WORLD News, Jun 28, 2011

China Premier's call for reform draws accolades, and barbs
Mon,27 Jun 2011 11:25 PM PDT
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - A vain "screen idol" or a prophet of Chinese political change?

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Europe's Lagarde set to win top IMF job Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:21 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde looks set to emerge on Tuesday as the International Monetary Fund's new chief, maintaining the tradition of a European heading the global lender. Full Story1

Tepco faces shareholder wrath over nuclear crisis Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:00 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - The utility at the heart of Japan's nuclear crisis, Tokyo Electric Power Co, faced pressure Tuesday from heckling shareholders to shut all its reactors in a sign of growing Japanese opposition to nuclear energy. Full Story1

South China Sea disputes could lead to war in Asia: think tank Mon,27 Jun 2011 08:01 PM PDT Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Risks are growing that incidents at sea involving China could lead to war in Asia, an Australian policy think tank warned on Tuesday. Full Story1

Eton's ancient game thrives in Nigeria Mon,27 Jun 2011 05:13 PM PDT Reuters - KATSINA, Nigeria (Reuters) - In a dusty Nigerian park, dozens of youths dodge goats and rusting cars to be first on to crumbling courts built to replicate the side of the chapel at one of England's most elite public schools so that they can play the ancient game of Eton fives. Full Story1

Strong arm offers new life to young Indians Mon,27 Jun 2011 05:13 PM PDT Reuters - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Young men all over India are flexing their muscles in the hope that a strong arm will carry them into a money-spinning career in professional baseball in the United States. Full Story1

China says Sudan split on agenda as Bashir visits Mon,27 Jun 2011 05:04 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Senior Chinese officials will take up the secession of south Sudan during talks with Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who began a state visit to his country's powerful patron on Tuesday after a delay to his arrival. Full Story1

Yemen foils Qaeda attack, Saleh speech seen on Tuesday Mon,27 Jun 2011 04:38 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemen said on Monday its security forces had foiled a planned al Qaeda attack in the southern province of Aden. Full Story1

International court orders Gaddafi's arrest Mon,27 Jun 2011 03:02 PM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Monday for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and rebels trying to oust him said their forces had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital. Full Story1

Analysis: Two months on, Palestinian unity proves elusive Mon,27 Jun 2011 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - GAZA (Reuters) - Two months after announcing a surprise reconciliation deal to end years of feuding, rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah remain at loggerheads, unable to implement even the easiest parts of their accord. Full Story1

Afghan central banker resigns, fears for life Mon,27 Jun 2011 02:03 PM PDT Reuters - CHANTILLY, Virginia (Reuters) - Afghanistan central bank Governor Adbul Qadir Fitrat said on Monday he has resigned his post because he feared for his life following his role in investigating a scandal surrounding Kabulbank. Full Story1

U.N. panel approves travel ban for Gaddafi's wife Mon,27 Jun 2011 01:51 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council sanctions committee has banned Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's wife from traveling outside Libya and ordered any of her foreign assets seized, Western diplomats said on Monday. Full Story1

Libya rejects international court warrant for Gaddafi Mon,27 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya dismissed a move by the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, rejecting the authority of the tribunal. Full Story1

Syria activists meet, call for change to avert crisis Mon,27 Jun 2011 01:17 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Some of Syria's leading intellectuals called on Monday for sweeping political change that could end 41 years of Assad family rule, at a rare conference allowed by the authorities under pressure from a three-month uprising. Full Story1

France's Lagarde poised to become next IMF chief Mon,27 Jun 2011 01:04 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on Tuesday will likely be named the next head of the International Monetary Fund despite a strong challenge to Europe's traditional hold on the job. Full Story1

Germany to supply NATO arms for Libya strikes: report Mon,27 Jun 2011 12:13 PM PDT Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will supply bomb components and other military ordnance to aid NATO in Libya in a concession to allies after Berlin's controversial opposition to flying air strikes, Spiegel Online reported on Monday. Full Story1

Venezuela opposition demand info on Chavez's health Mon,27 Jun 2011 11:15 AM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Demands by Venezuela's opposition for information on President Hugo Chavez's health grew louder on Monday and bond prices rallied on speculation the socialist leader could be seriously ill. Full Story1

U.S. drones kill 21 militants in NW Pakistan Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:42 AM PDT Reuters - WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Missile strikes from two Full Story1

Suu Kyi sees Myanmar parallels with Arab Spring Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:37 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said there were "notable similarities" between December's revolution in Tunisia and the 1988 uprising in her own country that led to her original detention by military authorities. Full Story1

China's Wen calls for greater democracy, reforms Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:33 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Premier Wen Jiabao called on Monday for freedom and real democracy in China, even though Beijing has clamped down on dissent this year following scattered online calls for a "Jasmine" revolution similar to uprisings in the Arab world. Full Story1

Afghan government says cenbank governor on prosecution list Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:24 AM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government said on Monday it was not aware that central bank governor Abdul Qadir Fitrat had resigned but said he was partly responsible for a fraud scandal that led to the collapse of Kabulbank, the country's biggest private lender. Full Story1

Afghan central banker resigns, fears for life Mon,27 Jun 2011 10:08 AM PDT Reuters - CHANTILLY, Virginia (Reuters) - Afghanistan central bank Governor Adbul Qadir Fitrat said on Monday he has resigned his post because he feared for his life for his role in investigating a scandal surrounding Kabulbank. Full Story1

Libya rebels have upper hand in war on Gaddafi: U.N. Mon,27 Jun 2011 09:13 AM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Libya's rebels, with support from NATO, now have a tentative upper hand in the fight against forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the top U.N. political affairs official said on Monday. Full Story1

Israel's army chief under fire about God Mon,27 Jun 2011 09:05 AM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli military is embroiled in a public battle over whether God ought to be mentioned at memorial rites for fallen soldiers. Full Story1

Tunisia Islamists say fear election delay planned Mon,27 Jun 2011 08:28 AM PDT Reuters - TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's main Islamist party said on Monday it had withdrawn from a body charged with preparing for elections after this year's uprising, saying it feared further plans on the part of the interim authorities to delay the vote. Full Story1

Border shelling overshadows U.S.-Pakistan-Afghan talks Mon,27 Jun 2011 08:24 AM PDT Reuters - KABUL/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Fighting across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border will overshadow talks when the two countries meet along with the United States on Tuesday to map out plans for reconciliation with the Taliban. Full Story1

U.N. council approves Ethiopian troops for Abyei Mon,27 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously approved a U.S.-drafted resolution authorizing deployment of 4,200 Ethiopian troops to Sudan's disputed Abyei region for a six-month period. Full Story1

Japan PM spells out conditions for stepping down Mon,27 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday spelled out conditions for keeping his promise to resign, including the passage of a bill to allow deficit bond issuance and another to promote renewable energy sources. Full Story1

Court case against Berlusconi associates opens Mon,27 Jun 2011 07:58 AM PDT Reuters - MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan judge heard arguments on Monday to decide whether to try a dental nurse, a celebrity agent and a television anchorman accused of procuring women for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's alleged sex parties. Full Story1

Israel backs away from threat to flotilla reporters Mon,27 Jun 2011 07:49 AM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel backtracked on Monday on a threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new international aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Full Story1

Sudan's Bashir arrival in China delayed on flight path Mon,27 Jun 2011 07:44 AM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir failed to show up on time on Monday in the Chinese capital for talks with his country's most powerful patron, a problem attributed to a change in the flight plan of his aircraft. Full Story1

Pakistan's MQM quits governing coalition Mon,27 Jun 2011 07:34 AM PDT Reuters - KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said on Monday it was quitting the ruling coalition, raising fears of growing violence in Karachi, the country's commercial capital and the party's political base. Full Story1

Chavez opponent foresees fanfare homecoming Mon,27 Jun 2011 07:32 AM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - The opposition front-runner ahead of Venezuela's election next year wants President Hugo Chavez fit and healthy again for a fair fight. Full Story1

Senior commander quits Pakistani Taliban Mon,27 Jun 2011 06:56 AM PDT Reuters - PARACHINAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A senior militant commander has for the first time quit the Pakistani Taliban, a defection that could weaken a movement that poses the biggest security threat to the U.S.-backed government. Full Story1

Khmer Rouge commanders go on trial in Cambodia Mon,27 Jun 2011 06:44 AM PDT Reuters - PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The four most senior surviving members of Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime went on trial for war crimes on Monday, three decades after their "year zero" revolution marked one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Full Story1

Lebanon expects Hariri indictments soon Mon,27 Jun 2011 06:42 AM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese officials said on Monday they expected a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri to issue indictments soon. Full Story1

Rebels say ICC warrant will speed Gaddafi's fall Mon,27 Jun 2011 06:35 AM PDT Reuters - BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan rebels welcomed the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi, saying they will hasten the leader's departure. Full Story1

Japan trips in key effort to cool nuclear reactors Mon,27 Jun 2011 06:05 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant halted on Monday its new, glitch-prone system that is key to cooling down damaged reactors due to a water leakage, a setback in its efforts to avoid dumping highly contaminated water into the ocean. Full Story1

Workplace violence, child labor said rife in Nigeria Mon,27 Jun 2011 05:52 AM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 15 million children work in Nigeria, often in dangerous jobs, and many workers in Africa's most populous nation live in fear of violence from police and employers, the global labor grouping ITUC said on Monday. Full Story1

France's Sarkozy lays out election race battle lines Mon,27 Jun 2011 05:39 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy drew early battle lines on Monday for the 2012 election, making a dig at the 35-hour week set up by the left and saying France must invest for growth if it wants to retain a costly welfare system. info@als-alexander.com or interalex1@yahoo.com