Yahoo! News: World News

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• Iraq deploys tanks as Islamic State tightens grip on Ramadi
• U.S. signals it could change pro-democracy programs in Cuba
• Battle erupts in eastern Ukraine, four Ukrainian soldiers killed: regional chief
• U.S. charges six Chinese nationals with economic espionage
• Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen's capital Sanaa: residents
• Bomb outside Afghan Justice Ministry kills five, wounds dozens
• US, Cubans in first regatta since diplomatic thaw
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• Takata air bag recall doubles to nearly 34 million
• UN condemns 'terrorist' attack on Russian embassy in Syria
• Drivers back IndyCar, wreck concerns remain for Indy 500
• Chile court reopens probe of ex-president death
• Obama meets with advisers on Iraq, reaffirms support for Abadi: White House
• Kashiwa Reysol, Lekhwiya earn away wins in ACL round of 16
• California, international leaders sign climate change agreement
• Paraguay rejects release of mother of pregnant 10-year-old
• Obama, Senate Republicans work together on trade bill
• Mexico's central bank lowers growth forecast
• Lance: Armstrong: Postal Service deal worth more to feds
• Fading hope, long clean-up after Colombia landslide
• Singer among 19 held in Spain for 'glorifying' attacks
• Russians captured in Ukraine send messages back home
• Italy to recover shipwreck boat as EU falters on migrant plan
• Algerian forces kill 22 Islamic State-tied militants: military
• 13 people missing in Mexico after vigilantes withdraw
• Pentagon says Iran warships 'linked up' with cargo vessel
• Canada economy headed to normal by late 2016: bank chief
• European nations synchronise laws on Islamist 'foreign fighters'
• Portugal investigates police beating of man at soccer game
• Mexico investigates mass abduction claims
• US looking into whether hostage was kept by IS leader
• One killed in Libya suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State: official
• Masses of Burundi refugees show up in Tanzania
• UN to explore new Mideast peace effort with Israel
• Burundi protesters defy calls to end anti-government demos
• How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Tuesday
• Algeria army kills 22 Islamists: defence ministry
• US stock market drifts from latest record highs

Iraq deploys tanks as Islamic State tightens grip on Ramadi Posted: 19 May 2015 12:20 PM PDT Iraqi security forces on Tuesday deployed tanks and artillery around Ramadi to confront Islamic State fighters who have captured the city in a major defeat for the Baghdad government and its Western backers. After Ramadi fell on Sunday, Shi'ite militiamen allied to the Iraqi army had advanced to a nearby base in preparation for a counterattack on the city, which lies in the Sunni Muslim province of Anbar, just 110 km (70 miles) northwest of Baghdad. As pressure mounted for action to retake the city, a local government official urged Ramadi residents to join the police and the army for what the Shi'ite militiamen said would be the "Battle of Anbar".

U.S. signals it could change pro-democracy programs in Cuba Posted: 19 May 2015 02:08 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. official said on Tuesday that Washington could change pro-democracy programs in Cuba that Havana objects to, possibly removing one of the biggest impediments to restoring diplomatic ties. The senior State Department official, speaking to reporters before talks with Cuban representatives on Thursday, also said the sides had narrowed differences over reopening embassies following December's announcement on restoring diplomatic ties. "The democracy programs ... have changed over time, and they will continue to change over time to reflect a reality, whether that reality is on the ground in Cuba or in the United States," the official told reporters on a conference call.

Battle erupts in eastern Ukraine, four Ukrainian soldiers killed: regional chief Posted: 19 May 2015 11:06 AM PDT Fighting erupted between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday and four Ukrainian servicemen have been killed, the regional administration chief said. Gennady Moskal, governor of Luhansk region on the border with Russia, said on his website that separatists opened fire on government positions with mortar and artillery near the village of Katerinovka. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said last week that 83 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since the ceasefire theoretically came into force in February.

U.S. charges six Chinese nationals with economic espionage Posted: 19 May 2015 11:01 AM PDT By Lindsay Dunsmuir WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S government charged six Chinese nationals with economic espionage, saying they stole secrets from two companies that develop technology often used in military systems, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday. It was the third time in as many years that U.S. authorities have made accusations of economic espionage conducted on behalf of China, a sign that the United States is increasingly focused on what it has termed a top national security concern. One of the suspects, Professor Hao Zhang, 36, was arrested on Saturday in Los Angeles after he arrived on a flight from China, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen's capital Sanaa: residents Posted: 18 May 2015 10:59 PM PDT Saudi-led air raids hit the Yemen capital Sanaa overnight, targeting forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the east and south of the city, residents said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Muslim allies have been conducting an offensive against Iranian-allied Houthis and units loyal to Saleh for more than seven weeks, part of a campaign to restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. Houthi sources also said they had fired mortar rounds at several areas in Saudi Arabia's southern Najran province late on Monday and that they had engaged in clashes with Saudi forces near the border area.

Bomb outside Afghan Justice Ministry kills five, wounds dozens Posted: 19 May 2015 08:11 AM PDT By Hamid Shalizi and Kay Johnson KABUL (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in the parking lot of Afghanistan's Ministry of Justice on Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens as civil servants in Kabul were leaving work for the day, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the third attack targeting justice system employees this month, saying the insurgents would continue to kill "slave" judges and prosecutors. The huge explosion sent black smoke billowing above the city and was strong enough to rattle windows several kilometers away in Kabul's diplomatic district.

US, Cubans in first regatta since diplomatic thaw Posted: 19 May 2015 05:03 PM PDT Featuring five two-person catamarans from each side, the Havana Challenge was the first regatta authorized by the US since 2004 -- and the first since the December announcement of the process of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States. "We are the first group of Americans with a permit from the US government with permission to participate in sporting event in the water in Cuba," sailor George Bellenger told AFP. When the neighbors do restore full diplomatic relations, it will be the site of the new US Embassy in Cuba's capital.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 19 May 2015 05:02 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — The Southeast Asian grouping known as ASEAN has made a point of not pressuring member nations over internal issues such as rights abuses, and in the case of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority, the policy has come back to haunt it. Three other ASEAN nations — Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand — now must contend with a humanitarian crisis involving thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshis stranded off their shores. After years of ignoring the issue, their chances of using diplomacy to achieve any change in Myanmar's behavior appear bleak.

Takata air bag recall doubles to nearly 34 million Posted: 19 May 2015 04:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, Takata Corp. has agreed to declare 33.8 million air bags defective, a move that will double the number of cars and trucks included in what is now the largest auto recall in U.S. history.

UN condemns 'terrorist' attack on Russian embassy in Syria Posted: 19 May 2015 04:36 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned what it called a "terrorist attack" on the Russian embassy in Syria's capital.

Drivers back IndyCar, wreck concerns remain for Indy 500 Posted: 19 May 2015 03:28 PM PDT DETROIT (AP) — Looking no worse for wear a couple days after his car flipped through the air at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ed Carpenter sized up next weekend's big race.

Chile court reopens probe of ex-president death Posted: 19 May 2015 03:23 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A court in Chile has ordered the reopening of an investigation into the 1982 death of former president Eduardo Frei Montalva.

Obama meets with advisers on Iraq, reaffirms support for Abadi: White House Posted: 19 May 2015 03:23 PM PDT President Barack Obama was briefed by his top national security advisers on Tuesday on the situation in Iraq and the strategy to counter Islamic State militants, the White House National Security Council said in a statement. Obama "reaffirmed the strong U.S. support" for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the White House said after the meeting, which involved 25 advisers including Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, and General Lloyd Austin of U.S. Central Command. There has been concern in the United States about the risk of sectarian strife in Ramadi, the capital of Sunni-majority Anbar province, because of the need to use Shi'ite militias to try to take back the city from Islamic State fighters.

Kashiwa Reysol, Lekhwiya earn away wins in ACL round of 16 Posted: 19 May 2015 03:18 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Persepolis secured a 1-0 home win after a stoppage-time own-goal from Al Hilal defender Digao to take a narrow advantage against the 2014 finalists into next week's return leg in the Asian Champion League round of 16.

California, international leaders sign climate change agreement Posted: 19 May 2015 03:15 PM PDT By Rory Carroll and Mike De Souza SAN FRANCISCO/OTTAWA (Reuters) - California and leaders of 11 states and provinces signed an agreement on Tuesday to limit their output of heat-trapping greenhouse gases 80 to 95 percent by 2050, a goal they hope will help prevent runaway climate change. The target, which is based on a 1990 benchmark, will allow the individual governments, which collectively represent more than $4.5 trillion in GDP and 100 million people, to tailor reduction plans to fit their regional needs. The temperature mark is the warming threshold at which governments say climate change could become catastrophic and irreversible.

Paraguay rejects release of mother of pregnant 10-year-old Posted: 19 May 2015 03:12 PM PDT ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — A Paraguayan judge has rejected a request for the conditional release from jail of a woman whose 10-year-old daughter is pregnant after allegedly being raped by her stepfather.

Obama, Senate Republicans work together on trade bill Posted: 19 May 2015 03:12 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration and Senate Republicans worked in unusual harmony Tuesday to advance major trade legislation opposed by many rank-and-file Democrats, an expanding struggle already leaving a mark on the 2016 campaigns for the White House and control of Congress.

Mexico's central bank lowers growth forecast Posted: 19 May 2015 03:07 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's central bank has lowered the country's economic growth forecast for the remainder of the year due to a variety of factors including falling oil production.

Lance: Armstrong: Postal Service deal worth more to feds Posted: 19 May 2015 03:06 PM PDT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong's legal team argued Tuesday that his Tour de France victories were worth far more to sponsor U.S. Postal Service than they were to him as it detailed part of his defense against a fraud lawsuit filed by the federal government.

Fading hope, long clean-up after Colombia landslide Posted: 19 May 2015 02:59 PM PDT Rescue workers in Colombia resumed the increasingly hopeless search for the missing Tuesday after a massive landslide, as the death toll rose to 64 and residents began a difficult clean-up. After spending the night in shelters, residents of La Margarita, the hardest-hit town, returned to the ruins of their community to search for missing family members or shovel out the mud that filled their homes. With the help of residents and specially trained dogs, they swept the area looking for more bodies buried in the mud and hoping to find some of the missing still alive.

Singer among 19 held in Spain for 'glorifying' attacks Posted: 19 May 2015 02:58 PM PDT Spanish police on Tuesday arrested 19 people, including the lead vocalist of a rap rock band, suspected of praising and encouraging attacks by three radical groups, officials said. The groups they allegedly supported were the armed Basque separatist group ETA, Catalan separatist group Terra Lliure and the far-left October First Anti-Fascist Resistance Group (GRAPO). Among those arrested was Cesar Montana Lehmann, the leader of Madrid-based band Def Con Dos, who goes by the stage name Cesar Strawberry, the source added.

Russians captured in Ukraine send messages back home Posted: 19 May 2015 02:57 PM PDT KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Lonely and hurting, two men lie in narrow beds in a Kiev hospital as controversy swirls around them.

Italy to recover shipwreck boat as EU falters on migrant plan Posted: 19 May 2015 02:51 PM PDT Italy will recover hundreds of bodies from a boat which capsized in April in a bid to prevent the collapse of an EU plan to tackle the migrant crisis, the prime minister said Tuesday. "We will go to the bottom of the sea and recover that boat," Matteo Renzi said in a television interview, as opposition mushroomed to controversial plans for quotas to spread Mediterranean refugees around Europe. "Europe cannot just say 'out of sight, out of mind'".

Algerian forces kill 22 Islamic State-tied militants: military Posted: 19 May 2015 02:51 PM PDT Algerian troops ambushed and killed at least 22 militants allied to Islamic State as they held a meeting east of the capital on Tuesday in one of country's largest military operations in recent years, the defense ministry and a security source said. Fighters allied with both al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Islamic State operate in Algeria, mostly in mountainous northern areas, but militant attacks have been rare since a 1990s war with Islamist insurgents. The state news agency APS, quoting a ministry statement, said the operation took place east of Algiers near Bouira, which was part of a region long a stronghold for militants during the war that left 200,000 people dead.

13 people missing in Mexico after vigilantes withdraw Posted: 19 May 2015 02:43 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Thirteen people have been reported as having gone missing during vigilantes' brief occupation of a violence-wracked city in southern Mexico, a human rights official said Tuesday.

Pentagon says Iran warships 'linked up' with cargo vessel Posted: 19 May 2015 02:42 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Jonathan Saul WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday that two Iranian warships have "linked up" with a cargo ship that Iran has said is carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, as activists on board the vessel said it was due to arrive at the Yemeni port of Hodaida on Thursday. "We're not overly concerned at this point," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told a briefing, adding that the ships' locations were being monitored "every step of the way." Warren said the warships "linked up" with the Iranian cargo ship as it passed an area where the Iranian warships were, according to Tehran, conducting counter-piracy operations. It was not immediately clear whether the warships were now in close proximity of the cargo vessel.

Canada economy headed to normal by late 2016: bank chief Posted: 19 May 2015 02:36 PM PDT Canada's economy is expected to return to full capacity "around the end of 2016," after being dealt a setback by the plunge in oil prices, the central bank chief said Tuesday. In a speech to the Charlottetown chamber of commerce, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said last year's drop in the price of Brent crude oil from above $100 to below $50 contributed to massive job losses in Canada's oil patch. When the latest figures are released on May 29, first quarter Canadian output is expected to have been "basically flat," Poloz said.

European nations synchronise laws on Islamist 'foreign fighters' Posted: 19 May 2015 02:28 PM PDT Ministers from 47 European nations agreed for the first time Tuesday to harmonise their laws to stop so-called foreign fighters travelling to Iraq and Syria to join jihadist groups. The agreement by the Council of Europe, a pan-European rights group which includes the EU but also takes in countries such as Russia and Turkey, will make cross-border tracking and prosecutions easier. Under the agreement signed by foreign ministers, countries must criminalise acts such as "participating in an association or group for the purpose of terrorism", "receiving training for terrorism" and "travelling abroad for the purpose of terrorism".

Portugal investigates police beating of man at soccer game Posted: 19 May 2015 02:25 PM PDT MATOSINHOS, Portugal (AP) — Jose Magalhaes took his two young boys and his elderly father to watch a big Portuguese soccer game, thinking it would be a treat for all. Instead, he and his family are at the center of a national scandal over alleged police brutality.

Mexico investigates mass abduction claims Posted: 19 May 2015 02:24 PM PDT Authorities are investigating allegations that an armed group abducted at least 11 people after occupying a town in Mexico's troubled southern state of Guerrero last week, prosecutors said Tuesday. The group had arrived in Chilapa on May 9, describing itself as vigilante "community police" seeking justice against a local drug gang before leaving on May 14. Guerrero state chief prosecutor Miguel Angel Godinez Munoz said authorities are investigating whether it was really one of the state's legal community police forces or a group infiltrated by a gang.

US looking into whether hostage was kept by IS leader Posted: 19 May 2015 02:16 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating the possibility that the Islamic State militant leader killed Friday was the captor of American hostage Kayla Mueller for a time.

One killed in Libya suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State: official Posted: 19 May 2015 02:11 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - One person was killed and seven were wounded on Tuesday in a suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State militants in the eastern Libyan town of Qubbah, a security official said. In response, war planes loyal to Libya's official government bombed positions west of the city of Derna near Qubbah, where Islamic State has a large presence, a military source said. Islamic State has exploited a security vacuum in Libya, four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, as rival governments compete for power.

Masses of Burundi refugees show up in Tanzania Posted: 19 May 2015 02:09 PM PDT KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Cholera and severe diarrhea have broken out among tens of thousands of refugees from Burundi who are jammed into a village in Tanzania on the edge of Lake Tanganyika, with the Burundians overwhelming the health infrastructure and sanitation facilities, aid agencies said Tuesday.

UN to explore new Mideast peace effort with Israel Posted: 19 May 2015 02:05 PM PDT The United Nations will explore options with Israel's new government for a return to negotiations on creating a Palestinian state within a reasonable timeframe, the new envoy said Tuesday. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been comatose since a major US push for a final deal ended in failure in April 2014. UN efforts to revive the peace process were effectively on hold in recent months as Israel held elections and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a new government that was announced last week.

Burundi protesters defy calls to end anti-government demos Posted: 19 May 2015 01:58 PM PDT Protesters opposed to Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza called for him to step down Tuesday, defying warnings to end weeks of demonstrations as security forces fired shots to restore order after a failed coup. In one district, civil society leader Dieudonne Bashirahishize led more than a thousand protesters to observe a minute of silence "for the martyrs of the fight for freedom", calling on people to "overcome our fear and continue to demonstrate despite threats". At least 20 people died in weeks of street battles with security forces before demonstrations ended last week when generals launched a failed coup attempt, but protests resumed again on Monday.

How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Tuesday Posted: 19 May 2015 01:54 PM PDT U.S. stocks drifted mostly lower Tuesday, led by declines in energy stocks as the price of oil dropped for a fifth day in a row. The Dow Jones industrial average had its fourth straight gain.

Algeria army kills 22 Islamists: defence ministry Posted: 19 May 2015 01:51 PM PDT Algiers (AFP) - The Algerian army killed 22 armed Islamists in an operation Tuesday some 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the capital, the defence ministry said.

US stock market drifts from latest record highs Posted: 19 May 2015 01:51 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market slipped back from its latest record high in a listless day of trading Tuesday. Oil companies and drillers tugged major indexes down as the price of crude oil dropped for a fifth day straight.

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