Yahoo! News: World News

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• Russia blames U.S. for security crises and turmoil in Ukraine
• Islamic State, security forces clash in Iraq's largest refinery
• New Yemen VP says he hopes to avert Saudi invasion
• Putin says Washington told leaders not to attend World War Two parade
• Iraq signals unease with Iran general's battlefield prominence
• Iraqi PM seeks more security for Reuters bureau in Baghdad
• Obama says Cuba has agreed to address cases of US fugitives
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• LGBT-rights group urges Guam governor to allow gay marriage
• Clarke to play Twenty20 cricket in Melbourne for 2 years
• SKorea, Japan put brave face on differences in US meeting
• U.N. chief urges immediate ceasefire by 'all parties' in Yemen war
• Jamaican teen suspected of being militant stays in custody
• Sei Young Kim, I.K. Kim share early second-round lead
• Mexican conservative candidates threatened in Michoacan
• Tinian mayor concerned about US military's training plans
• Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip
• Mexico scrambles to find stolen radioactive material
• Nigeria says no need for UN enforcement to battle Boko Haram
• Loyd taken first in WNBA draft by Seattle
• Secrecy shrouds decade-old oil spill in Gulf of Mexico
• Jordan Spieth struggles in 1st round after Masters win
• UK charity slams donors for neglecting U.N. basic education goal
• U.N. chief to name new Yemen envoy as peace efforts stall: sources
• Poll says UK's Miliband wins last pre-election TV debate but PM Cameron absent
• Iraq PM downplays criticism of Saudi airstrikes on Yemen
• Migrants 'thrown overboard' in religious row as toll climbs
• Iraq's largest refinery not at risk from IS group: US
• Britain's opposition parties clash weeks from election
• Correction: Europe-Tourism Boost story
• Mexico implements plan to save endangered vaquita porpoise
• Blind vendors scuffle with Mexico City police
• Chile students protest corruption, demand education reform
• Autopsy doctor testifies in trial in Australian player death
• Man indicted in US for drug deal elected senator in Nigeria
• Amid chaos, Al-Qaida consolidates hold of Yemen province
• Rivals row over top Afghan defense posts as Taliban goes on attack
• Syria gas attack video moves U.N. Security Council envoys to tears

Russia blames U.S. for security crises and turmoil in Ukraine Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:18 AM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - Top Russian officials accused the United States on Thursday of seeking political and military dominance and sought to put blame on the West for international security crises, including the conflict in east Ukraine. Evoking Cold War-style rhetoric, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said a drive by the United States and its allies to bring Kiev closer to the West was a threat to Moscow and had forced it to react. "The United States and its allies have crossed all possible lines in their drive to bring Kiev into their orbit.

Islamic State, security forces clash in Iraq's largest refinery Posted: 16 Apr 2015 02:47 PM PDT Islamic State militants clashed with security forces inside Iraq's largest refinery on Thursday and held on to recent gains in the west of the country, as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the extremist group remained "very, very dangerous". The insurgents suffered a major defeat this month when Iraqi troops and Shi'ite paramilitaries routed them from the city of Tikrit, but are now striking back at Baiji refinery and in the western province of Anbar. The top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, told reporters "the refinery itself is at no risk right now." But he expressed concern that the militants had penetrated the refinery's outer perimeter and were now inside. Islamic State sympathizers circulated photographs on social media late on Thursday appearing to show the militants inside the refinery with the caption: "the soldiers of the (Islamic) State advance to cleanse what is left of Baiji refinery".

New Yemen VP says he hopes to avert Saudi invasion Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT By Angus McDowall and Mohamed Mukashaf RIYADH/ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's newly-appointed Vice President Khaled Bahah, a widely respected figure named this week to shore up the legitimacy of the exiled Saudi-backed government, said on Thursday he hoped to avert a Saudi-led invasion to restore unity to the country. Arab military exercises planned for Saudi Arabia have raised speculation that Riyadh is considering land operations in Yemen, after three weeks of air strikes that failed to halt advances by Shi'ite fighters now in control of most of the country. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named Bahah, a former prime minister and diplomat, as his deputy this week in an attempt to widen support for his government, now exiled to Saudi Arabia since the Iran-backed fighters, known as Houthis, seized the capital and launched a lightning advance on the south. Bahah is one of the few figures in Yemen whose popularity crosses regional and sectarian lines.

Putin says Washington told leaders not to attend World War Two parade Posted: 16 Apr 2015 09:05 AM PDT President Vladimir Putin accused Washington on Thursday of putting pressure on some world leaders not to attend events in Russia marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe. Russia will stage a military parade on May 9 in what Putin called a display of "respect for victims of Nazis and to pay tribute to the ... victors over Nazism". Asked at his annual phone-in whether Russia should be offended by those who have declined invitations, Putin said "whoever doesn't want to (join) can do as they please". "Some are unwilling to do so and some are prohibited to do so by the "Washington Obkom" and told they should not go -- although many would like to." The "Obkom" is a Soviet term for a Communist Party committee and his use of it suggests that post-Soviet states and some activists in Russia follow orders from the United States.

Iraq signals unease with Iran general's battlefield prominence Posted: 16 Apr 2015 02:08 PM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday that he welcomed Iranian assistance in Iraq's battle against Islamic State but suggested unease with the prominence of a top Iranian general, who has been widely seen in photos from Iraq's battlefields. Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's al-Quds brigade of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was almost an invisible man until Islamic State's Sunni jihadists overran cities in northern and central Iraq last year.

Iraqi PM seeks more security for Reuters bureau in Baghdad Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:53 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Thursday he had asked for more protection for the Reuters office in Baghdad after the news agency's bureau chief left the country due to threats. Abadi, who has been in Washington meeting with President Barack Obama to seek support in fighting Islamic State militants, said he was seeking more information after last week's departure from Iraq of Reuters bureau chief Ned Parker. "We want more information so that I can take action," he said at an event organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After a Reuters report last week that detailed lynching and looting in the city of Tikrit, a post on a Facebook page linked to armed Shiite groups demanded Parker be expelled.

Obama says Cuba has agreed to address cases of US fugitives Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Cuba has agreed to work on resolving the cases of U.S. fugitives harboring from justice on the island as part of the effort to normalize relations between the two nations, President Barack Obama told lawmakers as he made the case for removing the former Cold War foe from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — China should not be concerned if the U.S. deploys an advanced missile defense system in South Korea to counter the threat from a nuclear North Korea, a U.S. military commander said Thursday. Commander of U.S. forces in Korea, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, told a congressional hearing that if employed, the Theater High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system would be focused on the defense of the Korean Peninsula and would not have "any influence beyond that."

LGBT-rights group urges Guam governor to allow gay marriage Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The nation's largest gay rights organization and Guam's largest newspaper are blasting the territory's governor for not allowing marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples.

Clarke to play Twenty20 cricket in Melbourne for 2 years Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia test skipper Michael Clarke's will captain the Melbourne Stars in Australia's Big Bash League for the next two seasons after not playing Twenty20 cricket for three years.

SKorea, Japan put brave face on differences in US meeting Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. allies South Korea and Japan put a brave face on their bitter differences over wartime history, saying it should not prevent cooperation between them.

U.N. chief urges immediate ceasefire by 'all parties' in Yemen war Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:57 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for an immediate halt to the fighting in Yemen, the first time he has made such an appeal since Saudi-led air strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels began three weeks ago. "That is why I am calling for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen by all the parties," Ban said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington. Ban did not mention the decision by his outgoing special adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, to resign his post in frustration at the failure of the U.N.-brokered peace talks. Ban has chosen Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to replace Benomar, diplomatic sources said.

Jamaican teen suspected of being militant stays in custody Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:57 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — A Jamaican judge ruled Thursday that a teenager suspected of hoping to join Islamic extremists in Syria must remain in police custody until next week.

Sei Young Kim, I.K. Kim share early second-round lead Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:55 PM PDT KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — Sei Young Kim shot her second straight 5-under 67 on Thursday for a share of the lead with fellow South Korean player I.K. Kim halfway through the second round of the breezy Lotte Championship.

Mexican conservative candidates threatened in Michoacan Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:53 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's conservative National Action Party said Thursday that local candidates in the western state of Michoacan have been threatened by crime gangs.

Tinian mayor concerned about US military's training plans Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:51 PM PDT HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Officials from Tinian are voicing concerns about the U.S. military's plan to turn most of the small Pacific island into a training area.

Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:43 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Recent satellite images published on Thursday show China has made rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in contested territory in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands and may be planning another, moves that have been greeted with concern in the United States and Asia. IHS Jane's Defense Weekly said March 23 images provided by Airbus Defence and Space showed work on the runway on reclaimed parts of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, which China contests with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The report said other images suggested China was working to extend another airstrip to that length in the Paracel Islands further north in the South China Sea. The report comes a day after the U.S. military commander for Asia, Admiral Samuel Locklear, said China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone should China move to declare one.

Mexico scrambles to find stolen radioactive material Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:43 PM PDT Authorities appealed for help among Mexico's population Thursday to locate stolen radioactive material, as the fourth such theft in less than two years prompted officials to mull new security measures. Officials suspect that, like in three other cases since 2013, the thieves were not aware that they were stealing a potentially deadly radioactive source. "Each time that one of these units have disappeared from the hands of companies in charge of them, we have recovered them with the help of the population," Luis Felipe Puente, the national civil protection coordinator, told Milenio television. The manmade radioactive element can cause burns, radiation sickness and permanent injuries if somebody comes in contact with it for minutes or hours.

Nigeria says no need for UN enforcement to battle Boko Haram Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:42 PM PDT Abuja (AFP) - ​Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday told the United Nations his country would not need the help of an international force in the fight against Boko Haram. Jonathan made the remarks after meeting with the special representatives of the UN secretary-general for west and central Africa, Mohammed Ibn Chambas and Abdoulaye Bathily, the statement said. The UN refugee agency has said that 1.5 million people have been displaced by Boko Haram violence in northern Nigeria, while more than 13,000 people have been killed. Jonathan said that with the support of troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, the Nigerian military had in recent months regained most of the towns and villages seized by the Islamist militants in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

Loyd taken first in WNBA draft by Seattle Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:40 PM PDT UNCASVILLE, Connecticut (AP) — Jewell Loyd is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

Secrecy shrouds decade-old oil spill in Gulf of Mexico Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:33 PM PDT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) — A blanket of fog lifts, exposing a band of rainbow sheen that stretches off the coast of Louisiana. From an airplane, it's easy to see gas bubbles that mark the spot where an oil platform toppled during a 2004 hurricane, triggering what might be the longest-running commercial oil spill ever to pollute the Gulf of Mexico.

Jordan Spieth struggles in 1st round after Masters win Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:16 PM PDT HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — It's been quite some time since Jordan Spieth had to explain a performance this poor.

UK charity slams donors for neglecting U.N. basic education goal Posted: 16 Apr 2015 04:10 PM PDT By Joseph D'Urso LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Major countries and NGOs have cut back the proportion of aid for basic education in developing nations in recent years and their funding has been "inconsistent, uncoordinated and declining", a UK charity said on Friday. Nine of the 10 largest donors, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany, have been reducing the proportion of aid going to primary schooling since 2010, and the only big bilateral donor that has increased it is Norway, it said. Overall aid for basic education is "exactly the same as a decade ago", the charity A World At School said in a report, accusing donors of a "lack of ambition" to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. The NGO described support from multilateral groups such as the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and the World Bank, which holds its annual meeting in Washington D.C. this week, as "erratic".

U.N. chief to name new Yemen envoy as peace efforts stall: sources Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:58 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is naming Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to replace his outgoing special envoy to Yemen, who resigned after his peace plan to halt the war there failed, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. They said Ban has briefed some members of the United Nations Security Council informally about his intention to appoint Ould Cheikh Ahmed to replace Jamal Benomar, a veteran Moroccan diplomat who brokered a 2011 transition plan aimed at quelling political turmoil in Yemen. "The SG (Ban) has decided to name (Ould Cheikh Ahmed) and will send a letter to the council soon about the appointment," a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity.

Poll says UK's Miliband wins last pre-election TV debate but PM Cameron absent Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:55 PM PDT By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - A snap opinion poll declared opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband the winner of the final TV debate of a knife-edge British election campaign on Thursday, but Prime Minister David Cameron didn't take part, making it an oddly unbalanced event. With Cameron, his main rival, agreeing to only participate in one earlier debate, Miliband took a risk by appearing in Thursday's contest which pitched him against the leaders of four smaller parties before the country's May 7 election. Miliband's gamble was that the event would be an opportunity to showcase his leadership credentials - which are frequently called into question by Britain's mostly right-leaning press - and to close the gap between his and Cameron's personal ratings. A Survation poll published after the 90-minute debate suggested his punt may have paid off, with 35 percent of a sample of people who had watched the debate judging Miliband the winner, with Scottish nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon second on 31 percent.

Iraq PM downplays criticism of Saudi airstrikes on Yemen Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:55 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sought Thursday to walk back sharp criticism of the Saudi air campaign against Shiite militias in Yemen and welcomed news that the Saudi embassy in Baghdad will reopen soon. Abadi, a Shiite, told the Center for Strategic and International Studies: "We are on the same boat in the region. "We have suffered so much from wars in Iraq.

Migrants 'thrown overboard' in religious row as toll climbs Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:53 PM PDT Italian police on Thursday said 12 African migrants had died after being thrown overboard by fellow passengers in the latest high-seas tragedy in the Mediterranean, as another 41 boat migrants were feared drowned in a separate incident. Police in the Sicilian port of Palermo said they had arrested 15 Muslim migrants suspected of attacking Christian passengers after a religious row on a boat headed for Italy, which is struggling to cope with a huge spike in illegal migrants arriving on its shores. They were charged with "multiple aggravated murder motivated by religious hate," according to a police statement. Distraught survivors, who set off from Libya on Tuesday before being rescued by an Italian vessel on Wednesday, told a "dreadful" story of "forcefully resisting attempts to drown them, forming a veritable human chain in some cases," police said.

Iraq's largest refinery not at risk from IS group: US Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:49 PM PDT Iraq's largest refinery in Baiji is not "at risk" despite an offensive by the Islamic State group that has breached parts of the facility, the US military's top general said Thursday. The IS militants have "penetrated the outer perimeter" of the vast oil refinery and the US-coalition was concentrating bombing raids and surveillance flights over the area, General Martin Dempsey told reporters. "The refinery itself is at no risk right now, but ... we're focusing a lot of our ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and air support there," the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Britain's opposition parties clash weeks from election Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:38 PM PDT The opposition parties vying for a role in Britain's next government went head-to-head on Thursday in the final television debate three weeks from what promises to be the closest election in decades. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party and main rival, the Labour party of Ed Miliband, are neck-and-neck ahead of the vote and both may rely on support from smaller parties to form a majority. "David Cameron refused to come and debate tonight, but I have got a message for him," Miliband said. As audience members posed questions on housing, defence, public spending and immigration, Miliband clashed with the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which may hold the balance of power after the vote on May 7.

Correction: Europe-Tourism Boost story Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:37 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — In a story April 15 about effect of the weakening euro on tourism in Europe, The Associated Press reported erroneously that 10 million Americans visited Paris last year, and that officials hoped the figure would rise 10 percent to 11 million this year. The correct figure was 2 million U.S. visitors last year, not 10 million, and officials hope that figure will rise 10 percent to 2.2 million, not 11 million.

Mexico implements plan to save endangered vaquita porpoise Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:30 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena Nieto formally inaugurated a plan Thursday to save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise found only in the Sea of Cortez.

Blind vendors scuffle with Mexico City police Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:29 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Blind vendors angry about having their stalls removed from a downtown Mexico City subway station this week clashed with police outside city hall Thursday.

Chile students protest corruption, demand education reform Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:28 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Thousands of students marched through the streets of Chile's capital Thursday to protest recent corruption scandals and to complain about delays in a promised education overhaul.

Autopsy doctor testifies in trial in Australian player death Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:21 PM PDT DUNCAN, Oklahoma (AP) — The doctor who performed the autopsy on a college baseball player from Australia who was shot in the back while jogging in Oklahoma said Thursday that even immediate medical attention would not have saved his life.

Man indicted in US for drug deal elected senator in Nigeria Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:17 PM PDT LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A man indicted in the United States for allegedly smuggling heroin, in a case that was the basis for the TV hit "Orange Is The New Black," has been elected a senator in Nigeria.

Amid chaos, Al-Qaida consolidates hold of Yemen province Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:13 PM PDT SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen consolidated control over much of the country's largest province on Thursday, capturing a major airport, an oil terminal and the area's main military base, and striking an alliance with local tribal leaders to administer the region.

Rivals row over top Afghan defense posts as Taliban goes on attack Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:09 PM PDT By Hamid Shalizi and Kay Johnson KABUL (Reuters) - Seven months after rival leaders finally agreed to share power, Afghanistan has no permanent defense minister and cannot decide who should run the army, threatening to weaken the war against Taliban militants on the offensive after foreign troops left. Deadlock over choosing the minister and army chief of staff is the latest sign of tension in the government of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who fought a bitterly contested presidential election last year.

Syria gas attack video moves U.N. Security Council envoys to tears Posted: 16 Apr 2015 03:06 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Members of the United Nations Security Council teared up on Thursday when Syrian doctors showed a video of failed attempts to resuscitate three children after a chlorine gas attack in March, prompting renewed calls for accountability. The children, aged 1, 2 and 3, their parents and grandmother were killed in the March 16 attack on Sarmin village in northwest Idlib province, said Dr. Mohamed Tennari, director of the field hospital where the family was taken. Government and opposition forces in Syria have denied using chlorine 'barrel bombs,' which the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says are dropped from helicopters. Tennari, Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President of the Syrian American Medical Society, and Qusai Zakarya, a survivor of a sarin gas attack in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013, briefed the informal closed meeting organized by the United States.

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