2012年12月23日星期日

Yahoo! News: World News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World News

Egyptians back new constitution in referendum

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 05:39 AM PST

Policemen stand guard near a poster outside the constitutional court put up by supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi as they stage a sit-in, in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - An Islamist-backed Egyptian constitution won approval in a referendum, rival camps said on Sunday, after a vote the opposition said would sow deep social divisions in the Arab world's most populous nation. The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power in a June election, said an unofficial tally showed 64 percent of voters backed the charter after two rounds of voting that ended with a final ballot on Saturday. ...

Air strike kills dozens of Syrians waiting to buy bread

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 12:31 PM PST

Free Syrian Army fighters take their positions as one of them fires during clashes with forces loyal to Syria's President Assad in Qastal Harami area in AleppoBEIRUT (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed and many more wounded in a Syrian government air strike that hit a bakery where a crowd was queuing for bread on Sunday, activists said. If confirmed, the attack on Halfaya in central Syria, which was seized by rebels last week, would be one of the deadliest air strikes of Syria's civil war. Videos uploaded by activists showed dozens of bloodstained corpses lying amid rubble and shrapnel. An adolescent boy with both his feet blown off lay flailing in the middle of a road. "When I got there, I could see piles of bodies all over the ground. ...

India's gang-rape protesters defy moves to quell outrage

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 04:21 AM PST

Police chase and use water canons on demonstraters during a protest in front of India Gate in New DelhiNEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Indian government moved on Sunday to stamp out protests that have swelled in New Delhi since the gang-rape of a young woman, banning gatherings of more than five people, but still thousands poured into the heart of the capital to vent their anger. Police used tear gas and batons to hold crowds back from marching on the president's palace, just as they did the day before. About 30 to 35 people, including a few policemen, were being treated at a nearby hospital for injuries, two doctors said. ...

Italy's Monti opens door to seeking new term

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

Italian caretaker Prime Minister Monti gestures during an end of the year news conference in RomeROME (Reuters) - Two days after stepping down, Mario Monti announced on Sunday he would consider seeking a second term as Italian prime minister if approached by allies committed to backing his austere brand of reforms. The former European commissioner, appointed to lead an unelected government of experts to save Italy from financial crisis a year ago, resigned on Friday but has faced growing calls to seek a second term at a parliamentary election on February 24-25. At stake is the leadership of the world's eighth largest economy, where recession and public debt of more than 2 trillion ($2. ...

Islamist group claims kidnap of French national in Nigeria

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 03:15 PM PST

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru said on Sunday it was behind the kidnap of a French national last week, citing France's ban on full-face veils and its support for military action in Mali. Ansaru sent a message to Nigerian reporters saying it was holding 63-year-old Francis Colump, who was taken on December 19 when around 30 gunmen attacked his residence in the remote northern town of Rimi, close to the Niger border. The Nigerian police declined to comment on the claim but had already named Colump as the man abducted. ...

Putin visits India, eyes arms sales, trade and political ties

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 04:05 PM PST

Russian President Putin looks on during a news conference following EU-Russia summit in BrusselsMOSCOW (Reuters) - Arms sales will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India on Monday to court a country that has traditionally been a top client. Putin's trip, his first to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May, is a chance to reaffirm Russia's interest in India, long a regional ally and now a partner in the BRICS group of emerging market nations. In an article for publication in the Indian newspaper The Hindu on Monday, Putin stressed that "deepening friendship and cooperation with India is among the top priorities of our foreign policy". ...

Sudan's Bashir to give speech, after surgery last month

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 01:13 PM PST

Sudan's President Bashir addresses the crowd after arriving at Khartoum AirportKHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will address the nation and open a major dam on Sudan's national holiday next week, in one of his first major public appearances since undergoing surgery last month, state news agency SUNA said on Sunday. Sudanese blogs and newspapers had been speculating about Bashir's health because he has cut down public rallies in the past few months. The 68-year-old leader, who seized power in 1989, went to Saudi Arabia in November for what officials described as a "minor surgery". He also underwent surgery on his vocal cords in Qatar in August. ...

CAR rebels seize biggest, most southern town yet

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:16 AM PST

BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in the Central African Republic on Sunday seized the town of Bambari, the biggest prize yet in a push that has brought rebels to within 400 km (250 miles) of the capital, Bangui. "Bambari has fallen. It is a disaster," Mylene Abissini, a customs officer resident in the town, told Reuters by telephone. Local officials said government forces withdrew from the town, the country's third largest and the furthest south the rebel coalition has advanced, after two hours of fighting. ...

Somali pirates release longest-held hostages after 33 months

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 08:50 AM PST

BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - A ship and its crew of 22 sailors held by Somali pirates for almost three years have been freed after a two-week-long siege by maritime police, the government of the breakaway region of Puntland said on Sunday. ...

Rebel faction in Ethiopia says it wants peace talks

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 07:20 AM PST

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A faction of a separatist rebel group said on Sunday it was seeking peace talks with the Ethiopian government, a development that could help stabilize a region with potential reserves of oil and gas. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has fought since the mid-1980s for independence for the mainly ethnic Somali province of Ogaden in southeast Ethiopia, bordering lawless Somalia. Abdinur Abdulaye Farah, the group's representative in east Africa, said his faction was in the Ethiopian capital hoping to have talks with the government. ...

Syria jets kill tens as international envoy visits

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 04:43 PM PST

BEIRUT (AP) — A government airstrike on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria killed more than 60 people on Sunday, activists said, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country's civil war.

Egypt opposition alleges vote fraud in referendum

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST

Egyptian election workers count ballots at the end of the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi at a polling station in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. Egypt's Islamist-backed constitution headed toward likely approval in a final round of voting on Saturday, but the deep divisions it has opened up threaten to fuel continued turmoil. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's opposition said Sunday it will keep fighting the Islamist-backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent "yes" vote in a referendum.

Syrian Christians fear bleak future after Assad

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 10:43 AM PST

FILE - In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 file photo, Syrian Orthodox Christians attend Easter mass in Damascus, Syria. Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population of more than 22 million, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence that has been sweeping the country since March 2011. They are fearful that Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi, File)BEIRUT (AP) — With Christmas just days away, 40-year-old Mira begged her parents to flee their hometown of Aleppo, which has become a major battleground in Syria's civil war.

Analysis: Egypt's Islamists tighten grip on power

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 12:35 PM PST

An Egyptian man reads a newspaper at a coffee shop in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Egypt's opposition called Sunday for an investigation into allegations of vote fraud in the referendum on a deeply divisive Islamist-backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent "yes" vote. Official results have not been released yet and are expected on Monday. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)CAIRO (AP) — With the passage of a divisive constitution, Egypt's Islamist leadership has secured its tightest grip on power since Hosni Mubarak's ouster nearly two years ago and laid the foundation for legislation to create a more religious state.

Ho Ho Holy Discount: Vatican tax-free store busy

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST

This is a 1962 photo showing train carriages inside St. Peter's train station in the Vatican, whose tracks connect to Italy's rail system. There's a little-known open secret in the Vatican gardens, a few paces behind St. Peter's Basilica and tucked inside the Vatican's converted train station: a sprawling, two-story tax-free department store that rivals any airport duty free or military PX, stocking everything from Church's custom grade shoes (euro 483 a pair) to Baume et Mercier watches (ladies euro 1,585, men's Capeland euro 5,000). There's a hitch, however. It's not open to the public, only to Vatican citizens, employees and their dependents, diplomats accredited to the Holy See and (unofficially) their lucky friends who, after stocking up on holiday must-haves, proceed to the checkout with their Vatican connection and the ID card that entitles them to shop there. To be sure, Rome is no stranger to tax-free shopping. Embassies, nearby military bases and the U.N. food agencies all have commissaries for their employees, where tax-free imports of everything from American ice cream to French wine can be had minus the 21 percent sales tax included in list prices in Italy. The Vatican has that and more, given it's its own sovereign state _ the world's smallest _ operating in central Rome. At 44-hectares (110 acres), the Vatican city state is the physical home of the Holy See: the pope and governing structure and administration of the Catholic Church. The Vatican Museums, home of the Sistine Chapel, are the main profit-making enterprise. (AP Photo)VATICAN CITY (AP) — Anyone left on your Christmas list just aching for a 65-inch Samsung 3D flat-screen television? Just your luck. The Vatican's duty-free department store has one on sale for €2,899 ($3,840) — a nifty savings over the €3,799 ($5,032) it costs at Italy's main electronics chain Euronics.

In Afghan Taliban birthplace, US troops step back

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 08:21 AM PST

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009 file photo, an Afghan Commando and a U.S. Soldier from 20th Special Forces Group take part in a training exercise in Afghanistan's Wardak Province. U.S. soldiers serving in one of southern Afghanistan's most violent areas say they are successfully training the Afghans to secure their country and their progress so far will play a large role in determining how many more American troops President Barack Obama sends home next year. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barak Obama will decide in the coming weeks how many American troops to send home from Afghanistan next year. A major factor in his decision will be the question of how successful U.S. troops have been in preparing the Afghans to secure their country at bases like this one, located in one of the country's most violent areas — the birthplace of the Taliban.

Monti says he is open to leading next government

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 10:15 AM PST

Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Italy's caretaker Premier Mario Monti said Sunday he won't run in February elections, but if political parties that back his anti-crisis agenda ask him to head the next government he would consider the offer. Monti ruled out heading any ticket himself, saying "I have no sympathy for 'personal' parties." At a news conference, Monti made clear he was spurning an offer from his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi to run on a center-right election ticket backed by the media mogul, citing Berlusconi's heavy criticism of his economic policies. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)ROME (AP) — After keeping Italians, and the rest of Europe, in suspense for weeks, caretaker Premier Mario Monti on Sunday ruled out campaigning in February elections, but said he would consider leading the next government if politicians who share his focus on reform request it.

UK 'plebgate' scandal becomes police crisis

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:11 AM PST

FILE - In this May 17, 2011 file photo, Andrew Mitchell arrives at Downing Street, London. Mitchell, who resigned from a government post over allegations that he used derogatory remarks against police officers called on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 for a full inquiry into the dispute amid new claims that police fabricated the evidence. Mitchell quit as the government's chief whip in September after he was accused of swearing at police officers who stopped him from wheeling his bicycle through the Downing Street gates. (AP Photo/PA, Yui Mok, File) UNITED KINGDOM OUT, NO SALES, NO ARCHIVELONDON (AP) — The "plebgate" scandal started with an angry exchange over a bicycle in front of Downing Street. The controversy over what a senior politician did or didn't say to officers guarding the prime minister's official residence has now grown into a full-blown crisis which is raising new questions about the ethics of Britain's largest police force.

Taliban not demanding Afghan power monopoly

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST

Afghan policemen and fire fighters investigate the scene of a burning market in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Hundreds of shops at a market were burnt in a fire, but no causalities were reported. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban representatives at a conference did not insist on total power in Afghanistan and pledged to grant rights to women that the militant Islamist group itself brutally suppressed in the past, according to a Taliban statement received Sunday.

Puntland troops rescue hostages on hijacked ship

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In a siege that lasted nearly two weeks, forces of Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region raided a hijacked ship Sunday and safely rescued 22 hostages who had been held captive for nearly three years, authorities said.

South Korea charges North building missile that could reach US

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 09:47 AM PST

South Korean defense officials say they have evidence showing a recent North Korean missile launch was to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Uruguay postpones vote on 'state as dealer' approach to drug regulation - but not for long?

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST

Uruguay has been on the vanguard of drug policy reform in the Americas, proposing a state regulatory market for the cultivation and consumption of marijuana. (See our cover on "Latin America reinventing the War on Drugs" here).

Aleppo's fledgling government reflects a society shaped by war

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

Members of the Syrian opposition in Aleppo are preparing to unveil what will be the most ambitious transitional government effort to come from inside Syria since the revolution began 21 months ago.

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