| Bulgaria says suicide bomber blew up airport bus Posted: 19 Jul 2012 04:51 PM PDT  BURGAS, Bulgaria (Reuters) - A suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed seven people in a bus transporting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the interior minister said on Thursday, and Israel said Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants were to blame. Iran denied it was behind Wednesday's attack at Burgas airport, a popular gateway for tourists visiting the Black Sea coast. Video surveillance footage showed the bomber was similar in appearance to tourists arriving at the airport, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said. ...
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| Attacks target Muslim leaders in Russia's Tatarstan Posted: 19 Jul 2012 09:17 AM PDT  MOSCOW (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. ...
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| Iraq gets "positive" Obama response on Exxon concern Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT  BAGHDAD/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. ...
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| Mass anti-austerity protests on Spanish streets Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:01 PM PDT  MADRID (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. ...
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| U.S. says Iran ships using foreign flags to evade sanctions Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (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. ...
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| 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. ... |
| Million Yemen children face severe malnutrition Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:49 PM PDT SANAA (Reuters) - One million Yemeni children face severe malnutrition within months as families struggle to pay for food in one of the Arab world's poorest countries, the U.N. World Food Programme has warned. Political turmoil has pushed Yemen to the brink of a humanitarian crisis and aid agencies estimate half the country's 24 million people are malnourished. ... |
| Analysis: Egyptian leader looks abroad to win influence at home Posted: 19 Jul 2012 12:28 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - An early diplomatic offensive by Egypt's new Islamist president makes it harder for an army-led establishment to portray him on the international stage as a threat to foreign powers. At home though, it may do little to curb the influence of the generals and help Mursi assert himself as head of state. Egypt's long-standing allies Saudi Arabia and the United States are unwilling to challenge the army's role as self-appointed protector of Egypt, which it uses to justify continued control over national security and a future constitution. ...
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| Ruling party joins money laundering charges in Mexico vote Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:08 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling conservatives on Thursday lent their support to accusations that President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto benefited from laundered money in his campaign, piling more pressure on the country's next leader. Gustavo Madero, chairman of the National Action Party (PAN) of outgoing President Felipe Calderon, told reporters he was presenting a legal complaint about money laundering to the federal attorney general's office. "Any money coming from illicit sources can be laundered money,' Madero said. ...
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| Syria's Assad appears on TV after bombing Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:55 PM PDT  Syrian President Bashar Assad made his first appearance Thursday since a bomb killed some of his top lieutenants, looking calm and composed on state TV even as his forces turned parts of Damascus into combat zones and rebels seized two of the country's border crossings.
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| Police seek bomber identity, Israel blames Iran Posted: 19 Jul 2012 03:04 PM PDT  He looked like any other impatient tourist checking the big board at airport arrivals: a lanky, long-haired man in a baseball cap with his hands in the pockets of his plaid Bermuda shorts, a bulky backpack hanging from his shoulders.
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| Strikes and security trouble before UK games Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT  There's nearly a week to go before the Olympics kick off in London and British officials are stuck playing defense.
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| Egypt's ex-spy chief Omar Suleiman dies Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:16 PM PDT  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."
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| 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. |
| Russia and China again veto Syria resolution Posted: 19 Jul 2012 04:32 PM PDT  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.
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| US Navy helicopter with 5 crew crashes in Oman Posted: 19 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT  A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed Thursday in the Gulf nation of Oman with five crew members aboard, according to the U.S. military.
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| Famine anniversary: Somalis dying on food walks Posted: 19 Jul 2012 08:04 AM PDT  The long, dusty walks from hungry homes to far-away refugee camps are again claiming lives in Somalia one year after up to 100,000 people died in the country's worst famine in generations.
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| Olympic tourists warned about London cash squeeze Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:24 PM PDT  Tourists be warned: The Olympics crush has begun in London — and so has the scramble for cold, hard cash in the pricey British capital.
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| Italian freed after 10-month Africa ordeal home Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:28 PM PDT  Three European aid workers kidnapped 10 months ago in north Africa returned home late Thursday, with the Italian saying she wants to go back to work despite the risks.
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