Yahoo! News: World News

Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis
Obama, in Afghanistan visit, says he's hopeful on security pact
French far right in 'earthquake' win as Europe votes
Yemen says security forces kill senior al Qaeda leader
UK finance ministry warns on Scottish independence costs
Pope wraps up Middle East visit with Jerusalem whirl
Sheriffs never saw menacing videos before rampage
Mali says 50 soldiers killed in Kidal fighting
Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
Far right, Euroskeptics make big gains in EU vote
Britain's UKIP party surges in Euro election
Auto parts price-fixing probe rattles industry
Obama upbeat on Ukraine vote, but Russia's stance seen pivotal
Cannes Film Festival lit up by class conflict
Merkel's center-right wins German EU vote
Syria refugees denied cancer treatment, says UNHCR
Boko Haram kill 24 in Nigeria village raid
Bomb attack in tiny Djibouti condemned
Leftist parties slam Spain's political status quo
Scott beats Dufner on 3rd playoff hole at Colonial
Brazil finds 2 tons of pot on samba school grounds
Colombia's president, challenger head to runoff
Portugal's main opposition Socialists win European elections
Spain's ruling PP wins EU vote, political fragmentation rises
Obama signals US to keep limited Afghanistan role
French far right surges to lead in Europe vote
Italy's Renzi ahead of Grillo in EU vote-projections
Lithuanian president declares re-election victory
Far-right National Front stuns French elite with EU 'earthquake'
UK's Eurosceptic UKIP party poised for victory in Europe vote
Spain village votes to change its 'Kill Jews' name
Poroshenko struts before world media even before results are in
Exit poll: Candy tycoon elected Ukraine president

Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:38 PM PDT

By Richard Balmforth and Alastair Macdonald KIEV (Reuters) - Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate manufacturer, claimed the Ukrainian presidency with an emphatic election victory on Sunday, taking on a fraught mission to quell pro-Russian rebels and steer his fragile nation closer to the West. A veteran survivor of Ukraine's feuding political class who threw his weight and money behind the revolt that brought down his Moscow-backed predecessor three months ago, the burly 48-year-old won 55 percent in exit polls on a first-round ballot marred by the reality that millions were unable to vote in the troubled eastern regions. Results will not be announced until Monday but runner-up Yulia Tymoshenko, on 13 percent, made clear she would concede, sparing the country a tense three weeks until a runoff round. The size of his victory reflects in part Ukrainians rallying behind the front-runner in the hope of ending a political vacuum that Russian President Vladimir Putin has exploited to annex the Crimea peninsula and offer solidarity, and maybe more, to rebels in the east who want to break with Kiev and accept Russian rule.

Obama, in Afghanistan visit, says he's hopeful on security pact

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:23 PM PDT

By Steve Holland BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Sunday to visit U.S. forces who are wrapping up a 13-year mission and signaled that he intends to keep a small number of troops in the country for training and counter-terrorism operations. Cheers erupted among the hundreds of U.S. troops gathered in a Bagram hangar when Obama said that at the end of this year, "America's war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end." With Afghanistan immersed in a runoff election to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, Obama did not meet Afghan government officials nor travel to the capital Kabul. Karzai has long been out of favor with Washington over his refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement to allow U.S. troops to stay beyond 2014.

French far right in 'earthquake' win as Europe votes

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:33 PM PDT

By Luke Baker and Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen's far right National Front scored a stunning first victory in European Parliament elections in France on Sunday as critics of the European Union registered a continent-wide protest vote against austerity and mass unemployment. Without waiting for the final result, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls went on television to call the breakthrough by the anti-immigration, anti-euro party in one of the EU's founding nations "an earthquake" for France and Europe. Anti-establishment far right and hard left parties, their scores magnified by another low turnout, gained ground in many countries although in Germany, the EU's biggest member state with the largest number of seats, the pro-European center ground held firm, according to exit polls. A jubilant Le Pen, whose party beat President Francois Hollande's ruling Socialists into third place, told supporters: "The people have spoken loud and clear... they no longer want to be led by those outside our borders, by EU commissioners and technocrats who are unelected.

Yemen says security forces kill senior al Qaeda leader

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:58 PM PDT

By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's security forces on Sunday killed a senior al Qaeda leader wanted for attacks on local and foreign targets in Sanaa, the Yemeni government said, after a raid near the capital in which at least four other militants died. The government said in a statement that two officers also died when anti-terrorism units raided an al Qaeda hideout and a car bomb-making facility in Bayt al-Adhari and Bani Hakam districts, in the Arhab region, and fought a gunbattle with its occupants. Security forces also conducted two other separate raids in downtown Sanaa, the statement said, but gave no details. "Five were killed and four were captured." The government statement, received by email, said one of the dead militants was Saleh al-Tais, who it said was involved in the January killing of Ahmad Sharafeddin, a delegate at national reconciliation talks representing the Shi'ite Muslim Houthi group and a former dean of the law faculty at Sanaa University.

UK finance ministry warns on Scottish independence costs

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:11 PM PDT

Britain's finance ministry stepped up its attack on the Scottish government's independence plans on Monday, saying it had not fully budgeted for setting up a new administration that could cost Scottish taxpayers over 1.5 billion pounds ($2.5 billion). People in Scotland vote on September 18 on whether to end a 307-year union with England and split from the rest of the United Kingdom. Britain's finance ministry has repeatedly argued that Scots would be financially worse off after independence. On Monday, it said setting up the new public bodies such as a Scottish tax authority, financial regulator and benefits system would cost each Scottish household a minimum of 600 pounds, and potentially much more.

Pope wraps up Middle East visit with Jerusalem whirl

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:01 PM PDT

By Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Pope Francis completes a tour of the Holy Land on Monday, paying homage to Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust and looking to affirm Christian rights at a disputed place of worship in Jerusalem. After visits to Jordan and the Palestinian Territories - including praying at the wall dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem, Francis spends the third and final day of his trip in the latter with a slate of political and religious encounters and visits to some of the most sensitive holy sites in the world. Francis has used his trip so far to plea for an end to the generations-old Middle East conflict, inviting the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to join him in the Vatican early next month and pray for peace. Both Shimon Peres, who plays no decision-making role in Israeli diplomacy, and Mahmoud Abbas accepted the offer.

Sheriffs never saw menacing videos before rampage

Posted: 25 May 2014 05:08 PM PDT

GOLETA, California (AP) — Elliot Rodger's parents raced to his Santa Barbara-area community after his mother saw his online threats, but they heard the news of a shooting on the radio as they were driving on the freeway.

Mali says 50 soldiers killed in Kidal fighting

Posted: 25 May 2014 05:04 PM PDT

Fifty Malian soldiers died this week during a failed army attempt to seize the Tuareg separatist northern town of Kidal, the West African country's defense minister said on Sunday. The fresh fighting on Wednesday, the worst since the government and separatist groups signed a preliminary peace agreement last year, threatened to sink struggling peace talks to end a long cycle of Tuareg uprisings. "In terms of toll, we have recorded 50 deaths unfortunately," Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga said on Malian state television, adding that 40 others were wounded in the failed operation.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT

Posted: 25 May 2014 05:02 PM PDT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's ruling military council stiffened its warnings Sunday against protests over its takeover of power, with its patience apparently wearing thin over demonstrations that have been growing in size and boldness. The warning came a day before the coup leader, Army Commander Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, was expected to receive the king's endorsement formalizing his status as head of government.

Far right, Euroskeptics make big gains in EU vote

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:52 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Far-right and Euroskeptic parties made sweeping gains in European Parliament elections Sunday — triggering what one prime minister called a political "earthquake" by those who want to slash the powers of the European Union or abolish it altogether.

Britain's UKIP party surges in Euro election

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:49 PM PDT

LONDON (AP) — Early results from Britain's European Parliament elections show that the country's Euoskeptic party is surging ahead of the country's more established parties, indicating it is on track to make its biggest-ever win.

Auto parts price-fixing probe rattles industry

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:47 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — An investigation into price-fixing and bid-rigging in the auto parts industry has mushroomed into the Justice Department's largest criminal antitrust probe ever, and it's not over yet.

Obama upbeat on Ukraine vote, but Russia's stance seen pivotal

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:40 PM PDT

By Arshad Mohammed and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama suggested on Sunday that Ukraine's election may help unify the country, but analysts said that would depend largely on Moscow's influence and Kiev's ability to deal with daunting domestic challenges. "The Ukrainian people have repeatedly demonstrated their desire to choose their leaders without interference and to live in a democracy where they can determine their own future free of violence and intimidation," Obama said in a clear allusion to Russian efforts to shape events in Ukraine. "This election is another important step forward in the efforts of the Ukrainian government to unify the country and reach out to all of its citizens to ensure their concerns are addressed and aspirations met," he added, saying Ukrainians voted "even in parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions." U.S.-based regional analysts voiced deep doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin, having annexed Crimea in March and since pursued what the West regards as a policy of destabilizing eastern Ukraine, would reverse course.

Cannes Film Festival lit up by class conflict

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:39 PM PDT

CANNES, France (AP) — Cannes doesn't in any way resemble the site of roiling class conflict. It's a French Riviera playground for the 1 percent, a sun-dappled land of velvet ropes.

Merkel's center-right wins German EU vote

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:39 PM PDT

Angela Merkel's conservatives won the most votes in European Union elections on Sunday but slipped from the 23-year high they polled in last year's German federal election as the Social Democrats (SPD) and a new Eurosceptic party gained ground. Merkel's center-right bloc polled 35.3 percent, down from 2013's 41.5 percent, while the SPD, which shares power with the chancellor in a 'grand coalition', took 27.3 percent, according to official figures, with all electoral districts counted but final confirmation pending. The far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) won 1.0 percent and became one of half a dozen small parties to enter the European Parliament for the first time, helped by a constitutional court ruling that forced Germany to scrap its three percent threshold for winning seats.

Syria refugees denied cancer treatment, says UNHCR

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:34 PM PDT

Lack of funds is forcing aid workers to deny Syrian war victims and other refugees with cancer the care they need, the UN refugee agency's top medical expert warned on Monday. With millions of Syrians driven from their homes by three years of conflict, and huge numbers having fled a decade of violence in Iraq, health systems in the region have been overwhelmed. "We can treat everyone with measles, but we can't treat everyone with cancer," said Paul Spiegel, UNHCR's medical chief. Doctors are therefore having to make heart-rending decisions about who gets cancer care and who is left to fend for themselves.

Boko Haram kill 24 in Nigeria village raid

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:19 PM PDT

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - At least 24 people were killed on Sunday when Boko Haram gunmen raided a village in northeast Nigeria, where the Islamists have stepped up deadly attacks on villages in recent months, residents told AFP. Dozens of motorcycle-riding gunmen stormed Kamuya village in Borno state after sunrise as locals were heading to the weekly market, opening fire on residents. The attacks indicate how Boko Haram, who captured world attention after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls last month, can attack seemingly at will and the Nigerian military's fragile grip on security. A state of emergency has been in place in Borno and two neighbouring northeast states since May last year.

Bomb attack in tiny Djibouti condemned

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:18 PM PDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The European Union Naval Force and the African Union on Sunday both condemned an attack the government said involved two Somali suicide bombers in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti that is reported to have killed three people.

Leftist parties slam Spain's political status quo

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:14 PM PDT

MADRID (AP) — Two leftist Spanish parties opposed to the nation's deep austerity cuts have made big gains in the European Parliament elections, dealing a blow to the ruling center-right Popular Party and the main opposition center-left Socialist Party.

Scott beats Dufner on 3rd playoff hole at Colonial

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:12 PM PDT

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Adam Scott made a 7-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to end his first week as the world's No. 1 player with a victory at Colonial.

Brazil finds 2 tons of pot on samba school grounds

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:04 PM PDT

SAO PAULO (AP) — Police found more than two tons (1,930 kilograms) of marijuana inside a trailer truck parked on the grounds of a samba school in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazilian officials said Sunday.

Colombia's president, challenger head to runoff

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:02 PM PDT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former Finance Minister Oscar Ivan Zuluaga finished first in the opening round of Colombia's presidential election Sunday, delivering a blow to President Juan Manuel Santos' re-election bid but failing to win enough votes to avoid a runoff ballot with the incumbent.

Portugal's main opposition Socialists win European elections

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:01 PM PDT

Portugal's main opposition Socialists won elections for the European Parliament on Sunday in an austerity-weary country which earlier this month exited an international bailout. With more than 99 percent of the vote counted, the center-left Socialists had won with 31.45 percent of the ballot that was marked by high abstention levels at over 66 percent. The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho's Social Democrats and their smaller rightist partner CDS-PP that implemented painful cuts over the three years of bailout, garnered 27.7 percent. It was followed by the Communist-Greens alliance, with 12.7 percent and the agrarian-environmentalist Partido da Terra (Party of the Earth), which built its campaign on disillusionment with traditional political parties.

Spain's ruling PP wins EU vote, political fragmentation rises

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:56 PM PDT

Spain's ruling People's Party (PP) won the country's EU election on Sunday but ceded more seats than expected to smaller parties which tapped into voter disenchantment after a deep economic crisis. The PP of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, which swept to power in Spain in late 2011 with an absolute majority, took 26 percent of the vote, down from nearly 45 in the general election. The parties lost a combined 17 seats in the European parliament, leaving them with 30 out of Spain's 54. Spending cuts by the PP and corruption scandals surrounding the two parties that have dominated Spanish politics for four decades had been expected to push voters elsewhere.

Obama signals US to keep limited Afghanistan role

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:45 PM PDT

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan for a surprise visit Sunday and made clear that the U.S. will likely maintain a limited role here even after its combat mission ends this year and America's longest war comes to a close.

French far right surges to lead in Europe vote

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:41 PM PDT

PARIS (AP) — France's far-right National Front party emerged from Sunday's European Parliament election as the country's leading political party, partial results showed, a victory that the prime minister called a political "earthquake."

Italy's Renzi ahead of Grillo in EU vote-projections

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:36 PM PDT

By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was on course for a triumph in Sunday's European election with early projections giving his center-left Democratic Party (PD) a strong lead over the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of ex-comic Beppe Grillo. A projection by IPR Marketing for RAI state television put the PD on 41.4 percent ahead of the 5-Star Movement on 22.4 percent with former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party on 15.7 percent. A separate projection by the EMG institute for La7 television put the PD on 39.7 percent, the 5-Star Movement on 22.1 percent and Forza Italia on 15.5 percent.

Lithuanian president declares re-election victory

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:36 PM PDT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Dalia Grybauskaite was re-elected president of Lithuania on Sunday after beating the Social Democrat candidate in a runoff.

Far-right National Front stuns French elite with EU 'earthquake'

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:35 PM PDT

By Mark John and Leila Abboud PARIS (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front stunned France's political elite on Sunday by taking first place in European Parliament elections, with President Francois Hollande's Socialists beaten into a poor third, provisional results showed. If the results are confirmed, it could secure as many as 25 seats in the new European Parliament, more than eight times the three it won in 2009. "The people have spoken loud and clear," a triumphant Le Pen told cheering supporters at party headquarters in a northwestern suburb of Paris. Partial results released by the Interior Ministry gave the FN 26 percent, even higher than expected in pre-vote polls.

UK's Eurosceptic UKIP party poised for victory in Europe vote

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:32 PM PDT

By Andrew Osborn and Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's anti-EU UKIP party has chalked up strong gains in elections to the European Parliament, polling more strongly than Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party and opposition Labour party in early results on Sunday. With 15 out of 73 seats declared, the UK Independence Party, which wants Britain to leave the European Union, had won six seats, the Conservatives five seats and Labour four.

Spain village votes to change its 'Kill Jews' name

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:30 PM PDT

MADRID (AP) — Voters in the tiny Spanish village of Castrillo Matajudios, whose name means "Camp Kill Jews," overwhelmingly decided Sunday that it's time to change the name their town has had for nearly four centuries.

Poroshenko struts before world media even before results are in

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:27 PM PDT

Switching easily between his native tongue, Russian and English, billionaire "chocolate king" Petro Poroshenko was happy to strut his stuff before the world's media on Sunday -- even before being officially elected Ukraine's new president. The self-made billionaire took to the stage in a hail of flashbulbs at a post-election press conference in a trendy Kiev art gallery where he declared himself the winner only minutes after exit polls had been released. Wearing a striped tie in Ukraine's national colours of blue and yellow, he fired off a series of lofty pledges -- to end the "war" raging in the east of the country and to negotiate with powerful neighbour Russia -- as he joked with the assembled media throng. Not only had he apparently won a decisive victory over his closest rival, former prime minister and Orange Revolution heroine Yulia Tymoshenko, he was also able to celebrate another victory -- for his trusty supporter Vitali Klitschko.