Yahoo! News: World News

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• Advancing Iraq troops enter strategic town on edge of Tikrit
• U.S. believed security for Seoul ambassador adequate before attack
• U.S. missionary kidnapped in Nigeria freed, church says
• Kremlin critic Navalny, out of jail, vows to fight on
• Detainee traded for Bergdahl may have contacted Taliban: officials
• Militants attack Libyan oilfield, 11 guards dead
• Brazil top court approves graft investigation of politicians
• AP PHOTOS: India celebrates spring with festival of colors
• Japanese 18-yr-old Kadono takes Burton US Open
• Rangers goalie Lundqvist eyes return from neck injury
• Holmes keeps the lead; McIlroy loses his temper
• Post-menopausal orcas take lead role in food search, study shows
• US woman kidnapped in central Nigeria is free: police
• Holder 'prepared' to disband Ferguson police
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• Sierra Leone's ruling party expels vice president
• Son, missing home, pleads guilty in World Cup betting case
• DRCongo rights violations rife despite peace: Oxfam
• U.N. experts concerned Libya arms could be diverted to militias
• South Africa look to wrap up quarter-final spot
• Paraguayan journalist shot to death along Brazil border
• UN says Canada violating native women's rights, urges probe
• Family, friends, fans remember 'Cuban Comet' Minnie Minoso
• Chile's Copa America stadiums haunted by dark past
• Bath down Sale to climb into second place
• Lin, Chen set up semifinal meeting at All England Open
• Egyptian strikes kill 25 militants in two days: sources
• Russian priest feels closer to God in serenity of Antarctica
• BP drops bid to oust Gulf spill claims administrator
• Mexican circus owners say ban means animals may die
• Mayer defeats Bellucci to pull Argentina level with Brazil
• Myanmar police chase down students in 3rd protest crackdown
• Why 5.5 percent unemployment isn't as great as it seems
• ExxonMobil subsidiary searches for oil, gas near Guyana
• Islamic State militants bulldoze ancient Nimrud city
• Marseille thrashes Toulouse 6-1 in French league
• UN Sudan humanitarian chief urges Darfur conflict solution
• Puerto Rico police official sentenced in fatal beating case
• Canada watchdog warns anti-terror bill tramples privacy

Advancing Iraq troops enter strategic town on edge of Tikrit Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:46 AM PST By Saif Hameed and Dominic Evans BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces and Iran-backed militiamen entered a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Hussein's home city Tikrit on Friday, pressing on with the biggest offensive yet against Islamic State militants that seized the north last year. Military commanders said the army and mostly Shi'ite militia forces had retaken the town of al-Dour on Tikrit's outskirts, known outside Iraq as the area where executed former dictator Saddam was found hiding in a pit near a farm house in 2003. Some officials said the troops were still only in the south and east of the town, which had been rigged with bombs by retreating Islamic State fighters. The army, joined by thousands of Shi'ite militiamen backed and advised by Iran, is five days into an advance on Saddam's home city of Tikrit, by far the biggest target yet in a campaign to roll back last year's advance by Islamic State fighters.

U.S. believed security for Seoul ambassador adequate before attack Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PST By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government experts believed security for the U.S. ambassador to South Korea was adequate before he was slashed by a knife-wielding attacker, in spite of current high tensions with North Korea, the State Department said on Friday. U.S. ambassador Mark Lippert needed 80 stitches after his face was cut at a forum discussing Korean unification in Seoul on Thursday by an assailant who had made multiple visits to North Korea between 1999 and 2007.

U.S. missionary kidnapped in Nigeria freed, church says Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PST By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - An American missionary who was kidnapped in central Nigeria in February was safely released to authorities and church leaders on Friday, her Free Methodist Church said in a statement. Reverend Phyllis Sortor, 71, a Free Methodist missionary to Nigeria, was safely handed over into the care of authorities and church leaders in Nigeria, the church said. "We are deeply grateful to all who prayed for Phyllis' safe return and praise God the family representative was able to secure her release," David W. Kendall, for the Board of Bishops, said. Sortor was abducted from a church academy compound in Emiworo, in Nigeria's Kogi State, on Feb. 23, the church said.

Kremlin critic Navalny, out of jail, vows to fight on Posted: 06 Mar 2015 12:00 PM PST By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny walked out of a Moscow detention center on Friday and said Russia's opposition would continue to challenge President Vladimir Putin, uncowed by last week's killing of prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov. Wearing a dark jacket and jeans, his face unshaven, Navalny was released after serving 15 days for handing out leaflets in the Moscow metro to promote a protest rally. This act of terror has not achieved its goal in this sense," Navalny said after leaving the detention center through a green metal gate, carrying his belongings in a black sports bag.

Detainee traded for Bergdahl may have contacted Taliban: officials Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:21 PM PST U.S. spy agencies are examining intelligence reports that one of five Taliban leaders released from Guantanamo prison and sent to Qatar as part of a deal to free U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl last year may have re-established contact with a militant group, U.S. officials said on Friday. So far, only one of 17 U.S. intelligence agencies has formally concluded that the Taliban leader is suspected of re-engagement, two U.S. officials told Reuters. Republicans who control the U.S. Congress are demanding that President Barack Obama not free any more people from Guantanamo, the U.S. prison on Cuba was set up to house suspected terrorists caught by the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Militants attack Libyan oilfield, 11 guards dead Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:40 PM PST By Ayman Al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Militant gunmen attacked Libya's al-Ghani oilfield on Friday, killing 11 guards, beheading some of them, before local forces fought back to retake control, an oil security official said. The al-Ghani attack illustrated Libya's growing instability where two rival governments battle for control while extremist militants profit from chaos to secure a foothold four years after civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi. Libya's internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has operated out of the east since a rival armed faction called Libya Dawn took over Tripoli in fighting last summer and set up its own administration. With the rival governments both claiming legitimate control over oil operations, details about attacks, oil shipments and even production are difficult to verify.

Brazil top court approves graft investigation of politicians Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PST RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Supreme Court late Friday approved an investigation of dozens of top politicians, including a former president and leaders of congress, for alleged connections to what they call the biggest graft scheme ever uncovered in Brazil.

AP PHOTOS: India celebrates spring with festival of colors Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PST NEW DELHI (AP) — Holi, India's joyful and colorful celebration of the arrival of spring combined with several religious legends, has long ceased to be only a Hindu festival.

Japanese 18-yr-old Kadono takes Burton US Open Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:26 PM PST VAIL, Colo. (AP) — File away this name: Yuki Kadono.

Rangers goalie Lundqvist eyes return from neck injury Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:25 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Injured New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is getting closer to returning. He doesn't know exactly when he will, but once he gets the medical go-ahead, he says he will be ready to play.

Holmes keeps the lead; McIlroy loses his temper Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:17 PM PST DORAL, Fla. (AP) — J.B. Holmes kept his lead Friday at Doral. Rory McIlroy lost his cool.

Post-menopausal orcas take lead role in food search, study shows Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:17 PM PST Female killer whales live long and productive lives after they stop having babies, playing a critical role in survival of the pod as they lead the hunt for food, particularly in lean times, according to a study released on Friday. Resembling in many ways their human counterparts, female killer whales breed between ages 14 and 40 but can survive well into their 90s, while male orcas, by contrast, die much younger, rarely making it past 50, according to the study in the journal Current Biology. Killer whales join short-finned pilot whales and humans as the only species in which the females can live decades after menopause. In that time, the female killer whales, not burdened by childbearing, pass on important information to the other whales, says the study.

US woman kidnapped in central Nigeria is free: police Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:10 PM PST An American woman kidnapped by masked gunmen in central Nigeria last month was released on Friday and handed over to US government officials, police told AFP. Phyllis Sortor, a missionary with the Free Methodist Church, was seized on February 23 in the village of Emiworo in Kogi state. An AFP journalist at the handover in the state capital Lokoja said the 71-year-old Sortor appeared unharmed with no visible signs of abuse.

Holder 'prepared' to disband Ferguson police Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:09 PM PST Attorney General Eric Holder warned Friday that he was prepared to dismantle the Ferguson police department after an official report unearthed damning evidence that officers in the St. Louis suburb targeted African Americans. The Justice Department also uncovered a cache of racist emails and proof of multiple rights violations in the Missouri town where a white policeman shot dead an unarmed black teenager on August 9, 2014, sparking civil unrest and a national outcry. Holder said he was "shocked" by the official findings into practices in Ferguson, a majority black town with a mostly white police force, and had a warning for police departments across the United States. "I hope they're listening to these comments and understand the intensity with which the feelings are felt at the federal government level to ensure that we use all the tools that we can to make sure that what happened in Ferguson is uncovered and simply does not happen in any other part of the country," he said.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST NANJING, China (AP) — For the past year, Wang Zheng has been avoiding one place: the modest apartment where his parents had been living for more than 20 years in downtown Nanjing until they vanished along with the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Scrolls of paintings by his father, Wang Linshi, are in piles in the living room, the guest bedroom, and the studio. Paintbrushes — their heads long dry — hang from a workstation in a row. In the kitchen, the floor and stove have collected a thin layer of dust.

Sierra Leone's ruling party expels vice president Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:01 PM PST FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone's Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana has been expelled from the ruling party, the national broadcaster reported late Friday.

Son, missing home, pleads guilty in World Cup betting case Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:58 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AP) — The son of a wealthy Malaysian businessman accused of running an illegal sports betting ring together during the World Cup has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in order to return home.

DRCongo rights violations rife despite peace: Oxfam Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:53 PM PST A two-year peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo has done little to improve human rights, with armed groups and state security forces abusing civilians with impunity, a report said Friday. The report "Secure Insecurity", by Britain-based charity Oxfam, says that despite efforts by the Congolese authorities, "citizens continue to experience widespread exploitation".

U.N. experts concerned Libya arms could be diverted to militias Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:47 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. sanctions monitors said on Friday they are concerned that if a United Nations Security Council committee approves a request by Libya's government for weapons, tanks and jets, some of the equipment could be diverted to militias supporting them. The experts, who monitor violations of an arms embargo imposed on Libya in 2011, said in a letter - obtained by Reuters - that arms could also end up in the hands of other militia after battles or if Libyan troops lose control of stockpiles. Libya's internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has operated out of the east since a rival armed faction called Libya Dawn took over Tripoli in fighting last year and set up its own administration. The rival governments and their allies are battling for control of Libya four years after a civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

South Africa look to wrap up quarter-final spot Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:45 PM PST South Africa can wrap up a World Cup quarter-final place on Saturday with victory over Pakistan while Ireland can take a step closer to the last eight with a win over Zimbabwe. India's four-wicket win against the West Indies in Perth on Friday night kept the defending champions top of Pool B with eight points from four victories in four matches. The Proteas, who have never made a World Cup final let alone clinched the title, will have JP Duminy fit again after missing the last two games due to a side strain. South Africa are in prime form with skipper AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis all scoring hundreds in the last two games, helping their side to two successive totals of 400-plus.

Paraguayan journalist shot to death along Brazil border Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:44 PM PST ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — A Paraguayan radio journalist has been shot to death in a Brazilian city bordering a crime-ridden area that is a hotbed for drugs and arms smuggling, officials said Friday.

UN says Canada violating native women's rights, urges probe Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:32 PM PST Canada's failure to properly investigate widespread violence against aboriginal women and girls, including disappearances and murders, constitutes a "grave violation" of their rights, a UN watchdog said Friday. The Canadian police and justice systems have failed to effectively protect aboriginal women and girls from violence and to hold perpetrators accountable, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) concluded in a report. "Aboriginal women and girls are more likely to be victims of violence than men or non-aboriginal women, and they are more likely to die as a result," committee members Niklas Bruun and Barbara Bailey said in a statement. "Yet despite the seriousness of the situation, the Canadian state has not sufficiently implemented measures to ensure that cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women are effectively investigated and prosecuted," they said.

Family, friends, fans remember 'Cuban Comet' Minnie Minoso Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:27 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Along with the hugs and that Cadillac with the White Sox flags, Ron Kittle will simply miss being around Minnie Minoso.

Chile's Copa America stadiums haunted by dark past Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:26 PM PST Chile will be in party mode when it hosts the South American football championships, but a dark past lurks in several stadiums used as torture chambers during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. The Copa America, the top international football contest on a continent with renowned passion for the game, will be held in eight cities across Chile from June 11 to July 4. If we left it on the floor, they'd beat us," said former detainee Manuel Mendez, seated in a section of old wooden stands at Santiago National Stadium. The stadium was one of the main detention centers for the 40,000 political prisoners held by the new regime's security forces.

Bath down Sale to climb into second place Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:26 PM PST London (AFP) - Bath finally secured their first Premiership victory for almost two months as they moved second in the table with a 12-3 home win over Sale on Friday.

Lin, Chen set up semifinal meeting at All England Open Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:22 PM PST BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Olympic champion Lin Dan and world champion Chen Long set up an eagerly-anticipated semifinal at the All England Open after contrasting wins on Friday.

Egyptian strikes kill 25 militants in two days: sources Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PST By Yara Bayoumy CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian air strikes have killed 25 militants in North Sinai over the last two days, security sources said, targeting an insurgency that seeks to topple the Cairo government. North Sinai is the epicenter of an Islamist insurrection that has killed hundreds of police and soldiers since then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule. The air raids on Friday hit two houses south of the Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, killing 10 militants from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - which renamed itself Sinai Province after pledging allegiance to Islamic State - the security sources said.

Russian priest feels closer to God in serenity of Antarctica Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:10 PM PST KING GEORGE ISLAND, Antarctica (AP) — Sophrony Kirilov pulls hard on the strings of the heavy Russian bells from inside the world's southernmost Eastern Orthodox church, calling to anyone wanting to pray on this remote Antarctic island.

BP drops bid to oust Gulf spill claims administrator Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:06 PM PST BP Plc on Friday ended its bid to oust the administrator overseeing payouts to businesses and individuals claiming damages arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, citing steps the administrator has taken to reduce the threat of fraud. The British oil company withdrew its appeal of a federal judge's decision not to remove the administrator, Patrick Juneau, who is reviewing claims under a 2012 settlement tied to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. "This marks the beginning of a new and more productive relationship between BP and the claims program," BP America President John Mingé said in a statement.

Mexican circus owners say ban means animals may die Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:05 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico's circus owners' association says his group's animals may die or be put down because of a ban on animal acts in circuses.

Mayer defeats Bellucci to pull Argentina level with Brazil Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:03 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Leonardo Mayer pulled Argentina level with Brazil 1-1 on Friday in their first-round Davis Cup tie, defeating Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on clay in the Argentine capital.

Myanmar police chase down students in 3rd protest crackdown Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:02 PM PST LETPADAN, Myanmar (AP) — Police chased down student protesters and dragged them onto trucks Friday in Myanmar's third such crackdown on public demonstrations in as many days, drawing criticism from the United States.

Why 5.5 percent unemployment isn't as great as it seems Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:58 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment in the U.S. has dropped to a seven-year low of 5.5 percent — a level normally considered the mark of a healthy job market. Yet that number isn't as encouraging as it might sound.

ExxonMobil subsidiary searches for oil, gas near Guyana Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:57 PM PST GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A subsidiary of U.S.-based ExxonMobil Corp. has begun exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Guyana's coast in South America.

Islamic State militants bulldoze ancient Nimrud city Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:51 PM PST By Dominic Evans and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have looted and bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, the Iraqi government said, in their latest assault on some of the world's greatest archaeological and cultural treasures. A tribal source from the nearby city of Mosul told Reuters the radical Sunni Islamists, who dismiss Iraq's pre-Islamic heritage as idolatrous, had pillaged the 3,000-year-old site on the banks of the Tigris River. The assault against Nimrud came just a week after the release of a video showing Islamic State forces smashing museum statues and carvings in Mosul, the city they seized along with much of northern Iraq last June. "Daesh terrorist gangs continue to defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity," Iraq's tourism and antiquities ministry said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.

Marseille thrashes Toulouse 6-1 in French league Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:47 PM PST TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Belgium's rising star Mishy Batshuayi scored twice as Marseille produced its biggest win this season with a 6-1 defeat of Toulouse that provisionally lifted the club to second place in the French league standings on Friday.

UN Sudan humanitarian chief urges Darfur conflict solution Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:46 PM PST The acting United Nations humanitarian chief in Sudan urged the government and rebels in Darfur Friday to negotiate a political solution to the conflict, as troops press an offensive in the region. Darfur has been mired in conflict since 2003 when mostly black insurgents rebelled against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government, complaining of their marginalisation. "It is now nearly 11 years that this has been going on and we still don't see an end in sight," said Geert Cappelaere, the head of UNICEF in Sudan and the acting UN humanitarian coordinator in the country. In November, the government launched a fresh offensive in Darfur, as well as in the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan areas.

Puerto Rico police official sentenced in fatal beating case Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:45 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A former Puerto Rico police sergeant has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in the fatal beating case of a 19-year-old man.

Canada watchdog warns anti-terror bill tramples privacy Posted: 06 Mar 2015 02:45 PM PST Canada's privacy commissioner warned Friday that a proposed toughening of the nation's counterterrorism laws would expose too much personal information, with little or no oversight. In an open letter, Commissioner Daniel Therrien expressed concern at the "unprecedented" scale of information sharing between government departments allowed under the anti-terror bill currently under consideration. The bill would dramatically expand the powers of Canada's spy service to include disrupting terror threats, and lower the threshold for detaining suspects in terror cases and the standard for prosecution. It would also allow intergovernmental sharing of information on alleged threats and suspects, which was previously illegal under privacy laws.

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