Yahoo! News: World News

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• U.S. says talks intense, serious after Iran hints at atomic concessions
• Lao Airlines plane crashes into Mekong river, killing 44
• U.N. appeals for more troops, helicopters for Mali mission
• Mexico finds wreckage of missing small plane, 14 dead
• Russian opposition leader Navalny avoids jail, vows defiance
• British lawmakers attack government "timidity" over Sri Lanka
• US Congress to pass last-ditch deal to avert default
• Firefighters serenade Judi Dench in London
• Hodgson bides time with mercurial Morrison
• French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction
• European Commission proposes airline carbon charge for EU airspace
• Green groups seek assurances Energy Future can clean up coal mines
• Italy contacts Germany amid chaos over Nazi war criminal
• Canadian Tories woo votes with pro-consumer program
• Israel urges maintaining Iran sanctions despite Geneva proposals
• Canada PM to head to Brussels to conclude EU deal
• Shoeless Mexico Indian kids win at basketball
• Canada to grant honorary citizenship to Malala Yousafzai
• EU halts anti-subsidy probe into some biodiesel imports
• Iran nuclear talks end on upbeat note; more in Nov
• Senior Dutch diplomat beaten up in Russia
• France expels girl to Kosovo after class trip
• Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia says has lost contact with crew in Syria
• Sanctions relief would be proportionate to Iran nuclear steps: U.S.
• At 11th hour, U.S. edges away from brink of debt crisis
• Police stop anti-fracking protest in Romania
• Greece lifts immunity of Golden Dawn lawmakers
• Turkey says it fires on Islamist militant positions in Syria
• Murder suspects held in Qatar after British teacher's body found
• Iran, world powers pledge new nuclear talks
• Syria rebel video claims new split in opposition
• 'Black bloc' anarchist violence mars Brazil unrest
• Canada parliamentary precinct locked down
• Syria rebels assault Aleppo prison
• Syria blast kills 21, US presses opposition on peace talks
• Areva ready to join Hinkley Point UK nuclear consortium: media
• Egypt-US ties in 'delicate' phase: foreign minister
• Greek Parliament lifts 6 MPs' immunity
• Egypt star Abou Trika to retire

U.S. says talks intense, serious after Iran hints at atomic concessions Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:24 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Yeganeh Torbati GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States described two days of nuclear negotiations with Iran as the most serious and candid to date after Western diplomats said Tehran hinted it was ready to scale back sensitive atomic activities to secure urgent sanctions relief. But a senior U.S. administration official told reporters after the conclusion of negotiations between Iran and six world powers that no breakthroughs had been achieved and many disagreements remained. ...

Lao Airlines plane crashes into Mekong river, killing 44 Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Lao Airlines plane flying in stormy weather crashed into the Mekong river in southern Laos on Wednesday, killing all 44 people on board, among them nationals of 10 countries. The virtually new ATR-72 turboprop plane flying from the capital Vientiane crashed at about 4.10 p.m. (0910 GMT) just eight kilometers (five miles) short of its destination Pakse, which is near the borders of both Thailand and Cambodia. ...

U.N. appeals for more troops, helicopters for Mali mission Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:01 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for more troops and helicopters needed so its peacekeeping mission in Mali can effectively stabilize the north of the country and protect civilians from attacks by Islamist extremist and armed groups. The U.N. force, known as MINUSMA, assumed authority on July 1 from a U.N.-backed African force in Mali. But while the U.N. Security Council mandated a 12,600-strong force, there are only some 5,200 troops on the ground. "We are faced with severe challenges," U.N. Mali envoy Bert Koenders told the U.N. Security Council. ...

Mexico finds wreckage of missing small plane, 14 dead Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:13 AM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican officials in the northwestern Baja California peninsula said on Wednesday they had found the remains of a small aircraft that went missing on Monday, and said all 14 people aboard were killed. "Sadly there are no survivors," Communications and Transport Minister Gerardo Ruiz said in a tweet. The 20-seater plane, operated by private company Aereo Servicio Guerrero, went missing on Monday morning after setting off from Loreto International Airport headed for Ciudad Constitucion. Aereo Servicio Guerrero did not reply to requests for comment. ...

Russian opposition leader Navalny avoids jail, vows defiance Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:08 PM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska KIROV, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's chief political opponent walked free from a Russian court on Wednesday after it suspended his five-year sentence for theft, and said he could never be "hounded" out of political life. The conviction, however, will prevent Alexei Navalny, borne to prominence nearly two years ago by the biggest protests of Putin's 13-year rule, from seeking elected office for several years. He said he would appeal. ...

British lawmakers attack government "timidity" over Sri Lanka Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:03 PM PDT By Peter Griffiths LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's decision to set aside worries about Sri Lanka's human rights record and back its selection as host of a Commonwealth leaders' meeting showed a lack of principle, a panel of lawmakers said on Thursday. In a critical report, the British parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee said the government had opposed Sri Lankan attempts to host the meeting in 2011 on human rights grounds, only to support its 2013 bid without seeing evidence of change. "That approach now appears timid," it said. "The UK could and should have taken a more principled stand ... ...

US Congress to pass last-ditch deal to avert default Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:53 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - US lawmakers were poised Wednesday to vote to raise the country's debt limit and re-open the federal government, after an eleventh-hour deal to save Washington from a historic default.

Firefighters serenade Judi Dench in London Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:48 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Judi Dench has been serenaded by firefighters as she arrived for the London premiere of her latest film.

Hodgson bides time with mercurial Morrison Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:41 PM PDT London (AFP) - England manager Roy Hodgson has told West Ham United starlet Ravel Morrison that he must prove his worth over several months if he wants to play at the World Cup.

French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:30 PM PDT Paris (AFP) - France's top appeals court has upheld a fraud conviction and fines totalling hundreds of thousands of euros against the Church of Scientology, for taking advantage of vulnerable followers.

European Commission proposes airline carbon charge for EU airspace Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:23 PM PDT By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday revived a proposal to charge foreign airlines for emissions over European airspace, drawing the ire of airline groups who say it goes against spirit of a recent global aviation deal and could reignite trade tensions. The proposal from the European Commission to cover the 2014-2020 period represents a retreat from an existing, though frozen, EU law that would require all planes using EU airports to pay for emissions for the full duration of their flights through an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). ...

Green groups seek assurances Energy Future can clean up coal mines Posted: 16 Oct 2013 04:19 PM PDT By Eileen O'Grady HOUSTON (Reuters) - Environmental group leaders on Wednesday urged Texas regulators to ensure that financially strapped Energy Future Holdings can cover the cost of cleaning up its coal mine operations in the state in the future. Dallas-based Energy Future Holdings (EFH), the state's largest generator of electricity, is working to restructure about $40 billion in debt in the next few weeks. ...

Italy contacts Germany amid chaos over Nazi war criminal Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:58 PM PDT Rome (AFP) - Italy contacted Germany on Wednesday over what to do with the body of Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke who has caused outrage even after his death in Rome at the age of 100 last week.

Canadian Tories woo votes with pro-consumer program Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:53 PM PDT Ottawa (AFP) - Canada's ruling Tories on Wednesday rolled out legislative priorities to woo disgruntled consumers, proposing unbundling TV packages, no-cost banking and curbing cellphone roaming costs.

Israel urges maintaining Iran sanctions despite Geneva proposals Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:40 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Wednesday urged Western powers not to give up economic sanctions on Iran until Tehran proves it is dismantling its nuclear program that the United States and its allies believe is aimed at developing atomic weapons. The Israeli comments came after Western diplomats said Iran hinted during two days of nuclear negotiations in Geneva that it was ready to scale back sensitive atomic activities to secure relief from the crippling sanctions. ...

Canada PM to head to Brussels to conclude EU deal Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:36 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to travel to Brussels on Thursday to conclude a free trade deal with the European Union.

Shoeless Mexico Indian kids win at basketball Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:34 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A team of Trique Indian boys swept through a youth basketball tournament despite their generally short stature and the fact that most play barefoot, earning acclaim in Mexico and abroad.

Canada to grant honorary citizenship to Malala Yousafzai Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:14 PM PDT OTTAWA (Reuters) - Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, will be granted honorary Canadian citizenship, the Canadian government announced on Wednesday. She will join an elite group of foreign honorees who include South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi. "Canada recognizes the courageous and inspiring example set by Malala Yousafzai in risking her life promoting education for young women," the government said in a speech setting out its priorities for the next two years. ...

EU halts anti-subsidy probe into some biodiesel imports Posted: 16 Oct 2013 03:05 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union Commission has decided to halt an anti-subsidy probe into biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia after the complainant dropped its action, a Commission document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. The Commission had received on September 27 a complaint from the European biodiesel lobby group EBB over an alleged unfair subsidizing of biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia. The EBB withdrew its complaint on October 7, the commission said. ...

Iran nuclear talks end on upbeat note; more in Nov Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:46 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — Nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers ended on an upbeat note Wednesday, with top Western and Iranian negotiators announcing a follow-up round early next month while speaking of significant progress in efforts to reduce fears that Tehran may be seeking atomic arms.

Senior Dutch diplomat beaten up in Russia Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:44 PM PDT Moscow (AFP) - A senior Dutch diplomat at The Netherlands embassy in Moscow was beaten up at his home in the Russian capital by unknown attackers who scrawled the letters "LGBT" on a mirror with lipstick, officials said Wednesday.

France expels girl to Kosovo after class trip Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:43 PM PDT MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Leonarda Dibrani was finishing up a field trip when French police showed up at the bus, detaining the 15-year-old schoolgirl in front of her classmates before authorities expelled her to Kosovo because her family's asylum application had been rejected.

Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia says has lost contact with crew in Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:41 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia said on Thursday it had lost contact with three crew members on assignment in northern Syria, considered the world's most dangerous place for journalists, and appealed for help to locate them. The television broadcaster said reporter Ishak Moctar, a Mauritanian national, cameraman Samir Kassab, a Lebanese citizen, and a Syrian driver whose name is being withheld at his family's request, went missing while on assignment near Aleppo, northern Syria, on Tuesday morning. ...

Sanctions relief would be proportionate to Iran nuclear steps: U.S. Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:39 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Iran disagree on what sanctions relief, if any, might be provided if Iran takes steps to curtail its atomic program, and any easing would be proportionate to Iran's actions, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also said the Obama administration has not yet decided whether to urge the U.S. Congress to refrain from imposing additional sanctions on Iran - a request it made ahead of this week's talks on the issue. ...

At 11th hour, U.S. edges away from brink of debt crisis Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:30 PM PDT By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders announced a deal on Wednesday to end a political crisis that partially shut down the federal government and brought the world's biggest economy close to a debt default that could have threatened global financial calamity. The deal, however, offers only a temporary fix and does not resolve the fundamental issues of spending and deficits that divide Republicans and Democrats. It funds the government until January 15, so Americans face the possibility of another government shutdown early next year. U.S. ...

Police stop anti-fracking protest in Romania Posted: 16 Oct 2013 02:08 PM PDT BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hundreds of Romanians opposed to shale gas extraction in their village on Wednesday scuffled with police at an exploration site where energy giant Chevron plans to start drilling.

Greece lifts immunity of Golden Dawn lawmakers Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:28 PM PDT Athens (AFP) - Greece's parliament on Wednesday lifted the legal immunity of six lawmakers from the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, broadening a high-profile probe into the group's alleged criminal activities.

Turkey says it fires on Islamist militant positions in Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:26 PM PDT By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's army said on Wednesday it had fired on al Qaeda-linked militants in northern Syria after a stray mortar bomb hit Turkish territory, highlighting the growing threat from radical groups over its southern border. Fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have seized territory in parts of Syria near the Turkish border in recent weeks, leaving the already fragile frontier even more vulnerable. ...

Murder suspects held in Qatar after British teacher's body found Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:25 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar has arrested suspects over the murder of a European woman, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday, after a British school teacher was found dead in the Gulf Arab state. British media said a 24-year-old woman identified as Lauren Patterson, a primary teacher at a British school in Qatar, went missing last Saturday, when she was seen with two men at a nightclub in the capital Doha. "The police has arrested the suspects of a European woman's murder," the Interior Ministry said in a statement in English on its website. ...

Iran, world powers pledge new nuclear talks Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:24 PM PDT Geneva (AFP) - World powers and Iran agreed Wednesday to hold fresh talks next month on its nuclear programme, after Tehran made what it dubbed a breakthrough proposal that could allow spot checks on its nuclear sites.

Syria rebel video claims new split in opposition Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:21 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Several dozen rebel groups in southern Syria have broken with the main political opposition group in exile, a local commander said in a video posted Wednesday, dealing a potential new setback to Western efforts to unify moderates battling President Bashar Assad's regime.

'Black bloc' anarchist violence mars Brazil unrest Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:17 PM PDT Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Wearing black clothing, scarves and ski masks, so-called "Black Bloc" anarchists have taken a starring role in Brazil's social unrest, using violent tactics to target symbols of capitalism.

Canada parliamentary precinct locked down Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:04 PM PDT Ottawa (AFP) - Federal police closed the streets around Canada's Parliament and evacuated the prime minister's office Wednesday while they investigated a "suspicious package," authorities said.

Syria rebels assault Aleppo prison Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:04 PM PDT Beirut (AFP) - Rebels assaulted the regime-controlled central prison in the main northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syria blast kills 21, US presses opposition on peace talks Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:04 PM PDT Damascus (AFP) - A bomb killed 21 people in Syria on Wednesday, with sources variously blaming rebels and the army, as the United States urged a key opposition group to join peace talks.

Areva ready to join Hinkley Point UK nuclear consortium: media Posted: 16 Oct 2013 01:02 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - French nuclear group Areva is ready to join the EDF-led consortium that plans to build a nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in the UK, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, quoting people with knowledge of the matter. Bloomberg said China General Nuclear Power Corp. would also become a shareholder and that Areva and EDF's boards would meet next week to approve the deal. Areva and EDF declined to comment on the report. ...

Egypt-US ties in 'delicate' phase: foreign minister Posted: 16 Oct 2013 12:57 PM PDT Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's foreign minister acknowledged in comments published Wednesday that relations with Washington were in a "delicate" phase after it suspended some military aid in response to a July 3 coup.

Greek Parliament lifts 6 MPs' immunity Posted: 16 Oct 2013 12:44 PM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's Parliament lifted the immunity from prosecution of six lawmakers from the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party on Wednesday, as part of a crackdown on the group sparked by the fatal stabbing last month of a Greek rapper.

Egypt star Abou Trika to retire Posted: 16 Oct 2013 12:41 PM PDT Johannesburg (AFP) - Veteran Egyptian football star Mohamed Abou Trika will retire this year, Al-Ahly TV reported on Wednesday.

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