Medicaid official rules against Ind. abortion law Sun, 08 Jul 2012

A federal hearing officer says Indiana's decision to deny Planned Parenthood Medicaid funds because it performs abortions denies women the freedom to choose their health care providers.

Syria's Assad says Annan peace plan must not fail Sun, 08 Jul 2012

BERLIN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said U.N. envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan to end 16 months of bloodshed was being hindered by countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia providing support for "terrorists". "We know that (Annan) is coming up against countless obstacles but his plan should not be allowed to fail, it is a very good plan," Assad told German television channel Das Erste in an interview. ...

Get ready for the end of record corporate profits Sun, 08 Jul 2012

For almost three years, no matter what has rattled the financial markets For almost three years, no matter what has rattled the financial markets †a debt crisis in Europe, high gasoline prices, a slower economy For almost three years, no matter what has rattled the financial markets †a debt crisis in Europe, high gasoline prices, a slower economy †investors have been soothed by rising corporate profits.

52 killed in central Nigeria raids and reprisals Sun, 08 Jul 2012

Raids and reprisal attacks have left 52 people dead in Christian villages near a Nigerian city where authorities have struggled to contain religious violence, officials said Sunday.

With July 4 over, Philly turns attention to Jay-Z Sun, 08 Jul 2012

Now that the city has cleaned up from its massive July 4th concert, officials are turning their attention to the next big outdoor show: Jay-Z's "Made In America" festival over Labor Day weekend.

Russia's Putin acts tough but faces flood risks Sun, 08 Jul 2012

MOSCOW (Reuters) - It took only a few hours before Vladimir Putin was aboard a luxury helicopter, surveying the flood waters in southern Russia that have killed 150 people. Television channels showed the Russian president asking pointed questions and then grilling the governor and other local officials unsmilingly about whether they had acted quickly enough to save lives. Seven months after the start of protests that have weakened Putin's authority, he can ill afford any slip-ups as he deals with the first big natural disaster since his return to the Kremlin. ...

Clinton: Syria must end violence to avoid "catastrophic assault" Sun, 08 Jul 2012

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday Syria's opposition forces were growing more effective and the sooner the violence ended, the higher the chances of sparing the Syrian government from a "catastrophic assault". "The sooner there can be an end to the violence and a beginning of a political transition process, not only will fewer people die, but there is a chance to save the Syrian state from a catastrophic assault that would be very dangerous not only to Syria but to the region," Clinton said at a news conference. ...

Texas to test 1965 voting rights law in court Sun, 08 Jul 2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Voting Rights Act - a cherished safeguard for minority voters since 1965 - has been under siege for two years and this week faces one of its toughest test on an apparent path to the U.S. Supreme Court. Twenty-five hours of argument, starting on Monday and spread over five days, will help the judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decide whether Texas can require voters to present a photo identification at the polls. Formulated at a time of racial turmoil, the Voting Rights Act passed 77-19 in the U.S. ...

Protest-hit Libyan oil terminals reopen: NOC Sun, 08 Jul 2012

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Three major oil exporting terminals in eastern Libya shut down by political protests have restarted, and production blocked by the move has resumed, the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Sunday. Local militia on Thursday enforced a 48-hour stoppage to protest against Saturday's election of a national assembly they complain does not adequately represent Libya's eastern region, slated to get 60 of the 200 seats. The election, the first in a generation in the North African country, went ahead despite violent protests on the day. ...

Peace envoy Annan arrives in Damascus-Reuters witness Sun, 08 Jul 2012

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - International peace envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, a day after admitting that his peace plan had so far failed to end 16 months of bloodshed. Annan arrived with deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad at the Dama Rose hotel in the capital, where United Nations observers have been staying since suspending their patrols because of a steep increase in the level of violence. (Reporting by Marwan Makdessi; Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Tim Pearce)

US Christian group renounces homosexuailty 'cure' campaign Sun, 08 Jul 2012

A controversial American Christian group has renounced its campaigning position that homosexuality can be "cured" through prayer.

Nigeria Christian villages raided Sun, 08 Jul 2012

Heavily armed gangs attack Christian villages in northern Nigeria, sparking a day of violence in which 37 people are killed, the military says.

52 killed in raids on Christian villages in deeply divided central Nigeria region, reprisals Sun, 08 Jul 2012

Raids and reprisal attacks have left 52 people dead in Christian villages near a Nigerian city where authorities have struggled to contain religious violence, officials said Sunday. ...

China dismisses Japan plan to buy disputed islands Sun, 08 Jul 2012

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to take "necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty over a number of disputed islands in the East China Sea after Japan said it was considering a plan to "buy" them from private landowners. The uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been the centre of maritime territorial disputes between China and its neighbors, all of which cite historical and other claims over fishing areas and potentially rich gas deposits. ...

3 Chinese miners rescued after 3 days underground Sat, 07 Jul 2012

China has pulled to safety the first three of about a dozen miners trapped underground for more than three days in a flooded coal mine pit.

Could Pakistan beer take edge off relations with India? Sat, 07 Jul 2012

In a country where mullahs ceaselessly denounce Western vices and laws prevent restaurants from offering anything stronger than mocktails or Red Bull, the Murree Brewery somehow perseveres, churning out pallets of lager with an efficiency that would make Milwaukee proud.

West African heads urge Mali to act over militants Sat, 07 Jul 2012

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - West African leaders urged Mali's politicians on Saturday to urgently form a national unity government and request U.N. backing for troops from the ECOWAS regional bloc to help in the fight against al Qaeda-linked militants occupying the north. Once seen as an example of African democracy, Mali was plunged into chaos in March after troops toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled separatist Tuareg rebels, back by Islamists, to seize nearly two-thirds of the country. ...

IndiaIndia’s IT powerhouse is mired in social prejudice Sat, 07 Jul 2012

THE SUNDAY STORY The property and real estate sections of free advertisement-only newspapers offer the best insight. Most advertisements titled THE SUNDAY STORY The property and real estate sections of free advertisement-only newspapers offer the best insight. Most advertisements titled ‘for vegetarians onlyTHE SUNDAY STORY The property and real estate sections of free advertisement-only newspapers offer the best insight. Most advertisements titled ‘for vegetarians only’ were from areas such as Jayanagar, Basavangudi and Malleshwaram.

Christian group wants Sangma out Sat, 07 Jul 2012

A Christian organization has asked the community to write to the Pope to excommunicate presidential candidate P A Sangma for "cosing up" to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and exonerating RSS/VHP from the Odisha anti-Christian "pogroms" of 2008.

Death toll from Pakistan drone attack rises to 19 Sat, 07 Jul 2012

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - The death toll from a drone strike in northeastern Pakistan has risen to 19, Pakistani intelligence officials said on Saturday. Twelve people were originally reported dead in Friday's strike on a compound in the Dhattakel region in North Waziristan. Public anger over U.S. drone attacks has helped inflame tensions between Pakistan and the United States. Friday's strike took place a day after two trucks carried NATO supplies across the border into Afghanistan -- the first shipments since convoys were halted by Pakistan last November. ...

Christian Bautista says his latest platinum record award is a vindication Sat, 07 Jul 2012

Malaking bagay raw para kay Christian Bautista ang pag-abot sa platinum record ng kanyang latest album dahil patunay raw ito na marami pa rin ang sumusuporta sa kanya. " Nakakagulat at nagpapasalamat ako sa mga fans na hindi ako iniwan for 10 years kahit anong nangyari ," simula niya. "So far so good. I always just want to do my best. It's not enough you record good songs, it's also your hard ...

Former Christian Aid director to be Methodist VicePresident Sat, 07 Jul 2012

The Methodist Church has elected the Rev Ruth Gee as President Designate and Dr Daleep Mukarji as VicePresident Designate for the 2013 to 2014 session

I don't hate you, Kit Siang tells Dr M, but I believe you're trying to bring back 'Mahathirism' Sat, 07 Jul 2012

I have just returned from a four-day visit to Myanmar and I am most intrigued by the statement by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad saying he did not know why I hated him so much.

Christian Meditation community to hold conferences in Manila Sat, 07 Jul 2012

MANILA, July 7, 2012MANILA, July 7, 2012†The World Community for Christian Meditation here in the Philippines is organizing a meditation event for fellow practitioners, communities, priests, religious congregations and seminarians on July 11 and 12 at De La Salle University-Taft in Manila. read more

4,000 people expected for Christian Conference Fri, 06 Jul 2012

Downtown Hamilton will be packed this weekend as more than 4,000 people flock to the Convention Centre for the largest Asian Indian Christian Conference.