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Wednesday, July 4, 2012 12:12 AM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Militant group claims Syrian TV channel attack Costa Rica Congress freezes budget measures over row China frees 21 detained over pollution protests Australia ship arrives at scene of boat in distress Chief of U.S. missile defense bullied staff, report says U.S. border residents mixed over Mexico Pena Nieto's win Exclusive: Myanmar poised for cabinet shake-up, lawmakers say Peru clash over Newmont mine kills three U.N. chief pleads for arms pact, Palestinians demand seat Reactor restarts, but Japan's energy policy in flux Barclays' Diamond faces grilling in parliament Barclays says spends 100 million pound on Libor probe U.S. says Texas police department discriminated against women Herman Cain to deliver Web TV network on July 4 Washington state anti-gay marriage initiative fails Mexican leftist asks for presidential recount Judge allows two counties to defend Illinois anti-gay marriage law Cuba says cholera kills three, blames bad water wells NY Post editor must answer Murdoch, chimp queries Top banks say they not too big to fail Dark economic clouds gather anew over Obama campaign Fights break out at Syrian opposition meeting Explosion outside shopping mall in Nigerian capital Barclays' Diamond quits over rate rigging How Stockton went broke: A 15-year spending binge Famed NYC building's board faces bias claims Ex-Commerce chief Bryson won't face charges over car crashes Swiss institute finds polonium in Arafat's effects Michigan Republican governor vetoes broader voter ID law Barclays sets out defense on Libor fixing Barclays sets out defence on Libor fixing Tribunal finds U.N. chief Ban failed whistleblower California councilman charged with sexual offenses Iran says it test-fires missiles in war of nerves Yemen air strikes kill four al Qaeda suspects: witnesses NY appeals court vacates another stop-and-frisk conviction U.S., Pakistan reach deal to reopen Afghan supply routes Analysis: Legal eagles redefine healthcare winners, losers U.S. capital's arbor ardor unabated despite outage outrage Florida man pleads not guilty in Venezuela military parts case Militant group claims Syrian TV channel attack Tue,3 Jul 2012 10:43 PM PDT Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - A militant group has claimed responsibility for a raid and bombing of a pro-government Syrian TV channel headquarters last week in which seven people were killed. The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which follows jihadist websites, said late on Tuesday that the Al Nusra Front, a militant group, claimed it carried out the June 27 attack in a message posted on Islamist Internet forums. SITE said that in the statement posted on June 30, Al Nusra said the raid on Ikhbariya was a reaction to the channel acting as a "striking arm" of President Bashar al-Assad's government. ... Full Story Top Costa Rica Congress freezes budget measures over row Tue,3 Jul 2012 10:33 PM PDT Reuters - SAN JOSE (Reuters) - A bitter row has broken out in Costa Rica's Congress after opposition parties said they would not support President Laura Chinchilla's plans to tackle its yawning budget deficit until she dismisses two members of her cabinet. Chinchilla on Tuesday refused to submit to demands from the opposition after the two ministers were found to have violated an ethics code by a congressional watchdog for helping the wife of a former cabinet colleague win a contract. ... Full Story Top China frees 21 detained over pollution protests Tue,3 Jul 2012 09:39 PM PDT Reuters - SHIFANG, China (Reuters) - A Chinese city has released 21 people who were detained after a clash between police and residents protesting against a metals plant they feared would poison them, city officials said on Wednesday, the second unusual official concession in two days. Thousands of people in the southwestern city of Shifang took to the streets over the past three days against the government's plans to allow the building of a copper alloy plant, the latest unrest spurred by environmental concerns in the world's second-largest economy. ... Full Story Top Australia ship arrives at scene of boat in distress Tue,3 Jul 2012 08:40 PM PDT Reuters - JAKARTA/CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian navy ship was standing ready on Wednesday to help a boat carrying up to 180 people, presumed to be asylum seekers, authorities said, the third boat to send distress signals in the past three weeks between Indonesia and Australia. About 90 people died after a boat carrying asylum seekers sank on June 21 and around 120 were rescued after another boat sank in the same area a week later. ... Full Story Top Chief of U.S. missile defense bullied staff, report says Tue,3 Jul 2012 08:38 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's chief routinely bullied his senior staff, chilling discussion of thorny issues in the multibillion-dollar program he runs, the U.S. Defense Department's inspector general said in a report made public on Tuesday. Army Lieutenant General Patrick O'Reilly, who has headed the Pentagon arm since November 2008, demeaned and belittled subordinates, making them reluctant "to speak up and raise issues during meetings with him," said the 19-page report dated May 2. ... Full Story Top U.S. border residents mixed over Mexico Pena Nieto's win Tue,3 Jul 2012 08:18 PM PDT Reuters - EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - When Enrique Pena Nieto won the Mexican presidency on Sunday with a campaign pledge to reduce drug-cartel violence, El Paso entrepreneur Ricardo Fernandez reacted with anger. "Sixty thousand people died for what? What's the point?" asked Fernandez, who has watched the bloody war on drugs unfold next door in Mexico, where he was born. "So many people have been murdered and suffered. For what? We're just going back to the way it was," he said, referring to a return to rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which governed Mexico for decades. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Myanmar poised for cabinet shake-up, lawmakers say Tue,3 Jul 2012 07:44 PM PDT Reuters - NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar President Thein Sein plans to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint a new vice president soon to reduce the influence of anti-reform ministers and accelerate changes in the former pariah state, several lawmakers with close ties to the government said. The reshuffle is expected in the current session of parliament that reconvenes on Wednesday and could sideline some hardliners by reducing their responsibilities in the 37-member cabinet or give them new roles, say the lawmakers. ... Full Story Top Peru clash over Newmont mine kills three Tue,3 Jul 2012 07:42 PM PDT Reuters - LIMA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and 21 injured on Tuesday when Peruvian police clashed with protesters opposed to a $5 billion gold mine planned by Newmont Mining, officials in the northern region of Cajamarca said. The fatalities were the first in Cajamarca since protests against the mine started there late last year and the government has responded by suspending freedom of assembly to quell clashes between police, soldiers and protesters. "I don't think we Peruvians should tolerate bad apples who incite violence that ends up causing deaths," Prime Minister Oscar Valdes said. ... Full Story Top U.N. chief pleads for arms pact, Palestinians demand seat Tue,3 Jul 2012 07:03 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pleaded on Tuesday for a binding pact to regulate the more than $60 billion global weapons market, while delegates at a treaty drafting conference worked to defuse a dispute over Palestinian participation. "We do not have a multilateral treaty of global scope dealing with conventional arms," Ban told delegates to the conference, which runs through July 27. "This is a disgrace." "Poorly regulated international arms transfers are fueling civil conflicts, destabilizing regions, and empowering terrorists and criminal networks," he said. ... Full Story Top Reactor restarts, but Japan's energy policy in flux Tue,3 Jul 2012 06:43 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Buffeted by industry worries about high electricity costs on one side and public safety fears about nuclear power on the other, Japan's leaders are still struggling to craft a coherent energy policy more than a year after the Fukushima disaster. Critics say Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, whose top priority is raising the sales tax to curb bulging public debt, is caving in to Japan's "nuclear village" - a powerful nexus of utilities, bureaucrats and businesses - by restarting the first of Japan's 50 reactors to come back on line since the crisis. Kansai Electric Power Co's No. ... Full Story Top Barclays' Diamond faces grilling in parliament Tue,3 Jul 2012 05:43 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Bob Diamond squares up to critical British lawmakers on Wednesday, a day after quitting as Barclays' chief executive over the Libor interest rate scandal, potentially dragging the Bank of England, government and rival banks deeper into the affair. Diamond's testimony to a parliamentary inquiry could prove politically explosive; on Tuesday, Barclays published a 2008 internal memo from him which fellow managers understood to mean that the Bank of England and government might approve if they manipulated the Libor rate at the height of the banking crisis. ... Full Story Top Barclays says spends 100 million pound on Libor probe Tue,3 Jul 2012 05:43 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays has spent almost 100 million pounds ($157 million) on a three-year internal investigation into how it had submitted inaccurate Libor interest rate prices in a scandal that has prompted its chairman, chief executive and chief operating officer to quit. "The bank has invested nearly 100 million pounds to ensure that no stone has been left unturned," the bank said on Tuesday in documents released ahead of the appearance of Bob Diamond, who resigned as CEO on Tuesday, before British lawmakers on Wednesday. ... Full Story Top U.S. says Texas police department discriminated against women Tue,3 Jul 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday accuses Corpus Christi, Texas of discriminating against female applicants to the city's police department by requiring them to pass a physical test that favored men. The Justice Department said the female pass rate for the test, which was used between 2005 and 2011, was 80 percent lower than the male pass rate and that it excluded otherwise qualified applicants from consideration for hire as entry-level police officers based solely on their gender. The test, which included push-ups, sit-ups, and a 300-meter and 1. ... Full Story Top Herman Cain to deliver Web TV network on July 4 Tue,3 Jul 2012 05:04 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Republican U.S. presidential candidate Hermain Cain, known for unconventional and conservative views, plans to launch his own TV-style network on the Web, Cain says in a video posted online at CainTV.com. CainTV is expected to hit the Internet on Wednesday, July 4, Independence Day holiday in the United States, with a range of programs about politics, economics, border control and street smarts that promise to be "real American." "Hello, I'm Herman Cain. They think we are stupid," Cain says at the end of the video before the phrase appears: "We are not stupid. ... Full Story Top Washington state anti-gay marriage initiative fails Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:53 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A Washington state voter initiative that sought to restrict marriage to a partnership between a man and a woman has failed to gain enough signatures to get on the ballot, eliminating any risk of confusion with another competing measure. Opponents of gay marriage in Washington state had pursued two separate signature-gathering drives after Governor Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, signed into law in February a measure to allow same-sex marriage. A referendum to repeal that law has already qualified for the November election. ... Full Story Top Mexican leftist asks for presidential recount Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:44 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The runner-up in Mexico's presidential election said on Tuesday he would ask election authorities to recount the votes from Sunday's contest, alleging it was riddled with fraud. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who finished about 6.5 percentage points behind President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said the election had been corrupted by PRI vote-buying and other abuses. ... Full Story Top Judge allows two counties to defend Illinois anti-gay marriage law Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:34 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - A judge ruled on Tuesday that two Illinois counties could defend a state law banning same-sex marriage in a court battle that supporters of gay marriage hope will lead to an Illinois court overturning the law and legalizing gay nuptials. In 1996 Illinois, like many other states, passed a law that said marriage is only between a man and a woman. ... Full Story Top Cuba says cholera kills three, blames bad water wells Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - Three people have died of cholera and another 50 have been diagnosed with the illness in an outbreak caused by contaminated well water, the Cuban government said on Tuesday. It blamed recent heavy rains and high temperatures for the water problems, which forced the closure of some wells and the chlorination of the water system in the hardest hit areas. The Public Health Ministry said in a statement that the township of Mazanillo in the southeast province of Granma had suffered the most cholera cases, which have occurred in the last few weeks, but that the outbreak is ... Full Story Top NY Post editor must answer Murdoch, chimp queries Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The editor of the New York Post may be forced to answer questions about his discussions with media mogul Rupert Murdoch over fallout from the newspaper's publication of a cartoon that appeared to liken President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee. A federal judge in Manhattan said editor Col Allan could not invoke "editorial privilege" and avoid answering questions posed by Sandra Guzman, a former associate editor suing the newspaper for alleged employment discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, gender and national origin. ... Full Story Top Top banks say they not too big to fail Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:09 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Nine of the largest global banks on Tuesday expressed confidence they can be salvaged or dismantled without taxpayer bailouts if they became insolvent, as U.S. regulators released public portions of these banks' "living wills". The documents, required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, aim to end too-big-to-fail bailouts by mapping out ways that, in theory, mortally-wounded banks could go out of business without wrecking the financial system. ... Full Story Top Dark economic clouds gather anew over Obama campaign Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:08 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After a month in which his re-election campaign picked up momentum, hard economic realities are about to hit President Barack Obama as he takes to the road on a campaign bus trip through the Rust Belt. Poor manufacturing data earlier this week followed by a likely weak jobless report on Friday are reminding Obama that he has a lot of work to do to convince voters he is bringing the economy back to full health. ... Full Story Top Fights break out at Syrian opposition meeting Tue,3 Jul 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - A meeting of Syria's splintered opposition in Cairo descended into scuffles and fistfights on Tuesday that dealt another blow to Western leaders seeking a unified front against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The meeting also failed to resolve many of the differences between the rival Syrian opposition groups, further complicating efforts to find a viable alternative to rule by Assad, whose forces have killed thousands of Syrian civilians and combatants. "This is so sad. It will have a bad implications for all parties. ... Full Story Top Explosion outside shopping mall in Nigerian capital Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - An explosion rocked a shopping mall in an upmarket district of the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday, the emergency services said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. "The officers of Search and Rescue and other response agencies are now at the scene and have cordoned off the area along Park and Shop and Banex Plaza," National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushua Shuaib said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Barclays' Diamond quits over rate rigging Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond suddenly quit on Tuesday over an interest rate-rigging scandal that threatens to drag in a dozen more major lenders but suggested the Bank of England had encouraged his bank to manipulate the figures. "The external pressure placed on Barclays has reached a level that risks damaging the franchise - I cannot let that happen," said Diamond, 60. The terms of his severance were not announced, though Sky News said the bank would ask Diamond to forfeit almost 20 million pounds ($30 million) in bonuses. ... Full Story Top How Stockton went broke: A 15-year spending binge Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:52 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The man in charge of the biggest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy is clear about the root of the crisis. It was a decision that gave firefighters full healthcare in retirement starting on January 1, 1996, said Bob Deis, the city manager of Stockton, California. At the time, the move seemed cheaper than giving pay raises sought by unions, officials involved in the decision said. When other Stockton employees demanded the same healthcare deal in following years, the city agreed. ... Full Story Top Famed NYC building's board faces bias claims Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:48 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Board members at The Dakota, one of New York City's most exclusive residences, can be personally sued for alleged racial discrimination after they rejected a prominent money manager's attempt to double the size of his apartment, a state appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The Dakota, once home to former Beatle John Lennon and site of his 1980 murder, is known for its celebrity residents and exacting standards, having turned down a number of well-known applicants over the years. ... Full Story Top Ex-Commerce chief Bryson won't face charges over car crashes Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Prosecutors declined to charge former U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson on Tuesday over his role in two Los Angeles-area car crashes on the same day in June after blood tests showed he had only low levels of a sleep aid in his system at the time. Bryson was found unconscious behind the wheel of his Lexus on June 9 after he twice crashed into the same car in San Gabriel, California, left the scene of that accident and later collided with a Honda Accord in nearby Rosemead. ... Full Story Top Swiss institute finds polonium in Arafat's effects Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:38 PM PDT Reuters - ZURICH (Reuters) - Traces of the poisonous element polonium have been found in the belongings of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, a Swiss institute said on Wednesday, and a television report said his widow had demanded his body be exhumed for further tests. Arafat died at a hospital in France in 2004, after a sudden illness which baffled doctors. Many Palestinians have long suspected he was poisoned. ... Full Story Top Michigan Republican governor vetoes broader voter ID law Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:34 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Tuesday vetoed a measure to broaden Michigan's photo identification law for voting, the first Republican governor to veto such a plan during a national wave of ID laws enacted by states in the last two years. Michigan has an existing voter ID law that is somewhat flexible, permitting a voter to sign an affidavit and vote a regular ballot if they do not have photographic identification with them. Snyder vetoed a proposal from the Republican-led legislature requiring a photo ID for absentee voting. ... Full Story Top Barclays sets out defense on Libor fixing Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:21 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays gave its first in-depth account of the interest rate fixing scandal that led to the exit of the British bank's chief executive Bob Diamond on Tuesday by releasing a document it will present to British lawmakers. The bank said in the nine-page document published on its website on the eve of a parliamentary hearing that the events leading to a record breaking settlement with U.S. and British regulators "should never have taken place" and it deeply regretted that they had. ... Full Story Top Barclays sets out defence on Libor fixing Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays gave its first in-depth account of the interest rate fixing scandal that led to the exit of the bank's chief executive Bob Diamond on Tuesday by releasing a document it will present to MPs. The bank said in the nine-page document published on its website on the eve of a parliamentary hearing that the events leading to a record breaking settlement with U.S. and British regulators "should never have taken place" and it deeply regretted that they had. ... Full Story Top Tribunal finds U.N. chief Ban failed whistleblower Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:19 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the world body's Ethics Office failed to properly review an internal inquiry into a whistleblower's claims that he suffered retaliation for alleging corruption in the U.N. mission in Kosovo, a U.N. Dispute Tribunal has ruled. The ruling "sends a message to the Ethics Office that the judges in the new U.N. internal justice system are monitoring it and that they will not tolerate failures to properly apply the U.N. whistleblower-protection policy," said the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower watchdog. ... Full Story Top California councilman charged with sexual offenses Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:18 PM PDT Reuters - Full Story Top Iran says it test-fires missiles in war of nerves Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:10 PM PDT Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel as a response to threats of attack, the latest move in a war of nerves with the West. Israel says it could attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has military force as a possible option but has repeatedly encouraged the Israelis to be patient while new economic sanctions are implemented against Iran. ... Full Story Top Yemen air strikes kill four al Qaeda suspects: witnesses Tue,3 Jul 2012 03:01 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - At least four suspected al Qaeda militants were killed in two air strikes, thought to have been carried out by U.S. drones on vehicles travelling in central Yemen on Tuesday, a Yemeni security source and witnesses said. The attacks came as Yemeni authorities said they had also arrested 14 al Qaeda militants, including nine foreigners - in the latest sign of a U.S.-backed push to defeat Islamist fighters in Yemen. ... Full Story Top NY appeals court vacates another stop-and-frisk conviction Tue,3 Jul 2012 02:50 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - For the second time in a week, a New York state appeals court has tossed out a weapons possession conviction of a teenager who was searched during a "stop-and-frisk," the New York Police Department's controversial crime-fighting tactic. In a 3-2 decision released on Tuesday, the court ruled that officers had no justification for searching the 14-year-old boy's backpack where they found a loaded handgun. ... Full Story Top U.S., Pakistan reach deal to reopen Afghan supply routes Tue,3 Jul 2012 02:41 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan and the United States reached a deal on Tuesday to reopen land routes that NATO uses to supply troops in Afghanistan, ending a seven-month crisis that damaged ties between the two countries and complicated the U.S.-led Afghan war effort. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a telephone call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, apologized for a November NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last November and prompted an infuriated Islamabad to slam the supply routes closed. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Legal eagles redefine healthcare winners, losers Tue,3 Jul 2012 02:29 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld President Obama's healthcare law under Congress's power to tax, but not its power to regulate the economy, many conservatives were quick to hail the decision as a victory for more limited government. By saying the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution does not allow Congress to penalize people for "inactivity" - such as someone's decision not to purchase health insurance - the thinking went, the court opened the door to challenges to laws that might attempt to do the same. ... Full Story Top U.S. capital's arbor ardor unabated despite outage outrage Tue,3 Jul 2012 02:26 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Power utilities and regulators alike blame downed trees as the main culprit for power outages across the U.S. capital region this week, but the area's love affair with a green canopy shows no signs of abating. Nearly a million people in the Washington area remained without power and baked in searing heat on Tuesday after a brief but violent windstorm known as a "derecho" hit the region Friday night. Washington has a long history of tree lovers. ... Full Story Top Florida man pleads not guilty in Venezuela military parts case Tue,3 Jul 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - The owner of a Florida company pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges he illegally exported aircraft parts to Venezuela's military in a probe that has also led to charges against a former Venezuelan Air Force officer and two other men. Kirk Drellich, president of SkyHigh Accessories, Inc., based in Davie, Florida, faces up to five years in jail and a fine of $250,000 if found guilty. U.S. prosecutors in Miami charged Drellich and the three others in late June for their alleged involvement in the illegal shipment of military aircraft parts to the Venezuelan Air Force. ... Full Story Top

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