2015年12月22日星期二

Yahoo! News: World News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World News


EU gets one million migrants in 2015, smugglers seen making $1 billion

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 09:43 AM PST

Refugees and migrants arrive aboard the passenger ferry Eleftherios Venizelos from the island of Lesbos at the port of PiraeusBy Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 1 million refugees and migrants came to the European Union this year, while almost 3,700 died or went missing in perilous journeys which reaped huge profit for smugglers, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. "This is three to four times as many migrants and refugees coming north as we had in 2014, and the deaths have already far surpassed the deaths last year," IOM chief William Lacy Swing told Reuters. Another 20 percent were Afghans, and 7 percent were Iraqis, IOM and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a joint statement.


Amnesty: Russian bombing of Syria may be a war crime

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:06 PM PST

A frame grab shows air strikes carried out by Russia's air force at an unknown location in SyriaRussia's bombing of Syria may amount to a war crime because of the number of civilians its strikes have killed, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, presenting what it said was evidence that the air raids had violated humanitarian law. "Russian air strikes in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians and caused massive destruction in residential areas, striking homes, a mosque and a busy market, as well as medical facilities, in...attacks that show evidence of violations of international humanitarian law," Amnesty said in a new report.


Turkish tanks pound Kurdish militants in week-long military campaign

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 12:12 PM PST

A Kurdish demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at riot police during a protest against the curfew in Sur district in the southeastern city of DiyarbakirBy Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish tanks on Tuesday pounded Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in Cizre, a southeastern town at the heart of a military operation that the army said has killed 127 Kurdish militants in a week. Black smoke rose from buildings in the town after shelling from hilltops and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said at least 23 civilians had been killed in the violence. A 16-year-old boy was killed in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the region, from a gunshot wound to the chest during protests against the curfews, security sources said.


Identities revealed for all six U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan attack

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 11:22 AM PST

Officers KilledBy Barbara Goldberg NEW YORK (Reuters) - A female officer in the Air Force, who was one of the first openly gay service members to get married, was identified on Tuesday as being among six U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber near Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen is the first openly gay woman to be killed in action, the Daily Beast news website reported, citing a Department of Defense official. Six American troops, including Vorderbruggen, were killed Monday when a suicide bomber on a motorbike struck their patrol in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces this year.


Iraqi troops storm into center of Islamic State-held Ramadi

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 08:04 AM PST

Iraqi security forces stand with an Islamist State flag which they pulled down at the University of Anbar, in Anbar province"Our forces are advancing toward the government complex in the center of Ramadi," the counter-terrorism units' spokesman Sabah al-Numani said. "The fighting is in the neighborhoods around the complex, with support from the air force."Iraqi intelligence estimates the number of Islamic State fighters entrenched in the center of Ramadi, capital of Western Anbar province, at between 250 and 300.


U.S. imposes Ukraine-related sanctions on 34 individuals, entities

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 11:08 AM PST

Tanks of the Ukrainian armed forces make a crossing during withdrawal near the village of Nyzhnje in Luhansk regionThe United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 34 individuals and entities as part of its efforts to pressure Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, the U.S. Treasury Department said. "Today's steps support the U.S. commitment to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine by maintaining our sanctions on Russia," the Treasury said in a statement. The U.S. sanctions would not begin to roll back until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk peace agreement, "including the return to Ukraine of control of its side of the international border with Russia," it added.


British troops deploy to Afghan province amid Taliban battle

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:35 PM PST

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 file photo, U.S. Army soldiers stand with Afghan policemen before a joint patrol of Qalanderkhail, outside of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. An Afghan official says that a suicide bomber has killed three foreign troops in an attack on a joint Afghan-NATO foot patrol on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. Mohammad Asim Asim, governor of Parwan province said an attacker on a motorcycle rammed a group of eight troops as they patrolled a village near Bagram Airfield, 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Kabul. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani took office, it ushered in a period of hope for the country's traumatized people that decades of violence would soon end. But just one year later, a mood of crisis prevails: British troops are being sent to help the army maintain control of a strategically important district and many Afghans believe the Taliban are winning.


Greek Parliament legalizes same-sex civil partnerships

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:29 PM PST

Gay rights supporters gather outside Greece's Parliament to voice approval of a civil partnership bill being debated by lawmakers, in central Athens, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Greece's left-wing government wants to extend the partnerships to same-sex couples despite strong opposition from conservative bishops in the Greek Orthodox Church. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's parliament has approved legislation legalizing civil partnerships for gay couples, two years after the country was condemned by a European Court for discrimination.


Naval base a terror target as two arrested in Australia operation

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:23 PM PST

Police in Sydney on October 3, 2015Two men were arrested on Wednesday during a counter-terrorism operation in Sydney, with a key Australian naval base among locations they were allegedly targeting, police said. Following the latest raids, a 24-year-old faces charges of making a document likely to facilitate a terrorist attack and another man, 20, with conspiracy to "do an act in preparation to commit a terrorist act". New South Wales police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said the latest arrests related to evidence gathered late last year when 15 people were taken into custody and an alleged plan to kidnap and behead a member of the public was uncovered.


Rights watchdog accuses Russia of civilian killings in Syria

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:19 PM PST

FILE - In this file image made from video posted online on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, by Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, a volunteer search and rescue group, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, a paramedic rescues a child from the site of what witnesses said was a Russian airstrike in Douma, Syria. A new report by a human rights watchdog group accuses Russia of using cluster munitions and unguided bombs on civilian areas in Syria in attacks that it says have killed hundreds of people. The report by Amnesty International released Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 says there has been a surge in reports of the use of cluster munitions in the areas being targeted by Russian forces since Moscow formally joined the conflict Sept. 30. (Syria Civil Defence via AP video, File)BEIRUT (AP) — A human rights watchdog on Wednesday accused Russia of using cluster munitions and unguided bombs on civilian areas in Syria in attacks that it says have killed hundreds of people in the past few months.


Russian raids in Syria may include war crimes: Amnesty

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:16 PM PST

Destruction is seen in Idlib, northwestern Syria on December 21, 2015 following reported Russian air strikesAmnesty International said on Wednesday Russian air raids have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, many in targeted strikes that could constitute war crimes, since beginning nearly three months ago. Some attacks "appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians", Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther said in a statement. The London-based rights group said there is "evidence suggesting that Russian authorities may have lied to cover up civilian damage to a mosque from one air strike and a field hospital in another".


Human rights group blasts Colombia peace talks

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:13 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Human Rights Watch on Tuesday harshly criticized an agreement between Colombia's government and leftist rebels on judging war crimes committed during the country's long conflict, saying it sacrifices victims' rights to justice and guarantees impunity.

Turing cuts jobs, looking for new CEO after Shkreli left

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 04:06 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Turing Pharmaceuticals, the company formerly led by pharma bad boy Martin Shkreli, says it has cut jobs, "realigned its business priorities" and is looking for a new permanent CEO.

Polish lawmakers pass contested law on constitutional court

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:58 PM PST

Leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, right, raises his hand during one of the votes passing a new law on the constitutional court, as Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, left, looks on, in the parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. Poland's parliament voted 235 to 181 in favor of a contested new legislation regulating the Constitutional Tribunal. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's parliament passed contested new legislation on Tuesday that regulates the Constitutional Tribunal, something critics say will paralyze the court and make it unable to act as a check on the power of the country's new right-wing government.


Ex-All Black Alama Ieremia appointed Samoa coach

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:51 PM PST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former All Blacks center Alama Ieremia has been appointed coach of Samoa, replacing Stephen Betham who resigned after this year's Rugby World Cup.

One million migrants reach Europe in 2015: UN

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:49 PM PST

New figures jointly released by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration listed migrant arrivals in six European countries since January 1, with the vast majority -- 821,008 -- landing in GreeceMore than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, including over 970,000 who made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday. About half were Syrians fleeing the country's brutal civil war, according to the new figures released by the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration. "The number of people displaced by war and conflict is the highest seen in Western and Central Europe since the 1990s," the UNHCR said, referring to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia that decade.


Venezuela leftists challenge election of 22 opposition lawmakers

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:46 PM PST

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gestures during the closing rally of the campaign on December 3, 2015 in CaracasThe opposition coalition MUD won a resounding victory in the December 6 legislative vote, ending 16 years of leftist majority in the oil-rich but troubled nation. Jesus Torrealba, spokesman for the MUD, told a press conference that Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) had filed a challenge against 22 incoming deputies before the Supreme Court. "These are not representatives of the MUD, they are representatives of the people," Torrealba said of the lawmakers targeted.


Colombia legalizes medical marijuana

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:40 PM PST

A marijuana plant at a fair of products and derivatives of marijuana for medicinal use in Bogota, Colombia on December 22, 2015Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, the latest softening of the country's hardline tactics in the war on drugs. "This decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis plants and marijuana," he said from the presidential palace. Colombia's government has long been a close ally of the United States in fighting international drug trafficking, using its military and billions of dollars in US funding to try to shed its title as the world's largest cocaine producer.


Chinese naval hospital makes first stop in South America

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:32 PM PST

A Chinese official sits in front of Chinese naval hospital ship in the port of Callao, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. The Peace Ark, a Chinese naval hospital ship is making a first-ever call into a South American port in a sign of the Asian economic giant's growing influence in Washington's backyard. It's the last destination on a three-month LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Chinese naval hospital ship is making a first-ever call at a South American port in a sign of the Asian economic giant's growing influence in the resource-rich region.


French forces kill or capture 'about 10' jihadists in Mali

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:17 PM PST

French soldiers of Operation Barkhane, an anti-terrorist operation in the Sahel, patrol in an armoured vehicle in Gao, northern Mali, on May 30, 2015French forces killed or captured around 10 members of a jihadist movement in heavy fighting at the weekend in northern Mali, the French defence ministry said Tuesday. The statement said Al-Murabitoun had been "responsible for many attacks on civilians of Mali and Niger, as well as local army forces and international forces". Al-Murabitoun was formed in 2013 by the merger of the Signatories in Blood group led by Al-Qaeda-linked Mokhtar Belmokhtar and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which has been highly active in the Gao region of northern Mali.


UN renews attempt to get aid into Syria

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:09 PM PST

A Syrian man escorts his injured wife following reported air strikes by regime forces on the town of al-Nashabiyah in the eastern Ghouta region, a rebel stronghold east of the capital Damascus, on December 14, 2015The UN Security Council Tuesday renewed a resolution facilitating the cross-border delivery of aid to millions of Syrians, while complaining previous such measures were not seen through on the ground. The resolution extends authorization for UN humanitarian convoys to cross into Syria without the consent of the Damascus regime, in line with a previous text adopted in July 2014 and due to expire in January. The document said the Security Council was "gravely concerned at the lack of effective implementation of its resolutions" calling for greater facilitation of aid deliveries.


Trump under fire for sexism after vulgar Clinton jibes

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 03:00 PM PST

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on December 21, 2015 in Grand Rapids, MichiganRepublican frontrunner Donald Trump found himself accused of sexism again Tuesday after he coined a vulgar new term of abuse while attacking rival Hillary Clinton. Whipping up a raucous crowd of supporters in Michigan on Monday night, Trump's scorn for his Democratic rival took a sexually graphic and personal turn. Recalling the 2008 presidential race, in which Hillary lost out to Barack Obama in the battle for the Democratic nomination, the billionaire real estate mogul appeared to reach for a Yiddish term.


Campaign takes off in C. Africa as 30 vie for president

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:52 PM PST

Karim Meckassoua, an independent candidate supported by the National Unity Party, walks through the stadium in Bangui on December 5, 2015Campaigning kicked off in earnest on Tuesday in the Central African Republic, where no fewer than 30 candidates are running for president. The long-delayed presidential and parliamentary polls set for Sunday are aimed at ending more than two years of sectarian conflict. The result cleared the way for Sunday's polls to turn the page on the conflict that erupted after a mainly Muslim rebellion overthrew longtime Christian leader Francois Bozize in 2013.


Puerto Rico official accused of stealing from robbery victim

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:47 PM PST

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A supervisor at Puerto Rico's Institute of Forensic Sciences who was investigating the killing of a 70-year-old man during a home robbery has been accused of trying to steal more than $3,000 from the victim.

Ohio man gets 25 years for role in credit union's collapse

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:13 PM PST

CLEVELAND (AP) — A northeastern Ohio man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in federal prison for obtaining nearly $11 million in fraudulent loans that authorities said helped cause one of the biggest credit union failures in U.S. history.

USVI signs deal with Royal Caribbean to boost tourism

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:12 PM PST

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — The U.S. Virgin Islands has signed a 10-year deal with the world's second largest cruise line to help boost tourism and generate revenue.

Brazil antitrust body probes 21 companies in Petrobras case

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:10 PM PST

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's antitrust body has opened investigations into 21 companies and 59 executives for an alleged contract-fixing cartel operating at state-run oil giant Petrobras. The agency says contracts totaling about $9 billion are under suspicion.

After Paris accord, most U.S. Republicans back action on climate

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 02:09 PM PST

President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the climate agreement at the White HouseBy Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of U.S. Republicans who had heard of the international climate deal in Paris said they support working with other countries to curb global warming and were willing to take steps to do so, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday. The desire for action is notable for an issue that has barely made a ripple on the campaign trail among 2016 Republican presidential candidates. Few of the Republican White House contenders have said much at all about the United Nations summit in Paris this month, though Democratic candidates, such as Hillary Clinton, have welcomed it.


How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Tuesday

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:57 PM PST

Stocks rose for a second day on Tuesday, helped by a stabilization in crude oil prices. Chipotle Mexican Grill fell on more worries about the safety of its food.

UN envoy warns Yemen peace plan fragile

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:50 PM PST

Yemeni tribesmen loyal to President Hadi, hold a position near SirwahThe United Nations special envoy for the conflict in Yemen warned UN ambassadors on Tuesday that a fledgling peace process was hanging by a thread. At the weekend Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Huthi rebel's wound up peace talks in Switzerland without a breakthrough. Ahmed called for a stronger ceasefire agreement and urged UN member states to support his efforts to mediate a dialogue in the run-up to renewed talks next month.


Top Asian News 9:35 p.m. GMT

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:36 PM PST

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani took office, it ushered in a period of hope for the country's traumatized people that decades of violence would soon end. But just one year later, a mood of crisis prevails: British troops are being sent to help the army maintain control of a strategically important district and many Afghans believe the Taliban are winning. The announcement that British soldiers are being dispatched to Helmand Province came hours after a Taliban suicide bomber killed six U.S. troops near a major military base in the deadliest single attack on American troops in the country since 2013.

Amnesty International: Burundi rights abuses must be probed

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:32 PM PST

FILE - In this Sunday, May 24, 2015 file photo, men carry the coffin of UPD-Zigamibanga party leader Zedi Feruzi during his funeral in Bujumbura, Burundi. Independent experts should investigate Burundi forces for alleged human rights violations including extra-judicial executions, rape and looting during the deadliest day in the months of unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza's extended tenure, an international human rights group has said. Amnesty International called for investigations Tuesday, Dec. 22, as Burundi's top security body rejected the African Union's plan to deploy peacekeepers to the country to prevent the violence from escalating. (AP Photo/Gildas Ngingo, file)BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) — A human rights group says independent experts should investigate Burundi's forces for alleged human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions, rape and looting in the unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza's extended tenure.


Hoping for an average U.S. winter? Forget it

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:26 PM PST

As one of the warmest U.S. winters moves into the new year, nothing will change the pattern unless the polar vortex unexpectedly invades the country from the Arctic, meteorologists said. Last year the fast moving current of air encircling the Arctic, called the polar vortex, moved down from Canada, causing the coldest U.S. winter in at least 35 years. Instead, Thomson Reuters Analytics forecasts suggest the United States will have the second warmest first quarter in a decade due to the strong El Niño weather pattern.

Charles Hill hired by MLB to head Europe efforts

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:25 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Charles Hill has been hired by Major League Baseball International as managing director of Major League Baseball Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Rohr steps down as Burkina Faso coach

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:16 PM PST

Gernot Rohr, pictured on January 26, 2013, will leave his role as coach of Burkina FasoGernot Rohr has announced his departure from his role as coach of Burkina Faso via Facebook, the country's football federation (FBF) said on Tuesday. The 62-year-old German was only appointed coach of the Stallions in February this year following their disappointing showing at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, when they were eliminated in the group stage under the Belgian Paul Put.


Hirscher nearly hit by falling drone; Kristoffersen wins

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:13 PM PST

Austria's Marcel Hirscher competes during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Madonna Di Campiglio, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Shin Tanaka)MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy (AP) — A drone crash near four-time defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher marred a World Cup slalom ski race that Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway won by a massive 1.25-second margin on Tuesday.


Sudan human rights situation 'deteriorating': top lawyer

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:01 PM PST

Human rights lawyer Nabil Adib speaks on the phone at his office during an interview with AFP on December 22, 2015 in the Sudanese capital KhartoumHuman rights in Sudan are deteriorating despite efforts by President Omar al-Bashir to hold talks with his opponents on the country's many problems, a top lawyer told AFP on Tuesday. Bashir -- wanted by the International Criminal Court over war crimes charges in the Darfur region -- may have launched a national dialogue, but tight press and political freedoms remain in place, human rights lawyer Nabil Adib said. Bashir announced the talks in January 2014 in a bid to resolve the conflicts on Sudan's border regions and its faltering economy.


Son of ex-IAAF chief Diack ready to testify: report

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:01 PM PST

Papa Diack, a former marketing consultant with the International Association of Athletics Federations, said he was ready to "give evidence, but in Senegal"Papa Massata Diack, the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack, denied Tuesday any involvement in bribery or corruption and refuted claims he helped finance Senegalese president Macky Sall's election campaign in 2012. Papa Diack, a former marketing consultant with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), said he was ready to "give evidence, but in Senegal". "I'm in Senegal, where it's (possible) to send a letter of request.


Croatian conservatives secure majority to form government

Posted: 22 Dec 2015 12:54 PM PST

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, pictured on October 9, 2015, said that "by Wednesday evening either we will have a PM-designate or I will name a temporary government and call early parliamentary elections"Croatia's main opposition conservatives and a small party that emerged as a kingmaker in last month's election have secured the parliamentary majority needed to form a government, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said Tuesday. Members of the Patriotic Coalition, led by the main opposition conservative HDZ, and the smaller Most party "informed me that they enjoy the support of a majority, or 78 deputies" in the 151-seat assembly, Grabar-Kitarovic told reporters. "By Wednesday evening either we will have a PM-designate or I will name a temporary government and call early parliamentary elections," Grabar-Kitarovic said.


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