Yahoo! News: World News

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• Ukrainian forces quit besieged town after rebel assault
• Islamic State lays claim to North African outpost
• U.S. delegation heads to Geneva for another round of Iran talks
• Libya, Egypt ask U.N. to lift arms embargo to fight Islamic State
• U.S. accuses Israel of inaccurate leaks on Iran nuclear talks
• Argentines demand independent judiciary in huge street march
• Indian guest workers win $14M award in trafficking case
• Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT
• Unprecedented sea lion strandings in California linked to warmer Pacific
• Haiti to implement safety measures after Carnival tragedy
• More than 400,000 rally in Buenos Aires over Nisman death
• US couple and daughter killed in New Zealand car crash
• Argentines march to demand answers about dead prosecutor
• Ohio Senate passes bill to protect Lake Erie after algae scare
• Obama: US at war with those who have perverted Islam
• Healthy? No thanks: Diets of people worldwide are worsening
• New York court gives FEMA more time to help settle Sandy litigation
• US court tosses Australian's Guantanamo conviction
• Danish Jews hit by mounting anti-Semitism
• Controversy in Uruguay over new lives of Guantanamo refugees
• French teen vandals charged with desecrating Jewish graves
• Ex-nurse guilty of assisting suicide out of jail
• Samsung buying mobile-pay co. in bid to challenge Apple Pay
• Bautista Agut and Monfils reach Open 13 quarterfinals
• BlackShades owner pleads guilty in US in malware case
• Islamic State militants find a foothold in chaotic Libya
• Karlovic, 35, beats 18-year-old Kokkinakis at Delray Beach
• Cuba temporarily cuts price of Internet access
• West Ham signs Brazilian striker Nene till end of season
• US has screened 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels for training
• Jeb Bush: 'Mistakes' made in Iraq on his brother's watch
• Real Madrid beats Schalke 2-0 in Champions League
• Libya to UN Security Council: Lift arms embargo to fight IS
• Pope walks in Ash Wednesday procession between Rome churches
• Zimbabwe to bowl first against UAE
• New Iran-US nuclear talks to be held in Geneva
• Libya urges UN to lift arms embargo

Ukrainian forces quit besieged town after rebel assault Posted: 18 Feb 2015 12:11 PM PST By Gleb Garanich and Anton Zverev ARTEMIVSK/BULAVYNE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine pulled thousands of troops out of an encircled town on Wednesday after a massive assault by pro-Russian rebels, who ignored a new ceasefire to seize the strategic railway junction. The fall of the besieged town of Debaltseve was one of the worst defeats of the war for Ukraine's troops, who proved unable to stop an advance by Moscow-backed rebels fighting for territory the Kremlin calls "New Russia". Twenty-two Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the town in the past few days, the Ukrainian military high command said, with more than 150 wounded. President Petro Poroshenko, who flew to the frontline, nevertheless tried to cast the battle in a positive light, saying that by holding out as long as they had, Ukraine's troops had exposed "the true face of the bandits and separatists who are supported by Russia".

Islamic State lays claim to North African outpost Posted: 18 Feb 2015 08:10 AM PST By Patrick Markey and Michael Georgy ALGIERS/CAIRO (Reuters) - The images match the worst of Islamic State's atrocities: black-clad fighters and an English-speaking jihadist taunt the West before slaughtering their victims in orange jumpsuits on a Libyan beach. Their masked leader turns to the Mediterranean and points a bloodied knife towards Europe, declaring, "We will conquer Rome, God willing." The execution of 21 Egyptian Christians by militants in Libya proclaiming allegiance to Islamic State was an announcement that the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has spread from Syria and Iraq to Libya. Egyptian jets pounded suspected militant sites in Libya, and Paris joined Cairo in calling for U.N. action to halt the militants' spread. Libya appears to be Islamic State's most successful move yet beyond its Middle East heartland, likely attracting more recruits and increasing Western fears of a new North African base for jihadist fighters.

U.S. delegation heads to Geneva for another round of Iran talks Posted: 18 Feb 2015 01:30 PM PST U.S. negotiator Wendy Sherman will lead a U.S. delegation to Geneva on Thursday for talks with Iranian officials over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, the State Department said on Wednesday. "These bilateral consultations will take place in the context of the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran, led by EU Special Advisor Cathy Ashton," the State Department said in a statement.   Iran is in talks with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to end a decade-old standoff over its nuclear program, which the West fears could be used to develop a nuclear bomb.

Libya, Egypt ask U.N. to lift arms embargo to fight Islamic State Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:47 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Libya and Egypt asked the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to lift an arms embargo on Libya, impose a naval blockade on areas not under government control and help build the country's army to tackle Islamic State and other militants. Libya has descended into factional fighting, leaving the country almost lawless nearly four years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

U.S. accuses Israel of inaccurate leaks on Iran nuclear talks Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:54 PM PST By Julia Edwards and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States accused Israel on Wednesday of distorting its position in the Iran nuclear talks through selective leaks, intensifying tensions before a controversial U.S. visit by Israel's prime minister. "We see that there is a continued practice of cherry-picking specific pieces of information and using them out of context to distort the negotiating position of the United States," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. Earnest was discussing a New York Times report that cited Israeli officials saying the United States had limited what it was sharing with them about the talks and a European official saying he had been warned by Washington to be careful what he shared for fear of it being selectively leaked.

Argentines demand independent judiciary in huge street march Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:30 PM PST By Hugh Bronstein and Richard Lough BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully through the Argentine capital on Wednesday demanding an independent judiciary, as the country reels from the death of a state prosecutor who had been investigating the president. The protest, one of the biggest during President Cristina Fernandez's seven years in power, took place a month after a state prosecutor who had accused Fernandez of plotting to cover up his investigation into a 1994 bombing was found dead. Alberto Nisman's death in mysterious circumstances sent shock waves through Argentina ahead of October's presidential elections and has plunged Fernandez's final year in office into turmoil. "Our democratic values are broken," lamented protester Eduardo Gonzalez, 46, as torrential rain poured down.

Indian guest workers win $14M award in trafficking case Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:36 PM PST NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal jury on Wednesday awarded $14.1 million to five Indian guest workers who claimed they were defrauded and made to live in squalid conditions after being lured to work for an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company following Hurricane Katrina.

Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:32 PM PST HONG KONG (AP) — Decades ago the Chinese New Year holiday, also known as Spring Festival, had little impact outside of China. But as the country gained outsized economic influence, the holiday, which has enormous cultural significance in the Chinese-speaking world, has become more prominent. This is how it ripples around the world. — FACTORY FREEZE

Unprecedented sea lion strandings in California linked to warmer Pacific Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:29 PM PST By Mary Papenfuss SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The strandings of a record number of sea lion pups along the California coast this year are linked to a puzzling weather pattern that has warmed their Pacific Ocean habitat and likely impacted fish populations they rely on for food, federal scientists said on Wednesday. Some 940 stranded sea lions, mostly pups, have been treated by marine mammal centers in California so far this year, according to Justin Viezbicke, West Coast Stranding Coordinator for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "These little pups, so desperate and so thin, are leaving the rookeries long before they're capable of hunting effectively," said Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary science at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, which has treated 220 stranded animals.

Haiti to implement safety measures after Carnival tragedy Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:23 PM PST By Amelie Baron PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - The Haitian government raised the death toll from Tuesday's electrocution of a Carnival float to 18 and said it was exploring measures to prevent future incidents involving overhead high voltage power lines, the Minister of Communications announced on Wednesday. The death toll was previously 16, with more than 70 people were injured. An inter-agency commission is being set up to report on the carnival tragedy, said the minister, Rotchild François Junior. He added that the government will inspect every high tension cable for safety for nearby homes and traffic, as well as put together a plan to modernize the state electricity company, EDH, including possible installation of underground lines in the streets where Carnival is held every year.

More than 400,000 rally in Buenos Aires over Nisman death Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:23 PM PST More than 400,000 people demanding justice marched in symbolic silence Wednesday in soaking Buenos Aires to mark a month since the suspicious death of a prosecutor who was ready to accuse the Argentine president of a massive cover-up. Drenched in driving rain and led by prosecutors and opposition figures, the rally is the first major public show of defiance in a murky case that has ignited a political firestorm in Argentina and piled the pressure on President Cristina Kirchner, 61, in her last year in office. Nisman was found in his Buenos Aires apartment with a bullet through his head on January 18, the day before he was to go before a congressional hearing to air his finding that Kirchner and her foreign minister plotted to shield Iranian officials implicated in the bombing of the AMIA Jewish-Argentine charity federation. Eighty-five people were killed and more than 300 injured in the attack, the deadliest in Argentina's history -- and one that has yet to be solved 21 years later.

US couple and daughter killed in New Zealand car crash Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:15 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand authorities said Thursday a U.S. couple and their daughter were killed and their son critically injured when their car crashed into a logging truck.

Argentines march to demand answers about dead prosecutor Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:13 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Tens of thousands of Argentines marched through the capital Wednesday demanding answers in the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman exactly one month after he was found in his bathroom with a bullet in his right temple.

Ohio Senate passes bill to protect Lake Erie after algae scare Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:13 PM PST By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The Ohio Senate passed a bill on Wednesday limiting when farmers in the state can fertilize their land in a move aimed at protecting Lake Erie from toxic algae blooms like the one that fouled drinking water in Toledo last summer. The state House of Representatives, also controlled by Republicans, is working on a similar bill. Republican State Senator Randy Gardner called Lake Erie "Ohio's jewel" and quoted Scripture when urging lawmakers to pass the bill. The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association supported the bill, saying applying fertilizer to frozen or snow-covered ground was not a recommended practice.

Obama: US at war with those who have perverted Islam Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:55 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Muslims in the U.S. and around the world have a responsibility to fight a misconception that terrorist groups like the Islamic State speak for them, President Barack Obama said Wednesday in his most direct remarks yet about any link between Islam and terrorism.

Healthy? No thanks: Diets of people worldwide are worsening Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:55 PM PST LONDON (AP) — There may be more fruit, vegetables and healthy options available than ever before, but the world is mostly hungry for junk food, according to a study of eating habits in nearly 190 countries.

New York court gives FEMA more time to help settle Sandy litigation Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:54 PM PST By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal court in New York has indefinitely suspended a hearing over lawsuits that accuse insurers of doctoring reports on home damages caused by Hurricane Sandy after a government agency said it hoped to settle the litigation out of court. A judicial panel had planned to examine evidence at the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn this week purportedly showing that some New York homeowners were denied federal flood insurance money as a result of the altered reports after the historic 2012 storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the National Flood Insurance Program, filed a letter with the court this month saying it was seeking to meet privately with the Sandy plaintiffs and the insurance companies named as defendants in the lawsuits. Frank Johnston, the owner of a two-story home on New York's Fire Island damaged in the storm, reached a deal late last week, his lawyer Steven Bertolino said.

US court tosses Australian's Guantanamo conviction Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:52 PM PST A US military appeals court struck down Wednesday the conviction of an Australian man who was held in Guantanamo Bay and found guilty years ago of material support for a terrorist organization. The guilty plea of David Hicks came in March 2007. He was arrested in 2001 in Afghanistan and was accused of fighting alongside the Taliban against US-led forces which had invaded the country following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US. Hicks had pleaded guilty to providing material support to Al-Qaeda from December 2000 to December 2001, according to military tribunal documents.

Danish Jews hit by mounting anti-Semitism Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:41 PM PST Denmark's small Jewish community, which Wednesday buried a Jewish man shot dead outside the Copenhagen synagogue, has been the butt of mounting anti-Semitism in recent years after centuries of living at peace. Unlike many European Jews, Denmark's Jews were never forced to wear a yellow star nor targeted by anti-Jewish measures during the German Nazi occupation of World War II. Yet the Nordic country of 5.6 million people currently is proving no exception to the rise in anti-Semitic attacks across the continent. Most of the country's Jewish community -- estimated at between 6,400 and 8,000 people -- lives in the capital, Copenhagen, which was rocked by twin shootings over the weekend.

Controversy in Uruguay over new lives of Guantanamo refugees Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:39 PM PST MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Controversy is flaring over the six Guantanamo detainees taken in by Uruguay for resettlement, with even the man who pushed through the plan, President Jose Mujica, seeming to criticize them for lacking a work ethic.

French teen vandals charged with desecrating Jewish graves Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:24 PM PST Five teenagers were charged Wednesday with vandalising hundreds of Jewish graves in a suspected anti-Semitic act that has shocked France. The boys, aged 15 to 17, were charged with "the desecration of burial places due to the religion of the deceased" and with deliberately vandalising property on public land, according to local prosecutor Philippe Vannier. Some 250 tombs were vandalised last week at a Jewish cemetery in the northeastern town of Sarre-Union, with tombstones pushed over and vaults opened. The charges were in line with those demanded by Vannier earlier on Wednesday after he argued that there was a clear "anti-Semitic motive" behind the boys' alleged act.

Ex-nurse guilty of assisting suicide out of jail Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:24 PM PST FARIBAULT, Minnesota (AP) — A former nurse from Minnesota who admitted going online and encouraging people to kill themselves is out of jail.

Samsung buying mobile-pay co. in bid to challenge Apple Pay Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:23 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung is buying mobile-payment startup LoopPay as the Korean phone maker steps up to challenge Apple and its payment system on iPhones.

Bautista Agut and Monfils reach Open 13 quarterfinals Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:03 PM PST MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Fourth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain and No. 7 Gael Monfils of France both won in straight sets to reach the Open 13 quarterfinals on Wednesday.

BlackShades owner pleads guilty in US in malware case Posted: 18 Feb 2015 03:02 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — The co-creator of sophisticated malware known as BlackShades has pleaded guilty in New York to distributing a product that infected over a half-million computers in more than 100 countries.

Islamic State militants find a foothold in chaotic Libya Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:58 PM PST CAIRO (AP) — Libya, virtually a failed state in recent years, has succeeded in one way: It's providing a perfect opportunity for the Islamic State group to expand from Syria and Iraq to establish a strategic foothold closer to European shores.

Karlovic, 35, beats 18-year-old Kokkinakis at Delray Beach Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:54 PM PST DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ivo Karlovic beat an opponent close to half his age, outlasting teen Thanasi Kokkinakis in two tiebreakers in the second round of the Delray Beach Open.

Cuba temporarily cuts price of Internet access Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:53 PM PST HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has temporarily reduced the hourly charge for using state-run Internet cafes in the country's first small but substantive public move to increase online access since the declaration of detente with the U.S.

West Ham signs Brazilian striker Nene till end of season Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:48 PM PST LONDON (AP) — West Ham says that is has signed Brazilian forward Nene until the end of the season, subject to the Premier League club securing his international clearance.

US has screened 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels for training Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:46 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has screened about 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels who could participate in a new training program so they eventually can return to the fight against Islamic State insurgents who have taken control of large portions of Syria, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Jeb Bush: 'Mistakes' made in Iraq on his brother's watch Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:46 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Republican presidential prospect Jeb Bush said Wednesday that "there were mistakes made in Iraq" during his brother's administration, offering the critique during a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy that comes as part of his run-up to a likely campaign for the White House.

Real Madrid beats Schalke 2-0 in Champions League Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:38 PM PST GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo ended a brief goalscoring slump to help holder Real Madrid beat Schalke 2-0 in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Libya to UN Security Council: Lift arms embargo to fight IS Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:37 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Libya's foreign minister on Wednesday demanded that the U.N. Security Council lift an arms embargo so his country can fight the Islamic State group as it establishes a presence in north Africa and moves closer to Europe.

Pope walks in Ash Wednesday procession between Rome churches Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:25 PM PST ROME (AP) — Pope Francis walked in a solemn Ash Wednesday procession between churches on Rome's ancient Aventine Hill, calling on people to humbly remember their human limits as faithful began their annual penitential Lenten period.

Zimbabwe to bowl first against UAE Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:24 PM PST Nelson (New Zealand) (AFP) - Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl against the United Arab Emirates in their Pool B World Cup match at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday.

New Iran-US nuclear talks to be held in Geneva Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:21 PM PST US negotiators will meet in the coming days in Geneva with their Iranian counterparts for a new round of talks on reining in Iran's nuclear program, American officials said Wednesday. Chief negotiator Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and her team will travel to Switzerland on Thursday, the State Department said. Iran and the so-called P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- are trying to pin down a complex deal that would put back Iran's ability to develop an atomic bomb in exchange for an easing of crippling international sanctions. "These bilateral consultations will take place in the context of the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran," the State Department said in a statement, adding the European Union's deputy foreign policy chief Helga Schmid would also join the talks.

Libya urges UN to lift arms embargo Posted: 18 Feb 2015 02:19 PM PST Libya's foreign minister urged the UN Security Council on Wednesday to lift an arms embargo to allow the internationally recognized government to fight jihadists, amid growing alarm over the threat from the Islamic State. Mohammed al-Dairi made the appeal to the 15-member council after Islamic State militants beheaded 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, triggering worldwide revulsion and condemnation. "Libya needs a decisive stance from the international community to help us build our national army's capacity and this would come through a lifting of the embargo on weapons so that our army can receive material and weapons so as to deal with this rampant terrorism," the foreign minister said.

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