Yahoo! News: World News

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• No sign of Assad after bomb kills kin, rebels close in
• Israel blames Iran for Bulgaria bus bomb that kills six
• U.S. can defeat any Iranian effort to block oil shipping: Panetta
• Senate panel approves Russia trade, rights bill
• Lawsuit asks U.S. to explain killings of Americans in Yemen
• North Korean leader cements control over army
• Report criticizes Vatican bank, urges more reform
• Ferry capsizes off Zanzibar, at least 31 dead
• Missile shield may spark China nuclear upgrade: officer
• Hollande orders French NATO command seat review
• Rebel bombing strikes at heart of Syrian regime
• Attack on Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria kills 7
• Divided South Africa honors Mandela's birthday
• Path for Iran nuclear talks choked by tensions
• Yemen president warns Iran to stop meddling
• US-born kids of migrants lose rights in Mexico
• Libya's independents might emerge as third power
• Police: Eva Rausing's body was badly decomposed
• Islamist rebel group releases 3 hostages
• Protesters try to storm Syria embassy in Egypt

No sign of Assad after bomb kills kin, rebels close in Posted: 18 Jul 2012 05:17 PM PDT BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, a day after a bomber killed and wounded his security chiefs and rebels closed in on the centre of Damascus, vowing to "liberate" the capital. The Syrian leader made no public appearance and no statement after a bomber killed his powerful brother-in-law, his defense minister and a top general. By the early hours of Thursday, residents had reported no let-up in the heaviest fighting to hit the capital in a 16-month revolt against Assad's rule. ...

Israel blames Iran for Bulgaria bus bomb that kills six Posted: 18 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT BURGAS, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Six people were killed in a bomb attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists at a Bulgarian airport on Wednesday and Israel accused Tehran of carrying out the attack, promising a strong response to "Iranian terror". Body parts were strewn across the ground and mangled metal hung from the bus's torn-back roof. Its windows were blown out and surrounded by scorch marks, as clouds of dense black smoke billowed above the airport. "We heard a very strong blast. The bus was full with people and children. Flesh and blood everywhere," a Bulgarian witness told TV7 television. ...

U.S. can defeat any Iranian effort to block oil shipping: Panetta Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:55 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has the military capacity to defeat any Iranian attempt to shut down sea commerce in the oil-rich Gulf region and will hold Tehran directly responsible for shipping disruptions, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Wednesday. "The United States is fully prepared for all contingencies here," Panetta told a Pentagon news conference. "We've invested in capabilities to ensure that the Iranian attempt to close down shipping in the Gulf is something that we are going to be able to defeat, if they make a decision to do that. ...

Senate panel approves Russia trade, rights bill Posted: 18 Jul 2012 01:54 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to ensure U.S. exporters share in the benefits of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization but also to punish Russian officials for human rights violations. The legislation still faces an uphill battle to be passed before U.S. elections in November because of concern over Russia's ties to Syria and Iran that make it a politically difficult vote for some lawmakers. ...

Lawsuit asks U.S. to explain killings of Americans in Yemen Posted: 18 Jul 2012 12:04 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The families of U.S.-born al Qaeda militant Anwar al-Awlaki and two other U.S. citizens who were killed in Yemen are questioning the deaths in court in the latest challenge to President Barack Obama's conduct of drone attacks abroad. The lawsuit filed on Wednesday tests the Obama administration's position that, under the laws of war, it can target for secret, lethal strikes Americans who join al Qaeda or an affiliate if there is an imminent threat to the United States and capturing them is not feasible. ...

North Korean leader cements control over army Posted: 18 Jul 2012 07:24 AM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was named marshal of the army, the country's top military rank, in a move that adds to his glittering array of titles and cements his power in the isolated and impoverished state that has a 1.2 million strong military. The decision was made on Tuesday and reported on Wednesday by North Korea's state media. It comes after the country's top general was purged. The new title completes Kim Jong-un's elevation following the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December. ...

Report criticizes Vatican bank, urges more reform Posted: 18 Jul 2012 12:27 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A European report on Wednesday identified serious failings in the Vatican's bank and gave the Holy See a negative rating in almost half of the most transparency related criteria. The milestone report by Moneyval, a department of the Council of Europe, welcomed reforms enacted so far but suggested the Vatican still has a long way to go before it can be included on an international "white list" of countries that abide by global norms on combating money laundering, the financing of terrorism and tax evasion. ...

Ferry capsizes off Zanzibar, at least 31 dead Posted: 18 Jul 2012 02:19 PM PDT STONE TOWN, Zanzibar (Reuters) - A ferry with more than 250 people on board, including some foreigners, capsized and sank between the east African coast and the Zanzibar archipelago on Wednesday, killing at least 31 people, police said. Police Commissioner Mussa Ali Mussa said 145 people had been rescued and that the rescue mission was suspended until morning. The ferry, MV Skagit/Kalama, set sail from mainland Tanzania at around midday for Zanzibar, Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago and a popular tourist destination. "The latest count that we have is 31 people dead and 145 were rescued. ...

Missile shield may spark China nuclear upgrade: officer Posted: 18 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT VIENNA (Reuters) - China may need to modernize its nuclear arsenal to respond to the destabilizing effect of a planned U.S.-backed missile defense system, a senior Chinese military officer said on Wednesday. "It undermines the strategic stability," said Major General Zhu Chenghu of China's National Defense University about the U.S.-led development of a missile shield, which has also alarmed Russia. ...

Hollande orders French NATO command seat review Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:08 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande has asked former foreign minister Hubert Vedrine to review France's membership of NATO's integrated military command, his office said on Wednesday, echoing unease about its place in the alliance's inner circle. Hollande has in the past expressed reservations about France's 2009 return to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's integrated command, a move approved by his conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, who was one of the most pro-American presidents France has had in decades. ...

Rebel bombing strikes at heart of Syrian regime Posted: 18 Jul 2012 04:39 PM PDT Rebels penetrated the heart of Syria's power elite Wednesday, detonating a bomb inside a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus that killed three leaders of the regime, including President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister.

Attack on Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria kills 7 Posted: 18 Jul 2012 05:16 PM PDT Israel vowed to strike back at Iran for a brazen daylight bombing Wednesday that killed at least seven people on a bus full of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria.

Divided South Africa honors Mandela's birthday Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:07 AM PDT A nation divided between black and white, rich and poor, came together Wednesday to honor Nelson Mandela, the deeply loved statesman who helped bring freedom to South Africa. The good deeds done on Mandela's 94th birthday ranged from building houses to performing free eye cataract operations.

Path for Iran nuclear talks choked by tensions Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:49 AM PDT In the span of just a few hours, announcements bouncing between Tehran and Washington showed the direction of their showdown: New issues are piling up even as Western envoys try to find a path to move nuclear talks forward.

Yemen president warns Iran to stop meddling Posted: 18 Jul 2012 02:16 PM PDT Yemen's president on Wednesday called on Iran to stop spying in his country, warning that the Shiite-led nation would "pay the price" if it continues meddling.

US-born kids of migrants lose rights in Mexico Posted: 18 Jul 2012 09:53 AM PDT As a cold drizzle washed over this town of narrow cobblestone streets in the forested highlands of central Mexico, mothers waiting outside the colonial-era cultural center wrapped wool blankets around the infants snuggled in their arms. Other parents tightened plastic bags around folders filled with U.S. passports and birth certificates from California, Ohio and Texas.

Libya's independents might emerge as third power Posted: 18 Jul 2012 01:36 PM PDT Libya's elections have brought in a large new political generation of independents — businessmen, activists, former judges and former exiles — who form the largest bloc in the first elected national assembly after Moammar Gadhafi's fall and will be the big wild card in determining the country's course.

Police: Eva Rausing's body was badly decomposed Posted: 18 Jul 2012 08:45 AM PDT The body of Eva Rausing, one of Britain's richest women, was badly decomposed and covered by layers of clothing and garbage bags when it was found in the luxury London home she shared with her husband, police said in court Wednesday.

Islamist rebel group releases 3 hostages Posted: 18 Jul 2012 04:05 PM PDT A helicopter was dispatched to Mali on Wednesday to retrieve three European hostages held for the past 10 months by a jihadist group, according to the governments of Italy and Spain and a military official in Burkina Faso, which sent the copter.

Protesters try to storm Syria embassy in Egypt Posted: 18 Jul 2012 02:05 PM PDT Egyptian security forces have fired tear gas to push back several hundred protesters trying to storm the Syrian Embassy in Cairo and raise the green-striped flag of Syria's rebels.

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