Yahoo! News: World News

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• Kremlin talks on Ukraine yield little but agreement to keep talking
• Islamic State says U.S. hostage killed in air strike in Syria
• Niger forces kill 109 Boko Haram militants in battle: state TV
• Egyptian military kills 47 militants in the Sinai
• U.S.-led strikes kill 30 Islamic State fighters in Syria: monitors
• Four killed in Bangladesh fire bomb attack on bus
• U.S. judge dismisses Marshall Islands' nuclear suit
• Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT
• English leads as Mickelson and big names head home
• UN Security Council concerned by Yemen unrest
• Guinea tries 58 over attack on Ebola outreach mission
• Robshaw's act of defiance sets tone for England's revenge
• Lincicome, Yoo top Bahamas LPGA Classic leaderboard
• Fighting traps children underground in east Ukraine
• U.S. security adviser Rice pledges help for Sri Lanka 'transition'
• World Cup players warned of match fixing menace
• Mexico lit fest moves online to protest journalist killings
• U.S. government plans to cull 11,000 Oregon birds to save salmon
• Egyptian jailed in US over Africa embassy bombings
• 'River of rain' begins falling on drought-stricken California
• Moscow talks on Ukraine "substantial and constructive": French source
• Australia's polarizing prime minister faces political crisis
• UN Security Council aims to dry up IS group financing
• Top-seeded Lopez into semifinals in Ecuador
• Nigeria presidency hopeful Buhari expects 'landslide victory'
• Argentine lawmaker accuses president of cover-up
• UN to take further steps if Yemen rebels don't resume talk
• Ex-wife kills professor in US University murder-suicide
• US can't confirm IS hostage claim, family urges caution
• Nigeria's Boko Haram has up to 6,000 hardcore militants: U.S. officials
• Mexico seeks crematorium owner after 60 bodies found
• Police seize Brazil tycoon Batista's cash, cars
• Colombia coal railway's overnight ban may start next week: source
• England beats Wales 21-16 in Six Nations opener
• Gulf Arab states urge bigger international role in Yemen crisis
• U.N. ready to take 'further steps' if Yemen talks not resumed
• Putin, Ukraine leader to hold 4-way phone call on peace plan
• UN and Arab League 'urgently' appeal to Gaza donors
• Mexico rights commission rebukes marines over detentions

Kremlin talks on Ukraine yield little but agreement to keep talking Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:07 PM PST By Gleb Garanich and Gabriela Baczynska DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany flew out of Moscow in the dead of night after five hours of talks with Vladimir Putin on Friday, with little to announce to end fighting in Ukraine beyond a promise to keep talking. None of the leaders spoke publicly after the meeting, which ended around midnight with President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel whisked straight from the Kremlin back to the airport. The French and German leaders had held similar late talks the night before with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, part of a last-ditch push for a breakthrough before EU leaders consider new financial sanctions against Russia next week. European officials had played down expectations ahead of the Moscow talks, expressing doubt that Putin would compromise while pro-Russian rebels are advancing on the ground.

Islamic State says U.S. hostage killed in air strike in Syria Posted: 06 Feb 2015 02:08 PM PST By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State said on Friday that an American woman hostage it was holding in Syria was killed when Jordanian fighter jets bombed a building where she was being held, but Jordan expressed doubt about the Islamist militant group's account of her death. In Washington, U.S. officials said they could not confirm that the woman, 26-year-old humanitarian worker Kayla Mueller of Prescott, Arizona, had been killed. Mueller was the last-known American hostage held by Islamic State, which controls wide areas of Syria and Iraq. Jordan's King Abdullah, who was in Washington discussing how to deal with Islamic State militants when the video was made public, vowed to avenge the pilot's death and ordered a stepped-up military role in the U.S.-led coalition against the group.

Niger forces kill 109 Boko Haram militants in battle: state TV Posted: 06 Feb 2015 12:37 PM PST NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's forces killed 109 fighters from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram on Friday as they repulsed attacks on the southeastern town of Bosso, near the Nigerian border, Niger state television said. Four soldiers from Niger were killed in the fighting against Boko Haram, whose insurgency is spreading from Nigeria to neighboring states. (Reporting by Abdoulaye Massalaki; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Egyptian military kills 47 militants in the Sinai Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:23 PM PST Egyptian security forces killed 47 Islamic militants in the country's Northern Sinai on Friday in one of the biggest operations in the region in months, security sources said. Apache helicopters killed 27 militants from the Sinai Province group, which pledges allegiance to Islamic State, the ultra-hardline militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, the sources said. Sinai Province, fighting to topple the Cairo government, has claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks that killed more than 30 members of the security forces in late January. After that bloodshed, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Egyptians the country faced a long, tough battle against militants.

U.S.-led strikes kill 30 Islamic State fighters in Syria: monitors Posted: 06 Feb 2015 10:33 AM PST At least 30 Islamic State fighters were killed on Friday in U.S.-led coalition air strikes around the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman said the attacks targeted depots of military vehicles and tanks, training camps and a prison used by the group east and west of Raqqa, the largest Syrian city under Islamic State control. Islamic State seized large areas in Syria and Iraq and declared a self-imposed Islamic caliphate last year but has come under strain after a series of defeats in Syria brought about in part by air strikes on its forces and infrastructure.

Four killed in Bangladesh fire bomb attack on bus Posted: 06 Feb 2015 12:10 PM PST By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - At least four people, including a child, were burned alive in northern Bangladesh when opposition activists hurled petrol bombs at a packed bus on Friday night in the latest spasm of worsening political violence. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) refused to take part in a general election just over a year ago, saying it would be rigged, and intensified protests last month in a bid to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and hold a new one. "Four, including a child and a woman, died on the spot after opposition activists hurled petrol bombs," local police official Raziur Rahman said in the northern district of Gaibandha. The BNP has been blockading roads, railways and waterways and says it will continue until the government quits.

U.S. judge dismisses Marshall Islands' nuclear suit Posted: 06 Feb 2015 05:03 PM PST By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Marshall Islands against the United States that accused Washington of failing in its obligation to negotiate nuclear disarmament, campaigners said on Friday. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation said U.S. Federal Court Judge Jeffrey White dismissed the suit on Tuesday on the grounds that the harm caused by the U.S. breach of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was "speculative." Compelling it to negotiate disarmament would not redress any harm to the Marshall Islands, it added. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation said it would appeal the ruling. It says the United States conducted 67 nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958 and islanders are still plagued by the health and environmental effects as a result.

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 06 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians are quick to criticize their polarizing, gaffe-prone and unpredictable prime minister, Tony Abbott. But his critics within the conservative government have largely held their tongues in the interests of presenting a united administration — until now. Halfway through his first 3-year term, Abbott will face a move within his own party to oust him Tuesday. Lawmaker Luke Simpkins said Friday in an email to colleagues that he will enter a motion at a ruling Liberal Party meeting calling for Abbott to declare that his job and that of his deputy Julie Bishop are open to a ballot of 102 government lawmakers.

English leads as Mickelson and big names head home Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:55 PM PST SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tiger Woods is gone from Torrey Pines, and Phil Mickelson joined him Friday by missing the cut.

UN Security Council concerned by Yemen unrest Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:45 PM PST The UN Security Council raised the prospect of possible sanctions on Friday as Yemen's Shiite Huthi militia sought to tighten their grip on the country. The council "called in the strongest terms for all parties, in particular the Huthis, to abide by the GCC initiative and the national dialogue conference," a statement said, referring to an initiative brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council aimed at solving Yemen's political crisis.

Guinea tries 58 over attack on Ebola outreach mission Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:42 PM PST Guinea has put 58 people on trial over an attack on Ebola outreach workers by a mob wielding machetes, a judicial source said on Friday. The defendants are accused of wounding several government workers and staff from the global medical aid agency Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) with the knives as well as assaulting them with sticks and stones. The group, who have been on trial since Monday in the western town of Forecariah, were arrested after the attack in early January on the nearby island of Kaback. A judicial source in Forecariah told AFP they face six months each in jail if convicted, with verdicts expected next week.

Robshaw's act of defiance sets tone for England's revenge Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:33 PM PST CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Bullied out of the Millennium Stadium in a Six Nations title decider in 2013, England wasn't about to let the same thing happen two years later.

Lincicome, Yoo top Bahamas LPGA Classic leaderboard Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:30 PM PST PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Brittany Lincicome and Sun Young Yoo topped the leaderboard Friday in the wind-swept Bahamas LPGA Classic when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.

Fighting traps children underground in east Ukraine Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:29 PM PST As the shelling came closer to 10-year-old Artyom's neighbourhood, he was forced to swap his local playground for a bunker -- just like children across rebel-held east Ukraine. Whenever the boom of artillery bombardments echoes over the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, Artyom's grandmother Lyudmila Tarasova quickly grabs him and hurries down to an underground shelter by their apartment. The children of Donetsk -- once a bustling industrial hub of a million people -- have a strangely pale complexion these days, with eyes that focus on a point somewhere in the distance.

U.S. security adviser Rice pledges help for Sri Lanka 'transition' Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:27 PM PST By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States pledged on Friday to assist Sri Lanka's new government in creating a more open and democratic society. In a speech laying out President Barack Obama's updated national security strategy, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice included Sri Lanka alongside Myanmar - which is also known as Burma - and Tunisia as a country "in transition." "We'll help countries in transition - like Burma, Tunisia, and Sri Lanka - become more open, more democratic, and more inclusive societies," Rice said in a speech at the Brookings Institute. Earlier, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States had commended steps by new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to address post-war reconciliation and long-standing issues such as governance and accountability.

World Cup players warned of match fixing menace Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:24 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — The head of cricket's anti-corruption unit has likened match fixers to pedophiles in the way they groom their victims.

Mexico lit fest moves online to protest journalist killings Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:18 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A popular literary festival is abandoning its venue in Mexico's Veracruz state this year due to protest over the killings of journalists.

U.S. government plans to cull 11,000 Oregon birds to save salmon Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST By Shelby Sebens PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - The federal government has plans to kill nearly 11,000 double crested cormorants on a small Oregon island over four years in an effort to save embattled salmon, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Friday. The plan, in the form of a final Environmental Impact Statement, is under review. The plan is preferred over another alternative that calls for the killing of 18,000 birds by 2018, U.S. Army Corps spokeswoman Diana Fredlund said. The corps' action came after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a Biological Opinion last year, calling for a decrease of the bird population from about 13,000 breeding pairs now to just under 6,000 or fewer by 2018.

Egyptian jailed in US over Africa embassy bombings Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:15 PM PST An Egyptian man was sentenced to 25 years in a US prison Friday for conspiring to kill Americans over the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa, which left 224 people dead. Adel Abdel Bary, who was extradited to the United States from Britain in 2012, pleaded guilty last September on three counts of working for Al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Federal judge Lewis Kaplan told Bary, 54, that the sentence would allow him to return to his family and live out the remainder of his life in freedom, a privilege not extended to his victims. In 1997 and 1998, he headed up the London cell of Egyptian Islamic Jihad -- then led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is now head of Al-Qaeda -- and the two groups essentially merged.

'River of rain' begins falling on drought-stricken California Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:12 PM PST By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A so-called "atmospheric river of rain" began falling on Northern California on Friday, bringing worries about flash floods, high winds and mudslides but offering little relief to a state that has been left parched by several years of drought. The storm, also known as a "Pineapple Express" because it results from a ribbon of moist air moving across the southern Pacific Ocean was forecast to dump as much as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain in coastal mountains. National Weather Service meteorologist Austin Cross said more than three inches (7.5 cm) of rain had been already recorded in the hills of western Sonoma County by early afternoon on Friday. High winds caused dozens of flights to be delayed or canceled at San Francisco International Airport, knocked down trees and caused scattered power outages.

Moscow talks on Ukraine "substantial and constructive": French source Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:09 PM PST The leaders of France and Germany had "substantial and constructive" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine crisis on Friday, a French presidential source said. Officials from the delegations remained in Moscow to continue the talks ahead of a four-way phone call on Sunday between Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the source said.

Australia's polarizing prime minister faces political crisis Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians are quick to criticize their polarizing, gaffe-prone and unpredictable prime minister, Tony Abbott. But his critics within the conservative government have largely held their tongues in the interests of presenting a united administration — until now.

UN Security Council aims to dry up IS group financing Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:04 PM PST The UN Security Council plans to adopt a resolution next week aimed at halting funding to Islamic State militants from oil, antique trafficking and ransoms, a diplomat said Friday. The resolution, completed after dialogue with the United States and Europe, draws largely on previous UN sanctions on organizations and individuals affiliated with al-Qaeda, particularly the freezing of assets and an arms embargo. The council in August adopted a resolution to cut off sources of financing and the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria, warning countries that do trade in oil with the Islamists they could face sanctions.

Top-seeded Lopez into semifinals in Ecuador Posted: 06 Feb 2015 04:01 PM PST QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain defeated No. 7 Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the clay-court tournament.

Nigeria presidency hopeful Buhari expects 'landslide victory' Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:57 PM PST Nigeria's main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari on Friday told AFP he was expecting to win next week's presidential election by a wide margin, despite talk of a close race. The February 14 poll, in which he is challenging incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, has been seen as too close to call, leading to a possible run-off if neither man secures a first-round majority.

Argentine lawmaker accuses president of cover-up Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:43 PM PST An Argentine opposition lawmaker filed a court case Friday against President Cristina Kirchner, accusing her of a cover-up in the mysterious death of a prosecutor investigating a 1994 Jewish center bombing. Congresswoman Elisa Carrio accused Kirchner, attorney general Alejandra Gils Carbo, army chief Cesar Milani and other officials of obstructing the investigation into the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman. Nisman was found in his apartment with a gunshot wound to the head on January 18, on the eve of a Congressional hearing at which he was expected to accuse the president of shielding Iranian officials from prosecution over the bombing. Kirchner, whose government is struggling to downplay suspicion of involvement in his death, has suggested Nisman was manipulated by disgruntled former intelligence agents who then killed him to smear her.

UN to take further steps if Yemen rebels don't resume talk Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:39 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council says it is ready to take "further steps" — which could mean new sanctions — if Yemen's Shiite rebels don't immediately return to U.N.-led negotiations on a democratic transition.

Ex-wife kills professor in US University murder-suicide Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:32 PM PST COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Authorities say the ex-wife of a University of South Carolina professor came to his work and killed him before committing suicide.

US can't confirm IS hostage claim, family urges caution Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST The United States said Friday that it has not yet seen any proof to confirm a claim by the Islamic State group that a female American hostage has been killed in an air strike in Syria by a Jordanian plane. The family of Kayla Mueller, 26, meanwhile urged media to be restrained in their reporting of the IS claim about the aid worker. "The family... request that media cautiously report on her background, work and current situation and limit speculation on her situation, and consider the implications for her security before publishing," said a statement by her parents, Marsha and Carl Mueller. Mueller was taken captive in August 2013 in the Syrian city of Aleppo, after leaving a Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hospital, according to the family statement, released via Arizona senator John McCain.

Nigeria's Boko Haram has up to 6,000 hardcore militants: U.S. officials Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, which is fighting a violent insurgency in northeast Nigeria, has about 4,000-6,000 "hardcore" fighters, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday. In an assessment of the group, whose five-year uprising has included massacres and kidnappings and spread from Nigeria into neighboring states, the officials said they did not believe it posed a major threat to Nigeria's oilfields in the south. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the militants were believed to be still holding about 300 schoolgirls they kidnapped early last year and had dispersed them to multiple locations. Around 10,000 people were killed in Boko Haram attacks last year.

Mexico seeks crematorium owner after 60 bodies found Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:23 PM PST Mexican police launched a manhunt Friday for the owner of an abandoned crematorium after 60 bodies, including children, were found rotting in the facility in Acapulco, which closed a year ago. The fading resort of Acapulco has been plagued by drug gang violence whose victims are regularly found around the city, but this time authorities indicated that they were investigating a macabre case of funerary fraud. The bodies of men, women and children were found "perfectly embalmed" in the crematorium, owned by a man identified as Guillermo Estua Zadai, officials said. "It has not been possible to locate the owner," Guerrero state chief prosecutor Miguel Angel Godinez told a news conference, adding that authorities had requested assistance from federal agencies and Interpol to find him.

Police seize Brazil tycoon Batista's cash, cars Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:22 PM PST Police on Friday seized a piano, the equivalent of $45,700 in cash, six cars and other possessions from the home of Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista, once Brazil's richest man, who is on trial for insider trading. The seized cars included a Lamborghini and a Porsche. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Judge Flavio Roberto de Souza said in an interview that he is looking for evidence that Batista has sent money abroad.

Colombia coal railway's overnight ban may start next week: source Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:21 PM PST By Peter Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - A ruling ordering Colombia's Fenoco coal railway to stop running trains overnight after noise complaints by nearby residents could take effect from next Friday, a court source told Reuters, potentially cutting capacity for several large miners to export. The railway operated by U.S.-based miner Drummond Co Inc [DRMND.UL], Glencore's Prodeco unit [GLEN.UL] and Goldman Sachs affiliate CNR was banned by the Constitutional Court last month from running between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. local time (0330 and 0930 GMT). Industry sources in Colombia contacted by Reuters have speculated there will be an attempt to appeal or block the ruling that could potentially cut by one quarter the capacity of the line which moves more than half the country's coal exports. Colombia's biggest coal miner, Cerrejon, a joint venture between Anglo American Plc, BHP Billton Ltd and Glencore Plc, has its own railway and is not affected.

England beats Wales 21-16 in Six Nations opener Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:20 PM PST CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — England fought back from 10-0 down after nine minutes to beat Wales 21-16 in the opening game of the Six Nations on Friday, avenging a painful defeat to its fiercest rival on its last trip to the Millennium Stadium.

Gulf Arab states urge bigger international role in Yemen crisis Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST Gulf Arab states have called on the international community to take a stronger position on Yemen and expressed concern about Iranian influence amid the political instability there, a senior State Department official said on Friday after meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. "There was a feeling that the international community needed to take a stronger position, either through the U.N. or another multilateral organization," the official said on condition of anonymity.

U.N. ready to take 'further steps' if Yemen talks not resumed Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council said it was gravely concerned after the dominant Houthi movement in Yemen dissolved parliament on Friday and said a new interim assembly and government would be formed. "The members of the Security Council declare their readiness to take further steps if U.N.-led negotiations are not immediately resumed," Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters. China is president of the council for February. The 15-nation council also called for the immediate release of Yemen's president, prime minister and cabinet from house arrest. ...

Putin, Ukraine leader to hold 4-way phone call on peace plan Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:12 PM PST MOSCOW (AP) — Talks among the leaders of Russia, France and Germany on a peace initiative for Ukraine ended early Saturday with an announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart would discuss a proposal to end the fighting in a four-way telephone call this weekend.

UN and Arab League 'urgently' appeal to Gaza donors Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:06 PM PST The leaders of the United Nations and the Arab League made an urgent appeal to international donors Friday to expedite aid promised to the people of Gaza, following last year's devastating war. In a joint statement, Ban Ki-moon and Nabil al-Arabi expressed their "deep concern" over limited resources to improve the situation in Gaza. The international community promised $5.4 billion to the Palestinians, half of which is to help rebuild Gaza after devastating Israeli bombing aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks in July last year. The two leaders pointed out reconstruction has been slow in Gaza and aid is necessary to ensure stability for the people.

Mexico rights commission rebukes marines over detentions Posted: 06 Feb 2015 03:03 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's governmental human rights agency rebuked the country's marines on Friday for alleged physical and psychological abuse of two detainees, saying such treatment violated prohibitions against torture and calling for an investigation.

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