Yahoo! News: World News

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• Syrian battles rage in capital, Russia pressed
• Exclusive: Somali pirate kingpins enjoy "impunity" - U.N. experts
• Indian fishermen say U.S. boat fired without warning
• Court brawls put spotlight on Egypt political chaos
• Libya's Jibril beats Islamists in vote, no majority
• Obama nominates ambassadors to Afghanistan, Pakistan
• Ireland reverses budget cuts to spend on construction
• U.S. House urges adding Haqqani group to terrorist list
• Tunisian leader promises Ben Ali fair trial, safety
• Fix Mali political crisis before taking on rebels: ICG
• Clashes spread to new areas in Syrian capital
• Israel's Netanyahu loses key coalition partner
• Good deeds to celebrate Mandela's 94th
• Libya election results put liberal alliance first
• Hamas now has monopoly on summer fun for Gaza kids
• French Holocaust records exhibited for 1st time
• Myanmar's Suu Kyi plans trip to US in September
• Olympics organizers insist early woes are minor
• Delta passenger thought needle was a toothpick
• Romanian law gives president fighting chance

Syrian battles rage in capital, Russia pressed Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:41 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said they shot down an army helicopter on Tuesday as they battled government forces backed by air power and artillery in the fiercest fighting to hit Damascus since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad erupted last year. Rebel officers said thousands of fighters had converged on the capital, a government stronghold during 16 months of turmoil, to bring the battle from Syria's turbulent provinces into Assad's power centre. ...

Exclusive: Somali pirate kingpins enjoy "impunity" - U.N. experts Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:22 AM PDT NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somalia's president has shielded a top pirate leader from arrest by issuing him a diplomatic passport, according to a United Nations investigation which criticizes the "climate of impunity" enjoyed by pirate kingpins in Somalia and abroad. The U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia said in a report to the Security Council, seen by Reuters, that senior pirate leaders were benefitting from high level protection from Somali authorities and were not being sufficiently targeted for arrest or sanction by international authorities. ...

Indian fishermen say U.S. boat fired without warning Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:33 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Indian fishermen who survived a hail of gunfire from a U.S. Navy boat off the coast of the United Arab Emirates disputed U.S. claims that their boat drew fire after ignoring warnings to steer clear of the American vessel. One Indian was killed and three others injured on Monday when the USNS Rappahannock, a refueling ship, fired on the fishing vessel, which the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet said approached at high speed and ignored repeated warnings. The incident highlighted the potential for a rapid escalation of tensions in Gulf waters, where U.S. ...

Court brawls put spotlight on Egypt political chaos Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Supporters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood brawled with their opponents in court on Tuesday, delaying rulings that might help define the powers of new Islamist President Mohamed Mursi as he seeks more autonomy from the military. Mursi's Brotherhood allies hailed a "decisive" day in a chaotic transition to democracy and hundreds of supporters turned up at the courthouse to accuse the generals of using the judiciary to undermine his authority. Overwhelmed by the shouting and jostling, the presiding judge suspended the hearing and moved to another courtroom to try to restore ...

Libya's Jibril beats Islamists in vote, no majority Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:22 PM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A moderate Islamic coalition led by wartime prime minister Mahmoud Jibril beat Islamist rivals in Libya's landmark election, results showed on Tuesday, but it was not yet clear who would dominate the new assembly as all sides scrambled to woo independents. Jibril's National Forces Alliance (NFA) won 39 seats out of the 80 reserved for parties in Libya's 200-seat national assembly, the full count showed. The political wing of Libya's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's biggest Islamist group, won just 17 of those seats in the first free national election on July 7. ...

Obama nominates ambassadors to Afghanistan, Pakistan Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:45 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose two veteran U.S. diplomats to be ambassadors to Afghanistan and Pakistan, making the nominations at a delicate time for Washington's relations with both countries. Obama picked James Cunningham, the No. 2 at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, to be the new ambassador to Afghanistan and Richard Olson as ambassador to Pakistan, the White House said. Olson's most recent assignment was a senior economic development post at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Both nominees require Senate confirmation. ...

Ireland reverses budget cuts to spend on construction Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:51 PM PDT DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland reversed some of the cuts laid out in last year's budget plan on Tuesday and will spend 2.25 billion euros ($2.75 billion) to help its decimated construction industry. As part of cuts aimed at bringing the worst budget deficit in Europe under control, the government announced last November that it would spend 2 billion euros less between 2012 and 2014 on capital projects than previously envisaged. ...

U.S. House urges adding Haqqani group to terrorist list Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the State Department to designate the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist group, pressing the Obama administration to get tougher on an issue that already has strained ties with Islamabad. On a voice vote, lawmakers approved a bill that referred to the Haqqani network as "the most dangerous of Afghan insurgent groups battling U.S.-led forces in eastern Afghanistan." U.S. officials have accused the Haqqanis of high-profile strikes including an attack on the U.S. ...

Tunisian leader promises Ben Ali fair trial, safety Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:42 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki offered ousted leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Tuesday guarantees of physical safety and promised him a fair trial if he returned to his homeland. Ben Ali fled with his wife to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011, as protests swept Tunisia. He has already been sentenced in absentia to decades in jail for the killing of hundreds of protesters in the central towns where the Arab Spring began. "If Mr Ben Ali has nothing to feel guilty about then let him come back to Tunisia. ...

Fix Mali political crisis before taking on rebels: ICG Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:02 PM PDT DAKAR (Reuters) - Any efforts to tackle the crisis in Mali must focus on rebuilding a central state authority before trying to recapture northern desert zones now mainly in the hands of al Qaeda-linked Islamists, the International Crisis Group said. Foreign powers should resist mounting pressure for a military operation to tackle the north as any such move underestimated the complexity of the situation and risked fomenting "terrorism" and ethnic conflict, the think tank warned in a report released on Wednesday. ...

Clashes spread to new areas in Syrian capital Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:23 PM PDT Syrian government forces attacked rebels with helicopter gunships in the heart of Damascus on Tuesday, escalating a campaign to crush their opponents as clashes spread to new areas, illustrating the rebels' growing reach.

Israel's Netanyahu loses key coalition partner Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:33 PM PDT Israel plunged toward a political crisis Tuesday after the largest party in the government quit, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in charge of a hard-line coalition opposed to most Mideast peace moves.

Good deeds to celebrate Mandela's 94th Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT Annah Nankie Nhlapo has been waiting 22 years for a home. On a dusty narrow road on the outskirts of Johannesburg, the foundation of her new house is finally taking shape.

Libya election results put liberal alliance first Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:40 PM PDT Final results released Tuesday placed a liberal alliance ahead of other parties in Libya's first free nationwide vote in half a century, leaving Islamists far behind, but each side is already trying to build a coalition with independents.

Hamas now has monopoly on summer fun for Gaza kids Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:53 PM PDT The Islamic militant Hamas has won a vital battle with the U.N. over the hearts of Gaza's children, moving unopposed into the summer camp sector this year after the world body ran out of money.

French Holocaust records exhibited for 1st time Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:24 AM PDT They are among France's darkest days: Police dragged over 13,000 Jews from their homes, confined them in a Paris cycling stadium with little food or water, and then deported them to their deaths in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. But even in France, one of the most brazen collaborations between authorities and the Nazis during World War II is unknown to many in the younger generation.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi plans trip to US in September Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:14 AM PDT Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday she will accept an award in the United States in September, making her first U.S. trip in at least two decades.

Olympics organizers insist early woes are minor Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:58 PM PDT London Games officials dismissed concerns Tuesday over a lost bus driver, a scramble for more security guards and some rain-soaked venues — embarrassments that had one tabloid newspaper headline using the Olympic rings to spell out the word "OOPS!"

Delta passenger thought needle was a toothpick Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT Jim Tonjes was high above North America when he bit into a hot turkey sandwich aboard a Delta Air Lines flight and felt a sudden jab in his mouth.

Romanian law gives president fighting chance Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:26 AM PDT Romania's interim president on Tuesday signed a new law that requires a majority of registered voters to take part in a referendum for it to be valid, giving suspended President Traian Basescu a fighting chance of remaining in office when his impeachment comes up for a public vote.

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