Yahoo! News: World News

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• Syrian opposition demands a future without Assad
• Ukraine opposition meet protesters after talks with Yanukovich
• U.S. military sees risks in China-Japan tensions, seeks restraint
• U.S. brings fraud charges against firm that vetted Snowden
• Tunisia's assembly finishes new constitution
• IAEA expected to win member state backing for expanded Iran role
• Ukraine talks fail to end deadlock, uneasy truce holds
• South Sudan, rebels sign cease-fire
• Obama says ceasefire 'critical first step' to South Sudan peace
• "Re-shoring" key to West's economic recovery: Cameron
• Ukraine opposition leader says Yanukovich yields nothing in talks, fears bloodshed
• Ukraine opposition urges continued cease-fire
• UN says M23 recruiting in Rwanda
• At least 20 whales found dead off Florida's coast
• South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire deal
• Canada police sift ruins after fatal old age home fire
• Ecuadorean airline halts flights to Venezuela
• N. Korea urges end to hostile military acts in letter to South
• Thirty feared dead in Canadian retirement home fire
• IMF plans to discuss loan with Central African Republic
• China's solar industry rebounds, but will boom-bust cycle repeat?
• Ardiles praises rescuers after Falklands crash
• World Bank approves $100 million for Central African Republic
• At least 16 killed as Central African Republic swears in new leader
• U.S. probes new dumping complaints on China solar products
• Concrete leaks causes London travel chaos
• Russia gives breakdown of $15 billion Ukraine bailout
• Poland warns Ukraine of sanctions 'at any moment': media
• South Sudan government, rebels sign ceasefire
• Greece holds investigation into migrants' drowning
• Tension escalates in Nigeria over key oil state
• Toronto Mayor Ford stuck in elevator as lunch audience waits
• Opposition optimistic after meeting Yanukovych
• Snowden sees 'no chance' for fair trial in US
• Syrian peace talks yield hard stances, slight hope

Syrian opposition demands a future without Assad Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:10 PM PST By John Irish and Mariam Karouny GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria's opposition leader laid out his demands for talks on ending his country's civil war, calling for the creation of a transitional government that does not include President Bashar al-Assad. Ahmed Jarba told reporters in Geneva, where rival sides in the Syrian conflict are on Friday due to begin several days of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and major world powers, that he was looking to a future without Assad. In a defiant speech, Jarba said the international community now realized that Assad cannot stay in power. Assad and all of his regime is in the past now.

Ukraine opposition meet protesters after talks with Yanukovich Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:39 PM PST By Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich called for an emergency session of parliament to end the country's political crisis and violent unrest, in a sign he might be ready to soften his hardline stance and strike a compromise. Opposition leaders who held discussions with Yanukovich that ended late on Thursday immediately went to meet protesters manning street barricades to give their account of the talks. But an Ekspreso TV station correspondent reported that boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko urged activists to stick to a truce agreed earlier on Thursday until Friday morning. Klitschko, who was accompanied by nationalist leader Oleh Tyahnibok, was reported to have said that Yanukovich had promised to release all those who had been detained by police in the present unrest.

U.S. military sees risks in China-Japan tensions, seeks restraint Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:41 PM PST By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military commander in the Asia-Pacific region acknowledged his concern on Thursday over entrenched tensions between Japan and China, a day after Japan's prime minister evoked comparisons to Britain and Germany before World War One. Admiral Samuel Locklear, the head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, said the role of the United States was to keep encouraging restraint, professionalism and "hope there will be diplomatic dialogue and a solution to this." "I am concerned," Locklear told a Pentagon briefing, after being asked to assess the tensions between Japan and China and the risk of conflict. ... The risk calculation can grow." Sino-Japanese ties, long plagued by what Beijing sees as Japan's failure to atone for its occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s, have worsened recently due in part to a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, where China declared an air defense zone late last year.

U.S. brings fraud charges against firm that vetted Snowden Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:41 PM PST The U.S. Justice Department accused United States Investigations Services (USIS), the largest private provider of security checks for the government, of bilking millions of dollars through improper background verifications. USIS - which had vetted former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden - filed at least 665,000 flawed background checks between March 2008 and September 2012, which was about 40 percent of total submissions, the Justice Department said in a court filing on Wednesday. The DOJ accused USIS of receiving millions of dollars that it otherwise would not have received had the government been aware that the background investigations had not gone through the quality review process required by contract.

Tunisia's assembly finishes new constitution Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:57 PM PST By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's national assembly approved the final articles of the country's new constitution on Thursday, three years after their uprising against autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali inspired a wave of Arab revolts. Tunisia's new charter, which the assembly will likely vote on Saturday to approve fully, is widely praised for its inclusiveness, among countries who toppled long-standing leaders in their own 2011 "Arab Spring" uprisings. "Finally, we have reached this moment," Assembly President Mustapha Ben Jaafar said as deputies chanted the national anthem in the assembly chamber in Tunis. Following their 2011 "Jasmine Revolution", Tunisia is close to full democracy after months of acrimony gave way to a compromise between ruling Islamists and secular leaders that contrasts sharply with upheaval in Libya and Egypt.

IAEA expected to win member state backing for expanded Iran role Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:43 AM PST Several countries are expected to voice readiness on Friday to help pay for the U.N. atomic watchdog's expanded role in Iran to monitor a nuclear deal with six world powers, diplomats said, suggesting funding will not be a problem. The 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency holds an extraordinary meeting on January 24 to discuss the IAEA's task to check that Iran meets its commitment to curb its nuclear program under the November 24 interim accord. The IAEA said in a confidential report to member states last week that it estimated the increased workload as a result of the six-month deal - which took effect on Monday - would cost around 6 million euros. Diplomats said they did not expect any difficulties in raising the money in view of the political importance in ending a decade-old international dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Ukraine talks fail to end deadlock, uneasy truce holds Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:36 PM PST Crunch talks between the opposition and President Viktor Yanukovych failed Thursday to end Ukraine's crisis but an uneasy truce held after five days of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. Ukraine's three main opposition leaders held several hours of talks with Yanukovych but the relatively minor concessions offered by the president were greeted with derision by tens of thousands of protesters on Independence Square in Kiev.

South Sudan, rebels sign cease-fire Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — South Sudan's government and rebels signed a cease-fire deal Thursday that leaders hope will put a pause to five weeks of warfare that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.

Obama says ceasefire 'critical first step' to South Sudan peace Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:26 PM PST President Barack Obama said on Thursday he welcomed the ceasefire between South Sudan's government and rebels, but added that leaders need to work to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict, and must quickly release political detainees. "South Sudan's leaders must demonstrate their sustained commitment to a peaceful resolution of the crisis," Obama said in a statement.

"Re-shoring" key to West's economic recovery: Cameron Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:20 PM PST British Prime Minister David Cameron was on Friday to insist that the "re-shoring" of jobs from countries such as India and China could be a key factor in spurring European economic growth. Cameron is due to tell the World Economic Forum being held in the Swiss town of Davos that Britain hopes to be at the forefront of attempts to bring back jobs that have moved East in recent years due to wage pressures. Britain has recently seen thousands of jobs shifted to low-cost Asian rivals, including the outsourcing to Indian call centres of many large firms' customer service departments. "For years the West has been written off," Cameron is expected to tell delegates, according to extracts released by his Downing Street office.

Ukraine opposition leader says Yanukovich yields nothing in talks, fears bloodshed Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:16 PM PST Ukrainian opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko said early on Friday that President Viktor Yanukovich had yielded nothing in talks with the opposition after two months of unrest, adding he feared possible bloodshed. After speaking first to protesters manning barricades in confrontation with police, Klitschko told others on Kiev's Independence Square: "Hours of conversation were spent about nothing. Three opposition politicians - Klitschko, former economy minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and far-right nationalist Oleh Tyahnibok - met Yanukovich for a second round of talks on Thursday to try to wring concessions from him that would end two months of street protests and clashes with police in which three protesters have been killed.

Ukraine opposition urges continued cease-fire Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:03 PM PST KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A top Ukrainian opposition leader on Thursday urged protesters to maintain a shaky cease-fire with police after at least two demonstrators were killed in clashes this week, but some in the crowd appeared defiant, jeering and chanting "revolution" and "shame."

UN says M23 recruiting in Rwanda Posted: 23 Jan 2014 04:02 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council brushed aside Rwandan protests to release a report Thursday saying Democratic Republic of Congo rebels are recruiting fighters inside Rwanda. Rwanda slammed the report as "flawed" and said it had been made an unfair target of UN investigations. The report by experts monitoring the UN sanctions regime against DR Congo gave new evidence that M23 rebels had breached a peace accord made with the DR Congo government last year. The report said there was "credible information" that M23 leaders who face UN sanctions are "moving freely in Uganda and that M23 continued to recruit in Rwanda."

At least 20 whales found dead off Florida's coast Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:47 PM PST At least 20 pilot whales were found dead on Thursday off Florida's southwest coast, officials said. The whales were among a group of 23 that swam inland over the weekend near Naples, Florida, said Blair Mase, an official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The deaths bring the total number to 28 whales that have died in waters near Florida's coast in January, puzzling scientists struggling to understand why they continue to come ashore. Eight died earlier this week, four naturally and four after being euthanized, when a group including one pregnant female swam into shallow waters near Fort Myers, Florida.

South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire deal Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:46 PM PST By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - South Sudan's government and rebels signed a ceasefire on Thursday to end more than five weeks of fighting that divided Africa's newest nation and brought it to the brink of civil war. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. Security Council welcomed the news, but several diplomatic sources in New York said they were worried the killing could continue. Fighting between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing the vice president he sacked in July, Riek Machar, erupted in mid-December. But making the ceasefire hold could test Machar, whose forces include loyalists as well as more autonomous groups battling the centrally controlled government forces.

Canada police sift ruins after fatal old age home fire Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:41 PM PST By Matthieu Belanger L'ISLE-VERTE, Quebec (Reuters) - Police will spend Thursday night sifting through the frozen ruins of a wooden, three-story residence for the elderly that burned down in the Eastern Canadian province of Quebec, killing at least three people and leaving 30 more missing. Fanned by high winds, the early morning fire engulfed an older section of the Residence du Havre in the small community of L'Isle-Verte on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River about 230 km (140 miles) northeast of Quebec City. The building only had a partial sprinkler system, according to a document filed by the residence.

Ecuadorean airline halts flights to Venezuela Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:40 PM PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Ecuadorean airline Tame suspended on Thursday its once-daily flights to and from Venezuela until that country's cash-strapped government pays it $43 million owed for ticket sales.

N. Korea urges end to hostile military acts in letter to South Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:32 PM PST Seoul (AFP) - North Korea's top military body urged an end to all hostilities Friday in an open letter to South Korea sent on the order of leader Kim Jong-Un.

Thirty feared dead in Canadian retirement home fire Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:24 PM PST L'Isle-Verte (Canada) (AFP) - Canadian firefighters searched the ashes of a Quebec retirement home Thursday after it burned nearly to the ground on a bleak midwinter night, leaving more than 30 residents feared dead. Officials said the remains of three victims had been recovered and some 30 more were unaccounted for, while the local fire chief said rescuers would continue to search for bodies through the night. The fire was intense, it was like a haystack on fire," Pascal Fillion, a neighbor who witnessed it, told French-language public broadcaster Radio-Canada.

IMF plans to discuss loan with Central African Republic Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:21 PM PST The International Monetary Fund plans to discuss a new loan program with the Central African Republic once the security situation allows it, a Fund spokesman said on Thursday. At least 16 people died in clashes on Thursday as interim president Catherine Samba-Panza took office with a plea for militia to lay down their arms. "As soon as the new government is in place and security permitting, the IMF will initiate dialogue with the new authorities to assess the situation and discuss possible assistance through the Rapid Credit Facility," an IMF spokesman said in an email. The Rapid Credit Facility helps countries with an urgent balance of payments crisis, and often sends a signal to other donors that its economy is on the right path.

China's solar industry rebounds, but will boom-bust cycle repeat? Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:21 PM PST By Charlie Zhu HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's solar panel industry is showing signs of booming again after a prolonged downturn - raising fears of another bust when the splurge of public money that is driving a spike in demand dries up. Lured by generous power tariffs and financing support to promote renewable energy, Chinese firms are racing to develop multi-billion dollar solar generating projects in the Gobi desert and barren hills of China's vast north and northwest. The sweeteners have not only lured traditional energy investors like China Power Investment Corp, but also a host of solar panel makers and even companies such as toll road operator Huabei Express and Jiangsu Kuangda Auto Textile Group. Some solar panel manufacturers, encouraged by a recovery in sales in the last two quarters - largely on surging demand from China and Japan - are expanding production capacity, even though the overall sector remains mired in a severe glut.

Ardiles praises rescuers after Falklands crash Posted: 23 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST Tottenham and Argentina great Ossie Ardiles has revealed details of his narrow escape from a horrific road accident in the Falkland Islands and thanked the British air force for their rescue efforts. Ardiles was driving a car containing his son Freddy, former Tottenham and Argentina team-mate Ricky Villa plus another four passengers when it overturned in an ugly crash on Monday. The 61-year-old, who was in the Falkland Islands filming a documentary, was airlifted to the King Edward VII Hospital in Port Stanley and needed 35 stitches in a head wound, but is now resting with family and friends in Argentina.

World Bank approves $100 million for Central African Republic Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:47 PM PST By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank's board on Thursday approved $100 million for immediate food, healthcare and other needs in the Central African Republic, which is dealing with escalating inter-religious violence. The funds are a sign of the World Bank's new strategy of trying to be more nimble in fighting poverty in the world's most fragile and conflict-prone regions, which within five years will hold half the world's poorest people. Greg Binkert, the World Bank's country director for the Central African Republic, said the bank also plans to work with the International Monetary Fund, the African Union and other groups in trying to help the country. The World Bank's funds are part of nearly $500 million in humanitarian aid that donors announced earlier this week in Brussels, amid concern among aid officials at the deteriorating situation in the country.

At least 16 killed as Central African Republic swears in new leader Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:47 PM PST By Emmanuel Braun and Paul-Marin Ngoupana BANGUI (Reuters) - At least 16 people died in clashes in Central African Republic on Thursday as new interim president Catherine Samba-Panza took office with a plea for militia to lay down their arms to halt the escalating inter-religious violence. A French intervention force and thousands of African peacekeepers have failed to stop the killing, which has worsened in Bangui and in the northwest in recent days. At least 16 died in the capital on Thursday, the Red Cross said. Samba-Panza, the mayor of Bangui elected as interim president by a transitional assembly on Monday as part of a plan to restore order, said she was taking the helm of a country in chaos.

U.S. probes new dumping complaints on China solar products Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:44 PM PST U.S. trade officials on Thursday opened investigations into imports of certain solar power products from China and Taiwan, a move that could have a major impact on the nation's fast-growing solar market. The investigations were sparked by a complaint at the end of last year by the U.S. unit of German solar manufacturer SolarWorld AG. The company at the time said it was seeking to close a loophole in a prior trade case that enabled Chinese solar panel producers to evade duties by using cells manufactured in other countries, mainly Taiwan. The U.S. Department of Commerce said it initiated antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations, which will assess whether the products are being sold in the United States below their fair value, or if their manufacturers receive inappropriate levels of foreign government subsidies.

Concrete leaks causes London travel chaos Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:37 PM PST London commuters suffered rush-hour chaos on Thursday after fast-setting concrete was accidently leaked into a signal control room at a major underground train station. A stretch of London Underground's (LU) key Victoria line was closed, forcing tens of thousands of travellers to seek alternative routes home, after contractors working at Victoria station leaked the water and cement mix into the control room. Nigel Holness, London Underground's operations director, said the mishap damaged equipment, knocking out signals on part of the line.

Russia gives breakdown of $15 billion Ukraine bailout Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:35 PM PST Russia will tap into a rainy-day fund for most of the $15 billion bailout it promised Ukraine after Kiev scrapped plans for European Union deals that would have pulled it further from Moscow's orbit, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said. President Vladimir Putin agreed the aid package with Ukraine in December, throwing the ex-Soviet state a lifeline in what was widely seen as a reward for a U-turn that prompted protests which persist in Kiev and have been marked by violence. Russia will turn to its National Welfare Fund for $10 billion, Siluanov told Ekho Moskvy radio on Thursday.

Poland warns Ukraine of sanctions 'at any moment': media Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST International sanctions could be imposed on Ukraine at any moment unless the standoff between government and opposition ends, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski was quoted as saying on Thursday. "The Ukrainian authorities should be clear that we are on the brink of sanctions, that this is something that really could happen at any moment unless the spiral of conflict is halted," Poland's official PAP news agency quoted Komorowski as saying. Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, often acts as a broker between Kiev and the European Union. Until now, its officials have cautioned against punitive measures, saying these could push Ukraine further away from integration with Europe.

South Sudan government, rebels sign ceasefire Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:11 PM PST South Sudan's government and rebels on Thursday signed a ceasefire agreement, pledging to halt fighting within 24 hours and end five weeks of bitter conflict that has left thousands dead. The agreement was signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by representatives of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel delegates loyal to ousted vice president Riek Machar, and was greeted by cheers from regional peace brokers and diplomats. South Sudan's government also agreed to free 11 officials close to Machar who were detained after fighting between rival army units broke out on December 15, although no timeline for their release was given. "These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my country," said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation.

Greece holds investigation into migrants' drowning Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:08 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek judicial authorities said Thursday they are investigating the deadly sinking of a migrant boat that was being towed by a coast guard vessel, as officials denied survivors' claims that officers badly mishandled the operation.

Tension escalates in Nigeria over key oil state Posted: 23 Jan 2014 02:03 PM PST Simmering tensions over a key oil-producing state in Nigeria mounted on Thursday, as the country's two main political parties traded threats and insults, stoking fears of violence in the run-up to elections. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of President Goodluck Jonathan accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of issuing a "clear and direct call for anarchy" over its strongly worded comments about Rivers state. The APC alleged the presidency had promoted and supported a "culture of lawlessness and impunity" in the southern Niger Delta state since last February and claimed its police commissioner was a "de facto military governor".

Toronto Mayor Ford stuck in elevator as lunch audience waits Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:48 PM PST By Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford lived up his reputation for surprises on Thursday when he got stuck in a hotel elevator for nearly an hour while a room full of the city's business elite waited impatiently for him to deliver a speech. The mishap, which delayed his arrival at an C$89-a-plate ($80) business lunch, comes just two days after a video emerged showing Ford ranting, putting on a Jamaican accent, and using profanities to describe Toronto's police chief. On Tuesday, Ford admitted he had consumed alcohol when the video was shot on Monday night, despite his pledge late last year to quit drinking.

Opposition optimistic after meeting Yanukovych Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:47 PM PST KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The chances of ending the violence that has convulsed the Ukrainian capital are high, a spokeswoman for a top opposition leader said late Thursday after a meeting with the president.

Snowden sees 'no chance' for fair trial in US Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:39 PM PST Fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said Thursday he has no plans to return to the United States, because he would have "no chance" for a fair trial. "The hundred-year old law under which I've been charged... forbids a public interest defense," he said in a question-and-answer session on the "Free Snowden" website. "This is especially frustrating, because it means there's no chance to have a fair trial, and no way I can come home and make my case to a jury," he said. The comments during the former National Security Agency contractor's first such public forum since June.

Syrian peace talks yield hard stances, slight hope Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:36 PM PST GENEVA (AP) — Syria's government said stopping terrorism — not talking peace — was its priority, while the Western-backed opposition said "the road to negotiations" had begun, offering a glimmer of hope Thursday for a way to halt the violence that has killed more than 130,000 people.

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