WorldNews

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish opposition lawmaker said Monday that an American and a Canadian are among a group of doctors and medical students believed to have traveled from Turkey into territory in Syria controlled by the Islamic State group. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19318[/attach] US and Israeli envoys refused to attend a UN Human Rights Council special session Monday on the situation in the Palestinian territories in the aftermath of the 2014 Gaza conflict. The US decision will disappoint those who hoped the recent disagreement between the allies over Iran policy and the Middle East peace process would see Washington withhold diplomatic cover from Israel. "As was the case last year, the United States will not engage in the debate. Neither will Israel. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19317[/attach] A candidate for Britain's ruling Conservative Party in a key seat in May's general election resigned on Monday after being accused of plotting with the far-right to stage a fake anti-mosque protest. The Mail on Sunday published a video of Afzal Amin apparently discussing a scheme with the English Defence League in which he would step in to defuse the fabricated rally in a bid to boost his support. Amin said earlier on Monday that he would mount a "robust defence" of his actions, but later a Conservative Party spokesman said he would resign as an election candidate with "immediate effect". Continue reading...

[attach=full]19306[/attach] As they advance south, Yemen's Iran-linked Huthi militiamen are moving within striking distance of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital corridor through which much of the world's maritime trade passes. Only about 30 kilometres (20 miles) across at its narrowest point, the strait separates the Arabian Peninsula from east Africa and links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Nearly 40 percent of global maritime trade is estimated to pass through the strait, much of it on its way to and from the Suez Canal. As Yemen's Shiite Huthi militiamen have moved south after seizing the capital Sanaa last year, concern has been growing about their intentions for Bab al-Mandab. Continue reading...

Kenya plans to build a new road, more border crossings and barriers on its 700 km (420 mile) border with Somalia in an attempt to thwart attacks from the Islamist militant group al Shabaab, the interior ministry said on Monday. Kenya is under heavy pressure to improve security after numerous militant attacks that have killed well over 200 people since 2013, mostly in the border counties of Mandera and Lamu. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group has claimed responsibility for much of the bloodshed and has vowed revenge against Kenya for contributing troops to an African Union force battling the militants in Somalia. "The idea is to ensure that there are clear border entry points," said Mwenda Njoka, a spokesman for Interior Secretary Joseph Nkaissery. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19305[/attach] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be tasked with forming the next coalition government this week after winning on Monday a clear majority of support from newly elected MPs. Netanyahu's surprise victory in last week's snap election has paved the way for the likely emergence of a new rightwing religious government that may complicate efforts to resurrect the peace process and pose further challenges for Israel's troubled ties with Washington. The Israeli leader is expected to be formally handed the task of building a coalition government on Wednesday after securing the backing of a solid majority of MPs in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. Backing for Netanyahu to stay in the post came during two days of talks between President Reuven Rivlin and representatives of the 10 parties elected to parliament who told him whom they would recommend as prime minister. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19304[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghanistan's president kicked off his Washington visit Monday by thanking U.S. troops and taxpayers for their sacrifices in nearly 14 years of war. He pledged that his impoverished country will not remain a burden to the West. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19303[/attach] SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's Shiite rebels, backed by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have largely seized the third-largest city after capturing the capital Sanaa in September, effectively splitting the country in half and hindering U.S. efforts to combat a powerful local al-Qaida affiliate. Continue reading...

The European Commission urged Greece on Monday to take real action and make progress towards implementing reforms that could unblock more loans to Athens, stressing that political will, even if strong, was not enough at this stage. We are expecting it now," Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news briefing. Continue reading...

Lee Kuan Yew, the autocratic founder of modern Singapore who died Monday, never shrank from expressing his views bluntly. He was known as much for his tough talk as a pithy turn of phrase in campaign speeches, press interviews and parliamentary debates. Here are some of his oft-quoted comments: Continue reading...

BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.N. envoy to Libya is cautiously optimistic that candidates to run a government uniting all the conflict-torn country's political factions could be named this week. Continue reading...

Greece's financial aid program is set to be changed to accommodate its new government, a senior European Central Bank official said on Monday, noting that the bank stood ready to support the country. "There is a clear willingness and good faith on all sides to step up the efforts and deliver within this framework ... taken in the Eurogroup," ECB executive board member Benoit Coeure said at a news conference in Montenegro, referring to an agreement with euro zone member states in February. "The three institutions, including the ECB, are committed to support this as much as we can." "It is understood that the program will be amended to reflect the new priorities of the Greek government ... to make sure than any change of the program reaches an equivalent outcome in terms of ... fiscal stability," he said. Continue reading...

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister has secured a majority of backers in the new parliament and will now be tasked with forming the next government. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19297[/attach] NEW YORK (AP) — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish community shattered by the deaths of seven siblings in a house fire held their funerals a day after a hot plate left on for the Sabbath is believed to have caused the blaze. Continue reading...

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Monday following Wall Street's gains amid expectations global central banks will hold off raising interest rates. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19296[/attach] Yemen is nearing "the edge of civil war", the UN envoy to the country warned as the Security Council voiced unanimous support for its embattled leader and Shiite militia seized the airport in a key city. The impoverished country has descended into chaos in recent months, with the militia, known as Huthis seizing control of capital Sanaa and forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the main southern city of Aden. The UN Security Council held an emergency session Sunday as unrest mounted, including suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 142 people in Sanaa on Friday. "(Recent events) seem to be leading Yemen to the edge of a civil war," UN envoy Jamal Benomar told the meeting on Sunday by video link from Qatar, warning that without immediate action "the country will slide further into further violence and dislocation". Continue reading...

BEIJING (AP) — China's biggest state-owned chemical company announced plans Monday to acquire Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli, adding to a string of high-profile Chinese corporate purchases in Europe. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19295[/attach] Kim Hyo-Joo, fired up after a bogey at the 10th, birdied five of her last eight holes to win the LPGA Founders Cup by three strokes from Stacy Lewis. "In the morning, I wasn't concentrating on winning because I was playing with Stacy Lewis and as a rookie, I just felt that by playing with her, I would learn a lot from her," Kim said. Sweden's Anna Nordqvist joined the group with a sparkling 64, American Austin Ernst and South Korea's Kim Sei-Young both posted 65s, while South Korean Choi Na-Yeon posted a 66 for 273. After a birdie at the second, Kim gave the stroke back with a bogey at the par-three fourth, but was one-under for the round with a two-stroke lead at the turn after a birdie at the ninth. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19292[/attach] BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luis Suarez scored Barcelona's winning goal as it beat fierce rival Real Madrid 2-1 in the Spanish league on Sunday, while Steven Gerrard was sent off in Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Manchester United in England. Continue reading...

By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Afghan women and girls uprooted by violence and living in camps in major cities are most vulnerable to abuse by male family members, who treat them like prisoners and sell them "like animals" into marriage, aid agencies said on Monday. Living in makeshift settlements, they face hunger and psychological trauma, and are denied access to education and healthcare, said a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and The Liaison Office, an Afghanistan-based peace organization. Afghanistan continues to be beset by violence from the Taliban and other militants, which has left more than 800,000 people homeless within the country, according to NRC. More than half of the women and girls interviewed by NRC said they were not allowed by the men in their families to visit friends or other family members, while many said they were fearful of abusive husbands or drug-addicted fathers. Continue reading...

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents captured several government airmen after their helicopter crashed in a rebel-held area of northwestern Syria on Sunday, activists said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19291[/attach] The leaders of debt-wracked Greece and economic powerhouse Germany meet in Berlin Monday after weeks of bad feeling over Athens' debt woes, bitter wartime memories and an offensive hand gesture. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will receive Greece's radical left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has blamed her insistence on tough austerity for his country's "humanitarian crisis" of poverty and mass unemployment. Spain's economy minister Luis de Guindos turned the screw on Athens another notch Sunday by insisting that it will not receive any money until it implements all its proposed reforms. Merkel also insists that if cash-strapped Greece wants more bailout loans, of which Germany stumps up the biggest share, it must accept the bitter medicine of cuts and reforms. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19290[/attach] BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luis Suarez scored the winning goal to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over title rival Real Madrid on Sunday in a back-and-forth "clasico" between the Spanish league's main title rivals. Continue reading...

MADRID (AP) — Two fledgling parties that have shaken up Spain's political scene made significant inroads in their first regional bids for power in Andalusia's election Sunday, suggesting they could threaten the nation's traditional two-party system in other votes due later this year. Continue reading...

Sierra Leone's main opposition party has called for an indefinite campaign of civil disobedience if the country's sacked vice president is not reinstated within a week, a party leader said on Sunday. Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, Secretary General of the Sierra Leone People's Party, told Reuters that party members would embark on peaceful demonstrations, civil disobedience and strikes across the West African nation from March 30. He said the opposition party had instructed its lawyers to challenge the dismissal of Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana in court, calling it unconstitutional. President Ernest Bai Koroma sacked Sam-Sumana last week saying he had abandoned his duties by requesting asylum at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown. Continue reading...