[World] India gang rape victim dies in Singapore hospital

India gang rape victim dies in Singapore hospital
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-gang-rape-victim-dies-in-Singapore-hospital/articleshow/17802192.cms
By Kevin Lim and Eveline Danubrata. SINGAPORE | Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:00pm EST. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Indian gang rape victim whose assault in New Delhi triggered nationwide protests died of her injuries on Saturday in a Singapore hospital, ...

Russia Calls for Meeting With Syrian Opposition
http://rt.com/politics/lavrov-syrian-opposition-dialogue-985/
MOSCOW - Russia has shown a burst of diplomatic energy before talks here on Saturday with the United Nations envoy on Syria, perhaps seeing a chance for a breakthrough that would temper the criticism it has drawn in the West and the Arab world during ...

Central African Republic to hold talks with rebels
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20862637
The government of the Central African Republic and rebels have agreed to hold talks after weeks of clashes. A regional delegation said no pre-conditions had been set for the talks which will be held in Libreville, capital of neighbouring Gabon.

Monti will lead centrists in Italian election
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/28/mario-monti-coalition-italian-elections
Outgoing Italian prime minister Mario Monti says he will lead a centrist alliance in this February's election, ending weeks of speculation over his political future.

Russian Adoption Ban Brings Uncertainty and Outrage
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gGfLWDiNeX4l2ldK37zMOnRqLR4A?docId=6f8cd875621c42c48177fa053e99c297
MOSCOW - President Vladimir V. Putin on Friday signed into law a ban on adoptions of Russian children by American citizens, apparently blocking the departure from Russia of hundreds of orphans who had already been told that they would soon go home ...

Berlusconi to pay 3m euros a month in alimony
http://www.smh.com.au/world/berlusconi-to-pay-3m-euros-a-month-in-alimony-20121229-2bzzb.html
Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has obtained a divorce from his second wife, Veronica Lario, and will have to pay her 3 million euros ($A3.86 million) a month in alimony, media report.

Iraq on Verge of Major Unrest as Sunnis Protest Their Treatment
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/26/iraq-protests-tension-sunni-shia
A year after the U.S. troops left Iraq, sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shi'ites is threatening to plunge the nation into a drawn-out civil war.

Iranian navy launches six days of exercises around Strait of Hormuz
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/13plDBw8n3urxHVYIO01tL/Iran-starts-navy-drills-in-Strait-of-Hormuz.html
Iran launched six days of naval exercises around the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, proclaiming they would demonstrate its “defensive” capabilities and send a “message of peace and friendship to regional countries”.

'Fatah reinstates plans for Gaza anniversary event'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/9767671/Israel-takes-a-step-towards-easing-blockade-of-Gaza.html
Ma'an reports that anniversary plans back on after Hamas relents and gives approval for use of Gaza City square for Fatah celebration.

Pakistan press marks arrival of "new Bhutto" into politics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20857158
"He came, he saw and he conquered" - this is how the Pakistani Daily Times summed up Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's formal arrival in politics.

New Constitution divides Egypt as economy falters
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2012/1228/New-Constitution-divides-Egypt-as-economy-falters
New constitutions are usually greeted with great fanfare. They're assumed to carry both the promise of a fresh start and signal that a chaotic transition has come to an end.

Papers Show Rare Friction for Thatcher and Reagan
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9767783/Government-considered-pulling-England-out-of-World-Cup-after-Falklands.html
LONDON - The bond between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan, both in office in the 1980s, has become a kind of gold standard, showing what the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States can be when their ...

TTP cease-fire offer to create division among parties, says Bilour
http://dawn.com/2012/12/28/video-dispels-reports-of-rift-among-pakistani-taliban-ranks/
PESHAWAR - Pakistan's Federal Railway Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)'s offer for negotiation is an attempt to create division among political parties, Geo News reported December 27.

Letters: Drone damage
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/29-Dec-2012/us-drone-strike-kills-2-qaeda-men
Re “Yemen strategy is risky for U.S.,” Dec. 25. The article states: “A 2011 drone attack killed Anwar Awlaki, an American-born Muslim preacher and militant recruiter.

Ambitions for China's economy
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/1229/1224328242355.html
When the seven men in blue suits walked out on the stage after the 18th Communist Party Congress, and Xi Jinping, the freshly installed leader of the world's most populous nation, began his soothing remarks, it was a carefully orchestrated picture of calm, ...

Will he live? Will he die? Is he even sick? Venezuela obsesses over Chavez
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/will-he-live-will-he-die-is-he-even-sick-venezuela-obsesses-over-chavez/article6795120/
He's getting better. He's getting worse. He's already dead. The whole thing is a conspiracy and he was never sick in the first place.

South Africa's painful slide through protest and scandal
http://www.smh.com.au/world/zuma-gets-a-mauling-from-furious-dog-owners-20121228-2bz6z.html
South African President Jacob Zuma dances during a traditional ritual in Nkandla last month to help ensure his victory in a December 18 ANC leadership vote.