Yahoo! News: World News

U.S., Turkey to study Syria no-fly zone
Two quakes in Iran kill 180 and injure 1,500
Three more U.S. soldiers killed by Afghans in grim day for NATO
Putin says Russia to get hundreds of military planes
Turkish forces end anti-PKK operation in Semdinli
France's Hollande approval rating hit by weak economy
U.S. envoy to discuss democracy concerns with Romania
Japan to take islands dispute with Korea to international court
US women win 5th straight gold, rout France 86-50
London wraps up a dazzling Olympics
US lawmakers call on Bahrain king to free activist
Bolt anchors Jamaica to relay record for 3rd gold
Bolt leads Jamaica to relay world record
Rebels carve out large enclave in north Syria
US withholds funds to Honduran police
Mexicans celebrate Olympic soccer gold medal
Spain: Model plane video evidence of terror plot
EYES ON LONDON: Jamaica sets record, awe for Bolt

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 02:03 PM PDT

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The United States and Turkey indicated they were studying a range of possible measures over Syria, including a no-fly zone, as battles between rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's forces shook Aleppo and the heart of Damascus. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after meeting her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul on Saturday that Washington and Ankara should develop detailed operational planning on ways to assist the rebels fighting to topple Assad. ...

Two quakes in Iran kill 180 and injure 1,500

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 03:53 PM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Two strong earthquakes killed 180 people and injured about 1,500 in northwest Iran where rescuers frantically combed the rubble of dozens of villages through the night into Sunday. Thousands fled their homes and remained outdoors after Saturday's quakes, as at least 40 aftershocks hit the area. Casualty figures could rise, Iranian officials said, as some of the injured were in a critical condition while other people were still trapped under the rubble and rescuers - hampered by the darkness - had yet to reach some affected villages. ...

Three more U.S. soldiers killed by Afghans in grim day for NATO

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 10:47 AM PDT

KABUL (Reuters) - Three U.S. Marines have been shot dead by an Afghan worker on a military base in southern Afghanistan, in a deadly 24 hours for NATO-led forces during which six American soldiers were killed in rogue attacks. The shooting took place on Friday night in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, where three U.S. special forces soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman and comrades earlier in the day. ...

Putin says Russia to get hundreds of military planes

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 02:10 PM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's military will get 1,600 new warplanes and helicopters by 2020, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, as part of efforts to strengthen the country's armed forces. Putin has worked hard to restore pride in the Cold War-era superpower's military since his first election in 2000. The planned addition of 600 military planes and 1,000 helicopters is part of a 23 trillion rouble ($720 billion)program to re-equip a military still weakened by spending cuts prompted by the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. ...

Turkish forces end anti-PKK operation in Semdinli

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 08:52 AM PDT

HAKKARI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish armed forces have ended an almost three-week operation against Kurdish militants in the southeast region of Semdinli, bordering Iran and Iraq, and have killed "a large number" of fighters, the local governor said in a statement on Saturday. Turkish jets have bombarded Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions around the mountainous region in one of most intense bouts of fighting in recent years in a decades-long conflict which has killed 40,000 people. "The aerial-supported operations launched by our security forces on July 23, 2012 ... ...

France's Hollande approval rating hit by weak economy

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 03:55 AM PDT

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande's approval rating has dipped to 46 percent three months after winning office, pollster Ifop said on Saturday, suggesting a weak economy had cut short the Socialist leader's honeymoon period. The survey showed Hollande - who won office on May 6 with nearly 52 percent of votes - had not benefited from the post-electoral bounce enjoyed by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007. Sarkozy's approval rating climbed to 65 percent in the weeks after his victory. ...

U.S. envoy to discuss democracy concerns with Romania

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 06:03 AM PDT

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy will meet Romanian government officials in Bucharest on Sunday to discuss concerns about democracy in the country, the U.S. State department said, after attempts by the prime minister to oust the president. Prime Minister Victor Ponta's drive to force out President Traian Basescu has been condemned by the European Union and United States, which say his cabinet is undermining the rule of law. The row has stalled policymaking in Romania, delayed vital economic reforms and raised concerns over the Balkan state's International Monetary Fund-led aid deal. ...

Japan to take islands dispute with Korea to international court

Posted: 10 Aug 2012 09:43 PM PDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Saturday it will take the long-running islands territorial dispute with South Korea to the International Court of Justice, after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to the islands this week. The islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, lie equidistant from the two mainlands and are believed to contain frozen natural gas deposits potentially worth billions of dollars. ...

US women win 5th straight gold, rout France 86-50

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

The names change, not the results. Just call the U.S. women's basketball team Olympic champion.

London wraps up a dazzling Olympics

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 04:03 PM PDT

Usain Bolt made himself a living legend — just ask him. Michael Phelps swam a last lap into history. A man ran on carbon blades. Two track stars and a long jumper produced perhaps the greatest night in British sports history.

US lawmakers call on Bahrain king to free activist

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 03:09 PM PDT

Nineteen members of the U.S. Congress have written to Bahrain's king to call for the release of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who is currently serving a three-month jail sentence for making anti-government statements on Twitter.

Bolt anchors Jamaica to relay record for 3rd gold

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 04:13 PM PDT

Be it a gold medal or a souvenir from a record relay run, Usain Bolt always gets what he wants at the Olympics.

Bolt leads Jamaica to relay world record

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Usain Bolt got the gold medal and another world record, too, anchoring the Jamaicans to victory in 36.84 seconds Saturday night to cap off his second straight 3-for-3 Olympics.

Rebels carve out large enclave in north Syria

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 02:44 PM PDT

Residents of this north Syrian border town like to snap photos of their children atop the tank parked downtown, one of more than a dozen captured or destroyed by rebels in the battles last month that "liberated" the area from President Bashar Assad's army.

US withholds funds to Honduran police

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 02:43 PM PDT

The U.S. government is withholding funds to Honduran law enforcement units directly supervised by their new national police chief until the U.S. can investigate allegations that he ran a death squad a decade ago, according to a State Department report released this week.

Mexicans celebrate Olympic soccer gold medal

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 03:13 PM PDT

Jubilant Mexicans celebrated their 2-1 Olympic gold medal soccer win over powerhouse Brazil Saturday, waving flags and chanting in plazas and streets across the country.

Spain: Model plane video evidence of terror plot

Posted: 11 Aug 2012 11:59 AM PDT

Authorities in Spain released a video Saturday that they claim shows suspected al-Qaida members training for a bombing raid using a model plane, the latest development in a case that has led to three arrests.