CA-NEWS Summary

Argentina's Bergoglio elected as new Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, taking the name Francis I and becoming the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years. Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal 115 cardinal electors had chosen him to lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

Venezuela says U.S. "far-right" wants to kill Capriles

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's acting president said on Wednesday that "far right" figures in the United States were plotting to kill opposition leader Henrique Capriles in an increasingly volatile atmosphere ahead of an April 14 election. Accusations are flying and emotions are running high in the South American OPEC nation of 29 million people since the death last week of former socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

Analysis: Afghan security vacuum feared along "gateway to Kabul"

MAIDAN SHAHR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The Afghan policeman manning a checkpoint glances at the snow-covered mountains that are home to Taliban fighters and predicts what would happen if elite U.S. forces leave Wardak province, seen as the gateway to the capital of Kabul. "The Taliban will take over in one day," Mohammad Jamil says. "They are nearby."

U.S. extends waivers on Iran sanctions to 11 countries

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States extended 180-day waivers on Iran sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union nations in exchange for their cutting purchases of the OPEC nation's crude oil, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday. "Today's determination is another example of the international community's commitment to convince Iran to meet its international obligations," Kerry said in a statement.

Italy's Berlusconi promises parliamentary battle against magistrates

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, facing trial on tax fraud and sex charges and under investigation for suspected political bribery, promised to take on prosecutors after parliament opens this week. The leader of the People of Freedom (PDL) party has often clashed with magistrates during his two decades in politics but problems have escalated this month as his trial on charges of paying for sex with an under-age prostitute has neared its end.

Five killed in militant attack on police camp in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Two militants hiding automatic rifles and grenades in cricket kit opened fire on a paramilitary camp on the Indian side of Kashmir on Wednesday, killing five Indian personnel and wounding five, police said. The militants were killed in a gunfight at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) base just outside the restive city of Srinagar, which has been under curfew for much of the last few weeks following protests and clashes with police.

Food price rises put restive Egypt on edge

CAIRO (Reuters) - With croissants, baguettes and bagels spilling off metal trolleys at the bakery where Mohammed Alif works in central Cairo, food is not scarce, but profits certainly are. The Egyptian pound has lost more than 8 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since the end of December as concern deepens about the state of the economy, which is being undermined by political instability and rioting.

Suicide bomber kills 10 spectators at Afghan goat polo game

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up during a traditional Afghan game of buzkashi, a game of horse polo played with a dead goat, killing at least 10 spectators in the northern province of Kunduz on Wednesday, the local governor's office said. Among those killed were the district police chief who is the brother of Afghanistan's House Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor said. Two other family members were also killed.

Two-thirds of Italians oppose returning to ballot box: poll

ROME (Reuters) - Two-thirds of Italians oppose returning to the ballot boxes after last month's national election left the country in limbo with no political force holding enough seats to form a government, according to a poll published on Wednesday. The center-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani won control of the lower house, but not the Senate in the February 24-25 vote. Both are needed to govern.

Syrian troops and rebels open new battlefront near Damascus

AMMAN (Reuters) - Heavy fighting erupted in an area between Damascus and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Wednesday in what could be a new battlefront between Syrian troops and rebels, opposition sources said. Rebel fighters attacked an army barracks manned by elite Republican Guards and the Fourth Mechanised Division, headed by President Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher, in Khan Sheih, 6 km (4 miles) from the outskirts of Damascus, civilian activists and an opposition military source said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-000116222.html

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