politician the day before, in the latest crackdown on public dissent against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The Arab-African country has so far avoided the sort of mass unrest that overthrew rulers in Egypt and Tunisia last year, but small anti-government demonstrations have broken out over the last three weeks, driven by rising anger over austerity measures and Bashir's 23 years in power. ... Full Story Top Dutch populists suffer, economy displaces immigration Sun,8 Jul 2012 08:03 AM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - As the Netherlands heads for a general election, barely a day passes without a mention of "Henk and Ingrid", or Mr and Mrs Average, in a political debate that has revolved around the economy and the euro zone debt crisis. The invention of populist politician Geert Wilders - who heads the anti-immigration, anti-euro Freedom Party - this mythical couple attracted a different kind of notoriety after a real Dutch Henk, with a wife called Ingrid, killed a Turkish immigrant, prompting commentators to warn that populism can backfire. ... Full Story Top Donors offer $16 billion Afghan aid at Tokyo conference Sun,8 Jul 2012 07:25 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Major donors pledged on Sunday to give Afghanistan $16 billion in development aid through 2015 as they try to prevent it from sliding back into chaos when foreign troops leave, but demanded reforms to fight widespread corruption. Donor fatigue and war weariness have taken their toll on how long the global community is willing to support Afghanistan and there are concerns about security following the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014 if financial backing is not secured. "Afghanistan's security cannot only be measured by the absence of war," U.S. ... Full Story Top U.S., Pakistan ties still raise tough questions: Clinton Sun,8 Jul 2012 07:08 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S.-Pakistani relationship remains challenging for both despite the reopening of Pakistani land routes to resupply U.S. troops in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday. Clinton last week apologized for a November NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and Islamabad responded by reopening the overland supply routes that are crucial to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. The supply route deal removed one headache, but ties are likely to remain strained by other differences. These include Pakistan's opposition to U.S. ... Full Story Top France, Germany celebrate friendship amid crisis Sun,8 Jul 2012 06:34 AM PDT Reuters - REIMS, France (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany joined in a symbolic celebration of unity on Sunday, hailing a relationship that has brought peace to Europe for 50 years but must now prove it can survive its most serious crisis to date. Taking a pause from more than two years of constant crisis management that has strained Franco-German ties, President Francois Hollande welcomed his German counterpart, Chancellor Angela Merkel, to the city of Reims in eastern France. ... Full Story Top Syria tests missiles against coastal attack Sun,8 Jul 2012 06:16 AM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's navy fired live missiles from ships and helicopters over the weekend, state media said on Sunday, in an exercise aiming at showcasing its ability to "defend Syria's shores against any possible aggression". Syrian television aired video of a variety of missiles being fired from launchers on land and from ships and showed the Syrian Defence Minister Dawud Abdallah Rahijia in attendance. ... Full Story Top Cash-strapped Italians ignore summer sales Sun,8 Jul 2012 06:12 AM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Sales on the opening day of summer discounts in Italian stores slumped compared with last year, consumer group Codacons said, as shoppers struggle to cope with tax rises, recession, stagnant wages and unemployment. Saturday's sales figures were down about 15 percent on average, Codacons said. Small shops suffered most, reporting drops of up to 25 percent, while malls and outlets recorded declines of between 5 and 8 percent. ... Full Story Top Italy PM: Euro zone must tackle high bond yields Sun,8 Jul 2012 06:11 AM PDT Reuters - AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday the return of sovereign bond yields to danger levels last seen before the European Union summit in June is a concern and needs to be addressed by eurozone finance ministers. Yields on Spain's 10-year debt rose back above the 7 percent on Friday as the impact from a EU summit last week faded while Italy has also seen its yields surge above 6 percent. ... Full Story Top Norway oil pay talks fail again, shutdown looms Sun,8 Jul 2012 05:40 AM PDT Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - Negotiations between Norway's offshore oil workers and employers over pay and pensions failed for a third time on Sunday, risking a total shutdown of oil and gas production from Tuesday, both sides involved in the talks said. The Norwegian oil industry association (OLF) and labor unions said they still could not agree on an early retirement option for about 7,000 offshore workers, the main sticking point in the dispute. "The strike goes on. ... Full Story Top Russian port resumes operations after flood Sun,8 Jul 2012 05:28 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port, a major outlet for oil and grain exports from Russia, was able to resume full operations on Sunday after deadly floods and landslides in the area forced a halt to loadings, an official at the port operator said. Scheduled loadings were proceeding normally, the official said. "The ships that were scheduled (to load in Novorossiisk on Sunday) have already entered port," Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port's deputy chief executive for communications, Mikhail Sidorov, said by telephone. ... Full Story Top Italy PM: Eurogroup must tackle higher euro zone spreads Sun,8 Jul 2012 05:27 AM PDT Reuters - AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday the return of sovereign bond yields to levels last seen before the EU summit in June is a concern and needs to be addressed by euro zone finance ministers. "The wide level of the spreads on the sovereign debt of several euro zone member states is a concern for the financial stability of the euro zone," Monti said at a news briefing on the sidelines of a conference in southern France. "I believe it is also a concern for the efficient transmission of monetary policy throughout the euro area," he added. ... Full Story Top Italy PM: include non-euro states in European integration Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:58 AM PDT Reuters - AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday that European integration should not only be based on the countries sharing the euro currency, but should also include other EU members such as Britain and Poland. "I'm a bit uncertain whether we should really try to pursue a more cohesive European economic and political process simply based on the euro zone," Monti told a conference in Aix-en-Provence, in southern France. "I know in France that is a widely held view, but I have reservations. ... Full Story Top Eni blames sabotage for Nigeria oil spillage Sun,8 Jul 2012 04:54 AM PDT Reuters - MILAN/YENAGOA (Reuters) - Italian oil major Eni said on Sunday there has been an oil spill on its Nembe-Obama pipeline in Nigeria's onshore Niger Delta due to sabotage. "Repair work has started. The wells of Nembe South have been closed with minimal impact on production," a spokesman for the company said. In 2009, Eni said its net output in Africa's biggest oil producer was 128,000 barrels per day (bpd). Sabotage of foreign oil company's infrastructure in the Niger Delta has reduced since an amnesty for militants in 2009, but there has been a surge in oil theft in the region this year. ... Full Story Top

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