[World] Activists: Syrian Rebels Capture Northern Town

Activists: Syrian Rebels Capture Northern Town
http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian_rebels_capture_northern_town_near_turkey/1571760.html
Syrian rights activists say rebels have captured a northern town near the border with Turkey, driving out government troops after a siege that lasted several weeks.

Neighbors / Morsi's Aladdin's lamp
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57560594/egypts-disputed-charter-headed-toward-approval/
Home · Print Edition · Features. Neighbors / Morsi's Aladdin's lamp. Egyptians have approved a new constitution, but growing criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood points to dissatisfaction that jeopardizes the regime.

GCC warns Iran 'stop interference'
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=344444
DECLINING bilateral ties with Iran could be salvaged if it ends its continuous interference in the Gulf countries, said Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa yesterday.

Australians survive Burma plane crash
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/25/tourist-plane-crashes-burma
Five Australians have survived a deadly plane crash in Burma. They were among 11 people who were injured when the plane crashed and burst into flames in a rice paddy near the Heho airport on Christmas Day.

Yemeni officials say 2 militants killed, 3 wounded in US airstrike in south Yemen
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/yemeni-officials-say-2-militants-killed-3-wounded-in-us-airstrike-in-south-yemen/2012/12/24/f30d774e-4dcb-11e2-835b-02f92c0daa43_story.html
SANAA, Yemen - A U.S. drone airstrike killed two al-Qaida militants Monday in a southern town, Yemeni security officials said, the latest in a years long U.S.

Better ties with China crucial: Japan envoy
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-12/26/c_132063796.htm
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan's new ambassador arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as the country's incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe picked a new foreign minister amid looming tension over the Diaoyu Islands.

Delhi gangrape protests tone down after constable's death
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/delhi-gangrape-protests-tone-down-after-police-constables-death/312337-3-244.html
New Delhi: Protests in Delhi over the brutal rape of a 23-year-old have calmed down. On Tuesday, constable Subash Tomar was laid to rest with full state honours.

Queen's message praises 2012 'army of volunteers'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20839338
The Queen has praised the "army of volunteers" at the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In her Christmas message, she said it was striking to see the "friendship" of so many people who marked her Jubilee, particularly during the river ...

Five cops among 15 killed in Karachi attacks
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-19721-Five-cops-among-15-killed-in-Karachi-attacks
KARACHI: Information Secretary of the Ahle Sunnat Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ), Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi, survived an armed attack in the city on Tuesday in which his driver, a private security guard and four policemen died.

World's longest high-speed rail line makes debut
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-12/26/content_16055305.htm
BEIJING, Dec.26 (Xinhua) -- The world's longest high-speed rail line, which spans over half of China, began operating Wednesday, further cementing the country's high-speed railway development ambitions.

Ukraine police helicopter crashes, killing 5
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/world/21009416162675/5-dead-in-helicopter-crash-in-ukraine/
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - A police helicopter belonging to Ukraine's Interior Ministry crashed shortly after takeoff Tuesday in the central part of the country, killing five people on board, officials said.