WORLD News, Jul 03, 2011

As Thais vote, red shirts rally behind opposition Sat,2 Jul 2011 11:16 PM PDT Reuters - BAN SAMPRAN, Thailand (Reuters) - In Thailand's rural "red shirt" heartlands, villagers set out for polling stations early Sunday, hoping to change the country's government and avoid further bloodshed after six years of sporadic unrest. Full Story1

Newsmaker: Thai PM Abhisit puts on brave face despite polls Sat,2 Jul 2011 08:56 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai television presenter asked Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva if this would be the last time he would be interviewing him as prime minister. Full Story1

Factbox: Key facts about Thailand Sat,2 Jul 2011 08:39 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thais were voting on Sunday in a crucial election meant to revitalize democracy after years of deep political polarisation since a 2006 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Full Story1

Factbox: How Thailand's election works Sat,2 Jul 2011 08:39 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Thais were voting on Sunday in a general election that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hopes will settle a long-running political conflict in the deeply divided country. Full Story1

Chavez foes say his absence a security risk Sat,2 Jul 2011 07:03 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition said on Saturday President Hugo Chavez's prolonged convalescence from cancer in Cuba put the country's security and sovereignty at risk and it stepped up calls for him to delegate his powers. Full Story1

Clinton slams Gaddafi threat to attack Europe Sat,2 Jul 2011 06:20 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID/TRIPOLI, July 2 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped up Western calls on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit, brushing off his threat to attack Europeans in their homes and offices. Full Story1

Chavez foes say his absence a security risk Sat,2 Jul 2011 04:59 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition said on Saturday President Hugo Chavez's prolonged convalescence from cancer in Cuba put the country's security and sovereignty at risk and it stepped up calls for him to delegate his powers. Full Story1

Clinton slams Gaddafi threat to attack Europe Sat,2 Jul 2011 04:08 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID/TRIPOLI, July 2 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped up Western calls on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit, brushing off his threat to attack Europeans in their homes and offices. Full Story1

Britain to pull 800 troops from Afghanistan: report Sat,2 Jul 2011 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will announce this week that it is to withdraw up to 800 troops by the end of next year, according to a report in the Sunday Times newspaper. Full Story1

Edgy Thailand votes, bracing for further turmoil Sat,2 Jul 2011 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand votes on Sunday in a general election that could trigger a new crisis after six years of turmoil centred on a man revered by the poor and living in luxury, and exile, in the Middle East. Full Story1

Hezbollah leader rejects Hariri court indictments Sat,2 Jul 2011 02:14 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday that authorities would never arrest members of the Shi'ite militant group indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal seeking the killers of statesman Rafik al-Hariri. Full Story1

Serbia and Kosovo reach breakthrough on cooperation Sat,2 Jul 2011 01:56 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Serbia and Kosovo agreed on Saturday to cooperate on several practical issues, taking their first step toward easing troubled relations and advancing toward European Union membership. Full Story1

Bahrain begins national dialogue after upheaval Sat,2 Jul 2011 01:44 PM PDT Reuters - MANAMA (Reuters) - Talks between Bahrain's opposition and pro-government groups began Saturday, aimed at healing deep rifts opened when the state's Sunni rulers crushed protests led by the majority Shi'ites earlier this year. Full Story1

Crowds cheer Monaco's Prince Albert and new bride Sat,2 Jul 2011 01:20 PM PDT Reuters - MONTE CARLO (Reuters) - With a wink and a smile, Monaco's ruler Prince Albert married South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock on Saturday in a ceremony attended by a who's who of European royalty and the international elite. Full Story1

Chavez cancer rattles Venezuela politics Sat,2 Jul 2011 12:37 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's revelation he is being treated for cancer has cast doubt on the left-wing populist's capacity to sustain his self-styled revolution and raised the possibility of a power struggle among his allies. Full Story1

Yemen to step up army operations amid unrest in south Sat,2 Jul 2011 12:08 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen said they would step up military operations on Saturday as clashes with suspected Islamist militants raged in the south of the fractious Arabian Peninsula state. Full Story1

Gaza flotilla aims to leave Greece next week Sat,2 Jul 2011 12:07 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - A pro-Palestinian flotilla hopes to leave Greece early next week to challenge Israel's sea blockade of the Gaza Strip despite the arrest of the American captain of one of the vessels, organizers said on Saturday. Full Story1

Middle East Quartet discourages more flotillas Sat,2 Jul 2011 11:52 AM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators on Saturday said it is concerned about "unsustainable conditions" facing people in Gaza but said additional flotillas should be discouraged. Full Story1

Libya rebels say bracing for a new Tripoli push Sat,2 Jul 2011 10:36 AM PDT Reuters - BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan rebels said on Saturday they were gearing up for a new advance on Tripoli from the southwest in the next two days after their forces were pushed back by government troops earlier this week. Full Story1

Analysis: Sudan's Bashir faces tough balancing act Sat,2 Jul 2011 10:35 AM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - As southern Sudanese count down the minutes to independence on July 9, northerners are anxiously contemplating a future with less oil, roaring inflation and emboldened rebellions. Full Story1

Protests set after Moroccan king wins referendum Sat,2 Jul 2011 09:46 AM PDT Reuters - RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's "Arab Spring" protesters said they were undeterred despite a landslide victory for King Mohammed in a referendum on constitutional changes they say do nothing to ease his autocratic grip on power. Full Story1

Iran denies U.S. hikers were mistreated in jail Sat,2 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iran denied in a statement issued by its U.N. mission on Friday that two U.S. citizens detained on spying charges have been mistreated, saying they had consular contact and a visit from their families. Full Story1

Russia says resumes power exports to Belarus Sat,2 Jul 2011 09:13 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's power group InterRAO has resumed electricity supplies to Belarus on Saturday, the company's spokesman said, ending nearly four days of power cuts over unpaid bills. Full Story1

Australia's Rudd says Suu Kyi will tour outside Yangon Sat,2 Jul 2011 09:07 AM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd met Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon on Saturday and said she still intended to go on a tour outside the city despite government warnings. Full Story1

Abbas says Hamas row hobbles Palestinian bid at U.N. Sat,2 Jul 2011 08:33 AM PDT Reuters - RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas on Saturday to relent in a dispute over the formation of unity government for the Palestinians, saying their bid to become a U.N. member state in September was at stake. Full Story1

Bahrain begins national dialogue after upheaval Sat,2 Jul 2011 06:51 AM PDT Reuters - MANAMA (Reuters) - Talks between Bahrain's opposition and pro-government groups began on Saturday, aimed at healing the deep rifts caused by protests earlier this year by majority Shi'ites that were stamped out by the Sunni rulers. Full Story1

Nigerian leader reappoints 12 ministers to old jobs Sat,2 Jul 2011 05:52 AM PDT Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan reappointed 12 ministers from the outgoing government to their old jobs on Saturday following general elections in April, including oil minister Deziani Alison-Madueke. Full Story1

Syria's Assad sacks Hama governor after protests Sat,2 Jul 2011 05:32 AM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad sacked the governor of Hama province on Saturday, a day after tens of thousands of protesters massed in the provincial capital to demand the Syrian leader step down. Full Story1

Insufficient funds hit Horn of Africa aid efforts Sat,2 Jul 2011 05:17 AM PDT Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - Donor fatigue following recurrent humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa has left aid agencies short of funds to carry out their work. Full Story1

Japan trudges into power-save mode as summer looms Sat,2 Jul 2011 03:37 AM PDT Reuters - YOKOSUKA, Japan (Reuters) - In the muggy, unlit shed next to a Nissan car factory near Tokyo, four men in polo shirts are spending their Saturday staring at computer screens, monitoring how much power the firm's plants and offices across eastern Japan are using. So far, on the first day of the working week under a new summertime schedule, there appears to be no danger of their setting off a warning alarm, triggered when near the limit on electricity use set by Japan's struggling utilities. ... Full Story1

Yemen militants blow up empty oil pipeline: officials Sat,2 Jul 2011 03:29 AM PDT Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Armed Yemeni tribesmen blew up an empty oil pipeline in Yemen's oil-producing Maarib province last week, officials said on Saturday, in a blow to the impoverished Arab nation's bid to get the key industry back up and running. Full Story1

Homemade bomb kills 13 civilians in Afghan south Sat,2 Jul 2011 01:37 AM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - A roadside bomb exploded under a civilian van in southern Afghanistan on Saturday morning, killing 13 people, including four women and two children, the Interior Ministry said. Full Story1

Thaksin's sister shakes up Thai election Fri,1 Jul 2011 09:47 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - With her telegenic good looks and powerful political support, Yingluck Shinawatra has shaken up Thailand's first parliamentary election since a wave of political violence last year. Full Story1

Tibetan writer jailed for 4 years in China: group Fri,1 Jul 2011 09:34 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - A Tibetan writer was sentenced to four years in jail last month after helping edit a magazine critical of Chinese policy in the restive region, a Tibetan self-determination advocacy group said. Full Story1

Scenarios: Trouble in store for Thailand after the election? Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:19 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand holds a general election on Sunday that might be a step on the road to stability after five years of political turbulence. But it could just as easily prolong the crisis, especially if there is no clear-cut winner. Full Story1

Factbox: How Thailand's election works Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:15 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Thais vote on Sunday in a general election that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hopes will settle a long-running political conflict in the deeply divided country. Full Story1

Factbox: Election promises of Thailand's two main parties Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:15 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The two main parties contesting Thailand's parliamentary election on Sunday have proposed strikingly similar policies that focus heavily on winning over the rural poor, building up infrastructure and other populist measures. Full Story1

Factbox: Main parties contesting Thailand's election Fri,1 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Forty-two parties will contest Sunday's general election in Thailand, with the ruling Democrat Party and opposition Puea Thai Party jostling for first place and others vying for stakes in what is expected to be a coalition government. Full Story1

Rockets push back rebels south of Libyan capital Fri,1 Jul 2011 04:37 PM PDT Reuters - BIR-AYYAD, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan rebels who had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold in the capital were forced to retreat on Friday after coming under a barrage of rocket fire from government forces. Full Story1

Moroccan king triumphs in reform vote Fri,1 Jul 2011 04:29 PM PDT Reuters - RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's King Mohammed scored a landslide victory in Friday's referendum on a new constitution he proposed to placate "Arab Spring" protests as voters defied critics who said it did little to curb his powers. Full Story1

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