Yahoo! News: World News

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• Obama, Israel's Netanyahu clash over Iran diplomacy
• Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt key nuclear work for at least a decade
• U.S. spy chief says 40 Americans who went to Syria have returned
• Exclusive: Obama sharply criticizes China's plans for new technology rules
• Cuba signals readiness to fast-track U.S. diplomatic ties
• Exclusive: Obama hopes for U.S. embassy in Cuba before April summit in Panama
• Former presidential security chief shot to death in Haiti
• Two arrested in search for missing teenager
• U.S. spy chief says he got a mixed reception in North Korea
• Official: Man on most-wanted terror list detained in Somalia
• Suspect declared 'Heil Hitler!' after Jewish site shootings
• PM proposes jail for child abuse neglect
• Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT
• Woman with slain Putin critic says she didn't see his killer
• Netanyahu assails Iran deal, touts US-Israel ties
• Obama aide: Congress should not 'play spoiler' in Iran nuclear talks
• UK's Cameron says child sex abuse to be classified 'national threat'
• Foreign talks to Congress often a yawn, but not Netanyahu's
• Susan Rice: Bad Iran nuclear deal is worse than no deal
• Anti-Islamist general named Libya army chief
• WIRELESS SHOW PHOTO GALLERY: On the ground in Barcelona
• Up to 1,500 gallons of motor oil leak into Washington state creek, Yakima River
• U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes against Islamic State: task force
• Google, Facebook update contrasting plans to connect world
• U.S. agriculture delegation visits Cuba, protests embargo
• Man accused of al-Qaida plot tells US jury he's no terrorist
• Watchdog: 2 Syrian chemical weapons facilities destroyed
• EU's 2050 green goals will need radical policy shifts: report
• Russia and Ukraine strike gas delivery deal
• WIRELESS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS: New phones, new ways to connect
• Nasdaq 5,000: index passes dot-com milestone after 15 years
• Australia expected to announce more troops bound for Iraq
• U.S.-Cuba could restore diplomatic ties before April summit: U.S. official
• Polish top senator: Russia banned me from Nemtsov's funeral
• 10-man Roma salvages a 1-1 draw with Juventus in Serie A
• Italian tourist killed when hit by piece of Alaska glacier

Obama, Israel's Netanyahu clash over Iran diplomacy Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:26 PM PST By Jeff Mason, Dan Williams and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu clashed over Iran nuclear diplomacy on Monday on the eve of the Israeli prime minister's hotly disputed address to Congress, underscoring the severity of U.S.-Israeli strains over the issue. Neither gave any ground ahead of Netanyahu's speech to Congress on Tuesday when he plans to detail his objections to ongoing talks between Iran and world powers that he says will inevitably allow Tehran to become a nuclear-armed state.

Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt key nuclear work for at least a decade Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:36 PM PST By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but the odds are still against sealing a final agreement, U.S. President Barack Obama told Reuters on Monday. Interviewed at the White House, Obama moved to dial back tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress on Tuesday opposing the Iran deal, saying it was a distraction that would not be "permanently destructive" to U.S. Israeli ties. Talks between major powers and Iran to restrict Tehran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for an easing of sanctions have reached a critical stage ahead of an end of March deadline for a framework deal and a June 30 date for a final agreement.

U.S. spy chief says 40 Americans who went to Syria have returned Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:30 PM PST About 180 Americans have traveled to Syria to join Islamist militants and around 40 of them have returned to the United States, the U.S. National Intelligence director, James Clapper, said on Monday. Clapper said not all those who went to Syria, where Islamic State militants and other factions are fighting each other and the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, had engaged in the Islamist campaign. Some might have been aid workers, he said.  The United States and its allies believe that more than 20,000 foreign fighters from more than 90 countries have gone to Syria.

Exclusive: Obama sharply criticizes China's plans for new technology rules Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:07 PM PST By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday sharply criticized China's plans for new rules on U.S. tech companies, urging Beijing to change the policy if it wants to do business with the United States and saying he had raised it with President Xi Jinping. In an interview with Reuters, Obama said he was concerned about Beijing's plans for a far-reaching counterterrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over encryption keys, the passcodes that help protect data, and install security "backdoors" in their systems to give Chinese authorities surveillance access. "This is something that I've raised directly with President Xi," Obama said. "We have made it very clear to them that this is something they are going to have to change if they are to do business with the United States." The Chinese government sees the rules as crucial to protect state and business secrets.

Cuba signals readiness to fast-track U.S. diplomatic ties Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:40 PM PST By David Adams and Daniel Trotta MIAMI/HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba is willing to restore diplomatic relations with the United States as soon as the Obama administration declares its intent to take the country off a list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to a senior Cuban official. That could take place before both sides are ready to open embassies, Josefina Vidal, the head of the United States division at the Cuban Foreign Ministry told state media. It is the first time Cuba has said publicly it is willing to restore relations before it is removed from the list. ...

Exclusive: Obama hopes for U.S. embassy in Cuba before April summit in Panama Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:22 PM PST By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that he hopes the United States will open an embassy in Cuba by the time of a Western Hemisphere summit in Panama in mid-April. In an interview with Reuters, Obama also cautioned that it will take more time to fully establish normal relations with Cuba after more than a half-century rupture. "My hope is that we will be able to open an embassy, and that some of the initial groundwork will have been laid" before the April 10-11 Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Obama said. ...

Former presidential security chief shot to death in Haiti Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:47 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The chief of presidential security under ousted former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been shot to death in the capital.

Two arrested in search for missing teenager Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:46 PM PST Police have arrested two people on suspicion of murdering missing 16-year-old Becky Watts, Avon and Somerset Police said on Monday. Watts was last seen at home in Bristol on February 19, and her disappearance sparked a huge "Find Becky" campaign as police searched several properties. A 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were initially arrested on suspicion of the kidnap of Watts, and were later further arrested on suspicion of her murder, police said. "Both are still in police custody at this time," said Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour told reporters.

U.S. spy chief says he got a mixed reception in North Korea Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:42 PM PST U.S. spy chief James Clapper said that when he made a secret visit to North Korea in November to bring home two jailed Americans he was first given a 12-course banquet and then later told by his hosts that his security could not be guaranteed. Clapper gave details of his trip, made at the behest of President Barack Obama, for the first time during a forum on Monday at the Council on Foreign relations. He said that after his arrival in the isolated country's capital, a North Korean four-star general hosted what Clapper called a "marvelous" 12-course meal at a restaurant above a bowling alley. The next day, Clapper said, a representative of the state security ministry came to his guest house and told him the government no longer considered him a presidential envoy and could not guarantee his security and that of his party.   Clapper said they packed their bags and were taken to a room at a Pyongyang hotel where a delegation of Korean officials, led by state prosecutors, was waiting with the Americans, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, who were still dressed in prison uniforms.

Official: Man on most-wanted terror list detained in Somalia Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:37 PM PST McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A U.S. law enforcement official says a former taxi driver from northern Virginia included on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists has been detained in Somalia.

Suspect declared 'Heil Hitler!' after Jewish site shootings Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PST OLATHE, Kansas (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting three people at Jewish sites in Kansas declared "Heil Hitler!" and asked how many Jews he had killed after the attacks, a police officer testified Monday during a hearing in which the man's apology to some survivors was rejected.

PM proposes jail for child abuse neglect Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:34 PM PST Officials who fail to protect children from sexual exploitation would face up to five years in prison under new proposals, the government said on Tuesday. Prime Minister David Cameron is to set out the measures at a child protection summit at Downing Street, called in the wake of damning reports of the sexual exploitation of as many as 1,400 children in Rotherham over many years. A report into sexual exploitation in Rotherham, commissioned in the wake of the 2010 conviction of five men of Pakistani heritage of sexual offences against girls, found widespread failures by authorities over 16 years. "We have all been appalled at the abuse suffered by so many young girls in Rotherham and elsewhere across the country," Cameron is to say.

Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan army is waging its largest-ever solo offensive against the Taliban, hoping to strike a decisive blow ahead of the spring fighting season and prove it can rout the insurgents without the aid of U.S. and NATO combat troops. Afghan troops have been slowly pushing up through a fertile river valley in the southern Helmand province, with special forces mounting nighttime helicopter raids into mud brick compounds and ground troops gradually advancing across the poppy fields that in past years have furnished the insurgents' main cash crop.

Woman with slain Putin critic says she didn't see his killer Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PST MOSCOW (AP) — The 23-year-old Ukrainian model who was with slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov tearfully recounted Monday their last dinner in a chic Red Square restaurant and their walk onto a nearby bridge — but said she did not see the gunman who pulled the trigger.

Netanyahu assails Iran deal, touts US-Israel ties Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:25 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. officials cast their dispute over Iran as a family squabble on Monday, even as the Israeli leader claimed President Barack Obama did not — and could not — fully understand his nation's vital security concerns.

Obama aide: Congress should not 'play spoiler' in Iran nuclear talks Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice warned U.S. lawmakers on Monday not to seek new sanctions against Iran while it is in talks with world powers on curbing its nuclear program, saying such intervention could ruin the diplomacy. "Congress has played a hugely important role in helping to build our sanctions on Iran but they shouldn't play the spoiler now," she said in a speech to the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. Her remarks came ahead of a speech to Congress on Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to argue against U.S. ...

UK's Cameron says child sex abuse to be classified 'national threat' Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:04 PM PST British Prime Minister David Cameron will make child sexual abuse a national priority on a par with organized crime on Tuesday, as he announces a series of measures to prevent systematic abuse. Britain has been rocked by a series of child sex abuse revelations, including a case in Rotherham, northern England, where some 1,400 children, some as young as 11, were abused by gangs of predominantly Asian men. Classifying child sexual abuse as a national threat will create a duty for police forces to collaborate across regions to safeguard children, Cameron's office said. Cameron will also announce other measures to improve coordination between public bodies and a helpline to encourage whistleblowers.

Foreign talks to Congress often a yawn, but not Netanyahu's Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech Tuesday has already roiled Washington.

Susan Rice: Bad Iran nuclear deal is worse than no deal Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's national security adviser says a bad nuclear deal with Iran is worse than no deal at all.

Anti-Islamist general named Libya army chief Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:58 PM PST A once-retired general leading a sweeping offensive against Islamists has been named Libyan army chief, an official said Monday, in a move expected to deepen divisions in the conflict-riven country. "I've chosen Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar for the post of commander-in-chief of the army after promoting him to the rank of lieutenant general," Aguila Salah, the speaker of the internationally recognised parliament, told AFP. Libya has been awash with weapons since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and opposing militias have since been battling for control of its cities and oil wealth. It has two rival governments and parliaments, those recognised by the international community sitting in the far east of the country and the others with ties to Islamists in the capital, Tripoli.

WIRELESS SHOW PHOTO GALLERY: On the ground in Barcelona Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:28 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Couldn't be in Barcelona this week?

Up to 1,500 gallons of motor oil leak into Washington state creek, Yakima River Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:23 PM PST As much as 1,500 gallons of used motor oil leaked from an above-ground storage tank in Washington state into a creek that flows into the Yakima River, vital to the apple-growing state's agricultural hub, officials said on Monday. The cause of the spill on Sunday from the tank at a former feed lot near Sunnyside, about 170 miles southeast of Seattle, was under investigation. Department of Ecology spokeswoman Joye Redfield-Wilder said the oil posed a threat to otters, waterfowl and fish as well as orchards and other crops in the area. The Washington state Department of Ecology said its workers installed absorbent pads and protective booms at several sites, including about 900 feet upstream of the mouth of Sulphur Creek and at a fish hatchery on the Yakima River after Sunday's spill.

U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes against Islamic State: task force Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its coalition partners conducted four air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and five in Iraq on Sunday and Monday, according to the U.S. military. In a statement on Monday, the Combined Joint Task Forceleading the air operations said one strike near Dayr az Zawr in Syria hit a crude oil collection point. The others, near Kobani, destroyed a bunker and vehicle, and hit a tactical unit. In Iraq, air strikes near Al Asad, Bayji and Kirkuk hit tactical units, checkpoints, fighting positions, and boats and vehicles. ...

Google, Facebook update contrasting plans to connect world Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Sci-fi solutions or making friends one at a time? Google and Facebook want more people online, searching around and clicking on ads. And they are finding new ways to make it happen — from selling smartphone data plans, to using solar-powered drone aircraft as floating cell towers to partnering with telecom providers in the developing world to get people hooked on apps.

U.S. agriculture delegation visits Cuba, protests embargo Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:14 PM PST By Marc Frank and Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - The most important U.S. agricultural delegation to visit Cuba in more than a decade began three days of meetings on Monday, hoping to find potential business partners, while urging the U.S. Congress to lift the U.S. embargo on trade with the island. Two former agriculture secretaries, a number of state agriculture officials and representatives of various state farm bureaus are among the 95 people making the trip, which was organized by the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba. "The message we hope will get back to Washington is that we are a unifying voice that would like to see Congress act in 2015 and end the embargo," Cargill executive Devry Boughner Vorwerk, chairwoman of the coalition, said in an interview. The United States created an embargo exception in 2000 to allow food sales, but it still denies Cuba credit, forcing it to pay cash up front.

Man accused of al-Qaida plot tells US jury he's no terrorist Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:14 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — A Pakistani man who's acting as his own attorney at a U.S. terror trial told a jury in closing arguments Monday that he was busy chasing women on the Internet at the time of his arrest — not plotting death and destruction at a busy British shopping mall.

Watchdog: 2 Syrian chemical weapons facilities destroyed Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:12 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The global chemical weapons watchdog said in a new report that it has destroyed two Syrian chemical weapons facilities and expects the destruction of all 12 facilities to be completed this summer.

EU's 2050 green goals will need radical policy shifts: report Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:08 PM PST By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - The European Union will need radical new policies to reach goals for safeguarding the environment by 2050 after limited progress in curbing pollution and climate change, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Tuesday. "We need to start now," Hans Bruyninckx, head of the EEA, told Reuters of a five-yearly environmental report that said "profound changes" in technologies, policies and lifestyles were necessary to achieve long-term green targets. The Copenhagen-based EEA said Europe -- backed by some of the toughest environmental legislation in the world -- had improved air and water quality, cut greenhouse gas emissions and raised waste recycling in recent years. "Despite these gains, Europe still faces a range of persistent and growing environmental challenges," including global warming, chemical pollution and extinctions of species of animals and plants, the report said.

Russia and Ukraine strike gas delivery deal Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:08 PM PST Russia and Ukraine reached a deal Monday to supply gas to Europe until the end of March after President Vladimir Putin and Western leaders admitted there was still progress to be made in implementing a ceasefire. The deal struck after tense talks in Brussels secures gas supplies to the European Union until the end of winter after they had been put at risk by a row over supplies to rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Earlier, Putin spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German leader Angela Merkel and France's Francois Hollande and they agreed that "progress has been made, but the situation must be improved further", according to a French presidency statement. The UN said Monday more than 6,000 people have died in the Ukraine conflict in less than a year.

WIRELESS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS: New phones, new ways to connect Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:07 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — High-end smartphones from Samsung and HTC have gotten much of the attention at this week's wireless show in Barcelona, Spain, but cheaper options are coming from Microsoft, Lenovo and others too. Meanwhile, Google and Facebook are working on giving people more ways to use those devices.

Nasdaq 5,000: index passes dot-com milestone after 15 years Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:02 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time since its dot-com era peak nearly 15 years ago, the Nasdaq composite has closed above 5,000.

Australia expected to announce more troops bound for Iraq Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:58 PM PST CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia was expected to confirm Tuesday an increase in troops to be sent to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces to fight the Islamic State group.

U.S.-Cuba could restore diplomatic ties before April summit: U.S. official Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:56 PM PST Restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba and opening embassies in each other's capitals can be done before a summit in Panama on April 10 if there is will on both sides, a senior State Department official acknowledged on Monday after two rounds of talks. "We believe reestablishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies should be done together," the official told Reuters. A senior Cuban official said earlier Cuba was willing to reestablish diplomatic relations with Washington as soon as the Obama administration declares its intent to take the country off a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Polish top senator: Russia banned me from Nemtsov's funeral Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:53 PM PST WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's Senate speaker said Monday that Russia's authorities have denied him entry into the country for the funeral of slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov.

10-man Roma salvages a 1-1 draw with Juventus in Serie A Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:46 PM PST ROME (AP) — Ten-man Roma scored a late equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw with Juventus on Monday and keep alive its faint Serie A title hopes.

Italian tourist killed when hit by piece of Alaska glacier Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:46 PM PST ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska State Troopers say a 28-year-old Italian tourist was killed when he was crushed by a large piece of ice that broke from a glacier.

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