Yahoo! News: World News

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• New violence in Ukraine diminishes hopes before four-way summit
• American hostage Mueller's family, U.S. government say she is dead
• Australian anti-terror police say imminent IS-linked attack thwarted
• Greek PM easily wins confidence vote, EU showdown looms
• United States closes its embassy in conflict-hit Yemen
• Foreign fighters still flowing to Syria, U.S. intelligence says
• Did Brian Williams overload the talk-show circuit?
• Guatemala mob kills stepmother suspected in girl's death
• Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT
• U.S. to withdraw most of its troops fighting Ebola in Africa: WSJ
• Labour criticised over pink bus for women voters
• Puerto Rico governor seeks new value-added tax
• Hirscher helps Austria to gold medal in team event at worlds
• Police: 2 Sydney men planned 'imminent' terror attack
• Obama seeks some limits on ground troops for Islamic State fight
• 20,000 foreign fighters head to Syria: US
• Greek finance minister says cannot exclude clash in EU negotiations
• EU's Juncker, Greek PM Tsipras phone call held in 'positive spirit'
• Russia, China have offered Greece economic support: minister
• No plan for Greece ready, Athens must extend bailout: Moscovici
• ECB's Jazbec, on Greece, says 'we can't solve all problems'
• Substitute Balotelli grabs late Liverpool winner vs Spurs
• Mexico judge clears woman tortured into false charges
• Greece says "no way back" in bid to rewrite bailout deal
• Greece defiant ahead of critical EU talks
• Arizona mountain town mourns for American woman held by IS
• 'Imminent' terror attack foiled in Australia
• Balotelli rescues Liverpool as top-4 race intensifies
• France says it has dismantled 15 terrorist networks
• Delbonis loses to Bagnis in 1st round of Brazil Open
• Pentagon says Guantanamo interpreter worked for CIA
• De Villiers back for South Africa as WCup warmups start
• Arsenal holds on to beat bottom-place Leicester 2-1 in EPL
• New Greek government wins confidence vote in parliament on eve of bailout talks
• Police say 2 alleged terrorists arrested in Sydney planned to harm someone with blades
• Greece refuses to bow to German pressure, no bailout extension: PM

New violence in Ukraine diminishes hopes before four-way summit Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:33 PM PST By Aleksandar Vasovic and Gleb Garanich VUHLEHIRSK/KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Rockets killed more than 10 civilians and soldiers deep in Ukrainian government-held territory on Tuesday and rebels pushed on with an assault on an army-held rail junction, setbacks that showed Kiev's position worsening on the eve of peace talks. Advances by pro-Russian rebels diminished hopes of a deal when Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany hold a summit in Belarus on Wednesday under a new Franco-German initiative to halt fighting in a war that has killed more than 5,000 people. Representatives of the "Contact Group" meeting in Belarus on the Ukraine crisis denied a report by Russia's TASS news agency that a ceasefire deal had been reached in talks in Minsk.

American hostage Mueller's family, U.S. government say she is dead Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:14 PM PST By Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller, held hostage by Islamic State militants for 18 months, is dead, her family said on Tuesday, but the circumstances were unclear and President Barack Obama vowed to hunt down the culprits. Mueller's family received an email and photograph over the weekend from her captors that enabled American intelligence to determine that she had been killed, U.S. officials said. Islamic State said on Friday that Mueller, 26, was killed when Jordanian fighter jets bombed a building where she was being held outside Raqqa, a stronghold in Syria of the Islamist militant group.

Australian anti-terror police say imminent IS-linked attack thwarted Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:48 PM PST Australian counter-terrorism police said on Wednesday they had thwarted an imminent attack linked to the Islamic State militant group after arresting two men in Sydney a day earlier. Australia has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown Islamist radicals. It raised its national terror threat level to "high" for the first time in September, when hundreds of police conducted raids after receiving information that a radical group planned to conduct a public beheading. "When we did the search of the premises, a number of items were located, including a machete, a hunting knife, a home-made flag representing the prescribed terrorist organisation IS, and also a video which depicted a man talking about carrying out an attack," New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn told reporters.

Greek PM easily wins confidence vote, EU showdown looms Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST ATHENS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras comfortably won a confidence vote on his plan to cancel a deeply unpopular bailout program and challenge European leaders as both sides prepare for a showdown at meetings in Brussels this week. In a rousing speech to parliament, Tsipras hailed the decisive role "little Greece" was playing in reshaping Europe and promised Athens would not cave in to demands it extend its international bailout "no matter how much" German Finance Minister Wolfang Schaeuble asked for it.

United States closes its embassy in conflict-hit Yemen Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:01 PM PST By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - The United States is closing its embassy in Yemen, the Arabian peninsula state that is a front line in Washington's war against al Qaeda, embassy employees and U.S. officials said on Tuesday. U.S. officials in Washington confirmed the embassy would close because of the unpredictable security situation in a country where a rebel group has seized control of the capital, Sanaa. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined comment. After years of crisis, Yemen now risks descending into a full-blown civil war pitting regional, political, tribal and sectarian rivals against each other in a nation that shares a long border with top global oil exporter Saudi Arabia.

Foreign fighters still flowing to Syria, U.S. intelligence says Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:55 PM PST The number of foreign fighters traveling to join the Islamic State or rival militant groups in Syria is continuing to grow, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official will tell a congressional hearing on Wednesday. The United States and its allies believe that more than 20,000 foreign fighters from more than 90 countries have gone to Syria, Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said in testimony prepared for a hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security.

Did Brian Williams overload the talk-show circuit? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:42 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Whatever NBC News decides about Brian Williams' future at the anchor desk, chances are the time he spends on talk-show couches will all but vanish.

Guatemala mob kills stepmother suspected in girl's death Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:38 PM PST GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A crowd of about 200 villagers has burned to death a woman whom they suspected in the death of her stepdaughter.

Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:32 PM PST PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim began a 5-year prison sentence on Tuesday after a court rejected his final appeal against a sodomy conviction, a decision he called a "murder of judicial independence" and human rights groups condemned as unjust. The case was widely seen at home and abroad as politically motivated to eliminate any threats to the ruling coalition, whose popularity has slowly been eroding since 2008 after more than five decades of unquestioned dominance. Anwar is the most popular, vocal and visible symbol of the opposition's resurgence and had become a potent political threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

U.S. to withdraw most of its troops fighting Ebola in Africa: WSJ Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:32 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to announce the United States will withdraw most of the American troops sent to West Africa to battle the Ebola epidemic, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. It quoted U.S. officials as saying that over the coming weeks, Washington would pull out most of the 1,300 U.S. forces currently working in Liberia and Senegal, where officials believe the crisis has largely been contained. The White House had no immediate comment on the report. ...

Labour criticised over pink bus for women voters Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:31 PM PST Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman fended off criticism that the choice of a bright pink bus to attract women voters was "patronising" on Tuesday. The bright pink campaign bus reading "Woman to Woman - Vote Labour" aims to visit over 70 constituencies ahead of May's general election. "Getting Harriet Harman to drive around the country in a pink van to try and attract the female vote is as patronising as it gets," said Conservative lawmaker Caroline Dinenage.

Puerto Rico governor seeks new value-added tax Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:30 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor on Tuesday outlined his plan to overhaul the U.S. territory's tax system, including the creation of a new 16 percent value-added tax.

Hirscher helps Austria to gold medal in team event at worlds Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:20 PM PST VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Sometime soon, Austrian skier Eva-Maria Brem wants to see the team event included in the Olympics as a medal competition.

Police: 2 Sydney men planned 'imminent' terror attack Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:15 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Two Sydney men were charged on Wednesday with planning to launch an imminent terrorist attack, after police seized a homemade flag associated with the Islamic State group, a machete and a hunting knife in a counterterrorism raid.

Obama seeks some limits on ground troops for Islamic State fight Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will propose to Congress on Wednesday a new three-year authorization for the use of force against Islamic State with limits on U.S. combat troops' involvement, lawmakers and congressional aides said. Obama has defended his authority to lead an international coalition against Islamic State since Aug. 8 when U.S. fighter jets began attacking the jihadists in Iraq. Facing pressure to let lawmakers weigh in on an issue as important as the deployment of troops and chastened by elections that handed power in Congress to Republicans, he said in November he would request formal authorization for the use of military force (AUMF).

20,000 foreign fighters head to Syria: US Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST Foreign fighters are flocking to Syria at an "unprecedented" rate, with more than 20,000 volunteers from around the world joining the Islamic State or other extremist groups, US intelligence officials said Tuesday. The foreign fighters have traveled to Syria from more than 90 countries, including at least 3,400 from Western states and more than 150 Americans, according to the latest estimate from the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC). A majority of the foreign volunteers who arrived recently have joined forces with the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, it said.

Greek finance minister says cannot exclude clash in EU negotiations Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST Athens is not seeking a clash with its European partners but cannot exclude one, Greece's finance minister told parliament on the eve of a crucial euro zone finance ministers' meeting to discuss the country's future. "If you're not willing to even consider a clash, you're not negotiating," Yanis Varoufakis said to applause ahead of a confidence vote later on Tuesday.

EU's Juncker, Greek PM Tsipras phone call held in 'positive spirit' Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST A phone call between European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the country's debt problems was held in a "positive spirit of cooperation", the Commission said on Tuesday. The call, requested by Athens, came before euro zone finance ministers' meetings on Wednesday and next Monday to try to reach an interim deal for Greece, whose bailout package expires at the end of the month. "It was a conversation in a positive spirit of cooperation," a Commission spokeswoman said, without providing any further details.

Russia, China have offered Greece economic support: minister Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST Russia and China have offered Greece economic support even though Athens has not asked for it, Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Nikos Chountis said on Tuesday, without giving details. "There have been proposals, offers I would say, from Russia, recently after the election, for economic support as well as from China, regarding help, investment possibilities," Chountis, who holds the European Affairs portfolio, told Greek radio. Athens has so far ruled out resorting to aid from Russia as it seeks a deal with European partners to avoid a major funding crisis, though Defence Minister Panos Kammenos earlier on Tuesday suggested Greece could always look elsewhere for help. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is due to visit Russia on Wednesday.

No plan for Greece ready, Athens must extend bailout: Moscovici Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST Greece will have to ask for an extension of its current bailout to give itself and the euro zone time to hammer out a new agreement, as there is no specific plan for Athens now, the EU's economics commissioner said on Tuesday. Pierre Moscovici said euro zone ministers would listen to Greece's views at a meeting on Wednesday and tell Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis what they thought of them. Tomorrow the Eurogroup in Brussels is an opportunity for Greece to present its views," Moscovici told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the world's top 20 economies in Turkey. Greece does not want to ask for an extension of the bailout, even by a few months, because the new Greek government won power in a Jan. 25 election on a promise to end the 240 billion euro ($271 billion) program and the fiscal consolidation and austerity reforms that came with it.

ECB's Jazbec, on Greece, says 'we can't solve all problems' Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cannot solve all problems, ECB Governing Council member Bostjan Jazbec said, defending the central bank's decision last week to stop accepting Greek bonds in return for funding.

Substitute Balotelli grabs late Liverpool winner vs Spurs Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:57 PM PST LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Mario Balotelli came off the bench to grab a late winning goal for Liverpool in a 3-2 victory over Tottenham in the Premier League on Tuesday, boosting his team's chances of hauling in its rivals for Champions League qualification.

Mexico judge clears woman tortured into false charges Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:55 PM PST A Mexican judge has exonerated a woman who was forced to falsely confess to organized crime charges by troops who tortured and sexually abused her, human rights groups said Tuesday. Claudia Medina, a 43-year-old housewife, was cleared of the charges on Friday, two years after marines broke into her home and arbitrarily arrested her in eastern Veracruz state, said Amnesty International.

Greece says "no way back" in bid to rewrite bailout deal Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:52 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's new prime minister struck a defiant tone on the eve of high-stakes negotiations with skeptical European creditors, saying there is "no way back" for his radical left-led government in its quest to rewrite the barely solvent country's bailout commitments.

Greece defiant ahead of critical EU talks Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:52 PM PST Greece on Wednesday refused to give up demands for a new fiscal deal with its EU creditors and a temporary cash lifeline hours before critical talks that will determine the country's solvency. Addressing parliament ahead of a confidence vote, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he would not bow to German demands that his hard-left government first complete a pending bailout loan agreement with the EU and the IMF. "I want to repeat today, no matter how much (German Finance Minister Wolfgang) Schaeuble asks it, we are not going to ask to extend the bailout," Tsipras said to applause from his lawmakers. European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said the existing bailout deal was "the anchor" on which discussions should be held, while Schaeuble ruled out any renegotiation of the agreement.

Arizona mountain town mourns for American woman held by IS Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:49 PM PST PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — The small Arizona town where Kayla Jean Mueller grew up gathered in grief Tuesday upon learning that the 26-year-old aid worker who traveled the world on a quest to help others had died while in the hands of Islamic State militants.

'Imminent' terror attack foiled in Australia Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:56 PM PST Australia has foiled an "imminent" terror attack, arresting two men and seizing an Islamic State flag, a machete and a video detailing the plot during a raid in Sydney, police said Wednesday. New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said it would be alleged that the planned attack was "consistent with the messaging coming out of IS". Asked whether it involved a beheading, she said police were as yet unsure but that it was planned for Tuesday in Sydney and would likely have involved a knife. The men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested in a raid on a property in Sydney's western suburbs on Tuesday and have been charged with undertaking acts in preparation for a terrorist act.

Balotelli rescues Liverpool as top-4 race intensifies Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST Mario Balotelli went from forgotten man to match-winner at Liverpool as his late goal against Tottenham tightened up the race for Champions League qualification in the Premier League on Tuesday.

France says it has dismantled 15 terrorist networks Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:32 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — France's justice minister says the government has dismantled about 15 terrorist networks as part of its wide-ranging campaign to eradicate terrorism within the country's borders.

Delbonis loses to Bagnis in 1st round of Brazil Open Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:31 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — Defending champion Federico Delbonis lost to lucky loser Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Brazil Open on Tuesday.

Pentagon says Guantanamo interpreter worked for CIA Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:31 PM PST GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — Information emerged Tuesday that lent credibility to claims by the defendants in the Sept. 11 war crimes trial that a courtroom interpreter worked for the CIA during their confinement in secret prisons overseas.

De Villiers back for South Africa as WCup warmups start Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — South Africa captain A.B. de Villiers was passed fit to return against New Zealand at Hagley Oval, while rookie fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera has joined up with Sri Lanka as a series of World Cup warmups got underway on Wednesday.

Arsenal holds on to beat bottom-place Leicester 2-1 in EPL Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:23 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Theo Walcott's goal ensured Arsenal overcame Leicester 2-1 and provisionally returned to fourth after withstanding a spirited second-half response by the Premier League's bottom team.

New Greek government wins confidence vote in parliament on eve of bailout talks Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:14 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — New Greek government wins confidence vote in parliament on eve of bailout talks.

Police say 2 alleged terrorists arrested in Sydney planned to harm someone with blades Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Police say 2 alleged terrorists arrested in Sydney planned to harm someone with blades.

Greece refuses to bow to German pressure, no bailout extension: PM Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:01 PM PST Greece's prime minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that the country "cannot return to an age of bailouts and suppression," ahead of critical talks with Athens's EU creditors. On the eve of an extraordinary meeting of eurozone foreign ministers in Brussels, he said his country would not request a bailout extension despite pressure from German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

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