| Bus bomber was not Bulgarian, minister says Posted: 20 Jul 2012 04:48 AM PDT  BURGAS, Bulgaria (Reuters) - The man who blew up a bus carrying Israeli tourists at a Bulgarian airport, killing himself and six others, was a foreign national and Sofia is trying to pin down details with the help of foreign spy services, the interior minister said on Friday. Israel has accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of carrying out Wednesday's attack at Burgas airport, a popular gateway for tourists visiting Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Iran has denied having any involvement. ...
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| Exclusive: Kim plans economic change in North Korea Posted: 20 Jul 2012 02:12 PM PDT  BEIJING (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. ...
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| Syrian forces attempt fightback after rebel surge Posted: 20 Jul 2012 02:38 PM PDT  BAB AL-HAWA, Syria/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian army helicopters pounded Damascus with rockets and heavy machine guns overnight, and tanks bombarded the capital from the ring road, to try to reverse relentless gains by rebels since much of President Bashar al-Assad's entourage was assassinated. The unprecedented rebel momentum of the past few days has fighters boasting that Assad's grip is being pried from the country his family has ruled since his father seized power in a coup 42 years ago. But he remains a fearsome foe. "The regime has been rudderless for last three days. ...
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| Chinese court upholds Ai Weiwei tax fine Posted: 20 Jul 2012 12:31 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Friday upheld a $2.4 million fine for tax evasion against the country's most famous dissident, Ai Weiwei, after barring him from attending the hearing, in a case that critics accuse Beijing of using to muzzle the outspoken artist. Ai had asked the Chaoyang District court to overturn the city tax office's rejection of his appeal against the tax evasion penalty imposed on the company he works for, Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd, which produces his art and designs. ...
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| North Korea says U.S. hostility forcing it to "reexamine" nuclear program Posted: 20 Jul 2012 04:49 AM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it was being forced to "reexamine" its nuclear program because of fresh signs the United States remains hostile towards the country, indicating it will step up defiant efforts to boost its nuclear arsenal. The new leadership of North Korea, headed by the third generation of the Kim family, reinforced its control on the reclusive state this week by further promoting its young leader Jong-un and purging a top general who was seen as opposing his reforms. ...
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| Exclusive: New York police link nine 2012 plots to Iran, proxies Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:26 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - New York police believe Iranian Revolutionary Guards or their proxies have been involved so far this year in nine plots against Israeli or Jewish targets around the world, according to restricted police documents obtained by Reuters. Reports prepared this week by intelligence analysts for the New York Police Department (NYPD) say three plots were foiled in January, three in February and another three since late June. Iran has repeatedly denied supporting militant attacks abroad. ...
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| Russia detains 5 over attacks on Muslim leaders Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:42 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities said they detained five suspects on Friday over attacks that wounded the top Islamic official in the mostly Muslim Tatarstan region, killed his deputy and raised fears of the spread of militancy to Russia's heartland. President Vladimir Putin and top security officials called at the weekly meeting of his Security Council for tough measures against extremism after the attacks in an area previously held up as a model of religious tolerance. ...
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| Zanzibar police clash with Islamist mourners Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:17 AM PDT STONE TOWN, Zanzibar (Reuters) - Riot police clashed with supporters of a separatist Islamist group in Zanzibar gathered at a mosque on Friday to pray for victims of a ferry disaster that killed at least 71 people. Police fired teargas at supporters of the Uamsho (Awakening) group who blocked a busy road in the historic centre of Stone Town after Friday prayers, witnesses said. "Some of them were wearing masks to cover their faces and threw stones at the police. ... |
| Bus crash in Mexico kills 21 passengers Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:03 AM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A bus skidded off the road on Friday in the western Mexican state of Nayarit, killing 21 passengers and injuring at least 29 others, officials said. The accident occurred on the Chapalilla-Tequepexpan bridge on the road between the cities of Tepic and Guadalajara, said Omar Landazuri of the Nayarit civil protection authorities. Landazuri said that children were among the dead, but could not say how many. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. ... |
| Analysis: Hollande jobs plan aims at stability, not recovery Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:36 AM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande's plan for tens of thousands of state subsidized jobs will not fix France's stagnant economy but it may be enough to keep angry unions and jobless youths off the streets as layoffs mount after the summer. Two months into his presidency, Hollande faces a gathering storm as unemployment climbs past 10 percent and threatens to jump even higher this autumn. Worsening prospects for many jobless youths have fed frustration in the poor suburbs that ring major French cities, which saw riots in 2005. ...
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| Analysis: Assad's grip on Syria has become tenuous Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:09 AM PDT  The Assad family's grip on Syria has never looked so tenuous.
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| Thousands flee as Syrian rebels wage guerrilla war Posted: 20 Jul 2012 03:52 PM PDT  Rebels pressed their guerrilla fight to topple Syria's regime deeper into the capital on Friday, ambushing troops and attacking police stations as thousands of terrified civilians fled to Lebanon and Iraq to escape some of the worst violence of the 16-month conflict.
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| UN approves last 30 days for UN observers in Syria Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:44 PM PDT  The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Friday renewing the 300-strong U.N. observer force in Syria for 30 days, leaving the door open for a possible extension if the government stops using heavy weapons and the escalating violence is reduced significantly.
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| Iraqis flee Syria in droves by land and air Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:52 PM PDT  Thousands of Iraqi nationals have fled by land and air from Syria over the last two days to escape an escalating civil war, officials said Friday, as Iraqi troops were rushed to seal the border across from a post seized by rebels. Baghdad's prime minister called for the U.N. to help protect the refugees and get them home.
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| Chavez's gasoline rationing plan causes uproar Posted: 20 Jul 2012 03:11 PM PDT  As home to the world's cheapest gasoline, Venezuela has long had to contend with the hemorrhaging of supplies as smugglers haul gas across the border to cash in where the fuel costs far more.
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| Anti-Putin feminist punks on trial in Moscow Posted: 20 Jul 2012 12:40 PM PDT  A Moscow court on Friday launched the trial of three feminist rockers who face a possible seven years in prison for performing a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin from the pulpit of Russia's largest cathedral.
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| Surviving members of Syria inner circle Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:12 AM PDT  A bombing in Damascus claimed by Syrian rebels Wednesday killed key figures in President Bashar Assad's inner circle. A look at some surviving members:
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| Bank bailout fails to ease fears for Spain Posted: 20 Jul 2012 11:12 AM PDT  Concerns about Spain's crippling financial problems flared again Friday as even news that the country had been given the final go-ahead for a bank bailout loan of up to €100 billion ($122.9 billion) failed to take the sting out of a further round of bad economic news.
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| Olympic buzz takes off: London welcomes the flame Posted: 20 Jul 2012 02:58 PM PDT  With the flame comes the games.
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| Saudi to non-Muslims: Respect fast or be expelled Posted: 20 Jul 2012 08:40 AM PDT Saudi authorities warned non-Muslim expatriates on Friday, the first day of Ramadan, not to eat, drink, or smoke in public until the end of the Muslim holy month's sunrise-to-sunset fast — or face expulsion. |
