Yahoo! News: World News

---

• U.S. and China open annual dialogue with 'candid, to-the-point' talks
• Taliban attacks Afghan parliament
• Israel, Palestinians may have committed war crimes in Gaza: U.N. report
• U.S. air strike in Iraq kills Islamic State fighter linked to Benghazi attack: Pentagon
• Syrian Kurds, on offensive, seize military base from Islamic State
• France wants strong nuclear agreement with Iran
• Endangered wildlife list swells in 2015, from lions to orchids
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• 4 Colombian soldiers die when helicopter lands in minefield
• US says IS suspect in Benghazi attack killed in airstrike
• Syria women prisoners a 'weapon of war': rights groups
• One-test All Black Norman Berryman dead at 42
• Mali hostages, held since late 2011, plead for release in video
• US airstrike kills IS operative in Iraq: official
• Ten bodies found in Acapulco mass graves
• Afghan UN envoy says extremists have united in new offensive
• Europe closes in on Greece debt deal
• Brazil prosecutors seek US help in Petrobras graft probe
• China aims to challenge U.S. air dominance: Pentagon
• Police: 3 Jamaicans plead guilty to lottery scam offenses
• Bloodshed in El Salvador reaching levels of 1980s civil war
• England beat Norway to reach World Cup quarters
• Juventus signs Mandzukic on 4-year deal from Atletico
• IS ties 2 boys to pole for eating in Ramadan: monitor
• Climate change health risk is a 'medical emergency', experts warn
• Europe cautiously optimistic of Greek debt deal this week
• UN panel to review C. Africa child sex abuse claims
• Australian Nick Kyrgios splits with coach Todd Larkham
• U.N. police accused of Mali deaths to face home country court: source
• Syrian Kurdish fighters chase IS from key base north of Raqa: NGO
• Female suicide bomber kills 20 in Nigeria city of Maiduguri
• Kings star Stoll charged with cocaine felony
• Dominican Republic offers help to migrants willing to leave
• Gove to slam 'dysfunctional' justice system
• Mauritanian site 'has video of S.African, Swede held in Mali'
• Opposition hopeful as Venezuela sets legislative vote
• France vows to strengthen cooperation with U.N. mission in Mali
• 10 bodies found in clandestine graves on Acapulco outskirts
• War crimes likely by both sides in 2014 Gaza war: UN

U.S. and China open annual dialogue with 'candid, to-the-point' talks Posted: 22 Jun 2015 12:59 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and China held "candid and to-the-point" talks at the start of three days of cabinet-level meetings aimed at managing the highly complex relationship between the world's two biggest economies, a senior U.S. official said. The U.S. side, led on Monday by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reiterated U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea, the official said. U.S. worries about cybersecurity following massive attacks on government computers that U.S. officials have blamed on Chinese hackers would also be addressed "in very direct terms," the official said.

Taliban attacks Afghan parliament Posted: 22 Jun 2015 08:41 AM PDT By Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen attacked the Afghan parliament on Monday as lawmakers met to consider a new defense minister, and another district in the volatile north fell to the militants as they intensified a summer offensive. The brazen assault on the symbolic center of power, along with territorial gains elsewhere, highlight how NATO-trained Afghan security forces are struggling to cope with worsening militant violence. Fighting has spiraled since the departure of most foreign forces from Afghanistan at the end of last year.

Israel, Palestinians may have committed war crimes in Gaza: U.N. report Posted: 22 Jun 2015 12:24 PM PDT By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. investigators said on Monday that Israel and Palestinian militant groups committed grave abuses of international humanitarian law during the 2014 Gaza conflict that may amount to war crimes. "The most that we can hope for out of this long and arduous process of inquiry is that we will push the ball of justice a little further down the field," Mary McGowan Davis, chairwoman of the U.N. commission of inquiry, said at a news conference. A ceasefire last August ended 50 days of fighting between Gaza militants and Israel, in which health officials said more than 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed.

U.S. air strike in Iraq kills Islamic State fighter linked to Benghazi attack: Pentagon Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:33 PM PDT A U.S. air strike on Mosul, Iraq, killed an Islamic State fighter linked to the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, the Pentagon said on Monday. The June 15 air strike killed Ali Awni al-Harzi, whom the Pentagon said was a "person of interest" in the Benghazi attack, which killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

Syrian Kurds, on offensive, seize military base from Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:24 PM PDT By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish-led forces said on Monday that they had captured a military base from Islamic State in Syria's Raqqa province, advancing deeper into territory held by the group and showing new momentum after they seized a border crossing from the jihadists last week. The Kurds, aided by U.S.-led air strikes and smaller Syrian rebel groups, pushed on Monday to within 7 km (4 miles) of Ain Issa, a town 50 km (30 miles) north of Islamic State's de facto capital Raqqa city, said Redur Xelil, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces. "They have been defeated," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters.

France wants strong nuclear agreement with Iran Posted: 22 Jun 2015 11:38 AM PDT France wants a robust nuclear agreement with Iran that must include a strong verification mechanism to check Tehran's compliance with any deal, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday. Fabius spoke after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Luxembourg for talks with European ministers before negotiators head to Vienna this week for what could be the final stage of talks on Iran's nuclear program. Iran and six world powers are nearing a June 30 deadline to clinch a deal to restrict Iran's nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Endangered wildlife list swells in 2015, from lions to orchids Posted: 22 Jun 2015 05:02 PM PDT By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - The number of animals and plants at risk of extinction rose in 2015 despite government pledges to improve protection, with species under threat ranging from lions in West Africa to orchids in Asia, a study showed on Tuesday. The Red List of Endangered Species, backed by governments, scientists and conservationists, grew to 22,784 species in 2015, almost a third of all animals and plants sampled, from 22,413 a year ago, it said. Lions in Africa retained an overall listing as "vulnerable", one of the least endangered categories, thanks to conservation in southern Africa.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 22 Jun 2015 05:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States began annual security talks with China on Monday, and an official said it plans to raise directly the breach of a federal government server that resulted in the theft of personnel and security clearance records of millions of employees and contractors. China has openly denied involvement in the break-in. Obama administration officials have said they are increasingly confident that China's government, not criminal hackers, were responsible.

4 Colombian soldiers die when helicopter lands in minefield Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:59 PM PDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Four Colombian soldiers were killed Monday when their helicopter landed in a minefield, the latest attack attributed to leftist rebels as both sides in the country's long-running conflict harden their positions amid languishing peace talks.

US says IS suspect in Benghazi attack killed in airstrike Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says an Islamic State operative suspected of involvement in the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, has been killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq.

Syria women prisoners a 'weapon of war': rights groups Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:36 PM PDT Women prisoners in Syrian government jails are used as a "weapon of war", a network of rights groups said in a report Monday, documenting sexual abuse and torture of detainees. The report published by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) documents what it describes as "arbitrary" detentions and contains testimony from dozens of former prisoners. "Women have been increasingly weaponised in Syria's ongoing bloody war, with dire repercussions for the country's social fabric and the prospect of ending the conflict," the report wrote.

One-test All Black Norman Berryman dead at 42 Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:34 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Rugby says Norman Berryman, who played one test for the All Blacks and won three Super Rugby titles with the Christchurch-based Crusaders, died Tuesday aged 42.

Mali hostages, held since late 2011, plead for release in video Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:34 PM PDT Two hostages kidnapped by al Qaeda militants in north Mali more than three years ago asked their governments to help secure their release in a rare video of them seen by Reuters on Monday. The two men, from Sweden and South Africa, were seized in the desert city of Timbuktu in November 2011, weeks before secular and Islamist rebels took over Mali's north. The nearly 19-minute video, entitled "A trip to interview two prisoners," could not be independently verified by Reuters, although it bore the stamp of al-Andalus, which claims to be the media arm of al Qaeda in north Africa (AQMI).

US airstrike kills IS operative in Iraq: official Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:30 PM PDT A US airstrike in northern Iraq has killed an Islamic State operative who was a person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi of Tunisia was killed in Mosul on June 15. The US Treasury and the State Department had designated him as a terrorist operating for or on behalf of IS.

Ten bodies found in Acapulco mass graves Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:28 PM PDT Authorities found 10 bodies Monday in mass graves on the outskirts of Mexico's Pacific resort of Acapulco, a city beset by drug gang violence. The corpses of seven men and three women were exhumed from seven clandestine pits far from the tourist zone, Guerrero state chief prosecutor Miguel Angel Godinez told AFP. Several mass graves have been found in recent years in Acapulco's periphery.

Afghan UN envoy says extremists have united in new offensive Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:28 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Afghanistan's U.N. ambassador says a new offensive against the government and the Afghan people is compounded by an unprecedented convergence of Taliban insurgents, more than 7,000 foreign fighters and violent groups including the Islamic State.

Europe closes in on Greece debt deal Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:22 PM PDT Eurozone leaders said they hoped to finally seal a Greek bailout deal this week to save Athens from default and a possible exit from the euro but warned that more hard work was needed. After an emergency summit in Brussels, they ordered their finance ministers to hold fresh talks on Wednesday to thrash out the details ahead of a full meeting of all 28 EU leaders on Thursday. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "convinced" they could end the five-month stand-off with the leftist Greek government led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Brazil prosecutors seek US help in Petrobras graft probe Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:20 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's prosecutors investigating a big kickback scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras said Monday that they are asking U.S. authorities for help in building their case.

China aims to challenge U.S. air dominance: Pentagon Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:18 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China is mounting a serious effort to challenge U.S. military superiority in air and space, forcing the Pentagon to seek new technologies and systems to stay ahead of its rapidly developing rival, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said on Monday. The Pentagon's chief operating officer, speaking to a group of military and civilian aerospace experts, said China was "quickly closing the technological gaps," developing radar-evading aircraft, advanced reconnaissance planes, sophisticated missiles and top-notch electronic warfare equipment. While hoping for a constructive relationship with China, the Pentagon "cannot overlook the competitive aspects of our relationship, especially in the realm of military capabilities, an area in which China continues to improve at a very impressive rate," he said.

Police: 3 Jamaicans plead guilty to lottery scam offenses Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:16 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaican authorities say three people in a southern parish have pleaded guilty to lottery scam offenses after they were detained with "lead lists" containing identity information about targets living abroad.

Bloodshed in El Salvador reaching levels of 1980s civil war Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:14 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Word on the street is that only the girlfriends of gang members are allowed to be redheads or blondes. So in this violent place, women are scurrying to salons to give up their blond hair and highlights, to dye it all black — not out of fashion sense, but out of fear.

England beat Norway to reach World Cup quarters Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:14 PM PDT Second-half goals from Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze booked England's passage to the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup on Monday with a 2-1 win over Norway. England had fallen behind to a 54th-minute goal for 1995 champions Norway off a Solveig Gulbrandsen header.

Juventus signs Mandzukic on 4-year deal from Atletico Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:09 PM PDT MILAN (AP) — Juventus moved strengthened its attacking options by signing Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic on Monday from Atletico Madrid for 19 million euros ($21.5 million).

IS ties 2 boys to pole for eating in Ramadan: monitor Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:04 PM PDT The Islamic State group on Monday made two youths hang from a beam by their wrists after accusing them of eating during daylight hours in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. "Residents of the village of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province reported that IS suspended from a crossbar two boys aged under 18 near the HQ of the Hissba", the jihadist police, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Throughout the month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn until sunset.

Climate change health risk is a 'medical emergency', experts warn Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:03 PM PDT By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - The threat to human health from climate change is so great that it could undermine the last 50 years of gains in development and global health, experts warned on Tuesday. Extreme weather events such as floods and heat waves bring rising risks of infectious diseases, poor nutrition and stress, the specialists said, while polluted cities where people work long hours and have no time or space to walk, cycle or relax are bad for the heart as well as respiratory and mental health. Almost 200 countries have set a 2 degrees C global average temperature rise above pre-industrial times as a ceiling to limit climate change, but scientists say the current trajectory could lead to around a 4 degrees C rise in average temperatures, risking droughts, floods, storms and rising sea levels.

Europe cautiously optimistic of Greek debt deal this week Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:59 PM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — Greece has finally offered economic reforms that creditors consider closer to being acceptable, giving Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a few days to turn a spirit of goodwill into a deal that might keep the country from a painful exit from the euro currency and roil international markets.

UN panel to review C. Africa child sex abuse claims Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:58 PM PDT A former Supreme Court justice of Canada will lead a review of how the United Nations handled allegations that French and African troops sexually abused children in the Central African Republic, the UN announced Monday. Marie Deschamps will chair the independent panel that will include Hassan Jallow of Gambia, a prosecutor of the UN tribunal for Rwanda, and Yasmin Sooka, executive director of the Foundation of Human Rights in South Africa. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the creation of the panel earlier this month following a furor over allegations that French troops had sexually abused children at a camp for displaced civilians near Bangui, from December 2013 to June 2014.

Australian Nick Kyrgios splits with coach Todd Larkham Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:52 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has split with coach Todd Larkham less than a week before the start of Wimbledon, saying on his website Tuesday that the pair "mutually agreed" to part ways.

U.N. police accused of Mali deaths to face home country court: source Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:50 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Several U.N. police peacekeepers who used "unauthorized and excessive force" that killed three people during a protest in Mali have been arrested and will face justice in their home country, a diplomatic source at the United Nations said on Monday. A United Nations inquiry found police peacekeepers shot the protesters during a demonstration on Jan. 27 in the northern Mali town of Gao as the U.N. tried to broker peace between armed groups in the area.

Syrian Kurdish fighters chase IS from key base north of Raqa: NGO Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:37 PM PDT Syrian Kurdish fighters have chased Islamic State militants from a key base north of the jihadists' stronghold city of Raqa, according to a monitoring group. The Kurdish People's Protection Units -- with US-led air support -- took complete control of the Liwa (Brigade) 93 base on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "IS lines of defence were pushed back to the gates of Raqa," added Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Observatory.

Female suicide bomber kills 20 in Nigeria city of Maiduguri Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:33 PM PDT At least 20 people were killed Monday when a young female suicide bomber detonated her explosives at a bus station in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, in an attack likely to be blamed on Boko Haram. The blast happened near a fish market in the Baga Road area of the city, which has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks by shelling, bombs and suicide attacks. "We heard a loud explosion at about 3:50 pm (1450 GMT) while we were preparing for afternoon prayers," said Danlami Ajaokuta, a civilian vigilante assisting the military against Boko Haram.

Kings star Stoll charged with cocaine felony Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:32 PM PDT Los Angeles Kings star center Jarret Stoll, who helped the club win the National Hockey League title in 2012 and 2014, was charged with felony cocaine possession, authorities announced Monday. The district attorney's office in Clark County, Nevada, revealed the details of the case against the Canadian, who was arrested April 17 at the MGM Grand, the same hotel where the NHL conducts its annual award ceremony on Wednesday, which is also Stoll's 33rd birthday. Police said Stoll attempted to enter a pool area when a security guard discovered cocaine during a voluntary pat-down.

Dominican Republic offers help to migrants willing to leave Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:28 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Migrants who would like to leave the Dominican Republic ahead of a wave of expected deportations are being offered help from the government of the Caribbean country.

Gove to slam 'dysfunctional' justice system Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:28 PM PDT Justice Secretary Michael Gove was on Tuesday to criticise the country's "dysfunctional, two-nation" justice system, saying it fails poorer victims of crime. "Despite our deserved global reputation for legal services, not every element of our justice system is world-beating," Gove was to say in a speech to the Legatum Institute think-tank. "There are two nations in our justice system at present," he was to add, according to extracts released before the speech.

Mauritanian site 'has video of S.African, Swede held in Mali' Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:25 PM PDT A private Mauritanian news agency said Monday that it had obtained a video showing a South African and a Swede who were kidnapped in Mali in 2011 and are being held by Al-Qaeda. The video obtained by the Sahara Medias website appears to show Stephen Malcolm McGown, from South Africa, and Swedish citizen Johan Gustafson in good health, a website employee told AFP. The two men are bearded and are seen wearing traditional robes, sitting under a tree, the employee said, adding that it was not known when the video was shot.

Opposition hopeful as Venezuela sets legislative vote Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:17 PM PDT Venezuela will hold legislative elections December 6, officials said Monday, setting a date after weeks of pressure from opposition groups hoping to deal President Nicolas Maduro's socialist party a crippling defeat. With Venezuela's economy in recession, oil revenues plunging and consumers facing chronic shortages of basic goods, Maduro's approval rating has sunk to 28 percent. An April survey by polling firm Datanalisis found Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies had 25 percent support against 45.8 percent for the opposition.

France vows to strengthen cooperation with U.N. mission in Mali Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:11 PM PDT By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - France vowed on Monday to strengthen cooperation with the U.N. mission in Mali as it seeks to implement an ambitious peace deal aimed at stabilizing the volatile north. Tit-for-tat violence between rival armed groups has until now distracted Mali from fighting Islamist militants who briefly teamed up with Tuareg rebels to seize the north in 2012. A French military operation scattered them a year later.

10 bodies found in clandestine graves on Acapulco outskirts Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:57 PM PDT ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Authorities in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero say they have found 10 bodies in clandestine graves on the outskirts of the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco.

War crimes likely by both sides in 2014 Gaza war: UN Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:44 PM PDT Both Israel and Palestinian militants may have committed war crimes during last year's Gaza war, a widely anticipated United Nations report said Monday, decrying "unprecedented" devastation and human suffering. The Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict announced it had received "credible allegations" that both sides had committed war crimes during the conflict, which killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 people on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. "The extent of the devastation and human suffering in Gaza was unprecedented and will impact generations to come," said commission chair Mary McGowan Davis, a New York judge.

You are subscribed to email updates from World News Headlines - Yahoo News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States