Yahoo! News: World News

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• Huge quakes off Indonesia stir panic, but no big tsunami
• Strong quake hits Mexico, no major damage seen
• Fighting rages in countdown to Syria truce
• Egypt's Salafi presidential candidate claims moral victory
• Greece calls May 6 poll that may create stalemate
• Five killed in bombings targeting Shi'ites in Iraq
• Sudan mobilizes army as South claims key oil field
• Mexico's ruling conservatives pump up attacks on rival
• South Korea's conservatives headed for a surprise parliamentary win
• First president of independent Algeria dies: state media
• Syria says it will stop fighting by UN deadline
• Panic but no tsunami from strong Indonesia quakes
• North Korea readies rocket for imminent liftoff
• Yemen: Fighting in south kills 50 militants
• South Sudan troops move into disputed oil town
• Peruvian miners rescued from collapsed mine
• Israel steps up campaign for convicted spy
• Argentine 'miracle' morgue baby improving
• WHO: Dementia cases worldwide will triple by 2050
• Algeria's first president dies at 95

Huge quakes off Indonesia stir panic, but no big tsunami Posted: BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago. ...

Strong quake hits Mexico, no major damage seen Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake hit Mexico on Wednesday, shaking buildings in the capital and sending people rushing out of offices onto the streets, though there were no early reports of major damage. Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard said on his twitter account there were no initial signs of serious damage and that key services in the capital, including its subway system and the international airport, were operating normally. ...

Fighting rages in countdown to Syria truce Posted: BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria was due to observe a ceasefire from dawn on Thursday, but its fierce attacks on opposition neighborhoods in the run up to the U.N. deadline fuelled widespread doubts it would comply. The Syrian army also showed few signs of withdrawing troops from urban areas, something supposed to have begun on Tuesday under the peace plan agreed with international envoy Kofi Annan. Activists reported more tanks moving in to a major city even as a pledge to halt operations on Thursday morning was broadcast on state television. ...

Egypt's Salafi presidential candidate claims moral victory Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail claimed a moral victory on Wednesday when a court ruled that authorities must provide proof that his late mother did not hold dual nationality, which would prevent him running. Thousands of supporters of Abu Ismail chanted "Egyptian, Egyptian" as they shot fireworks skywards, many crying in joy and praying. They had rallied outside and inside the court that had been in session since the morning, seeking to flock around the sheikh, who they say is the victim of a smear campaign. ...

Greece calls May 6 poll that may create stalemate Posted: ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece called a snap election for next month on Wednesday, launching a campaign that may produce no clear winner and threaten implementation of the international bailout plan that saved the nation from bankruptcy. Prime Minister Lucas Papademos announced the May 6 date after meeting the president and his interim cabinet, which he said had done its job by securing the bailout and a landmark debt restructuring last month. "Greece is in the middle of a difficult path," he said in a televised address to the nation. ...

Five killed in bombings targeting Shi'ites in Iraq Posted: BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Militants targeting Shi'ite families in a province north of Iraq's capital killed five people and wounded six others when they set off bombs around their houses, local security sources said on Wednesday. Diyala province, a fertile agricultural area, has long been one of the most volatile regions in Iraq, inhabited by a mix of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds. ...

Sudan mobilizes army as South claims key oil field Posted: KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - Sudan said it would mobilize its army against South Sudan on Wednesday, and halted talks with Juba over oil payments and other disputed issues after the South occupied an oilfield vital to the North's economy. With South Sudan in turn accusing Sudan of bombing a village on the southern side of their 1,800-km (1,200-mile) border, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United States called for an end to clashes that threaten to spark a full-blown conflict. ...

Mexico's ruling conservatives pump up attacks on rival Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling conservatives have stepped up attacks on presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto in an effort to help their struggling candidate, who is slipping back toward third place. A new TV spot by the National Action Party, or PAN, describing Pena Nieto as a "liar" began to circulate just as a poll showed support for PAN contender Josefina Vazquez Mota falling to its lowest level since the campaign began. ...

South Korea's conservatives headed for a surprise parliamentary win Posted: SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's ruling conservatives were headed for a surprise victory in a parliamentary election on Wednesday, boosting leader Park Geun-hye's stature as a top presidential contender despite a liberal surge. The New Frontier Party was closing in on capturing a majority and denying left-leaning parties the numbers needed to form a coalition. The parliament is expected to have little legislative impact in the final year of pro-business President Lee Myung-bak's term. ...

First president of independent Algeria dies: state media Posted: ALGIERS (Reuters) - Ahmed Ben Bella helped lead Algeria's fight for independence from France and after victory became its first president, a figure who symbolized the romance of the national liberation struggle before the harsh reality of running a country intruded. He died on Wednesday morning in the Algerian capital, aged 96, after an illness, the state-run news agency reported. ...

Syria says it will stop fighting by UN deadline Posted: Syria promised to stop fighting in time for Thursday's deadline for a cease-fire brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan but reserved the right to respond to any aggression, a hedge against any end in the fighting that has convulsed the nation for more than a year.

Panic but no tsunami from strong Indonesia quakes Posted: Cries of panic and fervent prayers rang out Wednesday as Indonesians rushed toward high ground after two strong earthquakes raised fears of a killer tsunami.

North Korea readies rocket for imminent liftoff Posted: North Korea fueled up a rocket Wednesday in preparation for what appeared to be an imminent liftoff while the country's young leader strengthened his power with a new title making him the nation's top political official.

Yemen: Fighting in south kills 50 militants Posted: Yemeni artillery and military aircraft backing pro-government tribesmen pounded al-Qaida fighters trying to battle their way into a strategic town in the country's south on Wednesday, while a suspected U.S. airstrike killed at least 12 militants, officials said.

South Sudan troops move into disputed oil town Posted: After a day of fierce fighting, troops from South Sudan captured an oil-rich border town that is claimed by Sudan, whose troops withdrew under the onslaught, a Sudanese government minister said Wednesday.

Peruvian miners rescued from collapsed mine Posted: Nine Peruvian miners were rescued Wednesday after six days trapped in an abandoned copper mine.

Israel steps up campaign for convicted spy Posted: Israel is ratcheting up calls on Washington to release convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, in a campaign that has reopened a long-running feud with its closest and most important ally.

Argentine 'miracle' morgue baby improving Posted: A mother in Argentina says she fell to her knees in shock after finding her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead.

WHO: Dementia cases worldwide will triple by 2050 Posted: Cases of dementia — and the heavy social and financial burdens associated with them — are set to soar in the coming decades as life expectancy and medical care improve in poorer countries, the World Health Organization says.

Algeria's first president dies at 95 Posted: Ahmed Ben Bella, Algeria's first president and a historic leader of its bloody independence struggle from France, died at his family home in Algiers on Wednesday. He was 95.

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