WORLD News, Jul 05, 2011

Chavez back in Venezuela for independence bash Mon,4 Jul 2011 10:04 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela marks the 200th anniversary of its independence on Tuesday with President Hugo Chavez back in his palace after a triumphant return from Cuba, where cancer surgery created lingering fears about his health. Full Story1

Japan reconstruction minister quits in fresh blow to PM Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:55 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Beleaguered Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan took another blow on Tuesday when his reconstruction minister resigned after barely a week in the job over criticism for remarks that offended victims of the March earthquake and tsunami. Full Story1

Japan cabinet approves $25 billion more for disaster relief Mon,4 Jul 2011 08:57 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government approved a $25 billion extra budget on Tuesday for disaster relief after the March 11 earthquake that will not require new bond issuance, though bigger spending later this year is likely to strain stretched public finances. Full Story1

Jockeying starts for posts in new Thai government Mon,4 Jul 2011 08:26 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Jockeying for ministerial posts in Thailand's new government began on Tuesday as Prime Minister-elect Yingluck Shinawatra seeks to deliver on billions of dollars of populist campaign promises that critics say will fuel inflation. Full Story1

Gazprom delegation visits North Korea: report Mon,4 Jul 2011 07:30 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - A delegation from Russia's Gazprom has visited North Korea, North Korea's central news agency reported late on Monday. Full Story1

Q+A - How will Thai election outcome affect listed companies? Mon,4 Jul 2011 07:13 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition Puea Thai Party scored a landslide election victory on Sunday and the scale of its win suggests there could be some respite in a six-year political crisis. Full Story1

Japan's Noda: spending hit unless deficit bond bill passed Mon,4 Jul 2011 06:50 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government may be unable to smoothly carry out spending from the current fiscal year's budget from September unless parliament passes a bill allowing the issuance of deficit-covering bonds, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday. Full Story1

Tanks surround Syrian city of Hama after protests Mon,4 Jul 2011 06:46 PM PDT Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian tanks surrounded Hama on Tuesday, residents and activists said, threatening a large-scale assault on the city after the biggest protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Full Story1

Fukushima residents dump radiated soil in absence of plan Mon,4 Jul 2011 06:31 PM PDT Reuters - FUKUSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - They scoop up soil from their gardens and dump it in holes dug out in parks and nearby forests, scrub their roofs with soap and refuse to let their children play outside. Full Story1

Japan Yosano: economy unlikely to shrink this fiscal year Mon,4 Jul 2011 06:17 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano said on Tuesday that the economy is unlikely to shrink this fiscal year and that pessimistic views on the country's economic outlook in the aftermath of a massive quake in March may have been overblown Full Story1

Analysis: Thai election unlikely to end battle for power Mon,4 Jul 2011 06:05 PM PDT Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - A resounding opposition election victory could represent a rejection of Thailand's old political order, signaling stability in the short term, but no lasting truce in a long-running battle for power. Full Story1

Back in Venezuela, Chavez vows to win cancer battle Mon,4 Jul 2011 04:56 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ever-theatrical President Hugo Chavez made a surprise homecoming on Monday after cancer surgery in Cuba, thrilling supporters with an emotional pledge to win the fight to regain his health. Full Story1

Syrian forces kill 3 in Hama, tanks encircle city Mon,4 Jul 2011 04:44 PM PDT Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian forces killed three civilians in the city of Hama on Monday as tanks amassed at its entrances and inhabitants blocked streets to prevent a possible advance, residents said. Full Story1

Israel halts handover of Palestinian bodies Mon,4 Jul 2011 04:06 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday halted the handover of 84 bodies of Palestinian militants to Palestinian authorities, hours after the military said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved the move. Full Story1

Stop "playing" with Venezuela, opponent tells Chavez Mon,4 Jul 2011 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez and his government have been "playing" with Venezuelans by not giving timely information about his cancer, or advance warning of his surprise homecoming, a leading opponent said on Monday. Full Story1

Snap analysis: Chavez returns to Venezuela but health unclear Mon,4 Jul 2011 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's surprise return home on Monday after cancer surgery in Cuba restores his political dominance over the OPEC nation, but does not provide clear signs of how quickly he will recover. Full Story1

Streetcar named disaster, Jerusalem tram goes nowhere Mon,4 Jul 2011 03:34 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - It's an ambitious project meant to shunt an ancient city into the 21st century, but Jerusalem's light rail is hitting one red light after another. Full Story1

UAE offers $3 billion aid package to Egypt Mon,4 Jul 2011 03:04 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday a $3 billion aid package to Egypt, the state news agency WAM said. Full Story1

Analysis: Felipe Calderon's party reeling after Mexico vote rout Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:59 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Felipe Calderon's crushing defeat in weekend state elections has badly hurt his party's hopes of retaining power in 2012, setting the scene for a rough campaign designed to thwart the main opposition party. Full Story1

Egyptians protest as court bails police accused of killings Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:53 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Relatives of Egyptians who died in the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February blocked a main road on Monday after a court freed police officers on trial for the killings, witnesses said. Full Story1

Israel pushes on with settlement plans on annexed land Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:38 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Jerusalem municipality approved a plan on Monday to build hundreds of new homes for Jews on annexed land in the occupied West Bank, a council member said. Full Story1

Attackers kill 8 police and soldiers in Iraq Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:36 PM PDT Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombers and gunmen launched a string of attacks against security forces across Iraq, killing at least eight police and soldiers and wounding 20 others, security officials said on Monday. Full Story1

Egyptian PM says elections will be in late September Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:30 PM PDT Reuters - ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Egypt's prime minister signaled his country's parliamentary elections will be held in late September, during a visit to the United Arab Emirates Monday. Full Story1

Greek coastguard intercepts Gaza-bound Canadian ship Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:29 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek coastguard on Monday intercepted a Canadian ship which had set sail for Gaza carrying medicine and pro-Palestinian activists who had defied a ban by the Athens government, activists said. Full Story1

Greek coastguard intercepts Gaza-bound Canadian ship Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:26 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek coastguard on Monday intercepted a Canadian ship which had set sail for Gaza carrying medicine and pro-Palestinian activists who had defied a ban by the Athens government, activists said. Full Story1

Ousted Tunisian leader gets 15-year jail term Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:21 PM PDT Reuters - TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court sentenced former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in absentia on Monday to more than 15 years in prison for illegal possession of drugs and weapons. Full Story1

Thousands protest police probe of rabbis for incitement Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:17 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Thousands of Jewish settlers protested on Monday against the brief detention of two leading rabbis, in what some commentators have called a clash between religion and the rule of law. Full Story1

U.N. prosecutor says Hezbollah should help Hariri probe Mon,4 Jul 2011 02:03 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The prosecutor at the U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague seeking the killers of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri asked Hezbollah's leader on Monday to assist his investigation. Full Story1

Strauss-Kahn comeback seen difficult, French divided Mon,4 Jul 2011 01:57 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France's Socialist Party said on Monday it was unlikely its erstwhile star Dominique Strauss-Kahn would enter the 2012 presidential race, despite the weakening of the sex assault case against him in New York. Full Story1

British soldier missing in Afghanistan found dead Mon,4 Jul 2011 01:49 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier who went missing in southern Afghanistan, prompting an extensive search, has been found dead, Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Monday. Full Story1

Israel to hand over bodies of Palestinian militants Mon,4 Jul 2011 01:09 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has agreed to hand over bodies of 84 militants to the Palestinian Authority, a statement from the Israeli military said on Monday. Full Story1

Gaddafi government says in talks, rebels say he must go Mon,4 Jul 2011 12:58 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The Libyan government said on Monday it was in talks with opposition figures but there seemed little chance of a swift end to the conflict as both sides stuck to entrenched positions on the fate of Muammar Gaddafi. Full Story1

UK sees "small" Afghan drawdown, finds soldier dead Mon,4 Jul 2011 12:19 PM PDT Reuters - CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan soldiers and police are improving enough to allow some British troops to return home, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday, but the withdrawal will be quite small and not affect the core force over the next year. Full Story1

North and South Sudan delay talks until after split Mon,4 Jul 2011 11:10 AM PDT Reuters - ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Leaders of north and south Sudan agreed on Monday to continue talks on a series of disputes after the south's impending secession, officials said -- a move that will disappoint Western countries hoping for a quick deal. Full Story1

Ousted Tunisian leader gets 15-year jail term Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:59 AM PDT Reuters - TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Monday sentenced former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in absentia to more than 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of illegal possession of drugs and weapons. Full Story1

Angry Mladic ejected from U.N. war crimes court Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:51 AM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Ratko Mladic was ejected from the courtroom at the U.N. war crimes tribunal on Monday after the former Bosnian Serb commander heckled the judge when he read out a charge of genocide and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Full Story1

Tens of thousands of Yemenis flee violence in south Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:51 AM PDT Reuters - ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Some 54,000 Yemenis have fled the flashpoint southern province of Abyan since militants took over its capital last month, a government official said on Sunday, as fighting intensified in the area. Full Story1

Pakistan launches military operation near Afghan border Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:24 AM PDT Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistan army said on Monday it had launched an air and ground offensive in Kurram region on the Afghan border, its first major military operation since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden. Full Story1

Libya dominates Russian meetings with NATO, Zuma Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:13 AM PDT Reuters - SOCHI, Russia, July 4 (Reuters) - NATO's chief defended the alliance's Libya operation Monday during a visit to Russia, which has accused the Western coalition conducting air strikes of overstepping its U.N. mandate to protect civilians. Full Story1

Timeline: Ratko Mladic on trial Mon,4 Jul 2011 09:11 AM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The judge at the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague entered pleas of not guilty for Ratko Mladic on Monday after the former Bosnian Serb army chief defied the court and refused to listen to the charges against him. Full Story1

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