Yahoo! News: World News

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• West, Russia signal line drawn in Ukraine crisis
• Spanish court says Catalonia sovereignty claim illegal
• U.S. says Syria government mostly to blame for hindered aid
• Suicide car bomb kills five policemen in northeast Nigeria
• Brotherhood head, 682 others tried in Egypt after mass death sentence
• Dzeko double helps City to 3-0 win over United
• Bayern wins Bundesliga with record 7 games spare
• Espanyol beats Malaga, Elche and Athletic draw
• Late goal sees Roma beat Torino 2-1 in Serie A
• Hunt for Flight 370 resumes in calmer seas
• More victims found in Washington state landslide, official says
• Factbox: South Korea joins U.S., allies planning to buy F-35 fighters
• Kenya insists fight against poachers not lost
• Barbados AG says mandatory death penalty to end
• Japan Abe: Orders safety checks on airplanes, ships after North Korea missile - Jiji
• Relatives of Flight 370 victims protest in China
• City outclasses United, Arsenal slips up
• US landslide toll set to rise, as missing sought
• Dems remove hurdle to clear passage of Ukraine aid
• Kenya orders all refugees into designated camps
• 16 years in prison for man in NYC terror bomb plot
• Russian rocket launches with American on board
• Mexico, attorneys general from 5 states sign pact
• N. Korea test-fires missiles as Obama hosts summit
• Obama says Russia 'acting out of weakness' in Ukraine
• U.S. lawmakers drop IMF reforms from Ukraine aid bill
• Seoul: NKorea fires 2 ballistic missiles
• Obama to propose ending NSA bulk collection of phone records: official
• North Korea fires mid-range ballistic missiles into sea -South Korea
• US judge spares life of dog that mauled child
• Swansea draws 2-2 at Arsenal in Premier League
• Chinese leader means business on lavish French trip
• Exclusive: U.S. set to approve international debut of F-35 fighter: sources
• Flamini own goal adds to Arsenal woes

West, Russia signal line drawn in Ukraine crisis Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:39 PM PDT By Jeff Mason and Katya Golubkova THE HAGUE/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the West drew a tentative line under the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday after U.S. President Barack Obama and his allies agreed to hold off on more damaging economic sanctions unless Moscow goes beyond the seizure of Crimea. Describing Russia as a "regional power" and not the biggest national security threat to the United States, Obama said Russian forces would not be removed militarily from Crimea, but the annexation of the Black Sea region was not a "done deal" because the international community would not recognize it. "It is up to Russia to act responsibly and show itself once again to be willing to abide by international norms and ... if it fails to do so, there will be some costs," he told a news conference at the end of a nuclear security summit in The Hague. After scoffing at a decision by Obama and his Western allies to boycott a planned Group of Eight summit in Sochi in June and hold a G7 summit without Russia instead, the Kremlin said it was keen to maintain contact with G8 partners.

Spanish court says Catalonia sovereignty claim illegal Posted: 25 Mar 2014 12:58 PM PDT Spain's Constitutional Court on Tuesday partially struck down a sovereignty claim approved by lawmakers last year in the northern region of Catalonia, a vital step toward a referendum on full independence, court papers showed. In January 2013, Catalonia's regional parliament unanimously adopted a declaration of self-determination saying the people had the right to vote on breaking away from the rest of Spain. The Madrid court declared "null and unconstitutional" the first point in the Catalan ruling which said the people of the region had the legal right to infringe the Spanish constitution. Catalan President Artur Mas has promised to hold a referendum on secession from Spain on November 9, saying Catalonia should be a separate state within the European Union and the euro zone.

U.S. says Syria government mostly to blame for hindered aid Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. report on how Syria's neediest civilians are often not accessible to humanitarian relief workers makes it clear that the government of President Bashar al-Assad shoulders most of the blame, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. A month after the 15-member U.N. Security Council achieved rare consensus to approve a resolution demanding rapid, safe and unhindered aid access in Syria, including across borders, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a new report that the situation "remains extremely challenging. His report, which was delivered to council members on Sunday but has not been officially released, criticized both the government and rebels for hindering access to civilians caught in the crossfire of the three-year civil war. But in Washington's view, Ban's report was especially damning for the government.

Suicide car bomb kills five policemen in northeast Nigeria Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT Suspected Islamists drove a car packed with explosives into a police patrol in the northeast city of Maiduguri on Tuesday, killing five policemen, a police source and a witness said. A police sergeant, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak, said the bombers crashed a Volkswagen Golf into the parked patrol vehicle and detonated the explosives by the Dalori Quarters, an estate for civil servants on the outskirts of the city. He said he saw five charred bodies of policeman in their vehicle afterward, and two bodies in the bombers' car The police spokesman for Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital and the birthplace of the insurgency, did not respond to a request for comment. Boko Haram, an al Qaeda-linked group fighting to reinstate a medieval Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, has sometimes used suicide bombings as a tactic.

Brotherhood head, 682 others tried in Egypt after mass death sentence Posted: 25 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT By Treza Kamal MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - The leader of Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 others went on trial on Tuesday on charges including murder, a day after more than 500 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi were sentenced to death. The mass trials and death sentences - the biggest in Egypt's modern history - are signs that the crackdown on Mursi's Brotherhood is intensifying ahead of presidential elections that army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win. The Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, 70, and the others are being tried in the same court that a day earlier condemned 529 members of the Islamist group to death, a verdict condemned by foreign governments and rights groups.

Dzeko double helps City to 3-0 win over United Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:47 PM PDT MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City rammed home its superiority over beleaguered rival Manchester United in a comprehensive 3-0 win at Old Trafford on Tuesday, cutting its deficit to Premier League leader Chelsea to three points.

Bayern wins Bundesliga with record 7 games spare Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:46 PM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich set a new milestone in its dominance of German football on Tuesday, beating Hertha Berlin 3-1 to wrap up the quickest Bundesliga title in 51 years of the league.

Espanyol beats Malaga, Elche and Athletic draw Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:42 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — A second-half goal from Luis "Pizzi" Afonso earned Espanyol a 2-1 victory at Malaga in the Spanish league on Tuesday, while Elche held fourth-place Athletic Bilbao to a 0-0 draw.

Late goal sees Roma beat Torino 2-1 in Serie A Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:37 PM PDT Substitute Alessandro Florenzi scored a stoppage-time winner to keep Roma's faint title hopes alive as it beat Torino 2-1 at home in Serie A on Tuesday.

Hunt for Flight 370 resumes in calmer seas Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:34 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — As frustration was setting in, calmer seas returned Wednesday and the search for the remains of Flight 370 began anew in remote waters of the Indian Ocean off western Australia.

More victims found in Washington state landslide, official says Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:31 PM PDT (Reuters) - Workers searching the rubble of a devastating Washington state landslide that has killed at least 14 people found more victims on Tuesday, although the exact number could not be confirmed, Snohomish County spokeswoman Shari Ireton said in a statement. "Additional slide victims have been found at the landslide site off of (State Route) 530 earlier today," she said. "The number of victims has not yet been confirmed." (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis;

Factbox: South Korea joins U.S., allies planning to buy F-35 fighters Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:27 PM PDT The United States and its allies plan to buy more than 3,100 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter warplanes in coming years. Following is a list of the planned purchases, according to data provided by Lockheed Martin Corp, the prime contractor for the $392 billion weapons program, and defense officials in the United States and other purchasing countries. Lockheed is developing three variations for the U.S. military services and eight partner countries that helped fund the plane's development - Britain, Australia, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Canada. South Korea this week said it would join the two other countries outside that group, Israel and Japan, that have already placed orders for the jet.

Kenya insists fight against poachers not lost Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:27 PM PDT Kenya insisted Tuesday that it has not lost the battle against poaching, resisting calls from wildlife activists for the ongoing slaughter of elephants and rhinos to be declared a national disaster. The head of the state-run Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), in charge of guarding national parks, also dismissed allegations that known ringleaders of elephant-ivory and rhino-horn poaching groups were acting with impunity, citing dozens of arrests and prosecutions. "Kenya has not lost the fight against the poaching of its elephant and rhino population and thus it cannot be declared a national disaster," KWS chief William Kiprono told a news conference. The comments came a week after veteran conservationist Richard Leakey -- himself a former KWS boss -- said a core group of just 20 to 30 poaching bosses were operating with "outrageous impunity" and that Kenya was now the global hub of ivory smuggling.

Barbados AG says mandatory death penalty to end Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:26 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — The Caribbean island of Barbados plans to abolish its mandatory death penalty for murder convictions — a penalty that the government has bypassed for three decades.

Japan Abe: Orders safety checks on airplanes, ships after North Korea missile - Jiji Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:25 PM PDT Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he ordered his government to confirm the safety of airplanes and ships that were potentially in the area of a North Korean missile launch, Jiji News said on Wednesday. Abe also asked his government to provide the Japanese people with quick and accurate information about the missile launch, Jiji reported. North Korea fired two mid-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast and towards Japan early on Wednesday, South Korea's military said as the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States discussed North Korea's arms programs.

Relatives of Flight 370 victims protest in China Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:24 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — As frustration was setting in, calmer seas returned Wednesday and the search for the remains of Flight 370 began anew in remote waters of the Indian Ocean off western Australia.

City outclasses United, Arsenal slips up Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:23 PM PDT MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City's title charge gained further momentum with a humbling 3-0 win at fierce rival Manchester United but Arsenal's hopes of winning the Premier League were dented further by drawing 2-2 with Swansea on Tuesday.

US landslide toll set to rise, as missing sought Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:17 PM PDT Arlington (United States) (AFP) - The death toll from a devastating US landslide is expected to rise from 14 as rescuers pick through a vast pile of mud and debris likened to quicksand, officials said Tuesday. The National Guard joined local and state emergency workers raking through the mile square mudslide which smashed into the tiny town of Oso in the northwestern US state of Washington. "I would just ask all Americans to send their thoughts and prayers to Washington state and the community of Oso and the families and friends of (the missing)," said President Barack Obama, who declared a state of emergency Monday. On Monday, the confirmed death toll rose from eight to 14 following the mudslide which hit the town of Oso in Snohomish County, 60 miles (95 kilometers) northeast of Seattle.

Dems remove hurdle to clear passage of Ukraine aid Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:17 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats backed down Tuesday and removed a hurdle blocking passage of legislation to aid Ukraine and sanction Russia for its bold military incursion into Crimea.

Kenya orders all refugees into designated camps Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:15 PM PDT Kenya on Tuesday restricted all refugees on its soil to two designated camps in the wake of a weekend attack on a church near Mombasa that claimed six lives. Kenyans were asked to report any refugees or illegal immigrants outside the overcrowded camps -- Dadaab in the east and Kakuma in the northwest -- to the police. "Any refugee found flouting this directive will be dealt with in accordance with the law," Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said in a statement. Sunday's attack, in the Likoni district near Mombasa, came amid heightened warnings of a threat of Islamist violence in Kenya despite boosted security in major cities.

16 years in prison for man in NYC terror bomb plot Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — An al-Qaida sympathizer who admitted trying to build pipe bombs to carry out a homegrown terror campaign was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison, capping a case authorities called an illustration of the threat of lone, local would-be terrorists but his lawyers portrayed as an example of police entrapment.

Russian rocket launches with American on board Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — Their relationship on Earth may be at its lowest ebb in decades, but the U.S. and Russia haven't allowed their disagreements over Ukraine get in the way of their joint mission in space.

Mexico, attorneys general from 5 states sign pact Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The top prosecutors from five U.S. states have signed an agreement with the National Banking and Securities Commission of Mexico to fight the illegal transfer of money across international boundaries.

N. Korea test-fires missiles as Obama hosts summit Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:07 PM PDT North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday, as US President Barack Obama hosted a landmark Japan-South Korea summit and pledged "unwavering commitment" to Tokyo and Seoul's security concerns in the face of Pyongyang's nuclear threat. South Korea's defence ministry said both missiles flew 650 kilometres (400 miles) into the Sea of Japan, upping the ante after a series of short-range missile and rocket launches by the North in recent weeks. UN Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile tests.

Obama says Russia 'acting out of weakness' in Ukraine Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:03 PM PDT US President Barack Obama has hit out at Moscow's expansionism as a "sign of weakness" after Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, fuelling fears of further intervention. "Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbours, not out of strength but out of weakness," Obama told journalists after a nuclear security summit in The Hague on Tuesday. Obama said that while the United States also has influence over its neighbours, "we generally don't need to invade them in order to have a strong cooperative relationship with them." The Crimean crisis has sparked the most explosive East-West confrontation since the Cold War and fanned fears in Kiev that Russian President Vladimir Putin now intends to push his troops into southeast Ukraine.

U.S. lawmakers drop IMF reforms from Ukraine aid bill Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:54 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats agreed on Tuesday to drop language outlining reforms of the International Monetary Fund from a Ukraine aid bill to increase the odds it will get through Congress, said Majority Leader Harry Reid, after weeks of partisan bickering delayed the package. Reid cited stiff opposition to the IMF reform provisions in the Republican-led House of Representatives. "A majority of the Senate would have liked to have gotten that done with the IMF in it, but it was headed to nowhere in the House," the Nevada Democrat told reporters. The Senate bill backs a $1 billion loan guarantee for the government in Kiev, provides $150 million in aid for Ukraine and neighboring countries and requires sanctions on Russians and Ukrainians responsible for corruption, human rights abuses or undermining stability in Ukraine.

Seoul: NKorea fires 2 ballistic missiles Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:50 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Wednesday test-fired what appeared to be two mid-range ballistic missiles, South Korea said, hours after Pyongyang rivals South Korea, Japan and the United States met in the Netherlands to discuss the country.

Obama to propose ending NSA bulk collection of phone records: official Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:49 PM PDT By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress to end the bulk collection and storage of phone records by the National Security Agency but allow the government to access the "metadata" when needed, a senior administration official said on Monday. If Congress approves, the Obama administration would stop collecting the information, known as metadata, which lists millions of phone calls made in the United States.

North Korea fires mid-range ballistic missiles into sea -South Korea Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT North Korea fired two mid-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast and towards Japan early on Wednesday, South Korea's military said as the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States discussed North Korea's arms programs. The missiles, which appeared to be Rodong class, were launched from an area north of Pyongyang and flew about 650 km (400 miles) before dropping into the water, said an official at South Korea's office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who asked not to be named. The North likely launched the missiles to drop short of its maximum range, which is believed to be more than 1,000 km and enough to hit much of Japan, "mindful of neighboring countries' reaction," the official said, without elaborating. Wednesday's launch came on the day Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama.

US judge spares life of dog that mauled child Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT PHOENIX (AP) — A Phoenix judge on Tuesday spared the life of a pit bull that mauled a 4-year-old boy last month and touched off a polarizing Internet debate on mercy, blame and animal violence.

Swansea draws 2-2 at Arsenal in Premier League Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:43 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Arsenal conceded an injury-time own-goal to give Swansea a 2-2 draw on Tuesday and fall further behind in the Premier League title race.

Chinese leader means business on lavish French trip Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:43 PM PDT France rolled out the red carpet for China's leader Tuesday as he arrived for a nostalgia-tinged trip due to be dominated by the signing of scores of business deals. President Xi Jinping and his glamorous wife Peng Liyuan touched down in the eastern city of Lyon, where authorities were on maximum alert, closing streets, forcing some residents to carry a proof of address to get home and mobilising hundreds of riot police. The power couple will be given VIP treatment on their three-day visit to France, culminating in a concert at the Versailles palace, as the two countries celebrate 50 years of full diplomatic ties. Speaking Tuesday during a dinner in Lyon's stately town hall after a main course of thyme and hay-flavoured lamb, he said his trip to France would "allow (him) to work with President Francois Hollande... to sum up 50 years of Sino-French relations and to plan the future together".

Exclusive: U.S. set to approve international debut of F-35 fighter: sources Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:41 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department is poised to approve the first trans-Atlantic flight of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet in July, when the new warplane is expected to take part in two international air shows near London, according to multiple sources familiar with the issue. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is "very close" to a decision that would allow two or three F-35s to fly at two British hoes, three sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said Tuesday. The shows are the Royal International Air Tattoo, or RIAT, an annual military air show outside London, and the Farnborough air show, held every other year. The international debut of the new U.S. fighter jet will be closely watched by potential buyers, including Canada and Denmark, which helped fund the plane's development but are rethinking their planned procurements.

Flamini own goal adds to Arsenal woes Posted: 25 Mar 2014 03:37 PM PDT Arsenal's spluttering title challenge suffered another major blow as Mathieu Flamini's last-gasp own goal forced the Gunners to settle for a 2-2 draw against Swansea City on Tuesday. Arsene Wenger's side looked set to bounce back from Saturday's humiliating 6-0 defeat at Chelsea after two goals in the space of 60 seconds midway through the second half from Lukas Podolski and then Olivier Giroud erased Wilfried Bony's early opener at the Emirates Stadium. But Flamini deflected the ball into his own net from close range in the final moments to leave Arsenal six points behind leaders Chelsea with only seven games left.

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