Yahoo! News: World News

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• Bodies, black boxes handed over from Ukraine crash site
• Gaza death toll tops 500 as U.S. steps up ceasefire efforts
• Ten killed in air strike north of Baghdad
• Nigeria Boko Haram attack causes over 15,000 to flee
• Seven killed in clashes between army and militants in Libya's Benghazi
• Ebola outbreak not hurting investment in Sierra Leone: foreign minister
• Mexico declares group home owner mentally unfit
• Britain, UN host 1st summit to end child marriages
• Israel pummels Gaza as world pushes for truce
• Traps set after reports of giant snake on NJ's Lake Hopatcong
• Rebels release train with bodies from downed jet
• Ukraine rebels hand over MH17 black boxes, call ceasefire
• Vital evidence feared withheld by Ukraine's rebels
• Ukraine rebels hand black boxes from downed plane to Malaysia experts
• Obama urges immediate access to Ukraine crash site
• Israeli shoots Palestinian dead in W. Bank: security source
• Kerry offers Gaza aid as truce diplomacy steps up
• Obama: Russia must press Ukraine rebels to allow plane probe
• South Sudan truce crumbles as rebels battle govt forces
• China's Xi signs Venezuela resource deals on LatAm blitz
• N. American box office goes bananas for 'Apes'
• Kerry, in Cairo, presses for Gaza cease-fire
• Delivery of French warship depends on Russia's attitude: Hollande
• Florida utilities seek to end energy efficiency rebates
• Nazi war crimes suspect, 89, hospitalized in US
• U.N. calls for probe of plane downed over Ukraine
• Suspect in Irish soldiers' deaths arrested in US
• Violence simmers in C. Africa as peace talks open
• Chisora-Fury fight is off after sparring injury
• South Sudanese rebels in Kampala to mend ties, seek troop withdrawal
• Gaza death toll rises as truce effort intensifies
• British royals thank adoring world as Prince George turns one
• Jovanovski advances at Baku Cup
• Slain Americans in Gaza among long line from U.S. to fight for Israel
• US urges global push for Israeli, Hamas cease-fire

Bodies, black boxes handed over from Ukraine crash site Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:28 PM PDT By Anton Zverev and Peter Graff DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - The remains of some of the nearly 300 victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane downed over Ukraine were making their way to the Netherlands on Tuesday as a senior Ukrainian separatist leader handed over the plane's black boxes to Malaysian experts. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference on Monday that a train carrying around 200 body bags was on its way to rebel-held Donetsk and then to Kharkiv, which is in Ukrainian government hands, from where the bodies would be taken back to the Netherlands to be identified. The train left the crash site after the Malaysian prime minister reached agreement with the separatists for recovered bodies to be handed over to authorities in the Netherlands, where the largest number of victims came from.

Gaza death toll tops 500 as U.S. steps up ceasefire efforts Posted: 21 Jul 2014 02:51 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States, alarmed by escalating civilian bloodshed in an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, took a direct role in efforts to secure a ceasefire on Monday, as the Palestinian death toll jumped to more than 500. Israel pounded the coastal strip, killing 28 members of a family in one strike, 11 people in an attack on a high-rise building and four in the shelling of a hospital, medics said. Israel's losses also mounted. Following the death of 13 soldiers on Sunday, Israel said seven more troops had been killed on Monday, including four whose jeep was fired at by a group of militants who tunnelled across the border from Gaza.

Ten killed in air strike north of Baghdad Posted: 21 Jul 2014 09:13 AM PDT The attack targeted the town of Hawija, 230 km (140 miles) from the capital, which is controlled by Sunni Muslim insurgents from the Islamic State and other groups opposed to Iraq's Shi'ite-led government. Hawija has also seen infighting between the insurgents, with jihadist Islamic State fighters clashing in June with the Naqshbandi militants, made up of former army officers as well as loyalists of Saddam Hussein's former ruling Baath party. The army, backed by Shi'ite Muslim militias and volunteer fighters, has been trying to push back the Sunni insurgents since they took over the northern city of Mosul on June 10 and swept south towards the capital. Further north, the Islamic State has been consolidating its control, driving Christians out of the city of Mosul with a weekend ultimatum to either convert to Islam, pay a religious levy to the hardline Islamists, or face death by the sword.

Nigeria Boko Haram attack causes over 15,000 to flee Posted: 21 Jul 2014 01:43 PM PDT More than 15,000 people have fled an area around the northeast Nigerian town of Damboa after a spate of lethal assaults by Islamist Boko Haram fighters during the weekend, the emergency services said on Monday. Suspected Islamists raided Damboa on Friday and Saturday, shooting dead more than 40 residents and burning houses, part of a pattern of killing that has forced tens of thousands to flee this year. Boko Haram, which is fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria, has ceaselessly targeted civilians this year in rural parts of Borno state, where its fighters fled after a military offensive dislodged them from the cities. Abdulkair Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Borno, said the agency had records of 15,204 people who had fled Damboa and the six villages -- Kimba, Madaragrau, Mandafuma, Chikwar Kir, Bomburatai and Sabon Kwatta.

Seven killed in clashes between army and militants in Libya's Benghazi Posted: 21 Jul 2014 02:04 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli and Feras Bosalum BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) - Islamist militants attacked an army base in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Monday, triggering fierce clashes involving helicopters and jets that killed at least seven people and wounded 40 others after days of escalating violence. Benghazi's clashes followed a week of fighting between rival militias for control of Tripoli International Airport in the capital that has prompted the North Africa country to appeal for international help to stop Libya becoming a failed state. Tripoli was calmer on Monday, but in Benghazi, militants linked to Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia attacked an army camp and were repelled by troops and forces loyal to renegade retired general Khalifa Haftar, who has been carrying out a self-declared war on Islamist fighters, security sources said.

Ebola outbreak not hurting investment in Sierra Leone: foreign minister Posted: 21 Jul 2014 01:26 PM PDT By Carolyn Cohn and Chris Vellacott LONDON (Reuters) - The Ebola outbreak has not hurt foreign investment in Sierra Leone but will inevitably require more spending to fight it, the country's foreign minister said on Monday. Sierra Leone is among a group of West African countries suffering the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola, accounting for close to a third of the more than 600 deaths across the region since February, according to World Health Organization figures. "It has not taken investors off-track," Samura Kamara told Reuters in an interview in London.

Mexico declares group home owner mentally unfit Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:32 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican prosecutors say the owner of a group home raided last week is mentally unfit to face allegations that she frequently hit children.

Britain, UN host 1st summit to end child marriages Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:28 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — More than 700 million women alive today were married before they turned 18, the United Nations' children agency said Tuesday, as it co-hosts a London summit calling for more progress to end child marriages and the practice of female genital mutilation.

Israel pummels Gaza as world pushes for truce Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:27 PM PDT Israel pummelled Gaza for a 14th day on Monday, hiking the Palestinian death toll to more than 570, as Cairo took centre stage in world efforts to broker a ceasefire. With air strikes and shelling raining down across the besieged coastal enclave, Israel's army said seven of its soldiers had been killed, bringing the Israeli toll to 25 troops and two civilians in the bloodiest Gaza conflict since 2009. Washington urged Israel to take "greater steps" to prevent innocent casualties, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon appealed for the violence to "stop now" as it emerged most of the dead were civilians.

Traps set after reports of giant snake on NJ's Lake Hopatcong Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:27 PM PDT (Reuters) - In a scene that could open the film "Snakes on a Jet Ski," New Jersey animal control workers have set traps to snare a reported 20-foot-long serpent slithering through the waters of Lake Hopatcong. Tales of the giant snake brought the state Department of Environmental Protection to the fresh water lake in northern New Jersey - the state's largest at 4 square miles (10 square km) - but the mystery has only deepened, DEP spokesman Bob Considine said on Monday. "One person says it's a boa constrictor, another says it's an anaconda," Considine said. "We don't have any confirmation of this snake at all." While a pet owner with a permit is allowed to keep a boa constrictor in New Jersey, anacondas are prohibited, Considine said.Initial reports of the creature surfaced more than a week ago when a resident of the lake popular with motor boat enthusiasts and jet skiers said he saw the snake under a dock at his boathouse.

Rebels release train with bodies from downed jet Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:26 PM PDT HRABOVE, Ukraine (AP) — Bowing to international pressure Monday, pro-Moscow separatists released a train packed with bodies and handed over the black boxes from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, four days after it plunged into rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine rebels hand over MH17 black boxes, call ceasefire Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:22 PM PDT Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday handed over two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet to Malaysian officials at a press conference. They also announced a ceasefire within a 10 kilometre (six mile) radius around the crash site to allow international investigators to safely access the vast area where the Malaysia Airlines flight was downed Thursday. "We have decided to hand the black boxes over to Malaysian experts," the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Borodai, told journalists. The Malaysian team of experts and representatives of the separatist group then signed a protocol before the bright orange boxes were handed over.

Vital evidence feared withheld by Ukraine's rebels Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:22 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — "What exactly are they trying to hide?" President Barack Obama asked Monday as he demanded that Ukrainian rebels give investigators access to the wreckage of the downed jetliner.

Ukraine rebels hand black boxes from downed plane to Malaysia experts Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:20 PM PDT A senior separatist leader, Aleksander Borodai, handed over two black boxes from an airliner downed over eastern Ukraine to Malaysian experts in the city of Donetsk in the early hours of Tuesday. "Here they are, the black boxes," Borodai told a room packed with journalists at the headquarters of his self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic as an armed rebel placed the boxes on a desk. Both sides then signed a document, which Borodai said was a protocol to finalise the procedure after lengthy talks with the Malaysians. "I can see that the black boxes are intact, although a bit damaged.

Obama urges immediate access to Ukraine crash site Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sternly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to compel Kremlin-backed separatists to stop hampering the probe at the Ukraine site of a downed passenger jet and allow international investigators unfettered access.

Israeli shoots Palestinian dead in W. Bank: security source Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:04 PM PDT An Israeli shot dead a Palestinian who had been throwing stones at his car north of Jerusalem in the West Bank, a Palestinian security source told AFP late Monday. The security source named the fatality as Mahmud Shawamreh, 21. He said the incident took place between Ar-Ram and the Hizma checkpoint, and the body was taken to Israel. Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for the Israeli army said: "The incident in which the Palestinian was killed during a violent riot near Ramallah is being investigated by the military police."

Kerry offers Gaza aid as truce diplomacy steps up Posted: 21 Jul 2014 04:04 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday pledged $47 million in humanitarian aid for the battered Gaza Strip as he flew to the region to intensify efforts for an immediate truce. Kerry, who has voiced willingness to tour the region as long as needed, started his mission in Cairo where he met visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The top US diplomat defended ally Israel's right to strike against Hamas militants who have been raining rockets from the Gaza Strip. "We are deeply concerned about the consequences of Israel's appropriate and legitimate effort to defend itself," Kerry told reporters as he met Ban.

Obama: Russia must press Ukraine rebels to allow plane probe Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:55 PM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama piled pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to force pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine to stop blocking an international investigation into the downing of a passenger jet last week. In what has become a dramatic escalation in the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, Obama denounced the Russian role in eastern Ukraine in some of his strongest language yet and pointedly appealed to Putin to cut ties with the separatists or risk greater international isolation. "Now's the time for President Putin and Russia to pivot away from the strategy that they've been taking and get serious about trying to resolve hostilities within Ukraine," Obama said in remarks on the White House South Lawn.

South Sudan truce crumbles as rebels battle govt forces Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:53 PM PDT South Sudan rebels and government troops battled Monday over the strategic town of Nasir, the United Nations said, with rebels launching their largest offensive since an oft-broken May truce. Heavy shooting continued for a second day with fighting continuing in the northern town and rebel forces apparently in "firm control" of the centre, UN spokesman Joe Contreras said. The United Nations warned Sunday that the fresh rebel offensive "represents the most serious resumption of hostilities" since President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, rebel leader Riek Machar, met in May promising again to stick to a January ceasefire. The United States condemned the rebel attack on Nasir saying the town's residents "have suffered from frequent and horrific acts of violence and human rights abuses since fighting broke out in mid-December, causing widespread displacement and a worsening humanitarian crisis as civilians fear returning to their homes."

China's Xi signs Venezuela resource deals on LatAm blitz Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:50 PM PDT Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a raft of oil and mineral deals with Venezuela Monday, his latest stop on a Latin American tour showcasing China's growing influence in the region. During his four-country visit to what is often considered America's back yard, Xi has reached out to resource-rich countries such as Venezuela and Argentina at a time when they are often shunned by the United States and Europe. In Venezuela, he visited the mausoleum holding late president Hugo Chavez, an inveterate antagonist of the US, and signed 38 deals with Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro.

N. American box office goes bananas for 'Apes' Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:48 PM PDT Los Angeles (AFP) - "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" clung tight to the top of the North American box office for a second week in a row, final figures showed Monday. The "Apes" saga, based on the Pierre Boulle sci-fi tale of humans and primates clashing to survive, earned $36.3 million in its second week out, for a total of $139 million during its two weeks in theaters so far, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Second, third and fourth places were each held by box office newcomers. In fourth with $14.6 million was rom-com "Sex Tape," starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel as two parents trying to keep their homemade sex tape from finding its way onto the Internet.

Kerry, in Cairo, presses for Gaza cease-fire Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:47 PM PDT By Arshad Mohammed and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began a diplomatic push on Monday to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, but senior U.S. officials acknowledged this would be difficult. More than 500 people have died in the Gaza Strip fighting, the vast majority of them Palestinians, as Israel has pursued an air and ground offensive to stop rocket attacks on its territory from the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip. Kerry began his consultations, which are expected to include meetings with top officials in Egypt and possibly elsewhere in the region, by meeting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Cairo on Monday night. "We're deeply concerned about the consequences of Israel's appropriate and legitimate effort to defend itself," Kerry said as he and Ban posed for pictures before their talks, according to a U.S. reporter who attended the picture-taking session.

Delivery of French warship depends on Russia's attitude: Hollande Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:45 PM PDT A decision on whether to deliver a second Mistral helicopter carrier to Russia will depend on Moscow's attitude over the Ukraine crisis, French President Francois Hollande said on Monday. Speaking during a dinner with the presidential press corps, Hollande said that a first warship was nearly finished and would be delivered as planned in October, despite strong opposition from France's allies. France has come under intense pressure from allies over the sale of the warships with London and Washington renewing their opposition on Monday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said earlier on Monday he doubted France would cancel the contract, which he said would be worse for France than for Russia.

Florida utilities seek to end energy efficiency rebates Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:45 PM PDT By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - Attorneys for major power companies told state regulators Monday that mandates for energy efficiency rebates make them reward well-off Floridians at the expense of all residents and businesses. The Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, scheduled three days of hearings this week in a five-year review of its requirements that power companies help consumers with better windows, insulation, air conditioning and other efficiency measures. Florida Power & Light company attorney John Butler asked the five-member commission to let the requirement of solar subsidies expire this year. She said that's what the power companies really dislike as it cuts into their revenue.

Nazi war crimes suspect, 89, hospitalized in US Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:41 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Nazi war crimes suspect accused of aiding in the killings of 216,000 Jewish people at a death camp and now awaiting an extradition hearing has been hospitalized.

U.N. calls for probe of plane downed over Ukraine Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:35 PM PDT The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday demanding international access to the site of the downed plane in Ukraine and an end to military activities around the area, following intense pressure on a reluctant Russia to support the measure.

Suspect in Irish soldiers' deaths arrested in US Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:32 PM PDT DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Federal agents have arrested a man who the Irish government says is a suspect in the abduction, torture and killing of two Irish soldiers serving as United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon 34 years ago.

Violence simmers in C. Africa as peace talks open Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:29 PM PDT Key players in the Central African conflict launched a fresh round of talks in Brazzaville on Monday to end more than a year of sectarian bloodshed in the direly poor nation. The three-day forum for reconciliation and political dialogue, chaired by Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso, is aimed a resolving a crisis that has left thousands of civilians dead and driven more than a million people from their homes. One of Africa's poorest countries, CAR has been in crisis since the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March 2013 coup, with months of atrocities by rebels gone rogue sparking reprisal attacks by mostly Christian anti-balaka vigilantes. The African Union-led peacekeeping force in CAR, MISCA, blamed the anti-balaka groups for the killing on Monday, saying their victim was on his way "to get breakfast" near the main hospital when he was killed.

Chisora-Fury fight is off after sparring injury Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:25 PM PDT MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Dereck Chisora has withdrawn from his European heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury after fracturing his hand during a sparring session.

South Sudanese rebels in Kampala to mend ties, seek troop withdrawal Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:23 PM PDT By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - A South Sudanese rebel delegation was due to hold talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala on Tuesday and will ask him to withdraw troops from South Sudan, where they were deployed to help the Juba government, the rebel camp said. Museveni said in January his forces were supporting South Sudanese President Salva Kiir against rebels led by the former deputy president Riek Machar. South Sudan's other neighbours and Western powers worry that it complicates efforts to end a conflict that erupted seven months ago and which has driven the nation towards famine. A Ugandan official said the timing of any withdrawal would be decided by Uganda alone and not "dictated" by others.

Gaza death toll rises as truce effort intensifies Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:16 PM PDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks and the overall Palestinian death toll surpassed 560.

British royals thank adoring world as Prince George turns one Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:10 PM PDT Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine on Monday thanked well-wishers around the world as they prepared to celebrate their son Prince George's first birthday. The couple released two new photographs of the family, showing toddler George fascinated by butterflies at London's Natural History Museum, ahead of his birthday on Tuesday. William and Kate, 32, were to throw a private party with family and close friends at their Kensington Palace home to mark the occasion.

Jovanovski advances at Baku Cup Posted: 21 Jul 2014 03:01 PM PDT BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Fifth-seeded Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia survived a scare against Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria, winning 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 Monday to advance to the second round of the Baku Cup.

Slain Americans in Gaza among long line from U.S. to fight for Israel Posted: 21 Jul 2014 02:51 PM PDT By Amanda Orr HOUSTON (Reuters) - Three days before he was killed fighting for Israel in Gaza, American Nissim Sean Carmeli sprained his ankle, and a doctor asked the Texan if he wanted to heal before going into action. He refused, according to Maya Kadosh, Israel's deputy consul for the U.S. Southwest. Carmeli, part of the elite Golani Brigade, and Golani sniper and fellow American Max Steinberg, 23, were among 13 Israeli Defense Forces soldiers killed on Sunday, the bloodiest day of the fighting in Gaza. Carmeli, 21, from South Padre Island, and Steinberg, from California's San Fernando Valley, were among the estimated 800 North Americans who enlist yearly in the 175,000-strong Israeli military, according to Joe Berkofsky, spokesman for the non-profit Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

US urges global push for Israeli, Hamas cease-fire Posted: 21 Jul 2014 02:51 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — With high hopes but low expectations, the U.S. stepped up calls Monday for an international push to end fighting in the Gaza Strip as President Barack Obama sent his top envoy to the Mideast to help broker a new cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants — the third since 2009.

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