Yahoo! News: World News

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• German MP meets Snowden, says he is willing to come to Germany for inquiry
• Strong earthquake strikes off Chilean coast, no damage reported
• Syria military base blasts said to be Israeli strike
• Colombia defense minister says troop cuts after peace 'big mistake'
• Iraqi leader blames regional unrest for revival of al Qaeda in Iraq
• Mexican Congress passes diluted government tax reform
• Storms spook some U.S. cities into postponing Halloween fun
• US unearths new drug 'supertunnel' under Mexican border
• Israeli fire kills Gaza militant: Palestinian officials
• Magnitude-6.6 quake strikes central Chile
• Toronto police say they have mayor drug video
• Strong earthquake shakes Chile's capital
• Activists say Syrian authorities break Damascus evacuation deal
• Mexico nears junk food tax, sets anti-obesity plan
• Israeli tank fire kills Gaza militant in clashes: Gaza sources
• Al-Qaeda front group releases execution video
• Vatican polls Catholics on birth control, marriage
• Palestinians threaten to sue Israel over settlements
• Palestinians: Gaza militant killed by Israeli fire
• Kenyan president's trial at ICC postponed
• Fugitive eco activist lands in US, vows to pursue fight
• Israel strikes Russian weapons shipment in Syria
• African nations press UN Council to suspend Kenya case
• Jailed indigenous teacher freed under new Mexican pardon law
• Italy busts kidnap ring targeting custody battles
• Snowden to work for mystery Russian website
• Senators: What's the strategy in Syria?
• German lawmaker meets Snowden, says he may help German spy inquiry
• Russian lawyer says Snowden to start website job
• Germany rejects U.S. criticism of export reliance
• Russia demands U.S. explanation over blacklisted singer
• Dominican Republic pressured to reverse controversial nationality ruling
• Analysis: Aquino's Mr Clean image skewered by Philippine pork barrel politics
• All Syria chemical weapons placed under seal: watchdog
• Kenya bombs Somali militant camp after mall attack
• Obama will use executive powers to conserve lands: Interior secretary

German MP meets Snowden, says he is willing to come to Germany for inquiry Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:19 PM PDT By Alexandra Hudson BERLIN (Reuters) - A German lawmaker said he met Edward Snowden in Moscow on Thursday and the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor was willing to come to Germany to assist investigations into alleged U.S. surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Hans-Christian Stroebele, a legislator for the opposition Greens party, told German broadcaster ARD it was clear Snowden "knew a lot" and that he would share details of their surprise meeting including a letter from Snowden addressed to the German government and chief federal prosecutor on Friday. "He made it clear he knows a lot and that as long as the National Security Agency (NSA) blocks investigations..., he is prepared to come to Germany and give testimony, but the conditions must be discussed," said Stroebele. Germany is a close ally of the United States.

Strong earthquake strikes off Chilean coast, no damage reported Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:56 PM PDT A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey reported. The quake was centered 35 miles southwest of Coquimbo and at a depth of 6.6 miles, the USGS said. There were no initial reports of injuries or damage, though the quake caused buildings in the capital Santiago to sway. Mining operations in Chile, the world's No. 1 copper producer, also were not affected, according to initial reports.

Syria military base blasts said to be Israeli strike Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:21 PM PDT AMMAN/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syrian rebels and a U.S. official cited by CNN said on Thursday Israel had mounted a new attack on a Syrian military base but the Israeli government declined to confirm any strike. CNN quoted an unidentified U.S. administration official on Thursday as saying Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian base near the port of Latakia, targeting missiles that Israel thought might be transferred to its Lebanese militia enemy Hezbollah. One Syrian opposition source, a defector from air force intelligence with contacts in the Latakia region, said Israel struck a strategic missile battery near a village called Ain Shikak where President Bashar al-Assad's forces kept long-range Russian missiles that are among their most powerful weapons.

Colombia defense minister says troop cuts after peace 'big mistake' Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:54 PM PDT By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) - It would be a "big mistake" for Colombia to reduce troop numbers or cut its security budget if a peace agreement is signed with Marxist FARC rebels to end a half century of war, the defense minister said on Thursday. Colombia has struggled through a year of slow-paced talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in an effort to end a conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people since it began in 1964. Meanwhile the FARC has stepped up combat pressure. "It would be a big mistake, because even if the terrorist organization disappears, it doesn't mean many of its crimes disappear," Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told Reuters in his Bogota office, ruling out any changes to the armed forces.

Iraqi leader blames regional unrest for revival of al Qaeda in Iraq Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:08 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Thursday he was seeking U.S. help to counter a resurgent al Qaeda in his country and blamed the revival of the extremist group on power vacuums in the region rather than divisive Iraqi policies. On his first visit to Washington in two years, Maliki met with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army General Martin Dempsey before speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is due to meet President Barack Obama on Friday. Speaking to an audience of about 200, Maliki highlighted the extremist violence in his country while stressing U.S.-Iraqi relations and the suffering as a result of violence following the 2003 war to topple Saddam Hussein.

Mexican Congress passes diluted government tax reform Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:13 PM PDT By Miguel Gutierrez, Michael O'Boyle and Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Congress on Thursday approved a government-backed bill to increase weak tax revenues but watered down the measure that is expected to have only a moderate effect on the tax take. The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) pushed the bill through with leftist lawmakers, making final tweaks to slightly weaken a proposal to increase income tax rates. Conservatives said the bill was a menace to the stumbling economy and walked out of the Senate in protest when their attempts to change the plan were ignored by the PRI. Lawmakers in the lower house of Congress gave final approval to the tax bill, and President Enrique Pena Nieto is expected to sign the measures into law.

Storms spook some U.S. cities into postponing Halloween fun Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:49 PM PDT By Timothy Ghianni NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Forecasts for heavy rain and strong winds spooked dozens of U.S. cities and towns into postponing Halloween trick-or-treating on Thursday as a storm system that flooded parts of Texas, killing at least one person, churned north toward the Great Lakes. Officials in parts of at least four states in the path of the storm - Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee - said they decided to put off the customary practice of children in costumes going from house to house collecting candy. "I think it's a good idea," said Tara Dudzik, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

US unearths new drug 'supertunnel' under Mexican border Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:47 PM PDT Zig-zagging for a third of a mile beneath the border between San Diego and Tijuana, the newly-constructed tunnel was equipped with an electric-powered rail system to carry the drugs, as well as ventilation. For the first time, agents seized cocaine intended to be smuggled through the tunnel as well as more than eight tons of marijuana, indicating that Mexican drug cartels are getting increasingly "desperate," they said. "These cartels are foolish to think they're shoveling under the radar," said US Attorney for Southern California Laura Duffy at a press conference outside the San Diego warehouse where the US end of the tunnel was found Wednesday. They'll do anything they can to get into the US," said Bill Sherman, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s San Diego office.

Israeli fire kills Gaza militant: Palestinian officials Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:43 PM PDT Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - An Israeli tank shell killed a member of the military wing of Gaza's ruling Hamas and wounded another on Thursday, Palestinian medical and security officials told AFP. They said that Israeli aircraft also attacked an unknown target east of Gaza City, but there was no report of casualties. The strike came after Hamas TV in Gaza said that three mortar shells were fired from the strip into southern Israel.

Magnitude-6.6 quake strikes central Chile Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:41 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked central Chile on Thursday, causing buildings to sway in the capital and nervous people to run out into the streets.

Toronto police say they have mayor drug video Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:38 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Toronto police said Thursday they have obtained a video that appears to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking a crack pipe — a video that Ford had claimed didn't exist and has been at the core of a scandal that has embarrassed and gripped Canada for months.

Strong earthquake shakes Chile's capital Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:25 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A strong earthquake has rocked central Chile, causing buildings to sway in the capital of Santiago. There were no immediate reports of major damage or deaths.

Activists say Syrian authorities break Damascus evacuation deal Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:15 PM PDT Syrian intelligence agents have arrested at least 230 men out of a group of civilians who were evacuated this week from a Damascus suburb besieged by President Bashar al-Assad's forces under a rare deal with rebels, activists said on Thursday. The deal had enabled 1,800 civilians to flee the Sunni Muslim town of Mouadamiya on Tuesday [nL5N0IJ34O], but most males aged between 14 and 45 among them were arrested and taken to an Airforce Intelligence compound and a school turned into a makeshift detention center, they said. They separated the males when they arrived at the entrance of the town and arrested them," said Ahmad al-Mouadamani, an activist in Mouadamiya who uses an alias. The report could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities.

Mexico nears junk food tax, sets anti-obesity plan Posted: 31 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's congress approved a new tax on junk food Thursday as the government announced a campaign to fight obesity in a country with one of the world's highest rates of overweight people. The move came a little over a day after legislators agreed to put a tax on soft drinks.

Israeli tank fire kills Gaza militant in clashes: Gaza sources Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:55 PM PDT A Hamas militant was killed and another critically wounded by Israeli tank fire in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, medical sources said. Clashes broke out in the area after a number of Israeli tanks crossed the border fence into the Gaza Strip in an area close to where Israel earlier in October uncovered a tunnel that militants had dug under the border, a Hamas source said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces were carrying out "a pinpoint action" in the area of the tunnel in the Gaza Strip but did not have further details. Hamas said the Israeli tanks had entered the Gaza side of the border and had remained there for several hours and clashes erupted as militants fired mortar shells at the tanks.

Al-Qaeda front group releases execution video Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:53 PM PDT An Al-Qaeda affiliated group has released a video purportedly showing escapees from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison carrying out executions, the US-based SITE Monitoring Service said Thursday. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility. The newly released 13-minute video contains, among other things, scenes from the July 21 jail break and the execution of an Iraqi army officer and two other men with gunshots to the back of their heads, according to SITE. SITE said the video was produced by the group's Al-Furqan Media Foundation and posted on jihadi forums and Twitter on Wednesday.

Vatican polls Catholics on birth control, marriage Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:36 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The Vatican is taking the unusual step of conducting a worldwide survey on how parishes deal with sensitive issues such as contraception, divorce and gay couples.

Palestinians threaten to sue Israel over settlements Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:26 PM PDT Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki on Thursday denounced Israeli plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem, threatening to pursue international legal action in response. Israel announced on Wednesday it would build 1,500 new settler homes in the mostly Arab sector of Jerusalem, immediately after the Jewish state released 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners in line with its commitments to US-backed peace talks. He condemned "plans approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for settlement building, and Netanyahu's attempts to link the settlement issue with the prisoners issue." PLO chiefs convened later on Thursday in Ramallah, in a session chaired by president Mahmud Abbas.

Palestinians: Gaza militant killed by Israeli fire Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:10 PM PDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza officials say Israeli tank fire has killed a Palestinian militant.

Kenyan president's trial at ICC postponed Posted: 31 Oct 2013 03:01 PM PDT THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Thursday postponed the trial of Kenya's president on crimes against humanity charges until February, but the African Union said that's not enough time and stepped up pressure for a one-year deferral.

Fugitive eco activist lands in US, vows to pursue fight Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:58 PM PDT Fugitive eco-warrior Paul Watson has arrived in the United States after 15 months at sea, on the run from an international Interpol request for his arrest, he announced Thursday. The Canadian vowed to continue campaigning "undaunted" and said he was heading for Seattle after arriving in Los Angeles earlier this week, to defend himself from legal action there. "I have returned to the United States," he said in a statement on his Facebook page, adding that an Interpol "Red Notice" from Costa Rica "has been dropped."

Israel strikes Russian weapons shipment in Syria Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:47 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli warplanes attacked a shipment of Russian missiles inside a Syrian government stronghold, officials said Thursday, a development that threatened to add another volatile layer to regional tensions from the Syrian civil war.

African nations press UN Council to suspend Kenya case Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:39 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (United States) (AFP) - African countries will put forward a UN Security Council resolution seeking a suspension of International Criminal Court (ICC) charges against Kenyan leaders, officials said Thursday. An African ministerial delegation announced the move after meeting with Security Council envoys to press for the deferral of charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto. The meeting went ahead as the ICC postponed the start of Kenyatta's trial until February 5. The Kenyan president and vice president are accused over political violence after a 2007 presidential election in which more than 1,000 people died.

Jailed indigenous teacher freed under new Mexican pardon law Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:36 PM PDT An indigenous Mexican teacher jailed over a decade ago for the slayings of seven people was released on Thursday under a pardon by President Enrique Pena Nieto after the government found evidence the teacher's rights had been abused. Alberto Patishtan was arrested in 2000 for the murder of seven policemen, who were killed in an ambush in Chiapas state. Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said scrutiny of the case had thrown up "evidence consistent with grave human rights violations, particularly of due process." Pena Nieto had announced on Tuesday that he planned to pardon Patishtan.

Italy busts kidnap ring targeting custody battles Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:33 PM PDT ROME (AP) — Italian police said Thursday they have busted an international ring of former special forces agents hired to "recover" children involved in custody battles who were spirited across borders by one of their parents.

Snowden to work for mystery Russian website Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:31 PM PDT US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden will on Friday start working for a major Russian website, his lawyer said, sparking speculation his new employer could be Russia's largest social network. Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena declined to give the name of the company but attention centred on VKontakte which is seen as the Russian equivalent of Facebook. "Edward Snowden will start working at a big Russian company on Friday, November 1. His job will be to support and develop a major Russian website," Kucherena told the Interfax news agency.

Senators: What's the strategy in Syria? Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials defended U.S. efforts in Syria Thursday against blistering criticism from Republicans who claim Washington has goals, but no strategy to find a solution that would end the bloody conflict affecting nations throughout the Mideast.

German lawmaker meets Snowden, says he may help German spy inquiry Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:20 PM PDT A German lawmaker said he met Edward Snowden in Moscow on Thursday and the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor was willing to help German investigations into reports the United States tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone. Hans-Christian Stroebele, a legislator for the opposition Greens party, told German broadcaster ARD it was clear Snowden "knew a lot" and that he would share details of their surprise meeting including a letter from Snowden to the German government on Friday.

Russian lawyer says Snowden to start website job Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:20 PM PDT By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has found a job working for a website in Russia, where he was granted asylum after fleeing the United States, a Russian lawyer helping him said on Thursday. "Edward starts work in November," lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said, according to state-run news agency RIA. Snowden, 30, a former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed secret U.S. internet and phone surveillance programs, fled to Hong Kong and then to Russia in June. President Vladimir Putin rejected U.S. pleas to send Snowden home to face charges including espionage, and the temporary asylum he was granted in early August can be extended annually.

Germany rejects U.S. criticism of export reliance Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:16 PM PDT By Gernot Heller and Sarah Marsh BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's conservatives on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of Germany's dependence on exports but her likely future coalition partner agreed Europe's bulwark economy must do more to spur domestic demand. The United States has long called for countries like China and Germany with trade surpluses to do more to spur imports but the Obama administration's reprimand in a semi-annual report to Congress on Wednesday stood out for its stark language. It said Germany was hampering economic stability in Europe and hurting the global economy. The German current account surplus is the biggest in the world.

Russia demands U.S. explanation over blacklisted singer Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:13 PM PDT By Alexei Anishchuk MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry asked the United States on Thursday to explain why it had imposed sanctions on a well-known singer and supporter of President Vladimir Putin, calling the move "unacceptable". The U.S. Treasury Department this week named Grigory Lepsveridze as one of six people it said were linked to a "Eurasian crime syndicate" called the Brothers' Circle. The Treasury added him to its list of blacklisted people, meaning U.S. citizens were barred from doing business with him, and any assets he had in the United States were frozen. Lepsveridze, who performs under the stage-name Grigory Leps, dismissed the allegation.

Dominican Republic pressured to reverse controversial nationality ruling Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:11 PM PDT By Ezra Fieser SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) - The Dominican government is facing intense international pressure over a court ruling that stripped citizenship from hundreds of thousands of people and threatens to damage the tourism-dependent country's reputation. Foreign leaders, United Nations agencies, human rights groups and members of the Dominican diaspora in the United States have called on the government to reverse the September 23 court ruling that strips Dominican nationality from children of illegal immigrants even if they were born on Dominican soil and had been granted their documents. A network of 25 groups and human rights activists delivered a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday asking him to use "all available points of leverage" to pressure the Dominican government into reversing the ruling. "We plan to continue mounting pressure on the government here in the Dominican Republic with demonstrations and protests.

Analysis: Aquino's Mr Clean image skewered by Philippine pork barrel politics Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:07 PM PDT By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - A scandal over lawmakers' misuse of public funds has become the biggest crisis of Philippine President Benigno Aquino's three-year rule, tainting his carefully crafted image as a corruption fighter and undermining his ability to push economic reforms. Aquino has struggled to keep the scandal at arms length since late July, when a whistleblower revealed that some lawmakers, including the president's allies, were stealing up to half the money being allocated to local projects from discretionary government funds. While corruption allegations are far from new in the Philippines, the revelations have struck a chord with Filipinos because of the scale of the wrongdoing and the shock that little had changed despite Aquino's reform drive. Aquino, the only son of democracy icon and former president Corazon Aquino, has tried to tap into the public mood by saying he too is outraged by the corruption, which was corroborated in a detailed report by the state auditing body.

All Syria chemical weapons placed under seal: watchdog Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:02 PM PDT Syria's entire declared stock of chemical weapons has been placed under seal, inspectors said Thursday, as international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi wrapped up a visit to muster support for peace talks. Meanwhile, Israel has reportedly carried out an air strike on a Syrian military installation to prevent a missile delivery to the regime's Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. "All stocks of chemical weapons and agents have been placed under seals that are impossible to break," Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons spokesman Christian Chartier said, adding that the seals were "tamper proof." "These are 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents (which can be used to make weapons) and 290 tonnes of chemical weapons," Chartier told AFP in The Hague.

Kenya bombs Somali militant camp after mall attack Posted: 31 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya's military says its air force has attacked a militant training camp in Somalia in retaliation for last month's al-Shabab assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall.

Obama will use executive powers to conserve lands: Interior secretary Posted: 31 Oct 2013 01:56 PM PDT By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will use his executive powers to protect more mountains, rivers and forests from development if Congress does not act to preserve such wild spaces, the U.S. Interior Secretary said on Thursday. Such preservation efforts can also come through Congress but presidents in a second term have typically felt freer to designate such spaces unilaterally. On Thursday, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said that the president was ready to move ahead. "There's no question that if Congress doesn't act, we will act," Jewell said at a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington.

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