Yahoo! News: World News

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• Israel hammers Hamas in Gaza offensive
• Obama says to make diplomatic push on Iran nuclear program
• Chinese Communist Party to unveil new leadership
• U.S. stops short of recognizing Syrian opposition body
• Myanmar says to free 452 prisoners ahead Obama visit
• Anti-austerity marches turn violent across southern Europe
• U.S. concerned about arrest of citizen in South Sudan
• Libya swears in first elected government
• Thousands rally in Ireland after woman denied abortion dies
• German Greens seek path to power, possibly with Merkel
• Israel assassinates Hamas military chief in Gaza
• US deplores murder of Honduran teen by military
• China's new leadership faces obstacles to rule
• Report: Sri Lankan war was grave failure for UN
• Austerity protests stall several European nations
• Myanmar says 450 prisoners to be freed in amnesty
• Russia expands treason law, critics fear crackdown
• Syrian rebels take villages near Israel-held area
• Ireland probes death of ill abortion-seeker
• Software founder McAfee denies killing neighbor
• Irish abortion debate inflamed by pregnant woman's death
• Is Hamas responsible for Gaza rocket fire? Not exactly.
• Why Pakistan's release of Taliban might help peace
• For Israel, costs and benefits of striking Gaza
• Anti-austerity strikes wrack Europe, but will they foment change?
• McAfee flees from Belize authorities - should he fear the police?
• Putin's invite to Obama: a formality or a good omen?
• Spate of deadly bombings rock Iraq before Shiite holy month
• Why Palestinians are pushing for new status at UN
• How water could bring Israelis, Palestinians together
• Who are China's likely next leaders?
• Who is Abu Qatada and why is Britain unable to deport him?

Israel hammers Hamas in Gaza offensive Posted: 14 Nov 2012 04:48 PM PST GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday, killing the military commander of Hamas in an air strike and threatening an invasion of the enclave that the Islamist group vowed would "open the gates of hell". The onslaught shattered hopes that a truce mediated on Tuesday by Egypt could pull the two sides back from the brink of war after five days of escalating Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli strikes at militant targets. ...

Obama says to make diplomatic push on Iran nuclear program Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:32 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to push for a diplomatic resolution to Iran's suspected attempt to build a nuclear weapon, while restating his insistence that Tehran will never be allowed to acquire a bomb. "I will try to make a push in the coming months to see if we can open up a dialogue between Iran and - not just us but the international community - to see if we can get this thing resolved," he said. "We're not going let Iran get a nuclear weapon, but I think there is still a window of time for us to resolve this diplomatically," added Obama. ...

Chinese Communist Party to unveil new leadership Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:08 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party unveils a new leadership line-up on Thursday to steer the world's second-largest economy for the next five years, with Vice President Xi Jinping taking over from outgoing President Hu Jintao as party chief. The new members of the Politburo Standing Committee - the innermost circle of power in China's authoritarian government - will emerge around 0300 GMT (10 p.m. EDT on Wednesday) after a closely controlled vote by the party's new 205-member central committee, which was installed at the end of a five-yearly party congress on Wednesday. ...

U.S. stops short of recognizing Syrian opposition body Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States declined to follow France in fully recognizing a fledgling Syrian opposition coalition on Wednesday, saying the body must prove its worth, after its predecessor was dogged by feuding and accusations of Islamist domination. Syria decried the new grouping, which it said had closed the door to a negotiated solution with President Bashar al-Assad. ...

Myanmar says to free 452 prisoners ahead Obama visit Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:33 PM PST YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar plans to free 452 prisoners including an unidentified number of political prisoners, government officials said on Thursday, just days before a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the former military state. State media said the prisoners will be freed with the "intent to help promote goodwill and the bilateral relationship". An official in the Home Ministry said "prisoners of conscience" will be among those pardoned. The timing of the amnesty is significant, coming days ahead of Obama's visit on Monday, the first to the country by a sitting U.S. president. ...

Anti-austerity marches turn violent across southern Europe Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:41 PM PST MADRID/LISBON (Reuters) - Demonstrations turned violent in Spain and Portugal after millions took part in a mostly peaceful general strike on Wednesday in organized labor's biggest Europe-wide challenge to austerity policies since the debt crisis began three years ago. In Lisbon, marches ended with a level of violence not seen since the crisis began, with police charging demonstrators who hurled stones and bottles, leaving nearly 50 people hurt. Protesters in Madrid burned rubbish bins, filling the central boulevard with smoke, while in Barcelona demonstrators burned police cars. ...

U.S. concerned about arrest of citizen in South Sudan Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:33 PM PST JUBA (Reuters) - The United States expressed deep concern on Wednesday for a U.S. citizen held in South Sudan on a kidnap charge but who, his wife says, is victim of an extortion attempt by security officials. Elton Mark McCabe was arrested in the east African country last month on charges of kidnapping an Indian businessman for a $5 million ransom. After bring picked up by security agents in an unmarked vehicle in the capital Juba he was detained in darkness for over 36 hours and beaten by security agents trying to extort $100,000 for his release, his wife said. ...

Libya swears in first elected government Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:51 AM PST TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's first elected government was sworn in under tight security on Wednesday with the task of establishing democracy and reining in rival militias who helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year. In a national congress hall built by Gaddafi shortly before his fall, cabinet ministers swore an oath to protect the North African state, a major oil producer. The national assembly approved Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's proposed government on October 31 but the list set off violent protests outside congress. ...

Thousands rally in Ireland after woman denied abortion dies Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:17 PM PST DUBLIN (Reuters) - Thousands of people rallied outside Ireland's parliament on Wednesday to demand strict abortion rules be eased after a pregnant Indian woman repeatedly denied a termination died in an Irish hospital. Savita Halappanavar, 31, admitted to University Hospital Galway in the west of Ireland last month, died of septicaemia a week after miscarrying 17 weeks into her pregnancy. Her repeated requests for termination were rejected because of the presence of a fetal heartbeat, her husband told state broadcaster RTE. ...

German Greens seek path to power, possibly with Merkel Posted: 14 Nov 2012 09:32 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - Once a fringe left-wing movement born in the heat of 1970s radicalism, Germany's Greens party may be heading for the unthinkable - a partnership with the conservatives that would keep Angela Merkel in power. Greens leaders deny any interest in forming a coalition with the Christian Democrats, but voting patterns and shared views on a surprising number of key policies may push both sides to break a taboo and form a ruling coalition after elections next year. ...

Israel assassinates Hamas military chief in Gaza Posted: 14 Nov 2012 04:35 PM PST Israel carried out a blistering offensive of more than 50 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, assassinating Hamas' military commander and targeting the armed group's training facilities and rocket launchers in Israel's most intense attack on the territory in nearly four years.

US deplores murder of Honduran teen by military Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:39 PM PST U.S. officials are demanding answers after learning soldiers who were trained, vetted and equipped by the U.S. government chased down and killed a 15-year-old boy in Honduras, a country plagued by crime where the U.S. is already withholding tens of millions of dollars in police and military aid due to concerns about human rights violations.

China's new leadership faces obstacles to rule Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:45 AM PST Months of sharp behind-the-scenes jostling reach a climax Thursday with the announcement of a new Chinese leadership that almost regardless of its makeup is likely to be much like the one it replaces: divided, deliberative and weak.

Report: Sri Lankan war was grave failure for UN Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:15 PM PST A United Nations report released Wednesday said inadequate efforts by the world body to protect civilians during the bloody final months of Sri Lanka's civil war marked a "grave failure" that led to suffering for hundreds of thousands of people.

Austerity protests stall several European nations Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:59 PM PST Hundreds of thousands of Europe's beleaguered citizens went on strike or snarled the streets of several capitals Wednesday, at times clashing with riot police, as they demanded that governments stop cutting benefits and create more jobs.

Myanmar says 450 prisoners to be freed in amnesty Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:38 PM PST State media in Myanmar say President Thein Sein has ordered more than 450 prisoners freed in an amnesty.

Russia expands treason law, critics fear crackdown Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:38 AM PST Adding to fears that the Kremlin aims to stifle dissent, Russians now live under a new law expanding the definition of treason so broadly that critics say it could be used to call anyone who bucks the government a traitor.

Syrian rebels take villages near Israel-held area Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST Syrian rebels control almost all the villages near the frontier with the Israel-held Golan Heights, the Israeli defense minister said Wednesday, bringing the conflict dangerously close to the Jewish state and raising the possibility of an armed clash with the region's strongest power.

Ireland probes death of ill abortion-seeker Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:23 PM PST The debate over legalizing abortion in Ireland flared Wednesday after the government confirmed that a woman in the midst of a miscarriage was refused an abortion and died in an Irish hospital after suffering from blood poisoning.

Software founder McAfee denies killing neighbor Posted: 14 Nov 2012 04:45 PM PST Software company founder John McAfee said Wednesday he is in hiding, unarmed and accompanied only by a young woman, changing locations and telephones frequently to stay one step ahead of a Belize police unit he says wants to kill him.

Irish abortion debate inflamed by pregnant woman's death Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:48 PM PST The death of a pregnant woman who was refused an abortion has reignited the debate over Ireland's near-total ban of the procedure, already under reexamination by the Irish government.

Is Hamas responsible for Gaza rocket fire? Not exactly. Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:27 PM PST Israel's air offensive on the Gaza Strip today is a response to rocket fire from the coastal Palestinian enclave. Hamas, which governs the strip, has borne the brunt of the assault. The action began with a missile that targeted Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari as he drove through Gaza City today (the IDF quickly shared a video of that attack) and was followed by dozens more.

Why Pakistan's release of Taliban might help peace Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:04 PM PST Pakistan agreed today to release some Taliban leaders from prison in an effort to facilitate peace talks in Afghanistan.

For Israel, costs and benefits of striking Gaza Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:54 AM PST Israel's assassination of senior Hamas militant Ahmed Jabari on Wednesday appears to be just the start of the farthest-reaching offensive on Gaza for years. Various Israeli officials had been agitating for days for serious retaliation to rocket fire from Gaza, never mind Hamas promising to stop the rockets on Tuesday. Today, those officials' wish was granted.

Anti-austerity strikes wrack Europe, but will they foment change? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 11:20 AM PST Striking Spaniards and Portuguese brought transportation, industry, and public services to a halt Wednesday as part of a coordinated show of force in southern Europe, hoping to force leaders to reverse a wave of belt-tightening that has left millions struggling with unemployment and poverty.

McAfee flees from Belize authorities - should he fear the police? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:42 AM PST Many things stood out when reading the Gizmodo piece on John McAfee, the eccentric pioneer of anti-virus software who is now wanted for questioning about the murder of a fellow American expatriate in Belize: allegations of paranoia, his obsession with danger sports, his choice in young partners. (Read the whole piece here – it came out just before the murder was discovered)

Putin's invite to Obama: a formality or a good omen? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST Barack Obama has agreed to hold a summit meeting in Moscow soon, after Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly called him up Tuesday night and extended the invite.

Spate of deadly bombings rock Iraq before Shiite holy month Posted: 14 Nov 2012 06:15 AM PST • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Why Palestinians are pushing for new status at UN Posted: 14 Nov 2012 06:09 AM PST With no progress on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in four years, Palestinians are seeking a global mandate for statehood at the United Nations. They hope the bid will revive momentum for a sovereign Palestinian state living alongside Israel.

How water could bring Israelis, Palestinians together Posted: 14 Nov 2012 06:09 AM PST Khaled Mukarker lifts a makeshift lid on his well, pulling up a dusty measuring tape. Only about 10 feet of water remains in the 135-foot hole.

Who are China's likely next leaders? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:37 AM PST Chinese leaders have gone about the once-in-a-decade selection of their successors under the usual cloud of secrecy; on Nov. 15, though, the new Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party – the group that rules China – will present itself to the world.

Who is Abu Qatada and why is Britain unable to deport him? Posted: 13 Nov 2012 02:17 PM PST Monday saw the release of Islamist preacher Abu Qatada from prison in Britain, after a British court ruled that he could not be extradited to Jordan. The ruling is just the latest setback for the government, which has been unsuccessfully trying to remove Mr. Qatada for the better part of a decade. But while a familiar name and face to British readers, Qatada is not well known on this side of the Atlantic.

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