World

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – The final “Harry Potter”  film shattered box office records worldwide with a whopping  $168.6 million in U.S.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – China accused the United States yesterday of “grossly” interfering in its internal affairs and damaging relations after President Barack Obama met exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the White House.

FRONT LINE NEAR BIR GHANAM, Libya (Reuters) – Ten Libyan rebels were reported killed and 172 wounded in an attack on the eastern oil port of Brega yesterday, while insurgents drove back forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in the west.

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly two-thirds of the $86 million raised by President Barack Obama for his re-election effort in recent months came from small donations of under $200 or less, according to filings released on Friday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) – A new controversy over Oscar winner Jane Fonda’s Vietnam War activism caused the actress to come out swinging against home shopping TV network QVC yesterday, over what she described as its caving in to “extremist” pressure to cancel her appearance.

LONDON (Reuters) – “It was the kind of place you get out of and you never want to go back again.”

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s public battle with cancer has added to his global fame but it may also weaken his already waning influence in Latin America and beyond.

ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – Rebel leaders won recognition  as the legitimate government of Libya from the United States and  other world powers yesterday in a major boost to the rebels’  faltering campaign to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

NEW YORK/LONDON, (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch  apologized to victims of criminal phone hacking by one of his  tabloids and accepted the resignations of News Corp’s  top two newspaper executives, Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton.

AMMAN,  (Reuters) – Syrian forces killed at least 32  civilians yesterday, including 23 in the capital Damascus, in an  intensifying crackdown on protests against President Bashar  al-Assad, activists said.

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters Life!) – California became  the first U.S. state to require that public school textbooks  include the accomplishments of gay, lesbian and transgender  Americans as Governor Jerry Brown signed the mandate into law.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – The risk that the United  States will lose its AAA credit rating in the next three months  has risen considerably, even if  lawmakers reach an agreement to  raise the country’s debt   ceiling later this month, an S&P official said yesterday.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch yesterday caved  in to pressure from Britain’s parliament to answer questions  over alleged crimes at one of his newspapers and denied that  News Corp was drawing up plans to separate its  newspaper holdings.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan  Singh vowed yesterday to bring to justice those behind triple  bomb attacks on India’s financial capital Mumbai, and police  questioned members of a home-grown Islamist militant group.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey,  (Reuters) – Kurdish fighters  killed 13 Turkish soldiers and seven militants died on Thursday  in the worst clash since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ended  a ceasefire in February.

ASUNCION,  (Reuters) – Paraguay’s  opposition-controlled Congress rejected yesterday a  constitutional reform that would have let leftist President  Fernando Lugo run for re-election.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama  clashed with Republi-can lawmakers yesterday in a fierce  White House meeting on deficit reduction that left a deal in  question as the clock ticked toward a debt default.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch withdrew his bid  for broadcaster BSkyB yesterday, as outrage over  alleged crimes at his newspapers galvanized a rare united front  in parliament against a man long used to being courted by  Britain’s political elite.

LONDON, (Reuters) – News International chief  executive Rebekah Brooks was warned by police in 2002 about  serious malpractice and possible illegal activities by reporters  at a newspaper she edited, former British Prime Minister Gordon  Brown said yesterday.

CHICAGO,  (Reuters) – Red-hot food inflation that  has vexed policy makers around the world seemed to take a  breather last month, when corn and wheat prices tumbled on  reports that crop shortages were easing.