2014年2月28日星期五

Yahoo! News: World News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World News


Armed men seize two airports in Ukraine's Crimea, Russia denies involvement

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST

An armed man patrols at the airport in SimferopolBy Alissa de Carbonnel and Alessandra Prentice SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - Armed men took control of two airports in the Crimea region on Friday in what Ukraine's government described as an invasion and occupation by Russian forces, stoking tension between Moscow and the West. More than 10 Russian military helicopters also flew into Ukrainian airspace over the region on Friday, Kiev's border guard service said, accusing Russian servicemen of blockading one of its units in the port city of Sevastopol, where part of Moscow's Black Sea fleet is based. Tensions have been rising on the Black Sea peninsula, the only Ukrainian region that has an ethnic Russian majority and the last major bastion of resistance to the overthrow of Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich as president almost a week ago. Moscow has promised to defend the interests of its citizens in Ukraine.


Obama warns Russia of 'costs' for intervention in Ukraine

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:32 PM PST

Obama delivers remarks on the situation in Ukraine from the press briefing room at the White House in WashingtonBy Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday that military intervention in Ukraine would lead to "costs," as tension with old foe President Vladimir Putin rose in a Cold War-style crisis. "We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine," he told reporters. Obama and European leaders would consider skipping a G8 summit this summer in the Russian city of Sochi if Moscow intervenes militarily in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said. The G8 includes the world's seven leading industrial nations and Russia.


Colombian rebels want U.S. to participate in peace talks

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:37 PM PST

Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) lead negotiator Ivan Marquez talks to the media during a news conference in HavanaBy Rosa Tania Valdés HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels asked for the United States to join its peace talks with the Colombian government, saying on Friday it would speed up the process because Washington was making all the important decisions anyway. The U.S. State Department said it disagreed with FARC's assessment and was unaware of any effort to join the talks. Colombia did not respond to the request, which it would likely reject on grounds of national sovereignty. "We are discussing a matter of interest for the United States," Ivan Marquez, head of the FARC's negotiating team in Havana, told reporters before entering the latest round of talks.


France striving to stop Central African Republic split, Hollande says

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:52 PM PST

French President Francois Hollande speaks and greets troops at the French military base in Bangui's Mpoko international airportBy Serge Leger Kokpakpa BANGUI (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande told the Central African Republic on Friday that his troops would work to stop the country splitting in two and endeavor to disarm rival fighters engaged in months of inter-religious killing. Arriving in the capital Bangui from Nigeria, where he attended unification celebrations, Hollande met the interim president, religious leaders and addressed French troops. "We need to stop score-settling, establish the authority of government, allow it to engage in dialogue and avoid any temptation to partition the east of the Central African Republic," Hollande told French soldiers in a helicopter hangar at the airport in Bangui.


Tunisian Prime Minister replaces Islamist governors ahead of election

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:41 PM PST

Tunisia's PM Jomaa speaks during news conference in TunisTunisia's prime minister replaced most state governors on Friday, bowing to a demand from secular parties to purge Islamists From key jobs before elections this year. After a political crisis brought on by the killing of two opposition leaders last year, the ruling Islamist party stepped down to allow a caretaker government to take over until elections later this year under a new constitution. The secular opposition accused the Ennahda Islamist party of placing party officials in senior state jobs just before it quit power, and had asked that the appointments be reviewed. "Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa decided to change 18 out of 24 governors to overhaul the administration," Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said on the outcome of that review.


Chilean indigenous leader jailed in high-profile murder case

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:16 PM PST

A court on Friday sentenced a Mapuche indigenous leader to 18 years in prison for his participation in the killing of a couple during an arson attack last year in a high-profile case that rekindled divisions over land rights in Chile. A Temuco criminal tribunal found Celestino Cordova, a 27-year-old traditional healer, guilty of taking part in the deadly attack on the elderly Luchsinger landowners on their estate in the southern Araucania region. Many Mapuche, famous for their fierce resistance to the Spanish conquest, say they were robbed by the Chilean government's often brutal colonization policy in the 19th century. That has bred deep-seated Mapuche resentment against the descendants of immigrants such as the Luchsingers, whose ancestors reportedly arrived in Southern Chile in 1883.

US seizes ancient Roman sarcophagus lid in NYC

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:04 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. officials have seized an ancient Roman sarcophagus lid from a New York City storage facility on behalf of Italian officials who say it was looted from Italy decades ago.

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:02 PM PST

BANGKOK (AP) — The anti-government protesters who once threatened to shut down Thailand's capital said Friday they will significantly scale back their presence in the streets, in what could be a prelude to eased tensions. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said in his nightly speech that the protesters would withdraw from several stages erected at key intersections around Bangkok. Starting Monday, they will consolidate at Lumpini Park, a central venue that has become a traditional protest site.

Obama could pull Russia trip amid Ukraine tumult

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:53 PM PST

President Barack Obama speaks about Ukraine in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Obama's statement comes as his administration is expressing growing concern over Russian intentions in Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a blunt warning Friday to Moscow against military moves in the country's southern Crimea region that could further inflame tensions. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said President Barack Obama may cancel plans to attend an international summit in Russia this year and could halt discussions on deepening trade ties with Moscow, raising specific possible consequences if Russia intervenes in Ukraine. Obama bluntly warned of unspecified "costs" for Russia.


Obama warns Russia over military moves in Crimea

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:50 PM PST

Unidentified gunmen wearing camouflage uniforms guard the entrance to the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Russian troops took control of the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea, Ukraine's interior minister charged, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict. Russian state media said Russian forces in Crimea denied involvement. No violence was reported at the civilian airport in Crimea's capital of Simferopol or at the military airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, also part of Crimea. At the Simferopol airport, a man claiming to speak for the camouflage-clad forces patrolling the airport described them as Crimean militiamen. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Armed men described as Russian troops took control of key airports in Crimea on Friday and Russian transport planes flew into the strategic region, Ukrainian officials said, an ominous sign of the Kremlin's iron hand in Ukraine. President Barack Obama bluntly warned Moscow "there will be costs" if it intervenes militarily.


Feds: Marathon suspect made detrimental remark

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:43 PM PST

BOSTON (AP) — An FBI agent overheard Boston Marathon suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev make a "statement to his detriment" when his sister visited him in prison, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Syrian activists urge release of delegate's brother

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:37 PM PST

Members of Syrian opposition delegation arrive to take part in the second round of peace talks, "Geneva II", dedicated to the ongoing conflict in Syria, at the United Nations on February 12, 2014 in GenevaSyrian activists Friday called for the brother of an opposition delegate to the Geneva peace talks to be released after he was snatched from a Damascus suburb by Syrian security services. Mahmoud Sabra, the brother of Mohammed Sabra, was arrested on his way home in Jaramana on February 20 only days after the second round of peace talks aimed at bringing in a transitional government collapsed. "He was on his way back home from work, and he was abducted... from the streets," Mohammed Ghanem, senior political advisor for the Syrian American Council, told AFP. Witnesses got a message back to his family and to his brother who now lives in Turkey, and it is feared that Mahmoud Sabra is incarcerated in the notorious Far Falastin, or Palestine Branch, jail near the Syrian capital.


Citigroup lowers 2013 profit on Mexico fraud

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:36 PM PST

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2014 file photo, a person walks past a Citibank location in Philadelphia. Citigroup reduced its 2013 earnings by $235 million on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, saying it was a victim of fraud committed by a Mexican oil services company to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in short-term loans. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Citigroup reduced its 2013 earnings by $235 million on Friday, saying it was a victim of fraud committed by a Mexican oil services company to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in short-term loans.


Tommy Haas reaches Brazil Open semifinals

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:23 PM PST

SAO PAULO (AP) — Top-seeded Tommy Haas came back to defeat Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to advance to the Brazil Open semifinals on Friday.

Anti-government protests continue in Venezuela

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:11 PM PST

Demonstrators hold up posters with images of Venezuelans who were killed in the past two weeks during the recent unrest, at a rally with human rights activists in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. The start of a weeklong string of holidays leading up to the March 5 anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez's death has not completely pulled demonstrators from the streets as the government apparently hoped. President Nicolas Maduro announced this week that he was adding Thursday and Friday to the already scheduled long Carnival weekend that includes Monday and Tuesday off, and many people interpreted it as an attempt to calm tensions. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Scattered barricades blocked streets in some Caracas neighborhoods Friday even while life went on as usual in others as a political standoff persisted through the second day of national holidays.


McIlroy soars, and Woods nearly misses the cut

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:10 PM PST

Golfer Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, watches his shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (AP) — Rory McIlroy bounced back from a rough start for a 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Honda Classic.


Actress linked to Hollande appears at movie awards

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:08 PM PST

French actress Julie Gayet arrives at the 39th French Cesar Awards Ceremony, in Paris, Friday Feb. 28, 2014. This annual ceremony is presented by the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)PARIS (AP) — The actress whose secret tryst with French President Francois Hollande led to his separation from his long-time girlfriend on Friday made her first public appearance since the scandal broke, atttending France's presitigious movie awards in which she was a nominee — but left empty-handed.


Mourinho urges Hodgson to stick with Chelsea's old guard

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 04:05 PM PST

Chelsea's defender Ashley Cole runs with the ball at Stamford Bridge on December 11, 2013Jose Mourinho has urged England manager Roy Hodgson to stick with Chelsea veterans Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard for the World Cup in Brazil. Left-back Cole, 33, is in danger of becoming second-choice behind Leighton Baines and also under increasing pressure to even make the squad following Hodgson's decision to include the uncapped Luke Shaw, who has shone for Southampton this season. Lampard, 35, faces a battle for an England midfield berth, with Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard the likely starters and Liverpool's Jordan Henderson catching the eye with his performances in the Premier League this season.


Obama warns Russia of 'costs' for intervention in Ukraine

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:59 PM PST

Obama delivers remarks on the situation in Ukraine from the press briefing room at the White House in WashingtonBy Steve Holland and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday that military intervention in Ukraine would lead to "costs," as tension with old foe President Vladimir Putin rose in a Cold War-style crisis. "We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine," he told reporters. Obama and European leaders would consider skipping a G8 summit this summer in the Russian city of Sochi if Moscow intervenes militarily in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said. "The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine," Obama said in the White House briefing room.


U.S. regulator seeks to block Alaskan mine to protect salmon

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:52 PM PST

By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - U.S. environmental regulators moved on Friday to block development of the Pebble mine in Alaska, which could be one of the largest copper projects in the world, citing potential "irreversible harm" to the state's salmon fishery. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it has initiated a rarely used process under the Clean Water Act to "identify appropriate options to protect" the Bristol Bay fishery from the impact of the proposed mine. The decision follows a report in January that found large-scale mining would pose serious risks to salmon and native cultures in the pristine corner of southwest Alaska. "Extensive scientific study has given us ample reason to believe that the Pebble mine would likely have significant and irreversible negative impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed and its abundant salmon fisheries," EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement.

Venezuela protesters march against security crackdown

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:52 PM PST

Riot policemen confront demonstrators during an anti-government protest in Caracas on February 28, 2014Hundreds of Venezuelan protesters hit the streets of Caracas on Friday to denounce alleged abuses by security forces, as a soldier's death brought to 18 the number killed in three-week street battles. With no sign of a breakthrough in the political crisis gripping the oil-rich country, the United States urged President Nicolas Maduro to hold talks with protesters and end the bloody violence. "We need a dialogue within Venezuela, not arrests and violence in the streets." Kerry said the United States was working with Colombia and other countries to bolster mediation efforts.


Text of Obama's comments on Ukraine

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:43 PM PST

Text of President Barack Obama's comments Friday on the political crisis in Ukraine:

West Indies defeats England in first ODI

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:31 PM PST

West Indies' Dwayne Bravo plays a shot for four runs of England's Chris Jordan as Darren Sammy looks on during their first one-day international cricket match at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in St. John's, Antigua, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — England opener Michael Lumb hit 106 on debut but the West Indies battled back from precarious situations with bat and ball to seal a 15-run win in the opening one-day cricket international here Friday at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.


PARIS: Bad time-keeper Rihanna is early at Dior

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:25 PM PST

Singer Rihanna poses for photographers before Dior's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2014-2015 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Feb.28, 2014. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)PARIS (AP) — After turning up at Balmain's show after everyone had left, Barbadian superstar Rihanna arrived this time at Friday's Christian Dior show before hardly anyone had arrived.


Ukraine's U.N. envoy: 'We are strong enough to defend ourselves'

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:20 PM PST

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ukraine's U.N. ambassador on Friday accused Russia of illegally sending military planes and attack helicopters across the border of the former Soviet republic and declared that his country was strong enough to defend itself. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev was speaking to reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council in a closed-door session on the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Armed men took control of two airports in Ukraine's autonomous Crimea region earlier on Friday in what the country's leadership described as an invasion and occupation by Russian forces. Russia denied involvement in the airport seizures.

BP loses effort to see documents in claims probe

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:15 PM PST

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP is not entitled to see confidential documents used by a court-appointed investigator who has alleged that some attorneys acted improperly in the claims process arising from the 2010 Gulf oil spill, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Obama warns Russia of 'costs' in Ukraine

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:13 PM PST

President Barack Obama speaks about the ongoing situation in Ukraine in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Obama warned Russia "there will be costs" for any military intervention in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama expressed deep concern Friday over reported military activity inside Ukraine by Russia and bluntly warned "there will be costs" for any intervention.


Art stolen from Cuban museum, turns up in Miami

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:08 PM PST

HAVANA (AP) — Dozens of works of art were secretly taken from a storage facility at Cuba's flagship National Museum of Fine Arts and some have surfaced across the Florida Straits in Miami, museum and gallery officials said Friday.

Chile judge: 18 years for Mapuche in arson deaths

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 03:02 PM PST

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Mapuche indigenous leader was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday for the arson murders of an elderly couple who died defending their property from hooded trespassers.

Ukraine gets look at fugitive leader's documents

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:58 PM PST

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb, 22, 2014, file photo, a protester waves an EU flag at Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's country residence in Mezhyhirya, Ukraine. Ukrainians are getting an unfiltered look at the opulent lifestyle and alleged machinations of fugitive Yanukovych and his top officials from thousands of documents being posted online by journalists who say it's more important to record their country's history _ and document possible crimes _ than hold them back for their own scoops. Visitors to the YanukovychLeaks.org website can browse what appear to be the expense payments for running the sprawling compound just outside Kiev that reportedly was the Yanukovych's home. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians are getting an unfiltered look at the opulent lifestyle and alleged machinations of fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych and his top officials from thousands of documents being posted online by journalists who say it's more important to record their country's history — and document possible crimes — than hold them back for their own scoops.


Chile, US waive visas; unique in Latin America

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:53 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Citizens of Chile will no longer need a visa to travel to the United States for business or pleasure. Chile is the only country in Latin America to enjoy this status, joining 37 other countries in the U.S. visa waiver program.

Cuaron's Oscar nod leaves Mexico soul searching

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:52 PM PST

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2013 file photo, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron poses for photographers during a press conference promoting his film "Gravity" in Mexico City. Despite feeble cries of MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Oscars could be Mexico's big night, with three Mexicans nominated for directing, cinematography and acting.


Zakopalova reaches 2nd-straight WTA final

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:52 PM PST

FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic defeated top-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to reach her second consecutive WTA final.

Ukraine official: 8 Russian cargo planes in Crimea

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:50 PM PST

Unidentified gunmen wearing camouflage uniforms guard the entrance to the military airport at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Russian troops took control of the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea, Ukraine's interior minister charged, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict. Russian state media said Russian forces in Crimea denied involvement. No violence was reported at the civilian airport in Crimea's capital of Simferopol or at the military airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, also part of Crimea. At the Simferopol airport, a man claiming to speak for the camouflage-clad forces patrolling the airport described them as Crimean militiamen. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Armed men took control of key airports in Crimea on Friday and Russian transport planes flew into the strategic region, Ukrainian officials said, an ominous sign of the Kremlin's iron hand in Ukraine. President Barack Obama warned Moscow there will be costs if it intervenes militarily in Ukraine.


Art from Cuban national museum turns up in Miami

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:47 PM PST

HAVANA (AP) — Dozens of works of art were secretly taken from a storage facility at Cuba's flagship National Museum of Fine Arts and some have surfaced across the Florida Straits in Miami, museum and gallery officials said Friday.

Boston Marathon suspect made detrimental remark

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 02:46 PM PST

BOSTON (AP) — An FBI agent overheard Boston marathon suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev make a "statement to his detriment" when his sister visited him in prison, federal prosecutors said Friday.
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