Yahoo! News: World News

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• Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area
• Russia's buildup near Ukraine may reach 40,000 troops: U.S. sources
• Exclusive: Russia threatened countries ahead of UN vote on Ukraine - envoys
• Obama seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia over Iran, Syria
• U.N. urges end to Syria's 'convoluted' aid restrictions
• Hagel, ahead of China trip, urges military restraint in cyberspace
• Vatican open to facilitator role for Venez crisis
• Girl talks to pope on immigration, then dad freed
• Slovak underdog has chance to beat PM Fico in presidential vote
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• New details emerge in Blackwater shootings case
• Geopolitical games handicap Malaysia jet hunt
• Interpol rejects suggestion its passport database is slow
• At edge of Malaysia Airlines search, questions of security and diplomacy
• Israel 'no' on prisoners 'slap in face' to peace: Palestinians
• Defense: FBI wanted marathon suspect as informant
• Ebola 'a regional threat' as contagion hits Guinea capital
• Cipriani wins battle of the boot with Ford
• Oil sector withholding info on rail cargoes: U.S. regulator
• Moody's reviewing Russia bond rating for downgrade
• Flight 370 search shifts after new look at data
• After days of searching, volunteer pulls sister's body from Washington mudslide
• Obama to Putin: Pull back from Ukraine border
• Putin seeks diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis
• Putin, Obama discuss solution to Ukraine crisis
• Vatican bank's ousted president comes out swinging
• Avianca jet makes emergency landing in Brazil
• Airline lobby says Venezuela will repay debt
• UN chief: Putin promised no new moves in Ukraine
• Museum items can't be seized to pay Iran judgment
• Canadian teacher faces new child abuse charges
• 2 Britons arrested in oil theft in Nigeria
• Obama seeks to allay Saudi fears on Iran, Syria
• Putin has 'no intention' of further military moves into Ukraine: Ban

Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:43 PM PDT Australian authorities coordinating the operation dramatically moved the air and sea search 1,100 km (685 miles) north on Friday after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian radar screens on March 8. Australia said late on Friday that five international aircraft had spotted "multiple objects of various colors" in the new search area some 1,850 km (1,150 miles) west of Perth. One Chinese navy ship was in the area and would be trying to recover objects on Saturday, while other ships were steaming to the area, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Malaysia says the Boeing 777, which vanished less than an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was likely diverted deliberately but investigators have turned up no apparent motive or other red flags among the 227 passengers or the 12 crew.

Russia's buildup near Ukraine may reach 40,000 troops: U.S. sources Posted: 28 Mar 2014 02:19 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia's reinforcement of troops near Ukraine has brought the total forces there to as many as 40,000, U.S. officials estimated on Friday, as the United States voiced anxiety over the buildup and called on Moscow to pull back its military. The U.S. estimates of as many as 35,000 to around 40,000 troops are higher than the more than 30,000 total deployments reported earlier this week by U.S. and European sources familiar with official reporting. Some European sources remain cautious of increasing the estimates beyond 30,000. The military buildup is adding to concerns that Russia may again be readying an incursion into Ukraine following its annexation of Crimea, which has triggered the worst stand-off with the West since the Cold War.

Exclusive: Russia threatened countries ahead of UN vote on Ukraine - envoys Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said. The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding resolution on the Ukraine crisis.

Obama seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia over Iran, Syria Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:57 PM PDT By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland RIYADH (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to reassure Saudi King Abdullah on Friday that he would support moderate Syrian rebels and reject a bad nuclear deal with Iran, during a visit designed to allay the kingdom's concerns that its decades-old U.S. alliance had frayed. Flying by helicopter to the king's desert camp, Obama underscored the importance of Washington's relationship with the world's largest oil exporter in a two-hour meeting that focused on the Middle East but did not touch on energy or human rights. Last year senior Saudi officials warned of a "major shift" away from the United States after bitter disagreements over its response to the "Arab spring" uprisings, efforts to negotiate with Iran, and Washington's decision not to intervene militarily in Syria, where Riyadh wants more American support for rebels.

U.N. urges end to Syria's 'convoluted' aid restrictions Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:23 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos on Friday urged Syria's government to end needless restrictions on access to areas where besieged Syrians are in desperate need of aid after three years of civil war. She also voiced concern about opposition groups, especially those such as al Qaeda-linked extremist al Nusra, which has said it will not allow foreigners to operate in Syria. "The administrative arrangements that have been put in place for clearance for our convoys are quite convoluted," Amos told Reuters in an interview after briefing the U.N. Security Council about how much-needed aid is still not reaching many in Syria. And even when the Syrian government approves deliveries, it can still be difficult to reach besieged areas.

Hagel, ahead of China trip, urges military restraint in cyberspace Posted: 28 Mar 2014 02:51 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, pushing for openness ahead of a trip to China, said on Friday in an unusual live broadcast from a secretive base the Pentagon would exercise restraint in using the military in cyberspace and urged other nations to do so as well. In his first remarks on cyber security since becoming defense secretary last year, Hagel told a retirement ceremony for Cyber Command chief General Keith Alexander that the Pentagon sought to be "open and transparent" about its cyber capabilities and intentions with both allies and competitors. "The United States does not seek to militarize cyberspace," Hagel he told an audience at Fort Meade, Maryland, the home of Cyber Command and the NSA signals spy service.

Vatican open to facilitator role for Venez crisis Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:09 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Vatican says it's willing to help facilitate talks between Venezuela's government and its opponents aimed at ending weeks of deadly unrest that have paralyzed much of the country.

Girl talks to pope on immigration, then dad freed Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:06 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a California girl traveled to the Vatican to plead with Pope Francis for help as her father faced deportation, the man was freed on bond from immigration detention.

Slovak underdog has chance to beat PM Fico in presidential vote Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:03 PM PDT By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) - Slovakia's political heavyweight Prime Minister Robert Fico faces the threat of his biggest defeat at the ballot box from an underdog philanthropist in presidential election runoff on Saturday. In the second round, bookmakers give an edge to political newcomer Andrej Kiska, a businessman turned philanthropist who is riding on the wave of anti-Fico sentiment among right-wing voters as well as distrust in mainstream political parties suspected of complicity in graft scandals.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:03 PM PDT PERTH, Australia (AP) — Three weeks into the mystery of Flight 370, investigators relying on newly analyzed satellite data shifted the search zone yet again, focusing on a swath of Indian Ocean where better conditions could help speed a hunt that is now concentrated thousands of miles from where it began. Planes combing the newly targeted area off the west coast of Australia spotted several objects Friday, including two rectangular items that were blue and gray, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Although those are part of the colors of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, it was not clear if they were from the plane.

New details emerge in Blackwater shootings case Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. prosecutors say they intend to introduce evidence at an upcoming trial of private contractor Blackwater security guards of deep hostility by several of the guards toward the Iraqi civilian population in the year before shootings that killed 14 Iraqis and wounded at least 18 others.

Geopolitical games handicap Malaysia jet hunt Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:43 PM PDT The search for flight MH370, the Malaysian jetliner that vanished over the South China Sea on March 8, has involved more than two dozen countries and 60 aircraft and ships but been bedeviled by regional rivalries. While Malaysia has been accused of a muddled response and poor communications, China has showcased its growing military clout and reach, while some involved in the operation say other countries have dragged their feet on disclosing details that might give away sensitive defense data. That has highlighted growing tensions in a region where the rise of China is fuelling an arms race, and where several countries including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are engaged in territorial disputes, with the control of shipping lanes, fishing and potential hydrocarbon reserves at stake. The Malaysian Airline jet, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was last officially detected hundreds of miles off course on the wrong side of the Malaysian peninsula.

Interpol rejects suggestion its passport database is slow Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:43 PM PDT The international police agency Interpol on Friday rejected a Malaysian suggestion that Interpol's database for checking passport were too cumbersome. Interpol said that although several other countries used the database millions of times each year, the Malaysian immigration department had not checked plane passengers' passports against its database at all this year prior to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8. The agency's statement followed comments made by Malaysia's Interior Minister Zahid Hamidi to parliament on Wednesday that the burdensome nature of the Interpol database slowed down immigration checks.

At edge of Malaysia Airlines search, questions of security and diplomacy Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:43 PM PDT By Matt Siegel and Jane Wardell PERTH/SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - The pot-bellied silhouette of a Chinese Il-76 military transport plane appeared in the sky over Perth International Airport just as the U.S. naval officer was explaining how he guards his cutting-edge surveillance plane. Lieutenant Commander Adam Schantz was ticking off the measures, including a round-the-clock guard and armed rapid response team, as he caught sight of the Chinese aircraft coming in to land a few meters from the U.S. P8 Poseidon for which he is responsible. The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is producing strange bedfellows. At least six countries - the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia - are participating in the search and rescue operation for the flight, which disappeared almost three weeks ago and is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast.

Israel 'no' on prisoners 'slap in face' to peace: Palestinians Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:37 PM PDT Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israel's refusal to free a final batch of Arab prisoners Saturday is another obstacle to US efforts to broker peace, a senior official in Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party said. Under the deal that relaunched peace talks last July, Israel agreed to release 104 Arabs held since before the 1993 Oslo peace accords in exchange for the Palestinians not pressing their statehood claims at the United Nations. The prisoner release was also dependent on progress in the negotiations, of which there has so far been no sign.

Defense: FBI wanted marathon suspect as informant Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:28 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev say the FBI asked his older brother and fellow suspect to be an informant on the Chechen and Muslim community.

Ebola 'a regional threat' as contagion hits Guinea capital Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:23 PM PDT Guinea's capital Conakry was on high alert on Friday after a deadly Ebola epidemic which has killed dozens in the southern forests was confirmed to have spread to the sprawling port city of two million people. Aid organisations have sent dozens of workers to help the poor west African country combat the outbreak of haemorrhagic fever. "The total number of suspected cases recorded from January to 28 March 2014 is 111 cases of haemorrhagic fever including 70 deaths ... or a fatality rate of 63 percent," said the ministry. Most of the cases were recorded in southern Guinea, but in the past two days, it has spread to the capital.

Cipriani wins battle of the boot with Ford Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:20 PM PDT Danny Cipriani came out on top in the contest between England fly-halves past and present to press his claims for a tour spot as Sale won 12-11 away to Bath on Friday. The 26-year-old, kicked all of Sale's points courtesy of four penalties in this Premiership fixture while Bath stand-off George Ford, one of England's most recent caps, missed three of his five place-kicks, including the conversion of Ross Batty's 75th minute try. Cipriani was once seen as the wonderboy of English rugby but injuries and a fondness for a colourful off-field lifestyle that saw him making headlines in the front pages as well as the back, have so far restricted him to seven caps -- all won six years ago.

Oil sector withholding info on rail cargoes: U.S. regulator Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:19 PM PDT By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. transport regulators on Friday scolded the oil industry for not sharing important information on the kinds of rail shipments that have been involved in a number of fiery train derailments. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group that represents oil industry companies, disputed the accusations. In letters to regulators and testimony to lawmakers, leaders of trade groups like the API have said since January that they will share results of their tests on fuel from North Dakota's booming Bakken oil patch, where the derailed trains were loaded. But the Department of Transportation said the industry has dragged its feet in cooperating with regulators who are trying to understand why several recent derailments of freight trains carrying crude oil also resulted in explosions.

Moody's reviewing Russia bond rating for downgrade Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:18 PM PDT Moody's Investors Services is considering whether to downgrade Russia's government bond rating, citing a weaker economy and greater risk amid the uncertainty caused by the conflict with Ukraine.

Flight 370 search shifts after new look at data Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:12 PM PDT PERTH, Australia (AP) — Three weeks into the mystery of Flight 370, investigators relying on newly analyzed satellite data shifted the search zone yet again, focusing on a swath of Indian Ocean where better conditions could help speed a hunt that is now concentrated thousands of miles from where it began.

After days of searching, volunteer pulls sister's body from Washington mudslide Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:59 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Days after risking his own life and defying arrest by joining the search for Washington state mudslide victims in a vast, mucky debris field near Oso, Dayn Brunner retrieved the body of the No. 1 person he had been looking for - his sister. Brunner, 42, recounted the tragic coincidence in an interview with Reuters on Friday, two days after it unfolded on the enormous mound of mud and rubble left by last Saturday's disaster, which has claimed at least 26 lives and left 90 people still missing. Brunner said he was on the mud pile on Wednesday afternoon when other rescue workers found a blue object and called him over to the spot. It was the same color as the car his sister, Summer Raffo, 36, was known to have been driving through the area when the slide struck.

Obama to Putin: Pull back from Ukraine border Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:55 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Worried about Moscow's intentions, President Barack Obama urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull his troops back from the border with Ukraine during an hourlong phone call Friday. The Russian leader, who initiated the call, asserted that Ukraine's government is allowing extremists to intimidate civilians with impunity.

Putin seeks diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:51 PM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin called his American counterpart Barack Obama to discuss a US proposal for a diplomatic end to the Ukraine crisis on Friday while insisting to the United Nations that Moscow had "no intention" of further military action. The White House said in a statement Putin phoned Obama following a proposal presented to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by US Secretary of State John Kerry in The Hague earlier this week. "President Obama suggested that Russia put a concrete response in writing," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Putin, Obama discuss solution to Ukraine crisis Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:45 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Barack Obama on Friday to discuss a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, while Ukraine's fugitive leader urged a nationwide referendum that would serve Moscow's purpose of turning its neighbor into a loosely knit federation.

Vatican bank's ousted president comes out swinging Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:43 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — The ousted president of the Vatican bank came out swinging Friday after he was cleared in a money-laundering investigation, accusing the bank's board of causing "grave damage" to the Holy See by firing him in 2012.

Avianca jet makes emergency landing in Brazil Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:40 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — An Avianca Airlines passenger jet has made an emergency landing at the airport in Brazil's capital city.

Airline lobby says Venezuela will repay debt Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:39 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's airline lobby says the government will allow foreign carriers to repatriate the $3.8 billion in revenue that has been stuck inside the country due to currency controls.

UN chief: Putin promised no new moves in Ukraine Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:39 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him that he had no intention of making another military move into Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea.

Museum items can't be seized to pay Iran judgment Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:27 PM PDT CHICAGO (AP) — Survivors of a 1997 terrorist bombing blamed partly on Iran can't seize thousands of relics from U.S. museums to pay a $412 million judgment against the Iranian government, a federal judge in Chicago ruled Friday.

Canadian teacher faces new child abuse charges Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:24 PM PDT VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A former Canadian schoolteacher who spent five years in a Thai prison for sexually abusing children after an image of his digitally obscured face was reconstructed is facing 10 new charges, police said Friday.

2 Britons arrested in oil theft in Nigeria Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:22 PM PDT LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The British High Commission says two British men have been arrested in Nigeria this week in connection with an alleged attempt to steal oil.

Obama seeks to allay Saudi fears on Iran, Syria Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:21 PM PDT US President Barack Obama sought Friday to allay Riyadh's criticism of his policies on Syria and Iran, telling the Saudi king their two countries remain in lockstep on their strategic interests. He also assured King Abdullah that the US "won't accept a bad deal" with Iran, as global powers negotiate a treaty reining in Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. "The president underscored how much he values this strategic relationship", a senior US administration official said, after Obama met for some two hours with the king on a royal estate outside Riyadh. "There's sometimes a perception out there of differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and the two leaders spoke frankly about a number of issues," the official added, asking not to be named.

Putin has 'no intention' of further military moves into Ukraine: Ban Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:20 PM PDT United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN secretary general said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him he had no intention of ordering further military incursions into Ukrainian territory. Ban Ki-moon made the remarks to reporters after briefing the UN Security Council on his recent talks in Moscow and Kiev, as he urged the international community to de-escalate the crisis. He responded to a question on whether Putin gave him any assurances that Russia was not planning to go into southern and eastern Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea. Putin told Ban "that he had no intention to make any military move.

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