Yahoo! News: World News

---

• U.S., rebels urge gloomy Moscow to help oust Assad
• Venezuela's Chavez improving after surgery complications
• Israeli soldiers assault two Reuters cameramen
• Egyptian factions stage final rallies before referendum
• Sudan detains prominent opposition politician
• Japan's LDP set for big win in Sunday election: polls
• Italy's Monti faces pressure to run in election
• Bomber kills American near Afghan base after Panetta visit
• Iran, U.N. nuclear agency end talks; no word on site visit
• Korean-American tourist detained by North Korea: report
• Russia positions itself for fall of Syrian regime
• Egypt vote means fateful choice for nation
• VP: Chavez recovery favorable after complications
• Obama's 'red line' may be giving Assad an opening
• NKorea still years away from reliable missiles
• Inquest: Nurse in British royal hoax found hanging
• European court condemns CIA in landmark ruling
• Officials: Libyan government slowing investigation
• Oscars Academy honors Pedro Almodovar in London
• EU scores hat-trick with Greek, bank deals, Nobel
• Chile-Peru border dispute moves from battlefield to courtroom
• Mysteries swirl around North Korea's satellite launch
• Is Morsi a president for all Egyptians, or just Brothers?
• 'Act of Killing': In small screenings, by word of mouth, Indonesians learn of dark past
• Why Israeli settlements debate is heating up again
• Duck boat sunk in World War II found in Italian lake
• Japan scrambles F-15s after China flies over disputed islands
• Who is a victim in Mexico's drug war violence?

U.S., rebels urge gloomy Moscow to help oust Assad Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:14 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's rebel leadership and the United States seized on Russian pessimism over President Bashar al-Assad's future to urge Moscow to help push its ally into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital. "We want to commend the Russian government for finally waking up to the reality and acknowledging that the regime's days are numbered," the U.S. State Department spokeswoman said after a senior Kremlin envoy conceded publicly on Thursday that Assad's opponents could win the 20-month-old civil war. ...

Venezuela's Chavez improving after surgery complications Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:20 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez suffered unexpected bleeding caused by a six-hour cancer operation in Cuba, the government said, although the ailing president's condition began to improve on Thursday. The 58-year-old's health has deteriorated dramatically since he won re-election two months ago, casting doubt on the future of his "21st century socialism" project, which won him huge support among the poor but infuriated adversaries who denounce him as a fledgling dictator. ...

Israeli soldiers assault two Reuters cameramen Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:32 PM PST HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers punched two Reuters cameramen and forced them to strip in the street, before letting off a tear gas canister in front of them, leaving one of them needing hospital treatment. Israel's military said on Thursday it took the allegations seriously, but offered no explanation for the assault that occurred on Wednesday evening in the heart of Hebron. "The regional brigade commander was ordered to open an investigation," Israeli Defense Forces spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said in an email. ...

Egyptian factions stage final rallies before referendum Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:27 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi stage final rallies on Friday before a divisive referendum on a new constitution championed by the Islamist leader as a way out of the worst crisis since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Cairo and other cities have seen a series of often violent demonstrations over the past three weeks since Mursi assumed sweeping new powers to push through the constitution, which he sees as a vital element of Egypt's transition to democracy. ...

Sudan detains prominent opposition politician Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:45 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese security forces detained one of the country's most prominent opposition politicians, Farouk Abu Issa, after he attended an opposition party forum on Thursday, the politician told Reuters. "I'm now in the security agency's offices," Issa said by phone. Issa, head of the National Consensus Forces, an umbrella group of Sudan's main opposition parties, is believed to be nearly 80 years old. There was no immediate comment from the security agency. ...

Japan's LDP set for big win in Sunday election: polls Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:48 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is on track for a stunning victory in Sunday's election, returning to power with hawkish former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the helm, and possibly ending Japan's political gridlock. Opinion polls by the Asahi, Yomiuri and Nikkei newspapers on Friday forecast that the LDP was headed for a hefty majority in the 480-seat powerful lower house of parliament. ...

Italy's Monti faces pressure to run in election Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti faced increasing pressure on Thursday to stand as a candidate in next year's election after Silvio Berlusconi's surprise offer to drop his bid for a fifth term as premier. At a meeting of the European People's Party in Brussels, an umbrella group of centre-right parties, Berlusconi repeated the offer to stand aside if Monti agreed to run against the centre-left, who are tipped to win the election. ...

Bomber kills American near Afghan base after Panetta visit Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:11 PM PST KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed one American service member and wounded three other U.S. troops outside a base in southern Afghanistan on Thursday shortly after a visit there by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, officials said. Panetta dismissed the attack as a desperate and futile attempt by insurgents to sow chaos in Afghanistan. He announced that Afghan President Hamid Karzai would head to the United States in the week of Jan 7. for talks with President Barack Obama on the future the U.S. presence in Afghanistan after the NATO-led mission ends in 2014. ...

Iran, U.N. nuclear agency end talks; no word on site visit Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:39 PM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said progress was made in Thursday's talks in Tehran with senior U.N. nuclear inspectors but gave no details other than they would meet again in mid-January. There was no immediate comment from the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the one-day meeting over Iran's disputed nuclear program, and no sign its inspectors would gain access to the Parchin military complex as requested. ...

Korean-American tourist detained by North Korea: report Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:10 PM PST SEOUL/SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Korean-American tourist who visited North Korea last month for what was to have been a five-day trip has been detained by police in the reclusive state, South Korean media reported on Thursday. Kenneth Bae, 44, was in a group of five tourists who visited the northeast city of Rajin, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing a report by the newspaper Kookmin Ilbo. Bae entered North Korea on November 3 for a five-day visit, South Korean media reported. CNN said Bae was part of a Protestant religious group in the United States. ...

Russia positions itself for fall of Syrian regime Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:04 PM PST Syria's most powerful ally and protector, Russia, began positioning itself Thursday for the fall of President Bashar Assad, saying for the first time that rebels might overthrow him and preparing to evacuate thousands of Russian citizens from the country.

Egypt vote means fateful choice for nation Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:50 PM PST Two days before a constitutional referendum it considered boycotting, Egypt's secular opposition finally launched its "no" campaign Thursday with newspaper and TV ads detailing the argument against the charter drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi.

VP: Chavez recovery favorable after complications Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST President Hugo Chavez is recovering favorably despite suffering complications during cancer surgery in Cuba, his vice president said Thursday amid uncertainty over the Venezuelan leader's health crisis and the country's political future.

Obama's 'red line' may be giving Assad an opening Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:54 PM PST President Barack Obama's chemical weapons position on Syria may have given Bashar Assad an unintended opening: The embattled Syrian leader appears willing to use other deadly tactics, including Scud missiles, without fear of U.S. retaliation.

NKorea still years away from reliable missiles Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:11 AM PST After 14 years of painstaking labor, North Korea finally has a rocket that can put a satellite in orbit. But that doesn't mean the reclusive country is close to having an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Inquest: Nurse in British royal hoax found hanging Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:46 AM PST A nurse was found hanging in her room three days after she had been duped by a hoax call from Australian DJs about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, a U.K. inquest was told Thursday. The case is being treated as an apparent suicide.

European court condemns CIA in landmark ruling Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:57 PM PST A European court issued a landmark ruling Thursday that condemned the CIA's "extraordinary renditions" programs and bolstered those who say they were illegally kidnapped and tortured as part of an overzealous war on terrorism.

Officials: Libyan government slowing investigation Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:22 AM PST U.S. counterterrorism officials told lawmakers Thursday that uncooperative or less-than-capable local law enforcement in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia is slowing the search for suspects in the death of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya on Sept. 11.

Oscars Academy honors Pedro Almodovar in London Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:20 PM PST Iconoclastic director Pedro Almodovar was hailed by Hollywood on Thursday at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences retrospective in London.

EU scores hat-trick with Greek, bank deals, Nobel Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST Finally, it has been a good week for Europe. After months of bitter debate, European Union countries finally reached two crucial agreements Thursday: They found a compromise to create a single supervisor for their banks — a major step toward lessening the damage struggling lenders can inflict on government finances — and agreed to give Greece desperately needed bailout funds.

Chile-Peru border dispute moves from battlefield to courtroom Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:29 PM PST Lawyers from Peru and Chile complete their arguments tomorrow in a trial to determine once and for all which country controls what acreage of the Pacific Ocean.

Mysteries swirl around North Korea's satellite launch Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST US and South Korean officials appear to disagree on one detail of the North Korean satellite that has nothing to do with any difference over what to do about it.

Is Morsi a president for all Egyptians, or just Brothers? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:28 AM PST Mohamed Omar was taking supplies to a field hospital treating opposition protesters injured in deadly clashes with supporters of President Mohamed Morsi last week when suddenly the front line shifted. The president's supporters surrounded and grabbed him.

'Act of Killing': In small screenings, by word of mouth, Indonesians learn of dark past Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:46 AM PST In a small screening room packed to capacity, young Indonesians sat riveted, their eyes glued to images of a village reenacting the massacre of suspected communists by a paramilitary youth group in the mid-1960s. At moments in the film "The Act of Killing," people laughed. At others they cringed. Some clasped their hands over their mouths in reaction to particularly chilling scenes. "I'm still in shock," says Handy Pernando, a 23-year-old who emerged from the showing trying to comprehend what he had just seen. "I knew the government was lying to people, but now I've been awakened. ...

Why Israeli settlements debate is heating up again Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:10 AM PST Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza with a capital in East Jerusalem, which together represent about 22 percent of historical Palestine. Israel captured those areas in the 1967 war with its Arab neighbors, and has since withdrawn fully only from Gaza.

Duck boat sunk in World War II found in Italian lake Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:09 AM PST More than 70 years after it sank in a lake in northern Italy causing the loss of 24 American soldiers' lives, a US amphibious vehicle has been found lying on the lake bed.

Japan scrambles F-15s after China flies over disputed islands Posted: 13 Dec 2012 06:08 AM PST • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Who is a victim in Mexico's drug war violence? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST The rusted steel slabs of a new memorial to victims of Mexico's drug war bear no mark, not a single engraved name, of anyone among the estimated 60,000 killed in the past six years.

You are subscribed to email updates from World News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610