Monday, August 20, 2012

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Mitt Romney widens cash advantage over President Obama - Los Angeles Times


GOP presses Rep. Todd Akin to quit Senate race after rape remarks - Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- Leading Republicans sought Monday to pressure Rep. Todd Akin into quitting the US Senate race in Missouri, fearing his ill-considered remarks on abortion and rape would cost the GOP its shot at controlling the chamber and damage the …


Obama warns Syria over chemical weapons - euronews
US President Barack Obama has warned Syria that any use of chemical weapons in the country's bloody conflict could provoke a US military response. He also said that if the Syrian regime failed to safeguard its weapons of mass destruction there would be …


Court: Ala schools can't check student immigration status; police can ask for ... - Washington Post
ATLANTA -- Part of Alabama's immigration law that ordered public schools to check the citizenship status of new students was ruled unconstitutional Monday by a federal appeals court that also said police in that state and Georgia can demand papers from …


Rape remark upsets Republican women - San Francisco Chronicle
Jillian Manus Salzman, a powerhouse donor to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and a proud pro-choice Republican, said she screamed when she heard Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, a GOP candidate for the US Senate, say that victims of "legitimate" rape …


Belarus dissident fighting extradition by Ecuador
This undated photo provided by Mabel Andrade, the wife of former police officer Aliaksandr Barankov, from Belarus, shows Barankov in Minsk, Belarus. Belarus. Barankov, 30, faces an Ecuadorean judge's ruling as early as Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, on an extradition request from Belarus, where prosecutors accuse him of fraud and extortion. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Mabel Andrade)Less than a year ago, an Ecuadorean judge denied a request to extradite Aliaksandr Barankov to Belarus, the former Soviet bloc nation whose president has been nicknamed "Europe's last dictator."


Iran says it has upgraded a short-range missile
Iran’s official news agency says the country has upgraded a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile just weeks after it was test-fired.


Shane Warne to captain Melbourne Stars
Shane Warne is leading a campaign to bring Usain Bolt to play for the Melbourne Stars in the Twenty20 Big Bash LeagueLeg-spin legend Shane Warne will captain his Melbourne Twenty20 team this season, he said Tuesday, adding that talks were still underway to bring Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt into the squad.


AL Capsules: Canadian Ryan Dempster goes 8 innings as Rangers beat Orioles 5-1
ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Dempster pitched eight innings, his longest outing in more than two months and his best since being traded to Texas, and the AL West-leading Rangers beat Baltimore 5-1 on Monday night.


Kyrgyz forces kill fugitive border guard after attack
BISHKEK (Reuters) – Kyrgyz security forces on Tuesday killed a fugitive border guard suspected of shooting dead five people at a remote frontier post, the border guard service of the former Soviet republic said. Border guards and police found the lone gunman, named as Balbai Kulbarak uulu, in a mountain gorge near the Kyrgyz border with Kazakhstan a day after he fled the scene of the attack in a stolen vehicle. The border guard service said in a statement that Kulbarak uulu was killed after putting up “armed resistance” to arrest. …


Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dead at 57
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s long-time ruler who held tight control over this East African country but was a major U.S counter-terrorism ally, died of an undisclosed illness after not being seen in public for weeks, Ethiopian state television said Tuesday. He was 57.


Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, dies at age 57, state TV says
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s state television says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the East African nation’s longtime ruler, has died. He was 57.


Mindset List: Class of 2016 doesn't use radios or watch TVs, and sees women as leaders
MILWAUKEE – Remember when suitcases had to be carried instead of rolled? Or when an airline ticket was a booklet of pages separated by carbon paper? Maybe you remember when Lou Gehrig held the Major League record for consecutive baseball games played.


Sixteen wounded in clashes in Lebanese port city
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – Sixteen people were wounded in overnight clashes between Sunni Muslim and Alawite neighborhoods in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli, local security and medical sources said on Tuesday. Gunmen in the two districts exchanged gunfire and launched rocket-propelled grenades, residents said, in fighting which continued sporadically through the night despite the deployment of troops in the port city. …


Ethiopian prime minister has died
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died in hospital abroadEthiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a regional strongman in power for over two decades, has died in hospital abroad, the government said Tuesday.


Exclusive: Iran looks to Armenia to skirt bank sanctions
Armenian President Sargsyan walks with Iran's President Ahmadinejad during a welcoming ceremony in YerevanUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – With international sanctions squeezing Iran, the Islamic Republic is seeking to expand its banking foothold in the Caucasus nation of Armenia to make up for difficulties in countries it used to rely on to do business, according to diplomats and documents. Iran's growing interest in its neighbor Armenia, a mountainous, landlocked country of about 3. …


Billionaire George Soros invests in Man United
George Soros' investment firm reported a nearly 2% stake in Manchester UnitedUS billionaire George Soros has bought a stake in Manchester United, the British football club that made its Wall Street debut earlier this month, according to a filing with US regulators.


Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles has died: state television
File photo shows Ethiopia's Prime Minister Zenawi attending a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos(Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died, Ethiopian state television said on Tuesday. Meles had not been seen in several weeks. The government said in July that he was taking a break to recover from an unspecified condition. State television said Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will be acting prime minister. Rumors that Meles is seriously ill have been rife since the former guerrilla leader, in power since ousting Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta in 1991, failed to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month. …


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Romney battles Obama for cash advantage in election - Reuters
By Alina Selyukh and Alexander Cohen | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican Party and presidential candidate Mitt Romney have almost $60 million more in the bank than President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party but campaign finance experts say it …


Political firestorm rages around Akin, who vows to stay in race - Kansas City Star
Republican Todd Akin insisted defiantly Monday he won't withdraw from Missouri's Senate race despite hurricane-force pressure from his own party following his weekend remarks on rape. Possible replacement candidates, including two Republicans he …


Will Todd Akin quit Senate race? The GOP wants to know. - Christian Science Monitor
Leading Republicans sought Monday to pressure Rep. Todd Akin into quitting the US Senate race in Missouri, fearing his ill-considered remarks on abortion and rape would cost the GOP its shot at controlling the chamber and damage the party's …


A cheat sheet to what makes today's college freshmen click - USA TODAY
For this year's crop of college freshmen, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Kurt Cobain have always been dead, women have always piloted warplanes and space shuttles, and M&Ms have never been tan. The class of 2016 grew up in cyberspace, a factor that has …


Activists Say Birthplace of Syrian Uprising Is Under Siege - New York Times
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Syrian activists said Monday that the southwestern city of Dara'a was under siege in what seemed to be part of an extended campaign by the Syrian government to regain control of the area, the birthplace of the uprising against …


Beloit College's Mindset List for Class of 2016
Every year, Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., releases its Mindset List to give a snapshot of how the incoming freshmen class views the world. The list for the Class of 2016:


Highlights from the 15 Mindset Lists since 1998
For the past 15 years, Beloit College has published an annual Mindset List to help remind professors that cultural references familiar to them might draw blank stares from college freshmen. Here are highlights from each of those lists:


China's leftists dig in for fight over Bo Xilai
To match insight CHINA-BO/WANG LIJUNBEIJING (Reuters) – Leftist supporters of China's toppled politician Bo Xilai are digging in for an unusually defiant defense of their hero, arguing that he and his wife are victims of a plot that has opened a dangerous schism between them and the Communist Party. A Chinese court handed Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, a suspended death sentence on Monday after finding her guilty of murdering a British businessman, Neil Heywood. …


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Romney opens up big cash lead - Politico


Missouri Congressman Fights to Save GOP Senate Bid - ABC News
(ABCNEWS.com) Rep. Todd Akin fought to salvage his Senate campaign Monday, even as members of his own party turned against him and a key source of campaign funding was cut off in outrage over the Missouri congressman's comments that women are able to …


Earhart team says possible plane debris sighted
American aviator Amelia Earhart sits at the controls of her plane in the 1930sResearchers trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the 1937 disappearance of US aviator Amelia Earhart in the Pacific have said they spotted debris under water that may have come from her plane.


Brent inches up toward $114; euro zone policy eyed
Gas pumps are seen on a petrol station in PragueSINGAPORE (Reuters) – Brent crude inched up on Tuesday, but prices stayed near $114 a barrel as investors sought clarity on policies to help the euro zone after the European Central Bank squashed speculation about further steps to contain the debt crisis. Trading is expected to be rangebound as supply concerns stemming from Middle East tensions and maintenance issues in the North Sea offset signs of weak global demand. …


Philippine minister's body found three days after plane crash
MANILA (Reuters) – Divers have recovered the body of the Philippines’ interior minister from the wreckage of a light aircraft that crashed into the sea near the central island of Masbate three days ago, a senior official said on Tuesday. The body of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was pulled out from the six-seat Piper Seneca plane that had been carrying him, Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters. The bodies of the two pilots, one of whom was a Nepalese flight student, were still being removed from the wreckage, Roxas said. …


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Tea party rogue: Todd Akin defies GOP bosses by staying in race - Los Angeles Times
The Republican Party has ridden ideological, anti-government fervor to a number of victories, particularly in the 2010 midterm election. But the political dangers created by the free-wheeling, anti-authoritarian movement have come into full view in the …


Republicans urge Akin to leave Senate race - Christian Science Monitor
Senior Republicans urged congressman Todd Akin on Monday to quit the US Senate race in Missouri over his inflammatory remarks about rape that distracted from the party's nomination next week of Mitt Romney for US president. Akin was widely criticized …


Obama camp spent more than they took in for July - CBS News
(AP) WASHINGTON – Facing strong fundraising from his Republican challenger, President Barack Obama and Democrats have spent more than they brought in last month as the president expanded his campaign operations and purchased millions of dollars in …


Indonesian quake death toll rises to six
The 6.3-magnitude quake struck the island of Sulawesi Saturday at a depth of around 20km, the US Geological Survey saidThe death toll from a strong earthquake that struck central Indonesia at the weekend has risen to six, an official said Tuesday, after rescuers reached villages that had been cut off by a landslide.


Divers recover body of top Philippine politician
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo's remains were found at a depth of 55 metres near the coast of MasbateDivers recovered the body of one of the Philippines' most influential politicians on Tuesday, three days after a light plane carrying him and three others crashed into the sea, the government said.


Qantas pilots suspended after cockpit row: report
Australia's Qantas Airways said Tuesday it had suspended two pilots after they were reportedly involved in a heated argument in the cockpit of their Boeing 747 at Dallas airport.


Cuba-to-Florida swimmer Nyad plows on after storm
In this photo provided by Diana Nyad via the Florida Keys News Bureau, endurance swimmer Diana Nyad swims in the Florida Straits between Cuba and the Florida Keys Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012. Nyad is endeavoring to become the first swimmer to transit the Florida Straits from Cuba to the Keys without a shark cage. (AP Photo/Diana Nyad via the Florida Keys News Bureau, Christi Barli)Diana Nyad slogged across the Straits of Florida for a third straight day Monday, hopeful she could fend off hypothermia, jellyfish and stormy weather as she inched toward a swimming record.


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Romney Racks Up Huge Campaign Cash Advantage Over Obama - New York Times
Mitt Romney's cash advantage over President Obama and the Democrats more than doubled in July, as intense Republican fund-raising and heavy spending by Mr. Obama and his allies left Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee with $62 million more …


Augusta, home of the Masters, admits first women members. Full Article - Reuters
* Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore to join prestigious club * Male-only membership policy drew criticism * Obama welcomes decision – White House (Adds further Moore background, Woods quotes) By Mark Lamport-Stokes Aug 20 (Reuters) – Augusta National Golf …


Court blocks provisions in immigration laws, lets some controversial ones stand - CNN
(CNN) — An appeals court on Monday sided with the federal government in blocking several provisions in Alabama and Georgia's controversial anti-illegal immigration laws, while allowing other key parts of those laws to stand. Advocacy groups like the …


Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape - New York Times
Representative Todd Akin's assertion that women who are victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant provoked outrage across the political spectrum, but the views he articulated are far from new in anti-abortion circles. The idea that during rape, …


Obama Threatens Force Against Syria - New York Times
WASHINGTON -- President Obama warned Syria on Monday that it would face American military intervention if there were signs that its arsenal of unconventional weapons was being moved or prepared for use. It was Mr. Obama's first direct threat of force …


Skull pushes back clock on early human migration
Fragments from a skull recovered in northern Laos are the oldest modern human fossils found in Southeast AsiaAn ancient skull discovered in a cave in Laos has pushed back the clock on human migration to Southeast Asia by as much as 20,000 years, a study has found.


Striking Lonmin miners warned they must return to work
Platinum giant Lonmin said it would fire anyone at its South African mine who did not return to work TuesdayPlatinum giant Lonmin said it would fire anyone at its South African mine who did not return to work Tuesday, a day after the world's third-largest platinum producer reopened the plant where 44 people were killed in a wildcat strike.


TRAFFIC warns over 500 rhinos could perish this year
Last year 448 rhinos were killed compared to 13 animals in 2007Global wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC warned Tuesday that 515 rhinos could perish by the end of the year if no action is taken to stem the illicit trade in rhino horns.


Pornography trade group calls for nationwide stop to filming during LA syphilis investigation
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A pornography trade group is calling for a nationwide filming moratorium while officials in Los Angeles investigate a syphilis outbreak and performers get tested for the disease.


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Pressure builds on Akin to leave Mo. Senate race - CBS News
(CBS News) Until today, few people outside of Missouri had ever heard of Todd Akin, the Republican candidate for Senate there, but Akin's remarks about rape have put him and the abortion issue in the national spotlight. Republicans and Democrats alike, …


Kansas congressman apologizes for nude plunge in sea where Bible says Jesus ... - Washington Post
TOPEKA, Kan. -- A Kansas congressman's 10-second naked plunge into the sea where the Bible says Jesus walked on water prompted apologies Monday from him, head-shaking from other Republicans and the kind of international attention that no politician …


Obama warns Assad U.S. could act
A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in AzazWASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S. forces could move against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, President Barack Obama warned, notably if he deploys his chemical weapons against rebels trying to overthrow him. In some of his strongest language yet on Syria, on a day when U.N. observers pulled out after a fruitless bid for peace and Assad's forces mounted new attacks, the U.S. leader said Assad faced "enormous consequences" if he crossed a "red line" of even moving unconventional weapons in a threatening manner. …


Japanese journalist killed covering fighting in Syria, body transferred to Turkey
TOKYO – The government says a Japanese journalist has been killed covering fighting in Syria.


Japanese journalist killed covering Syria fighting
The government says a Japanese journalist has been killed covering fighting in Syria.


Former champion Kuznetsova, top-20 players Kanepi, Pennetta withdraw from US Open
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and top-20 players Kaia Kanepi and Flavia Pennetta have pulled out of the U.S. Open.


Global shares firm on ECB hopes despite uncertainty
Photo illustration of man silhouetted in board showing Italian equity market index in RomeTOKYO (Reuters) – Shares edged up on Tuesday as investors held on to hopes the European Central Bank will act to soothe borrowing costs, even as officials denied a report about the shape of its planned bond buying strategy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.2 percent while Japan's Nikkei stock average opened down 0.1 percent after rising to a three-month high on Monday. U.S. …


Sharp to cut 8,000 jobs through plant sales: paper
Sharp Corp's Aquos TVs are displayed at an electronics store in TokyoTOKYO (Reuters) – Embattled TV maker Sharp Corp aims to cut 8,000 jobs or 15 percent of its global workforce, including 3,000 from the sale of two TV factories in China and Mexico to Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry , Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday. Sharp had previously announced it would cut its workforce by 5,000 positions. The Yomiuri report is the latest in a recent string on additional steps the troubled TV maker is expected to take to curb costs and satisfy its lenders. …


Aussie general gets senior post at US Army Pacific
An Australian two-star general will become one of two deputy commanders of U.S. Army Pacific, which oversees more than 60,000 American soldiers in the Asia-Pacific region, Army Secretary John McHugh said Monday.


Well-armed Venezuela prisoners riot again, killing 25
A relative of inmate cries outside Yare prison in San Francisco de YareYARE, Venezuela (Reuters) – Well-armed inmates in one of Venezuela's notoriously overcrowded prisons rioted over the weekend, killing 25 people, the government said on Monday. In familiar scenes for Venezuelans, relatives wept outside the Yare I complex in the central coastal state of Miranda, as sketchy details emerged of fighting among armed gangs in the prison. Prisons Minister Iris Varela told reporters that 25 people, including one visitor, died in the riot. "We will make them answer for this," she added, saying another 29 inmates and 14 visitors had been injured in the riot. …


Tennis-Texas Tennis Open women's singles round 1 results
Aug 21 (Infostrada Sports) – Results from the Texas Tennis Open Women’s Singles Round 1 matches on Monday Marina Erakovic(New Zealand) beat Anne Keothavong(Britain)6-1 5-7 7-6(9) Pauline Parmentier(France) beat Irina Falconi(U.S.)6-1 6-4 Casey Dellacqua(Australia) beat Irina Begu(Romania)6-2 6-2 3-Roberta Vinci(Italy) beat Hsieh Su-Wei(Taiwan)6-2 6-2


Citi CEO knocks back calls for banks splits: FT
Citigroup's CEO Vikram Pandit gives an interview on the floor of the New York Stock ExchangeLONDON (Reuters) – Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit has rejected the idea of big banks being split up, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Vikram Pandit said Citi , formed through mergers such as the acquisition of Travelers in 1998, had already gone back to the basics of banking, and had sold most of the units from that deal. "What's left here is essentially the old Citicorp. That's a tried and proven strategy. Why did it work? Because it was a strategy based upon operating the business and serving clients and not a strategy based on dealmaking. …


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Obama warns of military action in Syria over chemical arms - Reuters
By Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday threatened US military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning in the strongest terms yet that any attempt to deploy or use chemical or biological weapons …


US court bans Ala. from checking kids' immigration status - USA TODAY


Augusta Admits First Two Female Members - ESPN


Obama takes aim at Republicans in surprise news conference - Reuters
By Jeff Mason and Laura MacInnis | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama hammered Republicans over taxes and women's rights on Monday in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room that was meant to knock his rivals on what was …


Apple's market value exceeds Microsoft's during 1999 bubble - Reuters
By Edward Krudy | NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple Inc's market value climbed past $623 billion on Monday, surpassing the record set by Microsoft Corp during the heyday of technology stocks in 1999. Apple shares rose 2.6 percent, bringing its gains this …


Republicans push Akin to quit Senate race over rape comments - Reuters
By Patricia Zengerle and David Lawder | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior Republicans on Monday pushed their candidate in the Missouri Senate race, congressman Todd Akin, to quit over his remarks about rape that distracted from the build up to the party's …


Elton John fears son will face homophobia
David Furnish, son Zachary and Sir Elton JohnElton John believes his son Zachary's childhood is going to be "very difficult", battling homophobia and the impact of his father's fame, the pop icon said in an interview published Tuesday.


Cuba-to-Fla. swimmer Diana Nyad pushes through calm sea on Day 3 after storm, jellyfish stings
KEY WEST, Fla. – Diana Nyad slogged across the Straits of Florida for a third straight day Monday, advancing toward a swimming record on calm seas after enduring a night of stormy weather.