Yahoo! News: World News

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• Blatter defies calls to quit as FIFA scandal widens
• Exclusive: Mexican president misrepresented personal land deal, records show
• U.S. hopes Chinese island-building will spur Asian response
• Rebels capture last Syrian town in Idlib province
• South Korea to ban taxi services by private drivers in blow to Uber
• UK police arrest two people suspected of preparing terrorism acts
• Car bombs rock two upmarket Baghdad hotels, five dead
• Alleged Nazi war criminal wanted by Russia dies in Quebec
• Coyotes sign Plachta to 1-year deal out of Germany
• Canada's Scotiabank reviews soccer sponsorship after FIFA arrests
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Lithuania minister urges pressure on Russia to stop arms at Ukraine border
• THE LATEST: US will vote for Prince Ali in FIFA election
• Hundreds seek safety from Texas floods, severe weather kills 16
• Ukraine president signs law allowing suspension of debt repayments: press service
• UN aid chief makes final appeal to end Syria's despair
• USDA plans to inject $100 million on ethanol infrastructure: sources
• Blatter warns of 'more bad news' for tainted FIFA
• Asia's migrant crisis meeting unlikely to yield solutions
• Chinese blessing scam cons New York granny
• Will Power reflects on near-victory at Indy 500
• US waits Thai approval for flights to locate boat people
• 2 ex-Guantanamo detainees to tie knot with Uruguayan women
• Nigeria's Akinwumi Adesina voted new Africa bank chief
• Canada recall of Takata airbags balloons to 1.5 million
• FIFA arrests spur Brazil to probe soccer corruption
• More than 700 migrants rescued in Mediterranean
• Argentina judge orders arrest of executives in FIFA scandal
• Hawit becomes CONCACAF acting president after Webb charged
• English FA, UK government urge Blatter to go
• Syria: Europeans block it from UN culture protection measure
• 2 car bombs kill 10 people in Iraq
• Walgreens chairman says company never planned to leave US
• Conflicts displace 3.5 million people in Africa's Sahel region: UN
• Stacy Lewis set for ShotRite LPGA Classic title defense
• Shocking ads ignite debate about abortion ban in Chile
• Norway-based energy consortium defers Canadian Arctic seismic tests

Blatter defies calls to quit as FIFA scandal widens Posted: 28 May 2015 04:33 PM PDT By Mike Collett and Brian Homewood ZURICH (Reuters) - The corruption charges engulfing world soccer's governing body have heaped shame and humiliation on the game, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Thursday, although he flatly rejected calls to resign over the widening scandal. With FIFA facing the worst crisis in its 111-year history, Michel Platini, who heads Europe's soccer confederation UEFA, said he had told Blatter to go "with tears in my eyes", but the 79-year-old had refused. "I said, 'I'm asking you to leave, FIFA's image is terrible.' He said that he couldn't leave all of a sudden," Platini, a former French international, told reporters.

Exclusive: Mexican president misrepresented personal land deal, records show Posted: 28 May 2015 02:20 PM PDT By Simon Gardner VALLE DE BRAVO, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto misrepresented to authorities the circumstances under which he acquired one of his properties, public documents reviewed by Reuters show, a discrepancy that could add to the controversy surrounding his personal finances. According to an official asset declaration first made in 2013, Pena Nieto stated that he acquired the property through a "donation" or gift from his father. Pena Nieto, who made his asset declaration public in 2013 as part of a transparency and accountability push, has since updated and ratified this declaration twice.

U.S. hopes Chinese island-building will spur Asian response Posted: 27 May 2015 10:27 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - By releasing video of Beijing's island reclamation work and considering more assertive maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action. The release last week of the surveillance plane footage - showing dredgers and other ships busily turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbors - helps ensure the issue will dominate an Asian security forum starting on Friday attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter as well as senior Chinese military officials. As it pushes ahead with a military "pivot" to Asia partly aimed at countering China, Washington wants Southeast Asian nations to take a more united stance against China's rapid acceleration this year of construction on disputed reefs.

Rebels capture last Syrian town in Idlib province Posted: 28 May 2015 03:08 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army has pulled back from the northwestern city of Ariha after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the last city in Idlib province in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border that was still held by the government. Syria's al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front is a major part of the coalition. The Syrian army said intense fighting was going on with Nusra forces that had infiltrated Ariha.

South Korea to ban taxi services by private drivers in blow to Uber Posted: 28 May 2015 04:00 PM PDT By Se Young Lee and Sohee Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers passed a bill early on Friday to ban taxi services provided by private drivers, marking what is likely the first nationwide legislation to outlaw Uber Technologies Inc's low-cost uberX service. "Uber respects this decision by the National Assembly and looks forward to continuing its conversations with Seoul City on how to best serve Seoul and its citizens within the legal framework allowed by Korean Law," the U.S. company said in a statement to Reuters ahead of the floor vote. While the legislation, which amends an existing law on transportation services, imposes a blanket ban rather than explicitly mentioning Uber, it was pushed by lawmakers to block uberX.

UK police arrest two people suspected of preparing terrorism acts Posted: 28 May 2015 04:27 PM PDT (Reuters) - UK police arrested a man and a woman in two towns west of London on Thursday who were suspected of preparing terrorist attacks, the West Midlands Police said in a Facebook posting. The man, age 24, and woman, age 23, who are believed to be friends, were "arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism in the UK," the police said in the posting. ((http://on.fb.me/1LOaJn8) The man was arrested in Reading, where he lives, and the woman was arrested in the nearby town of Wokingham, where she lives, the West Midlands Police said in a posting on Twitter. (https://twitter. ...

Car bombs rock two upmarket Baghdad hotels, five dead Posted: 28 May 2015 04:48 PM PDT Car bombs ripped through car parks at two high-profile Baghdad hotels on Thursday that had been targeted in deadly attacks five years before, killing at least five people, police said. One of the bombs exploded at the Ishtar, shattering windows of the recently renovated hotel and turning rows of cars and SUVs into piles of charred, twisted metal. People traipsed through the site of the blast inside the walled hotel compound, while a group of men struggled to remove the smashed windshield from an SUV on the other side of the hotel.

Alleged Nazi war criminal wanted by Russia dies in Quebec Posted: 28 May 2015 04:37 PM PDT MONTREAL (AP) — Vladimir Katriuk, the man who held the No. 2 spot on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals, has died, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 93.

Coyotes sign Plachta to 1-year deal out of Germany Posted: 28 May 2015 04:35 PM PDT GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes have signed German forward Matthias Plachta to a one-year entry-level contract Thursday.

Canada's Scotiabank reviews soccer sponsorship after FIFA arrests Posted: 28 May 2015 04:33 PM PDT By Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia, an official partner of the governing body of soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, said on Thursday it would review sponsorship ties following the indictment of several soccer officials on corruption charges. The Toronto-based bank stressed that it does not plan to sever sponsorships imminently with the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) but was closely monitoring developments after charges were brought by prosecutors in the United States on Wednesday.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 28 May 2015 04:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Satellite imagery shows significant new construction at North Korea's main rocket launch site in a sign of leader Kim Jong Un's determination to pursue a space program despite international censure, a U.S. research institute said Thursday. North Korea is barred under U.N. Security Council resolutions from launching rockets as that technology can also be used to launch ballistic missiles. Kim, however, declared this month that its space program "can never be abandoned."

Lithuania minister urges pressure on Russia to stop arms at Ukraine border Posted: 28 May 2015 04:31 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Lithuania's foreign minister confirmed on Thursday reports that Russia has been massing troops and weaponry near the border of Ukraine and urged pressure on Moscow until it stops supporting Ukrainian rebels. Reuters reported this week that Russia's army was massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine. Asked about that report, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said it was true that Moscow was moving troops and hardware in the vicinity of Donetsk, Mariupol and elsewhere.

THE LATEST: US will vote for Prince Ali in FIFA election Posted: 28 May 2015 04:28 PM PDT ZURICH (AP) — The Latest on FIFA developments:

Hundreds seek safety from Texas floods, severe weather kills 16 Posted: 28 May 2015 04:16 PM PDT By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Hundreds of people fled areas near Texas rivers that overflowed their banks on Thursday as the state reeled from severe storms this week that killed at least 16 people, flooded cities and set a record for the wettest month. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch on Thursday stretching from south of San Antonio to Dallas, through Oklahoma, where severe weather this week killed an additional six people, and into Kansas. The city of Wharton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of Houston, issued a voluntary evacuation notice for about 300 homes along the Colorado River, where water began spilling over the banks on Thursday afternoon and was expected to rise through Friday.

Ukraine president signs law allowing suspension of debt repayments: press service Posted: 28 May 2015 04:13 PM PDT Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday signed a law that gives the government the right to halt scheduled repayments on foreign debts if necessary, his press service said. Parliament passed the draft law on May 19 as a wrangle intensified between the near-bankrupt former Soviet republic and its creditors over restructuring $23 billion of foreign debt. The law would come into effect once it was published and remain in force until July 1 next year, the presidential press service said.

UN aid chief makes final appeal to end Syria's despair Posted: 28 May 2015 04:08 PM PDT Outgoing UN aid chief Valerie Amos made a final appeal Thursday to world powers to take action to end Syria's four-year war, saying it had brought more despair than ever thought possible. "For more than four years, we have watched Syria descend into deeper depths of despair, surpassing what even the most pessimistic observers thought possible," said Amos. The British diplomat is stepping down after more than four years in one of the most challenging jobs at the United Nations as demands for humanitarian aid have surged in conflicts worldwide.

USDA plans to inject $100 million on ethanol infrastructure: sources Posted: 28 May 2015 04:05 PM PDT The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to inject $100 million in funding to get more ethanol at the gas pump, according to two industry sources, the latest push to get beyond a "blend wall" that has capped demand for the biofuel. The USDA is expected to announce the funding on Friday, the sources said. A USDA spokesman declined to comment on the plans.

Blatter warns of 'more bad news' for tainted FIFA Posted: 28 May 2015 03:57 PM PDT Beleaguered FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Thursday warned of "more bad news" for football's scandal-tainted world body but rejected calls to resign over a widening corruption controversy. Blatter -- who faces a re-election vote Friday -- opened FIFA's annual congress by saying he could not be blamed for the corruption drama. "The next few months will not be easy for FIFA.

Asia's migrant crisis meeting unlikely to yield solutions Posted: 28 May 2015 03:45 PM PDT By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Simon Webb BANGKOK (Reuters) - A meeting in Bangkok on Friday about Southeast Asia's migrant crisis is unlikely to produce a binding agreement or plan of action to save thousands of people believed stranded on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, participants said. The meeting will bring together 17 countries from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and elsewhere in Asia, along with the United States, Switzerland and international organizations like UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency. According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, at least three of the countries central to the crisis will not be sending ministers: Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Chinese blessing scam cons New York granny Posted: 28 May 2015 03:42 PM PDT A 61-year-old Chinese man pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing $60,000 from a New York grandmother after he promised to bless her son's alleged evil spirits away, prosecutors said. The defendant, Xue Fang Zhou, admitted grand larceny in the third degree, in the latest in a series of convictions linked to Chinese blessing scams that have blighted cities in North America. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the retired, 65-year-old grandmother lost nearly all her life savings in the October 2014 incident.

Will Power reflects on near-victory at Indy 500 Posted: 28 May 2015 03:41 PM PDT DETROIT (AP) — Will Power can still revisit in his mind the last few seconds of the Indianapolis 500. Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was within sight, but not within reach.

US waits Thai approval for flights to locate boat people Posted: 28 May 2015 03:33 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is waiting for Thailand to allow U.S. surveillance flights through Thai airspace to help locate stranded boat people in Southeast Asian seas, the State Department said Thursday.

2 ex-Guantanamo detainees to tie knot with Uruguayan women Posted: 28 May 2015 03:32 PM PDT MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Two former Guantanamo Bay detainees are planning to tie the knot with women from their adopted home of Uruguay.

Nigeria's Akinwumi Adesina voted new Africa bank chief Posted: 28 May 2015 03:30 PM PDT Nigeria's outgoing agriculture minister Akinwumi Adesina won the vote Thursday to become the new president of the African Development Bank, official results showed. Adesina, 55, will succeed Rwandan Donald Kaberuka, chief for two consecutive terms since 2005, at a time when the institution is trying to diversify from its traditional role as a development bank. A total of 80 AfDB shareholders -- 54 African states and 26 non-African countries -- took part in the election in Abidjan, in which eight candidates were vying for the presidency.

Canada recall of Takata airbags balloons to 1.5 million Posted: 28 May 2015 03:30 PM PDT A Canadian recall of defective airbags manufactured by embattled Japanese auto parts giant Takata grew to an estimated 1.5 million Thursday. Several models built by auto manufacturers Honda, Mazda, Toyota, BMW, GM, Nissan, Chrysler and Ford are included in the government notice. According to Transport Canada's database, 704,770 Honda vehicles built between 2001 and 2010, plus 812,821 cars from other manufacturers could be affected.

FIFA arrests spur Brazil to probe soccer corruption Posted: 28 May 2015 03:24 PM PDT By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian police began investigating allegations of corruption in its soccer industry on Thursday, prompted by the arrests of top officials at world soccer body FIFA in a U.S. bribery probe. Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo ordered federal police to investigate whether the alleged corruption at Zurich-based FIFA was practiced in Brazil, his office said in a statement.

More than 700 migrants rescued in Mediterranean Posted: 28 May 2015 03:23 PM PDT A total of 741 migrants who set sail from Libya in the hopes of reaching Europe were rescued in the Mediterranean on Thursday, the Italian coastguard said. The migrants were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on six boats -- five of them inflatable vessels -- before they were helped to safety in the Strait of Sicily, the coastguard said. The huge spike in the number of people seeking to reach European shores has been attributed to the worsening security situation in Libya -- the staging post for most of the crossings -- as well as milder weather.

Argentina judge orders arrest of executives in FIFA scandal Posted: 28 May 2015 03:20 PM PDT Alejandro Burzaco, Hugo Jinkis and his son Mariano Jinkis, all Argentine citizens, are among five defendants who have apparently not been detained or arrested a day after the U.S. Department of Justice named them as among those facing corruption charges. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that Burzaco, Hugo Jinkis and his son conspired to win and keep hold of lucrative media rights contracts from regional soccer federations through the payment of up to $110 million in bribes. To date, at least $40 million in bribes had been paid by the three to soccer officials, including five defendants also facing charges, the U.S. Justice Department's indictment said.

Hawit becomes CONCACAF acting president after Webb charged Posted: 28 May 2015 03:12 PM PDT Alfredo Hawit of Honduras has been appointed acting president of CONCACAF and American Ted Howard has been made acting general secretary.

English FA, UK government urge Blatter to go Posted: 28 May 2015 03:09 PM PDT England's Football Association and government urged FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign on Thursday, as British investigative journalists were praised for helping to expose a major corruption scandal. "Sepp Blatter has to go as FIFA president," Greg Dyke, chairman of the FA, football's governing body in England, told the Press Association news agency.

Syria: Europeans block it from UN culture protection measure Posted: 28 May 2015 03:06 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria's U.N. ambassador said Thursday that a newly adopted General Assembly resolution on the Islamic State group's threat to Iraqi cultural heritage doesn't address the same threat to his country because member states threatened to reject the measure.

2 car bombs kill 10 people in Iraq Posted: 28 May 2015 03:06 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Authorities in Iraq say two separate car bombs inside parking lot of two hotels have killed 10 people in the capital Baghdad.

Walgreens chairman says company never planned to leave US Posted: 28 May 2015 02:56 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Walgreens Chairman James Skinner said Thursday that the drugstore operator never intended to leave the United States when it bought European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots last year.

Conflicts displace 3.5 million people in Africa's Sahel region: UN Posted: 28 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT The number of people displaced by conflicts in Africa's Sahel has more than doubled in just over a year to a staggering 3.5 million, the United Nations said Thursday. At the beginning of 2014, the UN humanitarian agency had reported that around 1.6 million people were displaced across the nine Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. The region is home to some of the world's poorest countries that have long been plagued by food insecurity, malnutrition and epidemics.

Stacy Lewis set for ShotRite LPGA Classic title defense Posted: 28 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Stacy Lewis has three more runner-up finishes in 10 starts this season on the LPGA Tour, the most stinging a playoff loss in the ANA Inspiration in the first major of the year.

Shocking ads ignite debate about abortion ban in Chile Posted: 28 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The video shows a woman climbing a stairwell, her belly visibly pregnant, as she offers suggestions: Make sure there are no security cameras. Be careful not to look down or you might regret it.

Norway-based energy consortium defers Canadian Arctic seismic tests Posted: 28 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A Norway-based energy consortium planning to conduct seismic testing in the waters off Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic has postponed the fiercely-contested project for this year, one of companies involved said on Thursday. Oil and gas exploration companies Petroleum Geo Services, TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA and Multi Klient Invest AS were granted a license by the National Energy Board last June to use seismic testing up and down the Davis Strait. The Nunavut hamlet of Clyde River filed a federal court appeal against the NEB decision, arguing the high-decibel blasts from underwater canons used to help map the seabed would damage the diverse marine species of the area, many of which the people of Clyde River depend on for food.

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