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TOP STORIES
French planes pound Islamist camps in northern Mali desert
PARIS/BAMAKO - French warplanes pound Islamist rebel camps
in the far north of Mali, a day after French President Francois
Hollande is hailed as a saviour during a visit to the West
African country. (MALI-REBELS/ (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), moved, by
Elena Berton and Tiemoko Diallo, 700 words)
- MALI-REBELS/TIMBUKTU (TV, PIX), moved, by David Lewis, 700
words
Syrian opposition chief under fire for Assad ally talks
MUNICH - Syria's opposition leader flies back to his Cairo
headquarters from Germany to explain to sceptical allies his
decision to talk with President Bashar al-Assad's main backers
Russia and Iran, in the hope of a breakthrough in the
crisis.(SYRIA-CRISIS/ (WRAPUP 2, PIX), moved, by Khaled Yacoub
Oweis and Stephen Brown, 700 words)
Iran hedges on nuclear talks with six powers or U.S.
MUNICH - Iran says it is open to a U.S. offer of direct
talks on its nuclear programme and that six world powers have
suggested a new round of nuclear negotiations this month, but
without committing itself to either proposal.
(IRAN-NUCLEAR/SALEHI (UPDATE 3), moved, by Adrian Croft and
Alexandra Hudson, 600 words)
Fidel Castro votes, chats in Cuban election
HAVANA - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro voted in Cuba's
general election on Sunday and chatted with well wishers and
Cuban reporters in Havana for more than an hour, in his first
extended public appearance since 2010. A stooped, snow white
bearded Castro, 86, was seen on state-run television as he cast
his ballot in the late afternoon, wearing a blue plaid shirt and
light blue jacket. (CUBA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), moved,
by Marc Frank, 732 words)
ASIA
China and Japan seek to dial down tensions, but risks remain
TOKYO/SHANGHAI - Two Japanese F-15s scramble as a Chinese
plane nears the disputed islands: one in the lead, the other
providing cover. That's how the risky game being played near a
chain of rocky, uninhabited isles at the heart of a row between
Beijing and Tokyo could quickly escalate to the danger point, a
former Japanese air force pilot says. (JAPAN-CHINA/FLASHPOINT
(ANALYSIS, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved, by Linda Sieg and John Ruwitch,
994 words)
Pakistan army's legacy of mistrust in Taliban heartland
CHAGMALAI, Pakistan - In a Pakistani army base high in the
mountains on the Afghan frontier, a general explains a strategy
for fighting the Taliban that he calls simply "WHAM". Soldiers
are learning to fight a new kind of war in a region U.S.
President Barack Obama has called the most dangerous on
Earth.(PAKISTAN-MILITARY/ (PIX), moved, by Mehreen Zahra-Malik,
1,470 words)
MIDDLE EAST
Ahmadinejad accuses Iran speaker's family of corruption
DUBAI - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses the parliament
speaker's family of corruption, turning a long-standing rivalry
between two of Iran's most powerful figures into a face-to-face
feud, months before an election. (IRAN-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 1),
moved, by Yeganeh Torbati, 600 words)
Attackers kills 33 at police HQ in disputed Iraqi city
KIRKUK, Iraq - At least 33 people are killed in the Iraqi
city of Kirkuk when a suicide bomber detonates a truck packed
with explosives outside a police headquarters before gunmen
disguised as officers try to storm the compound. (IRAQ-VIOLENCE/
(UPDATE 3, TV, PIX), moved, by Mustafa Mahoud, 600 words)
EUROPE
Berlusconi launches 'last great battle,' promises tax cuts
ROME - Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi
announces his "last great electoral and political battle" with a
sweeping promise to cut taxes and the cost of government if his
centre-right wins elections this month. (ITALY-VOTE/ (UPDATE 2,
PIX, TV), by Philip Pullella, moved, 697 words)
Italy Monte Paschi bank probe enters crucial week
ROME - An investigation into illegal activity at Italy's
Monte Paschi bank enters a crucial week when magistrates
question key witnesses in a scandal that has touched off a
political firestorm just three weeks before national elections.
(MONTEPASCHI/ (PIX), moved, by Philip Pullella, 600 words)
UNITED STATES
Obama: more tax revenue needed to address U.S. deficit -CBS
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says more tax revenue
will be needed to reduce the U.S. deficit and signals he will
push hard to get rid of loopholes such as the "carried interest"
tax break enjoyed by private equity and hedge fund managers.
(USA-TAXES/OBAMA (UPDATE 1), moved, by Jeff Mason, 575 words)
Obama encourages Boy Scouts of America to end ban on gays
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama encourages the Boy
Scouts of America to end its ban on gay members and leaders,
days before the group is expected to vote on the controversial
and long-standing rule. (USA-BOYSCOUTS/GAYS-OBAMA, moved, by
Jeff Mason, 400 words)
AMERICAS
Three bodies found at Mexico Pemex blast site, toll reaches
36
MEXICO CITY - Mexican rescue workers find three more bodies
over the weekend amid the rubble of a deadly blast that tore
through state oil firm Pemex's main office complex, the
government says, as search efforts appear to near a close.
(MEXICO-PEMEX/ (TV, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved, by Michael O'Boyle,
286 words)
- MEXICO-PEMEX/PENIANIETO (ANALYSIS, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC),
moved, By Michael O'Boyle and David Alire Garcia, 1025 words