Chinese furious over Laurent sale of ‘treasures’

When Christie’s announced its plans to auction off two 18th-century bronze sculptures, the Chinese flatly said "no." At the center of the dispute are two bronze sculptures, part of the late Yves Saint Laurent’s private collection of arts and antiquities. The two 18th-century pieces — fountainheads of a rabbit and a rat — disappeared when French and British Allied forces pillaged Beijing’s Old Summer Palace during the second Opium War in 1860. China says the relics are part of its cultural heritage and should be returned.

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Nigeria militants ‘repel attack, kill troops’

Militants in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta region said they killed six government soldiers after the military attacked one of its camps on Thursday. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, in an e-mail, said three military gunboats attacked one of its camps around the Ke River in the country’s Rivers state. The group said the gunboats were repelled, with six soldiers dying and three militant fighters wounded in the skirmish

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Brazilian revelers celebrate Rio Carnival

Aides say the president is expected to focus on the economy when he addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, but will also touch lightly on foreign policy issues. After much talk of engaging America’s adversaries, chief among them Iran, the Obama administration has made no move so far, pending a policy review.

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Amanpour: World has questions for Obama

Will President Obama just talk about the state of this troubled Union whose economic crisis he has inherited, or will he cast his net of ideas far and wide to address a new American relationship with the world? After much talk of engaging America’s adversaries, chief among them Iran, the Obama administration has made no move so far, pending a policy review.

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Smugglers send migrants overboard to drown

Smugglers carrying a boatload of migrants forced their passengers to jump overboard in deep water off the coast of Yemen, causing up to 17 to drown, the United Nations said Tuesday. “Full-scale preparations are underway at a satellite launch site,'” a North Korean space committee spokesman said through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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India calls for Sri Lanka civilian safe zones

India made a renewed plea Tuesday for the safe evacuation of civilians caught in Sri Lanka’s war zone in fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels. “Full-scale preparations are underway at a satellite launch site,'” a North Korean space committee spokesman said through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite would launch on the Eunha-2 rocket, he said

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