Yahoo! News: World News

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• As Syria writhes, divided powers meet in Geneva
• Egypt's first Islamist president to be sworn in
• Greek militant group claims Microsoft attack
• Iran's U.N. envoy criticizes U.S., EU over nuclear talks
• Mexican election watchdog under pressure in Sunday's vote
• U.S. charges Vietnamese man with helping Yemeni militants
• German parliament approves EU bailout fund
• Mercosur welcomes Venezuela, suspends Paraguay
• Strong quake hits remote western China: USGS
• IMF approves disbursement after first review of Afghan program
• Egypt president-elect vows to fight for authority
• Strong earthquake strikes far west China
• Chimps attack American at South Africa sanctuary
• Paraguay suspended from Mercosur, no sanctions
• Syrian troops besiege rebellious suburb
• European leaders' breakthrough defied expectations
• Venezuelan TV channel pays $2.2 million fine
• US: Some Taliban at Gitmo could go to Afghanistan
• Endurance athlete Palfrey tries Cuba-Florida swim
• Italy celebrates a magical night against Germany

As Syria writhes, divided powers meet in Geneva Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:59 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Foreign ministers of world powers gather in Geneva on Saturday to try and forge a common strategy to end the bloodshed in Syria, but differences between Russia and the West may thwart them. Kofi Annan, the former U.N. chief who is special international envoy on Syria, has been hoping for consensus on a plan for a unity government that, by excluding from the leadership figures deemed too divisive, would effectively mean President Bashar al-Assad stepping down. ...

Egypt's first Islamist president to be sworn in Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:41 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Mursi takes his oath on Saturday, a day after the Islamist leader pre-empted the formal ceremony by swearing himself in before ecstatic crowds in Tahrir Square and warning off generals trying to curb his powers. They have already clipped the prerogatives of the bearded leader now in the palace once occupied by Hosni Mubarak, who is serving a life sentence 16 months after Egyptians toppled him. ...

Greek militant group claims Microsoft attack Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:01 PM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - A little-known leftist militant group claimed responsibility on Friday for an attack on Microsoft's Greek headquarters earlier this week. Hooded attackers rammed a van packed with gas canisters into the Microsoft building in Athens on Wednesday and then set the vehicle on fire, causing damage but no injuries. At least two people wielding pistols and a machinegun kept security guards away as they carried out the attack, police said. In a statement published on the Internet, the International Revolutionary Front said it singled out Microsoft to strike a blow at capitalism. ...

Iran's U.N. envoy criticizes U.S., EU over nuclear talks Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:54 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Western powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program have not been "serious enough" in their attempts to resolve an escalating stand-off with the Islamic Republic, Tehran's U.N. envoy said on Friday. Iran held what officials said were intense talks in Moscow earlier this month with the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany - the so-called P5+1 - about its nuclear program, but a breakthrough once again failed to materialize. "It is clear for us that some members of the P5+1 for whatever reasons ... ...

Mexican election watchdog under pressure in Sunday's vote Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:40 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico, a country long synonymous with vote-rigging, is better equipped than ever to prevent fraud in Sunday's national elections, according to experts, but voters still have grave doubts. The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) will oversee the presidential vote that polls suggest will be won by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), whose frequently tainted elections helped it maintain power from 1929 to 2000. ...

U.S. charges Vietnamese man with helping Yemeni militants Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:28 PM PDT (Reuters) - U.S. authorities on Friday announced terrorism-related charges against a Vietnamese man suspected of helping militants in Yemen affiliated with al Qaeda. Minh Quang Pham, 29, was charged with traveling from Britain to Yemen in December 2010, where federal prosecutors said he pledged allegiance to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The United States considers the Yemen-based group as a terrorist organization. Pham spent a year in Yemen before returning to Britain, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday in Manhattan federal court. ...

German parliament approves EU bailout fund Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:53 PM PDT BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament resoundingly approved the euro zone's permanent bailout scheme and new budget rules on Friday, but legal hurdles remain and Chancellor Angela Merkel's concessions to euro zone partners Italy and Spain may make those harder to overcome. The outcome of the vote was never seriously in doubt after opposition parties agreed to back the budget rules, or "fiscal compact", in return for growth and job creation measures. Merkel needed their support to get a required two-thirds majority. ...

Mercosur welcomes Venezuela, suspends Paraguay Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:27 PM PDT MENDOZA, Argentina (Reuters) - The Mercosur trade bloc - which includes regional heavyweights Brazil and Argentina - will make Venezuela a full member next month, uniting South America's biggest grains and energy exporters. At a presidential summit on Friday, Mercosur leaders also decided to extend Paraguay's suspension over the ouster of President Fernando Lugo until democracy is restored via new elections, scheduled for April 2013. No economic sanctions were adopted against Paraguay but its officials will be banned from participating in Mercosur meetings. ...

Strong quake hits remote western China: USGS Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:38 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.3 quake struck a remote region of western China, close to the Kazakhstan border, early on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.5, struck at 5:07 a.m. on Saturday (2107 GMT on Friday), and was centered 94 miles southwest of the town of Shihezi in Xinjiang region. The official Xinhua news agency said there was strong shaking felt in regional capital Urumqi which lasted for about 10 seconds, causing some people to rush out of their houses and into the street. ...

IMF approves disbursement after first review of Afghan program Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:23 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved an $18.2 million disbursement to Afghanistan following the first performance review of the country's new loan program. The IMF suspended the Afghan program in 2010 after reports of corruption, bad loans and mismanagement at Kabulbank, forcing the central bank to rake over the major lender. A new loan program was renegotiated in November 2011. The IMF has demanded that some of the assets of Kabulbank be recovered from shareholders, which include Afghanistan's elite including sitting ministers and an ex-warlord. ...

Egypt president-elect vows to fight for authority Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:20 PM PDT President-elect Mohammed Morsi roused the masses in Tahrir Square on Friday, vowing to fight on behalf of the people and defying the ruling generals by reading a symbolic oath of office a day early at the site where Egypt's revolution was born.

Strong earthquake strikes far west China Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:33 PM PDT A strong earthquake has jolted China's Central Asian frontier, shaking buildings and cutting off electricity in the remote mountainous area and sending rescuers in search of casualties.

Chimps attack American at South Africa sanctuary Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:44 PM PDT Chimpanzees at a sanctuary founded by famed primatologist Jane Goodall pulled a Texas graduate student into their fenced-off enclosure, dragging him nearly a half-mile and biting his ear and hands.

Paraguay suspended from Mercosur, no sanctions Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:41 PM PDT The Mercosur trade bloc suspended Paraguay's membership on Friday for having impeached and ousted its president but will not slap economic sanctions on the poor, landlocked country.

Syrian troops besiege rebellious suburb Posted: 29 Jun 2012 10:04 AM PDT Syrian troops bombarded a rebellious suburb of the nation's capital with tank and artillery shells Friday, killing dozens of people during a particularly bloody few days across the country, activists said.

European leaders' breakthrough defied expectations Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:45 PM PDT Europe's leaders finally rose to the challenge Friday, backing bold ideas to help weak countries and frail banks ravaged by a debt crisis that has crippled economic growth and threatened the global financial system.

Venezuelan TV channel pays $2.2 million fine Posted: 29 Jun 2012 02:01 PM PDT The Venezuelan television channel Globovision on Friday paid a fine of more than $2 million imposed by regulators, calling it an unfair penalty but saying it had no choice after the Supreme Court ordered an embargo on its assets for nonpayment.

US: Some Taliban at Gitmo could go to Afghanistan Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:22 PM PDT The Obama administration is considering a new gambit to restart peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan that would send several Taliban detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan officials told The Associated Press.

Endurance athlete Palfrey tries Cuba-Florida swim Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:10 PM PDT Marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey powered through the Straits of Florida on Friday as she attempted a record 103-mile (166-kilometer) unassisted swim from Cuba to Florida that tests the limits of human endurance and the will of the high seas.

Italy celebrates a magical night against Germany Posted: 29 Jun 2012 09:33 AM PDT It was Italy's night against the Germans, on and off the field.

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