World News Headlines - Yahoo! News UK

US: Teenager Arrested Over School Bomb Plot

Sun, 26 May 2013 05:33:29 +0100

A teenager in the US is to be charged with attempted murder after he allegedly planned to carry out a bomb attack on his high school.

Sex Slave Row: Mayor's Japan Brothel Gaffe

Sun, 26 May 2013 05:05:38 +0100

A Japanese politician already under fire over comments about wartime sex slaves has apologised for suggesting US soldiers in Okinawa visit brothels.

Texas Flash Floods: More Than 200 Rescued

Sun, 26 May 2013 05:00:05 +0100

Flash floods caused by torrential downpours in San Antonio, Texas, have left at least one person dead and sparked a huge rescue mission to help hundreds of stranded drivers and residents.

Two freight trains collide in Missouri, bringing down overpass

Sun, 26 May 2013 04:45:42 +0100

By Tim Bross ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in rural Missouri on Saturday, triggering the collapse of a highway overpass when at least a dozen rail cars derailed and struck a support pillar, authorities said. None of the seven people hurt in the fiery crash - two train workers and five occupants of two cars on the overpass - suffered life-threatening injuries, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said in a statement. ...

Security high for Paris protest against gay marriage

Sun, 26 May 2013 04:30:50 +0100

French police were on alert Sunday ahead of a mass protest in Paris against a new gay marriage law, with hardline activists expected to mingle among 200,000 demonstrators.

Bitter election creates long-term headache for Malaysia's Najib

Sun, 26 May 2013 04:16:09 +0100

By Niluksi Koswanage KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's divisive election has left a bitter taste for millions of people that risks creating a long-term problem of legitimacy for Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. The outrage was clear at a busy intersection across from one of Kuala Lumpur's fanciest shopping malls, where a huge poster of Najib and his deputy had been defaced -- a rare display of public disrespect in the Southeast Asian nation. ...

Syria rebels fight on as peace talks pressure mounts

Sun, 26 May 2013 04:04:05 +0100

A meeting of Syria's fractured opposition headed into an unscheduled fourth day Sunday, while on the ground rebels kept up their resistance to a Hezbollah-backed government assault on a strategic central town.

Cars torched, police attacked in new Stockholm riots

Sun, 26 May 2013 04:03:23 +0100

Cars were torched and police faced stone-throwing youths in Stockholm's immigrant-dominated suburbs early Sunday, but the nightly riots that have raged for a week appeared to be easing, police said.

French soldier stabbed on patrol in Paris

Sun, 26 May 2013 03:30:02 +0100

A French soldier has been stabbed while on patrol in Paris but President Francois Hollande said the attack could not "at this stage" be linked to the murder of a soldier in London.

French Soldier Stabbed In The Neck In Paris

Sun, 26 May 2013 02:41:19 +0100

Police in France have said they believe the stabbing of a uniformed soldier in Paris may be linked to the brutal murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in London.

Spotlight grows on China's harsh labor camps

Sun, 26 May 2013 02:29:13 +0100

When she refused to sign a form renouncing her faith, Wang Chunying said she was handcuffed between two bunkbeds for 16 hours, deprived of food, water and sleep as she felt her wrists bleeding.

Cannes film fest prizes up for grabs in tight race

Sun, 26 May 2013 02:11:30 +0100

An epic lesbian love story with graphic sex, a Coen brothers musical comedy and a blood-stained critique of Chinese society rocked the 66th Cannes Film Festival but critics said no hands-down favourite had emerged ahead of Sunday's prizes.

Swiss police clash with protesters at techno rally

Sun, 26 May 2013 01:36:13 +0100

The picturesque heart of Switzerland's capital Berne was Sunday shrouded in tear-gas as police fought back protesters at a politically-tinged techno parade.

Fifty arrested ahead of Paris anti-gay marriage rally

Sun, 26 May 2013 01:23:25 +0100

Fifty opponents of gay marriage were arrested in central Paris, police said, on the eve of a major protest against a new French law allowing homosexual couples to formally tie the knot.

Thousands run final mile of Boston Marathon as memorial

Sun, 26 May 2013 01:20:40 +0100

Thousands of runners and their supporters took to the streets of Boston to complete last month's marathon that many were forced to abandon after bombs exploded near the finish line.

Venezuela top court rejects challenge to Maduro win

Sun, 26 May 2013 01:15:11 +0100

In a ruling on Saturday, Venezuela's Supreme Court rejected one of six challenges to the April 14 presidential election which saw Hugo Chavez's successor Nicolas Maduro win by a razor-thin margin.

Swedish capital returning to normal after week of violence

Sun, 26 May 2013 01:03:11 +0100

By Mia Shanley and Simon Johnson STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's capital was relatively calm on Saturday night with only isolated incidents of violence by youths after nearly a week of car-burnings and vandalism that have highlighted growing inequality in Swedish society. Police had brought in reinforcements from around the country to stem the rioting and were out in force in the poorer suburbs of Stockholm that have seen the worst incidents. "It is pretty calm," police spokesman Lars Bystrom said. "It isn't worse than a normal night. ...

Trio arrested over London soldier murder

Sat, 25 May 2013 22:43:42 +0100

Three men were arrested Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder the British soldier hacked to death in a London street in an Islamist attack.

Kerry presses Egypt on economic reform, says aid depends on it

Sat, 25 May 2013 22:35:56 +0100

By Arshad Mohammed ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Egypt to act swiftly on economic reforms to secure a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan, saying the measures were needed to get further aid from the U.S. Congress, an American official said. Kerry met Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi for about an hour on the sidelines of an African Union summit on Saturday, discussing Syria's civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights in Egypt and the country's faltering economy, the official said. ...

Africa celebrates progress and 50 years of 'unity'

Sat, 25 May 2013 21:56:16 +0100

African leaders Saturday marked the African Union's 50th birthday against a backdrop of economic growth, despite persistent armed conflicts and the new shadow of the threat of terrorism.

Syrian opposition struggles for unity as battle rages

Sat, 25 May 2013 21:40:12 +0100

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, as government forces launched a fierce onslaught on a rebel-held border town to try to gain the upper hand in the civil war. A failure of the opposition to unite could weaken the hand of Russia and the United States, co-sponsors of a proposed peace conference on the war, which has killed 80,000 and threatens to spill over borders and whip up wider sectarian violence. The U.S. ...

Interpol refuses Russian search request on dead lawyer's boss

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:57:06 +0100

International police agency Interpol has pressed the delete button on all the information it has on the former employer of late lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, saying a Russian search request for him was of a "political nature".

Twice widowed suicide bomber kills one in Russia's Dagestan

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:47:54 +0100

A suicide bomber identified as the widow of two Islamists blew herself up in Russia's Dagestan on Saturday, killing one person and wounding over a dozen in the second attack to hit the volatile northern Caucasus region this week, officials said.

Russian pro-, anti-gay activists arrested after defying ban

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:43:32 +0100

By Jason Bush MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained around 30 pro- and anti-gay activists in central Moscow on Saturday, imposing the city's ban on gay rights demonstrations. The arrests, underlining Russia's tough response to public demonstrations by gay groups, coincided with the first ever gay rally in neighbouring Ukraine, which was allowed by the authorities and protected by the police. Russia's parliament has given preliminary approval to a ban on "homosexual propaganda" targeting minors, which critics say would effectively ban gay rights demonstrations. ...

Madagascar president sets out terms for quitting election race

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:09:52 +0100

By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's president Andry Rajoelina, under international pressure not to seek re-election in July, has set out the terms under which he would withdraw from the race, but warned that the spectre of civil war loomed over the Indian Ocean island. Madagascar has been in political crisis since 2009 when Rajoelina seized power with military support, ousting former President Marc Ravalomanana and triggering turmoil that scared off investors and devastated the vital tourism sector. ...

Thousands attend mass for Italy's first mafia martyr

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:07:58 +0100

Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful attended a mass on Saturday putting on the path to sainthood a priest shot dead by the mafia 20 years ago, the first victim of organised crime to be declared a martyr.

Ukraine gay rights activists hold first ever march

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:05:43 +0100

Around a hundred gay rights activists marched in Ukraine on Saturday despite fears of violence, marking the first gay pride event in the ex-Soviet country, where homophobia is widespread and socially accepted.

Tornado Survivor: 'I Couldn't Replace' Dog

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:46 +0100

An elderly woman who was reunited with her dog during a TV interview after the Oklahoma tornado says that even if she has lost her possessions, she still has what’s most important to her – her beloved pet Bowser.

Apple 1 Computer Sells For Record £441,000

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:38:04 +0100

One of only six surviving Apple 1 computers still in working order has sold for a record 516,461 euros (£441,532).

Brazil cancels $900 million in African debt: presidency

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:30:22 +0100

Brazil said Saturday it plans to cancel $900 million (700 million euro) worth of debt in 12 African countries, as part of a broader strategy to boost ties with the continent.

British spies 'tried to recruit' Islamist attacker

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:19:07 +0100

Britain's intelligence agencies came under fresh scrutiny on Saturday following claims that MI5 had tried to recruit one of two Islamists accused of butchering a soldier in London.

Sexual assault is a 'scourge' on U.S. military, Hagel says

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:45:49 +0100

(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers. "Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military are a profound betrayal - a profound betrayal - of sacred oaths and sacred trusts," Hagel said. "This scourge must be stamped out." His comments came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to graduates at the U.S. ...

Hezbollah, Syrian government forces push for advance in Qusair

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:39:31 +0100

By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict said. Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad said additional tanks and artillery had been deployed around opposition-held territory in Qusair, a Syrian town close to the Lebanese border. "I've never seen a day like this since the battle started," said Malek Ammar, an activist speaking from the town by Skype. ...

Sweden Riots: Unrest Spreads Beyond Stockholm

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:20:06 +0100

Rioting in Sweden spread to towns outside Stockholm as youths took to the streets for a sixth successive night.

Ukraine's first gay march held under police protection

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:05:49 +0100

KIEV (Reuters) - About 100 Ukrainian gay rights activists held the country's first gay rally on Saturday, helped by police who arrested 13 people for trying to break up the march. The activists walked for about 250 metres (yards) along Victory Avenue in the capital Kiev while Orthodox Christian activists nearby chanted slogans denouncing them. "Ukraine is not America. Kiev is not Sodom,' shouted one anti-gay demonstrator over a loudspeaker. ...

Pussy Riot no-show, in hiding in Finland: media

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:48:16 +0100

Two members of the Pussy Riot punk rock group who were due to appear at a festival in Finland on Saturday cancelled their appearance and have gone underground for safety reasons, Finnish media reported.

Afghan security forces hailed after Kabul attack

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:39:55 +0100

The Afghan government on Saturday lauded its security forces for beating back a Taliban assault on central Kabul that left one policeman, two civilians and all four militants dead.

Russia: Gay Rights Activists Arrested At Rally

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:11:41 +0100

Dozens of activists at a gay pride march in Moscow have been arrested by Russian police.

Niger Islamist attackers 'came from Libya'

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:08:48 +0100

The attackers who staged deadly twin bombings at an army base and French-run uranium mine in northern Niger came from neighbouring Libya, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Saturday.

16 children die in Pakistan school bus fire

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:02:09 +0100

Sixteen children and a teacher were killed when their school bus caught fire in central Pakistan on Saturday, police said.