Yahoo! News: World News

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• Mediator apologizes to Syrians for lack of peace progress
• Renzi set to become Italy's youngest prime minister
• North Korea prison camp survivor awaits U.N. report with hope, despair
• Merkel, Hollande to discuss European communication network avoiding U.S.
• Venezuelan students fight police, 'Chavistas' rally
• Exclusive: Brazil World Cup stadium was structurally damaged by fire
• Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT
• New Zealand 87-4 at lunch on day 3 vs. India
• Smoke bomb forces evacuation of La Liga match
• Celebrities pack front row at London Fashion Week
• Wellies maker Hunter makes a splash at London show
• Factbox: Timeline of deaths, accidents at Brazil's World Cup stadiums
• Venezuelan opposition leader's arrest sought
• Messi scores 2 in Barca's 6-0 rout of Rayo
• Mass start ends individual biathlon races in Sochi
• Davis and White of US favored in Sochi ice dance
• Hard to pick a favorite in men's Olympic curling
• Wide-open race expected in 2-man bobsled
• Dibaba runs fastest-ever 2 miles indoors
• Super-G Sunday is last Alpine speed race in Sochi
• Individual glory over, time to team up at jumping
• Report: Document shows surveillance of US law firm
• Russian women, Finns in hockey consolation bracket
• Bubka watches Lavillenie break his world record
• Wust goes after 2nd gold of Olympics in 1,500
• Sterling and Zaha give Hodgson wings
• Sweden aims for relay double at Sochi Olympics
• Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT
• Smoke bomb forces suspension of La Liga match
• Porto Alegre World Cup stadium holds test event
• Inter Milan beats Fiorentina 2-1 in Serie A
• Strike-hit Amplats says suing union in South Africa
• Sporting beats Olhanense 1-0 to stay in title race
• A look at last day of hockey's preliminary round

Mediator apologizes to Syrians for lack of peace progress Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:38 AM PST By Oliver Holmes and Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at peace talks in Geneva after their second round ended on Saturday with little more than an agreement to meet again. As it became clear that the talks had not even broached the subject of a change of leadership in Syria, both France and Britain, who back the opposition, blamed President Bashar al-Assad for the impasse. Underlining the gaping rift that remains between the sides, anti-government negotiators and a diplomat said Syria's government had added opposition delegates to a "terrorist list" and had seized their assets. An early agreement to evacuate people from the besieged city of Homs had raised false expectations the talks would make greater progress, said Brahimi.

Renzi set to become Italy's youngest prime minister Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:55 AM PST By Paolo Biondi and Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Center-left leader Matteo Renzi was set to be nominated as Italy's youngest prime minister in a matter of days after a party coup forced Enrico Letta to resign as premier of the euro zone state struggling to pull out of recession. Letta bowed out on Friday after his Democratic Party (PD) forced him to step aside and make way for Renzi, 39, who is promising bold economic reforms and a government than can survive until 2018. President Giorgio Napolitano was likely to ask Renzi, the current mayor of Florence, to put together a government on Monday, a PD source told Reuters. "It was an interesting and richly stimulating day in which I received many suggestions that I must pass on to the person who I ask to form a government," Napolitano told reporters after a full day of talks.

North Korea prison camp survivor awaits U.N. report with hope, despair Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:58 PM PST By Ju-min Park and Sohee Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - After a year of investigation, the United Nations is set to release a detailed report on human rights violations in North Korea, but defectors from the country and experts are deeply skeptical it will have any effect on the regime in Pyongyang. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea was set up last March to begin building a case for possible criminal prosecution. Michael Kirby, a former chief justice of Australia who chairs the independent inquiry, said after preliminary findings last year that inmates in North Korea's prison camps suffered "unspeakable atrocities", comparable with Nazi abuses uncovered after World War 2. North Korea itself labels any attack on its human rights record as a U.S.-led conspiracy.

Merkel, Hollande to discuss European communication network avoiding U.S. Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:11 AM PST German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would talk to French President Francois Hollande about building up a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the United States. Merkel, who visits France on Wednesday, has been pushing for greater data protection in Europe following reports last year about mass surveillance in Germany and elsewhere by the U.S. National Security Agency. Merkel said in her weekly podcast that she disapproved of companies such as Google and Facebook basing their operations in countries with low levels of data protection while being active in countries such as Germany with high data protection.

Venezuelan students fight police, 'Chavistas' rally Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:25 PM PST By Andrew Cawthorne and Girish Gupta CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan police fired teargas and turned water cannons on stone-throwing protesters on Saturday to stop them blocking a Caracas highway in a fourth day of sporadic unrest against President Nicolas Maduro's government. The 51-year-old successor to Hugo Chavez has faced two weeks of mainly small protests led by students and hardline opposition leaders complaining about Venezuela's rampant crime, shortages of basic products, and alleged repression of political rivals. "We'll be here day-after-day, night-after-night, until something changes," vowed Javier Sanchez, 20, picking up stones to hurl at police while other students shouted at him "Stop! No violence!" in the upscale Altamira district of Caracas. After about 2,000 students had gathered peacefully in Altamira Square, debating strategy and chanting slogans in the afternoon sun, a few hundred set off to try and block a major highway.

Exclusive: Brazil World Cup stadium was structurally damaged by fire Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:23 PM PST By Brian Winter CUIABA, Brazil (Reuters) - An October fire at a Brazilian World Cup stadium caused far more damage than previously reported, according to a report by local prosecutors obtained by Reuters, raising questions about whether the stadium will be ready for the competition and why government officials have insisted the blaze was minor. State officials overseeing construction of the still-unfinished Arena Pantanal in the western city of Cuiabá, which is among 12 Brazilian cities scheduled to host games, have long said the October 25 fire wasn't a major cause for concern. However, an 18-page report prepared in December by the Mato Grosso state Public Ministry, an independent judicial body similar to the district attorney's office in the United States, warned that the blaze caused "structural damage" that "could compromise the overall stability of the construction." The report was delivered in December to the state agency overseeing the stadium's construction, the Extraordinary Secretariat for the World Cup, or Secopa.

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 15 Feb 2014 05:02 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency was involved in the surveillance of an American law firm while it represented a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, The New York Times reported in a story based on a top-secret document obtained by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden. The February 2013 document shows that the Indonesian government had retained the law firm for help in trade talks, the Times reported in a story posted on its website Saturday. The law firm was not identified in the document, but the Chicago-based firm Mayer Brown was advising the Indonesian government on trade issues at the time, according to the newspaper.

New Zealand 87-4 at lunch on day 3 vs. India Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:47 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Senior fast bowler Zaheer Khan took 3-28 as India restricted New Zealand to 87-4 at lunch Sunday on the third day of the second cricket test, moving closer to a win that would level the two-match series between the teams.

Smoke bomb forces evacuation of La Liga match Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:35 PM PST VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — A smoke bomb with effects similar to tear gas was thrown onto the pitch of El Madrigal Stadium and forced the game between host Villarreal and Celta Vigo to be temporarily stopped on Saturday.

Celebrities pack front row at London Fashion Week Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:31 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Celebrities, starlets and fashion's elite packed the front row at London Fashion Week on Saturday, as the style event swung into its second day.

Wellies maker Hunter makes a splash at London show Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:29 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Watch out: The humble rubber rain boot has arrived with a big splash at the London fashion scene.

Factbox: Timeline of deaths, accidents at Brazil's World Cup stadiums Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:23 PM PST (Reuters) - Stadium construction in Brazil for this year's World Cup soccer tournament has been plagued by accidents, cost overruns and delays. Six people have died during the building of the 12 venues scheduled to host the matches, which start June 12. The following is a chronology of the major accidents and deaths in the lead up to the World Cup: June 11, 2012: A builder falls to his death during construction of the World Cup stadium in Brasilia, Brazil's capital. March 28, 2013: A worker dies after a fall at the stadium site in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas. ...

Venezuelan opposition leader's arrest sought Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:08 PM PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that a police manhunt was underway for Leopoldo Lopez, the hard-line opposition leader behind anti-government demonstrations that ended with three deaths.

Messi scores 2 in Barca's 6-0 rout of Rayo Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:01 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another to help Barcelona brush aside Rayo Vallecano 6-0 and keep its share of the Spanish league lead on Saturday, while a smoke bomb with tear gas forced an evacuation during Villarreal's 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo.

Mass start ends individual biathlon races in Sochi Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:01 PM PST KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — The individual competitions of men's biathlon at the Sochi Olympics end Sunday with the mass start event.

Davis and White of US favored in Sochi ice dance Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:55 PM PST SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The Americans "smoked" the Canadians in Round 1.

Hard to pick a favorite in men's Olympic curling Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:48 PM PST SOCHI, Russia (AP) — With seven wins from seven, it's hard to look past Canada for the gold medal in women's Olympic curling.

Wide-open race expected in 2-man bobsled Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:43 PM PST KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — Alexander Zubkov of Russia knows that he's capable of driving his way to the Olympic two-man bobsledding gold medal at the Sochi Games.

Dibaba runs fastest-ever 2 miles indoors Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:35 PM PST BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Genzebe Dibaba produced her third record performance of the month on Saturday, with the Ethiopian racing the fastest two miles at the Birmingham Grand Prix.

Super-G Sunday is last Alpine speed race in Sochi Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:30 PM PST KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — Aksel Lund Svindal and Bode Miller get another shot at Sochi Olympic medals in Sunday's super-G, the last speed race on the Alpine schedule.

Individual glory over, time to team up at jumping Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:23 PM PST KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — With the medals awarded in the individual competitions, training begins Sunday for the final ski jumping event at the Sochi Olympics, the large hill team gold. And there will likely be some familiar faces from the podium at Vancouver four years ago — five in fact.

Report: Document shows surveillance of US law firm Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency was involved in the surveillance of an American law firm while it represented a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, The New York Times reported in a story based on a top-secret document obtained by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden.

Russian women, Finns in hockey consolation bracket Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:18 PM PST SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The Russian women's hockey team had high expectations for the Olympics in Sochi.

Bubka watches Lavillenie break his world record Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:15 PM PST With Sergei Bubka in the crowd, there was perfect symmetry as Renaud Lavillenie broke Bubka's indoor pole vault world record in the same Ukrainian city of Donetsk more than 20 years later.

Wust goes after 2nd gold of Olympics in 1,500 Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:14 PM PST SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Ireen Wust looks to continue a dominant Olympics for herself and the Netherlands in the women's 1,500 meters speedskating.

Sterling and Zaha give Hodgson wings Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:08 PM PST England manager Roy Hodgson feels the sparkling form of Raheem Sterling and the re-emergence of Wilfried Zaha could leave him spoilt for choice in wide areas at the World Cup. Sterling, 19, has produced some scintillating displays for Liverpool in recent weeks, notably scoring twice in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal last weekend that relaunched his side's Premier League title challenge. Zaha, meanwhile, is belatedly enjoying some first-team action after joining Cardiff City on loan from Manchester United last month. Sterling made his England debut in a 4-2 friendly defeat away to Sweden in November 2012, but he vanished from view in the second half of the 2012-13 campaign as Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers elected to rest him.

Sweden aims for relay double at Sochi Olympics Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:03 PM PST KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — After a fiasco in the women's cross-country relay, Norway gets a chance to make amends right away in the men's event on Sunday.

Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:02 PM PST HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Tourists, hawkers and motorcyclists rub shoulders every morning in the congested alleyways of Hanoi's low-rise Old Quarter, which seems generations away from the office towers and electronics megastores springing up in other parts of the capital. The quarter's street grid, laid out in the 15th century, is still dominated by dilapidated shops selling everything from brass gongs to bamboo scaffolding. It is now among Asia's best-preserved urban hubs of traditional commerce — thanks largely to decades of inattention. The 82-hectare (203-acre) downtown area is crammed with Buddhist temples, pagodas and French colonial shophouses, whose original tiles and peeling yellow paint have become a draw for foreign visitors.

Smoke bomb forces suspension of La Liga match Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:55 PM PST VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — A smoke bomb thrown onto the pitch of El Madrigal Stadium has forced Saturday's game between host Villarreal and Celta Vigo to be suspended.

Porto Alegre World Cup stadium holds test event Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:54 PM PST PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — The World Cup stadium in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre held its first test event on Saturday.

Inter Milan beats Fiorentina 2-1 in Serie A Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:51 PM PST FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Inter Milan won 2-1 at Fiorentina in Serie A on Saturday to keep alive its faint hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Strike-hit Amplats says suing union in South Africa Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:49 PM PST South African mining giant Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) on Saturday said it was suing a trade union for damages and losses suffered over the past three-week work stoppage. "The company is suffering damages arising from the failure by AMCU (union) to maintain control of the strike," Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole told AFP. The world's top platinum miner is seeking a payment of 591 million rands ($54 million, 40 million euros) for property damaged by striking members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) who it says have failed to adhere to picketing rules. The provisional damages claim comes to "about 591-million rand, although as AMCU's wrongful conduct is continuing, the damages will continue to accrue," she said.

Sporting beats Olhanense 1-0 to stay in title race Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:47 PM PST LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Sporting Lisbon beat bottom-side Olhanense 1-0 at home thanks to Carlos Mane's first-half goal on Saturday, keeping it in the hunt for the Portuguese league lead.

A look at last day of hockey's preliminary round Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:46 PM PST SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The U.S. set itself up to earn a pass into the men's hockey quarterfinals at the Olympics with a heart-pounding 3-2 shootout victory against Russia on Saturday.

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