Yahoo! News: World News

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• Japan's next PM Abe must deliver on economy, cope with China
• Egypt's Islamists aim to build on constitution vote
• Syrian VP says neither side can win war: newspaper
• Grenades injure one in Nairobi's "Little Mogadishu"
• Disputes over small islands pose big conundrum for U.S
• France says Afghan officials to meet Taliban near Paris
• France's conservative opposition wins by-elections
• Kidnap gangs use leaked bank details to prey on Afghan tycoons
• Libya orders temporary closure of borders: state agency
• Japan's next PM Abe must deliver on economy, cope with China
• Mistrust runs deep over Egypt referendum
• Rocket still centerpiece as NKoreans mourn Kim
• No water, power, cash: Syria rebels run broke town
• Venezuelan elections a test for Chavez's movement
• Syrian vice president: both sides losing in war
• Conservative LDP returns with landslide in Japan
• 4 police killed in Benghazi in eastern Libya
• Ghana considers court order to release ship
• Fidel Castro nominated for Cuban parliament seat
• Colombia, rebels hope rising trust can yield peace
• Most Pakistani lawmakers dodge taxes as world gives aid, loans
• Taliban attack on Pakistani airport highlights changed tactics
• Japan's deadlock over? A supermajority emerges in exit polls.
• Referendum on constitution reveals a deeply divided Egypt
• Egypt's referendum a vote on Morsi as well as the constitution (+video)

Japan's next PM Abe must deliver on economy, cope with China Posted: 16 Dec 2012 04:07 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Conservative ex-premier Shinzo Abe will get a second chance to lead Japan after his Liberal Democratic Party surged back to power in Sunday's election, but he must move swiftly to bolster a sagging economy and manage strained ties with China to avoid the fate of his short-lived predecessors. Abe, whose party won by a landslide just three years after a crushing defeat, is due to meet the leader of its small ally on Monday to cement their alliance and confirm economic steps to boost an economy now in its fourth recession since 2000. ...

Egypt's Islamists aim to build on constitution vote Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:25 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi has won initial backing from Egyptians for a new constitution that he hopes will steer the country out of crisis, but which opponents say is an Islamist charter that tramples on minority rights. A first day of voting in a referendum on the draft basic law resulted in 56.5 percent 'Yes' vote, Mursi's political party said. An opposition official conceded that Egyptians voting on Saturday appeared to have backed the measure. ...

Syrian VP says neither side can win war: newspaper Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:54 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has told a Lebanese newspaper that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels can win the war in Syria. Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim in a power structure dominated by Assad's Alawite minority, has rarely appeared in public since the revolt erupted in March 2011. The newspaper, al-Akhbar, released only limited excerpts on Sunday from the interview appearing in Monday's edition, and it was far from clear that Sharaa's comments represented the view of the government. ...

Grenades injure one in Nairobi's "Little Mogadishu" Posted: 16 Dec 2012 12:06 PM PST NAIROBI (Reuters) - One person was injured in an grenade attack on Sunday in the Eastleigh district of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, a neighborhood that has suffered a series of similar attacks in recent months, the local Red Cross society said. Eastleigh is commonly dubbed "Little Mogadishu" because of its large Somali population. Sites in other towns including Mombasa and Garissa have also been attacked with guns and grenades since Kenya sent its troops into neighboring Somalia to fight Islamist al Shabaab rebels in October last year. ...

Disputes over small islands pose big conundrum for U.S Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:29 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Far away from the United States and usually far down the list of things Washington worries about, the obscure islets at the center of bitter spats between China and its neighbors have become a flashpoint that could get hotter and embroil America. This week served up fresh evidence that 2013 likely will bring no pause in tensions rippling the seas around China. Japan on Thursday scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese government plane entered what Japan considers its airspace over disputed islets in the East China Sea, just one of many contested sites. ...

France says Afghan officials to meet Taliban near Paris Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:51 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Sunday officials from the Afghan government, the Taliban rebel movement and other factions would meet this week near Paris to discuss the country's future as NATO troops prepare to pull out in 2014. Speaking on RFI radio, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, whose country withdrew the last of its combat troops from Afghanistan on Saturday, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai had given his green light to the meeting. "Discreet talks have been taking place between different factions for three years," Fabius said. ...

France's conservative opposition wins by-elections Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:27 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France's opposition UMP conservative party won three by-elections on Sunday despite its own internal problems, in the latest sign of trouble for Socialist President Francois Hollande. A six-week-old row over who won a November 18 vote for the UMP leadership has plunged the opposition party into disarray, but it finally looked to be capitalizing on the government's difficulties over the weak economy. It won three by-elections, including a seat previously held by the ruling Socialist party. ...

Kidnap gangs use leaked bank details to prey on Afghan tycoons Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:01 PM PST KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan construction magnate Haji Asadullah Ghaznawi was dragged from his office with a gun to his head and locked up in a slaughterhouse for almost three weeks. Ghaznawi was later shocked to discover someone had leaked details of his bank account to the kidnap gang who pulled up in a car in broad daylight in Kabul a year ago and abducted him. Violent criminals who gain access to confidential information about Afghan millionaires like Ghaznawi have raised alarming questions about the dangers of doing business in one of the world's poorest and most corrupt countries. ...

Libya orders temporary closure of borders: state agency Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:49 PM PST TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's ruling national congress ordered the temporary closure of its borders with four of its neighbors on Sunday and declared its vast desert south a closed military zone in the face of growing unrest. The national assembly ordered the "temporary closure of the land borders with Chad, Niger, Sudan and Algeria pending new regulations", a decree carried by the official LANA news agency said. It added that the provinces of Ghadames, Ghat, Obari, al-Shati, Sabha, Murzuq and Kufra "are considered as closed military zones". ...

Japan's next PM Abe must deliver on economy, cope with China Posted: 16 Dec 2012 12:18 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's hawkish ex-premier Shinzo Abe will get a second chance to run the country after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) surged to power in Sunday's election, but must swiftly move to bolster the sagging economy while managing strained ties with China. Abe, whose party won by a landslide just three years after a crushing defeat, was expected on Monday to meet Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of the small New Komeito party, to cement their alliance and confirm economic steps to boost an economy now in its fourth recession since 2000. ...

Mistrust runs deep over Egypt referendum Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:17 PM PST Nevine Mustafa finally had enough after 10 hours of waiting to cast her "no" vote in Egypt's referendum on a highly disputed draft constitution. She and the other women in line were convinced the judge running the polling station was deliberately stalling to drive away voters opposed to the document.

Rocket still centerpiece as NKoreans mourn Kim Posted: 16 Dec 2012 04:16 PM PST North Korea parlayed the success of last week's rocket launch to glorify leader Kim Jong Un and his late father on Sunday, the eve of the first anniversary of his death.

No water, power, cash: Syria rebels run broke town Posted: 16 Dec 2012 10:21 AM PST The anti-regime locals who have thrown together a ramshackle administration to run this northern Syrian town have one main struggle: Finding money to keep their community alive. Like other nearby rebel-held towns, Maaret Misreen is broke.

Venezuelan elections a test for Chavez's movement Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:58 PM PST Venezuelans chose governors and state lawmakers on Sunday in elections seen as a key test of whether President Hugo Chavez's movement can endure if the socialist leader leaves the political stage.

Syrian vice president: both sides losing in war Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:00 PM PST Syria's longtime vice president said Sunday that his regime and the rebels are both going down a losing path after 21 months of civil war, a rare admission by a top government official that President Bashar Assad's victory is unlikely.

Conservative LDP returns with landslide in Japan Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:34 PM PST Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party returned to power in a landslide election victory Sunday after three years in opposition, according to unofficial results, signaling a rightward shift in the government that could further heighten tensions with China, a key economic partner as well as rival.

4 police killed in Benghazi in eastern Libya Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:55 PM PST Four policemen were shot dead in Libya's troubled eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday when gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades on a security compound there, according to the Interior Ministry.

Ghana considers court order to release ship Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:33 PM PST Ghana's government said Sunday it was "carefully considering" a U.N. tribunal's order for the immediate release of an Argentine navy training ship seized two months ago at the request of an American hedge fund.

Fidel Castro nominated for Cuban parliament seat Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:07 PM PST Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro has been nominated for a seat in the country's parliament, authorities said Sunday.

Colombia, rebels hope rising trust can yield peace Posted: 16 Dec 2012 10:54 AM PST While the angry rhetoric and bombs continue to fly back home, Colombian rebels and government negotiators in peace talks in the Cuban capital describe an increasingly collegial atmosphere and growing trust between otherwise mortal enemies.

Most Pakistani lawmakers dodge taxes as world gives aid, loans Posted: 16 Dec 2012 12:47 PM PST Less than a third of Pakistan's parliamentarians file their annual tax returns, a recent report revealed, naming as tax dodgers the country's president and former prime minister among other elites.

Taliban attack on Pakistani airport highlights changed tactics Posted: 16 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Pakistani security forces reestablished control today over one of the country's international airports after Taliban militants stormed the installation, in an attack that highlights the group's recent focus on higher-profile and official targets.

Japan's deadlock over? A supermajority emerges in exit polls. Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:41 AM PST Japan's main conservative party pulled off an overwhelming victory in Sunday's election, giving its leader, Shinzo Abe, a mandate to pursue his hawkish security agenda and abandon the country's pledge to phase out nuclear power.

Referendum on constitution reveals a deeply divided Egypt Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:14 AM PST The Muslim Brotherhood's political party claimed a narrow margin of Egyptians voted to accept a new draft constitution, according to unofficial results tallied after the first round of voting, even as opposition groups and rights organizations said the vote was marred by serious violations.

Egypt's referendum a vote on Morsi as well as the constitution (+video) Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:28 AM PST Egyptians made yet another trip to the polls today to vote on a controversial constitution that has deeply polarized the nation, as the opposition warned of fraud.

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