[World] Syria crisis: Brahimi warns horror is 'unprecedented'

Syria crisis: Brahimi warns horror is 'unprecedented'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21255536
The conflict in Syria has reached "unprecedented levels of horror", peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has told the UN Security Council.

Islamists Falter in Bid for Mali's Hearts and Minds
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9835944/Mali-French-troops-reach-Kidal-airport.html
DIABALY, Maliâ€"Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb intended this desert country to serve as a base for its jihad across Africa. But in the towns Islamist fighters occupied and recently abandoned, the insurgency wasn't able to keep its African allies from angering ...

Kerry Sails Through the Senate as Secretary of State
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/kerry-gets-senate-nod-for-secretary-of-state-20130130-2djq3.html
Kerry Sails Through the Senate as Secretary of State. By MICHAEL R. GORDON. Published: January 29, 2013. WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed Senator John Kerry as secretary of state on Tuesday, filling a key position on President Obama's retooled ...

Aleppo massacre: 68 bodies found near river
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/01/29/syria-aleppo-bodies-found.html
Warning: Graphic images. Sixty-five found executed in Syria's Aleppo (Video Thumbnail) Click to play video. Return to video. Video settings.

Clinton Hopes North Korea Can Be Dissuaded From Nuclear Test
http://www.voanews.com/content/clinton-hopes-north-korea-can-be-dissuaded-from-nuclear-test/1593364.html
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there is still hope that North Korea can be dissuaded from taking such a provocative step as conducting another nuclear test.

Daredevil Surfer Tackles Largest Wave Ever
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10862250
And finally tonight, get ready for what seems to be the biggest wave ever surfed. As high as 100 feet. And the conquering hero is a 45-year-old man in a young athlete's game.

After Fire, Some Brazilians Fault a Nation's Sense of Fatalism
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/world/americas/deadly-fire-has-brazilians-debating-why-bad-things-happen.html
SANTA MARIA, Brazil - First there was the shock over the chaotic nightclub fire here that killed more than 230 people, many of them promising university students.

Ukrainian General Sentenced to Life in Journalist's Killing
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/world/europe/ukrainian-general-pukach-given-life-sentence-in-killing-of-journalist.html
MOSCOW - A Ukrainian court sentenced a former security official to life in prison on Tuesday for the death of Georgy Gongadze, a journalist whose mysterious death in 2000 provoked an international outcry and helped set off protests against the president at ...

Israel Rebukes Argentina for Deal With Iran to Investigate '94 Attack
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21250245
JERUSALEM - Israel strongly criticized Argentina on Tuesday, summoning its ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem to explain Argentina's agreement with Iran to establish a joint commission to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community ...

Why the Queen is never going to abdicate
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/9834829/Why-the-Queen-is-never-going-to-abdicate.html
Prince Charles must sometimes wish he could go Dutch. Aged only 74, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has just chosen to hand over the throne to her 45-year-old son, Prince Willem-Alexander.

Rape victim's father demands changes to law
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-gang-rape-verdicts-very-soon-Lawyer/articleshow/18240535.cms
The father of the 23-year-old Indian woman who died after being gang-raped in a bus in New Delhi last month has demanded changes in the law to allow a teenage suspect to be tried as an adult.

Small print in Lapid's plan for Haredi conscription reveals gap between rhetoric ...
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/small-print-in-lapid-s-plan-for-haredi-conscription-reveals-gap-between-rhetoric-and-actual-proposal.premium-1.496363
According to the party's official platform, the Lapid plan should only be troubling now to Haredi youngsters aged 13 and younger.

IAG claims number climbs to 5600, flood damage bill to exceed $130m
http://www.smh.com.au/business/coast-bears-brunt-of-oswald-as-queensland-takes-stock-20130129-2diu2.html
THE damages bill from flooding in New South Wales and Queensland continues to climb, with Insurance Australia Group revealing that it had now received about 5600 claims.

UN nixes reports of blast at Iran nuclear facility
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/27-Jan-2013/world-accused-of-delaying-iran-n-talks
VIENNA (AP) - The U.N. nuclear agency is dismissing reports of a major explosion at Iran's fortified underground nuclear facility.

Why Palestine Should Take Israel to Court in the Hague
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-approves-transfer-of-tax-revenues-to-the-palestinian-authority-1.500159
SAN FRANCISCO. Related. Times Topics: International Criminal Court | Israel | Palestinians. Opinion Twitter Logo. Connect With Us on Twitter.

Fischer was the Israeli economy's responsible adult
http://www.haaretz.com/business/fischer-was-the-israeli-economy-s-responsible-adult-1.500171
In his eight years as Governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer has worked with five different finance ministers. Fischer had wanted to leave in April.

Shah Rukh Khan: 'Proud Indian' SRK issues stinging response to Pakistan over ...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2270296/Shah-Rukh-Khan-Proud-Indian-SRK-issues-stinging-response-Pakistan-claims-unsafe-country.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
"I am proud to be an Indian," Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan declared at a function in Mumbai on Tuesday. The actor's words followed the controversy over a signed magazine article he had written on his identity as a Muslim in India.