Yahoo! News: World News

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• Obama brokers Israel-Turkey rapprochement
• Italy president asks Bersani to see if can form government
• Analysis: Obama scores unexpected successes on Middle East trip
• France, Britain fail to win easing of Syria arms ban
• Chinese leader bolsters Russian ties on first foreign trip
• China to attend major U.S.-hosted naval exercises, but role limited
• Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigns
• Congo says foils plot to assassinate president
• What's at stake in U.N. arms trade treaty negotiations?
• Brotherhood supporters, opponents clash in Egypt, 40 hurt
• Obama warns of 'enclave for extremism' in Syria
• Syrian president vows revenge after mosque bombing
• Obama appeal to Israeli public means risk
• Israel and Turkey agree to restore diplomatic ties
• Bank closure leaves Cyprus businesses high and dry
• Italy's Bersani tapped to form new government
• Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden at age 94
• Achebe inspired generations of Nigerian writers
• Cyprus lawmakers approve key bills for bailout
• Rebels advance toward C. African Republic capital
• Myanmar riots raise concerns about escalating sectarian tensions
• Syria fires on Lebanon: Lebanese seethe, government mum
• A phantom car, a Spanish politician, and a dead dissident: a Cuban mystery in Spain
• Cyprus still groping for a solution to a banking crisis that's roiling Europe
• Politics over principle? Democrats seem more likely to support Obama's Iraq war than Bush's
• Ahead of critical deadline, Cypriots hit the ATMs and lash out at Germany
• Chinua Achebe on corruption and hope in Nigeria
• With US-Russia relationship toxic, Moscow looks to strengthen ties with China
• Japan warms to Taiwan, isolates China, in territorial sea dispute
• Assad lashes out after death of leading Syrian cleric and key Sunni ally
• Google's Eric Schmidt goes to Myanmar
• Sergei Abramov's goal: an educational blog that doesn't bore his fellow Russian teens

Obama brokers Israel-Turkey rapprochement Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:55 PM PDT By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel apologized to Turkey on Friday for killing nine Turkish citizens in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and the two feuding U.S. allies agreed to normalize relations in a surprise breakthrough announced by U.S. President Barack Obama. The rapprochement could help regional coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war and ease Israel's diplomatic isolation in the Middle East as it faces challenges posed by Iran's nuclear program. ...

Italy president asks Bersani to see if can form government Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:55 PM PDT By James Mackenzie and Barry Moody ROME (Reuters) - President Giorgio Napolitano asked center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani on Friday to assess whether he can win enough support in Italy's divided parliament to form a government and end the political deadlock left by elections last month. After two days of consultations with political leaders, Napolitano said he had given Bersani a mandate to talk to other parties and see if he can get the guaranteed support needed for a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament, where no single group has a workable majority. ...

Analysis: Obama scores unexpected successes on Middle East trip Posted: 22 Mar 2013 09:55 AM PDT By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama flew out of Israel in a duststorm on Friday, leaving behind a trail of symbolic gestures and fine oratory that should help preserve the status quo at a time of regional upheaval. In an unexpected diplomatic flourish, he also facilitated a surprise telephone call between the prime ministers of Israel and Turkey, putting two U.S. allies firmly on track to revive a once close relationship that had become badly frayed. ...

France, Britain fail to win easing of Syria arms ban Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:56 PM PDT By Adrian Croft and Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - France and Britain failed to persuade the European Union to back their call to lift an arms embargo on Syrian rebels on Friday despite warning that President Bashar al-Assad could resort to using chemical weapons. Paris and London want to exempt Assad's opponents from an EU arms embargo, a step they believe would raise pressure on Assad to negotiate after two years of a civil war that has claimed 70,000 lives. ...

Chinese leader bolsters Russian ties on first foreign trip Posted: 22 Mar 2013 11:12 AM PDT By Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of relations with Russia as a counterweight to U.S. influence by visiting Moscow on his first foreign trip as president, and secured more oil to fuel China's growing economy. Although relations between Moscow and Beijing have rarely been smooth, they have improved in the past decade and Xi highlighted this by signing energy, trade and political deals on Friday to strengthen ties between them. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to blunt U.S. ...

China to attend major U.S.-hosted naval exercises, but role limited Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:02 PM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's People's Liberation Army has accepted an invitation to participate for the first time in a major U.S.-hosted naval drill, but legal restrictions will limit its role to less sensitive exercises, like disaster relief, U.S. officials say. Beijing's agreement to join the drills being held next year comes at a moment of heightened tensions between China and U.S. ally Japan over disputed East China Sea islets, and unease in the United States about China's rapid military buildup and its cyber capabilities. ...

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigns Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:41 PM PDT By Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced his government's resignation on Friday after a cabinet dispute with Shi'ite group Hezbollah over preparations for a parliamentary election and extending the term of a senior security official. Mikati's announcement after a deadlocked ministerial meeting plunged Lebanon, already struggling to cope with a spillover of bloodshed and refugees from neighboring Syria, into fresh uncertainty three months before the planned election. ...

Congo says foils plot to assassinate president Posted: 22 Mar 2013 11:35 AM PDT KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's government said on Friday it had thwarted a plot involving a Belgian member of parliament that aimed to assassinate President Joseph Kabila and overthrow his government. Two suspects - a Belgian doctor of Congolese origin named Jean-Pierre Kanku Mukendi and Isidore Madimba Mongombe, a former policeman - were arrested last month in the capital Kinshasa, Interior Minister Richard Muyej told journalists. Muyej said the two men, who were in possession of a small quantity of weapons at the time of their arrest, confessed to the plot. ...

What's at stake in U.N. arms trade treaty negotiations? Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:11 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Members of the United Nations have been meeting at the world body's New York City headquarters this week for a final round of negotiations on what could become the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade. The treaty drafting conference will continue until March 28. Following are questions and answers about the draft arms trade treaty. WHAT IS THE ARMS TRADE TREATY? The point of an arms trade treaty is to set standards for all cross-border transfers of any type of conventional weapon - light and heavy. ...

Brotherhood supporters, opponents clash in Egypt, 40 hurt Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:44 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Several thousand opponents of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood clashed with supporters of the Islamist group near its headquarters in Cairo on Friday, and at least 40 people were wounded, authorities said. Columns of riot police fired tear gas as the rival groups tussled in the streets around the Brotherhood headquarters. Protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and stones, a witness said. Earlier in the day, Brotherhood supporters had arrived in the vicinity on buses, were showered with stones from the protesters and threw stones back. ...

Obama warns of 'enclave for extremism' in Syria Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:49 PM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — President Barack Obama warned Friday that an "enclave for extremism" could fill a leadership void in war-torn Syria, a chilling scenario for an already tumultuous region, especially for Jordan, Syria's neighbor and a nation at the crossroads of the struggle for stability in the Middle East.

Syrian president vows revenge after mosque bombing Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:04 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed Friday to avenge the death of a senior pro-government cleric who was killed along with dozens of people in a suicide bombing at a Damascus mosque, saying he would "purge our country" of the militants behind the attack in the heart of the capital.

Obama appeal to Israeli public means risk Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:48 PM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — In a landmark speech to young Israelis this week, the visiting U.S. President Barack Obama delivered an unorthodox appeal couched behind warm words of affinity for their country: Urge your leaders to change their ways and take bold new steps to reach peace with the Palestinians.

Israel and Turkey agree to restore diplomatic ties Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:25 PM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Turkey agreed to restore full diplomatic relations on Friday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized in a phone call for a deadly naval raid against a Gaza-bound international flotilla in a dramatic turnaround partly brokered by President Barack Obama.

Bank closure leaves Cyprus businesses high and dry Posted: 22 Mar 2013 07:45 AM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — At Jenny Dobreva's a convenience store, a customer comes up to get a lighter. She apologetically turns him away. It's not because he doesn't have enough money — it's because she doesn't have enough change.

Italy's Bersani tapped to form new government Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT ROME (AP) — Italy's center-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, was given the tough task Friday to form a new and viable government, which is badly needed to steer the country out of recession and get more Italians back to work.

Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden at age 94 Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:01 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Renowned Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes, a composer and bandleader who recorded with Nat "King" Cole, was musical director at Havana's legendary Tropicana Club and a key participant in the golden age of Cuban music, has died in Sweden at age 94.

Achebe inspired generations of Nigerian writers Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:05 PM PDT LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani was just 10 years old when she first read Chinua Achebe's groundbreaking novel "Things Fall Apart."

Cyprus lawmakers approve key bills for bailout Posted: 22 Mar 2013 04:30 PM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Lawmakers in Cyprus approved three key bills Friday that aim to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and help it avoid financial ruin in mere days.

Rebels advance toward C. African Republic capital Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:48 PM PDT BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels in Central African Republic are advancing on the capital, Bangui, after taking the town of Damara on Friday, a rebel spokesman said.

Myanmar riots raise concerns about escalating sectarian tensions Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:04 PM PDT Rights groups are asking Myanmar lawmakers to "change their approach" on how they handle sectarian violence after three days of fighting between Muslims and Buddhists in central Myanmar has reduced a town to smokey rubble, leaving at least 20 dead and forcing thousands to flee.

Syria fires on Lebanon: Lebanese seethe, government mum Posted: 22 Mar 2013 11:26 AM PDT When Syrian Army artillery shells strike inside Turkey or the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Turkish and Israeli armies are usually swift to retaliate.

A phantom car, a Spanish politician, and a dead dissident: a Cuban mystery in Spain Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:56 AM PDT The Spanish government is brushing off pressure to investigate the death of prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, in a case that has the elements of a high-stakes spy thriller – including a car crash, a phantom vehicle, and a young and erratic driver who just happens to be a Spanish politician in the ruling party.

Cyprus still groping for a solution to a banking crisis that's roiling Europe Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:41 AM PDT The instant saga of Cyprus – and whether it will go belly up, default, and shake the European, if not the world, economy like some crazed mouse that roared – continues along with enough hourly news to bring live updates here and here.

Politics over principle? Democrats seem more likely to support Obama's Iraq war than Bush's Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:40 AM PDT The Pew Research Center released its latest poll on American views of the Iraq war a few days ago and the headline number was that only 44 percent of Americans at present think the invasion was a bad idea ( 41 percent think it was a wise decision).

Ahead of critical deadline, Cypriots hit the ATMs and lash out at Germany Posted: 22 Mar 2013 09:50 AM PDT Anger at Europe – and the lines in front of local ATMs – are growing in Cyprus, following a hard deadline by European Central Bank (ECB) officials that would cut off vital funding to Cypriot banks if the country's leaders do not come up with a plan to raise 5.8 billion euros by Monday.

Chinua Achebe on corruption and hope in Nigeria Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:24 AM PDT In January 2012 celebrated Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, who passed away today, spoke with former Monitor Africa correspondent Scott Baldauf about his political views, the extent of corruption in his homeland, what hope there is for change, and the dangers of "leaderless uprisings." Achebe was a winner of the Man Booker prize in 2007 and the Gish Prize in 2010 and has been an influential chronicler, in both fiction and non-fiction, of post-Colonial Africa. ...

With US-Russia relationship toxic, Moscow looks to strengthen ties with China Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:06 AM PDT It's probably no coincidence that newly-minted Chinese leader Xi Jinping chose Moscow, where he arrived Friday for a three-day visit, to be his first foreign destination.

Japan warms to Taiwan, isolates China, in territorial sea dispute Posted: 22 Mar 2013 07:16 AM PDT Japan is ready to open a contested tract of the East China Sea to fishing boats from Taiwan, officials in Taipei say, a rare concession in a bitter territorial dispute that involves heavyweight China and has the United States on guard.

Assad lashes out after death of leading Syrian cleric and key Sunni ally Posted: 22 Mar 2013 06:06 AM PDT • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Google's Eric Schmidt goes to Myanmar Posted: 22 Mar 2013 05:17 AM PDT Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, pressing his belief in the advantage of being a first mover, will be in Myanmar on Friday, visiting the country with the third-lowest rate of Internet access in the world.

Sergei Abramov's goal: an educational blog that doesn't bore his fellow Russian teens Posted: 22 Mar 2013 05:00 AM PDT The Internet journey of Sergei Abramov started in 2008, when his parents bought the sixth-grade student in St. Petersburg, Russia, a computer. He browsed the Internet but to his surprise found no good websites in Russian for kids his age: They were either boring or hard to understand.

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