Yahoo! News: World News

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• Algeria ends desert siege, but dozens killed
• West African troops arrive in Mali to aid French mission
• Britain to drift out of European Union without reforms: PM
• No deal seen clinched in U.N. nuclear talks with Iran
• Pakistan cleric ends protest after government concessions
• Massacre of over 100 reported in Syria's Homs
• Britain and Australia to boost defense ties
• U.S. soldier charged in Afghan massacre had PTSD: lawyer
• Pakistan urges India to cool rhetoric over Kashmir
• Nigerian forces kill two Islamists in Kano battle, arrest five
• Video game puts players in shoes of Syrian rebels
• Algeria: Army rescues hostages, toll unclear
• Syrian pro-regime gunmen kill more than 100
• US slams hostage-taking; Clinton to call Algeria
• Just say neigh: Horsemeat in burgers horrifies UK
• Irish plant shuts over new horsemeat in burgers
• Greek Parliament votes to investigate ex-minister
• Russian official reassures US adoptive parents
• Pakistani cleric ends rally after government deal
• Mali towns marked by fighting, airstrikes
• Islamists promise fight across Sahara, but response disjointed
• Europe backs French Mali mission with strong words, modest means
• Could Britain move away from EU and toward the Commonwealth?
• Got sugar? Venezuela faces shortages of staple foods
• Israeli voters flock to 'brother' Naftali Bennett - but not all his policies
• Algerian hostage crisis heightens as scores are reported dead

Algeria ends desert siege, but dozens killed Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:18 PM PST ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian forces stormed a desert gas complex to free hundreds of hostages but 30, including several Westerners, were killed in the assault along with at least 11 of their Islamist captors, an Algerian security source told Reuters. Western leaders whose compatriots were being held did little to disguise their irritation at being kept in the dark by Algeria before the raid - and over its bloody outcome. French, British and Japanese staff were among the dead, the source said. ...

West African troops arrive in Mali to aid French mission Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:39 PM PST BAMAKO/SEGOU, Mali (Reuters) - The first West African regional forces arrived in Mali on Thursday to reinforce French and Malian troops battling to push back al Qaeda-linked rebels after seven days of French air strikes. A contingent of around 100 Togolese troops landed in Bamako and was due to be joined by Nigerian forces already en route. Nigerien and Chadian forces were massing in Niger, Mali's neighbor to the east. The scrambling of the U.N. ...

Britain to drift out of European Union without reforms: PM Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:25 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will drift out of the European Union and the European project will fail unless the bloc tackles three serious problems it faces, British Prime Minister David Cameron had planned to say in a postponed speech on Friday. Cameron delayed the long-anticipated address on Europe at the last minute to deal with the hostage crisis in Algeria. Aides said a new date and venue would be announced later. He had been expected to spell out his plans to renegotiate Britain's membership of the 27-nation bloc and to promise a rare referendum on any deal he struck. ...

No deal seen clinched in U.N. nuclear talks with Iran Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:38 PM PST VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran appear to have failed again in talks this week to finalize a deal to unblock an investigation into suspected atom bomb research in the Islamic state, a diplomatic source said on Thursday. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran were expected to hold a further meeting on February 12, following two days of negotiations in Tehran that ended on Thursday, the source added, giving no further details. ...

Pakistan cleric ends protest after government concessions Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:39 PM PST ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Muslim cleric with a history of ties to the military who has been calling for the Pakistani government to resign reached a deal with the administration on Thursday that will give him a say in the electoral process ahead of elections. Muhammad Tahirul Qadri triggered a political crisis by launching mass protests in the capital four days ago calling for electoral reforms to clean up Pakistani politics. He has been pushing for the military to play a role in the formation of the caretaker administration that takes over in the run-up to scheduled elections. ...

Massacre of over 100 reported in Syria's Homs Posted: 17 Jan 2013 01:39 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 100 people were shot, stabbed or possibly burned to death by government forces in the Syrian city of Homs, a monitoring group said on Thursday, and fierce fighting raged across the country. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said women and children were among the 106 people killed by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad forces who stormed Basatin al-Hasawiya, a poor district on the edge of Homs, on Tuesday. ...

Britain and Australia to boost defense ties Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:46 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Australia will increase ties on defense issues including cyber security and equipment programs such as the BAE Systems-built Type 26 frigate, the British defense ministry said on Friday. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond was expected to sign a defense treaty with Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith in the Australian city of Perth later on Friday, in which both countries will agree to explore collaborating on the Type 26. ...

U.S. soldier charged in Afghan massacre had PTSD: lawyer Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:25 PM PST TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier charged with capital murder in the slayings of 16 civilians near his military post in Afghanistan was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury prior to the killings, his lawyer said on Thursday. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan who is accused of gunning down the villagers, mostly women and children, in cold blood during two rampages through their family compounds in Kandahar province last March. ...

Pakistan urges India to cool rhetoric over Kashmir Posted: 17 Jan 2013 11:36 AM PST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Pakistan urged India on Thursday to tone down the "Pakistan bashing" over a spate of military clashes in Kashmir between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and again offered foreign minister-level talks to try to cool tensions. "I think it is important not to let this cycle escalate into something which becomes even more ugly than it is today," Pakistani High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir said in an interview with Reuters. "Let's try to see if we can cool down and resume normal business. ...

Nigerian forces kill two Islamists in Kano battle, arrest five Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:30 PM PST KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian forces killed two Islamist gunmen in a shootout and arrested five others after their checkpoint in the north's main city of Kano was attacked on Thursday, they said. Kano has seen a spate of shootings this week attributed to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, based loosely on the Afghan Taliban. The group killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose sharia, or Islamic law, on religiously mixed Nigeria. A crackdown last year weakened it but also pushed it into new areas, and it remains the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer. ...

Video game puts players in shoes of Syrian rebels Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:21 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — A new video game based on Syria's civil war challenges players to make the hard choices facing the country's rebels. Is it better to negotiate peace with the regime of President Bashar Assad, for example, or dispatch jihadist fighters to kill pro-government thugs?

Algeria: Army rescues hostages, toll unclear Posted: 17 Jan 2013 05:02 PM PST ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerian helicopters and special forces stormed a gas plant in the stony plains of the Sahara on Thursday to wipe out Islamist militants and free hostages from at least 10 countries. Bloody chaos ensued, leaving the fate of the fighters and many of the captives uncertain.

Syrian pro-regime gunmen kill more than 100 Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:31 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Gunmen loyal to President Bashar Assad swept through a mainly Sunni farming village in central Syria this week, torching houses and killing more than 100 people, including women and children, opposition activists said Thursday.

US slams hostage-taking; Clinton to call Algeria Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration appeared to be in the dark Thursday about a hostage situation at a natural gas plant in Algeria, where Algerian forces launched a military assault to free dozens of foreign hostages, including an unknown number of Americans, held by Islamist militants.

Just say neigh: Horsemeat in burgers horrifies UK Posted: 17 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST LONDON (AP) — In Britain, a horse is a horse — not a main course.

Irish plant shuts over new horsemeat in burgers Posted: 17 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST DUBLIN (AP) — Food quality officials said Thursday they have identified more horsemeat traces in beef burgers produced in Ireland and pinpointed the problem in an imported ingredient. Ireland's second-largest manufacturer of supermarket beef patties shut down its production line in response.

Greek Parliament votes to investigate ex-minister Posted: 17 Jan 2013 05:02 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek lawmakers voted early Friday to investigate former finance minister George Papaconstantinou over his handling of data on Greeks with Swiss bank accounts and whether he amended the list to remove three of his relatives.

Russian official reassures US adoptive parents Posted: 17 Jan 2013 09:17 AM PST MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's ombudsman for children's rights sought on Thursday to reassure American would-be adoptive parents that they will be allowed to take their children back to the United States. But some Americans with court rulings in their favor say they're still in legal limbo.

Pakistani cleric ends rally after government deal Posted: 17 Jan 2013 12:53 PM PST ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials struck a deal late Thursday with a fiery Muslim cleric to end four days of anti-government protests by thousands of his supporters that largely paralyzed the capital and put intense pressure on the government.

Mali towns marked by fighting, airstrikes Posted: 17 Jan 2013 11:12 AM PST BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — French special forces inched closer to an al-Qaida-held town, fighting erupted in another center and army troops raced to protect a third, as the Islamic extremists controlling northern Mali ceded no ground Thursday, digging into the areas they already occupy and sending out scouts to widen their reach.

Islamists promise fight across Sahara, but response disjointed Posted: 17 Jan 2013 01:36 PM PST In Mali, French forces are today fighting their way north up the Niger River to face insurgents. In Algeria, the Army is trying to free hostages at a remote gas plant, using helicopters, and with apparent collateral damage.

Europe backs French Mali mission with strong words, modest means Posted: 17 Jan 2013 12:07 PM PST As France continued its military intervention in Mali in the wake of a reportedly deadly Algerian army attempt to rescue hostages at a natural gas field deep in the Sahara Desert on Thursday, its European partners offered plenty of rhetorical solidarity but little concrete support for the operation.

Could Britain move away from EU and toward the Commonwealth? Posted: 17 Jan 2013 09:50 AM PST Even as Britain's prime minister puts the final touches on a speech due Friday on his government's plans to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the European Union, his government's foreign secretary was on the other side of the world developing some much older relationships from the days of empire – relationships that some Conservatives hope could prove a viable alternative to the EU.

Got sugar? Venezuela faces shortages of staple foods Posted: 17 Jan 2013 09:25 AM PST While President Hugo Chávez convalesces in Cuba following his fourth cancer operation, Venezuelans face a struggle of a different kind in the midst of shortages of basic food products.

Israeli voters flock to 'brother' Naftali Bennett - but not all his policies Posted: 17 Jan 2013 09:17 AM PST Every Israeli election season, there's a politician with a provocative message who spurs his party to prominence and popularity.

Algerian hostage crisis heightens as scores are reported dead Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:08 AM PST • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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