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Friday, January 13, 2012 4:34 AM PST

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Afghan academy seeks to ease pain of war with music Pakistan party lobbies allies for support; tension high Myanmar starts freeing more political prisoners Chinese dissident goes into exile in U.S., says was tortured U.S. slaps sanctions on China state oil trader over Iran Analysis: Is Marine desecration video a new Abu Ghraib? Canada says marriages of foreign gays invalid Expat Syrian activists turned away at border Taliban say Marine tape won't hurt Afghanistan talks U.S. has "ideas" on Iran scientist killer: Panetta Haiti marks two years after catastrophic quake Republicans rally behind Romney on Bain charges Norway mass killer to get second mental exam: reports Arab League chief says fears civil war in Syria Taliban say Marine tape won't hurt Afghanistan talks Republicans move to control Keystone approval Assassinations won't stop Iran nuclear work: Larijani Q+A: New Iran sanctions law lets Obama pull his punches Khamenei: Iran to punish those behind scientist murder Iran nuclear sites may be beyond reach of "bunker busters" Japan vows "concrete" steps to cut Iran oil reliance New Afghanistan assessment reflects split U.S. views Cuba moving some state-run cafes into private hands Analysis: Arab monitors flounder amid Syrian violence Israel warns against computer-hacker vigilantism Carter says Egypt army unlikely to give up all powers Polish court: martial law imposed by "criminal group" Polish court: martial law imposed by "criminal group" Iran denies trucks held in Turkey taking arms to Syria Nigerian union orders oil shutdown from Sunday Calls for Putin to resign flood campaign website Some Arab monitors quit Syria over persisting violence Pakistan president to return from Dubai: foreign ministry Drone strike in NW Pakistan kills six militants Somalia Islamists force ICRC food aid suspension Haiti marks two years after catastrophic quake Expat Syrian activists turned away at border Al Shabaab attack Kenyan police camp, kill 7 EU moves towards agreement on details of Iran oil embargo ICC set to OK Saif trial in Libya, Tripoli says Afghan academy seeks to ease pain of war with music Thu,12 Jan 2012 11:24 PM PST Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - A cacophony ranging from Asian string instruments to the delicate cadences of classical piano pours out of a two-storey building in central Kabul. Here, at Afghanistan's sole music academy, students are taught music with the hope it will bring comfort in the face of war and poverty, bringing back cellos and violins to revive a rich musical legacy disrupted by decades of violence and suppression. "We are committed to build ruined lives through music, given its healing power," Ahmad Sarmast, head of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Pakistan party lobbies allies for support; tension high Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:38 PM PST Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Asif Ali Zardari's ruling party, facing intense pressure from Pakistan's powerful generals, lobbied its coalition partners Friday for support as tension raised fear over the stability of the country. A disputed memo allegedly from Zardari's government seeking U.S. help in reining in the generals soured relations between the civilian leadership and the military to their lowest point since a coup in 1999. Political sources said the government was planning to table a confidence motion in parliament in support of the civilian leaders. ... Full Story Top Myanmar starts freeing more political prisoners Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:57 PM PST Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - Political prisoners began to walk free from jails around Myanmar on Friday in an amnesty that officials said could cover a total 651 inmates, as one of the world's most reclusive states opens up after half a century of authoritarian rule. The United States and Europe have said freeing political prisoners is crucial to even considering lifting the economic sanctions that have isolated the former British colony, also known as Burma, and pushed it closer to China. ... Full Story Top Chinese dissident goes into exile in U.S., says was tortured Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:26 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - One of China's most prominent Christian dissidents, Yu Jie, has gone into exile to the United States after he said he was tortured in a crackdown on dissent, he told Reuters on Friday. Yu said he would give a detailed account of abuse and beating he suffered in detention, probably when he testifies before a U.S. Congressional panel planned for next week. He said his treatment deteriorated sharply after his fellow dissident, Liu Xiaobo, won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. ... Full Story Top U.S. slaps sanctions on China state oil trader over Iran Thu,12 Jan 2012 08:15 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, which it said was Iran's largest supplier of refined petroleum products, as it sought to impress on Beijing and Tehran its resolve to increase economic pressure over Iran's nuclear program. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also imposed sanctions on Singapore's Kuo Oil Pte Ltd and FAL Oil Company Ltd, an independent energy trader based in the United Arab Emirates, the State Department said in a notice. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Is Marine desecration video a new Abu Ghraib? Thu,12 Jan 2012 07:11 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A video appearing to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters promises to become an enduring memory of the Afghan war and is already drawing sharp reaction from across the world as it goes viral on the Internet. But experts inside and outside the U.S. military are so far unconvinced the incident will cause as much damage as Iraq's Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal did, even as it stirs anti-American sentiment and revives questions about why some American troops appear prone to committing abuses -- and then proudly documenting them. ... Full Story Top Canada says marriages of foreign gays invalid Thu,12 Jan 2012 07:06 PM PST Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - The government is abruptly arguing that the same-sex marriages of many foreigners who wed in Canada are not valid, a move that stunned the gay community and could affect thousands of couples. In 2005, Canada became one of the first nations in the world to formally legalize gay marriage. Same-sex couples have been marrying in their thousands in Canada, and lenient rules on residency requirements for those seeking a marriage license mean many of them are from abroad. Ottawa now says many, if not all, the unions involving foreign residents are invalid. ... Full Story Top Expat Syrian activists turned away at border Thu,12 Jan 2012 07:04 PM PST Reuters - KILIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian border guards turned away a protest convoy of about 150 Syrian expatriates from Europe, North America and the Arab world on Thursday who were trying to enter the country to draw attention to civilians caught up in months of unrest. The activists, brought together by a campaign on the social networking website Facebook, drove to the border through Turkey, carrying token relief supplies of blankets, medicine and food. "The Syrian government said no to medical supplies, no to doctors who would go in to treat the wounded, and they said no to food. ... Full Story Top Taliban say Marine tape won't hurt Afghanistan talks Thu,12 Jan 2012 06:35 PM PST Reuters - KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A video showing what appears to be American forces urinating on dead Taliban fighters prompted anger in Afghanistan and promises of a U.S. investigation on Thursday but the insurgent group said it would not harm nascent efforts to broker peace talks. The video, posted on YouTube and other websites, shows four men in camouflage Marine combat uniforms urinating on three corpses. One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." Another makes a lewd joke. ... Full Story Top U.S. has "ideas" on Iran scientist killer: Panetta Thu,12 Jan 2012 04:10 PM PST Reuters - EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - The United States has ideas about who may have assassinated an Iranian nuclear scientist this week but doesn't know for sure and was not involved in any way, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told U.S. soldiers on Thursday. "I can tell you one thing: The United States was not involved in that kind of effort. That's not what the United States does," Panetta told a town hall meeting of soldiers at Fort Bliss. ... Full Story Top Haiti marks two years after catastrophic quake Thu,12 Jan 2012 04:08 PM PST Reuters - PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitians marked the second anniversary on Thursday of a devastating earthquake that ravaged their impoverished Caribbean country as their president held out new promises to rebuild the shattered land. Many women donned white dresses as they observed a national day of mourning by attending church services across the deeply religious country. They also held solemn ceremonies at mass grave sites to remember the dead from one of the world's worst-ever natural disaster. The 7. ... Full Story Top Republicans rally behind Romney on Bain charges Thu,12 Jan 2012 03:44 PM PST Reuters - GREER, South Carolina (Reuters) - Prominent Republicans and business leaders rallied to Mitt Romney's defense on Thursday against charges of job killing from his rivals that threaten to undermine his central argument for why he should be elected president. After rolling up campaign victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney has come under fire in South Carolina from opponents Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry over his tenure at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that bought and restructured companies, sometimes resulting in job losses. ... Full Story Top Norway mass killer to get second mental exam: reports Thu,12 Jan 2012 03:38 PM PST Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - An Oslo court Friday will order a new psychiatric examination of the man who killed 77 people last summer after an earlier team of experts sparked national debate by declaring him psychotic and unfit for prison, media reports said. Dozens of survivors and others affected by Anders Behring Breivik's bombing and mass shooting in July have demanded a new evaluation, arguing that only someone in control of his faculties could have carried out the systematic attacks. ... Full Story Top Arab League chief says fears civil war in Syria Thu,12 Jan 2012 03:33 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The head of the Arab League said in remarks broadcast Friday he was worried about the prospect of a Syrian civil war with consequences for the country's neighbors. "Yes I fear a civil war and the events that we see and hear about now could lead to a civil war," said Nabil Elaraby, whose body currently has monitors in Syria checking its compliance with an agreement aimed at halting a crackdown on protesters. "Any problems in Syria will have consequences for the neighboring states," he said in an interview with the Egyptian Al-Hayat channel. ... Full Story Top Taliban say Marine tape won't hurt Afghanistan talks Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:56 PM PST Reuters - KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A video showing what appears to be American forces urinating on dead Taliban fighters prompted anger in Afghanistan and promises of a U.S. investigation on Thursday but the insurgent group said it would not harm nascent efforts to broker peace talks. The video, posted on YouTube and other websites, shows four men in camouflage Marine combat uniforms urinating on three corpses. One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." Another makes a lewd joke. ... Full Story Top Republicans move to control Keystone approval Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:53 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans, who are urging President Barack Obama to give a permit to the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline project, are working on a plan to take the reins of approval from the president should the White House say no. Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, a state counting on TransCanada Corp's pipeline to help move its newfound bounty of shale oil, is drafting contingency legislation that would see Congress green-light the project, an aide told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Assassinations won't stop Iran nuclear work: Larijani Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:52 PM PST Reuters - ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran's nuclear program is too strong to be derailed by the assassination of a few scientists, the Speaker of Iran's Parliament Ali Larijani said Thursday, blaming arch-enemy Israel for a series of "terrorist attacks." After the killing of a nuclear scientist in his car in Tehran Wednesday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued a statement saying Israel and the United States were behind the "heinous acts" to disrupt Iran's quest for nuclear power. "These terrorist attacks just show how weak Israel really is. ... Full Story Top Q+A: New Iran sanctions law lets Obama pull his punches Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:52 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington's latest sanctions on Iran target Tehran's ability to sell crude oil but they give U.S. President Barack Obama wide latitude to pull his punches and avoid imposing penalties. Below is a description of the sanctions Obama signed into law on December 31, the timelines to carry them out, the ways Obama can avoid imposing them and the ambiguities in the law that may be interpreted by his administration. U.S. ... Full Story Top Khamenei: Iran to punish those behind scientist murder Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:52 PM PST Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Thursday that those behind the killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran would be punished, the official IRNA news agency reported. "We will continue our path with strong will ... and certainly we will not neglect punishing those responsible for this act and those behind it," Khamenei was quoted as saying. Iran blamed its arch-enemies, Israel and the United States, for a blast which killed the nuclear scientist in his car on Wednesday, insisting the incident would not change the country's nuclear course. ... Full Story Top Iran nuclear sites may be beyond reach of "bunker busters" Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:52 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - With its nuclear program beset as never before by sanctions, sabotage and assassination, Iran must now make a new addition to its list of concerns: One of the biggest conventional bombs ever built. Boeing's 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), an ultra-large bunker buster for use on underground targets, with Iran routinely mentioned as its most likely intended destination, is a key element in the implicit U.S. threat to use force as a last resort against Iran's nuclear ambitions. ... Full Story Top Japan vows "concrete" steps to cut Iran oil reliance Thu,12 Jan 2012 02:10 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan pledged on Thursday to take concrete action to cut Iranian oil imports in response to an appeal for support from visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, as Washington steps up efforts to sanction Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. Geithner welcomed Tokyo's cooperation, an encouraging sign for U.S. foreign policy after China rebuffed U.S. sanctions aimed at starving Iran of the oil revenues that provide the country of 74 million people with vital economic support. ... Full Story Top New Afghanistan assessment reflects split U.S. views Thu,12 Jan 2012 01:34 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and NATO soldiers have weakened the Taliban but not enough to force the militants to abandon their fight against foreign troops, according to a new intelligence assessment that highlights an abiding division between the U.S. military and intelligence views on the war in Afghanistan. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the new National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan concluded that a stepped-up Western military campaign had done real damage to the Taliban's military prowess but "not enough so to change their strategic calculus. ... Full Story Top Cuba moving some state-run cafes into private hands Thu,12 Jan 2012 01:16 PM PST Reuters - HOLGUIN, Cuba (Reuters) - For the first time since they were nationalized in the 1960s, Cuba has opened the door to private management of some state-run cafes and food service outlets, often scorned for bad service and poor food. The extension of President Raul Castro's plans to put more retail businesses in private hands is under way as an experiment in eastern Holguin province, where the government will lease to employees more than 200 small cafeterias this year. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Arab monitors flounder amid Syrian violence Thu,12 Jan 2012 12:59 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League's observer mission to Syria is struggling to salvage any credibility as its members start to walk out, the opposition calls it a toothless failure and killings of anti-government protesters continue unabated. Diplomats and officials at the Cairo-based League say they are frustrated because the monitors had no time to prepare for their task and their mandate was limited to observing events. ... Full Story Top Israel warns against computer-hacker vigilantism Thu,12 Jan 2012 12:51 PM PST Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel Thursday called on computer hackers not to take the law into their own hands to avenge attacks on Israeli credit card companies, and said the authorities were capable of countering all cyber threats. "We call on Israeli citizens to abide by (the law). Just as the Israeli government has found answers for terrorism, we will find answers to this challenge ... we call on Israeli citizens not to ... act as vigilantes," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Carter says Egypt army unlikely to give up all powers Thu,12 Jan 2012 11:54 AM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Thursday, after meeting Egypt's military rulers and political parties, the army was unlikely to surrender all of its powers by mid-2012, highlighting the potential for further power struggles. The military council, in power since an uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February, has faced mounting public anger over what is widely viewed as stalling and mismanagement of the transition period. Dozens of protesters demanding an end to army rule have been killed in bouts of violence in the past 11 months. ... Full Story Top Polish court: martial law imposed by "criminal group" Thu,12 Jan 2012 11:13 AM PST Reuters - WARSAW (Reuters) - The communist leaders who imposed martial law in Poland 30 years ago were part of a criminal enterprise trying to crush the Solidarity trade union, a court ruled Thursday, rejecting claims that they had acted to avert a Soviet invasion. Various Polish courts have struggled over the years to decide whether the communists led by General Wojciech Jaruzelski acted illegally when they declared martial law in December 1981 and disbanded Solidarity, the communist bloc's first independent labor union. ... Full Story Top Polish court: martial law imposed by "criminal group" Thu,12 Jan 2012 11:12 AM PST Reuters - WARSAW (Reuters) - The communist leaders who imposed martial law in Poland 30 years ago were part of a criminal enterprise trying to crush the Solidarity trade union, a court ruled Thursday, rejecting claims that they had acted to avert a Soviet invasion. Various Polish courts have struggled over the years to decide whether the communists led by General Wojciech Jaruzelski acted illegally when they declared martial law in December 1981 and disbanded Solidarity, the communist bloc's first independent labor union. ... Full Story Top Iran denies trucks held in Turkey taking arms to Syria Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:58 AM PST Reuters - ANKARA (Reuters) - The Iranian embassy in Ankara denied on Thursday that four trucks being held by Turkish customs were carrying military equipment from Iran to Syria, while a spokesman for Turkey's foreign ministry said an investigation was still in progress. The trucks were confiscated on Tuesday in Turkey's southeast province of Kilis at the Oncupinar border crossing into Syria. "These trucks have been subject to control regarding the goods they carry, and the investigation continues," Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said. ... Full Story Top Nigerian union orders oil shutdown from Sunday Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:50 AM PST Reuters - LAGOS/ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's main oil union said on Thursday it would shut down output from Africa's biggest oil producer on Sunday if the government did not reverse its decision to remove popular fuel subsidies. Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been protesting up and down Africa's most populous nation for four straight days in response to the axing of the petrol subsidy, which more than doubled the price to around 150 naira ($0.93) per litre. ... Full Story Top Calls for Putin to resign flood campaign website Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:47 AM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Calls for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to resign and drop his presidential bid flooded his campaign website within minutes of its launch on Thursday, prompting administrators to limit public access. Putin's spokesman and campaign official Dmitry Peskov said the website fell victim to a hacker attack in its early hours and some of the anti-Putin messages were spam. He denied that any messages were blacklisted for political reasons. "All this fuss with calls for resignation is a kind of computer game that children are playing at. ... Full Story Top Some Arab monitors quit Syria over persisting violence Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:24 AM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Several Arab League monitors have left Syria or may do so soon because the mission has failed to halt President Bashar al-Assad's violent crackdown on a popular revolt against his rule, an Algerian former monitor said on Thursday. Syrian opposition groups say the monitors, who deployed on December 26 to check whether Syria was respecting an Arab peace plan, have only bought Assad more time to crush protests that erupted in March, inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere. ... Full Story Top Pakistan president to return from Dubai: foreign ministry Thu,12 Jan 2012 10:13 AM PST Reuters - ISLAMABAD/DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai on Thursday on a personal trip and will return the next day, the foreign ministry said, as tension between the civilian government and the powerful military plunged the country into another crisis. The prime minister has called a meeting of the cabinet's defense committee for Saturday and the army chief will attend, a government official said, in a possible sign of efforts to reduce friction. A disputed memo allegedly seeking U.S. ... Full Story Top Drone strike in NW Pakistan kills six militants Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:36 AM PST Reuters - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A second drone strike in two days killed six militants in North Waziristan in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border on Thursday, intelligence officials said, further marking the resumption of the U.S. campaign paused for almost two months. The suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at two cars in the Dogga area of North Waziristan tribal region, killing six. "The missiles hit two cars that were heading towards the border. Several foreigners were in the cars, but we have no information on their nationalities yet," an intelligence source told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Somalia Islamists force ICRC food aid suspension Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:17 AM PST Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday it had suspended food distribution to 1.1 million people in central and southern Somalia after Islamist militants blocked deliveries in parts of the famine-hit country. A Somali government minister told Reuters the suspension could worsen the humanitarian crisis in a country where 250,000 Somalis already live in famine conditions and a total of 4 million need aid, according to U.N. figures. ... Full Story Top Haiti marks two years after catastrophic quake Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:13 AM PST Reuters - PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitians marked the second anniversary on Thursday of a devastating earthquake that ravaged their impoverished Caribbean country, as their president held out new promises to rebuild the shattered land. Many women donned white dresses as they observed a national day of mourning by attending church services across the deeply religious country. They also held solemn ceremonies at mass grave sites to remember the dead from one of the world's worst-ever natural disaster. The 7. ... Full Story Top Expat Syrian activists turned away at border Thu,12 Jan 2012 09:09 AM PST Reuters - KILIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian border guards turned away a protest convoy of about 150 Syrian expatriates from Europe, North America and the Arab world on Thursday who were trying to enter the country to draw attention to civilians caught up in months of unrest. The activists, brought together by a campaign on the social networking website Facebook, drove to the border through Turkey, carrying token relief supplies of blankets, medicine and food. "The Syrian government said no to medical supplies, no to doctors who would go in to treat the wounded, and they said no to food. ... Full Story Top Al Shabaab attack Kenyan police camp, kill 7 Thu,12 Jan 2012 08:58 AM PST Reuters - ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Somali Islamist rebels stormed a remote police camp in northeastern Kenya, killing seven people and kidnapping three, the militants and Kenyan officials said on Thursday. Scores of rebel fighters threw grenades and other explosives as they raided the police camp on Wednesday evening in Gerille, a town 7 km (4 miles) from the porous frontier with Somalia, Regional Commissioner Wenslas Ongayo said. Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said in a statement there were about 100 suspected al Shabaab attackers and two officials and a member of the public had been abducted. ... Full Story Top EU moves towards agreement on details of Iran oil embargo Thu,12 Jan 2012 08:39 AM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU states drawing up details of an oil embargo on Iran have given wide backing to a proposal to allow European entities to continue to receive repayments in oil for debts they are currently owed by Iranian firms, EU diplomats said. The 27 states are also working towards a phased implementation of a ban on imports of oil and petrochemical products from Iran. One diplomat said a consensus was emerging that the oil import ban should come into force after six months and the petrochemical product ban after three -- similar to provisions in U.S. ... Full Story Top ICC set to OK Saif trial in Libya, Tripoli says Thu,12 Jan 2012 08:07 AM PST Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya expects the International Criminal Court to agree that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of Libya's late leader, can be tried in Libya, where he could face the death penalty, the justice minister said on Thursday. The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled Muammar Gaddafi in August. ... Full Story Top

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