Yahoo! News: World News

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• West may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace
• British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
• Exclusive: Glencore, Trafigura deals with Iran may have skirted sanctions - U.N
• China milk powder firms court foreign cachet for domestic gains
• U.S. probe of Benghazi attack focused on more than five suspects
• U.S. acknowledges killing four Americans in drone strikes
• US acknowledges killing four American citizens in drone strikes
• Iran’s Supreme Leader Tightens Grip After Disqualifying Two Top Presidential Candidates
• Obamas hosting Carole King: What's the special occasion?
• How residents of tornado-struck Moore, Okla., have learned to survive
• London terror attack leaves 1 dead near barracks
• Polish man gets quick face transplant after injury
• Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels
• IAEA report: Iran expands nuclear technology
• Mexico cartel dominates, torches western state
• Congo fighting persists as UN chief arrives
• European banks stop sending money to North Korea: aid groups
• World Bank proposes $150 million loan to help Jordan with refugees
• Friends of Syria demands Hezbollah, Iran fighters withdraw
• U.S. Congress moves to tighten sanctions on Iran
• FBI says man shot dead while being questioned about Boston bombings
• Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy
• General says Israel poised for war on Syria if Assad falls
• Key House chairman slams Senate immigration bill
• House committee passes Iran sanctions legislation
• Am. Samoa to keep flier miles of govt travelers
• EU approves sending border security advisers to Libya
• Kerry warns Syria's Assad against rejecting political solution
• Iran pushes ahead with nuclear plant that worries West
• Egypt leader claims victory in captives' release
• Vatican releases 1st report of financial watchdog

West may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace Posted: 22 May 2013 04:52 PM PDT By Arshad Mohammed and Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political end to a civil war that is spreading across borders. Rebels called for reinforcements to combat an "invasion" by Hezbollah and its Iranian backers, days after Assad's forces launched an offensive against a strategic town that could prove to be a turning point in the war. ...

British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack Posted: 22 May 2013 04:04 PM PDT By Maria Golovnina and Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack. A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after the killing showed a man with hands covered in blood, brandishing a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife. "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. ...

Exclusive: Glencore, Trafigura deals with Iran may have skirted sanctions - U.N Posted: 22 May 2013 03:59 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Metals swap deals with Iran by Switzerland-based commodities giants Glencore Xstrata and Trafigura could have been a way of skirting international sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program, according to a confidential U.N. Panel of Experts report seen by Reuters on Wednesday. Reuters reported on March 1 that Glencore had supplied thousands of tons of alumina to an Iranian firm that has provided aluminum to Iran's nuclear program, an allegation Glencore confirmed as accurate. ...

China milk powder firms court foreign cachet for domestic gains Posted: 22 May 2013 02:25 PM PDT By Adam Jourdan SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The rolling green hills and gurgling blonde toddlers in the ads for Yashili International Holdings Ltd underscore how keen China's biggest milk powder producers are to appear global to emerge from the shadow of a fatal baby formula scandal. The 2008 incident, which involved melamine-tainted milk powder, soured China's $12.5 billion infant formula market for local firms and helped multinationals with established safety records to nearly double their market share in the past five years. Foreign brands now account for about half of total sales. ...

U.S. probe of Benghazi attack focused on more than five suspects Posted: 22 May 2013 03:21 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An investigation of the attacks on the American diplomatic mission and nearby annex in Benghazi, Libya, last year is looking at more than five potential suspects, a U.S. national security source said on Wednesday. The source would not identify the suspects who have come to the attention of the FBI, which is investigating the September 11, 2012, attacks that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. ...

U.S. acknowledges killing four Americans in drone strikes Posted: 22 May 2013 04:49 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball and David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government formally acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that it had killed four Americans, including militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who died in drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan. Attorney General Eric Holder named the dead U.S. citizens in a letter to members of Congress a day before President Barack Obama is expected to promise more transparency on national security issues in a speech on counterterrorism. ...

US acknowledges killing four American citizens in drone strikes Posted: 22 May 2013 04:22 PM PDT The US government has acknowledged the killing of four American citizens as part of its drone attack program – one person intentionally and three others not specifically targeted but killed in strikes aimed at terrorist suspects.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Tightens Grip After Disqualifying Two Top Presidential Candidates Posted: 22 May 2013 03:18 PM PDT For the cleric who runs Iran, there's no such thing as a pleasant surprise, especially on election day. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not pleased when a librarian named Mohammad Khatami was swept into the president's office in 1997, leading a wave of reformists who challenged the status quo in which Khamenei, as the unelected Supreme Leader of the Revolution, was most heavily invested. In every election cycle since, the self-appointed portion of Iran's government has done all it can to winnow the choices placed before Iranian voters. ...

Obamas hosting Carole King: What's the special occasion? Posted: 22 May 2013 01:57 PM PDT President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are hosting singer/songwriter Carole King at the White House tonight. Is it a special occasion? Why yes, it is – they're honoring Ms. King for winning the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

How residents of tornado-struck Moore, Okla., have learned to survive Posted: 22 May 2013 01:49 PM PDT The bottom line: Experience matters.

London terror attack leaves 1 dead near barracks Posted: 22 May 2013 02:26 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — In a brutal daylight attack which raised fears that terrorism had returned to London, two men with butcher knives hacked another man to death near a military barracks Wednesday before police wounded them in a shootout.

Polish man gets quick face transplant after injury Posted: 22 May 2013 01:18 PM PDT WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A 33-year-old Polish man received a face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest time frame to date for such an operation. It was Poland's first face transplant.

Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels Posted: 22 May 2013 02:54 PM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.

IAEA report: Iran expands nuclear technology Posted: 22 May 2013 02:24 PM PDT VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. atomic agency on Wednesday detailed rapid Iranian progress in two programs that the West fears are geared toward making nuclear weapons, saying Tehran has upgraded its uranium enrichment facilities and advanced in building a plutonium-producing reactor.

Mexico cartel dominates, torches western state Posted: 22 May 2013 04:05 PM PDT LA RUANA, Mexico (AP) — The farm state of Michoacan is burning. A drug cartel that takes its name from an ancient monastic order has set fire to lumber yards, packing plants and passenger buses in a medieval-like reign of terror.

Congo fighting persists as UN chief arrives Posted: 22 May 2013 02:57 PM PDT GOMA, Congo (AP) — M23 rebels fired two rockets into the eastern Congo city of Goma, killing one person and wounding four, officials said, in an apparent spillover from three days of fighting raging north of the city.

European banks stop sending money to North Korea: aid groups Posted: 22 May 2013 04:14 PM PDT By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - European aid groups said their banks in Europe had stopped sending money to North Korea in the wake of U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank, leaving them scrambling for a solution short of hand-carrying cash into the impoverished country. Aid groups said if it became impossible to send enough money to operate, donors might withdraw support for their programs. ...

World Bank proposes $150 million loan to help Jordan with refugees Posted: 22 May 2013 04:11 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank has proposed a $150 million loan for Jordan to help it with the cost of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, Jordanian and World Bank board sources said on Wednesday. "The (World Bank) board should act on it in June," one source told Reuters. "Pressure on Jordan is increasing and the loan should help ease the economic burden." Close to 500,000 Syrian refugees, out of a total of 1. ...

Friends of Syria demands Hezbollah, Iran fighters withdraw Posted: 22 May 2013 04:01 PM PDT AMMAN (Reuters) - The Friends of Syria alliance called on Iran and its Lebanese Hezbollah ally on Thursday to withdraw fighters immediately from Syrian territory and described their armed presence in the country as a threat to regional stability. ...

U.S. Congress moves to tighten sanctions on Iran Posted: 22 May 2013 03:42 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee approved legislation on Wednesday seeking to impose tighter sanctions on Iran, the latest congressional effort to slow development of the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program. The "Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013" passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a unanimous voice vote and is expected to easily pass the full 435-member chamber, where it already has about 340 co-sponsors. A vote by the Republican-controlled House is likely within the coming weeks. ...

FBI says man shot dead while being questioned about Boston bombings Posted: 22 May 2013 03:11 PM PDT By Barbara Liston and Mark Hosenball ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An FBI agent shot and killed a man of Chechen origin who turned violent while being questioned on Wednesday about his connection to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of two Chechen brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings. A friend of the dead man identified him to local media as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev, who had previously lived in Boston and knew Tsarnaev, the older of the two brothers suspected of planting two bombs at the marathon on April 15, killing three people and injuring 264 others. ...

Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy Posted: 22 May 2013 03:10 PM PDT ROME (AP) — An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people.

General says Israel poised for war on Syria if Assad falls Posted: 22 May 2013 02:44 PM PDT By Dan Williams HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israel is poised for a large-scale assault on Syria to prevent advanced weapons reaching jihadi rebels or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon if President Bashar al-Assad is toppled, Israel's air force chief said on Wednesday. But Major-General Amir Eshel, addressing a security conference, said his warplanes could be repelled by Syria's formidable, Russian-supplied anti-aircraft systems - an implicit censure of Moscow echoed by Israel's defense minister. ...

Key House chairman slams Senate immigration bill Posted: 22 May 2013 02:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee chairman on Wednesday sharply criticized a wide-ranging immigration bill just passed by a Senate committee, underscoring the difficulties ahead as the politically volatile measure moves forward in a divided Congress.

House committee passes Iran sanctions legislation Posted: 22 May 2013 02:25 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum on Capitol Hill Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions against Tehran.

Am. Samoa to keep flier miles of govt travelers Posted: 22 May 2013 02:20 PM PDT PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — American Samoa plans to take away frequent flier miles from government workers who travel on behalf of the U.S. territory and use the loyalty points to help medical patients and students travel off the islands when necessary.

EU approves sending border security advisers to Libya Posted: 22 May 2013 02:08 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments approved a mission on Wednesday to help Libya improve its border security in response to concerns that Islamist militants and weapons move freely across the North African country's frontier. The 110-member EU civilian team, expected to start deploying in Libya next month, will advise and train Libyan officials on how to strengthen the security of the country's land, sea and air borders, an EU statement said. The EU team, being sent at Libya's request, will have a budget of 30 million euros ($39 million) for its first year and be based in Tripoli. ...

Kerry warns Syria's Assad against rejecting political solution Posted: 22 May 2013 02:04 PM PDT By Arshad Mohammed AMMAN (Reuters) - Western governments are ready to increase support to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad if he rejects a political solution to Syria's civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday. Kerry said recent military gains by Assad's forces were only temporary and that if the Syrian leader believed that the counter-offensives against the rebels would be decisive, "then he is miscalculating". ...

Iran pushes ahead with nuclear plant that worries West Posted: 22 May 2013 01:50 PM PDT By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is pressing ahead with the construction of a research reactor that Western experts say could eventually produce plutonium for a nuclear weapon if Tehran decides to make one, a U.N. report showed on Wednesday. In another development likely to worry the United States and its allies, the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had added to its capacity to refine uranium, which can also provide the fissile core of a bomb if enriched to a high level. The IAEA also said Iran had asphalted a part of a military site, Parchin, that the U.N. ...

Egypt leader claims victory in captives' release Posted: 22 May 2013 01:42 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — The safe release Wednesday of seven conscripts kidnapped by suspected militants in Sinai brought a victory for Egypt's Islamist president after months of criticism that his government is mismanaging the country.

Vatican releases 1st report of financial watchdog Posted: 22 May 2013 01:33 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican took another step Wednesday to show greater financial transparency by publishing the first annual report from its financial watchdog agency and announcing new regulations to fight money laundering and terror financing.

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