Malians express dismay at intervention timeframe

Malians living under the grip of al-Qaida-linked militants expressed dismay Friday that it could be nearly a year before a regional military intervention to oust the Islamists from power.The U.N.'s most powerful body on Thursday authorized an African-led force but made no mention of size and set no timeline for military action.U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said recently he does not expect...

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Talks adjourn between Congo government and rebels

Uganda's defense minister says that talks between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels are being put on hold for two weeks.Crispus Kiyonda said Friday that the talks will resume on Jan. 4.Critics say the talks, which began earlier this month, have failed to make much progress as tensions deepen in eastern Congo.Uganda's defense minister, though, said progress had been made toward finalizing...

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Sierra Leone diamond strike ends after 2 killed

 Officials say a deadly strike at a Sierra Leone diamond mine is now over.Two people were killed in the violence at the mine in Koidu in eastern Sierra Leone, where workers went on strike over bonuses and work conditions.Government officials condemned the violence, saying people also beat up miners who tried to work during the strike.OCTEA diamond mining company spokesman Ibrahim Kamara said...

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Kenya Red Cross: 39 people killed in clashes

At least 39 people were killed when farmers raided a village of herders in southeastern Kenya early Friday in renewed fighting between two communities with a history of violent animosity, a police official said.Thirteen children, six women, 11 men and nine attackers were killed said police official Anthony Kamitu.Forty-five houses were set on fire during the attack, Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman Nelly...

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Liberian children pay tribute to Conn. victims

Twenty Liberian schoolchildren from a school sponsored by the Newtown Rotary Club in this West African nation on Friday gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia to give their condolences over the Connecticut school tragedy.Each child from the Caroline Miller School in Monrovia deposited a flower on a poster bearing the name of a victim of the deadly shooting."Life is so sweet, and our friends wanted...

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Nintendo’s amazing triumph in Japan may doom the company internationally

According to Japanese gaming bible Famitsu, Nintendo (NTDOY) 3DS sold 333,000 units in the week ending December 16, while Sony’s (SNE) PS Vita limped along at 13,000 units, the new Wii U did an okay 130,000 units and the PlayStation 3 managed to sell 46,000 units.  The utter hardware domination of the 3DS is reshaping the Japanese software market. Franchises that were thought to be fading have...

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European Commission wades into global tech patents war

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators are poised to accuse Samsung of breaking competition rules in filing patent lawsuits against rival Apple, in the EU's first formal challenge to the consumer electronic industry's patent wars."We will issue a statement of objections very soon," the European Union's competition chief Joaquin Almunia said on Thursday, referring to the Commission's charge sheet.Technology...

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Acer will beat Google to market with its own $99 tablet

The Nexus 7 is still an amazing value at $249. But word around the block is that Google (GOOG) and ASUS (2357) are working on a $99 Nexus tablet. But now, per PhoneArena, it’s apparent that Acer (2353) is preparing to beat Google to the punch with a 7-inch Android 4.1 2Jelly Bean-powered tablet that will reportedly sell for $99. Naturally, a lower-priced tablet will come at the expense of less powerful...

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Arris rises on plans to buy Google's set-top unit

 Arris Group's stock rose to its highest level in more than five years on Thursday following news that it is buying Google's TV set-top business for $2.35 billion, which could be a transformative deal for the relatively small company.But not everyone was upbeat about Arris' ability to benefit. One analyst cut his rating on the company, saying it may have paid too much.THE SPARK: On Wednesday...

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Competition hots up for 4G mobile phone airwaves

 Seven companies were named on Thursday as bidders for the superfast 4G mobile broadband radio frequencies to be auctioned off in Britain next month by industry regulatorOfcom. Existing mobile network operators EE, Vodafone, O2 owner Telefonica and Hutchison, which is behind Three, will be vying with O2's former owner BT, managed networks firm MLL Telecom and...

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