2015年3月18日星期三

Yahoo! News: World News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: World News


Hard-right shift delivers upset election win for Netanyahu

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 12:48 PM PDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Likud party supporters react to exit poll results at the party's election headquarters In Tel Aviv.Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Israelis are voting in early parliament elections following a campaign focused on economic issues such as the high cost of living, rather than fears of a nuclear Iran or the Israeli-Arab conflict. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)By Luke Baker and Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to form a new governing coalition quickly after an upset election victory that was built on a shift to the right and drew an immediate rebuke from the White House. In the final days of campaigning, Netanyahu abandoned a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian state - the basis of more than two decades of Middle East peacemaking - and promised to go on building settlements on occupied land. Such policies defy the core vision of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict embraced by President Barack Obama and his Republican and Democratic predecessors. With nearly all votes counted, Netanyahu's Likud had won 29 or 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, comfortably defeating the center-left Zionist Union opposition on 24 seats.


Gunmen storm Tunisian museum, kill 17 foreign tourists

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:33 PM PDT

Police officers stand outside parliament in TunisBy Tarek Amara and Mohamed Argoubi TUNIS (Reuters) - Gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed Tunisia's national museum on Wednesday, killing 17 foreign tourists and two Tunisians in one of the worst militant attacks in a country that had largely escaped the region's "Arab Spring" turmoil. Five Japanese as well as visitors from Italy, Poland and Spain were among the dead in the noon assault on Bardo museum inside the heavily guarded parliament compound in central Tunis, Prime Minister Habib Essid said. Security forces entered around two hours later, killed two militants and freed the captives, a government spokesman said. Several Islamist militant groups have emerged in Tunisia since the uprising, and authorities estimate about 3,000 Tunisians have also joined fighters in Iraq and Syria -- igniting fears they could return and mount attacks at home.


U.S. drone strike killed al Shabaab leader Garaar in Somalia: Pentagon

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 01:51 PM PDT

A U.S. drone strike in southern Somalia has killed Adnan Garaar, an al Shabaab leader believed to be the mastermind of a 2013 attack on a Nairobi shopping mall that killed 67 people, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. It said in a statement that the strike last Thursday hit a vehicle carrying Garaar, a top official of the al Shabaab militant group, which the Pentagon says targets U.S. and other Western interests to further al Qaeda's goals. His death has dealt another significant blow to the al Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia," the Pentagon said. The Pentagon added that the operation took place about 150 miles (240 km) west of Mogadishu near the town of Dinsoor.

U.S. rebukes Israel's victorious Netanyahu on Mideast policy

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:20 PM PDT

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu gestures to supporters at party headquarters in Tel AvivBy Roberta Rampton and Patricia Zengerle CLEVELAND/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday scolded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his re-election victory for abandoning his commitment to negotiate for a Palestinian state and for what it called "divisive" campaign rhetoric toward Israel's minority Arab voters. In a hard-right shift in the final days of campaigning, Netanyahu backtracked on his support for eventual creation of a Palestinian state - the cornerstone of more than two decades of peace efforts - and promised to continue building Jewish settlements on occupied land.


Biden, Ukraine's Poroshenko agree Russia sanctions must be tied to Minsk

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed in a telephone call on Wednesday that sanctions against Russia must be tied to the full implementation of the Minsk peace plan, the White House said. "As long as Russia continues to fuel violence and instability in Ukraine, the international community must be prepared to increase the costs to Russia for pursuing such actions," it said in a statement. ...

Some U.S. allies may send troops to Syria with trainees: Army chief

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:42 PM PDT

By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria may be willing to send troops to accompany and support the Syrian opposition force the coalition is planning to train and send back to Syria, Army General Ray Odierno said on Wednesday. Odierno, the U.S. Army chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee the military was aware the Syrian opposition force would need help and support once it returned home and was studying how best to provide that assistance. Asked whether forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might immediately try to wipe out the coalition-trained opposition, Odierno said the allies would be cautious about where the troops were inserted and what operations they initially undertook.

Prince Charles sounds alarm about world's oceans

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:50 PM PDT

Britain's Prince Charles listens during a meeting of companies, leading environmental organizations and government figures brought together to consider actions to address the threat posed by marine plastic waste on March 18, 2015 in Washington, DCPrince Charles made an impassioned speech Wednesday in Washington about the deteriorating state of the world's oceans, striking a somber note on the first full day of his US tour with wife Camilla. A vociferous environmental campaigner, the Prince of Wales told government, corporate and non-profit leaders at a hotel in the US capital: "One issue that we absolutely cannot ignore is that of the increasing quantity of plastic waste in the marine environment. Earlier, in lighter scenes, the royal couple mingled with gobsmacked young Americans as they hit some of Washington's top tourist attractions. Bright sunlight but chilly temperatures prevailed as they inspected the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King monument.


Peru's Humala to ask Bolivia to extradite his former advisor

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:47 PM PDT

The government of Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said on Wednesday it would ask Bolivia to extradite a former advisor to face corruption charges in a scandal that threatens to erode Humala's popularity. An extradition request will soon be sent to La Paz, Prime Minister Ana Jara said on local broadcaster RPP as critics accused the government of demurring to shield its former ally. Martin Belaunde, Humala's campaign advisor during his failed 2006 presidential bid, fled to the neighboring Andean nation last year, after prosecutors demanded his arrest on charges of graft and unlawful association. Prosecutors say Belaunde belonged to a criminal network involving the now-jailed leader of a rich mining region and had fixed million-dollar public contracts.

Volcano Villarrica rumbling again in southern Chile

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:44 PM PDT

An aerial view shows smoke and ash rising from Villarrica Volcano, south of SantiagoSANTIAGO (Reuters) - Volcano Villarrica in southern Chile, which erupted earlier this month before settling down, has entered a more active phase again, expelling gas and ash into the atmosphere, Chilean authorities said on Wednesday. Villarrica, located near the popular tourist resort of Pucon around 750 km (460 miles) south of the capital Santiago, is among the most active in South America. On March 3 a short-lived eruption of ash and rock led to the evacuation of thousands from the nearby area. ...


The Latest: French president mourns Tunisia victims

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:43 PM PDT

Tourists and visitors from the Bardo museum are evacuated in Tunis, Wednesday, March 18, 2015 in Tunis, Tunisia. Gunmen opened fire at a leading museum in Tunisia's capital, killing 19 people including 17 tourists, the Tunisian Prime Minister said. A later raid by security forces left two gunmen and one security officer dead but ended the standoff, Tunisian authorities said. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi)12:19 a.m. (2319 GMT; 7:19 p.m. EDT)


U.N.: Peace process only way for Israel to stay a democracy

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:37 PM PDT

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday that Israel needs to stick with the Middle East peace process to remain a democracy after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abandoned a commitment ahead of his re-election to negotiate a Palestinian state. In the final days of campaigning before Israeli voters went to the polls on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he would not permit a Palestinian state to be created under his watch and also promised to go on building settlements on occupied land. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon believes the peace process, including an end to illegal settlement building, is "the best and only way forward for Israel to remain a democratic state," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Four Italians dead, 13 wounded in Tunisia attack: ministry

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:37 PM PDT

ROME/MILAN (Reuters) - Four Italians were among the tourists killed in an attack on Tunisia's national museum on Wednesday while 13 were wounded, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Netanyahu win dashes prospect for a thaw with Obama

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PDT

President Barack Obama thinks as he is asked a question about what has surprised him most while he has been in office, while about speaking about the economy and the middle class, Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at the City Club of Cleveland in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration signaled on Wednesday it could take a tougher stance toward Benjamin Netanyahu following his decisive Israeli election victory and campaign tack to the right, saying there will be consequences for his sudden reversal on the idea of an independent Palestinian state.


Barcelona beats City 1-0 to advance to CL quarterfinals

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PDT

Barcelona's Luis Suarez attempts to score past Manchester City's goalkeeper Joe Hart during a Champions League round of 16 second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Manchester City at Camp Nou stadium, in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, March 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to a convincing 1-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday that only goalkeeper Joe Hart prevented from becoming a rout, as the Spanish hosts reached the Champions League quarterfinals for a record eighth consecutive season.


Museum attack in Tunisian capital kills 19; 2 gunmen slain

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:33 PM PDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Foreign tourists scrambled in panic Wednesday after militants stormed a museum in Tunisia's capital and killed 19 people, "shooting at anything that moved," a witness said.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PDT

SINGAPORE (AP) — The condition of Singapore's 91-year-old founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, has deteriorated further at the hospital where he's been treated for about six weeks, the government said Wednesday. Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5 for severe pneumonia and was later put on life support.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko back at Founders Cup

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:31 PM PDT

FILE - In this March 23, 2014, file photo, Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, shows her dismay at missing a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the LPGA Founders Cup golf tournament in Phoenix. Top-ranked Lydia Ko is back at the Founders Cup, a year after losing the final-round lead in the Arizona desert. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX (AP) — The JTBC Founders Cup honors the 13 women who started the LPGA Tour in 1950 and helps fund LPGA-USGA Girls Golf.


Official: No US citizens detained in Dominican Republic raid

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:26 PM PDT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A sex-trafficking raid in the Dominican Republic had the assistance of the U.S. government and two U.S. anti-trafficking organizations but no American citizens were detained during the operation, contrary to a police report at the time, an official said Wednesday.

Questions over US-Cuba talks amid Venezuela dispute

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:23 PM PDT

Cuba's President Raul Castro listens to the playing of national hymns during his welcome ceremony at Miraflores presidential palace before the start of an emergency ALBA meeting in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Leftist allies of Venezuela on Tuesday rallied behind embattled President Nicolas Maduro in his faceoff with the U.S. government, which he is accusing of trying to oust his socialist administration. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)HAVANA (AP) — It has been a strange few days for U.S.-Cuba relations that are meant to be on the mend.


UN envoy: Millions needed for education in emergencies

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:23 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for global education called Wednesday for a multimillion-dollar fund to provide education for children in emergencies and urged donors to start with $163 million to educate half a million Syrian children who are refugees in Lebanon.

Violence against women rises in Ebola-hit nations: ministers

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:21 PM PDT

By Maria Caspani UNITED NATIONS (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Ebola epidemic in West Africa exacerbated violence against women and rolled back access to reproductive healthcare in the region, ministers from Guinea and Liberia said on Wednesday. In Guinea, data indicates a 4.5 percent increase in cases of gender-based violence since before the epidemic including twice as many rapes, Sanaba Kaba, the country's minister of social action, women and children, said on a panel at the United Nations 59th Commission on the Status of Women. Liberia also saw more cases of gender-based violence as a result of the outbreak, said Julia Duncan Cassell, minister of gender and development in that country.

Bolivia asks for friendly in Nigeria to be postponed

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:16 PM PDT

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia's soccer federation wants its friendly match in Nigeria scheduled for March 26 to be postponed because of the African nation's internal conflict.

Ukraine, Moscow clash over rebel autonomy laws

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:09 PM PDT

A priest blesses fighters of the Ukrainian Donbass volunteer battalion on March 17, 2015 during a farewell ceremony in the center of KievRussia and pro-Moscow rebels on Wednesday condemned Ukraine for ratifying two bills on greater autonomy for the separatist east, saying they violated a peace deal and threatened a shaky month-long truce. The latest wrangling over the east Ukraine peace plan came as Moscow celebrated the one-year anniversary of the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, a key moment in the crisis that shattered ties with Kiev and the West. President Petro Poroshenko late Wednesday signed into law two bills giving the rebel-held east more self-rule, a key part of a February peace deal aimed at ending over months of fighting in which more than 6,000 people have died.


Juventus beats Dortmund to advance in Champions League

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PDT

Juventus players celebrate their second goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus Turin on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 in Dortmund, Germany. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Carlos Tevez scored two and set up another as Juventus beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 away to reach the Champions League quarterfinals with a 5-1 aggregate victory on Wednesday.


Celtic beat Dundee United in fiery Cup replay

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PDT

Celtic's players celebrate during a match at Celtic Park in Glasgow on February 19, 2015Celtic booked a place in the last four of the Scottish Cup with a 4-0 win over Dundee United in their quarter-final replay on Wednesday as both sides had a man sent off. United arrived in Glasgow without a win at Celtic Park in nearly 23 years and never looked like changing that statistic or avenging last Sunday's League Cup final defeat after falling behind in the 17th minute to a header from Jason Denayer. Leigh Griffiths volleyed home a second in the 57th minute before Kris Commons rounded off the scoring with a calm finish in the 79th minute. The red mist descended in the final minutes as Celtic striker Anthony Stokes was sent off in the 87th minute for lashing out at Paul Paton following a challenge before Ryan McGowan was given a straight red for a hefty challenge on substitute Liam Henderson a minute later.


UN chief urges Israel peace deal with Palestinians for state

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:58 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election victory with a call Wednesday for the new government to negotiate a final peace agreement that will create "a viable Palestinian state."

Amnesty: Killing of Guyana activist fuels fear ahead of vote

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:56 PM PDT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Amnesty International says the killing of a political activist as he was campaigning for the opposition "fuels fear" ahead of Guyana's May general elections.

WWF urges DRC not to change Virunga park boundaries

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PDT

A mountain gorilla from the Kabirizi family at Virunga National Park waits for the rain to stop, April 7, 2011Conservation group WWF on Wednesday urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to "drop any plans" of modifying the boundaries of Virunga national park -- home to the mountain gorilla -- for oil exploration purposes. The organization said it was "very concerned" about the Congolese government's project to exploit potential oil reserves in the park which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. In January, Congolese Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo informed international lenders that Kinshasa had not yet approved plans for oil exploration within the park, but that if such a decision was taken, it could involve a slight modification to the park's boundaries.


US, UN lead condemnation of 'deplorable' Tunis attack

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:49 PM PDT

A wounded person is evacuated on a stretcher from the site of an attack carried out by two gunmen at Tunis' famed Bardo Museum on March 18, 2015The United States and United Nations led a chorus of international outrage at Wednesday's attack on a Tunis museum which left 19 people dead, most of them foreign tourists. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "deplorable" attack on Tunisia's national museum "in the strongest terms," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Kalashnikov-wielding gunmen killed 17 tourists along with a policeman and a Tunisian citizen before themselves being killed in a police assault, Prime Minister Habib Essid said. US Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement echoed Ban's condemnation and offered his condolences to the victims' families.


Costa Rica seeks law to allow same-sex civil unions

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:48 PM PDT

Costa Rica will this week put forward a plan to allow same-sex civil unions based on previous initiatives to change the law in the Central American nation, a government official said on Wednesday. Costa Rica follows Chile, which in January became the most recent Latin American country to recognize same-sex marriage or unions after Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and some parts of Mexico. "This week we will launch (draft legislation), honoring the commitment our government made in this area and ... we will open a space for consulting with various organizations," said Ana Gabriel Zuniga, deputy minister of the presidency. The government hopes Costa Rica's legislature will discuss before April 30 two existing draft bills with the purpose of combining them to legalize same-sex civil unions.

Niger says Boko Haram refugees to worsen its food crisis

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:47 PM PDT

Niger faces a large cereal deficit and will struggle to feed its people as well as the thousands of Boko Haram refugees that have spilled over its border, the prime minister said on Wednesday. Among the world's poorest countries, desertic Niger has suffered from recurrent poor harvests. "The state does not have enough resources to handle this situation and that's why we need help," Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said at a meeting with financial partners.

Police: Neighbor attacks Burmese family, killing 3 brothers

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:45 PM PDT

Investigators work, Wednesday, March 18, 2015, in the backyard of a home where a triple homicide took place late Tuesday, in New Bern, N.C. Three children were stabbed to death and two other people were wounded in the attack. (AP Photo/Sun Journal, Bill Hand)NEW BERN, North Carolina (AP) — A Burmese immigrant was charged Wednesday with three counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon after attacking a family of compatriots in their home.


McIlroy feeling puny with company he keeps _ in the gym

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:42 PM PDT

Rory McIlroy, left, of Northern Ireland, slaps hands with a young fan, while walking to the ninth tee, during the pro-am at the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, March 18, 2015.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy was in the gym and in a rare moment, he felt out of his element.


6N: Camille Lopez ruled out of England game

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:38 PM PDT

France's Camille Lopez, right, is tackled by Italy's Luke McLean during a Six Nations rugby union match between Italy and France, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, March 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)PARIS (AP) — Fly-half Camille Lopez has not recovered from a right knee injury and has been replaced in France's squad by Maxime Machenaud ahead of Saturday's final match against England in the Six Nations.


Israeli troops shoot, critically wound Palestinian: officials

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:35 PM PDT

Israeli security forces stand guard during clashes with Palestinian youths from the Jalazoun refugee camp, on the road at the entrance of the Jewish West Bank settlement Beit El, north of Ramallah, on March 13, 2015Israeli troops shot and critically wounded a Palestinian Wednesday near the Jelazoun refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian security and medical officials said. They named him as Ali Mahmud Safi, 20, and said he was hit in the chest in a clash with soldiers near the camp, north of Ramallah.


Two French citizens killed in Tunisia attack: source

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:33 PM PDT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Two French nationals were killed in the attack on a Tunisia's national museum on Wednesday, according to a French diplomatic source. Five Japanese as well as visitors from Italy, Germany, Poland and Spain were among the 17 dead in the noon assault on Bardo museum inside the heavily guarded parliament compound in central Tunis. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said earlier that six French nationals were injured in the attack, including three seriously. "A second French citizen who was seriously injured has died," said the person. ...

Illinois man drowns while surfing in Puerto Rico, police say

Posted: 18 Mar 2015 03:33 PM PDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in Puerto Rico say a 35-year-old U.S. tourist has drowned while surfing on the island's west coast.
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