Yahoo! News: World News

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• Violence dims Syria truce hopes, over 100 killed
• Avalanche buries 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians
• Nine trapped in collapsed wildcat mine in Peru
• Sarkozy dangles "empty chair" threat over Europe
• Libyan gunmen kidnap 5 Tunisian smugglers: source
• Mali junta sees civilian government "in days"
• Women's activist Banda becomes Malawi's president
• Technology without God is dangerous: pope
• Ex-Mubarak spy chief shakes up Egyptian vote race
• Leading Tiananmen-era Chinese dissident dies in U.S.
• Egypt's Brotherhood picks alternate candidate
• Mali's parliamentary head returns from exile
• US warns Syria it can't deceive world over pullout
• Pakistani troops dig for 135 missing in avalanche
• Pope holds Easter candle at basilica vigil
• Yemen: Ex-president's loyalists attack airport
• Christians in Holy Land pray on Easter Saturday
• Malawi's VP sworn in as president amid uncertainty
• Iran lawmaker: Country can produce nuclear weapons
• Greece: Clash after service for man who shot self

Violence dims Syria truce hopes, over 100 killed Posted: Syrian troops pounded opposition areas on Saturday, activists said, killing 53 people in an offensive that has sent thousands of refugees surging into Turkey before next week's U.N.-backed ceasefire aimed at staunching a year of bloodshed. Each side has accused the other of intensifying assaults in the run-up to the truce due to take effect early on Thursday if government forces begin pulling back from towns 48 hours earlier in line with U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan. ...

Avalanche buries 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians Posted: ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An avalanche engulfed a Pakistani army battalion headquarters near the Indian border on Saturday, burying 124 soldiers and 11 civilians, with no sign of survivors 17 hours later, the military said. The snow left by the avalanche was up to 80 feet deep over an area a kilometre wide, state television quoted army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas as saying. The victims were trapped in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth, at an altitude of 15,000 feet near the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram mountain range. ...

Nine trapped in collapsed wildcat mine in Peru Posted: LIMA (Reuters) - Nine workers trapped inside a wildcat mine in southern Peru received oxygen and liquids through a giant hose on Saturday while a rescue team toiled to get them out, officials said. The men have been stuck about 656 feet below ground since the Cabeza de Negro gold-and-copper mine partially collapsed on Thursday. "We've communicated with them and they are in good health, thankfully," police officer Jose Saavedra told local radio. A regional health official, however, said the miners were suffering from dehydration and feelings of desperation. ...

Sarkozy dangles "empty chair" threat over Europe Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a Sunday newspaper he is serious about pushing for more trade protectionism in Europe and tighter external border controls, hinting he could take a stand as tough as Charles de Gaulle's 1965 "empty chair" policy. The conservative leader told the weekly Journal du Dimanche in an interview that he meant business with an election campaign pledge last month to push for a "Buy European Act" and a threat to pull France out of Europe's open-border Schengen zone unless external controls are tightened. ...

Libyan gunmen kidnap 5 Tunisian smugglers: source Posted: TUNIS (Reuters) - Libyan gunmen kidnapped five Tunisian fuel smugglers near the border on Saturday and Tunisian authorities temporarily closed the main crossing of Ras Jder pending negotiations for their release, a Tunisian security source said. The source said gunmen from the western Libyan town of Zuwara, which saw days of clashes between rival militias last week, were believed to be holding the Tunisians hostage inside Libya. "It is not political," the source said, adding that the incident was believed to be connected to the rampant smuggling business between Libya and Tunisia. ...

Mali junta sees civilian government "in days" Posted: BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's coup leader said on Saturday the junta would hand power to civilians within days in a deal under which neighboring nations agreed to lift sanctions and help tackle Tuareg rebels who have seized much of the north. The March 22 coup by soldiers angry at ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure's handling of a two-month-old rebellion backfired, emboldening the Tuareg nomads to seize the northern half of Mali and declare an independent state there. ...

Women's activist Banda becomes Malawi's president Posted: LILONGWE (Reuters) - Prominent women's rights campaigner Joyce Banda was sworn in as Malawi's president on Saturday, becoming southern Africa's first female head of state and raising hopes for a fresh start in the small, poor nation after the death of her mercurial predecessor. Banda, a 61-year-old policeman's daughter who has won international recognition for championing the education of underprivileged girls, had served as vice president under Bingu wa Mutharika, who died on Thursday following a heart attack. She succeeded him under the terms of the constitution. ...

Technology without God is dangerous: pope Posted: VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, leading the world's Catholics into Easter, said on Saturday technological progress, in the absence of awareness of God and moral values, posed a threat to the world. Benedict presided at a solemn Easter vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica to usher the 1.2 billion-member church into the most important day of its liturgical calendar. ...

Ex-Mubarak spy chief shakes up Egyptian vote race Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - Hosni Mubarak's former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman began the application process on Saturday to enter Egypt's presidential race, while other politicians battled to keep their candidates from being disqualified on technical grounds. The moves have shaken up Egyptian politics and raised passions one day before the deadline on Sunday for candidates to nominate themselves in the country's first free presidential vote, scheduled to take place in two rounds in May and June. ...

Leading Tiananmen-era Chinese dissident dies in U.S. Posted: One of China's most famous dissidents from the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists has died in the United States, exiled dissidents said on Saturday. Fang Lizhi, 76, whom China had accused of counter-revolutionary crimes, lived in Tucson where he was a physics professor at the University of Arizona. He died of natural causes, according to the Twitter feed of Wu Renhua, a dissident living in exile in the United States. ...

Egypt's Brotherhood picks alternate candidate Posted: Egypt's most powerful political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, announced Saturday it is nominating the head of its party as a back-up candidate for president in the face of attempts to disqualify their primary nominee.

Mali's parliamentary head returns from exile Posted: Mali's parliamentary head, who was forced into exile after last month's coup, returned Saturday to this nation in crisis, marking the first step in Mali's path back to constitutional rule.

US warns Syria it can't deceive world over pullout Posted: The U.S. warned Syria it won't be able to deceive the world about compliance with a cease-fire that is just days away, as regime forces pounded more opposition strongholds Saturday in an apparent rush to crush resistance before troops must withdraw. Activists said more than 100 people were killed, including at least 87 civilians.

Pakistani troops dig for 135 missing in avalanche Posted: Pakistani soldiers dug into a massive avalanche in a mountain battleground close to the Indian border on Saturday, searching for at least 135 people buried when the wall of snow engulfed a military complex.

Pope holds Easter candle at basilica vigil Posted: Pope Benedict XVI, carrying a tall, lit candle, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with an Easter vigil service Saturday night, but voiced fears that mankind is groping in darkness, unable to distinguish good from evil.

Yemen: Ex-president's loyalists attack airport Posted: Loyalists of former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh seized the country's main airport Saturday as tanks and armored vehicles occupied the tarmac and forced authorities to cancel flights, a day after a military shake-up in which key commanders were fired.

Christians in Holy Land pray on Easter Saturday Posted: Thousands of Christians gathered near Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Easter Saturday and marched in processions brimming with tradition, taking turns to pray in the site where they believe Jesus was slain and buried.

Malawi's VP sworn in as president amid uncertainty Posted: Malawi has known rule by Britain and by a mercurial dictator. Over the last few days, however, it wasn't clear who was leading this impoverished southern African country, as doctors disclosed Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika had died but the government insisted he was only ill.

Iran lawmaker: Country can produce nuclear weapons Posted: Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so, a prominent lawmaker has said.

Greece: Clash after service for man who shot self Posted: Greek protesters marching in memory of a man who killed himself over financial woes that he blamed on the government attacked a policeman in Athens on Saturday, leaving him bloodied and stealing his bulletproof vest.

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