Yahoo! News: World News

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• In snub to Assad, opposition takes Syria's Arab summit seat
• North Korea says ready for combat as sanctions tighten
• Knox, Sollecito to face Italy retrial in Kercher murder
• Car bomb hits Syrian capital as rebels press closer
• What's at stake in U.N. arms trade treaty negotiations?
• U.N.'s Ban recommends African troops in Mali become peacekeepers
• Kenya to hear petition challenging Kenyatta's vote win
• Italy parties still far from deal: Berlusconi ally
• Italian foreign minister resigns over marines' return to India
• Guinea opposition abandons vote talks, threatens protests
• Knox saga still not over for Italian courts
• NKorea puts artillery forces at top combat posture
• Arab League summit showcases Qatar's swagger
• Syrian opposition takes Syria's Arab summit seat
• C. African Republic hospitals looted after coup
• British teenage whiz strikes deal with Yahoo
• Cuba cleric: Francis criticized church at conclave
• Kerry in Paris to talk Syria with French
• In Russia, teen complains of adoptive US parents
• Cyprus businesses hurt as banks stay shut
• Arrests darken hopes for Zimbabwe despite new constitution
• Afghanistan car bomb injures British troops, underscores transition hurdles
• Why has Moscow gone silent about Russian money in Cyprus?
• North Korea targets Hawaii, Guam in latest threat
• Can Mexico's vigilante militias trade ski masks for police badges?
• Report: Sanctions may be speeding Iran's nuclear advancement
• As China's Xi Jinping visits, Africa asks: What are we getting out of this?
• In surprise move, Vietnam asks citizens for public comment on their constitution
• Italian court ruling could extend Amanda Knox murder case for years
• Rebels capture strategic no man's land: Syria's seat at the Arab League

In snub to Assad, opposition takes Syria's Arab summit seat Posted: 26 Mar 2013 03:12 PM PDT By Sami Aboudi and Yara Bayoumy DOHA (Reuters) - To applause from Arab heads of state, a foe of Bashar al-Assad took Syria's vacant seat at an Arab summit on Tuesday, deepening the president's diplomatic isolation and diverting attention from rifts among his opponents. Speaking at an annual gathering of Arab leaders in the Gulf state of Qatar, Moaz Alkhatib said he had asked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for American forces to help defend rebel-controlled northern parts of Syria with Patriot surface-to-air missiles now based in Turkey. NATO swiftly rebuffed the idea. ...

North Korea says ready for combat as sanctions tighten Posted: 26 Mar 2013 01:16 PM PDT By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea repeated threats on Tuesday to target U.S. military bases as Washington and its allies tightened economic sanctions against the isolated country by targeting Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank with new measures. The rhetoric from North Korea - which has threatened the United States with nuclear war and rehearsed drone attacks on South Korea - and Washington's hardening reaction, drew more concern from China, Pyongyang's only major ally, which said the situation was "sensitive". ...

Knox, Sollecito to face Italy retrial in Kercher murder Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:54 PM PDT By Virginia Alimenti and Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top court on Tuesday ordered a retrial of American Amanda Knox and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, re-opening a case that prompted harsh criticism of the Italian justice system. Kercher's half-naked body, with more than 40 wounds and a deep gash in the throat, was found in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia, where both were studying during a year abroad in 2007. ...

Car bomb hits Syrian capital as rebels press closer Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:53 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least three people, wounded dozens and blew the windows out of buildings in northeastern Damascus on Tuesday as rebel fighters stepped up attacks in the Syrian capital, pro-government television stations said. The al-Ikhbariya news channel said the explosion went off near a military supply office. Addounia TV gave a preliminary toll of three people killed. Both attributed the blast to a suicide bomber in a car. But opposition activists in the area said it was not clear if it was by a bomb or a mortar round. ...

What's at stake in U.N. arms trade treaty negotiations? Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:28 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Members of the United Nations are in the final days of negotiations on what could become the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade. The treaty drafting conference at the U.N.'s headquarters in New York City will continue through Thursday. A new draft text was circulated to the states participating in the conference last Friday, which rights groups criticized as disappointing. Following are questions and answers about the arms treaty conference. ...

U.N.'s Ban recommends African troops in Mali become peacekeepers Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:23 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An African force currently in Mali should be converted into a U.N. peacekeeping operation and a separate combat force should be created to confront Islamist threats, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended to the Security Council on Tuesday. The U.N.-backed African force in Mali is due to take over from France when it starts withdrawing its 4,000 troops from the country in late April. In a report to the 15-member Security Council, Ban recommended that the African force, known as AFISMA, become a U.N. ...

Kenya to hear petition challenging Kenyatta's vote win Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:07 PM PDT By James Macharia and Edmund Blair NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's Supreme Court hears a petition on Wednesday challenging the victory by Uhuru Kenyatta in this month's presidential election, a case that will test Kenyan democracy five years after a disputed vote ignited tribal violence. Peaceful voting on March 4 went a long way to restoring Kenya's reputation as one of Africa's more stable democracies, reinforced when losing candidate Raila Odinga took his challenge to court rather than letting it play out on the streets. ...

Italy parties still far from deal: Berlusconi ally Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:38 AM PDT By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - Formation of a new Italian government is still a long way off and unless political differences can be overcome, the country may be headed for fresh elections, a senior official of Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party said on Tuesday. Last month's elections created a political deadlock, but pressure to form a government to address Italy's heavy debt burden and sluggish economy increased this week, when a difficult bailout of Cyprus rattled markets and stirred concerns about the return of crisis to the euro zone periphery. ...

Italian foreign minister resigns over marines' return to India Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:34 AM PDT By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi resigned on Tuesday over his government's decision to return two marines to India to face trial for the murder of local fishermen while on anti-piracy duty. Terzi said he was stepping down to protect the "honor of the country, of the armed forces, and Italian diplomacy", during testimony to the lower house of parliament, drawing loud applause from lawmakers. "I can no longer be part of this government and I announce my resignation," he said. "My reservations about sending the marines back to India were not listened to. ...

Guinea opposition abandons vote talks, threatens protests Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:01 PM PDT By Saliou Samb and Bate Felix CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's opposition leaders on Tuesday abandoned talks with the government and threatened to resume street protests, accusing the president's camp of disrespecting the terms of a planned dialogue over election preparations. Earlier this month, opposition leaders accepted to take part in talks with the government following two weeks of sporadic protest that killed eight and wounded hundreds more in the world's top bauxite-producing nation. ...

Knox saga still not over for Italian courts Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:27 PM PDT ROME (AP) — It's not over yet for Amanda Knox.

NKorea puts artillery forces at top combat posture Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:50 AM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's military warned Tuesday that its artillery and rocket forces are at their highest-level combat posture in the latest in a string of bellicose threats aimed at South Korea and the United States.

Arab League summit showcases Qatar's swagger Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar's emir looked over an assembly of Arab leaders Tuesday as both cordial host and impatient taskmaster. His welcoming remarks to kings, sheiks and presidents across the Arab world quickly shifted to Qatar's priorities: Rallying greater support for Syrian rebels and helping Palestinians with efforts such as a newly proposed $1 billion fund to protect Jerusalem's Arab heritage.

Syrian opposition takes Syria's Arab summit seat Posted: 26 Mar 2013 01:17 PM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's opposition took over the country's seat for the first time at an Arab summit Tuesday in a diplomatic triumph marred by severe divisions in the ranks of the Western-backed opposition alliance.

C. African Republic hospitals looted after coup Posted: 26 Mar 2013 01:15 PM PDT BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Aid groups and the international community on Tuesday condemned widespread looting in Central African Republic's capital, saying that even hospitals had been robbed in the aftermath of a weekend coup that ousted the president of a decade.

British teenage whiz strikes deal with Yahoo Posted: 26 Mar 2013 01:48 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — At 17, he's a tech whiz, he's rich — and he can even offer some advice on how to raise your kids.

Cuba cleric: Francis criticized church at conclave Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:31 AM PDT HAVANA (AP) — Pope Francis issued a strong critique of the church before the College of Cardinals just hours before it selected him as the new pontiff, according to comments published Tuesday by a Roman Catholic magazine in Cuba.

Kerry in Paris to talk Syria with French Posted: 26 Mar 2013 12:12 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris for talks with French officials about aid to the Syrian opposition and the situation in Mali.

In Russia, teen complains of adoptive US parents Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:25 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — A teenager adopted by an American couple has returned to Russia, claiming that his adoptive family treated him badly and that he lived on the streets of Philadelphia and stole just to survive, Russian state media reported.

Cyprus businesses hurt as banks stay shut Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:06 PM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot businesses were under increasing strain to keep running on Tuesday after financial authorities stretched the country's bank closure into a second week in a harried attempt to stop depositors from rushing to drain their accounts.

Arrests darken hopes for Zimbabwe despite new constitution Posted: 26 Mar 2013 12:27 PM PDT When Zimbabweans voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new constitution earlier this month, they approved a document that envisioned a new future for their country, scaling up human rights and dialing back presidential power.

Afghanistan car bomb injures British troops, underscores transition hurdles Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:38 AM PDT • A round up of latest global reports.

Why has Moscow gone silent about Russian money in Cyprus? Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:30 AM PDT A workable bailout program for troubled Cyprus banks has apparently been sealed and, despite much speculation last week, it has been accomplished with minimal Russian participation.

North Korea targets Hawaii, Guam in latest threat Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:37 AM PDT North Korea announced today in a blizzard of threats that it is ready to target US military bases in Guam and Hawaii as part of a full-alert military posture. The threats included other targets in the US, and in South Korea, in what has been a steady escalation of rhetoric.

Can Mexico's vigilante militias trade ski masks for police badges? Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:18 AM PDT Some townspeople in southern Mexico who have taken up arms in the name of self-defense may be given a chance to trade in their masks for official uniforms.

Report: Sanctions may be speeding Iran's nuclear advancement Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:51 AM PDT Even Iranian officials now admit that the US-led sanctions regime against Iran is damaging its economy.

As China's Xi Jinping visits, Africa asks: What are we getting out of this? Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT Chinese President Xi Jinping is touring parts of Africa this week, celebrating ever-closer economic ties that have made Beijing the continent's biggest trading partner. But the bloom is off their initial romance, as each side finds previously unseen flaws in its partner.

In surprise move, Vietnam asks citizens for public comment on their constitution Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:18 AM PDT Vietnam's government has asked its 90 million citizens for public comment on their constitution, and the request has prompted a flurry of rare public critiques from intellectuals, former officials, and civil society groups.

Italian court ruling could extend Amanda Knox murder case for years Posted: 26 Mar 2013 05:44 AM PDT Italy's highest court has ordered that Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend face a retrial for their alleged roles in the murder of Meredith Kercher, potentially extending a highly emotional case that has already lasted six years for many more.

Rebels capture strategic no man's land: Syria's seat at the Arab League Posted: 26 Mar 2013 05:29 AM PDT • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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