Yahoo! News: World News

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• Obama sends U.S. military advisers to Iraq as battle rages over refinery
• U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law
• Ukraine rebels speak of heavy losses in battle against government troops
• Gun battle flares as Israeli soldiers seek missing teens
• Ecuador says talks with Britain over Julian Assange at an impasse
• Heavy rains, floods hit Bulgaria; 10 people killed
• France faces Swiss test on strike anniversary
• AP Exclusive: Thai dissident: keep junta honest
• England replace injured Parling with Launchbury
• Scientists find 6,200-year-old parasite egg
• Back to Iraq: Obama sending military advisers
• Hackers take down website of Brazilian federation
• Scoreless draw keeps Japan and Greece alive
• Suarez gives Uruguay 2-1 win over England
• Bird conversancy group sues U.S. over 30-year permits to legally kill eagles
• New Zealand challenges England to open game
• Colombia beats Ivory Coast, secures 2nd-round spot
• APNewsBreak: Threats bring Afghan girl back to US
• Ecuador coach: team recovered from Swiss setback
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• 30 new arrests as Israel presses West Bank hunt for teens
• APNewsBreak: Threats bring Afghan girl to US
• 6-fingered family roots for Brazil's 6th World Cup
• MLB, players' union team in Puerto Rico
• Rooney's first career World Cup goal not enough
• I won't resign, says Hodgson after England shocker
• Sao Paulo protest turns violent as World Cup game ends
• US changes screening of migrant kid sponsors
• Uruguay player stays in game after head injury
• WIMBLEDON 2014: Tournament at a glance
• BRAZIL BEAT: Balotelli wants royal kiss for a win
• VP Biden in Dominican Republic talks energy, crime
• FIFA security head: Maracana lapse 'embarrassing'
• Salman Rushdie wins PEN/Pinter writing prize
• WIMBLEDON 2014: 'Murresmo,' other things to watch
• WIMBLEDON 2014: Capsules on top men's players
• Protest draws 2,000 in Brazil on Cup match day
• WIMBLEDON 2014: Capsules on top women's players

Obama sends U.S. military advisers to Iraq as battle rages over refinery Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:50 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick and Ghazwan Hassan WASHINGTON/TIKRIT Iraq (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he was sending up to 300 U.S. military advisers to Iraq but stressed the need for a political solution to the Iraqi crisis as government forces battled Sunni rebels for control of the country's biggest refinery. Speaking after a meeting with his national security team, Obama said he was prepared to take "targeted" military action later if deemed necessary, thus delaying but still keeping open the prospect of air strikes to fend off a militant insurgency. But he insisted that U.S. troops would not return to combat in Iraq. Obama also delivered a stern message to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the need to take urgent steps to heal Iraq's sectarian rift, something U.S. officials say the Shi'ite leader has failed to do and which an al Qaeda splinter group leading the Sunni revolt has exploited.

U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law Posted: 19 Jun 2014 01:54 PM PDT The United States on Thursday cut aid to Uganda, imposed visa restrictions and canceled a regional military exercise in response to a Ugandan law that imposes harsh penalties on homosexuality. The White House said in a statement the measures were intended to "reinforce our support for human rights of all Ugandans regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity." Homosexuality is taboo in most African countries and illegal in 37, including in Uganda where it has been a crime since British rule. Uganda's new law, signed by President Yoweri Museveni in February, imposes jail terms of up to life for "aggravated homosexuality" which includes homosexual sex with a minor or while HIV-positive.

Ukraine rebels speak of heavy losses in battle against government troops Posted: 19 Jun 2014 01:44 PM PDT By Aleksandar Vasovic SIVERSK (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists were locked in fierce fighting in the east of Ukraine on Thursday and a rebel commander acknowledged big losses among separatists heavily outgunned by government forces. Even as President Petro Poroshenko and his team prepared to unveil their blueprint for ending more than two months of rebellion, government forces, using artillery and heavy armor, said they were tightening the noose on separatists near Krasny Liman, north of the main regional hub of Donetsk. Government forces said the fighting erupted in the early hours after rebels refused to lay down their arms as part of Poroshenko's peace plan.

Gun battle flares as Israeli soldiers seek missing teens Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:18 PM PDT By Maayan Lubell HEBRON West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces traded gunfire with Palestinians on Thursday, the military said, in the fiercest street battles in the occupied West Bank since a search began for three Israeli teenagers missing for a week. Hospital officials said three Palestinians suffered bullet wounds in the overnight clashes in Jenin, a militant stronghold and the scene of deadly fighting during a Palestinian uprising a decade ago. A military statement said about 300 Palestinians, including some who "hurled explosives and opened fire", confronted soldiers who entered Jenin looking for the three seminary students. Israel says the Hamas Islamist group abducted them last Thursday as they were hitchhiking near a Jewish settlement.

Ecuador says talks with Britain over Julian Assange at an impasse Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:47 AM PDT Ecuador said on Thursday that talks with Britain on a standoff over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were at an impasse as the Australian prepared to spend a third year holed up at the country's London embassy. Assange, 42, fled to the South American country's embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he denies. He says he fears Sweden could extradite him to the United States to try him for one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history if he agrees to go. Ecuador, which has granted Assange political asylum, wants London to assure him safe passage to Quito.

Heavy rains, floods hit Bulgaria; 10 people killed Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:16 PM PDT Torrential rains and floods hit Bulgaria on Thursday, killing at least 10 people, cutting off electricity, blocking roads and sparking evacuations, officials said. Heavy rainfall in the Black Sea resort city of Varna triggered a flood wave late on Thursday in one of its low-laying suburbs that killed at least 10 people, the mayor of Varna told the national radio. The street is not here, the houses are not here, there are cars on top of each other," Varna mayor Ivan Portnih said. In central Bulgaria, firefighters evacuated 11 people from the top of their houses in the town of Kilifarevo, police said.

France faces Swiss test on strike anniversary Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:22 PM PDT SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — France faces Switzerland on the anniversary of its infamous World Cup training ground strike, and a victory in Friday's match will go a long way to closing the darkest chapter in France's football history.

AP Exclusive: Thai dissident: keep junta honest Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:19 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — The jailed activist who helped organize protests against last month's military takeover in Thailand has some advice for his followers: The coup is an accomplished fact, so concentrate on keeping the junta honest.

England replace injured Parling with Launchbury Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:18 PM PDT Hamilton (New Zealand) (AFP) - England were on Friday forced into a forward reshuffle on the eve of the third Test against the All Blacks in Hamilton with Joe Launchbury replacing injured lock Geoff Parling.

Scientists find 6,200-year-old parasite egg Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:17 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — In a skeleton more than 6,200 years old, scientists have found the earliest known evidence of infection with a parasitic worm that now afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.

Back to Iraq: Obama sending military advisers Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is dispatching 300 U.S. military advisers to Iraq to help quell its rising insurgency, inching back into a fight he tried to leave behind. He also challenged Iraq's embattled leader to create a more inclusive government or risk his country descending into sectarian civil war.

Hackers take down website of Brazilian federation Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:15 PM PDT TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The Brazilian football federation says hackers momentarily took down its website on Thursday.

Scoreless draw keeps Japan and Greece alive Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:15 PM PDT NATAL, Brazil (AP) — Reduced to 10 men after captain Costas Katsouranis was sent off in the 38th minute with his second booking, Greece held on for a 0-0 draw with Japan on Thursday that kept both alive in Group C and sent rival Colombia through to the knockout round of the World Cup.

Suarez gives Uruguay 2-1 win over England Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:11 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Dropping to the turf on the left knee that was surgically repaired less than a month ago, Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was euphoric. Scoring a second goal against England sealed a 2-1 win on Thursday to revive Uruguay's World Cup campaign and cap a remarkable recovery.

Bird conversancy group sues U.S. over 30-year permits to legally kill eagles Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:11 PM PDT A bird advocacy group sued the U.S. government on Thursday over rules it says loosen protections for eagles killed by wind turbines, arguing they threaten decades of protection that saved the bald eagle, America's national emblem, from extinction. The American Bird Conservancy filed suit in federal court in California to challenge the authorization of 30-year permits to renewable energy developers to accidentally kill protected bald and golden eagles, which may die as a result of collisions with towering wind turbines. They do not have to be sacrificed for the next 30 years for the sake of unconstrained wind energy," Michael Hutchins, coordinator of a wind energy panel with the American Bird Conservancy, said in a statement.

New Zealand challenges England to open game Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:09 PM PDT HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has challenged England to take on New Zealand at its own, fast-paced game in the third rugby test in Hamilton on Saturday.

Colombia beats Ivory Coast, secures 2nd-round spot Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:08 PM PDT BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Starved of the World Cup action for 16 years, Colombia — and its fanatical traveling supporters — are certainly making the most of being back on football's biggest stage.

APNewsBreak: Threats bring Afghan girl back to US Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:06 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A little Afghan girl whose love of painting won the hearts of U.S. doctors who fitted her with a prosthetic arm returned to the United States on Thursday, after the group that sponsored her first visit said it learned her newfound celebrity made her a subject of death threats at home.

Ecuador coach: team recovered from Swiss setback Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:03 PM PDT CURITIBA, Brazil (AP) — Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda has hinted that he's unlikely to make any changes for Friday's crucial Group E game against Honduras and that his team has recovered from the setback of its last-gasp defeat in its opening game.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:02 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — The jailed activist who helped organize protests against last month's military takeover in Thailand has some advice for his followers: The coup is an accomplished fact, so concentrate on keeping the junta honest. Sombat Boonngam-anong, speaking Thursday to an Associated Press reporter at a prison in Bangkok's northern outskirts, also had some words for the ruling military: don't expect to achieve reconciliation among the country's sharply polarized people by continuing to suppress free speech.

30 new arrests as Israel presses West Bank hunt for teens Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:01 PM PDT Israeli troops have arrested some 30 Palestinians in the West Bank as they ramped up a search for three teenagers believed kidnapped by Hamas, the army said on Thursday. The teenagers, two of them minors, disappeared from a popular hitchhiking spot in the sprawling southern West Bank Gush Etzion settlement bloc late on June 12. Israel accuses Hamas of the abductions and has launched a wide-ranging military operation aimed at finding the teenagers and crushing the movement's infrastructure in the West Bank. "They were kidnapped by Hamas, we had no doubt of that.

APNewsBreak: Threats bring Afghan girl to US Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:52 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A little Afghan girl whose love of painting won the hearts of U.S. doctors who fitted her with a prosthetic arm has returned to the United States after her newfound celebrity made her a subject of death threats in her homeland.

6-fingered family roots for Brazil's 6th World Cup Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:45 PM PDT AGUAS CLARAS, Brazil (AP) — A family is counting on the fingers of a single hand its hopes for Brazil to win a sixth World Cup championship.

MLB, players' union team in Puerto Rico Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:45 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Major League Baseball and the players' union said Thursday they are teaming to launch a new summer league in Puerto Rico to give island teenagers more chances to stay on the field during the school break.

Rooney's first career World Cup goal not enough Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:41 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — One moment, Wayne Rooney madly celebrated the triumph of ending years of criticism for his World Cup struggles. Then, the England striker left the field with his head down in disappointment.

I won't resign, says Hodgson after England shocker Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:34 PM PDT England boss Roy Hodgson Thursday said he had no intention of resigning despite steering his team to the brink of their worst World Cup performance in 56 years. But the "devastated" Hodgson conceded his employers the Football Association could rethink his position following his team's 2-1 loss to Uruguay. "I'm bitterly disappointed, of course, but I don't feel I need to resign, no," 66-year-old Hodgson told British broadcaster ITV. Hodgson said Luis Suarez's late winner, his second goal of the night, was an "unbelievable blow" after England worked their back into the game with a Wayne Rooney equaliser.

Sao Paulo protest turns violent as World Cup game ends Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:32 PM PDT By Asher Levine SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A street demonstration in Brazil's biggest city ended in violence on Thursday as anti-government protesters vandalized cars and banks and police responded with tear gas. The protest turned violent just as a World Cup game between England and Uruguay was ending roughly 15 miles (25 km) away on the other side of Sao Paulo. There were no initial reports of injured protesters, a police spokeswoman said, or of foreign soccer fans getting caught up in the violence. While a number of anti-government protests have broken out in Brazil since the World Cup began, most have been on a much smaller scale.

US changes screening of migrant kid sponsors Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:18 PM PDT SANTA ANA, California (AP) — The U.S. government has resumed checking the fingerprints of people other than parents who step forward to care for migrant children detained at the border amid concern by immigrant advocates that skipping the screening could put children at risk.

Uruguay player stays in game after head injury Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:16 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Even after taking a hard blow to the head, Uruguay midfielder Alvaro Pereira insisted on staying in the game for his team's crucial game against England.

WIMBLEDON 2014: Tournament at a glance Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:04 PM PDT A look at Wimbledon, the year's third Grand Slam tennis tournament:

BRAZIL BEAT: Balotelli wants royal kiss for a win Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:04 PM PDT RECIFE, Brazil (AP) — England now needs Italy's help to keep alive its slim chances of advancing at the World Cup.

VP Biden in Dominican Republic talks energy, crime Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:03 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with the leader of the Dominican Republic on Thursday for talks touching on energy security, crime-fighting, trade and citizenship rights.

FIFA security head: Maracana lapse 'embarrassing' Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:03 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — FIFA has acknowledged being embarrassed by a security lapse that let ticketless Chile fans rampage into the Maracana Stadium.

Salman Rushdie wins PEN/Pinter writing prize Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:02 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — The writers' group PEN is honoring Salman Rushdie for his "outstanding" literary output and support for freedom of expression.

WIMBLEDON 2014: 'Murresmo,' other things to watch Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:02 PM PDT Last year's Wimbledon was the most unpredictable in memory.

WIMBLEDON 2014: Capsules on top men's players Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:02 PM PDT Men to watch at Wimbledon, which begins Monday:

Protest draws 2,000 in Brazil on Cup match day Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:01 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Protesters smashed the windows of luxury cars inside a dealership, trashed banks and fired powerful fireworks at police during a demonstration that drew about 2,000 Thursday as Brazil's biggest city hosted a World Cup match.

WIMBLEDON 2014: Capsules on top women's players Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Women to watch at Wimbledon, which begins Monday:

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