Yahoo! News: World News

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• Israel withdraws troops, 72-hour Gaza truce begins
• Several wounded as Afghan soldier opens fire at British military academy
• Ceasefire agreed in Lebanese border town battle
• Ukraine keeps up anti-rebel offensive with nervous eye on Russia
• Putin tells government to respond to Western sanctions
• Iran nuclear talks likely on fringes of U.N. General Assembly: IRNA
• Five more aid workers killed as South Sudan fighting rages
• UN condemns persecution of Iraq's minorities
• Cuba calls US political work on island shameful
• Decades later, Argentina activist finds stolen grandson
• Walgreen drops on report it will keep US tax base
• UN: Humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsening
• Rory McIlroy wary of all the hype entering PGA
• Afghan soldier kills US general, wounds about 15
• Report: Russian hackers steal 1.2B passwords
• Jordan circulates revised UN resolution on Gaza
• Popular, snakelike 'Cobra' rock formation beheaded in Utah
• Clashes kill two in rebel bastion Donetsk as UN warns of mass exodus
• Palestinian suspect held over kidnap murders of 3 Israelis: police
• Cerner to buy Siemens Health Services for $1.3B
• El Salvador add charges for priest in gang case
• Costa Rica nabs trafficker wanted in El Salvador
• Boko Haram has forced 650,000 Nigerians from homes: UN
• MLS All-Stars prep quickly for Bayern Munich
• Museum rediscovers ancient skeleton in storage
• In Scotland, pro-independence leader flunks TV debate
• Obama woos Africa with billions of dollars in deals
• Canadian in China probe trained North Korean missionaries: audio
• Zoo branded 'unethical' after eight animals die in transfer tragedy
• Peru judge orders family off land claimed for mine
• U.S. firm says Russian gang stole 1.2 billion Internet credentials: NYT
• Driving down east Ukraine's dangerous 'humanitarian corridor'
• Judge orders release of Briton accused of WC ticket scam
• Nigeria acknowledges slow response in Ebola case
• Lights set to go out in Kandahar after U.S. aid winds down

Israel withdraws troops, 72-hour Gaza truce begins Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:48 AM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Lin Noueihed and Dan Williams GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel withdrew ground forces from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and started a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Minutes before the truce began at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT), Hamas launched a salvo of rockets, calling them revenge for Israel's "massacres". Israel's anti-missile system shot down one rocket over Jerusalem, police said. Israeli armour and infantry left Gaza ahead of the truce, with a military spokesman saying their main goal of destroying cross-border infiltration tunnels dug by Islamist militants had been completed.

Several wounded as Afghan soldier opens fire at British military academy Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:37 PM PDT By Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. general was killed and more than a dozen people were wounded on Tuesday, including a German general, in the latest insider attack by a man believed to be an Afghan soldier, U.S., German and Afghan officials said. The U.S. Army said late on Tuesday the slain general was Major General Harold Greene, a senior officer with the international military command ISAF. He was the most senior U.S. military official killed in action overseas since the war in Vietnam, military officials said. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that "many were seriously wounded," and the gunman was killed in the attack, which took place on Tuesday at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a training center in Kabul.

Ceasefire agreed in Lebanese border town battle Posted: 05 Aug 2014 02:03 PM PDT By Mariam Karouny and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese army and Islamist militants agreed a 24-hour ceasefire on Tuesday after four days of fighting triggered by the rebels' seizure of a border town, in the most serious spillover of Syria's three-year civil war into Lebanon. A security source said the ceasefire would allow time for a mediator to investigate the fate of 22 soldiers missing since the militants seized the town of Arsal on Saturday and to help evacuate civilians, including those wounded in the conflict. "It is like a humanitarian ceasefire," he told Reuters. What happened was to be expected due to differences between the fighters," he said The source said the militants had suffered big losses in the fighting, adding he expected them to leave Arsal before the ceasefire had ended.

Ukraine keeps up anti-rebel offensive with nervous eye on Russia Posted: 05 Aug 2014 08:51 AM PDT By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces, backed by warplanes, kept up a military offensive to claw back lost territory from pro-Russian separatists on Tuesday while casting a nervous eye at Russian military exercises over the border. Kiev's military said government forces had clashed 26 times with separatists in the Russian-speaking east in the 24 hours up to Tuesday morning, while fighter jets had struck at rebel positions and concentrations of military equipment. Tension rose further with Ukraine denouncing Russian war games near the joint border as a "provocation" and alleging violations of Ukrainian air space by Russian warplanes and drones, as well as cross-border shelling from Russia. Defence officials said separatists had also opened fire on unarmed Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday as they crossed back into Ukraine from Russia, where they had taken shelter from fighting.

Putin tells government to respond to Western sanctions Posted: 05 Aug 2014 08:28 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to prepare retaliatory measures against the latest round of Western sanctions, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. "Of course, it should be done carefully in order to support domestic producers and not hamper consumers," he was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Iran nuclear talks likely on fringes of U.N. General Assembly: IRNA Posted: 05 Aug 2014 01:00 PM PDT Iran and six world powers will probably discuss a potential deal on Tehran's nuclear program on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in September, the state news agency IRNA quoted a senior Iranian negotiator as saying. Negotiations are to resume in Europe next month after Iran agreed with the powers - the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China - in July to extend the process by four months after they failed to meet a July 20 deadline. "A meeting between Iran and the (powers) is very likely to take place around the UNGA, but the level of the meeting has yet to be determined," IRNA quoted senior Iranian negotiator Abbas Araghchi, a deputy foreign minister, as saying on Monday.

Five more aid workers killed as South Sudan fighting rages Posted: 05 Aug 2014 05:18 PM PDT At least five South Sudanese aid workers were killed on Tuesday by the same militia blamed for the murder of an aid worker in the same area the day before, the United Nations said. The killings came as militia forces in the northeastern Upper Nile state battled with deserting soldiers for a third day, with aid workers forced to shelter in UN compounds. "Two of the victims were murdered in Bunj Town, a third aid worker is reported as missing but presumed dead. Another three died in an ambush as they were attempting to return to the town," the capital of Maban County, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement.

UN condemns persecution of Iraq's minorities Posted: 05 Aug 2014 05:16 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council is warning that the Islamic State extremist group may be held accountable for crimes against humanity for its systematic persecution of minorities in Iraq.

Cuba calls US political work on island shameful Posted: 05 Aug 2014 05:12 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Cuban government on Tuesday called on Washington to halt hostile "covert" operations against it in the wake of the recent disclosure that an Obama administration program secretly sent young Latin Americans to Cuba on politically motivated missions.

Decades later, Argentina activist finds stolen grandson Posted: 05 Aug 2014 05:06 PM PDT An Argentine grandmother whose rights group has fought to find babies stolen during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship finally found her long-lost grandson Tuesday, 36 years after he was snatched from his mother. Estela Carlotto, the 83-year-old leader of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo group, was told that her dead daughter's missing son was found after DNA tests confirmed the 36-year-old man's identity. "I thank all of you, God and life, because I didn't want to die without hugging him," Carlotto said with a broad smile at her organization's headquarters, surrounded by her colleagues, three surviving children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The white-haired grandmother said she could not wait to finally meet her missing grandson, who was taken away from his mother, Laura, after she gave birth while detained during the dictatorship's "dirty war" against leftists.

Walgreen drops on report it will keep US tax base Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Shares of Walgreen Co. fell Tuesday on media reports that the nation's largest drugstore chain will not reincorporate itself overseas — a politically touchy move that could have significantly lowered its tax bill.

UN: Humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsening Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:55 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A senior U.N. official warned the Security Council at an emergency meeting Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is steadily worsening as power and water supplies are scarce, homes are destroyed and health workers flee.

Rory McIlroy wary of all the hype entering PGA Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:45 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) — Golf stories about Rory McIlroy are a lot more flattering than those a year ago. And if he reads too much into them, they can be a lot more dangerous.

Afghan soldier kills US general, wounds about 15 Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:41 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An American major general was shot to death Tuesday in one of the bloodiest insider attacks of the long Afghanistan war when a gunman dressed as an Afghan soldier turned on allied troops, wounding about 15 including a German general and two Afghan generals.

Report: Russian hackers steal 1.2B passwords Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:31 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user names and passwords in a series of Internet heists affecting 420,000 websites, according to a report published Tuesday.

Jordan circulates revised UN resolution on Gaza Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:30 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Jordan circulated a revised U.N. resolution Tuesday calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and condemning "all violence and hostilities against civilians."

Popular, snakelike 'Cobra' rock formation beheaded in Utah Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:28 PM PDT By Jennifer Dobner SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A red rock pinnacle popular with climbers and named for its snakelike shape has been beheaded in the Utah desert, federal land managers said on Tuesday. The Cobra was one of dozens of rock formations in the Fisher Towers region of the Colorado River Special Recreation area near Moab, about 400 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. A popular attraction for rock climbers, the Cobra was a thin spire standing that some 50-feet high and affixed with a wide, flat cap rock. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is investigating what happened, and early reports suggest heavy thunderstorms that moved through the region over the past week could be to blame, agency spokeswoman Megan Crandall said.

Clashes kill two in rebel bastion Donetsk as UN warns of mass exodus Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:26 PM PDT At least two civilians were killed in heavy clashes on the outskirts of the main rebel-held bastion of Donetsk in east Ukraine on Tuesday, as the UN warned of a "massive exodus and destruction" if fighting intensified. Powerful explosions rocked the western Petrovksy suburb of the sprawling million-strong city, the local administration said, as government forces pushed on with an offensive to oust insurgents. Ukraine's military called on insurgents in Donetsk, Lugansk and another frontline city, Gorlivka, on Monday to open corridors for several hours each day to allow civilians to escape.

Palestinian suspect held over kidnap murders of 3 Israelis: police Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:21 PM PDT Israeli police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a Palestinian man suspected of leading the group that kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers in June. "Hossam Kawasmeh was arrested by Israeli security forces last month in Shuafat (a neighbourhood of Arab east Jerusalem), on suspicion of leading a commando group that kidnapped and murdered the three adolescents," the police said in a statement. The June 12 kidnappings and subsequent murder of teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach in the West Bank triggering a crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank and an uptick of rocket fire from Gaza where a three-day ceasefire began on Monday. According to Israeli media, Hossam Kawasmeh made it known during his interrogation that he received financial help from Hamas operatives in Gaza to recruit and arm the kidnappers.

Cerner to buy Siemens Health Services for $1.3B Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:19 PM PDT Cerner Corp. is buying the health information technology business unit of German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG for $1.3 billion in cash.

El Salvador add charges for priest in gang case Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — More charges have been filed against a Spanish priest arrested last week, accusing him of getting imprisoned gang members transferred to less harsh prisons and helping them continue extorting people from inside their cells, Salvadoran prosecutors said Tuesday.

Costa Rica nabs trafficker wanted in El Salvador Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:12 PM PDT SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rican authorities say they have arrested a drug trafficker wanted in El Salvador as he entered the country hidden inside a trailer truck driven by his father, who was also arrested. They found $1.1 million in cash hidden in a spare tire.

Boko Haram has forced 650,000 Nigerians from homes: UN Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:08 PM PDT Attacks by Boko Haram Islamists in Nigeria's crisis-hit northeast have forced nearly 650,000 people from their homes, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) said Tuesday, an increase of nearly 200,000 since May. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) for its part reported that about 1,000 people trying to escape the fighting had fled to an uninhabited island on Lake Chad across Nigeria's northeastern border. "The group, mainly women and children, is in urgent need of food, water, shelter and medical care," the UNHCR said.

MLS All-Stars prep quickly for Bayern Munich Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:07 PM PDT PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — By the time the MLS All-Star game rolls around on Wednesday night, coach Caleb Porter will have had two training sessions with his All-Stars.

Museum rediscovers ancient skeleton in storage Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:03 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An archaeology museum in Philadelphia has made an extraordinary find — in its own storage rooms.

In Scotland, pro-independence leader flunks TV debate Posted: 05 Aug 2014 04:00 PM PDT By Alistair Smout GLASGOW Scotland (Reuters) - The leader of Scotland's campaign for independence failed to turn a U.S.-style television debate into a victory for his cause on Tuesday six weeks before Scots vote on whether to break up the United Kingdom. In an unexpected setback for those who support a breakaway, Alex Salmond, the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), didn't land a knockout blow in a lively debate against Alistair Darling, the leader of the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK. With the pro-independence camp trailing in opinion polls ahead of a Sept. 18 referendum that will decide whether Scotland breaks its 307-year union with England, most commentators had predicted Salmond, a powerful speaker, would notch up a rhetorical victory to breathe new life into his campaign. An ICM poll of viewers for the London-based Guardian newspaper showed Salmond had lost the debate, while Ladbrokes bookmakers lengthened the odds on Salmond securing independence to 4/1 from 7/2.

Obama woos Africa with billions of dollars in deals Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:58 PM PDT President Barack Obama announced billions of dollars in investment for Africa on Tuesday, as the United States challenges China and Europe's leading roles in the continent's economic emergence. "As president, I made it clear that the United States is determined to be a partner in Africa's success, a good partner, an equal partner and a partner for the long term," he declared. We recognize Africa for its greatest resource, which is its people and its talent and their potential," he told 45 heads of state and government. This includes a new $12 billion for Africa's crucial power sector -- including contributions from Sweden and the World Bank -- an industry Washington has particularly focused on for US participation.

Canadian in China probe trained North Korean missionaries: audio Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:57 PM PDT By James Pearson and Ben Blanchard SEOUL/DANDONG China (Reuters) - A Canadian man under investigation in China for threatening national security said he ran a prayer and training facility outside the Chinese city of Dandong that was frequented by North Koreans, many of whom became Christians before returning to the isolated country. Kevin Garratt, who with his wife Julia Dawn Garratt is being investigated for suspected theft of military and intelligence information, also ran a coffee shop in Dandong, which was closed on Tuesday with a notice in the window reading: "See you soon." "When God says to go and do something - yeah we have a choice - but when God's presence says go, we really better go," Garratt said in an audio file posted on the website of Terra Nova Church based in British Columbia, Canada. "All these people could've stayed in China, where it's easier, where they could eat three meals a day," he added, addressing a congregation at the South Korean-Canadian church in Canada last November.

Zoo branded 'unethical' after eight animals die in transfer tragedy Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:55 PM PDT Animal welfare campaigners Tuesday criticised two major international zoos after eight antelopes shipped from Prague to Johannesburg zoos had to be put down after being confined without water for at least four days. The Sitatunga antelope arrived at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo airport on Friday without proper documentation, South Africa's National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) said. "All the animals were in various stages of dehydration and four had already collapsed" when their containers were opened, the NSPCA added. NSPCA Inspector Wendy Wilson said this "tragic incident could have been avoided had the proper protocols been followed."

Peru judge orders family off land claimed for mine Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:54 PM PDT LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian judge has ruled in favor of the owner of Latin America's biggest gold mine and ordered a family of four to abandon land it says has always been in its possession.

U.S. firm says Russian gang stole 1.2 billion Internet credentials: NYT Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:49 PM PDT (Reuters) - A cybersecurity firm said it has uncovered about 1.2 billion Internet logins and passwords and more than 500 million email addresses amassed by a Russian crime ring, the largest known collection of such stolen data, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Hold Security of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which discovered the credentials, said they were stolen from some 420,000 websites, according to the report. Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike told Reuters that the stolen passwords could be used to access other accounts beyond the ones on sites that were breached because people commonly use the same passwords for multiple sites. Hold Security in February said it had uncovered stolen credentials from some 360 million accounts that were available for sale on cyber black markets.

Driving down east Ukraine's dangerous 'humanitarian corridor' Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:38 PM PDT For a few hours at least, the road leading west from the besieged rebel stronghold of Donetsk was meant to provide a sliver of security for desperate residents trying to flee the ever-encroaching fighting in east Ukraine. Approximately 90 percent are from the Donetsk region," said a Ukrainian officer.

Judge orders release of Briton accused of WC ticket scam Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:27 PM PDT Brasília (AFP) - A British World Cup ticketing executive who allegedly took part in a scam to sell millions of dollars' worth of fraudulent tickets was ordered to be released from prison Tuesday while awaiting trial in Brazil. Supreme Court justice Marco Aurelio Mello ordered Briton Ray Whelan would be freed for now, but said he must remain in the Rio de Janeiro area, according to court documents seen by AFP. Whelan's contraband ticketing activities allegedly began at the 2002 World Cup, authorities said.

Nigeria acknowledges slow response in Ebola case Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:26 PM PDT LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian health authorities acknowledged Tuesday that they did not immediately quarantine a sick airline passenger who later died of Ebola, announcing that eight health workers who had direct contact with him were now in isolation with symptoms of the disease.

Lights set to go out in Kandahar after U.S. aid winds down Posted: 05 Aug 2014 03:21 PM PDT By Jessica Donati and Sarwar Amani KABUL/KANDAHAR Afghanistan (Reuters) - When the United States stops funding power generation in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar next year, the lights are set to go out and factories will fall idle, playing into the hands of Taliban insurgents active in the area. Bringing a stable source of electricity to Kandahar, the cradle of the hardline Islamist movement and once a base for its leader Mullah Omar, was a top U.S. "counter-insurgency priority" as Washington pursued its policy of winning "hearts and minds." But regular power in the city is still years away, and when the United States finally ends subsidies - currently running at just over $1 million a month - in September 2015, Kandahar could lose around half its severely limited electricity supplies, Afghan power officials and U.S. inspectors say.

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