Yahoo! News: World News

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• Greek president makes last push to avert elections
• Thousands march against economic gloom in Spain, UK
• Exiles: Iran advancing active nuclear arms program
• Netanyahu responds to Palestinian letter
• Clashes rage in Syria, opposition meets abroad
• Merkel faces rout in state vote over austerity
• U.S. drone strikes kill 10 suspected militants in Yemen
• Mexico volcano spews huge ash cloud, frightens villagers
• Analysis: Spain faces corrosion not collapse from euro crisis
• French leftist to defy Le Pen in bid for parliament seat
• Greek president in last-ditch coalition effort
• Yemen: US drone strikes kill 11 al-Qaida militants
• In Egypt turmoil, thieves hunt pharaonic treasures
• New York meets Cuba in art-fair chef exchange
• At least 100,000 march in Spain over austerity
• US commander holds talks with Pakistani army chief
• Men in Afghan police uniforms kill 2 NATO troops
• In Iraq, car perk overrides promises to public
• Egypt court rules to keep elections on schedule
• Yemen: US drone strike kills 6 al-Qaida militants

Greek president makes last push to avert elections Posted: Greek politicians abandoned their quest to form a government on Saturday, leaving the president with one final opportunity to avert new elections that could drive the debt-choked country out of the European single currency. Greece's political landscape is in disarray after voters humiliated the only parties backing a rescue plan tied to spending cuts, leaving no bloc with sufficient seats to form a government to secure the next tranche of financial aid. ...

Thousands march against economic gloom in Spain, UK Posted: Thousands of Spaniards fed up with economic misery and waving banners against bankers marched on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the grassroots "Indignados" movement that has sparked similar protests around the world. Up to 600 people denouncing the Bank of England rallied in London and a Reuters witness said scuffles broke out between some demonstrators and police, with at least 12 arrests. ...

Exiles: Iran advancing active nuclear arms program Posted: PARIS/VIENNA (Reuters) - An exiled Iranian opposition group said on Saturday that Iran has some 60 scientists and engineers involved in a concerted and expanding program to develop nuclear weapons under defense ministry auspices. However, diplomats say the National Council of Resistance of Iran has had a spotty record with allegations about Iran's nuclear work since exposing a secret uranium enrichment plant at Natanz in 2002. A top U.S. nuclear expert said the NCRI report, like previous ones, should be treated with great skepticism. ...

Netanyahu responds to Palestinian letter Posted: RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinian Authority issued a rare joint statement on Saturday, saying they were committed to peace after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched an envoy to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The envoy carried a letter from Netanyahu replying to one he received last month from Abbas, in which the Palestinian leader stated his grievances over the collapse of peace talks in 2010 and laid out his parameters for a resumption of negotiations. ...

Clashes rage in Syria, opposition meets abroad Posted: Rebels fought the army in northern Syria on Saturday, activists said, and Syrian dissidents abroad gathered to try to unify and project themselves as a credible alternative to President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fighting in Idlib province, on Syria's northern border with Turkey and a hotspot of the 14-month-old revolt against Assad's rule. "Violent clashes are raging between Syrian regime forces and armed military defectors ... ...

Merkel faces rout in state vote over austerity Posted: BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's conservatives face defeat in a vote in Germany's most populous state on Sunday that could give the left momentum before next year's federal election and fuel criticism of the chancellor's European austerity drive. North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), an industrial state in western Germany with an economy and population roughly the size of the Netherlands, has a history of influencing national politics. ...

U.S. drone strikes kill 10 suspected militants in Yemen Posted: ADEN (Reuters) - Two apparent U.S. drone attacks killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen on Saturday, while Yemeni government forces killed 15 others in a new offensive against insurgents, local and military officials said. U.S. officials said this week they had thwarted a plot by the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to arm a suicide bomber with a non-metallic device, an upgraded version of the "underwear bomb" carried onto an airliner on Christmas Day 2009. ...

Mexico volcano spews huge ash cloud, frightens villagers Posted: SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano spewed out huge clouds of ash and fiery rock overnight, closing a local airport on Saturday and frightening nearby villagers, already on edge after weeks of increased activity. Popocatepetl, 50 miles southeast of Mexico City, shook with tremors that belched out four large plumes of ash on Friday night and Saturday morning, the National Center for Disaster Prevention said in a statement on Saturday. The biggest expulsion shot an ash cloud 2. ...

Analysis: Spain faces corrosion not collapse from euro crisis Posted: BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Students are protesting on Barcelona's elegant boulevards, public-sector wages are being cut for the second time in three years and resentment is growing against the central government and beneficiaries of bank bailouts. Such is the daily fallout from the euro zone's debt crisis. Like the rest of Spain, Barcelona is looking at several years of hard grind as the country adjusts to living within its means after the collapse of a debt-financed housing bubble that has brought much of the banking sector to its knees. ...

French leftist to defy Le Pen in bid for parliament seat Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - French leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon confirmed on Saturday he would challenge his far-right rival Marine Le Pen for a parliament seat attached to her home district, promising a showdown in the small northern town of Henin-Beaumont. For Melenchon, challenging Le Pen in the working class town, where her National Front won 35 percent in round one of the presidential election, is a chance to remain politically relevant after he came fourth in the April vote. ...

Greek president in last-ditch coalition effort Posted: Greece's president will meet with political party leaders Sunday in a last-ditch effort to broker a deal for a coalition government and avoid another general election.

Yemen: US drone strikes kill 11 al-Qaida militants Posted: Two suspected U.S. drone strikes killed 11 al-Qaida militants in southern Yemen on Saturday, Yemeni military officials said.

In Egypt turmoil, thieves hunt pharaonic treasures Posted: Taking advantage of Egypt's political upheaval, thieves have gone on a treasure hunt with a spree of illegal digging, preying on the country's ancient pharaonic heritage.

New York meets Cuba in art-fair chef exchange Posted: Foreign art lovers are breaking bread with Cuban waiters, drivers and parking lot attendants this week in a unique experience that forces diners and chefs alike to overcome barriers of culture, language and five-plus decades of animosity between Washington and Havana.

At least 100,000 march in Spain over austerity Posted: At least 100,000 Spaniards angered by grim economic prospects and the political handling of the international financial crisis turned out for street demonstrations in the country's cities Saturday, marking the one-year anniversary of a movement that inspired similar pressure groups in other countries.

US commander holds talks with Pakistani army chief Posted: The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan held talks with Pakistan's army chief Saturday aimed at improving border coordination, almost six months after American airstrikes accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the frontier.

Men in Afghan police uniforms kill 2 NATO troops Posted: Men wearing Afghan police uniforms shot dead two NATO service members Saturday in southern Afghanistan, authorities said, the latest in a string of attacks on international troops by Afghan security forces or militants disguised as police.

In Iraq, car perk overrides promises to public Posted: Iraq's lawmakers have hightailed it out of town for a six-week vacation without following through on promises to cancel a pricey perk for free armored cars that they approved for themselves in the annual budget.

Egypt court rules to keep elections on schedule Posted: Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court has overturned a lower court ruling that would have suspended the upcoming presidential election.

Yemen: US drone strike kills 6 al-Qaida militants Posted: Yemeni military officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed six suspected al-Qaida militants.

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