Japan PM courts former ally to pass budget (Reuters)

Japan PM courts former ally to pass budget (Reuters)
SAfrican newspaper debuts denying it's ANC agent (AP)
4 more Afghan election employees arrested (AP)
Japan PM courts former ally to pass budget
India, France sign multimillion nuclear power deal (AP)
Pirates hijack cargo ship with 25 people off India (AP)
Anwar loses second bid to dismiss trial judge (AFP)
AOL Reportedly Mulls Break-Up, Followed By Merger With Yahoo
U.S., allies, plot N.Korea strategy -- without China (Reuters)
Israeli forest fire extinguished: police (Reuters)
Afghans' faith in U.S. ebbing, poll finds (Reuters)
European bonds plan proposed amid eurozone crisis (AFP)
Gunmen kill 4 in attack on 2 Mexico rehab centers (AP)
Rudd told US to prepare to use force in China (AFP)
Afghans' faith in U.S. ebbing, poll finds
S Korea holds live-fire navy drills
Deadly mudslide hits Colombia
Israeli forest fire extinguished: police
Shortage Of Rare Earth Metals Exacerbated By Smuggling
Price Stability Is An Economically Dangerous Fad

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:58 PM PST

Reuters - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed on Monday to consult a small former coalition partner on next year's budget in a bid to smooth its enactment in a divided parliament, but the party set a high hurdle for cooperation.

SAfrican newspaper debuts denying it's ANC agent (AP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 11:13 PM PST

AP - A South African newspaper debuted Monday with denials it is a mouthpiece of the governing African National Congress.

4 more Afghan election employees arrested (AP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 11:15 PM PST

AP - An Afghan electoral official says four election commission employees have been arrested.

Japan PM courts former ally to pass budget

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:58 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed on Monday to consult a small former coalition partner on next year's budget in a bid to smooth its enactment in a divided parliament, but the party set a high hurdle for cooperation.

India, France sign multimillion nuclear power deal (AP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:43 PM PST

AP - India and France signed a multibillion agreement Monday to build two nuclear power plants in India as French President Nicolas Sarkozy worked to drum up business for his nation during his four-day visit here.

Pirates hijack cargo ship with 25 people off India (AP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:42 PM PST

AP - Suspected Somali pirates hijacked a Bangladeshi ship carrying nickel ore in the Arabian Sea and appear headed to the lawless East African nation, officials said Monday.

Anwar loses second bid to dismiss trial judge (AFP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:42 PM PST

AFP - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Monday lost his second bid to have the judge presiding over his sodomy trial disqualified for bias.

AOL Reportedly Mulls Break-Up, Followed By Merger With Yahoo

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:51 PM PST

Remember those rumors about AOL (AOL) combining forces with Yahoo (YHOO)? Well, they?re back,

U.S., allies, plot N.Korea strategy -- without China (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:06 PM PST

Reuters - The Japanese, South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers meet on Monday to plot strategy toward an increasingly provocative North Korea in the face of China's reluctance to try to rein in its sometime ally.

Israeli forest fire extinguished: police (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:11 PM PST

Reuters - A forest fire that killed 41 people in northern Israel's Carmel region has been extinguished, Israeli police said on Monday.

Afghans' faith in U.S. ebbing, poll finds (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:37 PM PST

Reuters - Afghans are more pessimistic about the direction of their country, less confident in the ability of the United States and its allies to provide security and more willing to negotiate with the Taliban than they were a year ago, a poll conducted in all of Afghanistan's 34 provinces showed.

European bonds plan proposed amid eurozone crisis (AFP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:33 PM PST

AFP - European leaders were urged on Monday to create a market for joint European government bonds in a bid to end the eurozone's mounting crisis, but the suggestion was met with German scepticism.

Gunmen kill 4 in attack on 2 Mexico rehab centers (AP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:44 PM PST

AP - Mexican police say armed commandos attacked two drug rehabilitation centers in this border city across from El Paso, Texas, killing four people and wounding five.

Rudd told US to prepare to use force in China (AFP)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:41 PM PST

AFP - Then-Australian leader Kevin Rudd told the United States it should be prepared to use force against China "if everything goes wrong", a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks reveals.

Afghans' faith in U.S. ebbing, poll finds

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:37 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghans are more pessimistic about the direction of their country, less confident in the ability of the United States and its allies to provide security and more willing to negotiate with the Taliban than they were a year ago, a poll conducted in all of Afghanistan's 34 provinces showed.