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Tuesday, July 31, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Mexico charges generals suspected of drug gang ties Apple designer: iPhone crafters are "maniacal" Mexico accuses U.S. of price dumping on chicken Apple, Samsung launch salvos as smartphone trial heats up Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles: report Security in focus as Clinton begins Africa trip Eight killed during price protests in Sudan's Darfur Palestinians, Israel agree on revenue revamp U.N. General Assembly to meet on Syria crisis Russian opposition leader charged amid crackdown fears Seven Iranian aid workers abducted in Libya Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes Baghdad bombs kill 19, police battle suicide attackers Obama tightens sanctions on banks helping Iran sell oil Egypt denies Mursi letter sent to Israel Mercosur embraces Chavez despite protests from business Eight killed in clashes near Yemen Interior Ministry Al Qaeda decline hard to reverse after Bin Laden killing: U.S. Quebec premier set to call election for September 4: CBC Analysis: ASEAN path to economic union muddied by South China Sea Australia, UAE agreement paves way for uranium sales Sudan's Bashir turns down summit with South Sudan's Kiir India power cut hits millions, among world's worst outages Price protest leaves six dead in Sudan's Darfur Gaddafi son cannot get fair trial in Libya: lawyers Ghana central bank head named vice president New alliance further fractures Syria opposition Algerian "dirty war" general may face Swiss trial Arafat's widow asks France for murder probe Panetta praises Egypt leader for democracy resolve Egypt's Mursi frees Islamists jailed by Mubarak Panetta: no Iran attack plans to be discussed with Israel Global Islamic body urges aid to Myanmar Muslims U.N. renews Darfur peacekeeping mandate; Sudan annoyed Venezuela envoy killed in embassy "power play": police Myanmar reforms likely to continue: U.S. State Department official 22 PKK militants killed in Turkey clashes: TV Six killed during protest in Sudan's Darfur: official Iraq says will force out Iran dissident group Greece strips VIPs of police guards amid public anger Mexico charges generals suspected of drug gang ties Tue,31 Jul 2012 06:12 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico on Tuesday brought formal charges against three generals for alleged ties to drug cartels, in what is seen as the biggest armed-forces corruption case during President Felipe Calderon's administration. Retired Generals Tomas Angeles and Ricardo Escorcia, active General Roberto Dawe, along with Lieutenant Colonel Silvio Isidro de Jesus Hernandez, were detained two months ago as part of an investigation into their alleged links to the once-powerful Beltran Leyva drug cartel. ... Full Story Top Apple designer: iPhone crafters are "maniacal" Tue,31 Jul 2012 05:57 PM PDT Reuters - SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc's celebrated industrial design team is a group of around 16 "maniacal" individuals from all over the world who spend a lot of time brainstorming around a kitchen table. The world's most valuable technology corporation on Tuesday allowed a rare glimpse into a zealously guarded internal hardware design process that has produced some of the world's most celebrated consumer electronics. In a high-profile U.S. ... Full Story Top Mexico accuses U.S. of price dumping on chicken Tue,31 Jul 2012 05:07 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's economy ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of engaging in price dumping with its chicken exports, but said it would not be taking any action for now. In a statement, the ministry said it had concluded that U.S. exporters were guilty of engaging in an "unfair" trade practice with its sales of chicken legs and thighs to Mexico. It did not provide additional details of its findings. The ministry's foreign trade commission COCEX said it would not pursue retaliatory measures because of disruptions caused by a recent outbreak of bird flu in western Mexico. ... Full Story Top Apple, Samsung launch salvos as smartphone trial heats up Tue,31 Jul 2012 04:47 PM PDT Reuters - SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd told jurors that its products are not copycats of Apple Inc's iPhone but rather an example of legitimate American-style competition from the South Korean company. Lawyers for both tech giants faced off on Tuesday for opening statements in the highly anticipated U.S. patent trial, where Apple has accused Samsung of stealing iPhone features like scrolling and multi-touch. ... Full Story Top Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles: report Tue,31 Jul 2012 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rebels fighting to depose Syrian president Bashar al Assad have for the first time acquired a small supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to a news report that a Western official did not dispute. NBC News reported Tuesday night that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen of the weapons, which were delivered to them via neighboring Turkey, whose moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with increasing vehemence. Indications are that the U.S. ... Full Story Top Security in focus as Clinton begins Africa trip Tue,31 Jul 2012 04:04 PM PDT Reuters - DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Senegal on Tuesday, beginning a trip that will take her both to Africa's newest nation South Sudan and on a private visit to the continent's elder statesman, 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. While Clinton's public focus will be on Africa's democratic achievements and economic potential, the trip also underscores U.S. security ties in the face of growing threats - from Islamist militants to narcotics cartels. ... Full Story Top Eight killed during price protests in Sudan's Darfur Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Eight people were killed during a protest against rising prices in Sudan's western Darfur region on Tuesday, the worst violence since tough austerity measures were imposed last month, police said. Activists accused the police of using live ammunition to control the biggest anti-government protest since President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced a cut in fuel subsidies and other austerity measures. ... Full Story Top Palestinians, Israel agree on revenue revamp Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:38 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority and Israel agreed on a revamp of revenue collection that may help relieve the Palestinian government's deepening debt crisis, officials said on Tuesday. The aid-dependent Palestinian economy in the occupied West Bank is facing a deepening financial crisis due to a drop in aid from Western backers and wealthy Gulf states as well as Israeli restrictions on trade. ... Full Story Top U.N. General Assembly to meet on Syria crisis Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:38 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly said on Tuesday it will hold a meeting on the crisis in Syria this week and diplomats say it will likely vote on a Saudi-drafted resolution that condemns the Security Council for failing to take action against Damascus. The 193-nation assembly's press office said the meeting on Syria's 16-month-old conflict would occur at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday. U.N. ... Full Story Top Russian opposition leader charged amid crackdown fears Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:18 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was charged with theft on Tuesday and could face up to 10 years in jail in what Kremlin critics say is a growing crackdown on dissent by President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger who organized street protests that have dented Putin's authority, dismissed the charge as absurd and other opposition leaders accused Putin of using KGB-style tactics to try to silence his critics. ... Full Story Top Seven Iranian aid workers abducted in Libya Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:14 PM PDT Reuters - BENGHAZI, LIBYA (Reuters) - Seven Iranian aid workers were abducted on Tuesday by an unknown armed group in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, in the biggest operation of its kind against foreigners since the start of a revolt that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The seven men, from an Iranian Red Crescent relief mission, were snatched from their vehicle in the heart of Benghazi on their way back to their hotel, security sources told Reuters. The security sources said an investigation was underway to identify the kidnappers. ... Full Story Top Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT Reuters - ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian combat aircraft and artillery pounded Aleppo late into the night as the army battled for control of the country's biggest city, where rebel fighters said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had been forced to retreat. During the day on Tuesday large clouds of black smoke rose into the sky after attack helicopters turned their machineguns on eastern districts for the first time in the latest fighting and a MiG warplane later strafed the same area. After nightfall, Reuters journalists in Aleppo heard loud explosions somewhere near the city. ... Full Story Top Baghdad bombs kill 19, police battle suicide attackers Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:04 PM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twin car bombs hit central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people, and security forces fought off a separate attack inside a police station by two suicide bombers trying to free al Qaeda prisoners. The major assault underscored the seriousness of Iraq's struggle with insurgents more than seven months after the last U.S. troops left behind a country still grappling with political instability and sectarian tensions. ... Full Story Top Obama tightens sanctions on banks helping Iran sell oil Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions on Tuesday against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil and said the measure would increase pressure on Tehran for failing to meet its international nuclear obligations. Obama's decision, in an executive order, came ahead of congressional votes on new sanctions intended to further strip Iran of its oil-related revenues. It also followed criticism from Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney that the White House is failing to act strongly enough to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon. ... Full Story Top Egypt denies Mursi letter sent to Israel Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:02 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) - Israel said on Tuesday it had received a letter from Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi indicating he wanted to work for peace in the Middle East, but Mursi's office later denied sending it. An Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the denial was to be expected, due to the sensitivity of the issue. Israeli President Shimon Peres's office said earlier on Tuesday he had received a letter from the Muslim Brotherhood's Mursi, in the first such missive to Israel since Mursi took office at the end of last month. ... Full Story Top Mercosur embraces Chavez despite protests from business Tue,31 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - On his first foreign trip since undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba earlier this year, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hailed his country's welcome by fellow South American leaders into a troubled regional trade bloc on Tuesday. Ignoring criticism that Venezuela's entry could eventually cause greater dysfunction among the Mercosur trade bloc's members, Chavez cast the event as a continuation of his self-styled revolution and a sign of greater ascendance for South America as a whole. ... Full Story Top Eight killed in clashes near Yemen Interior Ministry Tue,31 Jul 2012 02:56 PM PDT Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Eight people were killed in fighting on Tuesday between Yemeni government forces and armed tribesmen loyal to former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh who were trying to storm the Interior Ministry in the capital Sanaa, a medical source said. Many other people were wounded in what was some of the heaviest fighting in Sanaa since Saleh signed a deal to relinquish power last year after months of protests against his 33-year rule, the source said. ... Full Story Top Al Qaeda decline hard to reverse after Bin Laden killing: U.S. Tue,31 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's death sent al Qaeda into a decline that will be hard to reverse, the United States said on Tuesday in a report that found terrorist attacks last year fell to their lowest level since 2005. Describing 2011 as a "landmark year," the United States said other top al Qaeda members killed last year included Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, reportedly the militant organization's No. 2 figure after bin Laden's death, and Anwar al-Awlaki, who led its lethal affiliate in Yemen. ... Full Story Top Quebec premier set to call election for September 4: CBC Tue,31 Jul 2012 02:24 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Quebec Premier Jean Charest intends to call a provincial election on Wednesday, with voters going to the polls on September 4, the French arm of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Radio Canada, said on Tuesday. The election will pit Charest's Liberals against the Parti Quebecois, which is running neck-and-neck in public support and which seeks independence for the French-speaking Canadian province. ... Full Story Top Analysis: ASEAN path to economic union muddied by South China Sea Tue,31 Jul 2012 02:06 PM PDT Reuters - JAKARTA (Reuters) - Discord in Southeast Asia over how to deal with Beijing's claims in the South China Sea comes as the region struggles to overcome competing national interests and form a European Union-style economic community by 2015. Political leaders and officials say the row may not directly affect plans by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the economic integration of countries ranging from wealthy Singapore to impoverished Myanmar. ... Full Story Top Australia, UAE agreement paves way for uranium sales Tue,31 Jul 2012 01:29 PM PDT Reuters - ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Australia and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement paving the way for sales of Australian uranium to the UAE's fledgling nuclear power program, officials said on Tuesday. "It is a commitment by the Australian government setting up conditions under which nuclear material will be supplied to the UAE," Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr told a news conference. "It sets up a framework under which we will become a reliable supplier of uranium to the UAE." UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said: "This is not a commercial agreement. ... Full Story Top Sudan's Bashir turns down summit with South Sudan's Kiir Tue,31 Jul 2012 01:17 PM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's president has turned down an invitation from the African Union to meet South Sudan's leader on Wednesday to move forward stalled talks to end hostilities, state news agency SUNA said on Tuesday. The neighbors came close to war when border fighting escalated in April, the worst violence since South Sudan declared its independence a year ago under a 2005 agreement that ended decades of civil war. ... Full Story Top India power cut hits millions, among world's worst outages Tue,31 Jul 2012 01:13 PM PDT Reuters - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hundreds of millions of people across India were left without power on Tuesday in one of the world's worst blackouts, trapping miners, stranding train travelers and plunging hospitals into darkness when grids collapsed for the second time in two days. Stretching from Assam, near China, to the Himalayas and the northwestern deserts of Rajasthan, the outage covered states where half of India's 1.2 billion people live and embarrassed the government, which has failed to build up enough power capacity to meet soaring demand. ... Full Story Top Price protest leaves six dead in Sudan's Darfur Tue,31 Jul 2012 12:42 PM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Six people were killed during a protest against rising prices in Sudan's western Darfur region on Tuesday, the worst violence since tough austerity measures were imposed last month, an official said. Activists accused the police of firing live ammunition at the biggest anti-government protest since President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced a cut in fuel subsidies and other austerity measures. Sudan has been mired in an economic crisis since South Sudan seceded a year ago, taking with it most of the crude oil production that is the lifeblood of both economies. ... Full Story Top Gaddafi son cannot get fair trial in Libya: lawyers Tue,31 Jul 2012 12:35 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam cannot get a fair trial in Libya and he claims if he is executed it would be tantamount to murder, his defense lawyers said on Tuesday in a filing to the International Criminal Court (ICC). "I am not afraid to die but if you execute me after such a trial you should just call it murder and be done with it," Saif al-Islam said, according to his lawyers, referring to a possible trial in Libya, where he is being detained by tribesmen. ... Full Story Top Ghana central bank head named vice president Tue,31 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT Reuters - ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama has chosen Central Bank Governor Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as his vice-president, a spokesman for Mahama told a local radio station on Tuesday. The nomination will now go before parliament's appointment committee for approval but the process is seen as a formality. The decision means Amissah-Arthur is likely to line up alongside Mahama as his running mate after the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party said that it will name him as its candidate in an election due at the end of the year. ... Full Story Top New alliance further fractures Syria opposition Tue,31 Jul 2012 11:59 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - A group of exiled Syrian activists announced a new opposition alliance on Tuesday that aims to form a transitional government - a challenge to the Syrian National Council (SNC), a longer established group that they said had failed. The launch of the "Council for the Syrian Revolution" marks the latest effort by Syria's divided opposition to forge a political alternative to President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are trying to put down a 16-month armed uprising. ... Full Story Top Algerian "dirty war" general may face Swiss trial Tue,31 Jul 2012 11:36 AM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Algeria's ex-military chief Khaled Nezzar very likely will be prosecuted on war crimes charges for his role in the bloody civil conflict of the 1990s, a Swiss legal body said on Tuesday. In a judgment released earlier in the day, Switzerland's top criminal court rejected claims from Nezzar that he could not be tried outside his home country for offences allegedly committed when he was defense minister there from 1990-1993. ... Full Story Top Arafat's widow asks France for murder probe Tue,31 Jul 2012 11:31 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Yasser Arafat's widow asked a French court on Tuesday to launch a murder probe into the death of the former Palestinian leader, after a report suggested he was poisoned by a radioactive element before his death in a Paris military hospital in 2004. "My husband died in an odd way. There are signs leading one to believe he was poisoned," Suha Arafat told Le Figaro daily. Arafat was flown to France in October 2004 from his battered headquarters in Ramallah where he had been effectively confined by Israel for more than two and a half years, after a sudden collapse in his health. ... Full Story Top Panetta praises Egypt leader for democracy resolve Tue,31 Jul 2012 11:23 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday he was convinced Egypt's new Islamist president was committed to democratic reform, promising that Washington would continue to provide the country's army with significant financial aid. Speaking after meeting Mohamed Mursi, the president, in Cairo for the first time as well as Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's top general, Panetta said he had used his meeting with Mursi to discuss issues such as border security and the threat from violent extremism. "I was convinced that President Mursi is his own man and ... ... Full Story Top Egypt's Mursi frees Islamists jailed by Mubarak Tue,31 Jul 2012 11:23 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi has freed a group of Islamists jailed for militancy during Hosni Mubarak's era a step seen as a gesture to hardliners who supported his presidential bid. A lawyer for 17 Islamists, many of them held since the 1990s, say they owe their release to a pardon issued by Mursi. At least three of the released Islamists had been condemned to death, said the lawyer Ibrahim Ali. ... Full Story Top Panetta: no Iran attack plans to be discussed with Israel Tue,31 Jul 2012 10:53 AM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta denied media reports on Tuesday that he would discuss possible military attack plans against Iran during a brief visit to Israel. Speaking at a press conference in Cairo shortly before departing for Israel, Panetta said he would be talking about "various contingencies", but said specific military plans would not be put forward. "I think it's the wrong characterization to say we are going to be discussing potential attack plans. What we are discussing are various contingencies and how we would respond," he said. ... Full Story Top Global Islamic body urges aid to Myanmar Muslims Tue,31 Jul 2012 10:41 AM PDT Reuters - JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a group of 57 member states, urged the Muslim community around the world to give political, humanitarian and financial aid to the victims of violence in northwest Myanmar. "This is a large humanitarian crisis but unfortunately the international and Muslim communities are mostly unaware of the dimensions," Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told a news conference on Tuesday. "In this holy month I call upon all the Muslims...to extend aid for this issue. ... Full Story Top U.N. renews Darfur peacekeeping mandate; Sudan annoyed Tue,31 Jul 2012 10:18 AM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council extended on Tuesday the mandate of the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan's conflict-torn western Darfur region, though Khartoum criticized the move for urging the troops to help capture a fugitive Ugandan warlord. The 15-nation council passed a British-drafted resolution extending the peacekeepers' mandate for another 12 months to July 31, 2013, with 14 votes in favor and none against. An envoy from Azerbaijan abstained from the vote, saying that his nation supported the force but had reservations about the text. ... Full Story Top Venezuela envoy killed in embassy "power play": police Tue,31 Jul 2012 10:08 AM PDT Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - Venezuela's top diplomat in Nairobi was killed at her home by three intruders and Kenyan police believe a struggle for power at the embassy was the motive, they said on Tuesday. Olga Fonseca, Venezuela's acting ambassador and charge d'affaires, was found strangled in her bed on Friday morning. Fonseca's embassy colleague, first secretary Dwight Sagaray, who was arrested on Saturday and brought before the High Court on Monday, will soon be formally charged as the main suspect, police said. "We think the murder was a power play.... ... Full Story Top Myanmar reforms likely to continue: U.S. State Department official Tue,31 Jul 2012 09:29 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top State Department official on Tuesday said he was optimistic Myanmar would stay on the path of political and economic reforms, but warned potential U.S. investors they face a complicated business environment there. "I do think from the conversations I've have had (with Myanmar leaders) that there is a general understanding if they were really to retreat from this, there would be a lot of social pressure against them," Under Secretary of State Robert Hormats told the Washington International Trade Association. ... Full Story Top 22 PKK militants killed in Turkey clashes: TV Tue,31 Jul 2012 09:28 AM PDT Reuters - ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Twenty-two Kurdish militants were killed during clashes in eastern Turkey over the last three days, CNN Turk television said on its website on Tuesday, adding to Ankara's concerns over gains by Kurdish groups in neighboring Syria. Fighting, including bombardment with helicopters and war planes, continued on the outskirts of the town of Semdinli, CNN Turk reported. ... Full Story Top Six killed during protest in Sudan's Darfur: official Tue,31 Jul 2012 09:28 AM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Six protesters were killed during an anti-government protest in Sudan's western Darfur region on Tuesday, a local government official said. Police used teargas and batons to end a protest of more than 1,000 people in Nyala, Darfur's biggest town, witnesses said. "Police contained the protest ... Six people were killed. An investigation is under way to find out the reason," said Buthina Mohamed Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the government of South Darfur to which Nyala belongs. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story Top Iraq says will force out Iran dissident group Tue,31 Jul 2012 09:27 AM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq on Tuesday told an Iranian dissident group that was given a base in Iraq by Saddam Hussein but is now out of favor with a government that is close to Iran that it must move out of the camp immediately or be forced to leave. Iraqi authorities have been locked in a protracted row with the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) over their plan to move 3,000 MEK members from Camp Ashraf to a large former U.S. military base - a step toward expelling the group from Iraqi territory. ... Full Story Top Greece strips VIPs of police guards amid public anger Tue,31 Jul 2012 09:26 AM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Thousands of police officers guarding Greek politicians and other VIPs will be redeployed to fight street crime, police said on Tuesday, in a move aimed at quelling public anger over the privileges of the ruling class in a near-bankrupt country. Ministers of the new government have already taken a 30 percent pay cut, as ordinary Greeks lament that they bear the brunt of painful austerity measures demanded by the EU and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a rescue. ... Full Story Top

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