[World] South Korea faces 'grave' threat from North Korea

South Korea faces 'grave' threat from North Korea
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/9757448/South-Korea-faces-grave-threat-from-North-Korea.html
Victorious in Wednesday's election, Park Geun-hye took 51.6 per cent of the vote to defeat her liberal rival, Moon Jae-in, and will be sworn in as South Korea's first female president in late February.

Russia's Putin backs tough response to US rights law
http://rt.com/news/putin-media-briefing-live-467/
By Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy Heritage. MOSCOW | Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:49am EST. MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin supported a ban on Americans adopting Russian children on Thursday in a feud over a U.S.

Syrian conflict becoming 'overtly sectarian'
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/no-prospect-of-an-end-to-syria-conflictun/story-e6frfkui-1226541178881
Syrian rebels clean their weapons at their headquarters in Maaret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP. Live.

Panel on Benghazi attack heaps blame on State, citing 'systemic failures' (+video)
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2012/1219/Panel-on-Benghazi-attack-heaps-blame-on-State-citing-systemic-failures-video
... • A daily summary of global reports on security issues. Skip to next paragraph. Whitney Eulich. Latin America Editor.

'Biggest appeal ever' for Syria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20795098
The United Nations (UN) wants to raise almost a billion pounds to help those affected by the ongoing fighting in Syria. It's the "largest short-term humanitarian appeal ever", they say.

Ailing Iraq president arrives in Germany for treatment
http://www.dw.de/iraqi-president-talabani-on-his-way-to-germany-for-treatment/a-16467021
BAGHDAD/BERLIN | Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:16am EST. BAGHDAD/BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has arrived in Germany for medical treatment, the German government confirmed on Thursday, after he suffered a stroke earlier in the week.

Al Qaeda grows powerful in Syria as endgame nears
http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/al-qaeda-grows-powerful-in-syria-as-endgame-nears-307758
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis. AMMAN | Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:40am EST. AMMAN (Reuters) - Having seen its star wane in Iraq, al Qaeda has staged a comeback in neighbouring Syria, posing a dilemma for the opposition fighting to remove President Bashar ...

Pakistan polio vaccination workers targeted in fresh attacks; 7 now killed
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57559942/pakistan-polio-vaccination-workers-targeted-in-fresh-attacks-7-now-killed/
Updated at 11:08 a.m. Eastern. PESHAWAR, Pakistan Gunmen shot dead a woman working on U.N.-backed polio vaccination efforts and her driver in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, just a day after similar attacks across the country killed ...

Gaza diary: From one war to another
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/gaza-diary-from-one-war-to-another-1.485681
M.'s family fled the fighting in Syria, only to end up in the Gaza Strip one month before Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense.

Modi Bolsters Bid to Lead BJP With Crushing Gujarat Victory
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/modi-set-for-hattrick-congress-ousts-bjp-in-hp/article4221353.ece
Narendra Modi is poised to win a third consecutive term as chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, strengthening his bid to lead the main opposition party into parliamentary polls in just over a year.

Angry protests across Delhi over gang-rape
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/angry-protests-across-delhi-over-gangrape/article4220758.ece
In a manifestation of public anger over the gang-rape of a young woman in a Delhi bus, the Capital on Wednesday saw a wave of protests by university students, civil society groups and women's organisations.

Egypt's Referendum: As Second Vote Nears, National Unity Nowhere in Sight
http://world.time.com/2012/12/20/egypts-referendum-as-second-vote-nears-national-unity-nowhere-in-sight/
A street vendor holds a bunch of Egyptian flags for sale while supporters of Egypt's opposition take part in a demonstration in front of the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Dec. 18, 2012.

Fisheries minister 'delighted' with EU quota deal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/20/fish-eu-quota-deal-delighted
The UK has hailed an EU fisheries deal on catches for next year as good for the fishing industry and good for "the health of our seas".

Government to fund legal bill for Hillsborough families
http://www.channel4.com/news/government-to-fund-legal-bill-for-hillsborough-families
The Government will fund legal representation for the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster at the planned new inquests into their deaths.