Must-Reads from Around the World, July 13, 2012

Today's picks include the official report into the death of June 4 dissident Li Wangyang, signs of internal strife in Iran and the Indian Navy's IT personnel plans

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Syrian Massacre — Opposition activists have accused the Syrian government of killing 200 people in an attack on the village of Tremseh, which had fallen under rebel hands, the BBC writes. Residents allege that the village was “attacked with helicopter gunships and tanks, and later by the pro-government Shabiha militia, who carried out execution-style killings.” If such reports are confirmed, it would be the “bloodiest single event in the Syrian conflict.”

Dubious Probe — The South China Morning Post is among those reporting the results of a month-long investigation by Hunan’s provincial authorities into the mysterious death of June 4 dissident Li Wangyang, which “has upheld the previous official verdict that the frail rights activist committed suicide.” The suspicious death has prompted large protests in Hong Kong. “Li’s friends said they were not surprised by the result but were outraged,” the paper added.

Internal Dissent — The Guardian reports a former general of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards has accused the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of “having blood on his hands” over the brutal crackdown on the opposition. In a letter to prominent opposition activist Mohammad Nourizad, the former officer — identified only by his initials — also described government claims that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful as a “sheer lie.”

IT Warriors — The Times of India reveals the Indian Navy will recruit information technology (IT) graduates as commissioned officers. “The Navy’s drive to induct IT officers, as part of its main executive branch, comes in the backdrop of cyber warfare emerging as a potentially crippling form of waging covert wars as well as Chinese and Pakistani online espionage agents continuing with their incessant attempts to hack into Indian computer networks,” it wrote.

Saga Continues — Despite an official recount confirming the results of the Mexican presidential election, Reuters states that runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has “filed suit before the country’s electoral court in a bid to void the results on charges the winner broke campaign finance laws and bought millions of votes.” Lopez Obrador claims to have proof that President Enrique Pena Nieto planned with local governors to buy five million votes, by allegedly offering gifts to entice poor voters into polling booths.

Worse Things Happen At Sea — The regional summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has broken down “amid tense disagreements over how to address territorial claims in the South China Sea,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Hopes that a solution could have been brokered at the summit, to settle the dispute between Japan and China over the ownership of the East China Sea islands, were dashed when China insisted that it was not the appropriate to discuss such matters.