Yahoo! News: World News

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• Two Israeli soldiers, U.N. peacekeeper killed in Israel-Hezbollah violence
• Greek PM Tsipras freezes privatisations, markets tumble
• Jordan prisoner swap on hold, fate of Japanese IS hostage unclear
• Raul Castro warns U.S. against meddling in Cuba's affairs
• North Korea may be trying to restart nuclear reactor: U.S. think tank
• Rohingya refugees say traffickers in Malaysia abuse and kill
• Dead Argentine prosecutor wary even of his guards
• Samsung's 4Q profit drops but beats forecast
• Non-composters beware: Seattle to red-tag garbage bins with excess scraps
• Spanish FA asks UEFA to remove Spanish government official
• Japan analyzing purported new voice recording of IS captive: PM's spokesman
• Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT
• Japan's Abe: Japan will not give in to terrorism
• Spain says Israeli fire killed peacekeeper in south Lebanon
• Online gallery marks Battle of Waterloo bicentenary
• Australian cafe siege hostage killed by ricocheted police bullets
• Coroner promises quick probe into deaths of Sydney siege hostages
• Build better roads in developing world to bolster food supplies: study
• Hezbollah fires missile salvo, killing 2 Israeli soldiers
• Former British Open winner Kel Nagle dies at 94
• Rights groups also doubt Mexico account on missing students
• Cuban leader demands end to US embargo to renew ties
• Israel: UN must live up to mission of war against genocide
• Fidel Castro in good health, Brazilian visitor says
• Israel tells U.N. will defend itself against Hezbollah
• Obama congratulates new Greek leader on election victory
• Raul Castro: US must return Guantanamo for normal relations
• Inquest begins into deadly Sydney cafe siege
• Spurs set up League Cup final against Chelsea
• Irish police officer shot during visit to New Orleans
• Spain blames Israel for death of peacekeeper
• Officials seize indigenous artifacts at Puerto Rico airport
• Neymar nets 2, Barca beats Atletico 3-2 to reach Copa semis
• Tiger fight: China and Alibaba face off over fake goods
• Syria says approves U.N. $2.9 billion humanitarian aid plan for 2015
• World's largest Ebola unit dismantled as outbreak retreats
• US Coast Guard rescues 2 Americans stranded on Bahamas cay
• Experts in crisis talks to save rare rhino from extinction
• Aide says Argentine prosecutor didn't trust security detail
• 2,200 pillaged artefacts seized in European crackdown

Two Israeli soldiers, U.N. peacekeeper killed in Israel-Hezbollah violence Posted: 28 Jan 2015 10:41 AM PST By Jeffrey Heller and Sylvia Westall JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, one of the most violent clashes between the two sides since a 2006 war. The soldiers were killed when Hezbollah fired five missiles at a convoy of Israeli military vehicles on the frontier with Lebanon. The peacekeeper, serving with a U.N. monitoring force in southern Lebanon, was killed as Israel responded with air strikes and artillery fire, a U.N. spokesman and Spanish officials said.

Greek PM Tsipras freezes privatisations, markets tumble Posted: 28 Jan 2015 12:50 PM PST By Lefteris Papadimas and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras threw down an open challenge to international creditors on Wednesday by halting privatisation plans agreed under the country's bailout deal, prompting a third day of heavy losses on financial markets. A swift series of announcements signalled the newly installed government would stand by its anti-austerity pledges, setting it on a collision course with European partners, led by Germany, which has said it will not renegotiate the aid package needed to help Greece pay its huge debts. Tsipras, who was congratulated by U.S. President Barack Obama in a phone call for his decisive election victory on Sunday, told the first meeting of his cabinet members that they could not afford to disappoint voters battered by a plunge in living standards under austerity. After announcing a halt to the privatisation of the port of Piraeus on Tuesday, for which China's Cosco Group [COSCO.UL] and four others had been short-listed, the government indicated it would put the whole programme on hold.

Jordan prisoner swap on hold, fate of Japanese IS hostage unclear Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:14 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan said on Wednesday it had received no assurance that one of its pilots captured by Islamic State insurgents was safe and that it would go ahead with a proposed prisoner swap only if he was freed. The fate of air force pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh was thought to be tied to that of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, a veteran war reporter who is also being held by the insurgent group. A video was released on Tuesday purporting to show the Japanese national saying he had 24 hours to live unless Jordan released Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman on death row for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Jordan was ready to release al-Rishawi if Kasaesbeh was spared, but made clear that she was still being held until the pilot was freed.

Raul Castro warns U.S. against meddling in Cuba's affairs Posted: 28 Jan 2015 01:32 PM PST By Enrique Pretel SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Cuba will not accept any interference from the United States, President Raul Castro said on Wednesday, warning that meddling in its internal affairs would make rapprochement between the two countries "meaningless." His comments came after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit the island in nearly 40 years, last week met with dissidents a day after talks with Cuban government officials. "If these problems are not resolved, this diplomatic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States would be meaningless," he said.

North Korea may be trying to restart nuclear reactor: U.S. think tank Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:25 PM PST North Korea may be trying to restart a nuclear reactor that can yield plutonium for atomic bombs, a U.S. security think tank said on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery. An analysis issued by 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, said it was too early to reach a definitive explanation for signs of activity at the Yongbyon reactor, including steam and indications that snow had melted on the reactor roof. "One possibility is that the North Koreans are in the early stages of an effort to restart the reactor after an almost five-month hiatus in operations," it said, basing its observations on commercial satellite images from Dec. 24 to Jan. 11.

Rohingya refugees say traffickers in Malaysia abuse and kill Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:09 PM PST By Aubrey Belford BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia (Reuters) - Abul Kassim, a Rohingya asylum seeker, was snatched from his home in the northern Malaysian state of Penang on Jan. 12. Eight alleged traffickers from Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh were arrested. The murder of Abul Kassim casts rare light on what Rohingya activists say is widespread abuse by human traffickers in Malaysia, who are willing to use extreme methods to protect their lucrative but illegal business. Abul Kassim regularly supplied police with information on the activities of traffickers, said Abdul Hamid, president of the Kuala Lumpur-based Rohingya Society in Malaysia.

Dead Argentine prosecutor wary even of his guards Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:42 PM PST The prosecutor whose suspicious death set off a crisis for Argentina President Cristina Kirchner no longer trusted even his bodyguards at the violent end of his life, an assistant said Wednesday. A tense Diego Lagomarsino, his voice breaking at times, recounted at a news conference in Buenos Aires how Alberto Nisman had pleaded to be given the .22-caliber revolver that was used to put a bullet through his head. The 51-year-old special prosecutor was found dead at his home January 18, a day before he was to go before a congressional committee to make a bombshell accusation: that Kirchner shielded Iranian officials implicated in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish charities office, known as AMIA. "He told me that he was not going to use the weapon," Lagomarsino said.

Samsung's 4Q profit drops but beats forecast Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:39 PM PST SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics Co. said its quarterly earnings dropped 27 percent in the fourth quarter as it struggled in its battle of big phones with Apple. But its result still beat forecasts thanks to component businesses that performed better and a modest improvement in high-end handset sales.

Non-composters beware: Seattle to red-tag garbage bins with excess scraps Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:37 PM PST By Victoria Cavaliere SEATTLE (Reuters) - In a message to residents who don't take composting seriously, the city of Seattle is placing red tags on the bins of anyone who fails to comply with a new law barring food scraps from being tossed in the garbage, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The highly visible warnings are not meant to be a scarlet letter, but a means of educating residents about the new composting rule that took effect on Jan. 1, said Andy Ryan, a spokesman for Seattle Public Utilities. "This is not at all intended to embarrass people or shame them," he said. ...

Spanish FA asks UEFA to remove Spanish government official Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:34 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish football federation has entered into open conflict with Spain's government authority in charge of sports.

Japan analyzing purported new voice recording of IS captive: PM's spokesman Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:32 PM PST The Japanese government is analyzing a purported new voice recording in which a Japanese journalist held captive by Islamic State says a Jordanian pilot also in their custody will be killed if a swap for a would-be suicide bomber is not carried out by sunset on Thursday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office said. Jordan said on Wednesday it had received no assurance that one of its pilots captured by Islamic State insurgents was safe and that it would go ahead with a proposed prisoner swap only if he was freed. The fate of Jordanian air force pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh was thought to be tied to that of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, a veteran war reporter who is being held by the insurgent group. In the latest recording, the voice of a man who identifies himself as Goto says in English: "If Sajida al-Rishawi is not ready for exchange for my life at the Turkish border by Thursday sunset January 29 Mosul time, the Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh will be killed immediately." Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said earlier that Jordan was ready to release al-Rishawi if Kasaesbeh was spared, but made clear that she would be held until the pilot was freed.

Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:32 PM PST SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea may be attempting to restart its main nuclear bomb fuel reactor after a five-month shutdown, a U.S. research institute said Thursday. If true, the finding, which is based on recent commercial satellite imagery, will be an added worry for the United States and the North's neighbors at a time of increasing animosity over recent U.S. sanctions against the North and Pyongyang's fury about a U.N. push to punish its alleged human rights abuses.

Japan's Abe: Japan will not give in to terrorism Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:26 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday Japan strongly condemns terrorism and will continue to cooperate closely with the international community in measures to combat terrorism. He made the comments in parliament after a spokesman for his office said the government was analyzing a purported new voice recording in which a Japanese journalist held captive by Islamic State says a Jordanian pilot also in their custody will be killed if a swap for a would-be suicide bomber is not carried out by sunset on Thursday. ...

Spain says Israeli fire killed peacekeeper in south Lebanon Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:22 PM PST Spain on Wednesday said Israeli fire had killed a Spanish UN peacekeeper serving in south Lebanon and called on the United Nations to fully investigate the violence. The Security Council condemned the death of the Spanish corporal who died from wounds sustained during an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters on the border. The Spanish envoy said he had asked for a full investigation during an emergency meeting of the council called by France to discuss ways to defuse tensions between Israel and Lebanon. Tension in the area has been building, especially after an Israeli air strike on the Syrian sector of the Golan Heights killed six Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general on January 18.

Online gallery marks Battle of Waterloo bicentenary Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:14 PM PST An online gallery marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo went live Wednesday, showing off 200 relics from the time -- including the Duke of Wellington's famous boots. Drawn from museums and private collections across Europe, the historical objects recall the events south of Brussels in June 1815, when Wellington led the British and allied forces to a final, decisive victory over French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Different versions of the boots have since become known as Wellington boots or "Wellies". Wellington's telescope and a collection of miniature toy soldiers which once belonged to Winston Churchill, Britain's World War II prime minister.

Australian cafe siege hostage killed by ricocheted police bullets Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:08 PM PST A coronial inquest into the deaths of two hostages and a gunman during a siege at a Sydney cafe was told on Thursday that one of the hostages was killed by police bullets that ricocheted from hard surfaces when they stormed the cafe. Jeremy Gormly, counsel assisting the New South Wales state coroner, said lawyer Katrina Dawson was struck by six fragments of a bullet, or bullets, with one striking a major blood vessel. Gormly said the second hostage, Lindt Chocolat Cafe manager Tori Johnson, was shot in the back of the head by gunman Man Haron Monis after being forced to kneel. Monis was struck by several bullets to the head and body.

Coroner promises quick probe into deaths of Sydney siege hostages Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:03 PM PST An Australian state coroner promised a quick investigation into the deaths of two hostages and a gunman during a siege at a Sydney cafe as he opened the formal inquiry on Thursday. "The circumstances in which these deaths occurred raise issues relevant to the actual security and the sense of security of the wider population and that demands a speedy response," New South Wales State Coroner Michael Barnes said. Hostages Katrina Dawson, 38, and Tori Johnson, 34, were killed in the final moments of the 17-hour siege last month, which ended when police stormed the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in central Sydney. Gunman Man Haron Monis, 50, was also killed.

Build better roads in developing world to bolster food supplies: study Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:02 PM PST By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - Billion-dollar investments in basic transport and electricity in developing nations are among the best ways to curb hunger by 2030 since a quarter of all food is now wasted after harvest, according to a report issued on Thursday. A total of $239 billion invested over the next 15 years, in road and railway connections to connect farms to markets and in electricity supplies to improve cold storage, would yield benefits of $3.1 trillion by safeguarding food, it said. Mark Rosegrant, lead author and a director of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, said that rural infrastructure was often overlooked by governments and investors as a way to cut food waste from rice to beef. Food losses, ranging from poor harvesting techniques in fields to rotting vegetables in consumers' kitchens, wipe out a quarter of all food produced, according to one 2012 study.

Hezbollah fires missile salvo, killing 2 Israeli soldiers Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:59 PM PST SHEAR YASHUV, Israel (AP) — The Lebanese militant Hezbollah group fired a salvo of missiles at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed border area Wednesday, killing two soldiers and triggering deadly clashes that marked the most serious escalation since the sides' 2006 war.

Former British Open winner Kel Nagle dies at 94 Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:53 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Kel Nagle, a former British Open winner, U.S. Open runner-up and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has died. He was 94.

Rights groups also doubt Mexico account on missing students Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:47 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — International human rights groups on Wednesday questioned the Mexican government's official account of the disappearance of 43 college students last fall in the southern state of Guerrero.

Cuban leader demands end to US embargo to renew ties Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:47 PM PST Cuban President Raul Castro laid out Wednesday the conditions to normalize relations with the United States, demanding an end to the embargo, the return of Guantanamo and Havana's removal from a terror list. Castro issued his demands a week after the highest-ranking US delegation to Havana in 35 years and Cuban officials held landmark talks aimed at reopening embassies and renewing ties that broke off in 1961.

Israel: UN must live up to mission of war against genocide Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:44 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The president of Israel urged the world's nations Wednesday to wage an all-out war against genocide saying "the Holocaust of the Jews was not the final chapter in the brutal scheme of man against his fellow man."

Fidel Castro in good health, Brazilian visitor says Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:44 PM PST Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in good health, appearing skinny but lucid, a Brazilian theologian who met with him told official Cuban media on Wednesday. Castro, 88, who stepped down from power in 2008, has not been seen in public in a year and his photograph has not appeared in Cuban media since August, giving rise to speculation about his health. "The commander (Castro) enjoys very good health is in very good spirits," the writer and activist Carlos Alberto Libanio Christo, better known as Friar Betto, told Cuban state television on Wednesday after meeting Castro in Havana on Tuesday. Though Castro periodically writes a column, he went silent for several weeks after his younger brother and current president, Raul Castro, and U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 17 they would restore diplomatic ties.

Israel tells U.N. will defend itself against Hezbollah Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:42 PM PST Israel told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday it will take all necessary measures to defend itself after an exchange of fire between Hezbollah militants and Israel that has raised the threat of a full-blown conflict. "Israel will not stand by as Hezbollah targets Israelis," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter to the Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Obama congratulates new Greek leader on election victory Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:34 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. will work closely with Greece's new government and help Greece pursue long-term prosperity.

Raul Castro: US must return Guantanamo for normal relations Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:34 PM PST SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Cuban President Raul Castro demanded on Wednesday that the United States return the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations.

Inquest begins into deadly Sydney cafe siege Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:26 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — An inquest into a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe began on Thursday, aimed at determining exactly how a gunman and two of his hostages ended up dead after a 16-hour standoff with police.

Spurs set up League Cup final against Chelsea Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:16 PM PST SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Christian Eriksen added a late goal to his sublime early free kick to help Tottenham scrape a 2-2 draw with third-tier Sheffield United on Wednesday and secure a place in the League Cup final against Chelsea.

Irish police officer shot during visit to New Orleans Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:16 PM PST NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An Irish police officer on vacation in New Orleans was shot by an armed robber, one of the latest victims in a string of shootings that have put the city on edge as it gets ready to kick off Carnival festivities.

Spain blames Israel for death of peacekeeper Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Spain's ambassador to the United Nations is blaming Israel for the death of a Spanish U.N. peacekeeper during the Israeli military's exchange of fire with the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in a disputed border area.

Officials seize indigenous artifacts at Puerto Rico airport Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Officials at Puerto Rico's main international airport seized five clay artifacts created by the Taino people who lived in the Caribbean before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

Neymar nets 2, Barca beats Atletico 3-2 to reach Copa semis Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:11 PM PST MADRID (AP) — Neymar scored twice to lead Barcelona past nine-man Atletico Madrid and into the Copa del Rey semifinals with a 3-2 victory in a game that went from pulsating to unseemly at Vicente Calderon Stadium on Wednesday.

Tiger fight: China and Alibaba face off over fake goods Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:03 PM PST BEIJING (AP) — There's a tiger fight going on in China.

Syria says approves U.N. $2.9 billion humanitarian aid plan for 2015 Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:02 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria said on Wednesday it has approved a United Nations plan to deliver humanitarian aid to millions of people in the war-torn country this year, but warned the only way to the end the crisis was to help Damascus fight terrorism. The strategic response plan appeals for some $2.9 billion in a bid to help 12.2 million Syrians, more than half the population, who are in need as the country's civil war approaches its fifth year. Syrian diplomat Haydar Ali Ahmad told a U.N. Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria that the government wanted to ensure that "assistance reaches all those citizens in all parts of Syria without discrimination." "The Syrian government on 17 December 2014 ... adopted the Syrian Response Plan for 2015, complementing national efforts which have been made since the beginning of the crisis to lessen the suffering of our people," Ahmad said.

World's largest Ebola unit dismantled as outbreak retreats Posted: 28 Jan 2015 02:58 PM PST A potent symbol of the nightmare enveloping west Africa at the height of the Ebola outbreak, the ELWA-3 treatment centre is being dismantled and incinerated bit by bit as the region emerges from catastrophe. "The number of cases has decreased significantly -- we are down to five confirmed cases in Liberia," said Duncan Bell, the field coordinator in Liberia for Medecins san Frontieres (MSF), the medical aid charity at the forefront of treating victims of the outbreak. "In line with this development we think it was appropriate to reduce the treatment centre. The worst outbreak of the virus in history has seen Liberia and its neighbours Guinea and Sierra Leone register almost 9,000 deaths in a year.

US Coast Guard rescues 2 Americans stranded on Bahamas cay Posted: 28 Jan 2015 02:57 PM PST NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two American boaters stranded on a tiny uninhabited island in the Bahamas.

Experts in crisis talks to save rare rhino from extinction Posted: 28 Jan 2015 02:52 PM PST Conservationists and scientists met in Kenya this week to come up with a last ditch plan to save the northern white rhinoceros from extinction. There are only five northern whites left on the planet -- three live in a 700-acre enclosure on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya, while the other two are kept in zoos in the Czech Republic and the United States. "The battle is to work out what is feasible scientifically in the short time still available to us," Richard Vigne, the chief executive of Ol Pejeta -- where Tuesday's meeting was held -- told AFP. Northern white rhinos have suffered from the loss of their traditional rangelands in Central African Republic, Chad, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, nations that have been hit by decades of chronic conflict, lawlessness and misrule.

Aide says Argentine prosecutor didn't trust security detail Posted: 28 Jan 2015 02:49 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The man who gave prosecutor Alberto Nisman the pistol that killed him said Wednesday that Nisman feared for the safety of his daughters and didn't trust the policemen protecting him.

2,200 pillaged artefacts seized in European crackdown Posted: 28 Jan 2015 02:48 PM PST Over 2,200 looted artefacts, many from ancient Egypt, were seized as part of a Europe-wide crackdown that also snared 35 suspected traffickers, Europol announced Wednesday. Among the most valuable of the recovered cultural items was a majestic bust of Egyptian goddess Sekhmet worth an estimated 100,000 euros ($113,000), said Spanish police Captain Javier Morales, an expert in historic objects. The 36 stolen items Spanish police showed to the press, which included a statue of the goddess Isis and a vase covered in hieroglyphics, were alone worth up to 300,000 euros. Some of the objects were likely looted from the burial site Saqqara and ruins near Mit Rahina in Egypt, police said.

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