2012年10月20日星期六

Yahoo! News: World News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World News


Lebanon to bury slain intelligence official

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 03:45 PM PDT

A Sunni Muslim man hangs up a poster with an image of senior intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan, in the Tariq al-Jadideh district in BeirutBEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's political opposition has called for a mass turnout at Sunday's funeral for slain intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan, turning the ceremony into a political rally against Syrian authorities and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hassan, who uncovered an alleged Syrian bomb plot inside Lebanon two months ago, was killed in a huge car bomb blast that also killed seven other people and wounded 80 in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on Friday. ...


Confusion in Libya over fate of former Gaddafi spokesman

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 04:41 PM PDT

File photo og Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim speaking to the media during a news conference in TripoliTRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan militias captured Muammar Gaddafi's chief spokesman on Saturday, the government said, but an audio clip posted on Facebook purporting to be the voice of Moussa Ibrahim denied his capture. There was no independent verification of the authenticity or timing of the Facebook post, dated October 20, a year to the day after the dictator's death. A statement from the prime minister's office said Ibrahim, who was the mouthpiece of the Gaddafi regime during last year's war, was caught in the town of Tarhouna, 70 km (40 miles) south of Tripoli. ...


U.S. says no plans for one-on-one meeting with Iran on nuclear issue

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 04:32 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Saturday denied a report in the New York Times that said the Obama administration had agreed to one-on-one talks with Iran on its nuclear program. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement the United States would continue to work with fellow permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to resolve the issue. "It's not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections," the statement said. "We continue to work with the P-5 (five permanent members of the U.N. ...

West Bank vote held to help plug Palestinian democracy gap

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:03 PM PDT

Election officials prepare to count ballots after the polls closed for municipal elections at a polling station in the West Bank city of HebronRAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians voted in elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for the first time in six years on Saturday, but their scant choice of candidates put them out of step with democratic revolutions elsewhere in the Arab world. The results of the local ballots were expected to reaffirm the Western-backed, mainly secular Fatah party, which runs a de facto government in the slivers of land not policed by Israel, in the face of a boycott by its Islamist arch-rival, Hamas. ...


Monti expects to see Italy recovery signs within months

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Italy's PM Monti attends a news conference at the end of the second session of a two-day EU leaders summit in BrusselsCERNOBBIO, Italy (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Saturday he expected it would be only a few more months before signs of recovery start to emerge in the recession-hit Italian economy. Addressing an agriculture conference in northern Italy, Monti spoke of "a few months, just a few months I hope that we have left before we start seeing clear signs of recovery." Italy has been in a recession since the middle of last year, weighed down by austerity measures passed by Monti's government to cut the country's massive debt, including tax hikes, spending cuts and a pension overhaul. ...


Left makes gains in Czech Senate election

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:21 PM PDT

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech left cemented its dominant position in the upper house of parliament in an election on Saturday, after fiscal tightening and sleaze scandals eroded support for the right. The vote adds to the woes of the centre-right cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Necas, which faces a crucial confidence vote in the lower house next week that could trigger an early election. "It is a clear message from voters for the government, a second within a single week, that it should end," said opposition Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka. ...

Putin flexes muscle in big test of Russia's nuclear arsenal

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:34 PM PDT

Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with members of All Russia People's Front at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside MoscowMOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin took a leading role in the latest tests of Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal, the most comprehensive since the 1991 Soviet collapse, the Kremlin said on Saturday. The exercises, held mostly on Friday, featured prominently in news reports on state television which seemed aimed to show Russians and the world that Putin is the hands-on chief of a resurgent power. ...


Five Colombian soldiers killed, first deadly clash amid peace talks

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:47 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Five Colombian soldiers were killed by FARC rebels in the first major incident since peace talks between the Andean country's government and guerrilla leaders began earlier this week, the army said on Saturday. The government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) started a peace process on Thursday in Norway aimed at finding a negotiated end to the five-decade-old conflict. The negotiations move to Cuba on November 15. ...

Sierra Leone opposition plans to review mining code, contracts

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:51 PM PDT

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party plans to introduce a raft of reforms to the mining and oil sectors if it wins elections next month, according to its election program released on Saturday. The Sierra Leone People's Party's (SLPP) presidential candidate, former junta leader Julius Maada Bio, hopes to dislodge incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma's All People's Congress government in the November 17 poll. The SLPP's manifesto proposes a review of all existing mining and oil deals as well as the law that governs the mining sector, according to a copy obtained by Reuters. ...

Kuwait opposition to boycott vote, calls for protests

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:30 PM PDT

Kuwait MP Khalid Al Sulan al-Issa attends a meeting of opposition members of parliament in KuwaitKUWAIT (Reuters) - Opposition groups in Kuwait say they will boycott December 1 parliamentary elections, calling changes to the voting system announced by the government on Saturday a "coup against the constitution". Kuwait has been torn by a power struggle between the government, controlled by the ruling Al-Sabah family, and the elected parliament. The turmoil has blocked development plans and paralyzed the political system. ...


Syria has long, tumultuous history in Lebanon

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:10 PM PDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 26, 2005, file photo, Syrian soldiers standing atop an army truck decorated with a poster of Syrian President Bashar Assad cheer as they cross into Syria at the Lebanese border point of Masnaa in the Bekaa Valley, east of Beirut, Lebanon. Syria has a long and tumultuous history of meddling into Lebanese affairs. For much of the past 30 years, the seven-times-smaller Lebanon has lived under Syrian military and political domination. Since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in February 2011, Lebanon has been steadily drawn into the unrest — a troubling sign for the country with political parties rooted in various Christian and Muslim sects, many of which are armed. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, file)Syria has a long and tumultuous history of meddling into Lebanese affairs. For much of the past 30 years, the seven-times-smaller Lebanon has lived under Syrian military and political domination. Damascus has often stirred tensions within Lebanon's explosive sectarian mix of Christians and Muslims to advance its regional interests, including during the country's 15-year civil war that ended in 1990. Syria's powerful allies in Lebanon include the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Important milestones affecting the Syria-Lebanon relationship:


Lebanese on edge after car bomb linked to Syria

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 02:14 PM PDT

A family walks past flaming tires used as a roadblock to protest the death of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, head of the intelligence division of Lebanon's domestic security forces in a car bomb attack targeting his convoy, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Protesters burned tires and set up roadblocks around Lebanon on Saturday in a sign of boiling anger over a massive car bomb that killed a top security official and seven other people a day earlier — a devastating attack that threatened to bring Syria's civil war to Lebanon.(AP Photo/ Mohammed Zaatari)Lebanese protesters erected flaming roadblocks and gunmen roamed the streets Saturday in a city on edge after the assassination of a top security official in a powerful car bomb the prime minister linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.


Nigeria military: Sect member at senator's home

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 02:04 PM PDT

Burnt our cars are seeing at the business and skills center following gun battle and explosions by the Boko Haram sect, in Potiskum, Nigeria, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. A Chinese construction worker has been killed in a besieged city in Nigeria's northeast, an official said Friday, exacerbating security concerns for foreign workers in Nigeria's violence-wracked northeast, while an overnight raid in a nearby city left 5 others dead and several schools razed to the ground. (AP/Photo Adamu Adamu)Nigeria's military arrested a member of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram at the home of a prominent senator, as ongoing violence blamed on the sect in a nearby city has killed at least 23 people in recent days, officials said.


Libyan turmoil persists year after Gadhafi death

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 04:03 PM PDT

FILE - In this Friday, July 29, 2011 file photo, Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim talks during a press conference concerning the death of Abdel-Fattah Younis, in Tripoli, Libya. The Libyan government on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 announced the capture of Moammar Gadhafi's ex-spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, as he was trying to flee Bani Walid, as the oil-rich North African nation marked the anniversary of the ousted dictator's death. Bani Walid has been the site of fierce fighting between pro-government forces and fighters holed up in what was once a stronghold for Gadhafi supporters. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill, file)On the anniversary of the capture and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, Libya is still grappling with the legacy of his four decades of rule as the interim government and the dictator's former spokesman engaged in a war of words amid the ongoing chaos.


UN envoy presses for Syria cease-fire in Damascus

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 09:23 AM PDT

UN Arab League deputy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, speaks during a press conference after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, at the government palace, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012. Brahimi is in Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)The international envoy to the Syria conflict pressed his call for a cease-fire with Syrian officials during a visit to Damascus on Saturday while violence continued throughout the country unabated.


London protesters bash Britain's austerity drive

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 09:32 AM PDT

Demonstrators take part in an anti-austerity protest march entitled "a future that works" through central London, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. The march Saturday was organized by Britain's TUC (Trades Union Congress) and was attended by various trade unions, community groups and individuals. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)Tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on the British capital Saturday in a noisy but peaceful protest at a government austerity drive aimed at slashing the nation's debt.


Cuba's elections: Grassroots democracy or sham?

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 02:53 PM PDT

A woman answers the phone at a boxing gym where a sign hangs on the door that reads in Spanish "A vote for the best" ahead of municipal assembly elections in Old Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. On Sunday, Cubans will cast ballots to choose among candidates for municipal assemblies that administer local governments and relay complaints on issues such as potholes and housing, social and sports programs. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)There are no flashy television ads or campaign signs spiked into front yards. And candidates definitely don't tour the island shaking hands and kissing babies.


Rights group: Yemen security forces raid hospitals

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 02:09 PM PDT

Yemeni security forces have raided hospitals in Aden in search of suspected militants, threatening health care in the southern port city, an international rights group said Saturday.

Floods in France prompt evacuations in shrine town

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT

View of the Grotto of Lourdes flooded, in Lourdes, southwestern France, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. French rescue services and police are evacuating hundreds of pilgrims from hotels threatened by floodwaters from a rain-swollen river in the Roman Catholic shrine town of Lourdes. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)Pilgrims trek by the millions each year to the Roman Catholic shrine in Lourdes, many looking to drink its spring waters reputed for their healing powers. This time, visitors were fleeing a different kind of water — floodwaters — in the southwestern French town.


Israeli naval vessels take control of Gaza boat

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 01:19 PM PDT

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces, shows the Swedish-owned, Finnish-flagged boat, Estelle as it near the waters off the Gaza Strip Saturday Oct 20, 2012. Israeli naval vessels thwarted the advance of a pro-Palestinian boat attempting to reach Gaza on Saturday in defiance of Israel's blockade of the territory, the military said. (AP Photo/IDF)Israeli troops on Saturday commandeered a Gaza-bound ship that tried to break through Israel's blockade of the Hamas-ruled seaside strip, the military said. European lawmakers and other pro-Palestinian activists aboard did not resist, and the Finnish-flagged vessel was diverted to an Israeli port.


In town seen as pro-Qaddafi, settling of scores shifts into standoff with government

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:20 PM PDT

A year to the day after Muammar Qaddafi was killed, a town long tarred as sympathetic to him is under attack by government-aligned militias in what many Libyans describe as settling unfinished business. Libya's government wants the town of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli, to hand over suspects accused of kidnapping a militiaman from the city of Misurata credited with having helped run Qaddafi down last year. In recent days a tense standoff has turned violent. For many in Bani Walid, the affair confirms their longstanding complaints of persecution in post-Qaddafi Libya. ...

Breaking through the political echo chamber in Venezuela

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 11:48 AM PDT

• David Smilde is the moderator of WOLA's blog: Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights. The views expressed are the author's own.

Anxious Turks suspect US plot is behind Syria's implosion

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 07:50 AM PDT

In an empty coffee house in Antakya, local tradesman Ahmet Sari's face crumples in anger as he speaks about Syria.

Burma just opened up after 50 years. But where are all the tourists?

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT

It has got the beaches and temples and culture to easily rival those of popular tourist destinations Thailand and Malaysia.

0 条评论:

发表评论

订阅 博文评论 [Atom]

<< 主页

bnzv