World News

NKorea sets March date for parliamentary elections (AP)
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AP - North Korea announced Wednesday it will hold long overdue elections in March amid indications the impoverished regime plans to fill parliament with finance-savvy legislators and has named new Cabinet ministers with economic know-how.
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Russia stops all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine (AP)
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AP - Russia cut off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine on Wednesday, playing hardball in a weeklong standoff that has left more than a dozen countries struggling to cope with dwindling energy supplies in the depths of winter.
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Afghanistan, Pakistan have overcome suspicion: Pakistani FM (AFP)
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AFP - Afghanistan and Pakistan have overcome many hurdles and suspicions to forge a new relationship that will see cooperation on fighting terrorism and more, the Pakistani foreign minister said Wednesday.
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Ghana president takes office after tense election (AP)
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AP - Ghana's new president took office Wednesday vowing to "heal wounds and unite our dear nation" following a peaceful but tense election that secured the country's status as one of the continent's few stable democracies.
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Humid weather brings out Australia's deadly funnel web (AFP)
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AFP - One of the world's most venomous spiders, Australia's funnel-web, is enjoying the summer so much it appears to have brought forward its annual mating ritual, according to an expert.
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Mugabe appoints acting ministers: Herald (AFP)
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AFP - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has appointed eight acting ministers days after firing a number of ministers from his ZANU-PF party who lost in the March 2008 elections, state media said on Wednesday.
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Rival poses problems for DR Congo rebel leader (AFP)
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AFP - Congolese rebels meet Wednesday amid an open challenge to the leadership of Laurent Nkunda in a split likely to complicate the search for a solution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo.
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US-funded program fails to stop tunnel smuggling (AP)
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AP - Angry at Hamas' ability to fire rockets at Israel, the United States last year allocated $23 million to help train Egyptian officials to stop the smuggling into Gaza through tunnels at a border plagued by crisis and corruption.
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Pope Benedict jokes about hoarse voice (AP)
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AP - A hoarse Pope Benedict XVI asked the faithful during a general audience Wednesday to bear with his weak voice.
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12 deaths blamed on snow and cold across Europe (AP)
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AP - Freezing temperatures and exceptional snowfall caused travel delays Wednesday across Europe and were blamed for at least 12 deaths, including that of a man in Milan who was crushed when a canopy collapsed under the weight of snow.
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Bank of England meets to decide on rate cut (AFP)
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AFP - The Bank of England begins a historic meeting on Wednesday to slash interest rates for a third month running, bringing them to their lowest ever levels as Britain readies to join a growing list of nations officially in recession.
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Report: Pakistan intel chief says no India war (AP)
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AP - Pakistan's intelligence chief said there will not be war with India over the Mumbai attacks and emphasized terrorism not India was the greatest threat to the country, according to a rare interview.
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Marks & Spencer says closing stores, cutting up to 1,230 jobs (AFP)
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AFP - Marks & Spencer said on Wednesday it would close 27 stores and eliminate as many as 1,230 jobs.
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Hostages freed from pirates off Somalia, Nigeria (AP)
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AP - Pirates freed 20 hostages aboard a Turkish freighter commandeered off the Somali coast, as nine captives on a French boat were released off southern Nigeria, the boat owners said Wednesday.
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China fears recession riots as Europe joblessness grows (AFP)
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AFP - A stark warning by state media Wednesday of possible mass unrest in China signalled deepening fears over the global recession, as Europe grappled with more job losses and an energy cutoff during a winter freeze.
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