Yahoo! News: World News

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• Carnage at U.N. school as Israel pounds Gaza Strip
• Moscow fights back after sanctions; battle rages near Ukraine crash site
• Temporary ceasefire in Tripoli, 75 bodies found in Benghazi
• Hezbollah commander killed in Iraq: sources
• U.S. blacklists North Korea shipping firms over arms shipments
• Army breaks up protests as Yemen raises fuel prices
• Catalan leader vows to press head with independence referendum
• Syria army shelling near Damascus kills 12
• Usain Bolt in controversy at Commonwealth Games
• HRW says Syria govt air strikes defy UN resolution
• Israeli troops, with dogs and robots, track Gaza tunnels
• Anti-Semitic incidents rise in Britain as Gaza conflict rages
• Japanese search US archives for WWII MIA info
• 32 nations back Judaism's Yom Kippur as UN holiday
• Argentina, creditors fail to reach debt deal
• Australia suspends coach for criticizing Pearson
• Octopus mom protects her eggs for an astonishing 4-1/2 years
• Drug-resistant malaria spreading fast in SE Asia
• More senators seek military aid to Ukraine
• James, Rutherford give Glasgow Olympic touch
• Ex-Blackwater guard testifies against colleagues
• Venezuela's opposition coordinator resigns post
• Obama takes tougher line against Gaza casualties
• Deadly Israeli strikes hit UN school, market area
• Shells hit UN school in Gaza, kill 15
• Russia warns sanctions will backfire on West
• Lukaku joins Everton in club record £28m deal
• Glazers set to raise $150m by selling Man U shares
• UN: Cross-border aid to Syria faces big challenges
• Vatican taking action in divisive Paraguay diocese
• US slams Gaza strike, 'crazy' Israeli attacks on Kerry
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT
• Uganda activists launch court bid to overturn anti-gay law
• World Ebola fears grow with Europe and Asia on alert
• Bolivia to require visas for Israeli travelers
• Argentina officials stage 11th-hour talks in NYC
• Bloody mayhem at Gaza market as Israel observes 'lull'

Carnage at U.N. school as Israel pounds Gaza Strip Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:27 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli shelling killed at least 15 Palestinians sheltering in a U.N.-run school and another 17 near a street market on Wednesday, Gaza's Health Ministry said, with no ceasefire in sight after more than three weeks of fighting. Israel's security cabinet decided to continue its offensive in the enclave and there was no sign of a halt to a 23-day conflict in which 1,346 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died. Some 3,300 Palestinians, including many women and children, were taking refuge in the school in Jabalya refugee camp when it came under fire around dawn, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said. "Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school," UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl said in a statement after agency representatives visited the scene and examined fragments, craters and other damage.

Moscow fights back after sanctions; battle rages near Ukraine crash site Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:04 PM PDT By Polina Devitt and Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russia fought back on Wednesday over new U.S. and EU sanctions imposed over Ukraine even as G7 leaders warned of further steps, while Ukraine's government accused pro-Russian rebels of placing land mines near the site of a crashed Malaysian airliner to prevent a proper investigation. Russia announced a ban on most fruit and vegetable imports from Poland and said it could extend it to the entire European Union, a move Warsaw called Kremlin retaliation for new Western sanctions over Ukraine imposed on Russia on Tuesday. Moscow called the new EU and U.S. sanctions "destructive and short-sighted" and said they would lead to higher energy prices in Europe and damage cooperation with the United States on international affairs.

Temporary ceasefire in Tripoli, 75 bodies found in Benghazi Posted: 30 Jul 2014 09:01 AM PDT By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Ayman Al-Warfalli BENGHAZI/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Rival Libyan militias fighting for control of Tripoli's airport agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday to allow firefighters to try to control a huge blaze at a fuel depot hit by a rocket. Meanwhile in Libya's second city, Benghazi, at least 75 bodies, mostly soldiers, were found after two days of fighting in which Islamist fighters and allied militiamen overran an army base. The past two weeks of fighting have been the worst since the civil war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, prompting Western governments to follow the United States and the United Nations in pulling their diplomats out of the North African country.

Hezbollah commander killed in Iraq: sources Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:48 PM PDT A Hezbollah commander has died during a mission in Iraq, sources familiar with the incident said on Wednesday, indicating the Lebanese group that is already fighting in Syria's civil war may be involved in a second conflict in the region. Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shi'ite Islamist group, has not previously announced any role in the conflict in Iraq, which escalated last month when radical Sunni militants seized large areas of territory from the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. Four sources in Lebanon named the Hezbollah commander as Ibrahim al-Haj, a technical specialist involved in training. They said he was "martyred" in a battle near Mosul, a city in northern Iraq seized from government control last month by an al Qaeda offshoot known as the Islamic State.

U.S. blacklists North Korea shipping firms over arms shipments Posted: 30 Jul 2014 10:45 AM PDT The United States on Wednesday blacklisted two North Korean shipping firms that it said tried to conceal arms shipments from Cuba to North Korea, following a similar move by the United Nations. The ship, Chong Chon Gang, was discovered last July near the Panama Canal hiding a large amount of arms, including two MiG-21 jet fighters under 200,000 bags of sugar, which the United States said showed a clear attempt to circumvent U.N. and U.S. sanctions against North Korea. North Korea is under an array of sanctions for nuclear and ballistic missile tests since 2006 in defiance of global demands to stop. "The Chong Chon Gang episode, in which (North Korea) tried to hide an arms shipment under tons of sugar, is a perfect example of North Korea's deceptive activity, and precisely the sort of conduct that we are committed to disrupting," David Cohen, the U.S. Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

Army breaks up protests as Yemen raises fuel prices Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:53 PM PDT One woman was killed in protests that erupted in Sanaa on Wednesday after the Yemeni government announced a rise in fuel prices. The government increased fuel prices after spending about $3 billion on energy subsidies last year, nearly a third of state revenue. Yemen has been trying for over a year to secure a loan of at least $560 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but the fund is pressing for subsidies to be slashed. Yemen's finance minister told Reuters in May that the Fund's board was expected to finalize the deal this month.

Catalan leader vows to press head with independence referendum Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:13 PM PDT The leader of Spain's economically powerful region of Catalonia vowed Wednesday to press ahead with an independence referendum during talks with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy who insists the poll is illegal. "My message was exactly the same as a year ago, we are absolutely determined to hold the consultation," Artur Mas told reporters following a two-hour meeting with Rajoy. He said Rajoy reiterated his long-standing position during their talks that the referendum would be illegal under Spain's constitution. Mas, who has headed the Catalan government since 2010, began pushing for the referendum after he failed to clinch a better financial deal from the central government for Catalonia in 2012.

Syria army shelling near Damascus kills 12 Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:09 PM PDT Twelve people were killed, among them a child, in Syrian army shelling late Wednesday on Douma, a rebel-held town near Damascus, a monitoring group said. "At least 12 people were killed, among them a child and a woman... in fierce shelling by regime troops on several areas of Douma," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Douma is a rebel bastion northeast of Damascus, which has been under suffocating army siege for more than a year. An AFP photographer in Douma said the shelling hit several parts of the town, among them a busy market area.

Usain Bolt in controversy at Commonwealth Games Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:08 PM PDT GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Even as athletics medals were being won at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday, the spotlight was on the sprinter nowhere near the track: Usain Bolt.

HRW says Syria govt air strikes defy UN resolution Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:08 PM PDT Human Rights Watch sharply criticised the Syrian air force Wednesday for intensifying strikes on Aleppo, despite a UN Security Council resolution ordering all sides in the conflict to stop indiscriminate attacks. The New York-based group also rapped the Security Council for inaction over the violence in Syria in a statement issued ahead of a meeting of the UN body. "The Syrian government is raining high explosive barrel bombs on civilians in defiance of a unanimous United Nations Security Council resolution," HRW said, referring to resolution 2139 from February.

Israeli troops, with dogs and robots, track Gaza tunnels Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:05 PM PDT By Dan Williams GAZA STRIP (Reuters) - Israeli Colonel Tomer was literally tipped off to the tunnel snaking under a Palestinian village when the tank-churned earth gave way to the weight of one of his behemoth bulldozers' treads. Then explosives would be dropped in and the network destroyed as part of a tunnel-hunt throughout the Gaza Strip's eastern frontier that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will be completed, whether or not Israel reaches a ceasefire with Gaza's Hamas Islamists. At a different location, in southern Gaza, three Israeli soldiers died on Wednesday when a booby-trapped tunnel shaft they had uncovered blew up, the army said.

Anti-Semitic incidents rise in Britain as Gaza conflict rages Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:04 PM PDT By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Anti-Semitic incidents in Britain have risen to a near record level since the start of an Israeli assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza this month, a Jewish advisory body said on Thursday. The Community Security Trust, which advises Britain's estimated 260,000 Jews on safety, said the surge came as figures showed a significant rise in such incidents for the first six months of the year.

Japanese search US archives for WWII MIA info Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:02 PM PDT SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Racing against time, members of a Japanese organization are combing a New York military museum's World War II records for information they hope will lead to the graves of American servicemen still listed as missing in action on Saipan.

32 nations back Judaism's Yom Kippur as UN holiday Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:46 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Thirty-two countries have written to a U.N. General Assembly committee asking the United Nations to recognize Judaism's holiest day, Yom Kippur, as an official holiday.

Argentina, creditors fail to reach debt deal Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:43 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Talks between Argentina and U.S.-based creditors have ended without a settlement that would avoid the country's second default in 13 years.

Australia suspends coach for criticizing Pearson Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:34 PM PDT GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Athletics Australia has suspended its head coach Eric Hollingsworth after he released an unauthorized statement criticizing Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson for not attending the team's pre-Glasgow training camp.

Octopus mom protects her eggs for an astonishing 4-1/2 years Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:27 PM PDT By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If someone were to create an award for "mother of the year" in the animal kingdom, a remarkably dedicated eight-limbed mom from the dark and frigid depths of the Pacific Ocean might be a strong contender. Scientists on Wednesday described how the female of an octopus species that dwells almost a mile below the sea surface spends about 4-1/2 years brooding her eggs, protecting them vigilantly until they hatch while forgoing any food for herself. It is the longest known egg-brooding period for any animal, they wrote in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. ...

Drug-resistant malaria spreading fast in SE Asia Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:22 PM PDT Drug-resistant malaria parasites are now firmly established in border regions in four Southeast Asian countries, imperilling global efforts to control the disease, experts warned on Wednesday. Blood samples taken from 1,241 malaria patients found that parasites which are resistant to the frontline drug artemisinin have spread to border areas in western and northern Cambodia, eastern Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, they said. There also signs of emerging resistance in central Myanmar, southern Laos and northeastern Cambodia, but none in three African states -- Kenya, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- that were included in the sampling. "It may still be possible to prevent the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites across Asia and then to Africa by eliminating them, but that window of opportunity is closing fast," said Nicholas White, a professor of tropical medicine at Oxford University, England.

More senators seek military aid to Ukraine Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators joined their Republican colleagues Wednesday in calling for some U.S. military aid to Ukraine after receiving a closed-door briefing from senior Obama administration officials.

James, Rutherford give Glasgow Olympic touch Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:20 PM PDT Olympic champions Kirani James and Greg Rutherford brought world-class performances to the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday while Usain Bolt hit back at claims that he'd made disparaging remarks about the event. James won the men's 400m to give Grenada its first Commonwealth Games gold and became the first man to win gold in the discipline at both Olympic and Commonwealth level. "I am happy for my country and everyone affiliated to us," said 21-year-old James who took gold ahead of Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa and Trinidad's Lalonde Gordon.

Ex-Blackwater guard testifies against colleagues Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:19 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Blackwater security guard testified Wednesday that he and two colleagues shot their weapons into a car in Nisoor Square in Baghdad, part of a barrage of gunfire that claimed the lives of a mother and her son and led to the shootings of 30 other Iraqis.

Venezuela's opposition coordinator resigns post Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:00 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The head of Venezuela's opposition alliance resigned Wednesday, delivering a blow to anti-government forces bitterly divided over how best to challenge socialist President Nicolas Maduro as frustrations rise with his handling of the struggling economy.

Obama takes tougher line against Gaza casualties Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration condemned the deadly shelling of a United Nations school in Gaza Wednesday, using tough, yet carefully worded language that reflects growing White House irritation with Israel and the mounting civilian casualties stemming from its ground and air war against Hamas.

Deadly Israeli strikes hit UN school, market area Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:58 PM PDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes hit a crowded shopping area in Gaza City Wednesday, hours after tank shells tore through the walls of a U.N. school crowded with war refugees in the deadliest of a series of air and artillery attacks that pushed the Palestinian death toll above 1,360 in more than three weeks of fighting.

Shells hit UN school in Gaza, kill 15 Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:58 PM PDT JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) — Several Israeli tank shells slammed into a crowded U.N. school used as shelter for refugees in the Gaza war early on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 90, a Palestinian health official and a U.N. official said.

Russia warns sanctions will backfire on West Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:57 PM PDT A defiant Russia said Wednesday that Western sanctions over Ukraine would backfire on the United States and lead to energy price hikes in Europe after Brussels and Washington unveiled the toughest punitive measures against Moscow since the Cold War. Russia's response came as the Ukrainian military pushed on with its offensive against pro-Russian rebels in the east, retaking the town of Avdiyivka, only a dozen kilometres (eight miles) from the main rebel city of Donetsk. The Russian foreign ministry warned the United States it was shooting itself in the foot and said it was punishing the Kremlin for "independent policies that Washington finds inconvenient." Moscow also warned that European consumers would bear the brunt of sanctions targeting Russia's vital energy, arms and finance sectors.

Lukaku joins Everton in club record £28m deal Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:49 PM PDT Everton broke their club transfer record on Wednesday when they paid £28 million (35.4m euros, $47.4m) to sign Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku on a five-year deal from Premier League rivals Chelsea, the club announced. Lukaku finished as Everton's top scorer last season after finding the net 16 times in 33 appearances while on loan at Goodison Park, helping Roberto Martinez's side to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. The 21-year-old played for Belgium at the World Cup, but his chances of establishing himself at Chelsea were hindered by the arrival of Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid and the return of veteran striker Didier Drogba.

Glazers set to raise $150m by selling Man U shares Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:48 PM PDT Manchester United's American owners are set to raise around $150 million by selling more of their shares in the club on the New York Stock Exchange.

UN: Cross-border aid to Syria faces big challenges Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:47 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief said Wednesday there are "significant challenges" in delivering humanitarian aid into Syria from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, including a multitude of opposition and terrorist groups.

Vatican taking action in divisive Paraguay diocese Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:38 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is taking action in a divisive diocese in Paraguay where an Argentine priest, accused by a former superior of being a "serious threat to young people," has been removed as the No. 2.

US slams Gaza strike, 'crazy' Israeli attacks on Kerry Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:36 PM PDT Amid the escalating death toll in Gaza, US officials finally sharpened their tone Wednesday condemning an attack on a UN school as patience with "crazy" Israeli criticism of would-be-peacemaker John Kerry snapped. "Obviously nothing justifies the killing of innocent civilians seeking shelter in a UN facility," deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf acknowledged, in some of the toughest US comments since the start of the 23-day fighting in the Gaza Strip. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan also condemned "those responsible for hiding weapons in United Nations facilities in Gaza" and warned of rising fears that thousands of Palestinians who have been told by Israel to leave their homes increasingly had nowhere to go in the blockaded narrow coastal strip. Relations between Israel and its staunch ally the United States have plunged in recent days after Kerry returned from a mission to the Middle East to try to broker a ceasefire between the Israelis and Hamas militants.

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:32 PM PDT NEW DELHI (AP) — Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that buried a remote village in western India on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people as it swept away scores of houses and possibly trapping many more people under debris, officials said. National rescue personnel reached the area before nightfall. But continuing rains and bad roads were hampering rescue efforts and preventing reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.

Uganda activists launch court bid to overturn anti-gay law Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:31 PM PDT Ugandan activists launched a petition Wednesday at the constitutional court seeking to overturn tough anti-gay laws that have been condemned by rights groups as draconian. Signed by Uganda's veteran President Yoweri Museveni in February, the law calls for homosexuals to be jailed for life, outlaws the promotion of homosexuality and obliges Ugandans to denounce gays to the authorities. "I have a very good feeling about it," the group's lawyer Nicholas Opio said after the hearing in a crowded courtroom. Western nations have also made a raft of aid cuts to Uganda in protest since the law was passed.

World Ebola fears grow with Europe and Asia on alert Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:26 PM PDT Fears that the west African Ebola outbreak could spread to other continents grew on Wednesday with European and Asian countries on alert and a leading medical charity warning the epidemic was out of control. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the crisis gripping Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone would only get worse and warned there was no overarching strategy to handle the world's worst-ever outbreak of the disease. The US Peace Corps announced it was pulling dozens of volunteers from the three countries. Hong Kong announced quarantine measures for suspected cases, although one woman arriving from Africa with possible symptoms tested negative, while the EU said it was ready to deal with the threat.

Bolivia to require visas for Israeli travelers Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:24 PM PDT LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia's leftist president has declared Israel a "terrorist state" because of its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and his government will now require Israeli citizens to obtain a visa to visit the Andean nation.

Argentina officials stage 11th-hour talks in NYC Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:21 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Argentina's economy minister led a last-gasp effort Wednesday to strike a deal with U.S. creditors that would prevent the South American country from slipping into default.

Bloody mayhem at Gaza market as Israel observes 'lull' Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:21 PM PDT At least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a packed Gaza market Wednesday in a raid that came as Israel observed a four-hour humanitarian lull in some sectors. Hamas said later it fired rockets at Tel Aviv and the southern port city of Ashkelon "in response to the Jabalia and Shejaiya massacres," referring to the market and the earlier fatal shelling of a UN school in the north of the strip. It said that a total of 119 rockets fell in Israel on Tuesday, with another six shot down by missile defences. It was supposed to have been a rare pause for Gaza's battered population of 1.8 million to go out in safety to stock up on supplies, and for medics to evacuate the dead and wounded.

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