Yahoo! News: World News

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• Syrian opposition chief says offers Assad peaceful exit
• North Korea nuclear test would face "firm" U.N. action: South Korea
• Pakistani girl shot by Taliban doing well after surgery: doctors
• Iran's Salehi says U.S. is changing approach to Tehran
• U.S., allies ready more anti-mine drills as Iran tensions simmer
• Britain's PM Cameron faces gay marriage revolt as plots swirl
• Merkel challenger suggests Greece should be given more time
• Egypt opposition in muddle over call to oust Mursi
• Venezuela's Chavez improving after tough cancer fight: Fidel Castro
• Mali Tuaregs seize two fleeing Islamist leaders
• Beating, torture fuel sense Egypt police unchanged
• Experts find remains of England's King Richard III
• People of Timbuktu save manuscripts from invaders
• French troops to quit Timbuktu this week
• Dominican lawyer dismisses prostitution reports
• Heading home to Timbuktu: New freedoms, tensions
• In Israel raid, Syria options severely constrained
• Monkey business? US unsure of Iran's space claims
• Germany check bust stirs questions in Venezuela
• Peru seeks to protect little fish with big impact
• A quiet envoy to the hermit kingdom of North Korea
• Good Reads: Women in crime, democracy's era, digital mapping, a history in heels
• Can India sweep up its 'soot' pollution challenge?
• Bright spot in Palestinian economy: more women opening businesses
• In West Bank, a space for tutus and pirouettes
• Ahmadinejad prepared to be Iran's first astronaut
• Myanmar's graffiti artists test edges of emerging democracy
• New hurdle for nuclear talks: Iran's presidential politics
• Richard III's remains identified, but was he really Shakespeare's villain?
• Israel implies it was behind last week's airstrike in Syria, but little else is clear

Syrian opposition chief says offers Assad peaceful exit Posted: 04 Feb 2013 01:38 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on Monday to start talks for its departure from power and save the country from greater ruin after almost two years of bloodshed. Seeking to step up pressure on Assad to respond to his offer of talks - which dismayed some in his own opposition coalition, Alkhatib said he would be ready to meet the president's deputy. ...

North Korea nuclear test would face "firm" U.N. action: South Korea Posted: 04 Feb 2013 10:09 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is united on North Korea's nuclear arms program and will undoubtedly approve tough measures against Pyongyang if it carries out a new atomic test as expected, South Korean U.N. Ambassador Kim Sook said on Monday. "The North Korean nuclear test seems to be imminent," Kim, who is president of the Security Council this month, told reporters. "Obviously there are very busy activities going on at the (North Korean) nuclear test site, and everybody's watching." "Everybody is unified and they are firm and resolute," he said. ...

Pakistani girl shot by Taliban doing well after surgery: doctors Posted: 04 Feb 2013 08:41 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - A Pakistani schoolgirl who underwent reconstructive surgery in Britain after being shot in the head by the Taliban said on Monday she felt much better and was focused on her mission to help others. A team of doctors carried out a five-hour operation on fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai on Saturday to mend parts of her skull with a titanium plate and help restore hearing on her left side with a cochlear implant. Speaking 24 hours after waking up from surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, Yousufzai said she was already walking around. ...

Iran's Salehi says U.S. is changing approach to Tehran Posted: 04 Feb 2013 08:37 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday he saw U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's offer this weekend of bilateral dialogue between their two countries as a sign of a change in approach to Tehran by Washington. Iran is embroiled in a long stand-off with big powers over its nuclear program. Tehran insists its atomic activity is for peaceful energy only while the United States and other powers suspect it of seeking the capability to build a nuclear weapon. ...

U.S., allies ready more anti-mine drills as Iran tensions simmer Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military announced on Monday an anti-mine exercise in "the Middle East's international waterways" in May with more than 20 nations participating, the latest show of global will to keep waterways open as tensions with Iran simmer. The drill was characterized as defensive and a follow-up to the IMCMEX 12 exercise held last September, focused on keeping oil shipping lanes open by clearing mines that potentially Iran, or even guerrilla groups, might deploy to disrupt tanker traffic. ...

Britain's PM Cameron faces gay marriage revolt as plots swirl Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:03 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to see off a rebellion within his ruling Conservative party on Tuesday over his government's plans to legalize gay marriage, thanks to support from political rivals. But though parliament is likely to vote to give the draft law its initial approval, more than 100 of Cameron's 303 Conservative lawmakers are expected to vote against it on what they say are moral grounds. ...

Merkel challenger suggests Greece should be given more time Posted: 04 Feb 2013 03:28 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's main challenger in this year's federal election said on Monday that recession-struck Greece should be given more time to implement its reforms even though this would cost more money. Peer Steinbrueck, a former finance minister, said it was necessary for crisis-stricken states to get their budgets in order and consolidate sovereign debt. But Merkel's center-right government was too focused on consolidation, he said. ...

Egypt opposition in muddle over call to oust Mursi Posted: 04 Feb 2013 02:11 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main opposition alliance denied on Monday that it was demanding the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi, backing away from an earlier statement that appeared to do just that. Police and protesters clashed in the Nile Delta town of Al-Gharbiyah on Monday night as the National Salvation Front (NSF) struggled to clarify its position. The protesters torched a police vehicle and attacked the governorate's office and police station, a security source. Police fired tear gas to disperse them. ...

Venezuela's Chavez improving after tough cancer fight: Fidel Castro Posted: 04 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is getting "much better" as he recovers from cancer surgery almost two months ago in Havana, Communist Party newspaper Granma reported on Monday. Castro, 86, spoke to reporters as he voted on Sunday in Cuba's parliamentary elections in one of his increasingly rare public appearances. He said he gets daily reports on the condition of Chavez, who is Cuba's top socialist ally and benefactor. "He is much better, recovering. ...

Mali Tuaregs seize two fleeing Islamist leaders Posted: 04 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST KIDAL, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - Tuareg rebels in northern Mali said on Monday they had captured two senior Islamist insurgents fleeing French air strikes toward the Algerian border and France pressed ahead with its bombing campaign against al Qaeda's Saharan desert camps. Pro-autonomy Tuareg MNLA rebels said one of their patrols seized Mohamed Moussa Ag Mohamed, an Islamist leader who imposed harsh sharia (Islamic law) in the desert town of Timbuktu, and Oumeini Ould Baba Akhmed, thought to be responsible for the kidnapping of a French hostage by al Qaeda splinter group MUJWA. ...

Beating, torture fuel sense Egypt police unchanged Posted: 04 Feb 2013 03:00 PM PST CAIRO (AP) — The video outraged Egyptians, showing riot police strip and beat a middle-aged man and drag him across the pavement as they cracked down on protesters. The follow-up was even more startling: In his first comments afterward, the man insisted the police were just trying to help him.

Experts find remains of England's King Richard III Posted: 04 Feb 2013 11:16 AM PST LEICESTER, England (AP) — He was king of England, but for centuries he lay without shroud or coffin in an unknown grave, and his name became a byword for villainy.

People of Timbuktu save manuscripts from invaders Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:00 PM PST TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — For eight days after the Islamists set fire to one of the world's most precious collections of ancient manuscripts, the alarm inside the building blared. It was an eerie, repetitive beeping, a cry from the innards of the injured library that echoed around the world.

French troops to quit Timbuktu this week Posted: 04 Feb 2013 01:53 PM PST TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — In a new phase of the Mali conflict, French airstrikes targeted the fuel depots and desert hideouts of Islamic extremists in northern Mali overnight Monday, as French forces planned to hand control of Timbuktu to the Malian army this week.

Dominican lawyer dismisses prostitution reports Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:19 PM PST SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A prominent Dominican lawyer who has been accused of hosting outings on his yacht in which a New Jersey senator used the services of prostitutes strongly denied the allegations Monday and said he would seek a criminal investigation into the source of the reports.

Heading home to Timbuktu: New freedoms, tensions Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:13 AM PST TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — Not a single light could be seen in my hometown of Timbuktu as we approached it at night just days after it was liberated from the al-Qaida-linked militants who ruled the city for nearly 10 months.

In Israel raid, Syria options severely constrained Posted: 04 Feb 2013 12:39 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's defense minister signaled Monday that his country won't hit back at Israel over an airstrike inside Syria, claiming the Israeli raid was actually in retaliation for his regime's offensive against rebels he called "tools" of the Jewish state.

Monkey business? US unsure of Iran's space claims Posted: 04 Feb 2013 01:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States expressed doubt on Monday about Iran's claim that it safely returned a monkey from space, saying it is questionable that the monkey survived — or if the flight happened at all.

Germany check bust stirs questions in Venezuela Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:50 PM PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's opposition is demanding that the government explain how a former Iranian official ended up with a check in Venezuelan currency worth about $70 million.

Peru seeks to protect little fish with big impact Posted: 04 Feb 2013 04:55 PM PST CALLAO, Peru (AP) — The ocean off Peru boasts the world's richest fishing grounds, but Taurino Querevalu is returning to port empty again after a hunt for Peruvian anchovy, cursing his empty nets and an increasingly stingy sea.

A quiet envoy to the hermit kingdom of North Korea Posted: 04 Feb 2013 05:02 AM PST In an atmosphere of North Korean threats and rhetoric, a mysterious Korean-American plays a behind-the-scenes role that may be more significant than that of the better known actors in the drama.

Good Reads: Women in crime, democracy's era, digital mapping, a history in heels Posted: 04 Feb 2013 01:57 PM PST War is ambiguous. Sometimes it's easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys. But more often, players fall somewhere in between, both committing crimes and being deeply affected by them. The drug war in Mexico is no different, no matter if the participants are men – or women.

Can India sweep up its 'soot' pollution challenge? Posted: 04 Feb 2013 08:54 AM PST Every winter, a heavy haze of pollution envelops many Asian cities.

Bright spot in Palestinian economy: more women opening businesses Posted: 04 Feb 2013 10:08 AM PST It's a rainy day in the West Bank village of Ajoul, and when the kids get out of school a few dart into Myassar Issa's mini-market to buy sweets before running home up the muddy hills leading out of the valley.

In West Bank, a space for tutus and pirouettes Posted: 04 Feb 2013 10:08 AM PST The Ramallah Ballet Center, where girls in white tights and pink tutus twirl in front of a long mirror, seems a world away from the street below, where butchered lambs hang for sale, resentment lingers from the last intifada, and horns blare as cars snake dangerously close to each other in the narrow streets.

Ahmadinejad prepared to be Iran's first astronaut Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:42 AM PST President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that he's ready to take the risk of being the first Iranian astronaut sent into space as part of Iran's goal of a manned space flight.

Myanmar's graffiti artists test edges of emerging democracy Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:44 AM PST When he first got word of President Obama's historic trip to Myanmar this fall, street artist Arker Kyaw stayed up through the night spray-painting a mural of the US leader smiling against a backdrop of American and Burmese flags.

New hurdle for nuclear talks: Iran's presidential politics Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:19 AM PST After an eight-month hiatus of high-level nuclear diplomacy, Iran and world powers are poised to resume talks later this month in Kazakhstan.

Richard III's remains identified, but was he really Shakespeare's villain? Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:02 AM PST He was immortalized as one of Shakespeare's greatest villains, and his death brought the Wars of the Roses to a close and ushered in a new royal dynasty. But despite his lasting fame and place in history, King Richard III's final resting place had long debated by historians.

Israel implies it was behind last week's airstrike in Syria, but little else is clear Posted: 04 Feb 2013 05:39 AM PST • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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