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Wednesday, August 29, 2012 12:06 AM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Republicans launch convention assault on Obama S.Africa's Tutu boycotts seminar in anti-Blair protest Somali parliament elects new speaker Libya will not risk clash with shrine attackers: minister Nigeria power minister resigns before privatisation Ex-Somali PM must pay $21 million for alleged torture: US court Clinton set to take U.S. Asia push to South Pacific In high-stakes convention speech, Ann Romney connects Flake claims victory in Arizona Republican Senate primary California leaders strike public pension reform deal China economy shows signs of stabilizing: NDRC Blunt Christie tells Republicans it's time to face fiscal truth On Republican rival's big night, Santorum looks back California lawmakers vote to ban gay "conversion" therapy for minors Union nemesis Walker basks in Republican applause Quebec separatists to win minority government next week: poll Ukraine high court to rule on Tymoshenko appeal Argentine unions, bosses agree on minimum wage hike Colorado shooting victims' families blast fundraising charities Factbox: Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Obama knocks Republicans, courts students in campaign swing G7 urges higher oil output, warns on reserves Slain dictator's daughter turns to mother's legacy in bid to lead South Korea Some Republican women wish men would just shut up Montreal police arrest 11 after university clash Republicans nominate Romney at storm-hit convention Documents show White House interest in bin Laden film Ex-Somali PM must pay $21 million for alleged torture: U.S. court Red Cross halts most Pakistan aid after beheading Republicans nominate Romney as presidential candidate Hurricane Isaac to hit New Orleans, making landfall soon Ann Romney lauds husband as determined problem solver Mexico's electoral court set to confirm Pena Nieto victory Former Senator Arlen Specter diagnosed with cancer again Court rejects Texas redistricting maps Ditch the baggy suit, fashion experts advise Ryan SEC alleges insider trading ring in deal for IcyHot maker Automakers to Obama and Romney: stay away Boy charged with attempted murder in Baltimore school shooting Suicide bomber kills Muslim cleric as Putin urges unity Republicans launch convention assault on Obama Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:55 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republicans launched a sharp assault on President Barack Obama's economic record on the first full day of their convention on Tuesday and praised Mitt Romney as a leader who could rein in big government and kick-start a stagnant economy. After a storm threat delayed the gathering one day, Republicans formally nominated Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, to challenge Obama for the White House in a November 6 election that polls show is tight. ... Full Story Top S.Africa's Tutu boycotts seminar in anti-Blair protest Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:47 PM PDT Reuters - JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Nobel peace prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has withdrawn from a seminar in South Africa this week in protest against the presence of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his support for war in Iraq. "The archbishop is of the view that Mr. Blair's decision to support the United States' military invasion of Iraq, on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence in Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, was morally indefensible," said Tutu spokesman Roger Friedman. Blair strongly supported U.S. President George W. ... Full Story Top Somali parliament elects new speaker Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:46 PM PDT Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Former cabinet minister Mohamed Osman Jawaari was elected speaker of Somalia's parliament by a majority vote on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for a new government in the war-torn Horn of Africa country. The next step in a Western-backed plan to end two decades of strife is the election of a president charged with the task of rebuilding institutions plagued by corruption and infighting. ... Full Story Top Libya will not risk clash with shrine attackers: minister Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:42 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's interior minister said on Tuesday he could would not risk an armed confrontation with hardline Muslims behind a string of sectarian attacks, in an unusually candid admission of the scale of the security challenge facing the country. Ultra-conservative Muslims bulldozed shrines sacred to Sufi Muslims in Tripoli and the western city of Zlitan on Friday and Saturday, stoking fears of the spread of factional violence following the fall of strongman Muammar Gaddafi. ... Full Story Top Nigeria power minister resigns before privatisation Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:37 PM PDT Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's power minister resigned on Tuesday, the presidency said, two months before preferred bidders were due to be announced in a privatisation process meant to overhaul the country's ailing electricity sector. There were reports in some Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday Barth Nnaji had an interest in a company involved in the bidding process for two state assets up for sale. A spokesman for Nnaji confirmed the minister had a stake in such a company, but said there was no conflict of interest because regulators had been informed. ... Full Story Top Ex-Somali PM must pay $21 million for alleged torture: US court Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:37 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Somali prime minister denied diplomatic immunity must pay $21 million in damages to the victims of his alleged torture and human rights abuse, a U.S. federal court ruled on Tuesday. Mohamed Ali Samantar, who served as Somalia's defense minister in the 1980s and prime minister from 1987 to 1990, agreed in February to not contest the charges and accept liability for any damages against the seven plaintiffs - four individuals and three estates. ... Full Story Top Clinton set to take U.S. Asia push to South Pacific Tue,28 Aug 2012 10:01 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will venture to the South Pacific this week as she takes Washington's bid to reassert itself against China to a remote corner of the world where the power rivalry is increasingly apparent. Clinton will lead a U.S. government team to the Cook Islands for the August 31 meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, a group of 16 independent and self-governing territories scattered across a huge expanse of ocean east of New Zealand, the State Department said on Tuesday. ... Full Story Top In high-stakes convention speech, Ann Romney connects Tue,28 Aug 2012 09:39 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Ann Romney had one major goal in her nationally televised speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday: Make America understand the side of her husband, Mitt, that she knows and loves. After a nervous start, the wife of the Republican nominee for president delivered a heartfelt address that repeatedly brought sign-waving Republican delegates to their feet with cheers and applause. Using a Teleprompter for the first time in her life, Ann Romney, 63, told the convention delegates that she wanted to talk about love. ... Full Story Top Flake claims victory in Arizona Republican Senate primary Tue,28 Aug 2012 09:05 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. Representative Jeff Flake claimed victory on Tuesday in a Republican primary election to pick a replacement for Jon Kyl, the U.S. Senator for Arizona who is stepping down at the end of the year. Flake, the front runner by a wide margin in polls, announced he had beaten his feisty rival Wil Cardon as the Arizona Secretary of State's office reported Flake was 49 points ahead with 477 of 1,667 precincts reporting. The six-term congressman now faces Democrat Richard Carmona, a former U.S. ... Full Story Top California leaders strike public pension reform deal Tue,28 Aug 2012 09:00 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown and lawmakers have reached a deal to raise public employees' retirement ages, have them pay more into their pension accounts, and cap retirement payments in a vast overhaul of the state's pension system that he says will save $30 billion. Union leaders panned the deal between Brown and fellow Democrats who control the legislature and hope to drum up support for his tax measure on the November ballot by showing voters they can tackle big challenges. ... Full Story Top China economy shows signs of stabilizing: NDRC Tue,28 Aug 2012 08:55 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy is stabilizing slowly as pro-growth government policies gain traction while real estate curbs have surpressed speculation, the head of the country's top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Wednesday. Zhang told a meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, that China's two-pronged policy programme had been effective. ... Full Story Top Blunt Christie tells Republicans it's time to face fiscal truth Tue,28 Aug 2012 08:00 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accused Democrats of refusing to tell Americans the truth about the depth of the country's deep fiscal woes on Tuesday in a pugnacious keynote speech in support of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Christie delivered the main speech of the evening at the Republican National Convention. The rotund, combative governor drew sustained applause from the thousands of delegates who gathered to formally nominate Romney as their candidate to face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 election. ... Full Story Top On Republican rival's big night, Santorum looks back Tue,28 Aug 2012 07:58 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Looking back on the lessons of his own presidential campaign, when he was a nettlesome challenge to Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum returned to familiar themes of protecting traditional values in his address to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. Lingering tension between Santorum and Romney, who outlasted the former Pennsylvania senator in the Republican presidential primary, was clear in Santorum's sparing references to Romney. Santorum mentioned his former rival three times during a 14-minute address. ... Full Story Top California lawmakers vote to ban gay "conversion" therapy for minors Tue,28 Aug 2012 07:43 PM PDT Reuters - SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's state Assembly approved a bill on Tuesday to prohibit children and teenagers from undergoing a controversial therapy that aims to reverse homosexuality, moving the state closer to becoming the first to impose such a ban. The 51-21 vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly marked a major victory for gay rights advocates who say the so-called conversion therapy has no medical basis because homosexuality is not a disorder. ... Full Story Top Union nemesis Walker basks in Republican applause Tue,28 Aug 2012 07:09 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who made his name by fighting his state's public sector unions, basked in a warm ovation at the Republican convention on Tuesday, his first victory lap on the national stage since surviving a recall vote on June 5. The 44-year-old has been a rising Republican star since taking office in January 2011 for his sledgehammer approach to cutting back union benefits. He is a favorite of the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement, one of the few to grab a speaking role at this week's convention in Tampa, Florida. ... Full Story Top Quebec separatists to win minority government next week: poll Tue,28 Aug 2012 06:22 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A separatist party looks set to return to power in the Canadian province of Quebec in an election next week, but is unlikely to win enough support to push through a referendum on independence, according to a poll released on Tuesday. The CROP survey for La Presse newspaper put the opposition Parti Quebecois (PQ) at 33 percent public support, down one percentage point from a poll done by the same firm 12 days earlier. Quebec holds a provincial election on September 4. ... Full Story Top Ukraine high court to rule on Tymoshenko appeal Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:42 PM PDT Reuters - KIEV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian high court rules on Wednesday on an appeal by jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her conviction for abuse of office, with few commentators expecting a judgment that will free her and improve ties with the West. The seven-year prison term handed to Tymoshenko in October has been condemned as political persecution by Western leaders and blocked strategic agreements with the European Union on political association and a free-trade zone. ... Full Story Top Argentine unions, bosses agree on minimum wage hike Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:36 PM PDT Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's government, unions and industry leaders agreed on Tuesday to raise the minimum wage by 25 percent as inflation shows few signs of cooling despite a slowdown in Latin America's No. 3 economy. The minimum salary will rise in two stages to 2,875 pesos a month (US$621) from the current 2,300 pesos a month, although the full increase will not take effect until February. It is the ninth straight year the government has raised the minimum wage. ... Full Story Top Colorado shooting victims' families blast fundraising charities Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:24 PM PDT Reuters - AURORA, Colorado (Reuters) - Families of people killed and wounded in a shooting rampage inside a Colorado movie theater in July said on Tuesday they were being denied a voice in how $5 million in donations raised to help them was being dispersed. Tom Teves, whose son Alex was killed, said the first disbursement of funds went to various charities instead of victims and that a committee charged with distributing the money does not have any victims or their families on it. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:24 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, addresses the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in a speech aimed at giving Americans a better understanding of the party's presidential nominee. Here are some facts about her: * Ann Romney held public office before her husband became an elected official. In 1977, when the couple had three young sons, she was elected to be a Town Meeting Representative in Belmont, Massachusetts, where the family lived. ... Full Story Top Obama knocks Republicans, courts students in campaign swing Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:21 PM PDT Reuters - FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told college audiences in two political battleground states on Tuesday to beware of the rhetoric from the Republican Party's convention in Florida. "This week in Tampa, my opponents will offer you their agenda. It should be a pretty entertaining show," Obama said during a campaign stop at Iowa State University. "I'm sure they'll have some wonderful things to say about me, but what you won't hear from them is a path forward that meets the challenges of our time," he said. ... Full Story Top G7 urges higher oil output, warns on reserves Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Finance ministers of the Group of Seven most industrialized nations urged oil-producing countries on Tuesday to raise output to ensure the market is well supplied, while warning that the West was ready to tap strategic oil reserves to offset rising prices that could hamper global growth. "We stand ready to call upon the International Energy Agency to take appropriate action to ensure that the market is fully and timely supplied," the G7 said in a statement. "The current rise in oil prices reflects geopolitical concerns and certain supply disruptions. ... Full Story Top Slain dictator's daughter turns to mother's legacy in bid to lead South Korea Tue,28 Aug 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - OKCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) - Park Geun-hye was 22 years old when she washed the blood from her assassinated mother's dress. Five years later, she recalls in her autobiography, she held her father's blood-soaked shirt after the South Korean strongman was shot dead. Now, both hampered and helped by the contrasting legacies of her murdered parents, the 60-year-old Park appears on the cusp of becoming South Korea's first female president. Park was chosen as presidential candidate for the ruling conservatives last week and polls show she is the front-runner for a December election. ... Full Story Top Some Republican women wish men would just shut up Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican women attending the national convention this week are fed up with talk that their party is waging a "war on women," and some say it doesn't help that a few Republican men keep talking about abortion, rape and contraception. "Why are men discussing this? That would be my question," asked Mary Anne Carter, policy director at YG Network, a conservative-leaning non-profit group running the "Woman Up!" pavilion at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. "At the end of the day, this election is about the economy. ... Full Story Top Montreal police arrest 11 after university clash Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - MONTREAL (Reuters) - Police arrested 11 people on the Montreal campus of Canada's largest French-language university on Tuesday as protesters opposed to the resumption of classes after last spring's province-wide student boycott clashed with guards inside a classroom building. Ten people were charged with assault and assault on a police officer after fighting broke out at the University of Montreal campus on Tuesday morning, Agent Danny Richer of the Montreal Police Service said. One protester was released without charge. ... Full Story Top Republicans nominate Romney at storm-hit convention Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republicans nominated Mitt Romney on Tuesday to challenge President Barack Obama for the White House, kicking off their storm-delayed convention with a barrage of sharp attacks on Obama's economic leadership. The formal nomination of Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, sets up a two-month final dash to the November 6 election. Opinion polls show Romney running even with or slightly behind the Democratic president. ... Full Story Top Documents show White House interest in bin Laden film Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Documents released by the Pentagon and CIA shed light on White House officials' interest in a Hollywood film project dramatizing the U.S. commando raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed. The documents released to Judicial Watch, a conservative group, under the Freedom of Information Act and made public on Tuesday include emails between top Pentagon and White House officials discussing efforts to cooperate with film director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal on the bin Laden raid movie. ... Full Story Top Ex-Somali PM must pay $21 million for alleged torture: U.S. court Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Somali prime minister denied diplomatic immunity must pay $21 million in damages to the victims of his alleged torture and human rights abuse, a U.S. federal court ruled on Tuesday. Mohamed Ali Samantar, who served as Somalia's defense minister in the 1980s and prime minister from 1987 to 1990, agreed in February to not contest the charges and accept liability for any damages against the seven plaintiffs - four individuals and three estates. ... Full Story Top Red Cross halts most Pakistan aid after beheading Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:08 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday it was halting most of its aid programs in Pakistan due to deteriorating security and the beheading of a British staff doctor in April blamed on Taliban insurgents. The independent agency, which had already suspended operations in three of Pakistan's four provinces in May pending a security assessment, said it would carry on working in the country "but on a reduced scale". "All relief and protection activities are being stopped. ... Full Story Top Republicans nominate Romney as presidential candidate Tue,28 Aug 2012 04:07 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republicans formally nominated Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate on Tuesday to face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 election. By voice vote in a raucous arena, delegates to the Republican National Convention united behind the former Massachusetts governor, who this year outlasted a series of conservative challengers to come out on top. Romney, 65, is in a close fight with Obama with 70 days to go until the election and Republicans hope he will gain some much-needed momentum from the Tampa convention this week. ... Full Story Top Hurricane Isaac to hit New Orleans, making landfall soon Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:55 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Hurricane Isaac gathered strength as it bore down on New Orleans on Tuesday, bringing high winds and soaking rains that will pose the first major test to the city's multibillion-dollar flood protections, seven years after Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hundreds of U.S. Army National Guard troops took up strategic positions around New Orleans, preparation meant to avoid the chaos seen in the days and weeks after Katrina in August 2005. ... Full Story Top Ann Romney lauds husband as determined problem solver Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:49 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Ann Romney will praise her husband, Mitt, in a speech to the Republican convention on Tuesday as a determined problem solver who can turn around the United States. In remarks prepared for delivery to the Tampa, Florida, convention just hours after Romney was formally nominated as the party's presidential candidate, Ann Romney painted a positive picture of the man she has known for nearly 50 years. ... Full Story Top Mexico's electoral court set to confirm Pena Nieto victory Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:46 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral court is poised to confirm President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto's victory in the July 1 ballot, despite allegations of vote buying and money laundering during the campaign, electoral officials and legal experts said. Leftist runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the presidential election by 3.3 million votes, challenged the result, alleging that Pena Nieto's party used slush funds to buy votes and breached spending limits. ... Full Story Top Former Senator Arlen Specter diagnosed with cancer again Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:46 PM PDT Reuters - PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Former Senator Arlen Specter, a major political figure in Pennsylvania and Washington for more than four decades, is once again fighting cancer, his office said Tuesday. A statement issued by Specter's office did not specify the type of cancer he is fighting, and a spokesman declined to elaborate. Specter, 82, survived Hodgkin's lymphoma, or cancer of the lymphatic system, in 2005. His office also declined to comment on local media reports that Specter has been hospitalized. "I'm battling cancer," Specter said in the statement. "It's another battle I intend to win. ... Full Story Top Court rejects Texas redistricting maps Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court ruled on Tuesday that controversial Texas redistricting maps discriminate against black and Hispanic voters, effectively killing the new districts before they could take effect for the November 6 presidential election. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the ruling. The state maps, passed by the Republican-dominated Texas legislature, redrew districts in a way that reduced the influence of minority voters, the court ruled. November's election will likely use interim maps drawn by a federal court in San Antonio instead. ... Full Story Top Ditch the baggy suit, fashion experts advise Ryan Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:37 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Paul Ryan is preparing for the biggest speech of his career on Wednesday, when he will accept the Republican vice presidential nomination in front of a television audience of tens of millions of voters. Style experts hope he'll find some time to do some clothes shopping as well. Ryan's budget-cutting plan has made him one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. politics, but many of those who know fashion agree on one thing: The man needs serious help with his wardrobe. ... Full Story Top SEC alleges insider trading ring in deal for IcyHot maker Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:29 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Securities regulators on Tuesday charged eight men with participating in an insider trading ring that made more than $500,000 on confidential information that French drugmaker Sanofi planned to buy the Tennessee-based maker of pain reliever IcyHot. The Securities and Exchange Commission said a Georgia accountant, Thomas D. Melvin Jr, received confidential information in 2009 about the acquisition from a client who was on the board of directors at Chattem Inc and was seeking professional advice. ... Full Story Top Automakers to Obama and Romney: stay away Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:22 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - General Motors Co and Chrysler Group LLC, U.S. automakers that received billions of dollars in government help to stay afloat during the recession, said they will not allow presidential candidates to make stops at their plants. President Barack Obama often touts the financial health of both GM and Chrysler and has appeared at auto plants of both companies frequently in the past several years. While the federal government still owns 26 percent of GM's shares, Obama cannot go to a GM plant until after the November 6 election, GM said. ... Full Story Top Boy charged with attempted murder in Baltimore school shooting Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:08 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A 15-year-old boy suspected of shooting a fellow student on the first day of classes at a Baltimore-area high school has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, but police say they do not know the motive for what apparently was a well-planned attack. Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. also left an ominous message on his Facebook page before heading off to Perry Hall High School in Baltimore's northeast suburbs on Monday morning. "First day of school, last day of my life," the posting read. It concluded: "fuck the world. ... Full Story Top Suicide bomber kills Muslim cleric as Putin urges unity Tue,28 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - BOLGAR, Russia (Reuters) - A woman suicide bomber killed an influential Islamic cleric and six of his followers in Russia's southern Dagestan region on Tuesday as President Vladimir Putin visited another mainly Muslim province and called for an end to religious violence. Said Atsayev, 74, a popular Sufi Muslim spiritual leader also known as Sheikh Said Afandi al-Chirkavi, was killed when the woman entered his home disguised as a pilgrim and detonated an explosive belt around her waist, police sources said. ... Full Story Top

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