Yahoo! News: World News

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• Allies back Iraq plan against ISIS, Baghdad seeks more help
• Hundreds missing, many elderly tourists, after ship capsizes on China's Yangtze River
• Syrian insurgent advances put Assad under pressure
• Rohingya huddled in Bangladesh camps fear plan to move them on
• Leader in Afghan north dismisses Kabul government as a 'show'
• Obama: Netanyahu's Palestine stance erodes Israel's credibility
• Taiwan candidate seeks to reassure US on China ties
• Logging companies plundering Congo's rainforest: report
• Blatter's 17-year rule in soccer marked by growth, scandal
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• US Congress curbs NSA surveillance, sends bill to Obama
• UN chief appeals for resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks
• Christie's to sell works by Monet, Chagall, Picasso in June
• NYPD: Arrest in subway slashing of Swedish tourist
• Colombia struggles to restore power to port hit by rebels
• Mexico candidate slain; 1,000s of ballots burned in attack
• Sponsors say Blatter resignation one step in FIFA reform
• Small plane crashes on Mexican highway, killing all 5 aboard
• Blatter quits as FIFA corruption storm grows
• UN pushes for renewed Yemen humanitarian pause
• Dominican Republic to debate presidential re-election
• Congress candidate killed in Mexico City suburb
• Former Maryland man held at Guantanamo alleges CIA torture
• El Salvador records post-war high of 635 homicides in May
• Facing deadline, Puerto Rico seeks to overhaul power company
• Turkish volunteers flock to monitor knife-edge election
• Environmentalists sue over Shell plan to drill in Arctic
• U.S. urges African states to deliver message to Burundi on vote
• Brazilian club Cruzeiro hires coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo
• Damage from severe weather in Oklahoma in May could top $150 million
• Hurricane Blanca forms off Mexico, headed for Baja California tourist hub
• Panathinaikos signs Essien on 2-year contract
• Activists: Decline of elephants in Tanzania is catastrophic
• Report: Schools for Canada First Nations 'cultural genocide'
• Bashir vows 'new page' for Sudan
• Global reaction to Sepp Blatter's decision to resign
• German ex-chancellor Kohl 'doing well' after two operations
• Protests flare in Burundi as UN seeks end to violence
• Stocks drop as energy gains are offset by utilities slump

Allies back Iraq plan against ISIS, Baghdad seeks more help Posted: 02 Jun 2015 12:15 PM PDT By John Irish and Marine Pennetier PARIS (Reuters) - Western and Arab states carrying out air strikes on Islamic State fighters backed on Tuesday Iraq's plan to retake territory from the jihadist movement after being accused by the Iraqi premier of not doing enough to help Baghdad push back the insurgents. Around 20 coalition ministers met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Paris, in part to persuade his Shi'ite Muslim-led government to repair relations with Iraq's Sunni minority to strengthen its campaign against the Sunni Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Despite a show of unity, Abadi appeared to reject suggestions that Baghdad was paying insufficient attention to reconciliation with Sunni.

Hundreds missing, many elderly tourists, after ship capsizes on China's Yangtze River Posted: 02 Jun 2015 07:15 AM PDT By Megha Rajagopalan and John Ruwitch JIANLI COUNTY, China (Reuters) - Rescuers searched on Tuesday for more than 400 people, many of them elderly Chinese tourists, missing after a cruise boat was hit by a freak tornado and capsized on the Yangtze River in what may become China's worst shipping disaster in nearly 70 years. Battling bad weather, divers and other rescue workers pulled five people they found trapped in the upturned hull of the four-deck Eastern Star, a small fraction of the 458 people state media said were on board when the ship capsized on Monday night. Rescue operations appeared extended late into Tuesday night with paramilitary vehicles, dozens of police and soldiers as well as medical and meteorological trucks surrounding the site.

Syrian insurgent advances put Assad under pressure Posted: 02 Jun 2015 08:39 AM PDT By Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Steady advances by insurgents on key fronts in Syria mean President Bashar al-Assad is under more military pressure than at any point in the four-year-old war. Losses in the north, east and south to groups including al Qaeda's Syrian arm and Islamic State may test Assad's hold over western parts of the country that are the most crucial to his survival. After his loss of Palmyra, a symbolic and militarily strategic city, and nearly all of Idlib province, he appears to be circling his wagons more closely to a western region that includes Damascus, Homs, Hama and the coast.

Rohingya huddled in Bangladesh camps fear plan to move them on Posted: 02 Jun 2015 02:13 PM PDT By Sanjeev Miglani KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - More than 20 years after the first wave of Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar, fear is spreading through the sweltering camps of mud houses where they found shelter in southern Bangladesh that they will soon be on the move again. The refugees worry the Bangladesh government wants them out of sight, perhaps to one of its islands in the Bay of Bengal, as the two countries row over what to do with a stateless minority whose search for security is driving a regional migrant crisis. "This is home for us now, it is peaceful here." said Nur Alam, who crossed the Naf river that separates the two countries in a tiny boat in 1991.

Leader in Afghan north dismisses Kabul government as a 'show' Posted: 02 Jun 2015 05:03 PM PDT By Kay Johnson and Paritosh Bansal MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Atta Mohammad Noor, a powerful governor in northern Afghanistan, visited a local amusement park last week and grabbed a video arcade gun. Firing on fictional aliens made a break from the frequent target of his ire: the government in Kabul. Noor, a former general hardened in wars against the Soviets and Taliban but now suited and affluent, complains of a lack of leadership by President Ashraf Ghani and is angry his warnings of rising militant violence in the north were not heeded.

Obama: Netanyahu's Palestine stance erodes Israel's credibility Posted: 02 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's terms for diplomacy that might lead to a Palestinian state meant Israel had lost international credibility as a potential peacemaker. Obama also suggested that continued U.S. diplomatic defense for Israel at the United Nations over the Palestine dispute may be reviewed, while reaffirming U.S. support for Israeli security in a conflict-riven Middle East. In an interview with Israeli television aired on Tuesday, he offered a bleak outlook for decades of negotiations on Palestinian statehood bearing any fruit during the 18 months he has left in office.

Taiwan candidate seeks to reassure US on China ties Posted: 02 Jun 2015 05:10 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate will look to reassure U.S. officials this week that victory in the January 2016 election for her party, which Beijing views with suspicion, won't revive tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Logging companies plundering Congo's rainforest: report Posted: 02 Jun 2015 05:09 PM PDT By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's biggest logging companies are systematically violating national laws to plunder Congo's forests, undermining efforts to protect the world's second largest rainforest, a campaign group said on Wednesday. London-based Global Witness said in a report that none of Congo's 87 million euros ($97 million) of timber production appeared to comply with international timber trade laws. Over half of the Congo basin's 500 million hectares of forest are in Congo whose forests boast the fifth greatest diversity of animals and plants in the world.

Blatter's 17-year rule in soccer marked by growth, scandal Posted: 02 Jun 2015 05:07 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — Sepp Blatter governed the biggest sport on Earth for nearly two decades, for years untouched personally by allegations of corruption, but never sharing the game's popularity.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 02 Jun 2015 05:02 PM PDT JIANLI, China (AP) — As the Eastern Star cruise ship listed heavily amid pounding rain on the Yangtze River, tour guide Zhang Hui told a colleague, "Looks like we are in trouble." The vessel capsized in the storm Monday night with 458 people aboard, touching off a frantic rescue effort. At least 15 people were brought to safety, including three pulled from the overturned hull Tuesday, and five people were confirmed dead, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

US Congress curbs NSA surveillance, sends bill to Obama Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:49 PM PDT The US Senate passed landmark legislation Tuesday that ends the government's bulk telephone data dragnet, significantly reversing American policy by reining in the most controversial surveillance program since 9/11. The House of Representatives has already passed the measure, which also reauthorizes key national security programs that had lapsed early this week, and it now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. "Glad the Senate finally passed the USA Freedom Act.

UN chief appeals for resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:40 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the 65th anniversary of the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees to appeal Tuesday for an immediate resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and an end to unilateral actions "that erode trust."

Christie's to sell works by Monet, Chagall, Picasso in June Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:37 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Christie's auction house is offering works by Claude Monet, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso this month amid a voracious global appetite for impressionist and modern art.

NYPD: Arrest in subway slashing of Swedish tourist Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:34 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police have arrested a man accused of slashing a Swedish tourist on the neck as she rode the subway in Brooklyn.

Colombia struggles to restore power to port hit by rebels Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:33 PM PDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Authorities struggled on Tuesday to restore power to a major Colombian port city more than 48 hours after a rebel attack on a transmission line plunged Buenaventura's 400,000 into the dark.

Mexico candidate slain; 1,000s of ballots burned in attack Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:23 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican congressional hopeful was shot dead in a town bordering the capital Tuesday, becoming the fourth candidate to be slain ahead of Sunday's midterm elections.

Sponsors say Blatter resignation one step in FIFA reform Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:22 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — For FIFA's top sponsors, the resignation of Sepp Blatter is just the first step in restoring the reputation of soccer's governing body and regaining the fans' trust following a corruption scandal.

Small plane crashes on Mexican highway, killing all 5 aboard Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:20 PM PDT JILOTEPEC, Mexico (AP) — A small plane has crashed on a major Mexican highway, killing all five people on board and shutting down traffic in both directions for several hours.

Blatter quits as FIFA corruption storm grows Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:20 PM PDT Sepp Blatter resigned Tuesday as president of FIFA in a stunning capitulation to critics as the weight of corruption scandals threatened world football's governing body. "I don't feel I have a mandate from the entire world of football," Blatter, 79, calmly told a press conference at FIFA headquarters just four days after winning a fifth term. Some opponents said the world should "celebrate" Blatter's departure.

UN pushes for renewed Yemen humanitarian pause Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:19 PM PDT The UN Security Council on Tuesday backed a call by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for a new humanitarian pause to fighting in Yemen, saying peace talks should be held as soon as possible. Council members "endorsed the UN secretary general's call for a further humanitarian pause in order to allow assistance to reach the Yemeni people urgently," said the statement. "The consultations in Geneva need to happen without pre-conditions," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Dominican Republic to debate presidential re-election Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:17 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Legislators in the Dominican Republic have approved a measure to establish a special assembly that will debate whether to allow presidents to hold office for two consecutive terms.

Congress candidate killed in Mexico City suburb Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:13 PM PDT A leftist candidate for Mexico's Congress was murdered in a suburb of the capital on Tuesday, becoming the fourth politician killed ahead of Sunday's midterm elections. Miguel Angel Luna was running to represent the Valle de Chalco district in the central State of Mexico when he was killed, his Democratic Revolution Party said on Twitter.

Former Maryland man held at Guantanamo alleges CIA torture Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:12 PM PDT MIAMI (AP) — A former Maryland resident imprisoned at Guantanamo was subjected to mistreatment while in CIA custody far in excess of what has previously been disclosed, including being hung from a wooden beam for three days and kept in total darkness for nearly a year, a legal organization that represents him said Wednesday.

El Salvador records post-war high of 635 homicides in May Posted: 02 Jun 2015 04:08 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador recorded a grisly milestone with 635 homicides in May, believed to be the most killings for a single month since the Central American nation's civil war ended in 1992.

Facing deadline, Puerto Rico seeks to overhaul power company Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:51 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico is preparing to overhaul its heavily indebted public power company as the U.S. territory's government faces a July deadline to approve a new budget and make a roughly $400 million payment to the utility's investors amid growing concerns that public agencies could go bankrupt.

Turkish volunteers flock to monitor knife-edge election Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:48 PM PDT By Dasha Afanasieva ISTANBUL (Reuters) - In a meeting room above an upmarket restaurant in Istanbul's Beyoglu district, some 200 people listen as a young lawyer explains what to watch for when votes are counted in Sunday's pivotal parliamentary election. Tens of thousands of volunteers have signed up to monitor the vote, set to be the closest in more than a decade, in what organizers say is a response an erosion in the rule of law. Oy Ve Otesi ("Vote and Beyond"), was set up the aftermath of anti-government demonstrations two years ago.

Environmentalists sue over Shell plan to drill in Arctic Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:46 PM PDT By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Several environmental groups sued the United States on Tuesday to derail Royal Dutch Shell PLC's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soon as July. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, gave conditional approval in May to Shell's resumption of fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, which was paused after a mishap-filled 2012 season. The Sierra Club and nine other groups sought to overturn the government's decision in a petition with the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.

U.S. urges African states to deliver message to Burundi on vote Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:44 PM PDT The United States urged east African states to send high-level representatives to Burundi to reiterate their opposition to President Pierre Nkurunziza seeking a third term and to press for free and fair elections. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States opposed Nkurunziza's decision to run for another term, which was in breach of the Arusha agreement that brought an end to the country's civil war in 2005. "The United States ... encourages high-level visits from Burundi's neighbors to Burundi to reiterate the importance of upholding the Arusha Agreement and ensuring the conditions necessary for free, fair, and credible elections," Kirby said in a statement.

Brazilian club Cruzeiro hires coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:42 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Cruzeiro has hired Vanderlei Luxemburgo to replace Marcelo Oliveira, the coach who led the team to the Brazilian league titles for the last two seasons.

Damage from severe weather in Oklahoma in May could top $150 million Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:27 PM PDT By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Damage from tornadoes, floods and severe storms in Oklahoma in May that killed at least six people and damaged hundreds of structures could top $150 million, state Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood said on Tuesday. The severe weather that brought tornadoes at the start of the month and floods at the end caused $13 million in damage on the state's roads, bridges and other infrastructure, Ashwood told a news conference. Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, has asked for a presidential disaster declaration for parts of the state, which would free up federal funds to help rebuild from storms that left paths of destruction.

Hurricane Blanca forms off Mexico, headed for Baja California tourist hub Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:25 PM PDT Hurricane Blanca formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday, and is headed toward the tourist resorts at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The storm was expected to hit the southernmost part of Baja California on Sunday morning, the Miami-based NHC said. Last September, Hurricane Odile battered southern Baja California, wreaking havoc in up-market tourist resorts like Los Cabos and stranding thousands of tourists.

Panathinaikos signs Essien on 2-year contract Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:24 PM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Panathinaikos says it has signed AC Milan midfielder Michael Essien on a two-year contract with the Greek club.

Activists: Decline of elephants in Tanzania is catastrophic Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:20 PM PDT NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The sharp decline of the elephant population in Tanzania, most likely due to poaching, is catastrophic, a wildlife conservation group said Tuesday.

Report: Schools for Canada First Nations 'cultural genocide' Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:17 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — A long-awaited report released Tuesday into Canada's decades-long government policy requiring Canadian First Nation children to attend state-funded church schools called it "nothing less than cultural genocide."

Bashir vows 'new page' for Sudan Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:14 PM PDT Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir vowed Tuesday at his swearing in for another five-year term to open a "new page", saying he would bring peace and mend relations with the West. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, won elections in April with more than 94 percent of the vote amid low turnout and an opposition boycott. "Our programme for the next five years will look to the future, and we will open a new page," Bashir said after taking the oath at the national assembly in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman.

Global reaction to Sepp Blatter's decision to resign Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:14 PM PDT Reaction from around the globe to Sepp Blatter's sudden announcement Tuesday that he will step down as FIFA president amid a corruption scandal:

German ex-chancellor Kohl 'doing well' after two operations Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:09 PM PDT Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl is doing "well under the circumstances" after undergoing two operations, his office said Tuesday, in response to alarming media reports about the health of the man who oversaw reunification. Kohl, 85, had a hip operation in early May, which went well, and subsequently needed a further operation which prolonged his stay in hospital, a statement said, without specifying what the second operation concerned. "Under the circumstances Dr Helmut Kohl is doing well," it added.

Protests flare in Burundi as UN seeks end to violence Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:06 PM PDT Protesters in Burundi clashed with police Tuesday just three days before parliamentary elections as the United Nations pushed for action to halt the violence that has left dozens dead. Police fired live rounds and tear gas to break up groups of demonstrators trying to gather in the three hotspot neighbourhoods of Cibitoke, Musaga and Nyakabiga in the capital Bujumbura. Parliamentary elections are set for Friday ahead of a presidential vote on June 26 that will see President Pierre Nkurunziza stand for a third term, despite opposition calls for him to cede power.

Stocks drop as energy gains are offset by utilities slump Posted: 02 Jun 2015 03:03 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market remains stuck in a rut.

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