2013年12月10日星期二

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Yahoo! News: World News


Iran sees progress in talks with powers on nuclear deal implementation

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:29 PM PST

Iran's ambassador to IAEA Najafi smiles as he arrives for a board of governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters in ViennaBy Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Senior Iranian officials indicated on Tuesday that progress was being achieved in expert-level talks between Tehran and six world powers over the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal. The goal is to work out details on implementing the November 24 interim accord under which Iran will curb its disputed nuclear program in return for some easing of sanctions that have battered its oil-dependent economy. "The discussions are very smooth," Hamid Baeedinejad, head of the Iranian delegation, said after the second day of talks. "We have made our views known to each other with regard to the implementation aspects of each and every measure.


Uruguay becomes first country to legalize marijuana trade

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:49 PM PST

People participate in so-called "Last demonstration with illegal marijuana" on their way to Congress building in MontevideoBy Malena Castaldi and Felipe Llambias MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization. A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals in the small South American nation. Backers of the law, some smoking joints, gathered near Congress holding green balloons, Jamaican flags in homage to Bob Marley and a sign saying: "Cultivating freedom, Uruguay grows." Cannabis consumers will be able to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from licensed pharmacies as long as they are Uruguayan residents over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases. When the law is implemented in 120 days, Uruguayans will be able to grow six marijuana plants in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams (about 17 ounces), and form smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that can grow up to 99 plants per year.


Ukrainian police enter square occupied by protesters

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:30 PM PST

Riot police deploy on the street in front of barricades built by pro-European integration protesters at Independence Square in KievUkrainian riot police reoccupied part of the square in central Kiev on Wednesday where protesters have been demonstrating against the government's decision to pull out of negotiations on a trade pact with the European Union and rebuild economic ties with Russia. Reuters witnesses said a singer on a stage in the center of Independence Square urged police not to carry out their orders and not to harm the protesters. Some of the protesters held their mobile phones in the air like candles and sang the national anthem.


Czech parties reach deal to form center-left government

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:39 PM PST

The Czech Republic's Social Democrats reached a coalition deal with two other parties late on Tuesday, agreeing to leave taxes on companies and high earners unchanged next year to help clear the way for a center-left government to take power. The leftist Social Democrats, winners by a slim margin of an October parliamentary election, are looking to return to government for the first time since 2006 in a coalition with the centrist ANO movement and the Christian Democrats. Tax policy had been the main sticking point in coalition talks, with ANO, founded two years ago by billionaire businessman Andrej Babis, opposed to higher taxes. We have agreed on controversial areas that have lingered until now," Bohuslav Sobotka, the Social Democratic party chairman and likely next prime minister, said after talks with the parties that lasted more than five hours.

Nicaragua's assembly approves plan to end presidential term limits

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:23 PM PST

A girl holds a sign while taking part in a march against reforms to the constitution near Nicaraguan President Ortega's house in ManaguaNicaragua's national assembly on Tuesday approved a constitutional change to remove presidential term limits, which could allow incumbent Daniel Ortega stay in power for years and raises concerns about democracy in the country. Approval of the plan put forward last month by Ortega's ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front must now be ratified by the assembly next year before it can take effect. The U.S. government has criticized the plan, saying it could undermine democracy in Nicaragua and hurt the country's economic development. Opposition politicians in Nicaragua have also attacked the plan.


In Cuba, scattered protests, detentions mark human rights day

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:04 PM PST

A government supporter hold pictures of former Cuban President Fidel Castro and his brother in HavanaBy Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban dissidents and government employees mounted rival gatherings across the Communist-run Caribbean island on Tuesday, marking the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations. While a handshake between U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro during ceremonies in South Africa honoring Nelson Mandela provided a moment of cordiality between the long-time foes, 15 Cuban dissidents held a seminar on human rights in the upscale Havana district of Miramar. Around 20 members of the dissident group Ladies in White were pounced upon and quickly shoved into waiting vehicles by security personnel and government supporters when they arrived at a busy intersection in the capital. The organization charged many other members were stopped by state security agents from attending what was billed as a rally and march for human rights.


Ukrainian police storm Kiev's Independence Square

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:52 PM PST

Internal Troops of Ukraine deploy near Independence Square in Kiev on December 10, 2013Ukrainian security forces stormed Kiev's Independence Square early Wednesday, occupying the area protesters had held for over a week and ripping down their tents. Thousands of Berkut anti-riot police surrounded the square and then entered the area, using their sheer numbers to force the demonstrators away, an AFP correspondent said. The police also smashed down the barricades that the protesters had put up around the Independence Square, which they have occupied without the presence of security forces until now. Thousands of protesters had been defying sub-freezing temperatures to protest President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of an EU pact in protests that started almost three weeks ago.


Uruguay OK's first national market for legal pot

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:46 PM PST

Marcelo Vazquez, a marijuana grower, smokes a marijuana cigarette, on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. The Uruguayan Senate is expected to approve a law to legalize the production, distribution and sale of marijuana Tuesday. If approved, Uruguay would be the first country to regulate the marijuana market from production to retail. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's Senate approved the world's first national marketplace for legal marijuana Tuesday, an audacious and risky experiment that puts the government in charge of growing, selling and using a drug that is illegal almost everywhere else.


Nairobi mall attackers may have escaped: NYC police

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:34 PM PST

View dated on October 3, 2013 shows the collapsed roof of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi after the deadly assault by Islamist gunmen on September 21, 2013The four attackers responsible for killing at least 67 people at a Kenyan shopping mall may have escaped due to lax security, according to a New York police report released Tuesday. The victims aged eight to 78, from 13 different countries, were killed at the Westgate mall in Nairobi during a terrifying assault claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab terror group. The media speculated the gunmen may have escaped in the chaos of the September fighting, although security sources in Kenya said they died in a final stand off with commandos. The New York police report said the last confirmed sighting of the attackers on the mall's CCTV system was on September 22 at 00:54 hours, 12 hours after the start of the attack.


Canada vows to defend Santa Claus

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:19 PM PST

Santa Claus wine stoppers are offered for sale at Christkindlmarket Chicago on December 4, 2013 in Chicago, IllinoisCanada vowed Tuesday to defend the North Pole and Santa Claus, insisting the mythical figure is a citizen, after Russia ordered its military to step up its Arctic presence. Paul Calandra, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, cited Canada's claim of the North Pole to bash an opposition party in Parliament. "We are defending the north further by making a claim on the North Pole," he said. "We know that the (opposition) Liberals do not think that the North Pole or Santa Claus are in Canada.


Violence kills 7 as Argentina celebrates democracy

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:15 PM PST

A man carries a piece of furniture he took from a store on the outskirts of San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, Outbreaks of looting have spread across Argentina as mobs take advantage of strikes by police demanding pay raises to match inflation. The central government has dispatched federal police to trouble spots and appealed for an end to what some officials are calling treason. (AP Photo/Julio Pantoja)BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Many Argentines armed and barricaded themselves in their homes and stores in fear of looting mobs Tuesday as the nation's celebration of 30 years of uninterrupted democracy was marred by police strikes for higher pay.


Police move on protest camp in Ukrainian capital

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:12 PM PST

Riot police block an opposition tent camp while displacing pro-European Union activists from their barricades at the Ukrainian presidential administration building in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Heavily armed riot troops broke into the offices of a top Ukrainian opposition party in Kiev and seized its servers Monday, the party said, as anti-government protests crippled the capital for yet another day. Elsewhere police dismantled or blocked off several small protest tent camps set up near key national government buildings in the city. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of police started storming a protest camp in the central square of the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday, clashing with demonstrators as they tried to dismantle barricades.


Hollande visits CAR after two French troops killed

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:03 PM PST

Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said France's intervention in the Central African Republic was necessary to avoid a bloodbath, as he arrived on a mission to shore up morale after two elite French soldiers were killed. Hollande flew into the curfew-bound capital Bangui from Johannesburg after attending a memorial service for South African peace icon Nelson Mandela. Upon arrival, the French leader paid tribute to his country's two fallen soldiers, bowing before their coffins at a base at Bangui airport. "In Bangui itself, nearly 400 people were killed... There was no time to procrastinate," he added, referring to a day of bloodshed last week.

Japan household helper plan shows wider immigration dilemma

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:53 PM PST

Filipino nannies stroll with children during their duty hours at a park in TokyoBy Lisa Twaronite TOKYO (Reuters) - During the early days of "Abenomics," U.S. businesses were optimistic they could convince Japan's government to make a small change to the nation's tight immigration rules to let more household helpers into the country. But a year after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office, an idea that some thought might be an easy win for immigration reform while meeting a stated aim of Abe's growth strategy has made no apparent progress. If Abe's government drags its feet on one small step, it suggests scant prospects for any broader measures to let in foreign workers any time soon - which many experts say will be necessary for Japan to sustain its economic growth in the face of a rapidly shrinking workforce. "Japan needs to let in more foreign workers to solve its population problem," said Hidenori Sakanaka, former head of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau.


Obama-Castro handshake - a sign of Mandela-like reconciliation?

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:52 PM PST

US President Obama greets Cuban President Castro at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in JohannesburgBy Rosa-Tania Valdes HAVANA (Reuters) - For sure it's just what Nelson Mandela would have wanted, but does it amount to more than that? The historic handshake between U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro at a memorial for Mandela on Tuesday in Johannesburg was greeted on the streets of Cuba with surprise and hopes of improved relations. Reaction was more muted in Miami, where Cuban exiles have had a hard time accepting Mandela's respect for Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Castro's smile as Obama moved to shake his hand on the way to speak at the ceremony was seen by many Cubans as a signal of reconciliation, after more than a half-century of bitter ideological and political differences between the two countries whose shores are separated by only 90 miles.


Argentina marks three decades of democracy

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:48 PM PST

People gather at Plaza de Mayo square in front of the Government House during an act commemorating the 30th anniversary of the return to democracy in Argentina in Buenos Aires on December 10, 2013Thousands of people on Tuesday celebrated Argentina's thirtieth anniversary of return to democratic rule, voicing some satisfaction though it has been a bumpy ride. "Achieving democracy was anything but easy. Today, 30 years later, this is really a day to celebrate," said Laura Bernstein, 35, a supporter of President Cristina Kirchner's government. Argentina has been rocked this week as at least nine people were killed in provincial cities where police out on strike pushing for better pay sent people brazenly looting supermarkets and shopping centers.


Comet ISON pronounced dead: Sun is chief suspect

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:46 PM PST

This image provided by NASA and taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on Nov. 28, 2013, shows the sun, but no sign of comet ISON. During a meeting of the American Geophysical Union meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, scientists said the comet broke apart on Thanksgiving after coming close to the sun. (AP Photo/NASA)WASHINGTON (AP) — Comet ISON, once optimistically called the comet of the century, is dead, the victim of a way-too-close brush with the sun. It was barely a year old.


EPA tells court U.S. mercury, toxics rule is legally justified

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:45 PM PST

A truck engine is tested for pollution near the Mexican-U.S. border in Otay Mesa, CaliforniaBy Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. environmental regulator argued in court on Tuesday that its rule limiting mercury and hazardous air pollutants is "appropriate and necessary," not an improper interpretation of the federal Clean Air Act as industry groups and some states contend. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the second most powerful court in the country behind the Supreme Court, heard two cases challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's first rules to crack down on mercury from the country's fleet of electric generating units. The EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) applies to 1,400 of the country's largest power plants and would come into force in 2015, or in some cases, 2016. The EPA has said that MATS could prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, and generate $90 billion in health benefits, each year.


U.S. 'nowhere near' decision to pull all troops out of Afghanistan

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:31 PM PST

A U.S. Army soldier with Charlie Company, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division sets up at a supportive position during a mission near Command Outpost Pa'in Kalay in Maiwand District, Kandahar ProvinceBy Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is 'nowhere near' deciding to pull out all troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, a top U.S. official said on Tuesday, despite mounting frustration President Hamid Karzai has not signed a security deal allowing the military to remain there after next year. "I have no doubt that the (bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan) ultimately will be concluded," Ambassador James Dobbins, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While Dobbins said that an ongoing delay to finalizing the deal - which U.S. officials had hoped Karzai would sign weeks ago - would impose "damages and costs" on Afghans, he said the Obama administration was not on the verge of abandoning its effort to extend its troop presence.


2 French troops die disarming C. African rebels

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:52 PM PST

French President Francois Hollande, left, addresses the troops during a stopover from South Africa in Bangui, Central African Republic, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013. Two French soldiers were killed in combat overnight since France stepped up its presence to restive the former French colony to help quell inter-religious violence. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — More than 500 people have been killed over the past week in sectarian fighting in Central African Republic, aid officials said Tuesday, as France reported that gunmen killed two of its soldiers who were part of the intervention to disarm thousands of rebels accused of attacking civilians.


Stunning City fightback ends Bayern's record run

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:49 PM PST

Manchester City's Spanish midfielder David Silva (C) scores past Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (L) in Munich, southern Germany, on December 10, 2013Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Manchester City fought back from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win at Bayern Munich on Tuesday and break the holders' record 10-match Champions League winning streak. The German giants also suffered their first defeat in major competition since coach Pep Guardiola took charge in June. Bayern also fell to their first home defeat -- after 18 wins in Munich -- since losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal in last season's knock-out stages of the Champions League in March. "Perhaps we needed a defeat to remind us of a few things," said Guardiola, whose Bayern are on a 40-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga.


Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:41 PM PST

In this image from TV, U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, South Africa, in the rain for a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013. The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony that's focused on Mandela's legacy of reconciliation. Hundreds of foreign dignitaries and world heads of states gather Tuesday with thousands of South African people to celebrate the life, and mark the death, of Nelson Mandela who has became a global symbol of reconciliation. (AP Photo/SABC Pool)HAVANA (AP) — It was the briefest of moments, just seconds, two presidents shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries amid a gaggle of world leaders together to honor the late Nelson Mandela.


Romania: lawmakers again reject Canadian project

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:34 PM PST

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's lower house of Parliament has rejected an amendment to a mining law that would have allowed a Canadian company to go ahead with plans to build Europe's largest open cast gold mine.

Nicaragua Congress votes to scrap term limits

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:34 PM PST

People protest against reforms put forward by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in front of the Parliament building in Managua on December 10, 2013Nicaragua's Congress Tuesday approved a constitutional reform that, if ratified, would scrap term limits, enabling President Daniel Ortega to seek reelection in 2016 and indefinitely, an official said. Thanks to the overwhelming majority Ortega's ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front enjoys in the Congress, the bill easily cleared its first hurdle by a vote of 64 to 26. The proposed changes would eliminate term limits on the presidency and allow the appointment of active duty police and military officials to government offices currently reserved for civilians. "Ortega's supporters, with extreme political shortsightedness, are pushing Nicaragua to the depths of a new civil war," warned opposition lawmaker Armando Herrera.


Obama hails Mandela as "last great liberator"

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:29 PM PST

President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to speak at the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in the Johannesburg, South Africa township of Soweto, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. World leaders, celebrities, and citizens from all walks of life gathered on Tuesday to pay respects during a memorial service for the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Amid cheers and song for the prisoner who became peacemaker, President Barack Obama energized tens of thousands of spectators and nearly 100 visiting heads of state Tuesday with a plea for the world to emulate Nelson Mandela, "the last great liberator of the 20th century."


Trial of Hariri murder suspects delayed over public holiday

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:26 PM PST

A Lebanese woman attends a commemoration ceremony at the tomb of the slain ex-premier Rafiq Hariri (portrait) in downtown Beirut, on February 14, 2012, the seventh anniversary of Hariri's death in a car bomb in the Lebanese capitalThe trial of the alleged killers of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri will open on January 16, three days later than originally planned because of a Muslim holiday, the UN-backed tribunal said Tuesday. The decision was made after consulting the parties to the case at the trial chamber's last public hearing in The Hague. Four members of militant Shiite group Hezbollah are to be tried in absentia for the suicide bombing that killed billionaire Hariri and 22 others on the Beirut seafront in 2005. A fifth wanted suspect, Hassan Habib Merhi, was indicted in October after a pre-trial judge confirmed that he was "accused of being involved in the 14 February 2005 attack".


United find home comforts with Shakhtar win

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:25 PM PST

Manchester United's English defender Phil Jones (L) is congratulated after scoring at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England on December 10, 2013Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Manchester United drew a line beneath recent back-to-back home defeats by overcoming Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to secure top spot in Champions League Group A. Beaten 1-0 by first Everton and then Newcastle United in their last two home games, United survived several near-misses against the Ukrainian champions before prevailing through a second-half goal from Phil Jones. As well as eliminating Shakhtar, the result gave United three home victories in the group phase for the first time since they last won the competition in 2007-08. Manager David Moyes can now look forward to a favourable tie in the last 16 when the draw is made next Monday, while Shakhtar slip into the Europa League due to Bayer Leverkusen's 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the other group game.


Weapons watchdog receives Nobel Peace Prize

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:22 PM PST

Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjorn Jagland speaks during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in City Hall Oslo Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013 The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is to receive the 2013 Peace Nobel Prize for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix) NORWAY OUTOSLO, Norway (AP) — Recalling the "burning, blinding and suffocating" horrors of chemical weapons, the head of a watchdog trying to consign them to history accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday, as prize winners in medicine, physics and other categories also took bows for their awards.


Gunmen abduct Syria's leading human rights lawyer

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:07 PM PST

This image made on a government-organized media tour for local journalists shows people returning to the western town of Nabek, which Syrian troops took full control of a day earlier after taking the nearby highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the central city of Homs, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. State media said that the capture of the town comes as the government forges ahead with a punishing offensive in a mountainous region near the border with Lebanon. (AP Photo)NABEK, Syria (AP) — Masked gunmen abducted a leading Syrian human rights lawyer and three other prominent activists in a rebel-held Damascus suburb Tuesday in a new sign that al-Qaida linked militants who have joined the fight against President Bashar Assad are trying to silence rivals in the opposition movement.


Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Castro at Mandela memorial

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:06 PM PST

Mandela MemorialSoweto (South Africa) (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday shook hands with Raul Castro, leader of America's Cold War foe Cuba, in a rare gesture at the memorial service in South Africa for Nelson Mandela. Obama offered the handshake before taking the stage to eulogise Mandela, but minutes later, made a clear swipe at states like Cuba, saying those who proclaim Mandela's legacy must honour its meaning by easing curbs on freedom. The handshake between Obama and the brother who took over the duties of longtime Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was seen by millions around the world on live television.


Qaeda kidnappers silence journalist survivors of Syria bombs

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST

Monica Prieto (L), the wife of El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa (portrait-L) and Iraqi journalist Ghait Abdul-Ahad (R) look on during a press conference at the Samir Kassir Foundation offices in Beirut on December 10, 2013From Baba Amr to Aleppo, they braved countless army bombardments to tell the world about the suffering of Syrians, but two Spanish journalists have fallen prey to another danger: Al-Qaeda kidnappers. Reporter Javier Espinosa and photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have been held since September 16 by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a statement released Tuesday by the Spanish journalists' families. "Embedded" with rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, the journalists had been working in battered Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria on their last trip. Espinosa has ventured into rebel areas of Syria a dozen times since the anti-Assad revolt broke out in 2011.


Syria regime closes in on strategic rebel-held town

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:59 PM PST

Syrian pro-government forces drive inside a military vehicle after capturing the town of Nabak, north of Damascus, near the border with Lebanon in the Qalamoun region, on December 9, 2013Syria's army on Tuesday trained its sights on the town of Yabrud, the last rebel stronghold in the strategic Qalamoun region near Lebanon's border, after a string of battlefield victories. The town is believed to be where a group of nuns from the historic Christian hamlet of Maalula have been transferred, reportedly in the hands of jihadist rebels from Al-Nusra Front. In Spain, meanwhile, El Mundo newspaper said Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have gone missing in northern Syria. The pair are believed to have been kidnapped in September by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but El Mundo's director Pedro Ramirez said "we believe they are alive and we believe they are well".


Kerry, Congress spar over Iran nuclear deal

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:54 PM PST

Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the hope of persuading Congress to not forge any new economic sanctions on Iran that could break the recent historic agreement that would end Iran's progress toward weapons-grade uranium. The deal struck in Geneva prohibits the Obama administration from introducing new sanctions for six months. Iran's foreign minister has said any new package of commercial restrictions would break the agreement. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration and Congress clashed Tuesday over the historic nuclear deal with Iran, exposing deep rifts over a U.S. pledge to refrain from any new sanctions over the next six months in exchange for concessions on enriching uranium. The disagreement could have broad consequences for the U.S. diplomatic effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.


Ukraine president digs in heels over Russia ties despite protests

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:48 PM PST

By Richard Balmforth and Gareth Jones KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich gave no ground on Tuesday to protesters who want Kiev to move closer to the European Union, insisting his government needs to deepen trade ties with Russia instead. In his first public appearance since meeting Russia's President Vladimir Putin last Friday, Yanukovich ignored the demands of pro-Europe protesters, hundreds of thousands of whom have taken to the streets in the past two weeks, including thousands camped out round-the-clock in freezing temperatures.

Irish Catholic watchdog issues child abuse report

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:45 PM PST

LONDON (AP) — Only 12 of the hundreds of staff members accused of child abuse in Ireland's Christian Brothers order since the mid-1970s have been convicted, the watchdog of the country's Catholic Church said Tuesday.

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