Yahoo! News: World News

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• Suspected Russian spyware Turla targets Europe, United States
• Netanyahu says Israel would give up 'some settlements' for peace
• Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group
• Iran, world powers hold 'substantive and useful' nuclear talks
• South Africa, Rwanda expel diplomats in row over Rwandan exiles
• Malaysia's Anwar convicted of sodomy, political future in doubt
• Russia in patriotic fervor over Crimea
• British PM followed 'normal process' over Nepali nanny
• Obama phoned Merkel on Friday to discuss Ukraine situation: White House
• Tension escalates over hunting of pregnant bison outside Yellowstone
• Ukraine crisis: What’s the point of US military activity near Russia?
• Pistorius trial hears damaging testimony
• Nice wins 1-0 at Marseille in the French league
• Mexico stops heavy metal concert, draws fire
• Costa Rica opposition group says to scrap 2021 carbon neutrality target
• Russia, Ukraine feud over sniper carnage
• Wenger expects Wilshere to make World Cup
• Theisen Eaton wins silver at world indoors
• British abortion group fined over personal data hack
• FBI marks anniversary of ex-agent's disappearance
• UN criticizes violence against Egypt protesters
• Former British No.1 Baltacha fighting cancer
• Ukraine may turn to UN General Assembly
• California bill would ban orca shows, captive breeding
• Sweden defeats US to end 43-game unbeaten run
• England out to banish Welsh ghosts in 6 Nations
• Armed men confiscate AP equipment in Crimea
• Turkey's ex-army chief released from prison
• Pentagon says 20,000 Russian troops may be in Crimea
• Broersen wins pentathlon silver at world indoors
• Great Lakes ice cover among worst in 40 years: U.S. agency
• Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT
• Muslim body names Senegal ex-minister envoy to C.Africa
• Russia threatens to cut Ukraine gas amid Crimea tensions
• Brazilian player racially abused after match
• Letter bombs found at N Ireland post offices
• White House plays down speedy role for U.S. natural gas in Ukraine
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT

Suspected Russian spyware Turla targets Europe, United States Posted: 07 Mar 2014 11:45 AM PST By Peter Apps and Jim Finkle LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - A sophisticated piece of spyware has been quietly infecting hundreds of government computers across Europe and the United States in one of the most complex cyber espionage programs uncovered to date. Several security researchers and Western intelligence officers say they believe the malware, widely known as Turla, is the work of the Russian government and linked to the same software used to launch a massive breach on the U.S. military uncovered in 2008.

Netanyahu says Israel would give up 'some settlements' for peace Posted: 07 Mar 2014 11:56 AM PST Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would give up "some settlements" in occupied Palestinian land to help secure a peace agreement but would limit as much as he could the number of enclaves removed. The settlements are a key issue in peace talks renewed under Washington's tutelage in July after a three-year impasse. Little progress has been reported though U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said he hopes to publish a framework for a deal soon. The settlements built in territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War are deemed illegal in international law and condemned by most governments.

Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group Posted: 07 Mar 2014 09:48 AM PST Saudi Arabia has formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, in a move that could increase pressure on Qatar whose backing for the group has sparked a row with fellow Gulf monarchies. The U.S.-allied kingdom has also designated as terrorist the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, whose fighters are battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Interior Ministry said in a statement published by state media. Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious authorities have spoken out against Saudi fighters going to Syria, but the Interior Ministry estimates that around 1,200 Saudis have gone nonetheless. Riyadh fears the Brotherhood, whose Sunni Islamist doctrines challenge the Saudi principle of dynastic rule, has tried to build support inside the kingdom since the Arab Spring revolutions.

Iran, world powers hold 'substantive and useful' nuclear talks Posted: 07 Mar 2014 11:40 AM PST By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers held "substantive and useful" expert-level talks over Tehran's nuclear program this week, they said on Friday, ahead of a new round of political negotiations later this month. Seeking to build on an interim agreement reached late last year in Geneva, Iran and the major powers aim to hammer out a final settlement of the decade-old dispute over the Islamic Republic's atomic activities by late July. But they also acknowledge that there are still big differences over the future scope of Iran's nuclear program and that success is far from guaranteed. "The talks are very serious and substantive and useful," the head of the Iranian delegation at the expert-level talks, senior Foreign Ministry official Hamid Baidinejad, told Iran's Fars news agency ahead of Friday's session.

South Africa, Rwanda expel diplomats in row over Rwandan exiles Posted: 07 Mar 2014 10:25 AM PST By Pascal Fletcher and Helen Nyambura-Mwaura JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa expelled three Rwandan diplomats it linked to a raid on an exiled Rwandan general's Johannesburg home, and Rwanda has retaliated by ordering out six South African envoys, officials said on Friday. The row strained ties between two African states involved in efforts to bring peace to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where South Africa has troops in a U.N. brigade that fought last year against rebels whom U.N. experts said received support from Rwanda. Kigali denied backing the Congolese rebels. Late on Monday, armed men broke into the Johannesburg home of former Rwandan army chief General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, an exiled critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Malaysia's Anwar convicted of sodomy, political future in doubt Posted: 07 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PST By Al-Zaquan Amer Hamzah PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - A Malaysian court convicted opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy and sentenced him to five years in prison on Friday, shattering his plan to take control of the country's richest state and stoking political tension in the Southeast Asian nation following a divisive national election last year. The former deputy prime minister, who was previously jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption charges, will not be jailed immediately as his lawyers won a stay of the sentence pending an appeal. But the ruling bars Anwar from running for a seat in the state assembly of Selangor this month, a move that would likely have paved the way for him to become chief minister of Malaysia's most populous state - a potent platform from which to attack the government ahead of the next national election. This has been choreographed," he added, saying the government had underestimated "the wrath of the people." A government spokesman said that Malaysia had an "independent judiciary." "This is a case between two individuals and is a matter for the courts, not the government," the spokesman said.

Russia in patriotic fervor over Crimea Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:57 PM PST MOSCOW (AP) — Russia was swept up in patriotic fervor Friday in anticipation of bringing Crimea back into its territory, with tens of thousands of people thronging Red Square chanting "Crimea is Russia!" as a parliamentary leader declared the peninsula would be welcomed as an "equal subject" of Russia.

British PM followed 'normal process' over Nepali nanny Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:39 PM PST Downing Street insisted Prime Minister David Cameron had followed "proper procedures" after it emerged Friday that his Nepali nanny had been granted British citizenship. His office said neither Cameron nor his wife Samantha had written letters in support of her application. Cameron faced questions about his use of a foreign nanny after his immigration minister deplored the effects of Britain's "wealthy metropolitan elite" benefiting from cheap migrant workers. Security and immigration minister James Brokenshire, from Cameron's Conservative Party, said Thursday that the rich had been the main winners from mass immigration, because they had to pay less for tradesmen and services.

Obama phoned Merkel on Friday to discuss Ukraine situation: White House Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:28 PM PST FLORIDA CITY, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama telephoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday from his vacation resort in Key Largo, Florida, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the White House said. No other details were immediately available. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Tension escalates over hunting of pregnant bison outside Yellowstone Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PST By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Angered by the killing of pregnant bison outside Yellowstone National Park, a Native American tribal member tried to deliver a bloody bison heart to Montana's governor this week, the latest skirmish over the management of the iconic animal. James St. Goddard, a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and former member of the tribe's governing council, said he found the heart where hunters from another tribe discarded it after gutting a bison killed when many females are well along in their pregnancies. Are we all ignorant of our own Indian culture?" said St. Goddard, who was prevented by authorities from presenting the bison heart to Montana Governor Steve Bullock at his office in Helena. St. Goddard's protest, which was not sanctioned by the Blackfeet Nation, highlighted controversy over practices - which have divided some tribal members - in which bison that stray out of Yellowstone have been killed in extended tribal hunting seasons.

Ukraine crisis: What’s the point of US military activity near Russia? Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:07 PM PST The modest US show of force – a handful of jet fighters in Eastern European skies and a single warship to the Black Sea – is intended more to calm the nerves of former Soviet republics and satellites nervous about Moscow's actions in Ukraine, regional experts say, than it is designed to send Russia into retreat with its tail between its legs. The US military activities "are clearly meant to reassure our allies about the US commitment to NATO and to them," says Paul Saunders, executive director of the Center for the National Interest, a Washington think tank with expertise in US-Russia relations. "It's really an effort to demonstrate to the new NATO members in particular," he adds, "that the US is standing with them." As Heather Conley of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington notes, there's even a term for what the US is looking to accomplish with its ramped up NATO-area activity.

Pistorius trial hears damaging testimony Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:06 PM PST PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — In a day of potentially damaging testimony, a former girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius said at his murder trial Friday that he once shot his gun out of a car sunroof and later cheated on her with the woman he killed last year. And a security guard recalled the athlete telling him everything was "fine" after neighbors reported gunshots coming from Pistorius' house on the night of her death.

Nice wins 1-0 at Marseille in the French league Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:06 PM PST MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille's Champions League hopes were dented on Friday as it fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Nice in the French league.

Mexico stops heavy metal concert, draws fire Posted: 07 Mar 2014 03:01 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican state's decision to cancel a two-day heavy metal concert with top bands like Kiss, Twisted Sister and Guns 'N Roses is drawing fire from fans and organizers, who say they suspect that political motives, corruption or discrimination are behind the move.

Costa Rica opposition group says to scrap 2021 carbon neutrality target Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:57 PM PST By Marcelo Teixeira SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Costa Rica's leading opposition group, PAC, expected to win a four-year presidential term next month, will drop the country's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2021, an official said. The leftist group's candidate, Luis Guillermo Solis, should be elected president in an April 6 runoff vote after ruling party candidate Johnny Araya announced on Wednesday that he was abandoning the campaign. "We don't think it would be possible to reach carbon neutrality by 2021, because the most important tasks to reduce emissions in the country are yet to be done," Patricia Madrigal, the Citizens' Action Party environmental adviser, told Reuters this week. She said changes in the transport and energy sectors, to increase fuel efficiency and renewables production, are necessary because the nation lacks the means to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in key sectors by the target date.

Russia, Ukraine feud over sniper carnage Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:52 PM PST KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — One of the biggest mysteries hanging over the protest mayhem that drove Ukraine's president from power: Who was behind the snipers who sowed death and terror in Kiev?

Wenger expects Wilshere to make World Cup Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:52 PM PST Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expects England midfielder Jack Wilshere to win his fight to be fit in time for the World Cup. Wilshere faces at least six weeks on the sidelines after scans revealed he had sustained a hairline fracture of his foot following a hefty tackle from Liverpool defender Daniel Agger early in Wednesday's friendly against Denmark at Wembley. If all goes to plan with Wilshere's rehabilitation, he could feature for Arsenal's final matches of the season and also be available for England's friendly against Peru at Wembley on May 30. Hodgson will then cut his provisional 30-man World Cup squad down to 23 before heading to Miami for a training camp which will include friendlies against Ecuador and Honduras in the build-up to England's opening World Cup group match against Italy in Manaus on June 14.

Theisen Eaton wins silver at world indoors Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:41 PM PST SOPOT, Poland (AP) — That's what the Eatons call a fun day out at the world indoor championships.

British abortion group fined over personal data hack Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:41 PM PST Britain's biggest abortion provider was fined Friday by a data protection watchdog after a computer hacker obtained the details of thousands of women who had sought its help. Convicted hacker James Jeffery threatened to publish the names of those who sought advice from the British Pregnancy Advice Service (Bpas) charity. The Information Commissioner's Office watchdog criticised the provider for not storing personal data securely and fined it £200,000 ($335,000, 240,000 euros) for a "serious breach" of the Data Protection Act. The ICO said Bpas "didn't realise" that its own website was storing names, addresses, dates of birth and telephone numbers, how long the information was being retained for, nor that the website was not sufficiently secure.

FBI marks anniversary of ex-agent's disappearance Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:36 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The family of a former FBI agent who went missing from the Iranian resort of Kish Island is renewing its plea for his release on the seventh anniversary of his disappearance.

UN criticizes violence against Egypt protesters Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST CAIRO (AP) — A group of 27 countries on the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concerns Friday over the Egyptian government's wide-scale use of violence against opposition protesters, the first reprimand from the international body since a bloody crackdown on dissent in the country begab.

Former British No.1 Baltacha fighting cancer Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PST Former British number one Elena Baltacha revealed on Friday that she is battling liver cancer. "I have recently been diagnosed with cancer of the liver," the 30-year-old said in a statement. Baltacha was diagnosed at the age of 19 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver condition which compromises the immune system. Ukraine-born Baltacha reached a career-high ranking of 49 in 2010 and reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2002 and the same stage of the Australian Open in 2005 and 2010.

Ukraine may turn to UN General Assembly Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:28 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine may appeal to the U.N. General Assembly if the divided Security Council doesn't act on Russia's seizure of Crimea, the Ukrainian ambassador said Friday.

California bill would ban orca shows, captive breeding Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:27 PM PST By Dana Feldman SANTA MONICA, California (Reuters) - The SeaWorld San Diego marine theme park would be required to end its popular live performances of killer whales under legislation proposed on Friday, which would also ban captive breeding, imports and exports of orcas in California. The measure was introduced by state Assemblyman Richard Bloom, who said his interest in the issue was sparked by last year's documentary "Blackfish," which deals with the treatment of killer whales at SeaWorld parks. The film concludes that keeping killer whales penned up in captivity is inherently cruel and that SeaWorld has persisted in the practice because orcas are the primary attraction in the highly lucrative theme park business. But the company said the individuals "he has chosen to associate with for today's press conference are well-known extreme animal rights activists, many of whom regularly campaign against SeaWorld and other accredited marine mammal parks and institutions." Joining Bloom at a news conference announcing his bill were Naomi Rose, a marine mammal biologist with the Washington, D.C.-based Animal Welfare Institute, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the director of "Blackfish," and two former trainers.

Sweden defeats US to end 43-game unbeaten run Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:19 PM PST ALBUFEIRA, Portugal (AP) — Sweden eked out a 1-0 victory over the United States to end the American women's 43-game unbeaten run and deny them any chance of reaching the Algarve Cup final, which Germany reached on Friday after clinching its group.

England out to banish Welsh ghosts in 6 Nations Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:11 PM PST LONDON (AP) — As the fireworks petered out and Wales moved its victory party from Millennium Stadium outside into the Cardiff streets, Chris Robshaw made his hurting England teammates stay on the field and urged them not to forget.

Armed men confiscate AP equipment in Crimea Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:11 PM PST SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Armed men in Crimea's capital city have confiscated equipment from Associated Press employees and contractors working there.

Turkey's ex-army chief released from prison Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:09 PM PST Turkey's former army chief Ilker Basbug, who was jailed for life last year for plotting to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government, walked free from prison on Friday after a court ordered his release. The release came a day after Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled that Basbug's legal rights had been violated, saying that a lower court had failed to publish its detailed verdict on the case and send it to the appeals court.

Pentagon says 20,000 Russian troops may be in Crimea Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:04 PM PST The Pentagon on Friday estimated as many as 20,000 Russian troops may be in Crimea but acknowledged its information was imperfect, as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel praised the restraint of Ukrainian forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies that the forces with no national insignia that are surrounding Ukrainian troops in their bases are under Moscow's command. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, asked about the number of Russian forces in Crimea, cited estimates of up to around 20,000 of them. Ukraine's border guards have put the figure far higher.

Broersen wins pentathlon silver at world indoors Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:02 PM PST SOPOT, Poland (AP) — That's what the Eatons call a fun day out at the world indoor championships.

Great Lakes ice cover among worst in 40 years: U.S. agency Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:02 PM PST By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The Great Lakes saw some of their worst ice cover in nearly four decades because of a frigid winter with months of below-freezing temperatures in large sections of the northern United States, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration said. "We had lots of ice on the lakes early this year and then with the polar vortex at the end of December, we saw the ice continue to grow," said George Leshkevich, a physical scientist with NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Four of the Great Lakes are more than 90 percent under ice, according to Leshkevich, something that has not happened since 1994. The 40-year average ice coverage for all the lakes is about 51 percent, the NOAA said.

Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:02 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — North Korean voters will make a choice Sunday when they elect a new national legislature, but not for a candidate. The ruling elite have already done that for them, and there's only one per district. They get to vote "yes" or "no." Virtually all pick "yes."

Muslim body names Senegal ex-minister envoy to C.Africa Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:58 PM PST The world's top Islamic body on Friday named former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio as a special envoy to the strife-torn Central African Republic. The Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said Gadio, who served as Senegal's chief diplomat from 2000 to 2009, would bring "vast knowledge, skills" to the position. The Central African Republic has been rocked by a year of sectarian violence between majority Christians and the Muslim minority, prompting the deployment of some 8,000 French and African peacekeepers.

Russia threatens to cut Ukraine gas amid Crimea tensions Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:57 PM PST Simferopol (Ukraine) (AFP) - Russia threatened on Friday to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine after the West warned of sanctions and pro-Kremlin gunmen blocked a foreign observer mission aimed at defusing tensions in Crimea. The warning by Russian state-run energy giant Gazprom, which could affect supplies to other parts of Europe, seemed to be a tit-for-tat response to an EU warning it could toughen sanctions against Moscow. The latest developments underscored the Kremlin's resolve to stand its ground over a flare-up that has endangered European security and tested the West's commitment to uphold the sovereignty of Ukraine. In a sign of the tensions racking the peninsula, Ukraine's defence ministry said late Friday that unidentified militants had smashed through the gates of a Ukrainian air force base in Sevastopol.

Brazilian player racially abused after match Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:43 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — Fans yelled racist insults at a Brazilian football player being interviewed by reporters after a match, the latest case of racism to hit the country that will host the World Cup in a few months.

Letter bombs found at N Ireland post offices Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:40 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Northern Ireland authorities say letter bombs have been found at two postal sorting offices, weeks after similar packages were sent to army facilities in England.

White House plays down speedy role for U.S. natural gas in Ukraine Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:38 PM PST By Roberta Rampton ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House on Friday appeared to play down the possibility of changing U.S. policy on exporting natural gas to address the situation in Ukraine. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One that policy changes would not have an immediate effect and noted that natural gas stocks in Europe were above normal levels because of a mild winter. "There is no indication currently that there's much risk of a natural gas shortage in the region," he said. Europe and Ukraine are key export markets for natural gas from Russia, which has historically shut down pipelines as a pressure tactic.

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:32 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — North Korean voters will make a choice Sunday when they elect a new national legislature, but not for a candidate. The ruling elite have already done that for them, and there's only one per district. They get to vote "yes" or "no." Virtually all pick "yes."

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