Friday, July 20, 2012

Exclusive: Kim to reform North Korean economy after purge - source

Exclusive: Kim to reform North Korean economy after purge - source

Exclusive: Kim to reform North Korean economy after purge - source

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:13 AM PDT

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visits Kyongsang Kindergarten in PyongyangBEIJING (Reuters) - Impoverished North Korea is gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after young leader Kim Jong-un and his powerful uncle purged the country's top general for opposing change, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing said. The source added that the cabinet had created a special bureau to take control of the decaying economy from the military - one of the world's largest - which under Kim's father was given pride of place in running the country. ...

Syrian borders in rebel hands, battles in Damascus

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 06:38 PM PDT

Residents, who have fled their homes, gather in the center of DamascusAMMAN/CILVEGOZU, Turkey (Reuters) - Rebels seized control of sections of Syria's international borders and torched the main police headquarters in the heart of old Damascus, advancing relentlessly after the assassination of President Bashar al-Assad's closest lieutenants. The battle for parts of the capital raged into the early hours of Friday, with corpses piled in the streets. In some neighborhoods, residents said there were signs the government's presence was diminishing. ...

Attacks target Muslim leaders in Russia's Tatarstan

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 09:17 AM PDT

Russian investigators work near the scene of a car bomb blast in the city of KazanMOSCOW (Reuters) - The top Islamic official in Russia's largely Muslim Tatarstan region was wounded in a bomb attack and a deputy was killed in a separate shooting on Thursday, rocking a province long seen as a showcase of religious tolerance in Russia. President Vladimir Putin called for unity and condemned the attacks, which were carried out hours before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in Russia at sundown on Thursday. "Law enforcement bodies are doing everything to find, expose and punish the criminals," Putin said. ...

Owners of islands in Japan-China feud shun PM Noda's bid

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:15 AM PDT

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda speaks to the media at his official residence in TokyoTOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's effort to nationalize a chain of disputed islands long a source of friction between Japan and China faced rough going after the isles' owners said on Friday they would keep negotiating their sale to Tokyo's governor. The stance by the Kurihara family, which owns four of the five uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, complicates Noda's efforts to dampen friction between the two Asian giants over the islands, claimed by China, Taiwan and Japan and located near rich fishing grounds and potential gas and oil fields. ...

Iraq gets "positive" Obama response on Exxon concern

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT

File photo of Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaking during the opening ceremony of the Defence University for Military Studies inside BaghdadBAGHDAD/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday that U.S. President Barack Obama backed Baghdad's concerns over Exxon Mobil's oil deal with the Kurdistan region and had emphasized Washington's respect for the Iraqi constitution and laws. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued the statement as U.S. oil major Chevron Corp confirmed its purchase of 80 percent of two blocks in Kurdistan in a move that may infuriate the central Iraqi government, which wants all oil deals to pass through Baghdad. ...

Mass anti-austerity protests on Spanish streets

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:01 PM PDT

A demonstrator screams as riot police stand guard after a protest against government austerity measures in central MadridMADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards marched against the centre-right government's latest austerity measures on Thursday evening, following more than a week of demonstrations across the country. Parliament on Thursday approved a package of 65 billion euros ($80 billion) of spending cuts and tax hikes as part of measures to avert a full European bail-out, bringing more hardship in a severe economic downturn. ...

Mongolia coalition takes shape, fans fears of resource nationalism

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 08:30 PM PDT

ULAN BATOR (Reuters) - Mongolia's Democratic Party (DP), which failed to win enough seats in last month's elections to govern alone, has agreed to form a coalition with populist fringe parties in a move that could worry foreign investors, local media said. The broadly free-market DP won 31 of the 76 seats available in the June 28 poll, eight short of an overall majority, causing concern among foreign investors that the party would be forced to make concessions to the growing number of "resource nationalists" in the country's parliament. ...

U.S. says Iran ships using foreign flags to evade sanctions

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:40 PM PDT

To match Special Report IRAN/SMUGGLINGWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned the maritime industry on Thursday that Iranian ships were still using other country's flags in an attempt to evade Western sanctions against the country. Sierra Leone is the latest country to revoke its flag for a vessel controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which is on the U.S. blacklist for its involvement in Iran's weapons program. The United States and the European Union have implemented tough sanctions against Iran in an attempt to stop the country from acquiring nuclear weapons. The U.S. ...

U.S. Navy helicopter crashes in Oman, fate of crew unknown

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 09:44 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed in Oman on Thursday and the fate of its five crew members was unknown, the U.S. military said, even as it ruled out hostile activity. The helicopter, a MH-53E Sea Dragon, manufactured by United Technologies Corp's Sikorsky Aircraft unit, crashed 58 miles southwest of Muscat while flying a heavy load in support of the Omani government. "The crash was not due to any sort of hostile activity and the status of the five crew members is still being determined," said the statement from U.S. ...

Syrian opposition: 310 killed in deadliest day

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:12 AM PDT

Syrian activists say 310 people were killed across the country on Thursday in what was the single deadliest day of fighting since the beginning of the revolt against President Bashar Assad's regime.

Russia and China again veto Syria resolution

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 10:24 PM PDT

United Kingdom U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, far left, and United States U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice confer during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria at the United Nations in New York, Thursday, July 19, 2012. Russia and China have again vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution threatening non-military sanctions against Syria. Grant, who sponsored the resolution threatening non-military sanctions against Syria, said he was "appalled" at the third double veto by Russia and China, allies of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)Russia and China again vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution Thursday aimed at pressuring President Bashar Assad's government to end the escalating civil war in Syria, sparking dire warnings of even greater bloodshed and spillover to the wider region.

China rejects artist's lawsuit against tax office

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 12:25 AM PDT

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei, center, speaks to journalists after a verdict was announced in his lawsuit against the Beijing tax authorities in Beijing, China, Friday, July 20, 2012. A Beijing court on Friday rejected an appeal by artist and government critic Ai against a more than $2 million fine for tax evasion, which he says is part of an intimidation campaign to stop him from criticizing the government. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)A Beijing court on Friday rejected artist Ai Weiwei's lawsuit over a more than $2 million fine imposed on his company for tax evasion, a case he says is part of an intimidation campaign to stop him from criticizing the government.

Strikes and security trouble before UK games

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT

A member of police staff stands in front of CCTV screens in London's Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room in central London, Thursday, July 19, 2012. The room will be the police control room for the Olympic Games in the capital and is equipped with technology essential to the smooth running of the policing operation. This includes screens on which CCTV can be shown to provide views across the city. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)There's nearly a week to go before the Olympics kick off in London and British officials are stuck playing defense.

Egypt's ex-spy chief Omar Suleiman dies

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:16 PM PDT

FILE - In this Saturday, April 7, 2012 file photo, former Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman is escorted by police after he submitted his candidacy papers at the Higher Presidential Elections Commission, in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's state news agency says former spy chief and vice president Omar Suleiman died in US. Egypt's Middle East News Agency said on Thursday, July 19, 2012 in a brief statement that Suleiman died in a US hospital early this morning. It didn't give further details. (AP Photo, File)Democracy activists denounced plans for a military funeral honoring Egypt's former spy chief Omar Suleiman, who was the ousted President Hosni Mubarak's closest lieutenant, a key pillar of his authoritarian regime and holder of so many secrets he was known as "the black box."

Rebels kill 21 Syrian guards, overtake border post

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:51 PM PDT

Rebels attacked Syrian forces Thursday on two spots along the nation's porous border with Iraq, killing 21 soldiers and seizing control of one of the four major border posts, a senior Iraqi army official said.

Philippines says boy had deadly virus but recovers

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 11:46 PM PDT

A 19-month-old Filipino boy has been diagnosed as having had the same virus that's killed hundreds of children around Asia, but authorities say he has recovered.

Prosecutor: Bulgaria bomber tried to rent car

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:23 AM PDT

This image provided by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry Thursday July 19, 2012, shows a damaged bus following Wednesday's deadly suicide attack on a bus full of Israeli vacationers at the Burgas airport parking lot, Burgas, Bulgaria. The attack occurred shortly after the Israelis boarded a bus outside the airport in the Black Sea resort town of Burgas, a popular destination for Israeli tourists — particularly for high school graduates before they are drafted into military service. Burgas is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital, Sofia. (AP Photo/Bulgarian Interior Ministry)A Bulgarian prosecutor says the man who blew himself up on a bus full of Israeli tourists, killing himself and six others, had attempted to rent a car but was turned down because his ID appeared suspicious.

Mideast nations declare Friday start of Ramadan

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 04:29 PM PDT

A Bahraini man searches the sky over the Persian Gulf for the crescent moon in the western village of Karzakan, Bahrain, on Thursday, July 19, 2012. The new moon heralds the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer and charitable giving for Muslims worldwide. Bahrain announced Ramadan officially begins Friday in the kingdom. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)Religious authorities in most Middle Eastern countries declared that Friday will be the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a period devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and good deeds.

US Navy helicopter with 5 crew crashes in Oman

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT

A July 4, 2012 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter preparing to land on the flight deck aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce. The U.S. Navy says Thursday, July 19, 2012, that one of its MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters has crashed in the Gulf nation of Oman with five crew members aboard. No hostile activity is suspected. Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, says an investigation is under way into crash. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, MC2 Blake Midnight)A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed Thursday in the Gulf nation of Oman with five crew members aboard, according to the U.S. military.
Posted by Harshad at 1:43 AM

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