Yahoo! News: World News

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• Two blasts at Iraqi Sunni mosque kill 43
• Nigeria bombs Islamists, U.S. sounds alarm
• Roadside bomb kills 19 in west Baghdad: police, medics
• OAS calls for softer approach toward illegal drug users
• U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer
• Toronto mayor denies smoking crack cocaine
• Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentina’s Disappearer-in-Chief, Dies at 87
• Hearing on IRS: What ousted chief offers, Republicans don't buy
• Drones are cheaper and more powerful. In US, that's a problem, lawmakers told
• A record Powerball jackpot isn't a record to celebrate
• Weinstein showcases Grace Kelly, Mandela flicks
• Rights groups: Syria holds thousands incommunicado
• A look at 'enforced disappearances' worldwide
• Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq
• Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums
• AP PHOTOS: Cuba's LGBT community celebrates
• OAS drug study eyes marijuana legalization
• Caribbean talks conservation on Branson's island
• Liberia's Johnson-Sirleaf defends governance record
• Bombs kill 9 inside elite Afghan housing complex
• Russian missiles to Syria could embolden Assad: U.S. general warns
• Egypt security forces clash with Cairo protesters
• Canada abuzz over purported crack video of mayor
• Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at age 87
• Official: Nigeria military attacks camps, kills 21
• Iran's Farhadi and China's Jia make Cannes splash
• UK inquest into ex-Russian spy's death may be scrapped
• British police identify new leads in Madeleine McCann case
• Brazil approves law to modernize ports
• Egypt police close Gaza border to protest kidnap
• Crowds break up gay rights rallies in Georgia, Russia
• UK police announce new leads in missing girl case

Two blasts at Iraqi Sunni mosque kill 43 Posted: 17 May 2013 12:32 PM PDT BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two bombs exploded outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in the Iraqi city of Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks in a month-long surge in sectarian violence. Several other bombings claimed lives around the country - with 19 killed near a commercial complex in the west of Baghdad, as mounting violence intensified fears of a return to all-out civil conflict. Attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques, security forces and tribal leaders have mounted since troops raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk a month ago. ...

Nigeria bombs Islamists, U.S. sounds alarm Posted: 17 May 2013 01:55 PM PDT By Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian warplanes struck militant camps in the northeast on Friday in a major push against an Islamist insurgency, drawing a sharp warning from the United States to respect human rights and not harm civilians. Troops used jets and helicopters to bombard targets in their biggest offensive since the Boko Haram group launched a revolt almost four years ago to establish a breakaway Islamic state and one military source said at least 30 militants had been killed. ...

Roadside bomb kills 19 in west Baghdad: police, medics Posted: 17 May 2013 11:46 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nineteen people were killed on Friday when a roadside bomb exploded near a commercial complex in the Amiriya district in the west of Baghdad, police and medics said. Earlier on Friday, two bombs went off outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks in a month-long surge in sectarian violence. (Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by JOn Hemming)

OAS calls for softer approach toward illegal drug users Posted: 17 May 2013 03:09 PM PDT By Eduardo Garcia BOGOTA (Reuters) - The Organization of American States on Friday published a report calling for decriminalization of drug use and for greater coordination between nations in tackling the scourge. "The report presented by the OAS today is a vital piece in the construction of a common way to fight this problem," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said during the presentation of the 200-page report in Bogota. ...

U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer Posted: 17 May 2013 03:14 PM PDT By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States chided Russia for sending missiles to the Syrian government as plans for a peace conference promoted by Washington and Moscow were hit by diplomatic rifts over its scope and purpose. Sectarian bloodshed in neighboring Iraq during Friday prayers, a hacking attack on a Western newspaper by sympathizers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defiant comments by a rebel commander filmed eating a slain soldier's flesh were all reminders of how the two-year-old civil war is metastising. ...

Toronto mayor denies smoking crack cocaine Posted: 17 May 2013 03:13 PM PDT By Julie Gordon and Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, a target of criticism for his often unconventional conduct, on Friday denied media allegations that he had been caught on video smoking crack cocaine. "Absolutely not true," Ford told reporters gathered outside his west Toronto house, before driving off in his SUV. ...

Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentina’s Disappearer-in-Chief, Dies at 87 Posted: 17 May 2013 04:05 PM PDT He would never have been cast to play the role of a bloody South American dictator in a Hollywood film. Soft spoken, deeply religious, rake thin and awkward, his lean face cut horizontally by an incongruously thick walrus mustache, his fellow Army officers nicknamed him affectionately "The Pink Panther." The name stuck and was picked up by the press after General Jorge Rafael Videla overthrew Argentina's democratically-elected government in 1976 as head of a military junta that imposed a seven-year reign of terror in which some 20,000 Argentines were brutally murdered.

Hearing on IRS: What ousted chief offers, Republicans don't buy Posted: 17 May 2013 03:40 PM PDT Was the Internal Revenue Service criminal in layering on extra scrutiny to tea party groups seeking nonprofit status, or just bureaucratically shortsighted and "obnoxious," as the agency's former head put it Friday?

Drones are cheaper and more powerful. In US, that's a problem, lawmakers told Posted: 17 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT With much of Capitol Hill riveted by IRS audits, AP phone records, and Benghazi e-mails, top US scholars gathered to testify in a little-watched congressional hearing Friday about the growing threat the use of drones in US airspace may pose to civil liberties.

A record Powerball jackpot isn't a record to celebrate Posted: 17 May 2013 02:36 PM PDT When the 43-state Powerball lottery jackpot hit a record at $600 million Friday, many Americans who would otherwise not gamble rushed out to buy the $2 tickets. "Just on the off-chance," many probably said.

Weinstein showcases Grace Kelly, Mandela flicks Posted: 17 May 2013 01:55 PM PDT CANNES, France (AP) — The Weinstein Company's fall slate of awards contenders will feature a glamorous Grace Kelly, a brawny Nelson Mandela and a mysterious J.D. Salinger.

Rights groups: Syria holds thousands incommunicado Posted: 17 May 2013 08:44 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — About 30 security agents showed up just after midnight, breaking down the door to an apartment in the town of Daraya near the Syrian capital of Damascus. They grabbed a 24-year-old university student and drove off.

A look at 'enforced disappearances' worldwide Posted: 17 May 2013 08:45 AM PDT The U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is pressing governments to provide information about open cases. Over the past two decades, it received nearly 54,000 cases, of which nearly 43,000 in 84 states remain unsolved. The number of cases is believed to be only a fraction of those who disappeared after being taken by security forces.

Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq Posted: 17 May 2013 01:36 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. The major spike in sectarian bloodshed heightened fears the country could again be veering toward civil war.

Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums Posted: 17 May 2013 01:09 PM PDT PETARE, Venezuela (AP) — Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.

AP PHOTOS: Cuba's LGBT community celebrates Posted: 17 May 2013 03:48 PM PDT HAVANA (AP) — A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia.

OAS drug study eyes marijuana legalization Posted: 17 May 2013 04:57 PM PDT LIMA, Peru (AP) — An Organization of American States study released Friday is calling for a serious discussion on legalizing marijuana.

Caribbean talks conservation on Branson's island Posted: 17 May 2013 04:21 PM PDT NECKER ISLAND, British Virgin Islands (AP) — Surrounded by a turquoise sea and a menagerie of exotic animals on a billionaire's private island, political and business leaders gathered Friday to back an initiative aimed at expanding protection for the Caribbean's imperiled coasts and waters.

Liberia's Johnson-Sirleaf defends governance record Posted: 17 May 2013 04:07 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Friday defended her government's record on good governance and transparency, following an independent audit that cast doubt on her anti-corruption efforts. She said a recent audit of resource contracts by accounting firm Moore Stephens contracts had been commissioned to fix, and not hide, problems in the West African country. The independent audit showed that almost all the $8 billion worth of resource contracts signed by Liberia since 2009 violated the country's laws and showed widespread irregularities. ...

Bombs kill 9 inside elite Afghan housing complex Posted: 17 May 2013 02:37 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two bombs hidden in a motorcycle and a car exploded inside an elite gated community linked to the family of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday evening, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 70 near the southern city of Kandahar, an official said.

Russian missiles to Syria could embolden Assad: U.S. general warns Posted: 17 May 2013 02:19 PM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer on Friday condemned Russia's shipment of advanced anti-ship missiles to Syria, saying it could embolden President Bashar al-Assad's forces to keep fighting a bloody civil war. "It's at the very least an unfortunate decision that will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering," General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon when asked about the weapons shipment. "So it's ill-timed and very unfortunate," he said. ...

Egypt security forces clash with Cairo protesters Posted: 17 May 2013 01:46 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security forces have fired tear gas at protesters hurling firebombs at them in central Cairo, hours after hundreds of opponents of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi rallied peacefully in the streets denouncing his rule and demanding early presidential elections.

Canada abuzz over purported crack video of mayor Posted: 17 May 2013 01:39 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — A video purportedly of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack has caused an uproar in Canada. Ford on Friday called the allegations "ridiculous."

Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at age 87 Posted: 17 May 2013 01:37 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate so-called "subversives," died quietly in his sleep Friday while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity. He was 87.

Official: Nigeria military attacks camps, kills 21 Posted: 17 May 2013 01:26 PM PDT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Soldiers in Nigeria launched their first raid against suspected Islamic extremists in a campaign to take back control of the nation's northeast, killing at least 21 people, a security official said Friday.

Iran's Farhadi and China's Jia make Cannes splash Posted: 17 May 2013 01:13 PM PDT CANNES, France (AP) — Two directors from countries with tough film censorship brought bold and probing movies to the Cannes Film Festival on Friday — one exploring China's social problems, the other delving into the mysteries of the human heart.

UK inquest into ex-Russian spy's death may be scrapped Posted: 17 May 2013 12:54 PM PDT By Peter Griffiths LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's long-delayed inquest into the death by radioactive poisoning of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko could be abandoned after the coroner partly upheld a British government request to withhold crucial evidence. Robert Owen, a senior judge acting as coroner, said on Friday keeping some of the evidence secret would make it impossible to hold a "full, fair and fearless inquiry" into the death of the vocal critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. ...

British police identify new leads in Madeleine McCann case Posted: 17 May 2013 12:41 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - British police said on Friday they had identified people they want to question about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old who went missing in Portugal six years ago. Madeleine disappeared from her room at a holiday resort in the Algarve, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant, sparking a global manhunt and transfixing the world's media. ...

Brazil approves law to modernize ports Posted: 17 May 2013 12:38 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil plans to modernize and expand its overcrowded ports, attract private investments to the sector and make it easier for companies to hire skilled foreign workers, in a bid to spur economic growth,

Egypt police close Gaza border to protest kidnap Posted: 17 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Dozens of disgruntled border policemen forced the closure of Egypt's main crossing point into the Gaza Strip on Friday to protest the abduction of their colleagues by suspected militants, underscoring the lawlessness and crisis of authority in the country two years since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Crowds break up gay rights rallies in Georgia, Russia Posted: 17 May 2013 12:28 PM PDT By Margarita Antidze and Liza Dobkina TBILISI/ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Large crowds of anti-gay protesters broke up homosexual rights rallies in Georgia and Russia on Friday, underlining deep hostility in the former Soviet bloc. Priests and thousands of Georgians pushed their way through police barriers protecting around 50 people marking International Day Against Homophobia in a square in capital Tblisi. Waving banners marked with the slogans "Stop Homosexual Propaganda in Georgia" and "Not in our city", they forced the small groups of campaigners to flee in buses. ...

UK police announce new leads in missing girl case Posted: 17 May 2013 12:21 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — British police say they are investigating new leads in the case of Madeleine McCann, the Briton who disappeared six years ago in Portugal at the age of three.

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