Monday, August 13, 2012

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Romney's Pick Puts Medicare in Bull's-Eye - Wall Street Journal
By DAMIAN PALETTA AP Rep. Paul Ryan speaks about his budget proposal during a town-hall meeting in April 2011 in Kenosha, Wis. The selection of Paul Ryan ensures that the campaign will be a battle of big ideas over the role of government in the 21st …


Police: 3 dead after shooting near Texas A&M - Fox News
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - A gunman and a law enforcement officer were among three people killed Monday in a shooting near the Texas A&M University campus, police said. A male civilian also was killed, while two other officers and a woman were injured in …


Rooftop farms flourish in space-starved Hong Kong
On the rooftop of a tower block above the hustle and bustle of teeming Hong Kong, dedicated growers tend to their organic crops in a vegetable garden.


Surge in Tibetan self-immolations challenges Chinese rule-rights group
BEIJING (Reuters) – As many as five Tibetans set themselves ablaze in China in the past week to protest Chinese rule over Tibet, a U.S. broadcaster said, a surge highlighted by a rights group as a sustained campaign against Beijing’s grip on religious freedom. Two self-immolations on Monday in the Aba prefecture, a mountainous and mainly ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province, were followed by at least one clash between police and ethnic Tibetans that left one protester dead, Radio Free Asia said. …


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Three killed in shootings near Texas A&M University - Los Angeles Times
Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.caffall COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Just after noon Monday, Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann embarked on a seemingly routine chore -- serving an eviction notice in a pleasant neighborhood a few blocks from …


Obama and Ryan duel over farm aid, economy in Iowa - Los Angeles Times
DES MOINES -- Iowa contributes all of six electoral votes to the grand total of 538 up for grabs in November's election. But President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney are devoting plenty of time to the state, an indication that both campaigns …


Budget debate: Key but too limited - Politico
Now that Mitt Romney has selected Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), head of the House Budget Committee, as his running mate, he has insured that this campaign will feature arguments about the budget and deficits. Ryan jumped right in last weekend, …


Two Killed in Shooting Near Texas A&M Campus - New York Times (blog)
By MANNY FERNANDEZ, MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ and J. DAVID GOODMAN 11:54 pm | Updated An updated version of this story can be found here and more details on the gunman and on the army medic who assisted at the scene can be found here. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- A …


Taiwan museum fined for stopping breastfeeding mum
Taipei's National Palace Museum is internationally renowned for its vast collection of ancient Chinese artworkA top Taiwanese museum has been fined for preventing a woman from breastfeeding, the first such case since a law was enacted to protect the right to breastfeed in public, authorities said on Tuesday.


Australians fear for 67 missing asylum seekers
Australian authorities hold grave fears for 67 asylum seekers reported missing after they said they were leaving Indonesia in a rickety boat bound for Australia more than a month ago, an official said Tuesday.


Kvitova outlasts Li for first title of season
Petra Kvitova finally took the early lead on a fifth set point in a monster final gameFormer Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova claimed her first title of 2012 as she won a battle of ex-grand slam champions, beating China's Li Na 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the Montreal Masters.


Magnitude 7.3 quake hits waters off of eastern Russia; no tsunami generated, no word on damage
TOKYO – The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 7.3 earthquake has hit the waters off of far eastern Russia. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami was generated.


Deloitte CEO defends firm's Standard Chartered work
A man walks on a footbridge connected to the Standard Chartered headquarters in Hong KongNEW YORK (Reuters) – Deloitte LLP Chief Executive Joe Echevarria on Monday fought back against allegations that his firm helped Standard Chartered hide transactions with Iran, saying charges by the top New York state banking regulator were "distortions of the facts." Echevarria, CEO since June 2011, defended Deloitte in his first interview since the firm was dragged into the spotlight over its independent reviews of British bank Standard Chartered. The New York State Department of Financial Services, in a case involving U.S. …


Ecuador hopes to decide on Assange asylum this week
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange leaves the Supreme Court in LondonQUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador is likely to announce a decision on whether to grant political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange before the end of the week in a case with diplomatic implications around the world, President Rafael Correa said on Monday. Assange has been taking refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June 19 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning on sex crime allegations. The former computer hacker, who enraged Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published thousands of secret U.S. …


Ecuador to respond to Assange asylum plea this week
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange took refuge at Ecuador's embassy in London on June 19 to avoid extradition to SwedenEcuadoran President Rafael Correa said he expects to respond to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's application for political asylum some time this week.


Australia boatpeople plan wins crucial support
Australia remains a minor destination country for asylum-seekers receiving just 2.5 percent of global claims in 2011Plans to transfer asylum-seekers who arrive in Australia by boat to Pacific states for processing won crucial support Tuesday, even as the opposition said it came too late to prevent lives being lost.


Brent steady above $113 ahead of key Europe, U.S. data
An attendant prepares to refuel a car at a petrol station in RomeSINGAPORE (Reuters) – Brent futures held steady above $113 on Tuesday as investors awaited GDP data out of two of Europe's powerhouse economies to gauge the region's energy demand outlook, while tensions in the Middle East supported prices. A steeper than expected drop in growth numbers from France and Germany could boost the dollar, in turn weighing on commodities which are priced in the greenback. On the other hand, intensifying debate in Israel on whether to strike Iran's disputed nuclear programme stoked fears of a military conflict, providing a floor on oil. …


S. Korean footballer escapes draft
Park Jong-Woo (R) was barred from the medal ceremony after he held up a sign reading A South Korean footballer will be excused military service as a reward for his Olympic performance despite controversially displaying a sign on a territorial dispute, an official said.


Asia stocks up as traders look ahead to US data
A woman walks past a screen showing the China Composite Stock Price Index at a brokerage house in Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning province Monday, Aug. 13, 2012. World stock markets fell Monday after a slowdown in Japan's growth gave investors another reason to worry about the health of the global economy. (AP Photo) CHINA OUTAsian stock markets edged higher Tuesday, after a successful bond auction in Italy and signs that Greece's recession might be easing quelled fears that the eurozone debt crisis might spiral out of control.


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New campaigner Ryan under fire from hecklers and Obama - Reuters


Texas shooting began with eviction notice - Christian Science Monitor


Defense community unfazed by Cairo shake-up - Jerusalem Post
By YAAKOV LAPPIN Official: Egyptian army remains dependent on US aid; security officials see no sudden deterioration on the southern border. The sudden ouster of top defense chiefs by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy caught the Israeli defense …


New campaigner Ryan under fire from hecklers and Obama - Reuters


Egypt president's firing of generals seen as 'soft coup' - Los Angeles Times
CAIRO -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's firing of the nation's top generals was interpreted by analysts Monday as a politically engineered strategy to significantly broaden his powers as economic and political pressures mount in a country that still …


Strong quake jolts northern Japan, no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO (Reuters) – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicenter of the quake was off the coast of Hokkaido in the Sea of Okhotsk, the agency said, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued. The quake was rated 3 on the Japanese seismic scale of 1-7. There were no reports of immediate damage. (Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Michael Watson)


Syria to be suspended from OIC - Xinhua
BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhuanet) — Foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) proposed Monday at a meeting in Saudi Arabia to suspend Syria from the body for its violent crackdown on a 17-month revolt against President Bashar …


Japan's Isuzu plans China, India truck plants
Demand for pickup trucks has been growing in many emerging nations, partly due to poor road conditionsJapan's Isuzu Motors will spend 30 billion yen ($382 million) to build new factories in China and India to tap rising demand for pickup trucks in the fast-growing markets, a report said on Tuesday.


Offshore processing within a month: PM - The Daily Telegraph
AUSTRALIA could be sending asylum seekers to Nauru and Papua New Guinea within a month, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says. The long-running asylum seeker policy deadlock appears likely to be broken after the government agreed to an expert panel's …


Syria: Some in opposition fear rebels miscalculated in Aleppo - Los Angeles Times


Time still left for diplomacy with Iran: US - Hindustan Times
Days after tightening the noose of international sanctions against Tehran, the Obama Administration has said there is still time and space left for diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear programme. "We regret that Iran has not yet made a strategic …


Confusion Over How to Aid Iran Quake Victims - New York Times
The deadly double earthquakes in Iran over the weekend, the first natural disaster there since the United States imposed onerous financial sanctions on that country because of its disputed nuclear program, have raised worries among Iranian-Americans …


In Norway, Panel Lists Police Faults in Massacre - New York Times
STAVANGER, Norway -- An independent inquest into the mass killings in Norway last summer by a fanatical anti-Muslim extremist sharply rebuked the country's police and intelligence services Monday, saying they could have averted or at least disrupted his …


Deep magnitude 7.5 quake off Russia, north of Japan
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck off the eastern Russian coast to the north of Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Tuesday, but no tsunami warning was issued by Japanese authorities. The quake was measured very deep at around 580 km (360 miles) below the earth’s surface. Japanese television said the quake was measured at 7.3. (Reporting by Paul Tait; Editing by Ed Davies)


Powerful uncle of North Korea leader in China to talk business
File photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, flanked by his uncle North Korean politician Jang Song-thaek, leaving a military parade in PyongyangSEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle — the man seen as the power behind the young and untested dictator — went to Beijing on Monday in the latest signal that the reclusive state is looking seriously at ways to revive its broken economy. The official KCNA news agency said Jang Song-thaek was visiting China, the North's only major ally, to discuss setting up joint commercial projects. The news comes after leader Kim recently told Beijing that his priority is to develop his impoverished country's decaying economy. In Washington, a senior U.S. …


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Biden says Romney, Ryan offer 'stark choice' for voters - Washington Post


China police shoot dead fugitive killer: Xinhua
Chongqing has offered a 500,000 yuan reward for any information leading to the capture of a fugitive armed killerPolice on Tuesday shot dead an armed robber known as China's most dangerous man and suspected of killing nine people, the official Xinhua news agency reported.


World Chef: Sushi chef finds success in Australian country town
SYDNEY (Reuters) – When Masaaki Koyama opened his sushi shop in Geeveston, a small town in southern Tasmania that survives mainly on lumber and apple growing, he had to step outside to offer samples to locals to encourage them to try his hand-made sushi rolls. Now, three years later, his name is so well known on Australia’s most southern island state that customers form snake-like, endless queues to buy his tasty delights. Part of the success is the attraction of watching Koyama make some of the hundreds of rolls of sushi he prepares every day. …


British army will take two-year hit from Olympics: report
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s armed forces will take two years to recover from their involvement in the Olympic Games because the high number of personnel deployed at short notice were taken away from normal duties, the army’s chief planner for the Games told the Guardian newspaper. Wing Commander Peter Daulby, who was put in charge of the army’s Olympic planning 18 months ago, said the capability to send 18,000 troops to the Games highlighted the danger of “pulling the military down.” “We were originally planning to provide niche capabilities. …


Pope's Ex-Butler Charged in Theft Case - Wall Street Journal


RPT-India yoga guru arrested in anti-graft march on parliament - Reuters
(Repeats with no changes to text) By Satarupa Bhattacharjya NEW DELHI Aug 13 (Reuters) – An Indian guru known to millions from a television show on Hinduism and yoga was arrested at a protest against corruption near the parliament on Monday, …


OIC summit opens in Makkah today President Zardari in Jeddah to attend meet - The News International
JEDDAH: The two-day summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation convened by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is opening in Makkah today (Tuesday) to discuss the challenges facing the Muslim Ummah and to further strengthen the unity and solidarity …


Uganda Searches for Officers in Missing Helicopters - Wall Street Journal
By NICHOLAS BARIYO An injured crew member is strapped to a stretcher at the site of one copter's crash-landing near Mount Kenya. KAMPALA, Uganda--Rescue teams were searching Monday for at least 10 Ugandan air force officers after three of its …


What exactly has Egyptian President Morsi done? (+video) - Christian Science Monitor
It will be some weeks before the dust settles and strong assessments of the significance of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's reshuffle of the country's military brass this weekend become possible. One point that was made over eight months ago by …


Israel and Iran - New York Times


Iran Quake Victims Criticize Relief - Wall Street Journal
By FARNAZ FASSIHI BEIRUT--Residents of the northwestern Iranian province struck by twin earthquakes over the weekend criticized the government on Monday for what they called an inadequate relief effort and said the number of casualties is much higher …


Gillard Refugee Backflip Wins Australia Opposition Support - Businessweek
By Jason Scott on August 13, 2012 Australia is poised to reopen an asylum-seeker processing center in Nauru after the opposition said it supports the policy backflip by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who's betting the move will help her boost flagging …


Syria expected to dominate Islamic summit - CNN
(CNN) — A Tuesday summit in the Islamic holy city of Mecca will bring together the biggest ally of the Syrian government and its top regional antagonists, with the country's increasingly bloody civil war topping the agenda. The two-day Organization of …


Flaws studied in Norway massacre response - Newsday
World Newsday > News Print Aa Flaws studied in Norway massacre response Published: August 13, 2012 9:12 PM By KARL RITTER AND BJOERN H. AMLAND. The Associated Press OSLO — A year after a far-right militant's bomb and gun attacks exposed flaws in …


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Three dead after shooting near Texas A&M - USA TODAY
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The family of a gunman killed in a shootout near the Texas A&M campus that also left two other people dead Monday afternoon say they are "distraught by the havoc that he has caused." Police say Thomas Alton Caffall, 35, …


Bill to prohibit government agencies from disrupting cellphone service heads ... - Washington Post
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Legislation that would ban government agencies from disrupting cellphone service without a court order is heading to Gov. Jerry Brown. The state Senate approved SB1160 on a unanimous vote Monday. The Assembly passed the bill last …


CNN's Candy Crowley talks about hosting presidential debate - Los Angeles Times
When CNN's Candy Crowley got the news last week that she would be hosting the second of three presidential debates this fall, it was not a I-am-woman-hear-me-roar moment. Janet Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, …


Financially struggling Archdiocese to sell Shore home - Philadelphia Inquirer
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will try to unload its massive vacation home on the Ventnor, NJ, beachfront, assessed at $6.2 million, at a Sept. 15 auction, church and real estate officials said Monday. "They really want to get it sold," said Bob Dann …


Egypt Lifts a Junior Corps Impatient Over Military Failure - New York Times
CAIRO -- In his purge of Egypt's top generals, President Mohamed Morsi leaned on the support of a junior officer corps that blamed the old guard for a litany of problems within the military and for involving the armed forces too deeply in the country's …


Paul Ryan, Republican vice presidential candidate, has a complicated record ... - Washington Post
Rep. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, has been described in the past few days as a combination of two congressional ideals. Tea Party activists say he is an uncompromising budget-cutter. Romney himself says Ryan is a deal-maker, …


Medicare Rises as Voters' Issue in Gamble by the GOP - New York Times
TAMPA, Fla. -- With Mitt Romney's selection of Representative Paul D. Ryan as his running mate, Florida quickly emerged on Monday as a critical test of the nationwide Republican gamble that concerns over the mounting federal debt can blunt potent …


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Paul Ryan heckled in Iowa as Mitt Romney campaigns in Florida - Washington Post
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Both parties raced to define the newly complete Republican presidential ticket Monday, as Mitt Romney's selection of Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate began to reshape the race. President Obama, beginning a bus …


Drug cheat stole my golden moment, says Valerie Adams
Valerie Adams said she felt cheated by not receiving the gold medal in front of the London crowdsNew Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams said on Tuesday she was delighted to win Olympic gold after her rival was disqualified but felt cheated by not receiving the medal in front of the London crowds.


Somali pirate negotiator receives 12 life sentences in U.S. court
(Reuters) – A Somali man who acted as a ransom negotiator for pirates who seized an American yacht last year and killed four American hostages was sentenced on Monday by a U.S. federal judge to serve 12 life sentences. Mohammad Shibin was convicted in April on 15 charges including piracy, hostage taking, kidnapping and conspiracy. He was paid $30,000 to $50,000 in cash for his negotiating services, according to a federal indictment. In a courtroom in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. …


Coalition to unveil building package - FT
LONDON (Reuters) – Coalition is preparing to unveil a new stimulus package next month in a drive to encourage house building in its ailing construction sector, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The draft proposal will be announced by either Prime Minister David Cameron or his deputy, Nick Clegg. The plan features a complex scheme under which the government would relax rules requiring private house builders to incorporate social housing in big projects. …


Australia says refugee boat missing with 67 people on board
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Great fears are held for 67 people, presumed to be asylum seekers, on board a boat that has been missing since it left Indonesia more than a month ago and may have sunk, Australian authorities said on Tuesday. The boat is the latest in a string of vessels to attempt the dangerous crossing to Australia’s northwest and news that it was missing came as Australia’s parliament considers new laws to deter boats carrying asylum seekers arriving illegally. …


Afghan policeman fires on NATO allies, wounds 2: officials
American ISAF soliders speak with an Afghan villager during a patrol at Mans Kalay village in Sabari, Khost districtAn Afghan policeman wounded at least two foreign soldiers when he opened fire on troops from the US-led NATO mission on Monday, officials said, adding to a spike in such attacks.


British military will take 2 years to get over Games: planner
British Army soldiers perform a Britain's military will take two years to return to normal after it was called upon to provide 18,000 troops for the London Olympics, the chief planner warned in an interview published Tuesday.


Thousands rally in Tunisia for women's rights
TUNIS (Reuters) – Thousands of Tunisians rallied on Monday to protest against what they see as a push by the Islamist-led government for constitutional changes that would degrade women’s status in one of the Arab world’s most liberal nations. The protest, by some 6,000 mostly Tunisian women, is the latest twist in a row over the role of Islam in a constitution being drawn up by a new assembly. Tunisia’s ruling Ennahda Movement is under pressure from both hardline Salafi Muslims, calling for the introduction of Islamic law, and secular opposition parties. …