Yahoo! News: World News

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• Hundreds drown off Libya, EU leaders forced to reconsider migrant crisis
• Islamic State shoots and beheads 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya: video
• Khamenei says Iran nuclear weapons are U.S. 'myth'
• Iraqi Shi'ite militia says DNA tests prove Saddam aide dead
• Yemen's Houthi leader accuses Saudi Arabia of seeking to invade
• Greece's Varoufakis warns of Grexit contagion
• Scott Dixon wins Grand Prix of Long Beach
• Two Cubans lose bids to become first opponents elected to office
• Finland's new 'DIY' PM aims for business acumen in government
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Both opposition candidates concede defeat in Cuban vote
• US envoy apologises to Poland over FBI chief's Holocaust claim
• Yemen Shiite rebel leader vows not to surrender amid strikes
• Fury as 700 feared dead in 'avoidable' Med shipwreck
• Survivor: Smugglers locked hundreds in hold of capsized boat
• Opposition centrists win Finland election, face tough talks
• Italy calls for emergency EU summit on migrant crisis
• Madrid rivals clash again in Champions League
• Palmeiras beats Corinthians on penalties, reaches final
• Officer under Saddam Hussein drew up Islamic State master plan
• Parents of students missing in Mexico visit Boston
• Wes Roach wins in Mexico for first Web.com Tour title
• Davis Cup final may be played at neutral venue
• Gerrard misses out on perfect farewell in FA Cup final
• Opposition Centre wins Finnish election, ousts PM Stubb
• Opposition Centre wins Finnish vote, eurosceptic party second: final results
• Officials: Cocaine haul seized, 3 arrested off Martinique
• Wartime climate in Saudi puts calls for reform on hold
• Roma draws 1-1 at home to struggling Atalanta in Serie A
• Peru ex-President Fujimori's daughter leads potential 2016 presidential candidates
• Ricciardo loses 3rd engine of season after Bahrain blow-out
• Dissidents on the ballot in historic Cuba vote
• Ten-man Lyon held to 2-2 draw by Saint-Etienne
• Under-pressure EU mulls emergency summit after migrant tragedy
• Villa beats Liverpool to secure FA Cup final against Arsenal
• Greek banks low on refinancing collateral, Noyer tells Le Figaro
• Teliana Pereira wins Claro Open Colsanitas
• Higgins and Dott win as Fu comes through at worlds
• Granada's Mainz scores for both sides in draw with Sevilla
• 8 people killed at Brazilian soccer team's fan club

Hundreds drown off Libya, EU leaders forced to reconsider migrant crisis Posted: 19 Apr 2015 12:09 PM PDT By Antonio Denti PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - As many as 700 migrants were feared dead on Sunday after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean, raising pressure on Europe to face down anti-immigrant bias and find money for support as turmoil in Libya and the Middle East worsens the crisis. If the death toll is confirmed, it will bring to 1,500 the total number of people who died this year seeking to reach Europe - a swelling exodus that prompted Europe to downsize its seek and rescue border protection program in a bid to deter them. After news of Sunday's disaster several government leaders called for emergency talks and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said foreign ministers would discuss the immigration crisis at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. European Council President Donald Tusk said he was considering calling a special meeting of EU leaders, a summit that Renzi had called for earlier.

Islamic State shoots and beheads 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya: video Posted: 19 Apr 2015 10:51 AM PDT By Sylvia Westall CAIRO (Reuters) - A video purportedly made by Islamic State and posted on social media sites on Sunday appeared to show militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the video but the killings resemble past violence carried out by Islamic State, an ultra-hardline group which has expanded its reach from strongholds in Iraq and Syria to conflict-ridden Libya. The video, in which militants call Christians "crusaders" who are out to kill Muslims, showed about 15 men being beheaded on a beach and another group of the same size, in an area of shrubland, being shot in the head.

Khamenei says Iran nuclear weapons are U.S. 'myth' Posted: 19 Apr 2015 09:51 AM PDT By Sam Wilkin DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told military commanders on Sunday the United States had created the "myth" of nuclear weapons to portray Iran as a threat, hardening his rhetoric before nuclear negotiations resume this week. Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, has supported the nuclear talks but continues to express deep mistrust of the United States.

Iraqi Shi'ite militia says DNA tests prove Saddam aide dead Posted: 19 Apr 2015 01:08 PM PDT An Iraqi Shi'ite militia group said on Sunday it had conducted DNA tests to prove the death of Ezzat al-Douri, former right-hand man to the late president Saddam Hussein, who after the 2003 U.S. invasion was ranked by Washington as the sixth most-wanted Iraqi. The Kataib Hizbollah group published a video on Saturday showing its fighters undressing the body of the man believed to be Douri, who was laid out on a metal trolley, and snipping off a piece of his flame-red beard. "The final results prove that the body belongs to the criminal Ezzat al-Douri," the group's spokesman Jaafar Husseini told Reuters, saying his DNA had been tested in the Iranian-backed Kataib Hizbollah's own special hospitals. The governor of Iraq's Salahuddin province announced on Friday that Douri had been killed in an ambush in the Hamrin mountain area.

Yemen's Houthi leader accuses Saudi Arabia of seeking to invade Posted: 19 Apr 2015 11:43 AM PDT By Mohammed Mukhashaf ADEN (Reuters) - The leader of Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi militia accused Saudi Arabia on Sunday of plotting to seize the country, in a fiery speech suggesting he was in no mood to compromise despite more than three weeks of Saudi-led bombing. Saudi Arabia's goal is "the invasion of this country, its occupation and placing this country again under its feet and hegemony", Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said. The announcement puts at least 15,000 troops in the desert and mountain border area on the same side as Saudi Arabia, which hosts the embattled Yemeni president in its capital Riyadh. "Brigadier General Abdulrahman al-Halily of the First Military District announced today his support for constitutional legitimacy as represented by President Hadi," one of the officials told Reuters.

Greece's Varoufakis warns of Grexit contagion Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:47 PM PDT Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that if Greece were to leave the euro zone, there would be an inevitable contagion effect. "Some claim that the rest of Europe has been ring-fenced from Greece and that the ECB has tools at its disposal to amputate Greece, if need be, cauterize the wound and allow the rest of euro zone to carry on." "I very much doubt that that is the case. Sooner or later it's going to start raising interest rates, political tensions, capital flight." His comments were recorded before those of Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank's president, who this weekend said the euro zone was better equipped than it had been in the past to deal with a new Greek crisis but warned of uncharted waters if the situation deteriorates. Euro zone deputy finance ministers gave Athens last Thursday a deadline of six working days to present a revised economic reform plan.

Scott Dixon wins Grand Prix of Long Beach Posted: 19 Apr 2015 05:01 PM PDT LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Scott Dixon, like nearly every IndyCar driver, loves racing the streets of downtown Long Beach.

Two Cubans lose bids to become first opponents elected to office Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:51 PM PDT HAVANA (Reuters) - Two Cuban dissidents on Sunday lost in their attempts to become the first openly declared political opponents to win election in Cuba since the 1959 revolution, each failing in races for the municipal assembly. Hildebrando Chaviano, 65, and Yuniel Lopez, 26, both said they had fallen behind by insurmountable margins and had no hopes of winning. The two were among of 27,379 candidates competing in midterm elections for 12,589 municipal assembly posts, the first rung on Cuba's political ladder. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Finland's new 'DIY' PM aims for business acumen in government Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:45 PM PDT By Jussi Rosendahl and Anna Ercanbrack HELSINKI (Reuters) - After only a few years of party leadership, Finland's next prime minister Juha Sipila beat electoral expectations by emphasizing his business acumen as a telecom millionaire executive while maintaining traditional Finnish roots that emphasize self-sufficiency. He also belongs to "Word of Peace", part of a Lutheran revival movement that helps to explain his appeal to conservative rural voters who are the foundation of his Centre Party. NONPOLITICAL FIGURE The Centre Party led the Finnish government in 2007-2011 but suffered a major loss in 2011 elections after the emergence of suspicious funding arrangements by some party members.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:33 PM PDT BEIJING (AP) — The most prominent of five recently released Chinese women's rights activists feels her dedication to the cause has grown stronger after spending 37 days in detention with interrogators who blew smoke onto her face and insulted her sexual orientation, her girlfriend and her lawyer said. Li Tingting, 25, an openly lesbian campaigner for women's issues, has been at the center of an international outcry over China's detention of activists. Her girlfriend, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition she be identified only by her English name of Teresa, relayed comments from Li for the first time since the activist's conditional release from a Beijing jail last Monday. Teresa spoke in the presence of Li's lawyer Wang Yu, who also confirmed Li's comments.

Both opposition candidates concede defeat in Cuban vote Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:24 PM PDT HAVANA (AP) — Both dissident candidates in Cuba's first local elections since a historic thaw in U.S. relations have conceded defeat after preliminary results showed them losing.

US envoy apologises to Poland over FBI chief's Holocaust claim Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:13 PM PDT The US ambassador to Warsaw apologised Sunday after being summoned by the foreign ministry over comments by the head of the FBI that Poland shared responsibility for the Holocaust with Germany. Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski said the comments in an opinion piece by FBI director James Comey were an "insult" to Poland. "In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn't do something evil," Comey wrote in the April 16 Washington Post article.

Yemen Shiite rebel leader vows not to surrender amid strikes Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:13 PM PDT SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A Shiite rebel leader in Yemen vowed to not surrender Sunday amid Saudi-led airstrikes in a rambling speech that rejected U.N. efforts to halt violence there, even as the political party of the country's former leader welcomed international efforts for a cease-fire.

Fury as 700 feared dead in 'avoidable' Med shipwreck Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:10 PM PDT More than 700 people are feared to have drowned after an overcrowded boat smuggling them to Europe capsized off Libya, officials said Sunday, prompting demands for the European Union to react to the Mediterranean's deadliest migrant disaster to date. Italy's coastguard, which was coordinating the search for survivors and bodies, said only 28 people had survived a wreck that triggered fresh calls from Pope Francis and others for European leaders to act over what many saw as an avoidable tragedy. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said survivors' testimonies suggested there had been around 700 people on board the 20-metre (70-foot) fishing boat when it keeled over in darkness overnight, officials said. "It seems we are looking at the worst massacre ever seen in the Mediterranean," UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said.

Survivor: Smugglers locked hundreds in hold of capsized boat Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:08 PM PDT ROME (AP) — A smuggler's boat crammed with hundreds of people overturned off Libya's coast as rescuers approached, causing what could be the Mediterranean's deadliest known migrant tragedy and intensifying pressure on the European Union Sunday to finally meet demands for decisive action.

Opposition centrists win Finland election, face tough talks Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:05 PM PDT HELSINKI (AP) — The opposition Center Party has won Finland's parliamentary election but its new leader faces tough talks on forming a government following the success of the populist, anti-establishment Finns Party that placed ahead of the main government partners, the conservatives and Social Democrats.

Italy calls for emergency EU summit on migrant crisis Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:05 PM PDT Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Rome would be seeking the extraordinary meeting after up to 700 people were feared to have drowned when a boat carrying them towards Italy capsized off Libya. The Italian initiative came as the EU came under fire over what NGOs termed a tragedy that may have been avoided if Italy had maintained its large-scale search-and-rescue operation off its southern shores.

Madrid rivals clash again in Champions League Posted: 19 Apr 2015 04:03 PM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Defending champion Real Madrid faces familiar foe Atletico Madrid for a place in the Champions League semifinals while Barcelona appears to have its place already booked.

Palmeiras beats Corinthians on penalties, reaches final Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:59 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Goalkeeper Fernando Prass saved two penalties as Palmeiras defeated rival Corinthians 6-5 in a shootout Sunday to reach the final of the Sao Paulo state championship.

Officer under Saddam Hussein drew up Islamic State master plan Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:53 PM PDT An ex-intelligence officer under the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was "the strategic head" behind the Islamic State group and drew up the blueprints for the jihadists' capture of northern Syria, German weekly Der Spiegel reported Sunday. Former colonel Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi, who was better known as Haji Bakr and was killed by Syrian rebels in January 2014, "had been secretly pulling the strings at IS for years", according to the magazine. The weekly said it had been given exclusive access to 31 documents by Bakr, including handwritten lists and charts, after lengthy negotiations with a rebel group in Aleppo, northern Syria, which came in possession of the pages after IS fled the area. The trove "was nothing less than a blueprint for a takeover", according to Spiegel, detailing the creation of a caliphate in northern Syria, complete with meticulous instructions for espionage activities, murder and kidnapping.

Parents of students missing in Mexico visit Boston Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:49 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — Relatives of some of the 43 students who vanished in Mexico last September rallied with supporters in Boston on Sunday as part of a national tour to call attention to their plight.

Wes Roach wins in Mexico for first Web.com Tour title Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:41 PM PDT LEON, Mexico (AP) — Wes Roach won the El Bosque Mexico Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Kevin Tway and Patton Kizzire by four strokes.

Davis Cup final may be played at neutral venue Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:41 PM PDT SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The International Tennis Federation is considering playing future Davis Cup finals at a neutral venue.

Gerrard misses out on perfect farewell in FA Cup final Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:30 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — It was supposed to be the dream farewell for Steven Gerrard. With the FA Cup final falling on his 35th birthday, it was an opportunity for a perfect send-off.

Opposition Centre wins Finnish election, ousts PM Stubb Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:28 PM PDT Finland's opposition Centre Party won Sunday's general election, ousting Prime Minister Alexander Stubb's left-right coalition after a campaign dominated by the country's economic woes. Centre Party leader Juha Sipila, a 53-year-old IT millionaire and newcomer to politics, is set to become Finland's next prime minister. Sipila's liberal-agrarian party won 49 of 200 seats in parliament, results showed with 100 percent of votes counted. The rightwing eurosceptic Finns Party, also in the opposition, surged in late ballot counting on Sunday evening to become the country's second-biggest party, garnering 38 seats.

Opposition Centre wins Finnish vote, eurosceptic party second: final results Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:16 PM PDT Helsinki (AFP) - Finland's opposition Centre Party won Sunday's general election, ousting Prime Minister Alexander Stubb's left-right coalition after a campaign dominated by the country's economic woes, final results showed.

Officials: Cocaine haul seized, 3 arrested off Martinique Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:15 PM PDT FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique (AP) — French authorities have arrested three alleged drug traffickers and seized a haul of 2.2 tons of cocaine from a sailboat off the coast of Martinique.

Wartime climate in Saudi puts calls for reform on hold Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:08 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — An electronic billboard at an upscale Saudi mall flashes an advertisement for a designer fragrance before switching to images of soaring F-16s and King Salman saluting the troops. "The response has come to you who threaten the nation," the caption says. "To those who test me, take this war as a reply."

Roma draws 1-1 at home to struggling Atalanta in Serie A Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:04 PM PDT MILAN (AP) — Roma failed to make the most of Lazio's defeat as it was held 1-1 at home by relegation-threatened Atalanta in Serie A to move level on points with its city rival in second spot, while Inter Milan drew 0-0 against AC Milan in a heated derby match.

Peru ex-President Fujimori's daughter leads potential 2016 presidential candidates Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:59 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - The eldest daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori leads the pack of potential candidates for the 2016 presidential election, a survey of voting intention conducted by pollster Ipsos Peru showed on Sunday. Keiko Fujimori, whose father is in jail for human rights abuses committed during his 1990-2000 administration, was backed by 32 percent of those surveyed, said the poll published in local newspaper El Comercio. ...

Ricciardo loses 3rd engine of season after Bahrain blow-out Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:57 PM PDT SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Four races into the Formula One season, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has already used up three of his four allocated engines and the pressure is increasing on manufacturer Renault.

Dissidents on the ballot in historic Cuba vote Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:56 PM PDT Cubans voted Sunday in local elections featuring two opposition candidates who could become the island's first non-Communist elected officials in decades. Political dissidents Hildebrando Chaviano, a 65-year old lawyer and independent journalist, and Yuniel Lopez, a 26-year old computer scientist, have already made history by surviving the first round of balloting and making it to the final vote. Chaviano and Lopez would be the first officials elected from outside the Communist Party since Cuba's electoral law was put in place under former president Fidel Castro in 1976. In their official electoral biographies displayed publicly in Cuba, Chaviano and Lopez are described as "counter-revolutionaries," and there has been no mention of them or their parties in state-controlled media.

Ten-man Lyon held to 2-2 draw by Saint-Etienne Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:55 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Lyon missed the chance to move two points clear of Paris Saint-Germain at the top spot of the French league standings after an early sending off undermined the hosts in a 2-2 draw with Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

Under-pressure EU mulls emergency summit after migrant tragedy Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT EU president Donald Tusk was considering Sunday an emergency summit on illegal immigration, as European leaders called for action after more than 700 were feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean's deadliest migrant disaster yet. EU Council President Tusk said on Twitter he had spoken to Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and "will continue talks w/ EU leaders, Commission & EEAS on how to alleviate situation". He would make a decision on calling a possible summit after holding these consultations, Tusk's spokesman Preben Aamann told AFP. More than 700 people were feared to have drowned Sunday after an overcrowded boat smuggling them to Europe capsized off Libya, the latest in a series of high-seas tragedies following a recent spike in the number of migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Villa beats Liverpool to secure FA Cup final against Arsenal Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:46 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — There will be a first in world soccer's oldest competition next month — an FA Cup final contested by two American-owned clubs.

Greek banks low on refinancing collateral, Noyer tells Le Figaro Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:46 PM PDT Greek banks may soon run out of collateral to access European Central Bank refinancing unless Athens reaches an agreement with the European Union and International Monetary Fund on economic reforms, France's central bank chief said. The remarks by Banque de France Governor Christian Noyer, to be published by Le Figaro on Monday, came as Athens struggled to scrape together cash to meet a May repayment deadline on almost 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) due to the IMF.

Teliana Pereira wins Claro Open Colsanitas Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:25 PM PDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Brazil's Teliana Pereira won the Claro Open Colsanitas on Sunday to become the WTA Tour's first Brazilian winner in 27 years, beating fifth-seeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Higgins and Dott win as Fu comes through at worlds Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:25 PM PDT Former champions John Higgins and Graeme Dott both won through to the second round of the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre on Sunday. Higgins, a four-times winner of the world title, saw off Robert Milkins 10-5 in a first-round clash while fellow Scottish cuemaster Dott defeated Ricky Walden 10-8. February saw Higgins end a run of two-and-a-half-years without a major trophy when he won the Welsh Open and he insisted the desire to win a fifth world title was there, even if he wasn't sure if his form would hold up. Asked directly whether he could be crowned world champion again this year, Higgins replied: "Nah.

Granada's Mainz scores for both sides in draw with Sevilla Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:22 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Granada defender Diego Mainz scored goals for both teams in a 1-1 draw against visiting Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday.

8 people killed at Brazilian soccer team's fan club Posted: 19 Apr 2015 02:16 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Armed men killed eight people in a raid on a Sao Paulo soccer fan club that has close links to a notorious, now-closed prison, Brazilian police said on Sunday.

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