Yahoo! News: World News

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• Houthis seize strategic Yemeni city, escalating power struggle
• Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91
• Tunisian president says third suspect in museum attack on the run
• Lee Kuan Yew's legacy seen in vibrant, controlled Singapore
• Syrian Islamist merger in northwest counters al Qaeda's clout
• Russia threatens to aim nuclear missiles at Denmark ships if it joins NATO shield
• Personal assistant to Jacqueline Kennedy dies at 90
• 7 siblings killed in New York fire to be buried in Israel
• Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT
• Adam Milne ruled out of New Zealand World Cup squad
• Singaporeans mourn death of founding father Lee Kuan Yew
• Soldier killed by jihadi mine in western Tunisia
• Forward Batshuayi scores 2 as Marseille thumps Lens 4-0
• Chilean girl with illness changes mind about euthanasia
• Suarez scores as Barca beats Madrid 2-1 to extend Liga lead
• France right-wing edges out National Front in local elections: polls
• Obama mourns death of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, calls him 'true giant'
• Spain's Podemos fails to break two-party hold in key Andalusia vote
• Degenkolb edges Kristoff to win Milan-San Remo classic
• Matt Every wins Bay Hill for 2nd straight year
• Crowds salute coffin of English 'car park king' Richard III
• Dawie van der Walt wins Web.com Tour's Chile Classic
• Sarkozy denies far-right Le Pen victory in French polls
• Juventus beats Genoa 1-0 to go 17 points clear in Serie A
• Canada PM to talk to NATO head about expanding IS mission
• 2 upstart Spanish parties make big inroads in Andalusia vote
• Sierra Leone opposition calls for civil disobedience over VP sacking
• Islamists capture Syria regime helicopter crew
• Australia a puzzling hotbed of Islamic State recruiting
• Zach Johnson makes 2nd double eagle at Bay Hill
• U.N. warns Yemen conflict could become Iraq-Libya-Syria scenario
• Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore, dies at 91
• Key dates in the life of ex-Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew
• Florida man who faked death arrested in North Carolina
• Japan firms to be a surprise no-show at Australian submarine event
• Crashed Syrian army helicopter crew captured by rebels
• Residents of Puerto Rico island find munition on beach

Houthis seize strategic Yemeni city, escalating power struggle Posted: 22 Mar 2015 01:25 PM PDT By Mohammed Mukhashef ADEN (Reuters) - Houthi fighters opposed to Yemen's president took over the central city of Taiz in an escalation of a power struggle diplomats say risks drawing in neighboring oil giant Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival Iran. In a live televised speech, Houthi said his decision to mobilize fighters amid accelerating violence in recent days was aimed at Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for bombings that killed more than 130 in the capital, Sanaa, on Friday, and al Qaeda. Conflict has been spreading across Yemen since last year when the Houthis seized Sanaa and effectively removed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who now seeks a comeback from his base in Aden. Residents of Taiz, on a main road from Sanaa to the country's second city, Aden, said Houthi militias took over the city's military airport without a struggle late on Saturday.

Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91 Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:06 PM PDT By Saeed Azhar SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister and architect of the tiny city-state's rapid rise from British military outpost to global trade and financial center, died on Monday aged 91. Although Lee had receded from public and political life over the past few years, he was still seen as an influential figure in the government of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his oldest son. "The Prime Minister is deeply grieved to announce the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. It said he had died at 3:18 a.m. local time (3:18 p.m. EDT) at Singapore General Hospital, where he had bee admitted on Feb. 5 suffering from pneumonia.

Tunisian president says third suspect in museum attack on the run Posted: 22 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi said on Sunday that a third gunman involved in an attack that killed 23 people, mostly foreign tourists, at a Tunis museum last week was on the run. The shootings at the museum inside Tunisia's parliament compound was one of the worst militant attacks in Tunisian history and brought to light the threat posed by Islamist militants to the young democracy, four years after its "Arab Spring" revolt. Some had recently returned from fighting for Islamist militant groups in Syria and Libya. "For sure there were three because they have been identified and filmed on surveillance cameras," Essebsi said in a televised interview with Europe 1 radio, iTELE and Le Monde newspaper.

Lee Kuan Yew's legacy seen in vibrant, controlled Singapore Posted: 22 Mar 2015 01:43 PM PDT Lee Kuan Yew, a towering figure in post-colonial Asia, oversaw tiny Singapore's transformation from British tropical outpost to an affluent, global city in just over a generation, setting the example for developing economies from China to Dubai. He retained English as Singapore's working language as a means of keeping the peace between the island's Chinese majority and Malay and Indian minorities and focused very early on in making "clean and green" Singapore, which turns 50 this year, one of Asia's most liveable and corruption-free countries. The People's Action Party (PAP), co-founded by Lee, has ruled Singapore since six years before independence, and while it has propelled the city-state into a gleaming financial hub, it has also been criticized for heavy-handed government with little tolerance of dissent. Under Lee, a huge fan of late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, political opposition and independent media were not allowed to flourish in the same way as the economy, a state of affairs that persists to this day.

Syrian Islamist merger in northwest counters al Qaeda's clout Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:37 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - The powerful Syrian Islamist insurgent group Ahrar al-Sham has merged with a smaller jihadist faction in a move that could thwart the growing influence of al Qaeda's offshoot in northwestern Syria, jihadists sources said. Ahrar al-Sham, one of the largest jihadist groups in Syria alongside Islamic State and Nusra, announced on Sunday a merger with the smaller Suqur al-Sham, which shares its strongly Islamist line. A statement said the merger was prompted by a need to unify ranks in what some rebels say will expand Ahrar al-Sham's clout in the northwestern province of Idlib, where its rival Nusra has expanded since recently crushing Western-backed non-jihadist rebel groups. With other mergers they could get closer to...equal footing," Abu Malek al Shami, a local rebel commander from Jaish al-Mujahdeen wal Ansar told Reuters on viber.

Russia threatens to aim nuclear missiles at Denmark ships if it joins NATO shield Posted: 22 Mar 2015 11:46 AM PDT Russia threatened to aim nuclear missiles at Danish warships if Denmark joins NATO's missile defense system, in comments Copenhagen called unacceptable and NATO said would not contribute to peace. Denmark said in August it would contribute radar capacity on some of its warships to the missile shield, which the Western alliance says is designed to protect members from missile launches from countries like Iran. In an interview in the newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, Mikhail Vanin, said he did not think Danes fully understood the consequences of joining the program.

Personal assistant to Jacqueline Kennedy dies at 90 Posted: 22 Mar 2015 04:13 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The special assistant to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, believed to be one of the first persons of Latino descent to work in the White House as part of the president's inner circle, has died.

7 siblings killed in New York fire to be buried in Israel Posted: 22 Mar 2015 04:10 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish community shattered by the deaths of seven siblings in a house fire held their funerals Sunday, a day after a hot plate left on for the Sabbath is believed to have caused the blaze.

Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 22 Mar 2015 04:03 PM PDT SINGAPORE (AP) — Lee Kuan Yew, who founded modern Singapore and was both feared for his authoritarian tactics and admired for turning the city-state into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, the government said. He was 91. Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5 for severe pneumonia and was later put on life support.

Adam Milne ruled out of New Zealand World Cup squad Posted: 22 Mar 2015 04:01 PM PDT AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Fast bowler Adam Milne has been ruled out of New Zealand's Cricket World Cup squad with a heel injury in a major blow on the eve of Tuesday's semifinal against South Africa.

Singaporeans mourn death of founding father Lee Kuan Yew Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:59 PM PDT SINGAPORE (AP) — Singaporeans are grieving and world leaders paying tribute as the Southeast Asian city-state mourns the death of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

Soldier killed by jihadi mine in western Tunisia Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT A Tunisian soldier was killed and two others injured Sunday when their vehicle hit a landmine "planted by terrorist elements" in a mountainous western region near the Algerian border, the defence ministry said. "A mine exploded under their vehicle," ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati told AFP, declining to name the exact location where he said a military operation was "ongoing". "The mine was planted by terrorist elements," he added. The incident comes as the country is on high alert after gunmen killed 20 foreign tourists and a policeman at the country's national museum on Wednesday, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Forward Batshuayi scores 2 as Marseille thumps Lens 4-0 Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi enhanced his growing reputation with two more goals as third-place Marseille thumped Lens 4-0 on Sunday to move one point behind Lyon and two adrift of leader Paris Saint-Germain in a hard-fought French title race.

Chilean girl with illness changes mind about euthanasia Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:56 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — An ailing Chilean girl who made a public plea for permission to end her life has had a change of heart, according to her father.

Suarez scores as Barca beats Madrid 2-1 to extend Liga lead Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luis Suarez scored the winning goal to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over title rival Real Madrid in a physical "clasico" at Camp Nou on Sunday and extend its Spanish league lead to four points.

France right-wing edges out National Front in local elections: polls Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:53 PM PDT France's right-wing parties led by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared to have edged out the far-right National Front to take first place in local elections on Sunday. The results put a dampener on the recent run of victories for the anti-EU and anti-immigration National Front (FN) led by Marine Le Pen, which had dominated the airwaves during the campaign. The FN topped opinion polls going into the vote and appeared to be capitalising on France's stagnant economy.

Obama mourns death of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, calls him 'true giant' Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:48 PM PDT President Barack Obama offered condolences on Sunday on the death of Lee Kuan Yew, calling Singapore's first prime minister "a true giant of history." Obama said in a White House statement that he appreciated Lee's wisdom, including during discussions they held on the president's trip to Singapore in 2009 when Obama was formulating his Asia-Pacific policy. "He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one the great strategists of Asian affairs," Obama said of Lee, who died at age 91.

Spain's Podemos fails to break two-party hold in key Andalusia vote Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:44 PM PDT Spain's anti-austerity Podemos party on Sunday took third place in a regional vote in Andalusia seen as a crucial test for the political newcomer ahead of the country's most unpredictable general election in decades. With 89.5 percent of the ballots counted by late evening, Podemos had won 14.8 percent of the vote in the southern region, according to the regional government. The main opposition Socialist Party, in power in Andalusia since 1982, topped the poll, winning 35.8 percent of the vote. The conservative Popular Party, the country's ruling party, came second with 26.4 percent -- down from 40 percent in the previous election in the 2012.

Degenkolb edges Kristoff to win Milan-San Remo classic Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:36 PM PDT MILAN (AP) — John Degenkolb sprinted to victory in the Milan-San Remo classic on Sunday, edging defending champion Alexander Kristoff on a wet and rainy course for the biggest win of his career.

Matt Every wins Bay Hill for 2nd straight year Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:29 PM PDT ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Matt Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second straight year, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to beat Henrik Stenson and earn another trip back to the Masters.

Crowds salute coffin of English 'car park king' Richard III Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:26 PM PDT Tens of thousands lined the streets on Sunday to see the coffin of England's Richard III taken in procession to his final burial, five centuries after his battlefield death. The medieval king will be laid to rest on Thursday in Leicester Cathedral, central England, in the presence of royalty in a service broadcast live on national television. The Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens, said Richard's death marked an "extraordinary moment" in English history. "It was a change of dynasty, an end of a period of violent civil war, the beginning of the period in which Shakespeare was to write his great tragedies, including Richard III, and a different way of governing the country," he said.

Dawie van der Walt wins Web.com Tour's Chile Classic Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Dawie van der Walt won the Chile Classic on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, closing with a birdie for a 6-under 65 and a two-stroke victory.

Sarkozy denies far-right Le Pen victory in French polls Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:20 PM PDT By Andrew Callus PARIS (Reuters) - Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party and their allies won the first round of French local elections on Sunday, denying Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front (FN) first place. The result is an unaccustomed setback for Le Pen, who hoped her resurgent anti-immigrant, anti-euro party would emerge in the first round, boosting her goal of being a serious contender in the 2017 presidential election. According to official partial results that tallied with exit polls, the UMP and its allies together secured around 30 percent of the national vote, ahead of the anti-immigrant, anti-euro FN on around 26, about 0.5 percentage points above its European elections showing last year.

Juventus beats Genoa 1-0 to go 17 points clear in Serie A Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PDT MILAN (AP) — Carlos Tevez scored again to help Juventus beat Genoa 1-0 in Serie A Sunday and maintain its 14-point advantage over Roma, which got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory at Cesena.

Canada PM to talk to NATO head about expanding IS mission Posted: 22 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Canada's prime minister will talk about his plan to extend and expand Canada's military mission against the Islamic State group at a meeting with NATO's secretary general.

2 upstart Spanish parties make big inroads in Andalusia vote Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:56 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Two fledgling parties that have shaken up Spain's political scene made significant inroads in their first regional bids for power in Andalusia's election Sunday, suggesting they could threaten the nation's traditional two-party system in other votes due later this year.

Sierra Leone opposition calls for civil disobedience over VP sacking Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:51 PM PDT Sierra Leone's main opposition party has called for an indefinite campaign of civil disobedience if the country's sacked vice president is not reinstated within a week, a party leader said on Sunday. Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, Secretary General of the Sierra Leone People's Party, told Reuters that party members would embark on peaceful demonstrations, civil disobedience and strikes across the West African nation from March 30. He said the opposition party had instructed its lawyers to challenge the dismissal of Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana in court, calling it unconstitutional. President Ernest Bai Koroma sacked Sam-Sumana last week saying he had abandoned his duties by requesting asylum at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown.

Islamists capture Syria regime helicopter crew Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:51 PM PDT Islamist rebels captured four crew members of a regime helicopter which crashed in Idlib province of northwest Syria on Sunday, while a fifth serviceman was killed, a monitor said. "A regime helicopter was forced to land in the region of Jabal al-Zawiya in the northwest, which is a bastion of (Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate) Al-Nusra Front," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP. Abdel Rahman said the Al-Nusra Front held two of the servicemen, including the helicopter's pilot.

Australia a puzzling hotbed of Islamic State recruiting Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:50 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A nightclub bouncer who reportedly became a terror group leader. A man who tweeted a photo of his young son clutching a severed head. A teenager who is believed to have turned suicide bomber, and others suspected of attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State movement. All of them, Australian.

Zach Johnson makes 2nd double eagle at Bay Hill Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Zach Johnson made the second albatross in two days at the Arnold Palmer Invitational by holing a 5-iron from 207 yards on the par-5 16th hole Sunday.

U.N. warns Yemen conflict could become Iraq-Libya-Syria scenario Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:34 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations warned on Sunday that Yemen's conflict could become an "Iraq-Libya-Syria" scenario if either side pushes for control of the country, prompting the U.N. Security Council to threaten further measures if the hostilities do not end. U.N. mediator Jamal Benomar briefed the 15-member Security Council on Sunday and said Yemen had been pushed "towards the edge of civil war." "It would be an illusion to think that the Houthis could mount an offensive and succeed in taking control of the entire country," Benomar said via video link from Doha. "It would be equally false to think that President Hadi could assemble sufficient forces to liberate the country from the Houthis. The U.N. Security Council condemned the takeover of much of Yemen and its institutions by the Shi'ite Muslim Houthis, urged them to withdraw, stated its support for Hadi and demanded an end to the hostilities in a statement adopted on Sunday.

Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore, dies at 91 Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:27 PM PDT SINGAPORE (AP) — Lee Kuan Yew, who founded modern Singapore and was both feared for his authoritarian tactics and admired for turning the city-state into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, the government said. He was 91.

Key dates in the life of ex-Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:21 PM PDT Key dates in the life of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore and the city-state's first and longest-serving prime minister.

Florida man who faked death arrested in North Carolina Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:07 PM PDT JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Jacksonville businessman reported dead two years ago in Venezuela was arrested in North Carolina on alleged fraud charges Saturday after his life insurance companies filed a lawsuit alleging he was alive and they shouldn't be making payments.

Japan firms to be a surprise no-show at Australian submarine event Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:03 PM PDT By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo TOKYO (Reuters) - Two Japanese firms that until recently were the frontrunners to win a multi-billion dollar contract to build Australia's new submarines have rebuffed an invitation to attend a gathering of top Australian naval officials and politicians this week. The no-show by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries at an event called Australia's Future Submarine Summit, held amid intensifying competition for the deal, exposes a potential weak link in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's more muscular security agenda: Japan Inc. While Abe wants Japanese firms to vie for overseas orders after he lifted a decades-old ban on arms exports last year, such companies are showing little appetite for doing business in foreign markets after being restricted to local sales for so long, Japanese defense officials and experts said. Experts say they also worry about being called "merchants of death" at home, where Japan's wartime role remains a sensitive issue, should they start selling state-of-the-art weapons abroad.

Crashed Syrian army helicopter crew captured by rebels Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:01 PM PDT A Syrian military helicopter crashed in northwestern Syria on Sunday and at least four of its crew were captured by rebels, according to a monitoring group. Video footage on social media showed a helicopter crashing in the distance. Photographs posted showed one of the crew apparently executed on the spot and an injured pilot taken by rebels from the wreckage. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in the country, said at least four of the six crew were taken hostage by the al Qaeda offshoot, the Nusra Front.

Residents of Puerto Rico island find munition on beach Posted: 22 Mar 2015 02:01 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities say residents of an outlying Puerto Rican island have found an unexploded munition on a beach once used as a bombing practice area by the U.S. Navy.

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