Yahoo! News: World News

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• Egyptian army to host unity talks as crisis deepens
• Obama: U.S. now recognizes Syrian opposition coalition
• Syrian Alawite village attacked, rebels fight around capital
• Putin needs more than rhetoric to win over weary nation
• Cayman Islands leader arrested in corruption probe
• Is South Korea ready for "Madam President"?
• Venezuela's Chavez undergoes cancer surgery in Cuba
• Mali PM forced to quit as army strengthens grip
• Missing witness at Berlusconi sex trial shows up in Mexico
• Mandela responding to lung infection treatment
• Egypt judges say most will boycott referendum
• Obama: US recognizes Syria's main rebel group
• Why efforts to stop factory fires have failed
• Winter brings more troubles for displaced Syrians
• Hugo Chavez undergoes cancer surgery in Cuba
• Lawyer: Guatemala judge orders McAfee released
• Mali's PM forced to resign, after arrest by junta
• California chefs encourage fresh dining in Cuba
• Taliban popular where US fought biggest battle
• Cayman Islands leader arrested in corruption case
• Family of journalist Austin Tice struggles with silence on kidnapping
• Vast sums of aid continue to be stolen in Afghanistan
• Is Berlusconi really set to lead Italy again?
• In Afghanistan, a girl's killing stands out – for police response
• Vote no or boycott? Egypt opposition undecided as referendum looms
• Mali's army dumps another government, this one led by ex-NASA scientist
• Beijing targets those who cross the street 'with Chinese characteristics'
• Will Egypt's military choose to make or break the referendum process?

Egyptian army to host unity talks as crisis deepens Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:09 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army chief will host national unity talks on Wednesday, seeking to end a growing political and economic crisis in the Arab world's most populous nation. The meeting scheduled for 1430 GMT was called in response to a wave of protests since President Mohamed Mursi awarded himself sweeping powers on November 22 to push through a new constitution shaped by his Islamist allies, which is due to go to a referendum on Saturday. "We will not speak about politics nor about the referendum. ...

Obama: U.S. now recognizes Syrian opposition coalition Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the United States now recognizes a newly formed coalition of Syrian opposition groups, a move aimed at ratcheting up pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "We've made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime," Obama said in an interview with Barbara Walters of ABC News. ...

Syrian Alawite village attacked, rebels fight around capital Posted: 11 Dec 2012 02:06 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Up to 200 members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority were injured or killed in an attack on their central Syrian village on Tuesday, activists said, while to the south rebels and state forces battled for the outskirts of Damascus. With a broad grouping of governments opposed to Assad meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, an official in the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood criticized the United States for designating an Islamist rebel group as a terrorist organization, meaning it would get no American help in the fight against Assad. ...

Putin needs more than rhetoric to win over weary nation Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:02 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will need to mix fresh ideas with his trademark patriotism and tough-guy image on Wednesday when he lays out his plans to a cynical population weary of corruption and poor state services. Thirteen years after he rose to power, and more than two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin still seems to be searching for an overarching idea to unite Russians. ...

Cayman Islands leader arrested in corruption probe Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:18 PM PST GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) - The leader of the Cayman Islands was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of corruption in connection with a graft investigation in the Caribbean offshore financial center, authorities said. Premier McKeeva Bush was detained at his home by members of the Financial Crime Unit of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, a police statement said. The 57-year-old premier is suspected of theft, alleged misuse of a government credit card and abuse of office over the alleged importation of explosive substances without valid permits, it said. ...

Is South Korea ready for "Madam President"? Posted: 11 Dec 2012 02:46 PM PST SEOUL (Reuters) - If Park Geun-hye wins South Korea's presidential election this month, as looks increasingly likely, she will become the first woman to hold the country's top office, challenging stereotypes in a nation that is largely run by men in blue suits. A conservative who has 15 years experience as a top legislator and who has been dubbed "The Queen of Elections" for turning around the fortunes of her political party in a series of polls, Park says she took to politics to help save her country from the devastating Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. ...

Venezuela's Chavez undergoes cancer surgery in Cuba Posted: 11 Dec 2012 01:52 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez underwent surgery in Cuba on Tuesday for a cancer recurrence that has thrown his presidency into jeopardy and upended politics in the South American OPEC nation. "My dear friend and colleague, Comandante Hugo Chavez, is going through the toughest times of his life," said Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a fellow leftist. "He is being operated on right now. It's a very delicate operation." The 58-year-old's surgery in political ally Cuba was his fourth since mid-2011. ...

Mali PM forced to quit as army strengthens grip Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:27 PM PST BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's prime minister was forced to resign on Tuesday by the soldiers who staged a coup in March, underscoring the military's continuing grip and complicating international efforts to help push Islamists from the north. Once a beacon of democracy in West Africa, Mali has been mired in crisis since the coup, when ethnic Tuareg rebels and al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters took advantage of the chaos to seize the northern two-thirds of the arid nation. ...

Missing witness at Berlusconi sex trial shows up in Mexico Posted: 11 Dec 2012 01:01 PM PST MILAN (Reuters) - The key witness at Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial who failed to appear to testify in court this week has shown up in Mexico and will not be back until January, her lawyer said on Tuesday. Karima El Mahroug, better known by her stage name of "Ruby the Heartstealer" was due to give evidence in Milan on Monday in the case in which the former Italian prime minister is accused of paying her for sex when she was under age. ...

Mandela responding to lung infection treatment Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:51 AM PST JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who is 94 and has been in hospital since Saturday for tests, has suffered a recurrence of a lung infection but is responding to treatment, the government said on Tuesday. The revered anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace laureate is spending his fourth day in hospital in the capital, Pretoria. Known affectionately by his clan name "Madiba", Mandela remains a hero to many of South Africa's 52 million people and two brief stretches in hospital in the past two years made front page news. ...

Egypt judges say most will boycott referendum Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:38 PM PST Most Egyptian judges rejected any role Tuesday in overseeing the country's constitutional referendum, a move likely to cast further doubt on the legitimacy of the disputed charter.

Obama: US recognizes Syria's main rebel group Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:38 PM PST President Barack Obama declared Syria's main opposition group the sole "legitimate representative" of its country's people Tuesday, deeming the move "a big step" in the international diplomatic efforts to end Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime.

Why efforts to stop factory fires have failed Posted: 11 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST About a year and a half before a fire at a clothing factory in Bangladesh killed 112 people in November, executives from Wal-Mart, Gap and other big retailers met nearby to discuss ways to prevent the unsafe working conditions that have made such tragedies common.

Winter brings more troubles for displaced Syrians Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:13 AM PST This tent camp sheltering Syrians uprooted by their country's brutal civil war has lost the race against winter: The ground under white tents is soaked in mud, fights erupt over scarce blankets and volunteer doctors routinely run out of medicine for coughing, runny-nosed children.

Hugo Chavez undergoes cancer surgery in Cuba Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:32 PM PST Doctors began operating on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday in Cuba, his government said, after his cancer reappeared despite a year and a half of surgeries and treatments.

Lawyer: Guatemala judge orders McAfee released Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:59 PM PST A lawyer for John McAfee says a judge has ordered the software company founder released from a Guatemalan detention center where he has been fighting deportation.

Mali's PM forced to resign, after arrest by junta Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:47 PM PST Soldiers arrested Mali's prime minister and forced him to resign before dawn on Tuesday, showing that the military remains the real power in this troubled West African nation despite handing back authority to civilians after a coup in March.

California chefs encourage fresh dining in Cuba Posted: 11 Dec 2012 02:55 PM PST Rice, beans, pork — and lots of it. That's a typical restaurant meal in Cuba, widely regarded by travelers as a culinary wasteland where the variety and quality of raw ingredients leave much to be desired.

Taliban popular where US fought biggest battle Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:49 AM PST Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces launched the biggest operation of the war to clear insurgents, foster economic growth and set a model for the rest of Afghanistan, angry residents of Helmand province say they are too afraid to go out after dark because of marauding bands of thieves.

Cayman Islands leader arrested in corruption case Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:39 PM PST The leader of the Cayman Islands' government was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of theft, abuse of office and breach of trust in the famed Caribbean tax haven.

Family of journalist Austin Tice struggles with silence on kidnapping Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST "There's not a manual for this," says Debra Tice, clutching her husband's hand as they sit in the lobby of Beirut's Commodore Hotel.

Vast sums of aid continue to be stolen in Afghanistan Posted: 11 Dec 2012 01:06 PM PST In the summer of 2010, the US decided to do something about the enormous sucking sound being generated by the bulk cash shipments funneling through Afghanistan's Kabul airport and on to Dubai, Zurich, and London – every point of the compass, really.

Is Berlusconi really set to lead Italy again? Posted: 11 Dec 2012 12:16 PM PST He's back.

In Afghanistan, a girl's killing stands out – for police response Posted: 11 Dec 2012 09:54 AM PST The poor Afghan family never took a photograph of their 14-year-old daughter, Geysina, before her life was cut short.

Vote no or boycott? Egypt opposition undecided as referendum looms Posted: 11 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST As thousands of protesters gathered at the presidential palace in Egypt to call for the delay of Saturday's constitutional referendum, the leaders of Egypt's main opposition coalition huddled in meetings, debating strategy.

Mali's army dumps another government, this one led by ex-NASA scientist Posted: 11 Dec 2012 10:10 AM PST It seems not even a rocket scientist can prevail amid the crisis that currently grips Mali.

Beijing targets those who cross the street 'with Chinese characteristics' Posted: 11 Dec 2012 05:53 AM PST Beijing's finest, ever vigilant on the law-and-order front, have set themselves a challenging new task: to eradicate the phenomenon known as "crossing the road, Chinese-style."

Will Egypt's military choose to make or break the referendum process? Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:03 AM PST • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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