politics
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Insight: Greece party talks framed by unreality, punctuated by insults
Athens (Reuters) - "Gentlemen, we are finished," said the patrician President, calling an abrupt halt to two hours of baiting and cat-calling between furious Greek politicians. "I'm starting to get upset myself now. We are finished." The final collapse of talks to forge a new Greek government triggered repeat elections and fears of a chaotic exit from the euro zone. But it is the manner of that collapse, the acrimony and rancor cited by Karolos Papoulias, that bodes ill for efforts after June polls to pull Greece back from the brink. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:55
Japan seeks to get in on act investing in Myanmar
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will start negotiations on an investment treaty with Myanmar on Wednesday, the trade ministry said, as corporations around the world scramble to do business in one of the last frontier markets in response to encouraging political reforms. The earliest possibility for an agreement would be a November summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan in Cambodia, although the trade ministry said there was no pre-set schedule. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:54
Yemen Suicide Blast Kills 20
Yemeni officials say a suicide bomber killed at least 20 people when he blew himself up in the middle of a group of soldiers practicing for a military parade. Officials said Monday's attack in the capital, Sanaa, wounded scores of others. The soldiers were preparing for a parade on Tuesday to mark Yemen's unification of the north and the south. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemen is home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is known as one of ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 11:51
Singer Plan B in Cannes with debut movie Ill Manors
CANNES, France (Reuters) - The Cannes film festival is a world way from the tough streets of east London where British rapper Ben Drew grew up, but the 28-year-old has come to the glamorous Riviera resort to promote his debut movie "Ill Manors". The hard-hitting drama follows six interweaving lives -- junkie, drug dealer, ex-con, gangster, prostitute and central character Aaron, a kind of moral compass amid the violence, fear and abuse around him. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:45
Two killed in Sunni Muslim clashes in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least two people were killed in heavy fighting between rival Sunni Muslim gunmen in Beirut on Monday, medical and security sources said, in the latest violence fuelled by tensions over the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The clashes followed the killing of an anti-Assad Sunni cleric and his colleague at an army checkpoint in north Lebanon on Sunday, triggering angry protests in Sunni districts of northern cities and the capital. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:44
Bomber hits Yemen military practice, kills 41
SANAA (Reuters) - A uniformed man blew himself up in the midst of a military parade rehearsal attended by senior officials in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 60, a police source said. Yemen's defense minister chief of staff were present at the event but were not hurt in the blast, a military source said. The attack coincided with a U.S.-backed Yemeni army offensive against al Qaeda-linked militants in the south of the country, where they control several towns. Troops closed in on one of their strongholds on Sunday in heavy fighting. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:36
Bahraini court fines daughter of opposition activist
DUBAI (Reuters) - A court in Bahrain on Monday fined Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of a prominent opposition activist, for insulting a government employee and her lawyer said she was still detained pending trial in a different case. Bahrain, a U.S. ally that hosts Washington's Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since a democracy protest movement led by its majority Shi'ites erupted last year after revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. Its Sunni Muslim rulers have rejected opposition calls for an elected government and protests and clashes with police continue weekly. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:34
U.N. atom chief starts talks in Tehran, hopes for deal
VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief began rare talks in Tehran on Monday after voicing hope for a deal to investigate suspected atomic bomb research - a gesture that Iran may count on to get international sanctions relaxed and deflect threats of war. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano met the head of Iran's nuclear energy organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, hours after his pre-dawn arrival, according to ISNA news agency. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:26
Court puts off hearing new charge against Ukraine's Tymoshenko
KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - A court in Ukraine on Monday adjourned a trial of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko on a new charge of tax evasion until June 25, when the European soccer championship will be under way in the country, for medical reasons. Tymoshenko is being treated for back trouble in a clinic in the city of Kharkiv near the prison where she is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse-of-office in a case which the West has condemned as politically motivated. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 11:23
2 Killed in Latest Syria-Related Clashes in Lebanon
Lebanese officials say heavy clashes have killed at least two people in Beirut, increasing fears that the conflict in Syria is spilling into its western neighbor. Officials said gunman clashed in the capital's Tariq al-Jadideh district Monday. Fighters cut off roadways and and fired machine guns early into the morning. The violence between Lebanese Alawites supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Sunni Muslims sympathetic to the Syrian opposition comes a day after Lebanese ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 11:10
Analysis: China eschews fiscal fanfare for supportive spending
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's focus on fine-tuning monetary and fiscal policies to fight the risk of a sudden economic slide worries investors pricing in a sixth successive quarter of slowing growth with no obvious sign of the solid stimulus they want. With domestic activity stifled by government curbs on real-estate speculation, the potential damage to demand for China's factory products from a deeper European debt crisis seems a logical justification for a spending splurge. "Maybe it would be easier for China if there were another global financial crisis. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 10:56
Aftershocks rattle Italy, residents sleep outdoors
FINALE EMILIA, Italy (Reuters) - Thousands of people in northern Italy slept in tents and cars overnight as more than 100 aftershocks rocked the area hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that killed seven people and inflicted heavy damage to centuries-old cultural sites. "The fear that your house will collapse on your head is great, so it was good to be able to sleep in this tent," said one man who spent the night outdoors, cold but safe, in the town of San Felice Sul Panaro. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 10:47
Fight over oil revenues would harm Somalia peace prospects
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's embattled central government will not argue with semi-autonomous Puntland over potential oil revenues for fear of scuttling a fragile peace process, but a top official said on Monday the law made clear control lay with Mogadishu. Canadian firm Horn Petroleum, majority-owned by Vancouver-listed Africa Oil Corp., and its exploration partners started drilling in March in Puntland's Dharoor Block but have yet to announce any proven reserves. Africa Oil and joint venture partners Range Resource Ltd. (RRS. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 10:02
Sophomoric? Members Of Congress Talk Like 10th Graders, Analysis Shows
The sophistication of congressional speech-making is on the decline, according to the open government group the Sunlight Foundation. Since 2005, the average grade level at which members of Congress speak has fallen by almost a full grade.
npr.org | 21-May-2012 10:02
Analysis: China reformer sees his opportunity after Bo's fall
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - One of China's most conspicuously reform-minded leaders has stepped back into the spotlight after the nation's biggest political convulsion in a generation, positioning himself to gain from the fall of populist politician Bo Xilai. Wang Yang, leader of Guangdong province and well known for his deft handling of recent civil unrest there, is the first of three provincial-level party bosses who stand to benefit after a murder scandal snuffed out Bo's career last month. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 10:00
Where Romney, Sen. Brown stand on various issues
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown publicly support each other and even share key advisers. But on many topics, from foreign policy to social issues, the Massachusetts Republicans take very different positions.
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:58
Militant group claims suicide bombing in Syria
DUBAI (Reuters) - A militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in eastern Syria last week that killed nine people and said attacks would continue, in a statement posted on the Internet on Monday. The al-Nusra Front said it was behind the attack on Saturday which targeted military installations in Deir al-Zor. The authenticity of the statement could not immediately be verified. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:56
Romney, US Sen. Brown play down past connections
Massachusetts Republicans Mitt Romney and Scott Brown have a history of supporting each other throughout their political careers.
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:54
Pakistan briefly bans Twitter access for "blasphemy"
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan banned access to Twitter on Sunday because of "blasphemous" material, a Pakistani official said, but normal service was resumed after 12 hours. The government did not specify which users or messages had prompted the ban on the microblogging site or why it was allowed to operate again so quickly. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by many Muslims, who make up the overwhelming majority in Pakistan. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:52
At least 10 killed by suicide bomb in Yemen capital
SANAA (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in an attack by a suicide bomber on soldiers practicing for a military parade in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, a police source said. The parade was scheduled for Tuesday to mark Yemen's national day and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was due to attend. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:44
Romney faced leadership test in Big Dig tragedy
Mitt Romney was at his New Hampshire vacation home on a summer night in 2006 when 26 tons of concrete ceiling panels in one of Boston's Big Dig highway tunnels collapsed, crushing a car and killing a female passenger.
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:37
Suicide bomber targets soldiers in Sanaa, several killed
DUBAI (Reuters) - A suicide bomber targeted soldiers practicing for a military parade in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, killing several people, a police source said. The parade was scheduled for Tuesday, marking Yemen's national day, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was due to attend. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:25
Defiant Australian legislator rejects brothel claims
CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian member of parliament accused of spending union money on prostitutes said on Monday he had been framed by union rivals and he made no mention of resigning, which would threaten the government's thin majority. The legislator, Craig Thomson, has been suspended from the ruling Labor Party over the scandal, but he continues to support Prime Minister Julia Gillard's minority government, which clings to a knife-edge one-seat majority. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:05
Factbox: Australia's Gillard back on knife-edge numbers
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's grip on power has been weakened over the past month after independent Speaker Peter Slipper stood aside due to a sexual harassment accusation, cutting her ability to command a majority In parliament. Gillard's government has also been weakened after her ruling Labor Party suspended one member of parliament, Craig Thomson, who is under investigation over his union expenses from before his time in parliament, although Thomson continues to vote with the government. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:05
Two killed in heavy clashes in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least two people were killed in Beirut in heavy clashes early on Monday between rival Sunni Muslim gunmen, the latest violence fuelled by tensions over the uprising in neighboring Syria. Gunmen firing rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns clashed in the Lebanese capital's Tariq al-Jadideh district in some of the fiercest battles since sectarian fighting four years ago brought Lebanon back to the brink of civil war. The violence followed the killing of two members of a political alliance opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday in the north of Lebanon. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 09:02
The Note's Must-Reads for Monday May 21, 2012
Compiled by ABC News’ Carrie Halperin and Amanda VanAllen The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com CAMPAIGN ADS ABC News’ Dylan Stableford: “Cory Booker slams...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 08:56
Alibaba buys back 20 percent stake held by Yahoo for $7.1 billion
SHANGHAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese Internet entrepreneur Jack Ma is buying back up to half of a 40 percent stake in his Alibaba Group from Yahoo Inc for $7.1 billion, in a deal that moves the Chinese e-commerce leader closer to a public listing. Under the agreement, Yahoo will sell half its stake in Alibaba for at least $6.3 billion in cash and up to $800 million in new Alibaba preferred stock. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 08:53
Secret Donors Still Find Ways To Remain Anonymous
Those hoping to sway the presidential election with anonymous donations to non-profit political groups, could find their names made public this fall after a pair of court rulings backed public disclosure. There are, however, ways to work around that.
npr.org | 21-May-2012 08:35
Alibaba buys back 20 pct stake held by Yahoo for $7.1 bln
SHANGHAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese Internet entrepreneur Jack Ma is buying back up to half of a 40 percent stake in his Alibaba Group from Yahoo Inc for $7.1 billion, in a deal that moves the Chinese e-commerce leader closer to a public listing. Under the agreement, Yahoo will sell half of its stake in Alibaba for at least $6.3 billion in cash and up to $800 million in new Alibaba preferred stock. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 08:08
Greek leftist brings message to Europe: "Let's talk"
ATHENS (Reuters) - The charismatic Greek leftist who could determine the fate of the euro begins a tour of European capitals on Monday carrying a single message: it's time to talk. In an interview on the eve of his first visit abroad since his surprise rise in a May 6 election, Alexis Tsipras veered occasionally into the combative rhetoric that has seduced disaffected Greek youth and alarmed Brussels and Berlin. But he also stressed repeatedly that he wants negotiations to keep Greece in the euro. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 07:36
Ruling party headed for 1st round win in Dominican election
Santo Domingo (Reuters) - Early results from presidential elections in the Dominican Republic show ruling party candidate Danilo Medina headed for victory 12 years after he lost in a landslide to opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia. With almost 75 percent of votes counted, Medina and the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) held a 4 percentage point lead (51 percent - 47 percent) over Mejia, the candidate for the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), according to official election results. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 07:33
Inmates riot in Mississippi prison, one guard killed
(Reuters) - Inmates seized control of a privately owned prison in Mississippi on Sunday after riots broke out, and a guard was killed in the chaos in the low security facility, authorities said. Adams County Coroner James Lee said the 23-year-old guard died of blunt trauma to the head during the riot at the Adams County Correctional Center, a privately owned prison that houses mostly illegal immigrants for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. "This is an ongoing riot that still has not been rectified because the prisoners are in still in charge of the prison," Lee said, speaking at around 9 p.m. ...
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 07:11
Study: 2,000 convicted then exonerated in 23 years
More than 2,000 people who were falsely convicted of serious crimes have been exonerated in the United States in the past 23 years, according to a new archive compiled at two universities.
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 06:12
David Grann: William Alexander Morgan in the Cuban Revolution.
For a moment, he was obscured by the Havana night. It was as if he were invisible, as he had been before coming to Cuba, in the midst of revolution. Then a burst of floodlights illuminated him: William Alexander Morgan, the great Yankee comandante. He was standing, with his back . . .
newyorker.com | 21-May-2012 06:00
Jeffrey Toobin: President Obama and Evan Wolfson at Barnard College.
Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry, a leading advocacy group for same-sex marriage, found out some time ago that he would be receiving a “medal of distinction” at the Barnard College commencement this year. Then, a few weeks before the ceremony, he learned . . . (Subscription required.)
newyorker.com | 21-May-2012 06:00
Nicholas Lemann: How valuable is a college degree?
It was satisfying to watch the two Presidential candidates find their ways to absolutely opposed positions on gay marriage. Elections are supposed to present us with clear choices like that, but they usually don’t. Just two weeks earlier, on an issue that affects many more people, Barack Obama . . .
newyorker.com | 21-May-2012 06:00
Activists Urge NATO to Protect Afghan Women's Rights
CHICAGO - As world leaders gather in Chicago to discuss the future of Afghanistan, human rights groups say Afghan women are being left out of the conversation. Afghan activists say they fear gains made in women's rights since the fall of the Taliban will be erased after foreign troops leave the war-torn country. Like so many Afghans, Manizha Naderi has concerns about the fate of her country after 2014, when international forces complete their withdrawal from ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 03:59
No Meeting With Obama for Pakistan's President
CHICAGO - Hopes for a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit bringing together the U.S., Afghan and Pakistani presidents appear to have dimmed, and analysts say this is due to the lack of a full agreement with Pakistan on reopening NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. President Barack Obama met on Sunday in Chicago with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but his schedule includes no one-on-one interaction with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, and White House ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 03:41
Mali Interim President to Lead Post-coup Transition
Mali’s military junta has agreed with the Economic Community of West African States to allow interim president Dioncounda Traore to lead the country’s post-coup transitional process. The agreement, just two days before the 40-day transition period prescribed by Mali's constitution was set to expire, also gives coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo all the benefits and privileges of a former head of state. Hamadoune Toure, Mali’s communication minister and government spokesman, says he ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 02:56
Disco Era Icon Robin Gibb Dies of Cancer at 62
British singer Robin Gibb, an iconic voice of the disco era of the 1970s, died Sunday in London after a long fight against cancer. He was 62 years old. Gibb and his brothers Barry and Maurice formed their band, appropriately named the Bee Gees, for the Brothers Gibb, in the late 1950s. The band was a success. But the brothers did not become global superstars until disco was born in the mid 1970s, becoming the defining sound of the era. ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 02:14
Conservative donors slow to back Romney's campaign
Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney and his party raised a sizable $40 million last month from donors who want him to replace President Barack Obama. But even as Romney solidifies his position as the eventual GOP nominee, many supporters who backed his primary election challengers have not yet come to his aid.
Yahoo! News | 21-May-2012 02:09
Checklist Improves Health Practices in Childbirth
More women die in the developing world from complications during pregnancy and childbirth than from any other cause, according to the World Health Organization. But, a group of scientists thinks it can change that with the help of a simple paper checklist. “We know when they’re dying – most deaths are clustered right around the time of birth for both moms and babies,” said Jonathan Spector, a research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, “and we know what they’re dying ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 01:27
River Blindness Spread Believed Stopped Sudan Area
When the government of Sudan decided to ramp up efforts to eradicate river blindness, they looked to the nation’s women. This month the country’s Ministry of Health announced the strategy appears to have worked in at least one region, Abu Hamad. The key innovation to eliminating the disease was when the government decided to include women and families in distributing drug treatments, said partner aid agency The Carter Center. When the new program was introduced in 2006, 100 percent of the ...
voanews.com | 21-May-2012 00:10
Canadian transgender beauty contestant wins Miss Congeniality
(Reuters) - A transgender Canadian beauty contestant who was initially disqualified from taking part in the Miss Universe Canada pageant because she was not a "naturally born female" failed to win the crown but was awarded the title of Miss Congeniality. Jenna Talackova, a tall blonde who underwent gender-reassignment surgery at age 19 and holds legal documents affirming her identity as a woman, made it into the top 12 in the Miss Universe Canada pageant on Saturday night in Toronto. She shared the title of Miss Congeniality with three other women voted on by their fellow contestants. ...
Yahoo! News | 20-May-2012 23:59
NATO shifts to help an elusive Afghanistan peace
President Barack Obama and NATO allies declared Sunday that the end of the long and unpopular Afghanistan war is in sight even as they struggled to hold their fighting force together in the face of dwindling patience and shaky unity.
Yahoo! News | 20-May-2012 23:56
Two more men charged as NATO protests get underway
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two more men have been arrested in Chicago for threatening behavior before a NATO summit, bringing to five the number of people charged with terrorism-related activities or possessing explosive devices in the days leading up to the meeting of the military alliance. Chicago resident Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, was accused of falsely making a terrorist threat, and Mark Neiweem, 28, also of Chicago, was charged with attempted possession of explosives or incendiary devices. At a hearing on Sunday, Senakiewicz's bail was set at $750,000 and Neiweem's at $500,000. ...
Yahoo! News | 20-May-2012 23:18