Yahoo! News: World News

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• Egypt's opposition rejects constitutional referendum
• U.S. and Russia still back Syria settlement: UN envoy
• As Tibetan self-immolations rise, Beijing tightens grip
• Sudan police teargas protesters after student deaths
• Bahrain opposition hails crown prince's call for talks
• Nigerian forces arrest 28 suspected Islamists in Kano
• Atheists around world suffer persecution, discrimination - report
• Ghana's Mahama wins election, opposition cries foul
• Bavarians promise Greeks solidarity instead of scorn
• Italian political crisis kicks off campaigning as markets watch
• Islamist-leaning draft constitution divides Egypt
• North Korean rocket launch window opens
• Chavez faces new cancer battle, surgery in Cuba
• Snapshot: Chavez's designated successor
• Australian radio chair: Station reviewing policy
• Plane believed to be singer's found in Mexico
• Ghana's president declared election winner
• Hundreds of fishermen missing in Philippine storm
• Chinese police accuse monk of inciting immolations
• Italy awaits market reaction to Monti exit soon
• Six days of riots erupt in the 'New Northern Ireland'
• As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three options
• Egypt's Morsi backs off decree, but fails to assuage protesters
• New law puts spotlight on India child abuse

Egypt's opposition rejects constitutional referendum Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:46 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main opposition coalition rejected on Sunday Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's plan for a constitutional referendum this week, saying it risked dragging the country into "violent confrontation". Mursi's decision on Saturday to retract a decree awarding himself wide powers failed to placate opponents who accused him of plunging Egypt deeper into crisis by refusing to postpone the vote on a constitution shaped by Islamists. ...

U.S. and Russia still back Syria settlement: UN envoy Posted: 09 Dec 2012 10:42 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. and Russian officials have given their commitment to a political solution for the deepening Syrian conflict, a United Nations envoy said on Sunday, but Moscow dismissed speculation it was preparing for President Bashar al-Assad's exit. With rebels now fighting on the doorsteps of Damascus, Assad's forces kept up their now daily artillery strikes and air raids on eastern suburbs as well as some rebel-held districts on the capital's outskirts. U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met the U.S. ...

As Tibetan self-immolations rise, Beijing tightens grip Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:14 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - As the number of self-immolations in restive Tibetan regions rises sharply, Beijing appears to be tightening rules against the anti-China protests despite hopes the new leadership may take a softer line against Tibet. Some experts have said Communist Party chief Xi Jinping -- whose former vice premier father had a close bond with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama -- might adopt a more reformist approach to the troubled mountainous region when he takes over as president in March. ...

Sudan police teargas protesters after student deaths Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:45 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Police in Sudan used teargas and batons to repel rock-throwing students on Sunday as tension simmered over the deaths of four students following a protest against tuition fees. The police moved in as more than 400 students marched from the University of Khartoum through the center of the capital shouting "The people want to overthrow the regime" and "Killing a student is killing a nation". The students pelted police cars with rocks for more than an hour. ...

Bahrain opposition hails crown prince's call for talks Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:14 PM PST MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain opposition groups welcomed a government appeal for dialogue to break a deadlock in the restive kingdom, saying they were prepared to meet without any pre-conditions, but called for the results of talks to be put to a referendum. The Gulf Arab state, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has been convulsed by unrest since February last year following mass demonstrations led by majority Shi'ites demanding democratic change in the Sunni-led monarchy. ...

Nigerian forces arrest 28 suspected Islamists in Kano Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:53 PM PST KANO (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces said they arrested 28 suspected members of Islamist sect Boko Haram over the weekend, in a series of dawn raids on their hideouts. "Our plan is to choke the (militants), to suffocate them and we are getting the desired results," said a spokesman for joint military and police forces in Kano, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha. Boko Haram has become the main security threat to Africa's leading energy producer. ...

Atheists around world suffer persecution, discrimination - report Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:19 PM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - Atheists and other religious skeptics suffer persecution or discrimination in many parts of the world and in at least seven nations can be executed if their beliefs become known, according to a report issued on Monday. The study, from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), showed that "unbelievers" in Islamic countries face the most severe - sometimes brutal - treatment at the hands of the state and adherents of the official religion. ...

Ghana's Mahama wins election, opposition cries foul Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:33 PM PST ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's electoral authorities said on Sunday incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama won a new term as president in the West African state in an election the opposition claimed was marred by tampering. Mahama, who replaced former president John Atta Mills after his death in July, took 50.7 percent of the ballots cast - just enough to avoid a run-off with his chief rival Nana Akufo-Addo. "Based on the results, I declare President John Dramani Mahama president elect," Ghana Electoral Commission President Kwadwo Afari-Gyan told a news conference in the capital Accra. ...

Bavarians promise Greeks solidarity instead of scorn Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:28 PM PST MUNICH (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras visited Bavaria on Sunday, charming former critics of Greece in the southern German state who once wished to eject his country from the euro zone, and departing with pledges of solidarity and support. Samaras' visit to Munich and dinner with Bavaria's State Premier Horst Seehofer on Sunday night was another sign of the new thaw in Greek-German relations that started when Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Athens in October and was convinced of Athens' commitment to painful reforms. ...

Italian political crisis kicks off campaigning as markets watch Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:32 PM PST ROME/MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's imminent resignation has set off campaigning for an election expected in February, with financial markets on edge at the prospect of a return to an old-style Italian political crisis. On Saturday the 69-year-old former European commissioner unexpectedly struck back against Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party which opened the crisis by withdrawing support from his government last week. After meeting President Giorgio Napolitano on Saturday, he announced he would resign as soon as the 2013 budget is passed. ...

Islamist-leaning draft constitution divides Egypt Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:04 PM PST President Mohammed Morsi is unlikely to worry if Egypt's Islamist-leaning draft constitution passes by only a small margin in a Dec. 15 referendum, since he and his backers tout his 51 percent election victory in June as a "popular mandate" that is beyond any challenge.

North Korean rocket launch window opens Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:29 PM PST A near two-week launch window for a North Korean long-range rocket began Monday, a day after Pyongyang said it may delay liftoff. North Korea has faced mounting international pressure to abandon what critics call a cover for a banned missile test.

Chavez faces new cancer battle, surgery in Cuba Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:48 PM PST Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for a third cancer surgery after naming his vice president as his choice to lead the country if the illness cuts short his presidency.

Snapshot: Chavez's designated successor Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:46 PM PST The man President Hugo Chavez wants to succeed him is an intensely loyal 50-year-old former bus driver who has long served as the international face of Venezuela whenever the socialist president wasn't soaking up the limelight himself.

Australian radio chair: Station reviewing policy Posted: 09 Dec 2012 09:32 AM PST The reverberations from the death of a nurse who accepted a hoax phone call about the ill Duchess of Cambridge spread through two countries Sunday, as Australian authorities said London police had contacted them about a possible investigation.

Plane believed to be singer's found in Mexico Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:51 PM PST The wreckage of a small plane believed to be carrying Mexican-American music superstar Jenni Rivera was found in northern Mexico on Sunday and there are no apparent survivors, authorities said.

Ghana's president declared election winner Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:01 PM PST President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday was declared the winner of Ghana's presidential election, despite widespread technical glitches with the machines used to identify voters and protests by the country's opposition which claims the vote was rigged.

Hundreds of fishermen missing in Philippine storm Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST The number of people missing after a typhoon devastated the Philippines jumped to nearly 900 after families and fishing companies reported losing contact with more than 300 fishermen at sea, officials said.

Chinese police accuse monk of inciting immolations Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:48 PM PST Police detained a monk and his nephew in China's Sichuan province and accused them of instigating the self-immolations of eight ethnic Tibetans on the instructions of the Dalai Lama and his followers, state media said.

Italy awaits market reaction to Monti exit soon Posted: 09 Dec 2012 10:40 AM PST Italy and the rest of Europe on Sunday anxiously awaited the reaction of financial markets to Premier Mario Monti's surprise decision to resign and set the stage for an early vote, as speculation abounded over whether he might dive into politics and challenge Silvio Berlusconi in the election.

Six days of riots erupt in the 'New Northern Ireland' Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST Six nights of riots, death threats issued against politicians, and a constituency office set alight. Welcome to the "New Northern Ireland."

As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three options Posted: 09 Dec 2012 08:07 AM PST The magnificent views across Damascus from the presidential palace on Mount Qassioun are unlikely to provide much comfort these days for Bashar al-Assad, Syria's beleaguered head of state.

Egypt's Morsi backs off decree, but fails to assuage protesters Posted: 09 Dec 2012 07:44 AM PST Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi last night rescinded his recent decision removing checks on his power and making the constitution-writing process immune from judicial review, a move that brought thousands of people into the street against him across Egypt.

New law puts spotlight on India child abuse Posted: 09 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST The abuse started when Jyoti was 9-years-old. Her sister's husband would take her on car rides promising ice cream. But the trips always ended with him fondling her, demanding kisses, and more. By the time she was 18, he was abusing her weekly and threatened to kidnap her if she told anyone.

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