Yahoo! News: World News

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• Deadlocked Iran nuclear talks break off, to resume next week
• Suicide bombers kill 137 in Yemen mosque attacks
• Netanyahu row casts doubt on Obama pledge to 'have Israel's back'
• U.S. fears Islamic State is making serious inroads in Libya
• North Korea says can fire nuclear missile at 'any time'
• Russia says sanctions 'destructive', will act in own interests
• Nevada wildlife managers reject ban on coyote-hunting contests
• Morgan Hoffmann takes 3-shot lead with 9 birdies at Bay Hill
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• Prince Charles, wife Camilla spend day in US state
• Liberia officials: New patient tests positive for Ebola
• 3 suicide bombings target Shiite rebel mosques in Yemen
• Guilty verdicts for 2 in Toronto-NYC train terror plot
• White House: No sign of Islamic State link to Yemen attacks
• Liberia reports first Ebola infection in a month: government
• Monsanto weed killer can 'probably' cause cancer: World Health Organization
• US leaves open chance of Afghan troop presence beyond 2016
• 4 men charged in attack on Israeli tourists in Argentina
• Gunfight kills 10 after ambush on Mexican police
• Mexico ambush kills 10, including 5 federal police
• 5.3 quake shakes central Mexico; some evacuations in capital
• Retreating Boko Haram leaves mass of throat-slit corpses near Nigerian town
• Petrobras halts giant production unit as safety problems found
• UN commission blames Israel for plight of Palestinian women
• Puerto Rico ends its defense of gay marriage ban
• Factors gel for jihadist fertile ground in Tunisia
• More than 100 killed in Syria attacks
• Judge in Nicaragua sentences lieutenant for criticizing army
• Ibrahimovic scores hat trick as PSG beats Lorient 3-1
• Choice view over Rio for waterborne beggar
• EU offers Greece more money but demands reforms
• Ukraine, Russia start new talks to supply gas to Kiev
• Brazil antitrust regulator inks first Petrobras leniency deal
• Moderate earthquake shakes buildings in Mexico City
• APNewsBreak: Report says 640,200 Syrians in besieged areas
• S&P downgrades Nigeria citing falling oil prices, instability
• Health experts defend e-cigarettes despite concerns
• UFC: Ronda Rousey will return vs Correia in Rio on Aug. 1
• Tunisia says museum gunmen trained in Libya

Deadlocked Iran nuclear talks break off, to resume next week Posted: 20 Mar 2015 12:18 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers suspended negotiations on a nuclear agreement and were set to meet again next week to break a deadlock over sensitive atomic research and lifting of sanctions, Western officials said on Friday. France was demanding more stringent restrictions on the Iranians under any deal than the other Western delegations, officials said. A European negotiator said the six power group - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - was generally unified but voiced concern that the Obama administration was under pressure due to concerns Republican-led Congress might wreck any agreement. "The great ‎paradox is that Congress and Israel have put the pressure on the Americans instead of pressuring Iran which is what we need to be doing," the official said.

Suicide bombers kill 137 in Yemen mosque attacks Posted: 20 Mar 2015 02:42 PM PDT The attacks on mosques used by supporters of the Shi'ite Muslim Houthi fighters who control the city were the deadliest in a years-long campaign of violence in the country, where Washington has been waging a drone air war against a local branch of the Sunni Muslim militant group al Qaeda. "Let the polytheist Houthis know that the soldiers of the Islamic State will not rest and will not stay still until they extirpate them," the group said in a statement posted by supporters on Twitter, claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Netanyahu row casts doubt on Obama pledge to 'have Israel's back' Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:22 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama, who once famously said he would "always have Israel's back," may be rethinking that promise as aides begin weighing options in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pre-election disavowal of a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. Following Obama's warning that the United States would "reassess" its relationship with Israel, the administration is not only reconsidering the diplomatic cover it has long given Israel at the United Nations but is also looking at a range of other possibilities to put pressure on its historically close ally, U.S. officials said. Those could include becoming less active in protecting Israel in international forums and finding new ways to reinforce the message of U.S. opposition to Jewish settlement expansion. As internal discussions proceeded on Friday, the White House appeared in no rush to lower the temperature in the worst U.S.-Israeli crisis in decades, sparked by Netanyahu's campaign declaration that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch.

U.S. fears Islamic State is making serious inroads in Libya Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:04 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is increasingly concerned about the growing presence and influence of the Syria-based Islamic State movement in Libya, according to U.S. officials and a State Department report. The officials said what they called "senior" Islamic State leaders had traveled to the country, which is whacked by civil war, to help recruit and organize militants, particularly in the cities of Derna and Sirte. Since late January, Islamic State militants have carried out attacks, including a car bombing and siege at the Corinthia, a luxury hotel in Tripoli, and an attack on the Mabruk oilfield south of Sirte, according to a report circulated this week by the State Department's Diplomatic Security Bureau. The State Department document said estimates of the number of Islamic State fighters operating in Libya ranged from 1000 to 3000.

North Korea says can fire nuclear missile at 'any time' Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:42 PM PDT North Korea has the ability to fire a nuclear weapon and would use a nuclear missile in retaliation if it is attacked, the country's ambassador to Britain told Sky News on Friday. "It is not the United States that has a monopoly on nuclear weapons strikes," Ambassador Hyun Hak-bong told Sky at the isolated Asian country's London embassy. Asked if that meant North Korea, which quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993, had the capability to fire a nuclear missile now, he replied: "Any time, any time, yes." "If the United States strike us, we should strike back. We are ready for conventional war with conventional war, we are ready for nuclear war with nuclear war.

Russia says sanctions 'destructive', will act in own interests Posted: 20 Mar 2015 02:27 AM PDT Russia described "sanctions rhetoric" as destructive on Friday and said it would do what is in its national interests after European Union leaders kept economic sanctions in place over the Ukraine crisis. In comments to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also accused Kiev of violating the terms of a peace deal for eastern Ukraine that was agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk. So we do not discuss sanctions and the Russian Federation will do what is in its national interests," he said.

Nevada wildlife managers reject ban on coyote-hunting contests Posted: 20 Mar 2015 05:07 PM PDT Nevada wildlife managers on Friday voted down a proposal that would have banned hunts offering cash and prizes for slaughtering coyotes in competitions across Western states that conservationists decry as "killing contests." In December, California became the first U.S. state to prohibit inducements like money and merchandise for hunting events of wild animals including coyotes, foxes, bobcats and other creatures classified in the state as fur-bearers and non-game mammals. The recent push by wildlife advocates to outlaw hunting contests for wild animals like coyotes, which are considered nuisances allowed to be shot on sight in most of the West, comes as increasing numbers of competitions are held in states such as Nevada, California, Idaho, New Mexico and Oregon.

Morgan Hoffmann takes 3-shot lead with 9 birdies at Bay Hill Posted: 20 Mar 2015 05:04 PM PDT ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Equipped with his first PGA Tour lead in 67 starts, Morgan Hoffmann played Friday like he wanted to keep it in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 20 Mar 2015 05:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is suggesting it could reconsider its plan to remove nearly all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 as part of an effort to ensure that the Afghans can maintain security in their country. Jeff Eggers of the White House's National Security Council said Friday the U.S. still intends to pursue its withdrawal strategy, which calls for a U.S. security cooperation office in Kabul beyond 2016 of about 1,000 U.S. troops, but no major troop presence.

Prince Charles, wife Camilla spend day in US state Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:57 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) — Prince Charles and his wife received a distinctly Kentucky welcome Friday during a visit to the Bluegrass state, where the royal couple got a glimpse into efforts to promote environmental sustainability and protect historic buildings — among the prince's favorite projects.

Liberia officials: New patient tests positive for Ebola Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:54 PM PDT MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — A patient has tested positive for Ebola in Liberia's capital, officials said Friday, deflating hopes that the West African nation had beaten the disease after weeks with no new cases.

3 suicide bombings target Shiite rebel mosques in Yemen Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:40 PM PDT ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Triple suicide bombers hit a pair of mosques crowded with worshippers in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Friday, causing heavy casualties, according to witnesses. The attackers targeted mosques frequented by Shiite rebels, who have controlled the capital since September.

Guilty verdicts for 2 in Toronto-NYC train terror plot Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:37 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Two men accused of plotting to attack a passenger train travelling from New York to Toronto were found guilty of several terror-related charges and could spend the rest of their lives in prison.

White House: No sign of Islamic State link to Yemen attacks Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday there's no indication the Islamic State group had any operational link to a string of suicide bombings in Yemen that killed at least 137 people.

Liberia reports first Ebola infection in a month: government Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:33 PM PDT Liberia said on Friday a patient in the capital has tested positive for Ebola, more than a month after the last new case of the disease was registered. It is a setback," government spokesman Lewis Brown told AFP. The World Health Organization announced earlier this month no new case of the deadly virus had been registered in Liberia since February 19.

Monsanto weed killer can 'probably' cause cancer: World Health Organization Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:31 PM PDT The WHO's cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), said glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Monsanto Co herbicide Roundup, was "classified as probably carcinogenic to humans". Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, said scientific data do not support the conclusions and called on the WHO to hold an urgent meeting to explain the findings. "We don't know how IARC could reach a conclusion that is such a dramatic departure from the conclusion reached by all regulatory agencies around the globe," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice-president of global regulatory affairs, said in a statement.

US leaves open chance of Afghan troop presence beyond 2016 Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:29 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is suggesting it could reconsider its plan to remove nearly all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 as part of an effort to ensure that the Afghans can maintain security in their country.

4 men charged in attack on Israeli tourists in Argentina Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:25 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Four Argentines have been charged in an attack on Israeli tourists in a popular area of Patagonia, an owner of the hostel where the assault happened said Friday.

Gunfight kills 10 after ambush on Mexican police Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:25 PM PDT Ten people were killed in a gunfight in western Mexico when suspected gang members ambushed a police convoy in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces since Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in December 2012. Five members of Mexico's new militarized police, or gendarmerie, were killed in the shootout on Thursday night in Ocotlan, Jalisco state, and eight others were wounded, the National Security Commission said in a statement on Friday. At least 10 vehicles took part in the attack on police, with the assailants firing with high-powered rifles before being beaten back, the security commission said.

Mexico ambush kills 10, including 5 federal police Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:24 PM PDT A gang ambush on federal police in western Mexico killed five officers, three suspects and two bystanders in the deadliest day for the country's new gendarmerie. The attack took place late Thursday as the seven vehicles carrying the paramilitary gendarmerie officers were on patrol in Ocotlan, Jalisco state, federal police said. It was the deadliest shooting for the gendarmerie, a 5,000-strong unit modeled after European military-like police forces that President Enrique Pena Nieto launched last year to protect key economic sectors from organized crime.

5.3 quake shakes central Mexico; some evacuations in capital Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:19 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico on Friday, causing buildings to sway in the capital and sending hundreds of people into the streets. There was no immediate word of damage or casualties.

Retreating Boko Haram leaves mass of throat-slit corpses near Nigerian town Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:10 PM PDT By Emmanuel Braun DAMASAK, Nigeria (Reuters) - Soldiers from Niger and Chad who liberated the Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram militants have discovered the bodies of at least 70 people, many with their throats slit, scattered under a bridge, a Reuters witness said. Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in a six-year insurgency aimed at establishing an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria. Damasak was seized by the Islamist group in November but recaptured by troops from Niger and Chad on Saturday as part of a multinational effort to wipe out the militants.

Petrobras halts giant production unit as safety problems found Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PDT By Jeb Blount RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's state-run Petrobras said on Friday it shut its P-58 offshore oil production ship after the country's petroleum regulator ANP found irregularities on board the vessel, one of the company's most important offshore production systems. The shutdown comes a little more than a month after a deadly explosion on a Petrobras offshore oil and natural gas production ship operated by BW Offshore Ltd, a Norwegian-listed production vessel operator. Workers on the FPSO say production began with many systems incomplete, forcing workers to finish construction on the high-seas instead of a shipyard. "We have been complaining about safety problems since production started, but with other production unit accidents, the ANP finally decided to inspect the production units," Davidson Lomba told Reuters in a telephone interview.

UN commission blames Israel for plight of Palestinian women Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:03 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women approved a resolution Friday blaming Israel's ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian territory for "the grave situation of Palestinian women."

Puerto Rico ends its defense of gay marriage ban Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PDT The Puerto Rican government will no longer defend a law that bans same-sex couples from marrying and does not recognize the validity of such marriages performed in other jurisdictions, the U.S. commonwealth's attorney general announced on Friday. The announcement coincided with the filing of a government brief before the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, where the Puerto Rico law is being challenged. The Caribbean island, which is a U.S. territory, said it would no longer defend Article 68 of its Civil Code which contains the same sex marriage rules. "The decision recognizes that all human beings are equal before the law," Justice Secretary César Miranda said.

Factors gel for jihadist fertile ground in Tunisia Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:01 PM PDT Several factors have combined to create a fertile breeding ground for jihadist violence in Tunisia where gunmen mowed down 21 people in a high-profile attack on its national museum, analysts say. They say economic and social woes on top of political upheavals since a 2011 revolution which ousted longtime strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali have disorientated the country's youth. Tunisia has contributed the largest number of citizens to radical movements such as the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. Other factors have also contributed: a fledgling democracy, proximity to the political and security mayhem in neighbouring Libya, and a lack of Muslim religious training that contributed to the import of Salafist ideology since the 1980s.

More than 100 killed in Syria attacks Posted: 20 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PDT More than 100 people were killed in Syria in 24 hours of violence after Islamic State fighters attacked regime troops and a suicide bomber caused carnage at Kurdish new year celebrations, a monitor said Friday. More than 70 members of government forces were killed when IS attacked checkpoints and other positions in the central Homs and Hama provinces, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "IS has faced setbacks recently in the provinces of Aleppo and Raqa and in Hasakeh in confrontations with Kurds on the one hand and regime forces on the other, and are now trying to score military points, even limited ones, to offset their losses," said Abdel Rahman. The suicide bomber struck at Syria's Kurdish minority on Friday, killing more than 33 people as they celebrated Kurdish new year in Hasakeh, northeast Syria.

Judge in Nicaragua sentences lieutenant for criticizing army Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — A Nicaraguan military court judge on Friday sentenced an army lieutenant to 3½ months in prison for criticizing the armed forces' role in cracking down on civilians during protests against a Chinese company's project to build a canal across the country.

Ibrahimovic scores hat trick as PSG beats Lorient 3-1 Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:51 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain beat Lorient 3-1 on Friday to move provisionally top of the French league.

Choice view over Rio for waterborne beggar Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:49 PM PDT Thousands of people eke out an existence living in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, a giant city racing to overhaul itself ahead of next year's Olympics. Hamilton Cunha Filho, a 30-year-old from the impoverished northeast, arrived years ago but is jobless. His unusual, plastic-roofed dwelling affords him an unbeatable view of the spectacular Guanabara Bay with the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain behind it.

EU offers Greece more money but demands reforms Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:44 PM PDT The European Union offered Greece funds Friday to deal with what it called a "humanitarian crisis" after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras vowed to clarify reform pledges demanded by the country's creditors. After crisis talks between Tsipras and European leaders, EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was making available two billion euros ($2.16 billion) in unused EU development funds to Greece. Tension has mounted between Athens and Brussels since radical leftist Tsipras was elected in January promising to cut back on five years of austerity and renegotiate Greece's debt arrangements.

Ukraine, Russia start new talks to supply gas to Kiev Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:42 PM PDT Ukraine and Russia launched EU-brokered talks in Brussels on Friday aimed at supplying gas to Kiev through next winter and securing onward deliveries to Europe. A deal to ensure supplies for the current winter expires at the end of this month, and that agreement was only agreed after tense negotiations against the backdrop of the war in eastern Ukraine. The new talks involving the Ukrainian and Russian energy ministers as well as the EU energy commissioner laid down the basis for continuing the discussions in April, a joint statement said. Russia will consider a request to grant Ukraine a discount and Ukraine will seek to purchase enough gas to fill its storage tanks while ensuring transit of supplies to Europe, it said.

Brazil antitrust regulator inks first Petrobras leniency deal Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:40 PM PDT Brazil's antitrust regulator has secured the cooperation of some engineering firms and executives in the first leniency agreement arising from a bribery scandal at state-run Petrobras, the agency said on Friday. The firms, Setal Engenharia e Construções and Setal Óleo e Gás (SOG), agreed on Thursday to admit to price-fixing contracts with state-run Petroleo Brasileoro SA (Petrobras) and provide information to investigators, the regulator said in a statement. The engineering firms and executives are accused of forming a cartel. The dozens of companies investigated by various agencies in the multibillion-dollar Petrobras scandal have urged Brazil's government to strike a grand bargain to minimize fallout and prevent possible lay-offs and bankruptcies that would further damage Brazil's fragile economy.

Moderate earthquake shakes buildings in Mexico City Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:36 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Moderate earthquake shakes buildings in Mexico City.

APNewsBreak: Report says 640,200 Syrians in besieged areas Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:21 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nearly 650,000 Syrians are living in besieged communities in the country's civil war, more than three times the U.N. estimate, according to a new report that offers a graphic account of hundreds of deaths in areas the world has struggled for years to reach.

S&P downgrades Nigeria citing falling oil prices, instability Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PDT Standard and Poor's credit rating agency on Friday downgraded Nigeria by a notch to B+ from BB- citing falling oil prices and political instability just a week before key general elections. The B+ rating pushes Nigeria further into junk territory showing that S&P considers it four levels below investment grade. "The decline in oil prices in the last seven months has significantly affected Nigeria's external position and external vulnerability," S&P said in a statement. It also referred to the challenge posed by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, whose attacks in northeast Nigeria and cross-border violence had led to the polls, initially due in February, being postponed.

Health experts defend e-cigarettes despite concerns Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PDT Health experts at an anti-tobacco conference in Abu Dhabi defended e-cigarettes on Friday, dismissing widespread concerns that the devices could lure adolescents into nicotine addiction. Konstantinos Farsalinos, researcher from Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Athens, told AFP that in a study of nearly 19,500 people, mainly in the United States and Europe, 81 percent said they had stopped smoking by using e-cigarettes.

UFC: Ronda Rousey will return vs Correia in Rio on Aug. 1 Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:08 PM PDT UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will return to the octagon against Brazil's unbeaten Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 1.

Tunisia says museum gunmen trained in Libya Posted: 20 Mar 2015 03:06 PM PDT Tunisia said two gunmen who killed 21 people at its national museum trained at a militant camp in Libya, as the country marked Independence Day in sombre mood on Friday. The Islamic State group claimed Wednesday's attack on foreign tourists in Tunis, the deadliest since the 2011 revolution which sparked the Arab Spring regional uprisings. The assailants "left the country illegally last December for Libya and they were able to train with weapons there," Secretary of State for Security Rafik Chelly said.

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