Yahoo! News: World News

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• U.S. strike inadvertently killed U.S., Italian hostages; Obama apologizes
• Shocked by drowned migrants, Europe restores rescue mission
• Merkel: must prevent Greece running out of cash before deal
• Diplomats press on in Vienna for final Iran nuclear deal
• Saudi-led coalition launches air strikes throughout Yemen: residents
• Pentagon dismisses Moscow claim of U.S. troops in Ukraine combat zone
• Ebola outbreak likely driving malaria deaths: study
• Manfred hopes for exhibition games in Cuba in 2016
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Haitian first lady Sophia Martelly registers for Senate run
• Three British plane spotters released in UAE
• Flash crash trader an impatient businessman for others
• EU leaders commit ships, aid to address migrant crisis
• Dutch expert fired after showing MH17 victim photos
• Malaria vaccine is a letdown but could still reduce cases
• Root ton leads England to 74-run lead on day 3 of 2nd test
• Iran's military nuclear activity visible under deal: Moniz
• Oklahoma deemed earthquake country as manmade tremors increase
• Top Honduran court paves way for presidents to seek re-election
• Columbia student alleges gender bias after rape claim tossed
• Bill to ban fining Californians who let lawns go brown in drought
• Belgian bishop told to pay damages to victim of paedophile priest
• EU leaders seek UN clearance for operation against migrant smugglers
• Haiti's politicians scramble to register for overdue elections
• Marc Gasol chasing title big brother couldn't win in Memphis
• Obama takes blame for strike that killed hostages
• Panama acts to clean up reputation for money laundering
• US lawmakers urge Japan's leader to reaffirm war apologies
• Judge orders Minnesota men held in terrorism case
• Calbuco volcano erupts anew; ash causing concern
• Ton-up Root puts England in charge
• Basketball diplomacy: NBA greats teach Cubans basketball
• India to host Afghan leader, seeks to regain ground lost to China, Pakistan
• Fairfax optimistic about prospects of a Greek debt deal
• By the numbers: The Nasdaq Composite's record high close
• Manfred downplays possibility of big leaguers in Olympics
• Sevilla, Fiorentina, Dnipro, Napoli make Europa League semis
• Israel retaliates to Gaza rocket attack, no injuries
• Mexican girl mistakenly sent to US woman is back home

U.S. strike inadvertently killed U.S., Italian hostages; Obama apologizes Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:15 PM PDT By Will Dunham and Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike in January targeting an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan near the Afghan border inadvertently killed an American and an Italian who had been held hostage for years by the group, U.S. officials said on Thursday. President Barack Obama apologized and took "full responsibility" for all counterterrorism operations, including this one. The deaths were a setback for the long-running U.S. drone strike program that has targeted Islamist militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and has often drawn criticism in those countries and from civil liberties groups in the United States. Killed in the January drone strike were aid workers Warren Weinstein, an American held by al Qaeda since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian who went missing in Pakistan in 2012, as well as Ahmed Farouq, an American who was an al Qaeda leader, U.S. officials said.

Shocked by drowned migrants, Europe restores rescue mission Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:55 PM PDT By Alastair Macdonald and Philip Pullella BRUSSELS/ROME (Reuters) - Four days after up to 900 desperate people drowned trying to reach Europe from Libya, EU leaders agreed on Thursday to triple its naval search mission in the Mediterranean, restoring its funding to last year's level. Critics called it a face-saving operation that did not go far enough to emulate an Italian rescue mission abandoned six months ago for want of EU support. Countries, including Britain which will send the Royal Navy's helicopter-carrying flagship, pledged aircraft and boats to Operation Triton, an EU frontier operation off Italy.

Merkel: must prevent Greece running out of cash before deal Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:43 PM PDT By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday everything must be done to prevent Greece running out of money before it reaches a cash-for-reform deal with its international creditors, amid heightened concern that Athens is nearing the brink. Merkel, Europe's pre-eminent leader, was speaking after a meeting she called "constructive" with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels. Asked how great the risk was of Athens running out of cash before any agreement was reached with its official lenders, she told a news conference: "Everything must be undertaken to prevent that." Tsipras told reporters they had noted significant progress had been made in the negotiations and added: "We have covered a large part of the distance." He said he was very optimistic and that they had moved closer to a deal on an economic reform program that would unlock frozen bailout funds.

Diplomats press on in Vienna for final Iran nuclear deal Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:57 PM PDT By Shadia Nasralla VIENNA (Reuters) - U.S. Under Secretary Wendy Sherman and Tehran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met in Vienna on Thursday in the latest push to secure a final nuclear deal by a June 30 deadline, Iranian media said. The latest round of nuclear diplomacy, being held in a luxury hotel in Austria's capital, kicked off with a bilateral meeting between Iran and the European Union on Wednesday. Catherine Ray, spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, said on Twitter that senior foreign policy officials from Iran, six world powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States and the EU will meet on Friday.

Saudi-led coalition launches air strikes throughout Yemen: residents Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:56 AM PDT Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition pounded Houthi militiamen and military bases with at least 20 air strikes throughout Yemen on Thursday, residents said, despite Riyadh saying it was winding down its campaign. On Tuesday, the Sunni Arab alliance announced an end to its month-old bombing operation in Yemen but strikes have continued. The Houthi-controlled health ministry said on Thursday that air strikes had so far killed 951 people, among them 134 children, and had wounded 3,311. Other air strikes hit military camps housing units loyal to the Houthis in the Western Red Sea port of Hodaida.

Pentagon dismisses Moscow claim of U.S. troops in Ukraine combat zone Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:25 PM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska and David Alexander MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that U.S. troops were training Ukrainian forces in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, but the Pentagon flatly denied it, accusing Moscow of a "ridiculous attempt" to obscure its own activity in the region. Interfax quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov as saying U.S. troops were training Ukrainian forces not only in western Ukraine "as Ukrainian TV channels show, but directly in the combat zone in the area of Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Artyomovsk and Volnovakha." The Russian Defense Ministry affirmed the report, but the Pentagon rejected it.

Ebola outbreak likely driving malaria deaths: study Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:42 PM PDT The collapse of health services in three west African countries devastated by Ebola may have caused some 11,000 additional deaths from malaria, a preventable and curable disease, researchers said Friday. This suggested the haemorrhagic fever outbreak "could have resulted in a comparable number of malaria deaths as those due to Ebola itself," said a statement issued by the medical journal. "The ongoing Ebola epidemic in parts of West Africa largely overwhelmed already fragile healthcare systems in 2014 making adequate care for malaria impossible," said Patrick Walker from Imperial College London, the lead author of the study. Walker and a team analysed demographic and health survey data for malaria prevention and care from 2000 to March 2014 in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Manfred hopes for exhibition games in Cuba in 2016 Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:39 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred believes MLB can engage in some fastball diplomacy.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama revealed Thursday that U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan inadvertently killed an American and an Italian, two hostages held by al-Qaida, as well as two other Americans who had leadership roles with the terror network. Obama somberly said he took full responsibility for the January CIA strikes and regretted the deaths of hostages Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian aid worker. The president cast the incident as a tragic consequence of the special difficulties of the fight against terrorists.

Haitian first lady Sophia Martelly registers for Senate run Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:23 PM PDT PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The wife of Haitian President Michel Martelly registered on Thursday to run for the Senate in her first attempt at elected office in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Three British plane spotters released in UAE Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:22 PM PDT Three British plane-spotting hobbyists who were arrested two months ago in the United Arab Emirates on national security grounds have been released, Britain's Foreign Office said on Thursday. Relatives of the men had said they were detained after being observed plane spotting at Fujairah airport, a pastime in which people photograph aircraft and log their registration numbers. "We can confirm the release of three British nationals detained in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates on 21st of February," a spokesman for Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. Conrad Clitheroe, 53, and his friend Gary Cooper, 45, both from Manchester in northwest England, were on a four-day trip to the UAE when they were arrested with their former work colleague Neil Munro, a UAE resident.

Flash crash trader an impatient businessman for others Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:17 PM PDT By Sarah N. Lynch, Tom Polansek and Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Briton blamed for contributing to the May 2010 Wall Street flash crash maintained frenetic relationships with a series of brokers, banks and software firms that appear to mirror his rapid-fire trading activity, court documents showed. Navinder Singh Sarao, 36, was arrested in London on criminal charges this week, and authorities have sought to link his trades to the flash crash, when about $1 trillion was briefly wiped out from U.S. stock markets in a matter of minutes. Sarao was granted bail on strict conditions, including a 7.5 million-pound sterling ($5 million) bond.

EU leaders commit ships, aid to address migrant crisis Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:05 PM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — Late to the rescue, European leaders came through Thursday with pledges of big ships, aircraft and a tripling in funds to save lives in the Mediterranean after the deaths at sea of more than 1,300 migrants over the past three weeks, and agreed to lay the groundwork for military action against traffickers.

Dutch expert fired after showing MH17 victim photos Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:03 PM PDT A Dutch expert helping to identify victims from last year's MH17 airliner crash in Ukraine has been fired after showing photographs of the dead at a public lecture, the government said Thursday. "The collaboration with George Maat has been terminated," Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told lawmakers in parliament. The minister had earlier described the lecture given by Maat, an anthropologist at Leiden University, in the southern city of Maastricht as "completely inappropriate and in bad taste". Thomas Aling, a spokesman for the Dutch national forensics investigation team LTFO, told AFP earlier Thursday that Maat had been suspended from his work while further action against him was being considered.

Malaria vaccine is a letdown but could still reduce cases Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:02 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — The world's leading malaria vaccine candidate appears to be a disappointment, with final study results showing it doesn't work very well and that initial protection fades over time.

Root ton leads England to 74-run lead on day 3 of 2nd test Posted: 23 Apr 2015 04:02 PM PDT ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) — Joe Root's first overseas century propelled England to 373-6 and a 74-run lead over the West Indies after three days of the second test on Thursday.

Iran's military nuclear activity visible under deal: Moniz Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:57 PM PDT By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and five other world powers would be able to detect any military capabilities of Iran's nuclear program for at least 10 years under a framework deal agreed upon earlier this month, the U.S. energy secretary said on Thursday. For 10 years at minimum, "we will have a very comfortable ability to detect any military activity related to the nuclear program and we would have adequate time to respond," Secretary Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist who participated in the Iran talks, said on CNBC about the plan. Under the deal, which Iran, the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany are working to finalize by late June, U.N. inspectors would have access to Tehran's nuclear facilities deemed to be suspicious, officials involved in the talks have said.

Oklahoma deemed earthquake country as manmade tremors increase Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:54 PM PDT By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. government geologists now recognize much of Oklahoma as earthquake country, accounting for the bulk of 17 regions newly designated for seismic hazards attributed to underground disposal of wastewater from fossil fuel production. Oklahoma, long synonymous with the storm-prone area of the country known as "tornado alley," now lies at the heart of a new manmade potential disaster zone, comprising by far the greatest amount of quake activity linked to wastewater injection. The new quake map was part of a USGS study modeling human-caused seismic hazards released on Thursday in conjunction with a meeting of the Seismological Society of America in Pasadena, California. It came a day after Oklahoma geologists issued their own report documenting strong links between rising seismic activity and wastewater injection.

Top Honduran court paves way for presidents to seek re-election Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:53 PM PDT The Supreme Court of Honduras on Thursday struck down a law that banned presidents from seeking a second term, paving the way for their re-election, a contentious issue at the heart of a coup six years ago. The decision would allow President Juan Orlando Hernandez to extend his rule, a prospect that opposition parties say is being pushed by ruling National Party leaders. The unanimous decision from the five-member court was applauded by former President Rafael Callejas, a 71-year-old member of the ruling party who has said he would like to run again. The fight over presidential reelection led to a bitter political stand-off that ended in a coup against former President Manuel Zelaya in 2009.

Columbia student alleges gender bias after rape claim tossed Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:51 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A Columbia University student from Germany has sued the school, saying it failed to protect him against harassment after a female student went public with claims he raped her after the school and police rejected her case.

Bill to ban fining Californians who let lawns go brown in drought Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:50 PM PDT "It is completely irresponsible for a municipality to penalize its residents for conserving water," said Democratic Assembly member Cheryl R. Brown of San Bernardino, the bill's author. The legislature took up Brown's bill, which was initially introduced last year, after Governor Jerry Brown ordered California's first-ever statewide mandatory cutbacks in water use earlier this month. Cheryl Brown said that residents of the Southern California communities of Glendale, Upland and San Bernardino had said they received anti-blight citations. California is entering its fourth year of a catastrophic drought that has forced farmers to fallow land and cost the state's economy an estimated $2.2 billion last year.

Belgian bishop told to pay damages to victim of paedophile priest Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:35 PM PDT A Belgian court on Thursday ordered the Archbishop of Brussels to pay 10,000 euros in damages to a former choir boy subjected to sexual abuse by a priest. The plaintiff Joel Devillet, now 42, was raped by a priest in southern Belgium between 1987 and 1991. In 1996 the victim denounced his violator in front of an internal tribunal of the Belgian Catholic Church, which advised him to seek therapy. Belgium was hit by a huge paedophile scandal involving the Catholic Church in 2010 when former Bruges bishop Roger Vangheluwe admitted to sexually abusing two of his nephews.

EU leaders seek UN clearance for operation against migrant smugglers Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:34 PM PDT Britain and France agreed Thursday to seek UN approval for an EU military operation against people smugglers, in a bid to curb the soaring number of migrants dying as they seek a better life in Europe. At crisis talks in Brussels, EU leaders also decided to triple funds for the bloc's maritime search and rescue operation, as horrific details continued to emerge of last weekend's shipwreck that saw hundreds drown in the Mediterranean's worst migrant disaster.

Haiti's politicians scramble to register for overdue elections Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:34 PM PDT By Peter Granitz PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Candidates from as many as 125 political parties in Haiti on Thursday rushed to meet a deadline to register to run in the country's long-overdue elections later this year. By late afternoon more than 2,000 people had registered for 119 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 20 open Senate seats, according to officials. The deadline to register for the Aug. 9 legislative elections was set to expire at midnight. "Individual people are allowed to form political parties," said Yolette Mengual, expressing a hint of resignation.

Marc Gasol chasing title big brother couldn't win in Memphis Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:33 PM PDT MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Marc Gasol is a creature of habit, a player who embraces his daily routine and assesses what must be done next at the day's end.

Obama takes blame for strike that killed hostages Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:25 PM PDT The White House said Thursday that a US operation in January against an Al Qaeda compound near the Afghan-Pakistan border killed one American and one Italian hostage, along with an American member of the jihadist group. Another American, Al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn, was killed, "likely in a separate US government counterterrorism operation." "No words can fully express our regret over this terrible tragedy," the White House said, revealing the previously classified finding. The president "takes full responsibility for these operations." US President Barack Obama expressed his profound regrets to their families. The White House identified the hostages killed in the operation against the border compound as US contractor Warren Weinstein and Italian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto.

Panama acts to clean up reputation for money laundering Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:17 PM PDT PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama took a major step in an effort to clean up its reputation as Latin America's premier hub for money laundering.

US lawmakers urge Japan's leader to reaffirm war apologies Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:16 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-five U.S. lawmakers are urging Japan's prime minister "to formally reaffirm and validate" apologies made by his predecessors for Japanese wartime aggression.

Judge orders Minnesota men held in terrorism case Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:15 PM PDT ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — A federal judge has ordered that four men accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State remain in custody while their case is pending.

Calbuco volcano erupts anew; ash causing concern Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:12 PM PDT PUERTO MONTT, Chile (AP) — Twin blasts from the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile sent vast clouds of ash into the sky, increasing concerns the dust could contaminate water, cause respiratory illnesses and ground more flights.

Ton-up Root puts England in charge Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:10 PM PDT St. George's (Grenada) (AFP) - Joe Root's sixth Test hundred piloted England to a position of control at 373 for six in reply to the West Indies first innings total of 299 at stumps on the third day of the second Test on Thursday. They will go into the penultimate day ahead by 74 runs with Root and Jos Buttler seeking to build on that advantage in the quest for the victory on the last day that escaped them last week at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Root's commanding knock, his first Test century outside of England, came off 125 deliveries and was embellished by 13 fours and two sixes. He dominated a 165-run fourth-wicket partnership with Gary Ballance and almost knocked the fight out of the West Indies after fast bowler Shannon Gabriel made two important strikes in the early afternoon to give his team hope.

Basketball diplomacy: NBA greats teach Cubans basketball Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:07 PM PDT HAVANA (AP) — Former NBA greats Steve Nash and Dikembe Mutombo have opened their training camp for Cuban basketball players, hoping to boost the game's popularity on the communist-run island following the declaration of detente between Washington and Havana.

India to host Afghan leader, seeks to regain ground lost to China, Pakistan Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:03 PM PDT By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - When Afghan President Ashraf Ghani makes his first official visit to India next week, it will be a chance for New Delhi to regain ground lost to regional rivals Pakistan and China and push interests including trade routes and arms sales. More than his predecessor Hamid Karzai, Ghani has reached out to neighboring Pakistan to help negotiate a settlement with Taliban insurgents and to China to add clout to the fragile peace process as well as to invest in the Afghan economy. China's emerging role in Afghanistan, and its announcement this week of $46 billion of investment in India's neighbor and nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, have heightened the sense that India could lose influence in South Asia, experts said.

Fairfax optimistic about prospects of a Greek debt deal Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:57 PM PDT By Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - Fairfax Financial Holdings, which bet on the success of a Greek turnaround last year, said on Thursday it is confident that Greece will reach a deal with its counterparts in the euro zone and remain a part of the currency bloc. Fairfax last year became a key player in the bailout of one of the country's largest lenders Eurobank, after it bought a 13.6 percent stake in the bank. The Toronto-based firm recently boosted its position in the bank further, even as Greek banks suffered deposit outflows in the face of fears over the Greek government's extended standoff with euro zone partners over reforms. "We believe a compromise will be reached," said Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa, who is a well known contrarian investor.

By the numbers: The Nasdaq Composite's record high close Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:55 PM PDT The Nasdaq composite index closed at a record high Thursday for the first time since March 2000. Adjusting for inflation, the index is still below the peak it reached during the height of the dot-com bubble.

Manfred downplays possibility of big leaguers in Olympics Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:54 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Don't expect to see big league baseball players at the 2020 Olympics, even if the IOC reinstates the sport for the Tokyo Games. And new Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport's international governing body should demand a long-term pledge from the International Olympic Committee before agreeing to return.

Sevilla, Fiorentina, Dnipro, Napoli make Europa League semis Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:51 PM PDT Substitute Kevin Gameiro scored late to give titleholder Sevilla a 2-2 draw at Zenit St. Petersburg for a place in the Europa League semifinals on Thursday.

Israel retaliates to Gaza rocket attack, no injuries Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza that exploded in Israel whose military later retaliated by shelling a base used by the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules the coastal territory, officials said Thursday.

Mexican girl mistakenly sent to US woman is back home Posted: 23 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT GUANAJUATO, Mexico (AP) — Alondra Luna Nunez was a young girl when she had a mishap with a remote-control car, leaving a scar between her eyebrows. Last week, that scar resulted in the teenager being misidentified as a missing girl from Texas, and then spirited north to live with a woman who claimed to be her mother.

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