Yahoo! News: World News

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• Ukraine heaps on economic pressure as central bank confuses, truce takes hold
• Cuba says fast track to restoring ties 'depends on U.S.'
• Exclusive: Sanctioned North Korea shipping firm still active, renamed ships - U.N. panel
• Islamic State seize 100 Iraqi tribesmen before battle for Tikrit
• Syrian Kurds cut IS supply line near Iraq; fears for Christians mount
• Colombia peace deal should ensure criminals held to account: Annan
• Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT
• Man accused of giving terrorists tablet denies US charges
• UN: North Korean company renames ships to evade sanctions
• Spacewalking astronaut safe after water leaks into helmet
• US condemns IS attacks on Assyrian Christians in Syria
• Abducted Syrian Christians moved to militant stronghold
• New Yorkers charged over IS extremist plot
• U.S. condemns Islamic State attacks on Christian villages in Syria
• Haitian protesters decry Dominican treatment of countrymen
• Madonna takes a tumble at the Brit Awards
• Qantas rebounds from loss to post $162 M half-year profit
• Coe says Russia must not be banned over doping
• US clears ailing, obese prisoner for release from Guantanamo
• Head of Arab Gulf council visits Yemen's embattled president
• Smith and Sheeran win, Kanye stirs it up at UK's Brit Awards
• Ex-defense contractor admits sending jet information to Iran
• Double Brit wins for Sheeran, Smith as Madonna tumbles
• US court: Former Bosnian prison guard can be extradited
• Think tank: Some NATO countries cutting defense spending
• Ruling could have impact on cases against Tsarnaev friends
• US-Israel quarrel intensifies over Netanyahu speech
• Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians
• Guatemalan ex-president released from prison in bribe case
• Gray wolves, once decimated by eradication campaign, rebound in Oregon
• Kerry suggests Russia sanctions decision could come soon
• 2 appear in NY court on charges they sought to join IS group
• Pakistani man denies al Qaeda ties at U.S. terror trial
• Puerto Rico court rules against Doral Bank in $229M deal
• Appeals court: Former Bosnian prison guard can be extradited
• Torrential rain causes flooding in Brazil's biggest city
• APNewsBreak: Texas paid $2.2M for Garcia Marquez archive
• New Gucci designer debuts as Milan celebrates youth
• UN Security Council backs Yemen's president and unity
• Togo president to seek third term in April election

Ukraine heaps on economic pressure as central bank confuses, truce takes hold Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:40 PM PST By Natalia Zinets and Anton Zverev KIEV/MAKIYVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine came under greater economic pressure after unexpectedly banning most currency trading and then abruptly reversing course, wreaking havoc on the hryvnia, just as a truce in the east took hold on Wednesday with no combat fatalities reported.With the long-awaited ceasefire coming into force, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again threatened gas supplies for the fourth time in a decade if Moscow did not receive advance payment. In rebel-held eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists were withdrawing heavy guns from the front. Kiev said it was too early to do likewise, but its acknowledgement that most of the front was quiet suggested it, too, could implement a truce that had appeared stillborn in the midst of a major rebel offensive last week. With the hryvnia currency in free fall as investors fled, the central bank halted nearly all commercial currency trading until the end of the week.

Cuba says fast track to restoring ties 'depends on U.S.' Posted: 25 Feb 2015 02:03 PM PST By Daniel Trotta and Warren Strobel HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cuba would agree to restore diplomatic relations with the United States in time for the April Summit of the Americas if Washington quickly and convincingly removes the Caribbean country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a senior Cuban official said on Wednesday. Diplomatic ties were severed in 1961, and negotiators for the two longtime adversaries will meet in Washington on Friday, following up on the first round of talks held in Havana last month. If the sides move fast enough, they could reopen embassies in each other's capitals in time for the April 10-11 summit in Panama, where U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro could meet for the first time since agreeing on Dec. 17 to restore ties and exchange prisoners. A senior Cuban official put the onus on Washington to first strike Cuba from the terrorism list, which can apply sanctions to banks doing business with the designated countries.

Exclusive: Sanctioned North Korea shipping firm still active, renamed ships - U.N. panel Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:22 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N.-blacklisted North Korean shipping company has renamed most of its vessels in a bid to disguise their origin and continues its illicit shipments in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to a U.N. experts report seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The U.N. Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea, which monitors implementation of sanctions on Pyongyang, also said in the 76-page report that North Korea "continued to defy Security Council resolutions by persisting with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs." North Korea is under United Nations sanctions because of its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Islamic State seize 100 Iraqi tribesmen before battle for Tikrit Posted: 25 Feb 2015 06:34 AM PST By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have abducted 100 Sunni Muslim tribesmen near the city of Tikrit, local tribal leaders said on Wednesday, apparently to neutralize suspected opponents before a widely expected army offensive. Iraqi soldiers and pro-government Shi'ite militias have been massing for days in preparation for an attack on Islamic State strongholds along the Tigris River to the north and south of Tikrit, hometown of executed former president Saddam Hussein. Tikrit, about 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, has been controlled by the Sunni Muslim radicals since they swept through northern Iraq in June, scattering Iraq's security forces.

Syrian Kurds cut IS supply line near Iraq; fears for Christians mount Posted: 25 Feb 2015 11:53 AM PST By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Kurdish militia pressed an offensive against Islamic State in northeast Syria on Wednesday, cutting one of its supply lines from Iraq, as fears mounted for dozens of Christians abducted by the hardline group. At least 90 Assyrian Christians were seized from villages in Hasaka province in a mass abduction coinciding with the offensive in the same region by Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict. The Syriac National Council of Syria put the figure as high as 150. Hundreds more Christians have fled to the two main cities in Hasaka province, according to the Syriac council and the Observatory.

Colombia peace deal should ensure criminals held to account: Annan Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:08 PM PST Those responsible for crimes committed during Colombia's 50-year war must be held accountable as part of a peace deal between the government and Marxist rebels, ex-United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday. Annan, who led the international organization for nine years, visited Colombia to meet with President Juan Manuel Santos, judicial authorities and the head of the opposition, former President Alvaro Uribe. He has no official role in Colombia's peace process but is hoping to promote progress. The ex-secretary general will now head to Cuba, where he will meet with negotiators from the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels at the talks, a bid to end the five-decade conflict which has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions.

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST PANJSHIR VALLEY, Afghanistan (AP) — Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow killed at least 124 people in northeastern Afghanistan, an emergency official said Wednesday, as rescuers clawed through debris with their hands to save those buried beneath. The avalanches buried homes across four northeast provinces, killing those beneath, said Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority. The province worst hit appeared to be Panjshir province, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Kabul, where the avalanches destroyed or damaged around 100 homes, Syas said.

Man accused of giving terrorists tablet denies US charges Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man accused of providing a computer tablet and other support to terrorists overseas and laundering money to disguise his actions pleaded not guilty Wednesday, and a judge set his bond at $1 million.

UN: North Korean company renames ships to evade sanctions Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A North Korean shipping company that famously tried to hide banned fighter jets under a cargo of sugar has tried to evade ensuing U.N. sanctions by renaming most of its vessels in an attempt to obscure their origins, a new report says.

Spacewalking astronaut safe after water leaks into helmet Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:58 PM PST CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — A spacewalking astronaut ended up with unwanted water in his helmet Wednesday after breezing through a cable and lube job outside the International Space Station.

US condemns IS attacks on Assyrian Christians in Syria Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is condemning the Islamic State group for attacking Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria and abducting civilians.

Abducted Syrian Christians moved to militant stronghold Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:53 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants have moved a large group of Christians they abducted to one of their strongholds as fighting raged on Wednesday between the extremists and Kurdish and Christian militiamen for control of a chain of villages along a strategic river in northeastern Syria, activists and state-run media said.

New Yorkers charged over IS extremist plot Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:47 PM PST Two New York Muslims were hauled before a federal court Wednesday charged with plotting to join Islamic State extremists in Syria and threatening to carry out attacks in the United States. FBI agents arrested Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, at John F. Kennedy airport allegedly attempting to board a flight to Istanbul and Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24 -- who had offered to kill President Barack Obama -- was detained at home in Brooklyn.

U.S. condemns Islamic State attacks on Christian villages in Syria Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:41 PM PST The United States on Wednesday condemned recent attacks by Islamic State militants on Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria, which it said included the burning of homes and churches and abduction of women, children and the elderly. "This is but the latest round of atrocities perpetrated by ISIL against the innocent people of the region," the White House said in a statement, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Haitian protesters decry Dominican treatment of countrymen Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:37 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — About 10,000 people marched in Haiti's capital Wednesday to protest what they say is chronic mistreatment of their countrymen in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where many Haitians have long lived in the shadows.

Madonna takes a tumble at the Brit Awards Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:37 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Madonna has given music fans a shock when she tumbled down several stairs at the Brit Awards.

Qantas rebounds from loss to post $162 M half-year profit Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:35 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Qantas Airways Ltd. on Thursday posted a 206 million Australian dollar ($162 million) profit for the first six months, rebounding from a $2.6 billion loss for the year.

Coe says Russia must not be banned over doping Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:30 PM PST Track legend Sebastian Coe, campaigning for the presidency of world athletics, said Wednesday that Russia should not be kicked out of sport because of its doping scandal. Coe told AFP in an interview that Russia has been through "a difficult time" but it must be helped to set up a clean sports machine. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ethics committee is investigating multiple cases of alleged doping and attempts to cover up drug failures in Russia. Coe said the IAAF leadership "is about making sure that those federations who do have these challenges are not isolated or banned as some people have suggested.

US clears ailing, obese prisoner for release from Guantanamo Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:25 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — A prisoner with multiple medical conditions including morbid obesity has been cleared for release from the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Head of Arab Gulf council visits Yemen's embattled president Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:22 PM PST SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A group of oil-rich Arab Gulf countries threw their support behind Yemen's embattled president Wednesday as the group's chief visited Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the city he fled to amid the Shiite rebel power grab in the capital, Sanaa.

Smith and Sheeran win, Kanye stirs it up at UK's Brit Awards Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:21 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran each won a pair of prizes Wednesday at Britain's leading music awards — but it took Kanye West to introduce some edge, with a song that proved too strong for television.

Ex-defense contractor admits sending jet information to Iran Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:19 PM PST HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) — A former U.S. defense contractor accused of sending sensitive information about U.S. military jet programs to his native Iran in an effort to land a job there pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

Double Brit wins for Sheeran, Smith as Madonna tumbles Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST British singers Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith took two prizes each at a glittering Brit Awards on Wednesday marred by a mishap that saw Madonna dragged to the ground by her cape. Sheeran won British male solo artist and album of the year for "x", while 22-year-old Londoner Smith won British breakthrough act and global success award after his debut album "In the Lonely Hour" won worldwide acclaim. "This is incredible, I really didn't expect this," Smith told the crowd, while Sheeran called it a great night for British music that defied those who said "selling records is dead". As pop veteran Madonna took to the stage flanked by muscled male dancers wearing horns, her long black cape caught and dragged her down a set of stage steps in a dramatic fall.

US court: Former Bosnian prison guard can be extradited Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:14 PM PST RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — A former Bosnian prison camp guard living in the U.S. is eligible for extradition to his native country to face war-crimes charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Think tank: Some NATO countries cutting defense spending Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:11 PM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Despite stern talk and solemn pledges from NATO, a British-based think tank says some alliance member nations are cutting their spending on defense.

Ruling could have impact on cases against Tsarnaev friends Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:10 PM PST BOSTON (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an unrelated case involving a Florida fisherman could have an impact on criminal cases brought against friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, defense lawyers said Wednesday.

US-Israel quarrel intensifies over Netanyahu speech Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Israel escalated their increasingly public spat Wednesday over Benjamin Netanyahu's Republican-engineered congressional speech next week, with the Israeli prime minister accusing world powers of rolling over to allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry openly questioned Netanyahu's judgment on the issue.

Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have abducted at least 150 people from Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria they had raided, Christian Syrian activists said on Tuesday. A Syrian Christian group representing several NGOs inside and outside the country said it had verified at least 150 people missing, including women and the elderly, who had been kidnapped by the militants. "We have verified at least 150 people who have been adducted from sources on the ground," Bassam Ishak, president of the Syriac National Council of Syria, whose family itself is from Hasaka, told Reuters from Amman. Earlier the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 90 were abducted when the militants carried out dawn raids on rural villages inhabited by the ancient Christian minority west of Hasaka, a city mainly held by the Kurds.

Guatemalan ex-president released from prison in bribe case Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:04 PM PST GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A former Guatemalan president sentenced to nearly six years in U.S. prison for accepting $2.5 million in bribes from Taiwan was released Wednesday and headed back to his home country.

Gray wolves, once decimated by eradication campaign, rebound in Oregon Posted: 25 Feb 2015 04:00 PM PST By Courtney Sherwood PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Oregon's once decimated gray wolf population has rebounded to at least 77 animals, and the wolves are now pairing off and breeding across a wide region, state officials with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife said on Wednesday. Gray wolves, native to Oregon but wiped out in the state by an eradication campaign in the early 20th century, first returned there in 2008 and have now spread out to multiple parts of the Pacific Northwest state. "The wolf population continues to grow and expand, and for the first time we've had wolf reproduction in southern Oregon," said Michelle Dennehy, spokeswoman for the state wildlife department. We also documented six new pairs of wolves, and 26 pups." But as population growth triggers a review of state Endangered Species Act restrictions on harassing or killing wolves that threaten livestock, conservationists cautioned it remained too early to celebrate the species' recovery.

Kerry suggests Russia sanctions decision could come soon Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:59 PM PST U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday additional sanctions against Russia are "teed up" should events in eastern Ukraine warrant them, and he suggested a decision may come soon. In rebel-held eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists were withdrawing heavy guns from the front. During a second appearance before lawmakers on Wednesday, Kerry suggested a decision on further sanctions could come soon. "Plan B is tougher sanctions and additional support to Ukraine," Kerry said, adding that U.S. President Barack Obama would make a decision in consultation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel who, along with French President Francois Hollande, negotiated the latest ceasefire agreement at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

2 appear in NY court on charges they sought to join IS group Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:59 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Three men were arrested Wednesday on charges of plotting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and wage war against the U.S., and federal officials said one of them spoke of shooting President Barack Obama or planting a bomb on Coney Island.

Pakistani man denies al Qaeda ties at U.S. terror trial Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:58 PM PST By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Pakistani-born man accused by U.S. authorities of participating in an al Qaeda plot to attack targets in Europe and the United States took the stand in his defense Wednesday, denying any affiliation with the militant group. He described himself to jurors in Brooklyn, New York, as a semi-professional cricket player who came from a "happy childhood." Naseer called himself Islamic and religious. For the first time in U.S. court, they presented documents seized from the May 2011 raid in Abbotabad, Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden. The documents were intended to bolster prosecutors' claims that Naseer, as the leader of an al Qaeda cell, engaged in a plot against a shopping center in Manchester, England in 2009, an attack that ultimately did not happen.

Puerto Rico court rules against Doral Bank in $229M deal Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:48 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico appeals court on Wednesday voided a multimillion-dollar deal between the U.S. territory and one of the island's biggest banks.

Appeals court: Former Bosnian prison guard can be extradited Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:35 PM PST RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — A former Bosnian prison camp guard living in the U.S. is eligible for extradition to his native country to face war-crimes charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Torrential rain causes flooding in Brazil's biggest city Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:34 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — An hour-long downpour caused heavy flooding and huge traffic jams in Brazil's biggest city Wednesday.

APNewsBreak: Texas paid $2.2M for Garcia Marquez archive Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:25 PM PST AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The University of Texas' literary archive said Wednesday it paid $2.2 million for the works of Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a price the school sought to keep secret until ordered to make it public by the state attorney general's office.

New Gucci designer debuts as Milan celebrates youth Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:22 PM PST MILAN (AP) — Fashion is always about renewal, but in this round of Milan Fashion Week it's not just the collections that are getting a fresher-upper but, it seems, much of the Italian fashion system.

UN Security Council backs Yemen's president and unity Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:18 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has given unanimous backing to Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi as "the legitimate president of Yemen" and reaffirmed its strong commitment to the country's unity.

Togo president to seek third term in April election Posted: 25 Feb 2015 03:18 PM PST Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé has accepted his party's nomination as a candidate for elections in April and will seek a third term in power, a member of his party said on Wednesday, quoting the president. The opposition has repeatedly organized protests across the capital calling for Gnassingbé to stand aside at the end of his second term.

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