Fears mix with tears of joy as Libyans rush to vote

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• Fears mix with tears of joy as Libyans rush to vote
• U.S. gives ally Afghanistan special security status
• At least 45 die in floods in Russia's Krasnodar region
• Ukraine bus crash kills 14 Russian pilgrims
• East Timor votes in parliamentary election
• Japan mulls buying disputed islands in East China Sea
• Free speech claims tossed in N.Irish "Troubles" case
• HK customs smash record South American cocaine syndicate
• Seven arrested in British anti-terrorism raids
• Libyans vote in 1st election after Gadhafi
• Afghanistan declared a major US non-NATO ally
• Israeli draft pits secular Jews vs. ultra-Orthodox
• US, allies press Assad as top Syrian general flees
• 5 injured in Spain's Pamplona running of the bulls
• Buddhist relics worth millions seized in Pakistan
• Romania president impeached amid EU, US concern
• Facts about Libya's nationwide elections
• Suicide bomber kills 7 at family gathering in Iraq
• Myanmar detains activists ahead of commemoration

Fears mix with tears of joy as Libyans rush to vote Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:42 AM PDT TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Libyans, some with tears of joy in their eyes, queued to vote in their first free national election in 60 years on Saturday, a poll designed to shake off the legacy of Muammar Gaddafi but which risks being hijacked by violence. Libyans will choose a 200-member assembly which will elect a prime minister and cabinet before laying the ground for full parliamentary elections next year under a new constitution. ...

U.S. gives ally Afghanistan special security status Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:08 PM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - Washington declared Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally on Saturday, a largely symbolic status reinforcing its message to Afghans that they will not be abandoned as the war winds down. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the decision, made by President Barack Obama, during her unannounced visit to Kabul where she met President Hamid Karzai on the eve of a major donors' conference in Tokyo which will draw pledges for aid. The status upgrade may help Afghanistan acquire U.S. defense supplies and have greater access to U.S. ...

At least 45 die in floods in Russia's Krasnodar region Posted: 07 Jul 2012 01:15 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least 45 people died in floods after torrential rains in Russia's Krasnodar region near the Black Sea, a spokesman for local police said on Saturday. "In Krymsk district 34 died, 11 more bodies were found in Novorossiisk and Gelendzhik. Police is beefing up its presence to prevent mass looting," spokesman Igor Zhelyabin said. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin)

Ukraine bus crash kills 14 Russian pilgrims Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:39 AM PDT KIEV (Reuters) - A bus carrying Russian pilgrims crashed in northern Ukraine on Saturday morning, killing 14 people, and injuring 22, Ukrainian and Russian Emergencies Ministries said. The bus, with 41 people on board, came off the road and rolled over near the city of Chernihiv at 5.30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT), the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said in a separate statement the passengers were pilgrims. The ministry was sending a plane to evacuate the injured, Interfax news agency reported. ...

East Timor votes in parliamentary election Posted: 07 Jul 2012 01:03 AM PDT DILI (Reuters) - East Timor voted on Saturday in a parliamentary election in which Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao's party faces a stiff challenge from two opponents as it seeks to extend its term at the helm of Asia's newest and one of its poorest nations. Gusmao told reporters he was confident his National Council of Timorese Resistance party (CNRT) would win 44 of 65 parliamentary seats on its platform of seeking foreign loans for infrastructure projects and expanding the amount of an oil fund used for the state budget beyond its current limit of 3 percent. ...

Japan mulls buying disputed islands in East China Sea Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:26 AM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Saturday that the government is considering buying islands in potentially gas rich territory claimed by both Japan and China, in a move likely to anger Beijing. The uninhabited islands in the East China Sea are known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Noda told reporters in the northeastern city of Iwaki that his government was in contact with the landowner about buying the islands when the lease expires next year. ...

Free speech claims tossed in N.Irish "Troubles" case Posted: 07 Jul 2012 01:09 AM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Researchers do not have free speech protections that would allow them to keep interviews with fighters from Northern Ireland's sectarian "Troubles" sealed, a U.S. Appeals Court ruled Friday, siding with prosecutors who want access to their papers. The decision could open an unsettling diplomatic process because material already released from the archive kept at Boston College has connected public figures to a notorious killing by the Irish Republican Army during the armed conflict, ended by a 1998 peace treaty. ...

HK customs smash record South American cocaine syndicate Posted: 06 Jul 2012 08:58 PM PDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - A joint operation by Hong Kong and U.S. authorities, nicknamed 'Surfing Coke', has helped net the city's largest cocaine haul, worth around HK$760 million ($98 million). In a statement released late on Friday, the Hong Kong government said its customs department had discovered 649 kg (1,425 pounds) of cocaine in a container shipped from Ecuador. Disguised as blocks of laurel wood, officers found 22 nylon bags containing a total of 541 slabs of cocaine, with each slab weighing about 1.2 kg. Three local men have been arrested and were to appear in court on Saturday. ...

Seven arrested in British anti-terrorism raids Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:44 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in Britain after weapons were found in a vehicle stopped on a motorway, police said on Friday, as security forces are on high alert ahead of the London Olympics. The vehicle was pulled over in a routine stop on the M1 motorway in South Yorkshire, northern England, on Saturday and impounded on suspicion of the driver having no insurance. The suspects were believed to be linked to militant Islamism and were still being questioned but it was unclear what they planned, a security source said. ...

Libyans vote in 1st election after Gadhafi Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:44 AM PDT Libyans started voting on Saturday in the first parliamentary election since last year's ouster and slaying of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, a major step forward in the country's tumultuous transition to democratic rule.

Afghanistan declared a major US non-NATO ally Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:26 PM PDT The Obama administration on Saturday declared Afghanistan the United States' newest "major non-NATO ally," an action designed to facilitate close defense cooperation after U.S. combat troops withdraw from the country in 2014 and as a political statement of support for Afghanistan's long-term stability.

Israeli draft pits secular Jews vs. ultra-Orthodox Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:12 AM PDT Deep in the heart of Mea Shearim, a Jerusalem bastion of hardline ultra-Orthodox Jews, hundreds of bearded young men in black suits have their noses burrowed into books, immersed in biblical study and oblivious to their surroundings.

US, allies press Assad as top Syrian general flees Posted: 06 Jul 2012 04:30 PM PDT A top Syrian general's defection is the first major crack in the upper echelons of President Bashar Assad's regime, buoying a 100-nation conference Friday meant to intensify pressure for his removal, as well as an opposition desperate to bring him down but frustrated by diplomatic efforts.

5 injured in Spain's Pamplona running of the bulls Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:49 AM PDT One thrill-seeker was gored in a leg and four others slightly injured as thousands of adrenaline-fueled runners raced ahead of six fighting bulls in the streets of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona in the first running of the bulls of this year's San Fermin festival, officials said Saturday.

Buddhist relics worth millions seized in Pakistan Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:14 AM PDT Pakistani officials say police have seized a large number of ancient Buddhist sculptures that smugglers were attempting to spirit out of the country.

Romania president impeached amid EU, US concern Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:44 PM PDT Romanian lawmakers impeached President Traian Basescu in an overwhelming vote Friday, paving the way for a national referendum that could see the divisive and increasingly unpopular leader ousted from the powerful position he's held for eight years.

Facts about Libya's nationwide elections Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:16 PM PDT Facts about Libya's Saturday election for a 200-member General National Congress, the first nationwide vote since the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi last year:

Suicide bomber kills 7 at family gathering in Iraq Posted: 06 Jul 2012 11:34 PM PDT Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has killed seven people at the home of a pro-government militiaman in the western city of Ramadi.

Myanmar detains activists ahead of commemoration Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:22 AM PDT More than 20 political activists were detained across Myanmar ahead of a planned commemoration Saturday of the 50th anniversary of a brutal military crackdown on students. Fellow activists said the detentions were proof that the government remains repressive despite the president's widely praised reforms.

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