Yahoo! News: World News

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• A world divided: Elites descend on Swiss Alps amid rising inequality
• U.S. 'stuck to its guns' on Iran prisoner swap: freed detainee's brother
• Desertions deplete Afghan forces, adding to security worries
• Jail to jihad: Indonesian prisons a breeding ground for militancy
• Australian police respond to reports of shooting at Sydney police station
• Iraq searching for three U.S. citizens reportedly abducted
• Audi's says Iran talks spurred by potential for luxury cars
• Rouhani says Iran will honor nuclear deal if West does the same
• Spain seizes on end of Iran's sanctions with plan for joint refinery
• Iran boosts oil output, foreign firms keen to seal deals
• Exclusive: Hellenic Petroleum to meet Iran oil officials on Friday - source
• US congressmen in Germany to meet Americans released by Iran
• MI5 named Britain's best gay-friendly employer
• Several election offices attacked in Haiti as runoff nears
• Malta skipper has Cool Ila R in lead at Key West regatta
• Spy agency MI5 named top employer for LGBT equality in Britain
• Argentina's Nisman remembered 1 year after his death
• Burkina Faso's long night of horror in killing spree by militants
• More aid reaches besieged Syrian towns: U.N., Red Cross
• Macedonia votes to dissolve parliament for April vote
• I.Coast rejects arrest warrant issued for speaker over coup
• Biden thanks Swiss president for support on Iran
• Nathan Mauger, Filo Tiatia join Sunwolves coaching staff
• Macedonia names caretaker PM ahead of early poll
• James, Anthony top 30 finalists for Olympic basketball team
• Milan designers look to the future and past
• Swansea out of relegation zone after 1-0 win over Watford
• W. Africa to 'fight back' as Burkina hotel gunmen named
• New Argentine leadert Macri heading to World Economic Forum
• Lowe's will drop joint-venture business in Australia
• Iraqi Sunni lawmakers to boycott government session over sectarian violence
• Escalation feared after Israeli settlements stabbings
• Al Qaeda names fighters behind attack on Burkina capital
• Williams lifts Swansea out of drop zone as Guidolin looks on
• Avalanche kills 5 French Foreign Legion soldiers
• Nigerian minister says $6.8 billion of public funds stolen in seven years
• French prosecutors won't seek charges in deadly 2004 plane crash
• Eibar routs Granada 5-1 in the Spanish league
• Stylish Nigeria down Niger, Tunisia draw Guinea

A world divided: Elites descend on Swiss Alps amid rising inequality Posted: 18 Jan 2016 12:31 AM PST By Ben Hirschler and Noah Barkin DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Politicians and business leaders gathering in the Swiss Alps this week face an increasingly divided world, with the poor falling further behind the super-rich and political fissures in the United States, Europe and the Middle East running deeper than at any time in decades. Just 62 people, 53 of them men, own as much wealth as the poorest half of the entire world population and the richest 1 percent own more than the other 99 percent put together, anti-poverty charity Oxfam said on Monday. Significantly, the wealth gap is widening faster than anyone anticipated, with the 1 percent overtaking the rest one year earlier than Oxfam had predicted only a year ago.

U.S. 'stuck to its guns' on Iran prisoner swap: freed detainee's brother Posted: 18 Jan 2016 12:37 PM PST (Reuters) - Iranian authorities "continued to manipulate" Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian until the moment he was released with four other Americans in a prisoner swap over the weekend, his brother said on Monday. A deal had been negotiated between Washington and Tehran for the swap but at the last minute, Iranian authorities tried to stop the Iranian-American journalist's wife, Yeganeh Salehi, from leaving with him, Ali Rezaian told CNN. "The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them and prevented Yeggie for leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian told CNN in an interview from outside a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Desertions deplete Afghan forces, adding to security worries Posted: 18 Jan 2016 11:55 AM PST By Sayed Sarwar Amani and Andrew MacAskill KANDAHAR, Afghanistan/KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan Lieutenant Amanullah said he was ready to fight to the death to stop the Taliban making gains across the south of the country, where insurgents have already overrun a series of districts in their traditional heartland. In November, 15 months after joining up, he deserted, one of thousands of tired and frustrated soldiers who have shed their uniforms, seriously blunting the Afghan army's power to repel a growing militant threat. For Amanullah, everything changed late last year when, fighting on an empty stomach and without being paid for months, militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns attacked his base from all directions in a three-day battle.

Jail to jihad: Indonesian prisons a breeding ground for militancy Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:42 PM PST By Randy Fabi and Kanupriya Kapoor JAKARTA (Reuters) - Afif was an inmate in a high-security Indonesian jail when he transformed from aspiring radical Islamist to soldier for Islamic State, ready to sacrifice his life for a group based thousands of miles away in the Middle East. Afif's graduation from jailbird to jihadi shines a light on a prison system where staff shortages, overcrowding and corruption have allowed extremists to mingle and emerge as determined killers in the name of Islam. Security officials say Afif, also known as Sunakim, was sentenced to seven years in prison for taking part in a militant training camp in the province of Aceh, where Islam is generally practiced in a stricter form than other parts of Indonesia.

Australian police respond to reports of shooting at Sydney police station Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:25 PM PST A police operation was underway at a police station in a suburb in the west of Sydney, Australia's largest city, emergency services said on Tuesday, with domestic media reporting at least one person had been shot. A police spokeswoman said an operation was underway at the station in Quakers Hill, a suburb 40 km (25 miles) west of the city's central business district. Australia is on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown militants.

Iraq searching for three U.S. citizens reportedly abducted Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:03 PM PST Security forces in Baghdad were hunting for three U.S. citizens who Iraqi lawmakers said on Monday had been kidnapped, which, if confirmed, would make them the first Americans abducted in the country since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011. Unknown gunmen seized the trio from a private apartment on Friday in the capital's southeastern Dora district, said Mohammed al-Karbouli, who sits on parliament's security and defense panel. Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia fighters, seen as a bulwark in the fight against Islamic State militants, have a heavy presence in that part of the predominately Sunni district.

Audi's says Iran talks spurred by potential for luxury cars Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:34 PM PST Audi is gauging its first-ever entry into the Iranian auto market where the German firm sees "growing potential" for luxury cars after world powers lifted international sanctions. German companies may be able to export goods worth 10 billion euros ($10.9 billion) to Iran as the Islamic Republic is opening up as a market following years of economic isolation, Germany's DIHK Chamber of Commerce and Industry said. Representatives of the Volkswagen-owned brand are currently in Iran for talks with possible importers to examine the prospects for business, a spokeswoman at Ingolstadt-based Audi said on Monday, without being more specific.

Rouhani says Iran will honor nuclear deal if West does the same Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:34 PM PST Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday his country would not breach its landmark nuclear deal with world powers as long as the West also honored its commitments to the accord. Describing the accord a unique example in the history of diplomacy, Rouhani said Iran was committed not to pursue nuclear weapons. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations are lifting the sanctions that barred Iran from the global financial system for years, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified on Saturday that Tehran was complying with the agreement to curb its nuclear program.

Spain seizes on end of Iran's sanctions with plan for joint refinery Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:34 PM PST MADRID/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and Spain are discussing the construction of an Iranian-owned oil refinery at the Gibraltar strait, the Spanish foreign minister said on Monday, a day after sanctions against the economically isolated Islamic republic were lifted. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said he hoped the planned refinery, which would be built in the southern port city of Algeciras with local Spanish firms, would be the first of many deals between the two countries. The United States and European Union on Saturday revoked crippling sanctions against Iran, which had cut its oil exports by about a half since its pre-sanctions 2011 peak, in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Iran boosts oil output, foreign firms keen to seal deals Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:34 PM PST By Sam Wilkin and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran ordered a sharp increase in oil output on Monday to take immediate advantage of the lifting of international sanctions, and some foreign firms raced to snap up deals as Tehran emerges from years of international isolation. "Without question the energy, energy-related and infrastructure industries stand to benefit, but also sectors like retail, with the potential creation of a new middle class," he told Reuters.

Exclusive: Hellenic Petroleum to meet Iran oil officials on Friday - source Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:34 PM PST Hellenic Petroleum, Greece's biggest oil refiner, will meet top Iranian oil officials on Friday to discuss crude oil imports from Iran, a company source said on Monday, after world powers lifted sanctions against Tehran at the weekend. Hellenic Petroleum was a major buyer of Iranian crude, which accounted for about 20 percent of the company's total annual crude oil imports before sanctions were imposed. Sanctions cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak, to little more than 1 million bpd.

US congressmen in Germany to meet Americans released by Iran Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:20 PM PST LANDSTUHL, Germany (AP) — A North Carolina congressman and two others traveled Monday to the medical center in Germany where three Americans, released by Iran as part of a prisoner swap, are being treated.

MI5 named Britain's best gay-friendly employer Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:17 PM PST Britain's MI5 spy agency was on Tuesday named the country's best employer for promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender diversity. The domestic counter-intelligence and security agency came top of the annual Workplace Equality Index conducted by Stonewall, an LGBT rights charity. It found the security service provided staff with quality employment policies, training, career development opportunities, and especially support for LGBT employees.

Several election offices attacked in Haiti as runoff nears Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:12 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Stone-throwing demonstrators on Monday smashed car windows and set at least two vehicles ablaze in Haiti's capital, hours after several electoral offices were attacked in northern towns as the country prepares for a Jan. 24 presidential and legislative runoff.

Malta skipper has Cool Ila R in lead at Key West regatta Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:06 PM PST KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Malta skipper Alex Schaerer has steered Caol Ila R to the top of Maxi 72-class leaderboard after the first day of sailing at the Quantum Key West Race Week regatta.

Spy agency MI5 named top employer for LGBT equality in Britain Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:02 PM PST Britain's domestic spy service, MI5, was named on Tuesday as the best employer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in a nationwide workplace equality index, followed by Lloyds Banking Group and the National Assembly for Wales. The Top 100 Employers list by the equality charity Stonewall ranks organizations in Britain based on answers from employees about culture, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. "We're thrilled to see such a commitment to lesbian, gay, bi and trans colleagues, but we also know that there is still lots to do," Ruth Hunt, Stonewall's chief executive, said in a statement.

Argentina's Nisman remembered 1 year after his death Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:02 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Jewish rights groups organized acts in several Argentine cities on Monday to mark the first anniversary of prosecutor Alberto Nisman's death.

Burkina Faso's long night of horror in killing spree by militants Posted: 18 Jan 2016 04:01 PM PST By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Nadoun Coulibaly OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - When Burkina Faso anti-terrorism Commander Evrard Somda arrived with 20 men to start a fight-back against Islamist militants holed up in a five-story hotel, his first decision was to seal off the area and throw away the rule book. Cars blazed in the street, bursts of gunfire echoed from the Splendid Hotel and bodies were strewn across the terrace of Cappuccino, a cafe-restaurant across the road popular for its European menu and free WiFi. In the event, it would be nine hours before the three attackers were cornered in the nearby Bush Taxi restaurant.

More aid reaches besieged Syrian towns: U.N., Red Cross Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:59 PM PST A third round of aid was delivered to besieged Syrian towns on Monday, although armed groups postponed one humanitarian team's access saying they needed more time to make security arrangements, the United Nations said in a joint statement. The U.N., the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) made deliveries to the towns of Zabadani and Madaya, which are near the Lebanese border and surrounded by government forces, and to Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province, which are surrounded by rebel groups. U.N., ICRC and SARC teams on Monday delivered fuel to Madaya, Foua and Kafraya, and delivered food and medical supplies to Zabadani.

Macedonia votes to dissolve parliament for April vote Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:49 PM PST Macedonian lawmakers voted Monday to dissolve parliament next month ahead of an early election in late April, in line with an EU-backed deal to end a political crisis but under threat of a boycott by the main opposition. The parliament of the Balkan country voted to dissolve itself on February 24, after noting the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who was required to step down 100 days ahead of a vote in accordance with the deal. "SDSM and its coalition partners will not take part in the April 24 polls," the party said in a statement released late on Monday.

I.Coast rejects arrest warrant issued for speaker over coup Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:41 PM PST Ivory Coast on Monday rejected an international arrest warrant issued by neighbouring Burkina Faso for the speaker of parliament, calling in a statement from the presidency to solve the dispute through diplomatic channels. The warrant for Guillaume Soro, a former Ivorian rebel leader and prime minister, was issued on Friday over a short-lived coup last year following telephone wiretaps. Soro was a leading figure in the 2011 low-level civil war in Ivory Coast which split the world's top cocoa producer in half.

Biden thanks Swiss president for support on Iran Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:22 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden has thanked Switzerland's president for his country's role in tense negotiations over the fate of Americans held in Iran.

Nathan Mauger, Filo Tiatia join Sunwolves coaching staff Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:21 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former All Blacks Nathan Mauger and Filo Tiatia have joined the coaching staff of Japan's new Super Rugby team, the Sunwolves.

Macedonia names caretaker PM ahead of early poll Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:16 PM PST SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Lawmakers in Macedonia have approved conservative politician Emil Dimitriev as caretaker prime minister following a Western-brokered deal to resolve a political crisis triggered by a wiretapping scandal.

James, Anthony top 30 finalists for Olympic basketball team Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:10 PM PST LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are a step closer to a fourth Olympics, and Stephen Curry is in position for his first.

Milan designers look to the future and past Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:10 PM PST MILAN (AP) — Milan designers looked both to the future and the past to create contemporary looks for men next winter and fall.

Swansea out of relegation zone after 1-0 win over Watford Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:42 PM PST SWANSEA, Wales (AP) — Swansea moved out of the relegation zone following a slender 1-0 win over Watford in the English Premier League on Monday in front of newly-appointed head coach Francesco Guidolin.

W. Africa to 'fight back' as Burkina hotel gunmen named Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:39 PM PST Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Monday named three gunmen behind a deadly attack on a top Burkina Faso hotel that has highlighted the growing reach of jihadist groups in west Africa, as French police joined in the probe. Burkinabe troops fanned out across the capital, Ouagadougou, with security stepped up at key sites as visiting Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi pledged that west African nations would fight back against a mounting terrorist threat.

New Argentine leadert Macri heading to World Economic Forum Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:39 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — New President Mauricio Macri heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this week, becoming the first Argentine leader to attend the gathering in 13 years.

Lowe's will drop joint-venture business in Australia Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:37 PM PST MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Lowe's says it's getting out of a joint venture that runs more than 60 home-improvement stores in Australia.

Iraqi Sunni lawmakers to boycott government session over sectarian violence Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:30 PM PST Iraqi Sunni lawmakers and ministers decided to boycott Tuesday's parliament and government sessions to protest violence targeting their community in a town east of Baghdad, the independent al-Sumaria TV channel reported on Monday.A coalition of Sunni Arab parliament members took the decision after a meeting chaired by parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, who is also the most senior representative of the community in the Iraqi state, the channel said, citing lawmaker Badr al-Fahl. Anti-Shi'ite bombings claimed by Islamic State on Jan. 11 in the town of Muqdadiya triggered retaliatory attacks on the Sunni community, leaving an unknown number of people killed. Police have not yet announced a casualty toll for the anti-Sunni violence in Muqdadiya.

Escalation feared after Israeli settlements stabbings Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:27 PM PST Two knife attacks inside Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the fatal stabbing of a woman in her home, boosted tensions Monday after months of violence and raised fears of an escalation. As a manhunt was under way for the assailant in Sunday's fatal stabbing, a new knife attack Monday on a street in another West Bank settlement wounded a 30-year-old pregnant woman. The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa, south of Jerusalem.

Al Qaeda names fighters behind attack on Burkina capital Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:15 PM PST Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Monday identified three fighters it says were responsible for attacks in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou over the weekend that killed 29 people. Gunmen from the Islamist militant group stormed the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel on Friday night, singling out white people for slaughter. Eight Burkinabes, six Canadians, three Ukrainians and two French people were killed, among others.

Williams lifts Swansea out of drop zone as Guidolin looks on Posted: 18 Jan 2016 02:06 PM PST Swansea gave new head coach Francesco Guidolin the perfect welcome present as they beat Watford 1-0 to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone on Monday. Guidolin was announced as Swansea head coach, to work alongside interim manager Alan Curtis, just hours before kick-off at the Liberty Stadium. Guidolin's presence had the desired effect as Ashley Williams's first half goal secured Swansea's first win in their last five games in all competitions.

Avalanche kills 5 French Foreign Legion soldiers Posted: 18 Jan 2016 01:56 PM PST PARIS (AP) — An avalanche in the French Alps swept away a military unit training in the backcountry, killing five soldiers from the French Foreign Legion and injuring several others Monday, officials said.

Nigerian minister says $6.8 billion of public funds stolen in seven years Posted: 18 Jan 2016 01:51 PM PST Fifty-five people who were government ministers, state governors, public officials, bankers and businessmen stole 1.34 trillion naira ($6.8 billion) from Nigeria's public purse over a seven-year period, the information minister said on Monday. Endemic corruption has enriched a small elite but left many Nigerians mired in poverty despite the country being Africa's top oil producer and having the continent's biggest economy. President Muhammadu Buhari, a 73-year-old former military ruler, took office in May after winning an election largely fought on his vow to crackdown on corruption.

French prosecutors won't seek charges in deadly 2004 plane crash Posted: 18 Jan 2016 01:36 PM PST French prosecutors announced Monday they will not seek charges in the deadly 2004 crash of a Paris-bound airliner in Egypt, citing overwhelming evidence of human error. The evidence "does not allow for any other hypothesis than one attributable to the errors of the flight team," prosecutors said, adding the probe is now closed because the pilots died in the crash. Victims' families were outraged by the prosecutors' decision over the probe into the crash that killed 134 French people.

Eibar routs Granada 5-1 in the Spanish league Posted: 18 Jan 2016 01:36 PM PST MADRID (AP) — Two goals each by Borja Baston and Sergi Enrich helped Eibar down Granada 5-1 in the Spanish league on Monday.

Stylish Nigeria down Niger, Tunisia draw Guinea Posted: 18 Jan 2016 01:31 PM PST Second half substitute Chisom Chikatara inspired Nigeria to a crushing 4-1 win over Niger in their African Nations Championships opening match at Kigali's Nyamirambo stadium on Monday. The Abia Warriors star grabbed a hat-trick late in the second half to give Nigeria bragging rights over their West African neighbours. After a barren first half, Nigeria turned on the heat when winger Osas Okoro put them ahead a minute into the second half.

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