Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Yahoo! News: World News
World News
  1. Homs under assault, Russia unbending on Syria (Reuters)
    Reuters - Syrian forces thrusting into the rebellious city of Homs on Wednesday killed at least 67 civilians, including three families slain in their homes by militiaman loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said.
  2. Maldives' Nasheed says he was forced to resign at gunpoint (Reuters)

    Maldives' newly appointed President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik speaks during a news conference at the presidential office in Male February 8, 2012. REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteReuters - Ex-Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed said on Wednesday he was forced to step down at gunpoint on and urged his successor to step down.


  3. NATO, Afghan and Pakistan officials to hold border talks (Reuters)
    Reuters - NATO, Afghan and Pakistani military officials will hold talks on improving border security and coordination on Wednesday, in a possible sign that tension is easing following a cross-border NATO air attack in November that infuriated Pakistan.
  4. U.S. to move Marines to Guam despite Futenma delay (Reuters)
    Reuters - Japan and the United States said on Wednesday they have started talks to transfer U.S. Marines to Guam from the southern Japan island of Okinawa despite little progress being made on the planned relocation of a U.S. airbase on Okinawa, a step forward in an issue that has long been an irritant in bilateral ties.
  5. Gandhi dynasty scion takes on low caste "queen" in India vote (Reuters)
    Reuters - Millions of voters went to the polls in India's most populous and politically important state on Wednesday, the first stage of an election that tests support for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's troubled government ahead of a nationwide vote in two years.
  6. Haiti Papers Over the Past: The Re-Branding of Baby Doc Duvalier (Time.com)
    Time.com - The government of Michel Martelly -- friend of Sean Penn and other U.S. celebrities -- has decided not to pursue the ex-dictator-for-life for crimes against humanity -- just corruption
  7. RBS chief considered resigning over bonus row (AP)
    AP - The chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland said Wednesday that he had considered resigning over the political controversy surrounding his nearly 1 million pound ($1.6 billion) bonus.
  8. Russia: Assad wants his VP to speak to opposition (AP)

    Pro-Syrian regime supporters wave Syrian and Russian flags as they cheer a convoy believed to be transporting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Thousands of Syrians waving Russian flags cheered Russia's foreign minister as he arrived in Damascus Tuesday for talks with embattled President Bashar Assad on the country's escalating violence. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)AP - Syrian President Bashar Assad wants his vice president to hold talks with the opposition groups, Russia's foreign minister said, as activists reported that dozens died Wednesday in government bombings of cities and villages across Syria.


  9. Disgruntled police in Brazil threatening Carnival (AP)

    Soldiers maintain their blockade of the Bahian state legislature building, where up to 300 striking police officers and their families are holed up, in Salvador, Brazil, Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012. About one-third of Bahia's 30,000 police went on strike a week ago and murders in the capital's metropolitan area immediately spiked, reaching double normal rates before 2,000 troops were sent in Sunday to patrol the city in armored personnel carriers. The striking police officers are demanding pay raises and amnesty for what a judge ruled an illegal work stoppage. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)AP - Disgruntled police across Brazil are taking aim at the country's iconic Carnival celebration, raising threats to the annual street parties that draw hordes of foreigners as a way to press their demands for pay raises.


  10. South Africa's close ties to Iran under scrutiny (AP)
    AP - The West's increasing pressure on Iran has meant scrutiny for South African businesses that operate in the Middle Eastern nation accused of having nuclear ambitions.
  11. US, Japan pave way to send Okinawa Marines to Guam (AP)
    AP - The transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam will not require the prior closure of a base on the southern Japan island of Okinawa, the United States and Japan announced Wednesday in a compromise they hope will break a stalemate over opposition to the large U.S. military presence there.
  12. Two RCMP officers shot in Alberta; house surrounded (Reuters)
    Reuters - Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were shot and wounded in the western province of Alberta, the national police force said on Tuesday.
  13. Qantas grounds A380 after finding cracks in wings (AP)
    AP - Australia's Qantas Airways says it has temporarily grounded one of its A380 superjumbos after discovering dozens of hairline cracks in its wings.
  14. The Merkel-Sarkozy 'odd couple' becomes a campaign duo (The Christian Science Monitor)
    The Christian Science Monitor - A German chancellor stumping for a standing French president is not something the French have seen before.
  15. Rio's Olympic Preview: Erupting Manhole Covers (Time.com)
    Time.com - Will the Brazilian megacity's crumbling infrastructure spoil the World Cup and the Olympics?