Yahoo! News: World News

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• Bombs kill more than 35 people across Iraq
• Thousands of Palestinians mark 65 years since displacement
• Donors pledge about $4.22 billion to aid Mali recovery
• Japan government takes aim at electricity monopolies
• U.N. calls for sanctions on Central African Republic rights abusers
• Putin targets Russian audience in handling of spy saga
• Federal deficit falling fast: Is that a good thing ... or a bad thing?
• IRS scandal: Reinvigorated tea party eager to seize moment
• Why O.J. Simpson was so eager to take stand in new trial
• Drunk driving: Why is MADD among critics of lower alcohol limit?
• Eurozone recession is now longest in currency bloc
• Russia says alleged spying case was 2nd this year
• Wigs? A map? Strange stuff in alleged US spy kit
• Myanmar minority resist Cyclone Mahasen evacuation
• Students in Ghana launch mini-satellite
• Scottish cardinal to atone for sexual misconduct
• IMF board OKs Cyprus loan, warns of risks
• UN General Assembly approves Syria resolution
• Syria rebels, regime troops fight in Aleppo prison
• U.S. sees China launch as test of anti-satellite muscle: source
• France suggests EU link easing Syria arms embargo to peace talks
• Kerry, Lavrov confident on Syria peace talks plan
• Protesters close Libyan oil terminal, halt exports
• U.N. condemns Assad forces, but unease grows about rebels
• Geneva auction sells huge diamond for $26.7M
• Factbox: Three-stage reform of Japan's electricity market
• El Salvador court hears arguments in abortion case
• Egyptian judges suspend talks with president
• Germany’s Neo-Nazi Trial: The Banality of Evil Has a New Face
• Egypt: Bomb suspects targeted US, French embassies
• Delhi rape suspect in hospital after jail beating, poisoning: lawyer
• Britain's Cameron: Don't let planning for Syria talks get bogged down
• Twin bombs strike Afghan checkpoint, killing 1

Bombs kill more than 35 people across Iraq Posted: 15 May 2013 12:58 PM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bomb attacks in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad and in northern Iraq killed more than 35 people on Wednesday, following weeks of violence by Sunni Islamist insurgents determined to unleash sectarian confrontation. Tensions between minority Sunni Muslims and the Shi'ites who now lead Iraq are at their highest since U.S. troops pulled out in 2011, with relations coming under more pressure by the day from the largely sectarian conflict in neighboring Syria. ...

Thousands of Palestinians mark 65 years since displacement Posted: 15 May 2013 01:37 PM PDT By Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when the creation of Israel's caused many to lose their homes and become refugees. A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. U.S. ...

Donors pledge about $4.22 billion to aid Mali recovery Posted: 15 May 2013 01:24 PM PDT By Ethan Bilby and Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - International donors pledged 3.25 billion euros ($4.22 billion) on Wednesday to help Mali recover from a conflict with al Qaeda-linked Islamists, exceeding the West African country's target. The development drive for Mali, one of the world's poorest countries, is aimed at halting a resurgence of the rebels driven out of major northern towns by a French-led offensive this year. "More than 3. ...

Japan government takes aim at electricity monopolies Posted: 15 May 2013 02:09 PM PDT By Aaron Sheldrick and Risa Maeda TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is embarking on its most ambitious attempt at electricity industry reform since 1951, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe well-positioned for victory in a battle to break up powerful regional monopolies that is seen as a test of his political agenda. The time is ripe for the government's push to reduce some of the highest electricity costs in the world by opening up the market for competition, with energy companies' public image battered in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis. ...

U.N. calls for sanctions on Central African Republic rights abusers Posted: 15 May 2013 03:37 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. envoy to the Central African Republic urged the Security Council on Wednesday to consider imposing sanctions on rebels accused of severe rights violations including rape, maiming, recruitment of child soldiers and forced marriages. Margaret Vogt also told the council that a neutral security force should be deployed to "contain the current state of anarchy" in the mineral-rich state, where the Seleka rebels seized power on March 24, toppling President Francois Bozize. ...

Putin targets Russian audience in handling of spy saga Posted: 15 May 2013 01:26 PM PDT By Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin has been unusually silent about the expulsion of a U.S. diplomat Russia says it caught red-handed trying to recruit an agent for the CIA. But Putin need not say anything - his pliant state media is doing the talking for him. Television channels have been gleefully beaming pictures of the sting operation in which Moscow says the diplomat, wearing a blond wig, was snared almost non-stop since his detention was announced on Tuesday. ...

Federal deficit falling fast: Is that a good thing ... or a bad thing? Posted: 15 May 2013 03:28 PM PDT A smaller federal deficit is welcome news, right? Well, make that maybe.

IRS scandal: Reinvigorated tea party eager to seize moment Posted: 15 May 2013 03:26 PM PDT Americans who snickered at the tea party movement's warnings about the slow creep of tyranny may have paused this week after the IRS apologized for inappropriately giving special scrutiny to conservative groups.

Why O.J. Simpson was so eager to take stand in new trial Posted: 15 May 2013 03:08 PM PDT O.J. Simpson's current appeal for a new trial has the potential to shed light on an issue that affects countless lesser-known defendants in the US court system: bad lawyering. Along the way, he might get a helping hand from the US Supreme Court.

Drunk driving: Why is MADD among critics of lower alcohol limit? Posted: 15 May 2013 02:41 PM PDT On its surface, the recommendation seems simple: reduce the legal limit for blood-alcohol content (BAC), and drunken-driving fatalities will fall, too.

Eurozone recession is now longest in currency bloc Posted: 15 May 2013 12:19 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — The eurozone is now in its longest ever recession — a stubborn slump that has surpassed even the calamity that hit the region in the financial crisis of 2008-2009.

Russia says alleged spying case was 2nd this year Posted: 15 May 2013 01:16 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian security services operative — his features bathed in shadows — went on state television Wednesday to claim that the U.S. diplomat who was ordered out of the country was the second American expelled this year over spying allegations.

Wigs? A map? Strange stuff in alleged US spy kit Posted: 15 May 2013 09:10 AM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — A couple of wigs, sunglasses and a compass? Really?

Myanmar minority resist Cyclone Mahasen evacuation Posted: 15 May 2013 09:32 AM PDT SITTWE, Myanmar (AP) — The cyclone was only a day or two away, churning through the Indian Ocean and carrying with it winds and rains that authorities warned could quickly turn deadly.

Students in Ghana launch mini-satellite Posted: 15 May 2013 01:19 PM PDT KOFORIDUA, Ghana (AP) — Their project might not sound like much: The college students on Wednesday launched a tiny model of a satellite the size of a soda can on a big yellow balloon.

Scottish cardinal to atone for sexual misconduct Posted: 15 May 2013 02:26 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Wednesday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct, issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis.

IMF board OKs Cyprus loan, warns of risks Posted: 15 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved a $1.3 billion, three-year loan to Cyprus on Wednesday, part of a larger international bailout to help the Mediterranean country avoid defaulting on its debt. But IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Cyprus's bailout was subject to "substantial risks," as the economy is likely to contract for the next two years. "The macroeconomic outlook is subject to high uncertainty and risks to the program are substantial," Lagarde said in a statement. "There is no room for implementation slippages. ...

UN General Assembly approves Syria resolution Posted: 15 May 2013 04:13 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly approved an Arab-backed resolution Wednesday calling for a political transition in Syria, but more than 70 countries refused to vote "yes" because of its support for the main opposition group and fears the resolution could torpedo a new U.S.-Russia effort to end the escalating conflict.

Syria rebels, regime troops fight in Aleppo prison Posted: 15 May 2013 03:50 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Rebel fighters battled regime troops inside the walls of the sprawling central prison compound in Syria's largest city Wednesday, hours after blowing open the gate with twin car bombs in an attempted jailbreak, activists said.

U.S. sees China launch as test of anti-satellite muscle: source Posted: 15 May 2013 03:43 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government believes a Chinese missile launch this week was the first test of a new interceptor that could be used to destroy a satellite in orbit, one U.S. defense official told Reuters on Wednesday. China launched a rocket into space on Monday but no objects were placed into orbit, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The object re-entered Earth's atmosphere above the Indian Ocean. ...

France suggests EU link easing Syria arms embargo to peace talks Posted: 15 May 2013 03:01 PM PDT By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France is floating a proposal that the European Union ease an arms embargo for Syrian rebels but delay acting on the decision to intensify pressure on Damascus to negotiate an end to Syria's civil war, a French diplomat said on Wednesday. Sweden, Austria and some other EU member states are resisting efforts by France and Britain to modify the ban to strengthen rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that expires on June 1. ...

Kerry, Lavrov confident on Syria peace talks plan Posted: 15 May 2013 03:01 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle KIRUNA, Sweden (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday they believed they could pull off peace talks on Syria, where their nations back opposing sides in a war that may have cost 120,000 lives. Differences between Russia, a main ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and the United States, which supports those trying to topple him, have long obstructed U.N. action on the turmoil that has convulsed Syria for more than two years. ...

Protesters close Libyan oil terminal, halt exports Posted: 15 May 2013 02:43 PM PDT BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Protesters and disgruntled job seekers forced the closure of an eastern Libyan oil terminal on Wednesday for the second time in six months, disrupting exports, said an oil ministry official.

U.N. condemns Assad forces, but unease grows about rebels Posted: 15 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and praised the opposition on Wednesday, but a decline in support for the resolution suggested growing unease about extremism among Syria's fractious rebels. While the non-binding text has no legal force, resolutions of the 193-nation assembly can carry significant moral and political weight. ...

Geneva auction sells huge diamond for $26.7M Posted: 15 May 2013 02:18 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — A huge diamond unearthed in Botswana commanded an unearthly price of $26.7 million from Christie's auction house Wednesday amid the spring ritual of well-heeled bidders flocking or phoning in to Geneva's luxury sales.

Factbox: Three-stage reform of Japan's electricity market Posted: 15 May 2013 02:09 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - The government last month submitted legislation to parliament to overhaul Japan's electricity sector, which is dominated by regional monopolies that control all aspects of power generation and transmission, to try to cut costs and give consumers a choice of suppliers. The reforms will be carried out in three phases from 2015 to around 2020. Legislation will be needed at each stage but the bill before parliament lays out the plans or so-called roadmap. ...

El Salvador court hears arguments in abortion case Posted: 15 May 2013 02:09 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador's Supreme Court heard opening arguments Wednesday in a landmark abortion case in which a woman suffering from kidney failure and lupus has not been allowed to terminate a pregnancy in which the fetus is given no chance of surviving.

Egyptian judges suspend talks with president Posted: 15 May 2013 02:08 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — In the judiciary's latest face-off with Egypt's Islamist rulers, the country's top council of judges decided Wednesday to suspend its participation in a government-backed judicial reform conference following a renewed push by lawmakers on a controversial bill that would force thousands of their colleagues into retirement.

Germany’s Neo-Nazi Trial: The Banality of Evil Has a New Face Posted: 15 May 2013 01:53 PM PDT When Beate Zschäpe arrived at Munich's Upper Regional Court on Tuesday May 14, wearing a plain grey suit, her calm appearance contrasted with what some German commentators are calling one of the most important trial in its postwar history. The 38-year-old stands accused of being a member of a Neo-Nazi cell responsible for a series racially motivated murders across Germany. Her first appearance the week before prompted remarks from German newspapers that "Evil has a face. An ordinary face."

Egypt: Bomb suspects targeted US, French embassies Posted: 15 May 2013 01:50 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian state prosecutors say three suspected al-Qaida-linked militants detained over the weekend were plotting to attack the U.S. and French embassies in Cairo using car bombs.

Delhi rape suspect in hospital after jail beating, poisoning: lawyer Posted: 15 May 2013 01:48 PM PDT NEW DELHI (Reuters) - One of the men on trial for the fatal gang rape of a student on a bus in India has been beaten and poisoned by prison inmates and is unconscious in hospital, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Prison authorities denied any mistreatment of Vinya Sharma, who has been at New Delhi's Tihar Jail since he was arrested on suspicion of attack on the woman in December that stunned India and brought thousands of protesters onto the streets. One of Sharma's co-accused, Ram Singh, the alleged ringleader, was found hanged from a ceiling grille inside his cell in March. ...

Britain's Cameron: Don't let planning for Syria talks get bogged down Posted: 15 May 2013 01:47 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday warned against allowing planning for a peace conference on Syria's 2-year-old civil war to get bogged down, saying a transitional government must be agreed as soon as possible by the warring parties. Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, Cameron said he fully supports a U.S.-Russian initiative to organize a conference in early June that would include both the Syrian government and rebels as participants. ...

Twin bombs strike Afghan checkpoint, killing 1 Posted: 15 May 2013 01:23 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two bombs exploded at a checkpoint outside a provincial governor's compound in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least one police officer, an official said.

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