Yahoo! News: World News

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• Mediators race against clock to extend Gaza truce
• Moscow bans Western food imports; Russian quits as Ukraine rebel chief
• Exclusive: China police investigate U.S. citizen near border with North Korea - source
• Exclusive: Liberia health system collapsing as Ebola spreads
• U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia jails Khmer Rouge duo for life
• Wealthy foreigners to sue Canada over end of visa plan
• US sending Iraq humanitarian aid, weighing strikes
• McIlroy overcomes double bogey to shoot 66 at PGA
• Woods struggles to 74; McIlroy charges at PGA
• UN council condemns minority attacks in Iraq
• AP PHOTOS: Play eases trauma for Gaza children
• UN Security Council urges world to help Iraqi government  
• Iraqi militants seize country's largest dam
• Colombia leader sworn in vowing peace, warning rebels
• British aid agencies launch Gaza appeal
• Chile says Russia met with Latam embassies over food imports
• Tekmira Ebola drug gets regulator change for possible human use
• No military strikes 'yet' on Iraqi Islamists: Iraqi ambassador
• Normally sunny Hawaii braces for hurricane double punch
• Mali jihadi leader reappears to threaten France
• New Zealand lodges America's Cup challenge
• 3 decades later, remains of Jonestown bodies found
• U.N. Security Council calls for international help for Iraq
• Air Algerie plane broke up on impact, say investigators
• Flow of child immigrants slows along Texas border
• Arsenal not vulnerable anymore, says Wenger
• Colombia's president seeks peace deal in 2nd term
• Western farmers take hit from Russia food ban
• Cambodia tribunal convicts Khmer Rouge leaders
• Prosecutor says 'deceitful' Pistorius can't dodge murder charge
• Landon Donovan says he'll retire after season
• Mali leader warns north could become criminal hub
• Poultry firms: Russia ban has little impact on US
• US weighs airstrikes and humanitarian aid in Iraq
• Tensions high as Gaza truce deadline looms
• Benin waiting for test results on two possible Ebola cases

Mediators race against clock to extend Gaza truce Posted: 07 Aug 2014 12:38 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Lin Noueihed GAZA/CAIRO (Reuters) - Mediators worked against the clock on Thursday to extend a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as the three-day ceasefire entered its final hours. Israel said it was ready to agree to an extension as Egyptian go-betweens pursued talks with Israeli and Palestinian delegates in Cairo on ending a war that has devastated the Hamas-controlled enclave. Palestinians want an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza lifted and prisoners held by Israel to be freed. Hamas's armed wing said it was ready to resume fighting unless Palestinian demands were met, and Israel said it would respond forcefully if attacked.

Moscow bans Western food imports; Russian quits as Ukraine rebel chief Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:10 AM PDT By Polina Devitt and Sergei Karpukhin MOSCOW/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Moscow banned imports of most food from the West on Thursday in retaliation against sanctions over Ukraine, a stronger than expected measure that isolates Russian consumers from world trade to a degree unseen since Soviet days. In eastern Ukraine, the Russian citizen who has led the rebel "Donetsk People's Republic" stepped down in favour of a local man, a move that could provide some faint new hope for peace. Kiev has long said it could negotiate with locals but never with foreigners it considers international terrorists. NATO's secretary general, visiting Kiev in a show of support for Ukraine, called on Russia to pull back from the brink of war against its neighbour.

Exclusive: China police investigate U.S. citizen near border with North Korea - source Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:17 PM PDT By James Pearson and Megha Rajagopalan SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - A Korean-American who runs a Christian NGO in a Chinese city on the border with North Korea is being investigated by Chinese authorities and has had his bank accounts frozen, a source with direct knowledge of the case told Reuters on Thursday. Peter Hahn, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been under interrogation by Chinese authorities for the last three weeks and is not permitted to leave the country, said the source, who requested anonymity, citing the sensitive nature of the case. Several people working in the region, or who are in contact with those that do, said Hahn's case appeared to be part of a wider sweep of Christian-run NGOs and businesses along the Chinese side of the border with North Korea. While China can be suspicious of Christian groups and President Xi Jinping has launched a wide crackdown on underground churches, foreign missionaries usually operate without too much harassment.

Exclusive: Liberia health system collapsing as Ebola spreads Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT By Stella Dawson WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The health care system in Liberia is collapsing, hospitals closing down and medical workers fleeing from the Ebola epidemic, which is poised to worsen, Liberia's foreign minister said on Thursday. "People are dying from common diseases because the health care system is collapsing," Minister of Foreign Affairs Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan said in an interview with Thomson Reuters Foundation. "It is going to have a long-term impact, even after this crisis is behind us." Treatable diseases such as malaria and diarrhea are left untended because frightened Liberians are shunning medical centers, and these deaths could outstrip those from the Ebola virus by three or four fold, he said.

U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia jails Khmer Rouge duo for life Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:51 PM PDT By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia sentenced the top two surviving cadres of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to life in jail on Thursday, delivering a semblance of justice for one of the darkest and bloodiest chapters of the twentieth century. Khmer Rouge "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, 88, and former President Khieu Samphan, 83, were found guilty of crimes against humanity orchestrated by the regime as part of its ultra-Maoist revolution from 1975-1979. Wearing dark sunglasses, the ailing Nuon Chea remained seated as the ruling was read, clutching his fingers together tightly. Khieu Samphan stood for the sentencing, listening attentively, but showing no emotion.

Wealthy foreigners to sue Canada over end of visa plan Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:09 PM PDT By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Wealthy foreigners hoping to fast-track immigration to Canada are preparing to sue Ottawa over the government's cancellation of its immigrant investor program, which has been assailed for allowing rich Chinese to buy their way into Canada. Timothy Leahy, a lawyer who represents a group of mostly Chinese would-be immigrants in an ongoing case over long wait times for the now-defunct program, said he expects to file a second lawsuit within two months. The legislation cancels the "millionaire" immigration stream for which some processing times had lengthened to more than five years. Canada's Federal Court ruled against Leahy's group of would-be immigrant-investors on the wait times case in June, though Leahy has filed an appeal that he expects to be heard sometime next year.

US sending Iraq humanitarian aid, weighing strikes Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:57 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say President Barack Obama has approved sending humanitarian supplies by air to thousands of religious minorities in Iraq who are under siege from Islamic militants.

McIlroy overcomes double bogey to shoot 66 at PGA Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:50 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — For Rory McIlroy, the shockingly bad shot came out of nowhere.

Woods struggles to 74; McIlroy charges at PGA Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:44 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) — For Rory McIlroy, the shockingly bad shot came out of nowhere.

UN council condemns minority attacks in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:37 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Thursday condemned attacks on minorities in Iraq and urged international support for the Iraqi government.

AP PHOTOS: Play eases trauma for Gaza children Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:33 PM PDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's fragile ceasefire is allowing children to play, and overcome some of the trauma of four weeks of war.

UN Security Council urges world to help Iraqi government   Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT The UN Security Council on Thursday urged governments to help Iraq cope with a humanitarian crisis sparked by a jihadist offensive that has left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis on the run. The 15-nation Council met behind closed doors at UN headquarters in New York, as the United States was weighing action including possible airdrops to trapped civilians. "The first item is immediate humanitarian help for Iraq, inside of Iraq.

Iraqi militants seize country's largest dam Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:31 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Residents living near Iraq's largest dam say Sunni militants from the Islamic State group have overrun the complex.

Colombia leader sworn in vowing peace, warning rebels Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:30 PM PDT Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos warned leftist rebels their attacks were threatening peace talks as he was sworn in Thursday for a second term dedicated to ending the country's 50-year-old conflict. The center-right leader won a new four-year term in a June 15 runoff election widely viewed as a referendum on his pursuit of peace deals with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). Listing a string of recent attacks, he accused the FARC of targeting the very infrastructure they have agreed to at the negotiations in Cuba, which opened in November 2012. "Who can understand that while we're in Havana agreeing to build piped water systems, in Colombia the FARC is destroying those same water systems, as happened in Granada, or seriously damaging the water supply, as happened in Putumayo?" he asked.

British aid agencies launch Gaza appeal Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:27 PM PDT British aid agencies launched an emergency appeal on Thursday for people affected by the conflict in Gaza, with the BBC agreeing to show adverts calling for donations -- five years after it refused to participate in a similar drive. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which brings together 13 leading British charities at times of crisis, said half a million people in Gaza have been forced from their homes, and that up to 1.5 million have limited access to water, sanitation or medical care. DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said Gaza was "on the edge" and the humanitarian emergency was affecting virtually every resident. "Even before the conflict began, the people of Gaza were close to breaking point.

Chile says Russia met with Latam embassies over food imports Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:24 PM PDT By Anthony Esposito SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Russia's government met with various Latin American embassies on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of looking for more food providers, in the wake of its ban on many western products, the head of Chile's trade body said on Thursday. Russia has banned all imports of U.S. food products and certain goods from the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway after President Vladimir Putin ordered retaliation for sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. "What we had was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday) between the Russian government and various Latin American embassies, where of course Chile was invited," Andres Rebolledo, the head of the Chilean government's Direcon trade body, said in an interview.

Tekmira Ebola drug gets regulator change for possible human use Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:20 PM PDT Tekmira Pharmaceutical Corp said on Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had modified its clinical hold status on Tekmira's experimental Ebola treatment to enable its potential use in humans infected with the virus. The FDA told Burnaby, British Columbia-based Tekmira that it had modified the full clinical hold on the drug to a partial clinical hold, the company said in a statement. "We are pleased that the FDA has considered the risk-reward of TKM-Ebola for infected patients," said Dr. Mark Murray, Tekmira's chief executive officer. "We have been closely watching the Ebola virus outbreak and its consequences, and we are willing to assist with any responsible use of TKM-Ebola." The recent Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people in West Africa.

No military strikes 'yet' on Iraqi Islamists: Iraqi ambassador Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:09 PM PDT United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Iraq's Ambassador to the United Nations, Ali al-Hakim, denied Thursday that air strikes had been carried out against Islamic State fighters.

Normally sunny Hawaii braces for hurricane double punch Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:06 PM PDT By Malia Mattoch McManus HONOLULU (Reuters) - Hawaii braced for a one-two punch from a pair of major storms barreling toward the archipelago on Thursday, with Hurricane Iselle leading the way with high winds and heavy surf as Hurricane Julio gathered steam behind it, U.S. officials said. Iselle, a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kph) , was about 175 miles (280 km) east of the Big Island by noon local time and was forecast to make landfall on Thursday night before passing south of the state's smaller islands on Friday. As residents and tourists alike braced for Iselle to make landfall, Hurricane Julio was gaining momentum further east, and was expected to pass near Hawaii's islands by late Saturday or early Sunday, said Ray Tanabe, acting director of the National Weather Service in the Pacific region. The rare threat of back-to-back hurricanes sent Hawaii residents scrambling to stock up on supplies as state officials warned of the potential for flash floods, mudslides and power outages in the normally calm tourist haven.

Mali jihadi leader reappears to threaten France Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:02 PM PDT The leader of a jihadist group driven from northern Mali by French troops has reappeared for the first time in 18 months with a video message calling for Muslims to rise up against France, "which detests Islam". Iyad Ag Ghaly, who led a Tuareg rebellion in the Sahara before setting up the armed group Ansar Dine ("Defenders of the Faith"), disappeared in January 2013 soon after France intervened to stop a column of Islamist insurgents taking Mali's capital Bamako and toppling the government. Iyad Ag Ghaly accused the French and their Malian army allies of a litany of atrocities against the people of northern Mali that "brings shivers to the spine".

New Zealand lodges America's Cup challenge Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:57 PM PDT AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Team New Zealand has formally challenged Team USA for sailing's America's Cup, submitting its entry ahead of Saturday's deadline for challenges.

3 decades later, remains of Jonestown bodies found Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:46 PM PDT DOVER, Delaware (AP) — More than 35 years after the infamous suicide-murder of some 900 people — many forced to drink a cyanide-laced grape drink — in Jonestown, Guyana, the cremated remains of nine victims were found in a dilapidated former funeral home in the U.S., officials said Thursday.

U.N. Security Council calls for international help for Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:45 PM PDT The U.N. Security Council condemned on Thursday recent attacks by Islamic State militants in Iraq and called for international support for the country after the 15-member body held an emergency meeting on the situation. "The members of the Security Council call on the international community to support the government and people of Iraq and to do all it can to help alleviate the suffering of the population affected by the current conflict in Iraq," said Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, president of the council for August. This is the third council statement related to the offensive by Islamic State, which is considered more extreme than al Qaeda.

Air Algerie plane broke up on impact, say investigators Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:38 PM PDT An Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali killing all 116 people on board broke up on impact after losing air speed and banking sharply, investigators said on Thursday. Presenting the initial findings of a probe into the July 24 tragedy, Remi Jouty, the head of France's Bureau of Investigations and Analyses (BEA) air safety agency, also told reporters that the cockpit voice recording was currently unusable.

Flow of child immigrants slows along Texas border Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:37 PM PDT McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Fewer unaccompanied immigrant children are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, allowing the federal government to close the temporary shelters that it hurriedly opened to handle the surge, authorities say.

Arsenal not vulnerable anymore, says Wenger Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:34 PM PDT Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that his club have lost the vulnerability that once made their players easy prey for Sunday's Community Shield opponents Manchester City. Bacary Sagna became the third player to join City from Arsenal in recent seasons when he swapped the Emirates Stadium for the Etihad Stadium in June, but Wenger's side are now operating on something approaching an equal footing in the transfer market. Having signed Mesut Ozil in a club-record deal a year ago, Arsenal bought Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a move reportedly worth around £30 million ($50.5 million, 37.8 million euros) last month, and Wenger feels they can no longer be considered the poor relations among the Premier League's leading sides.

Colombia's president seeks peace deal in 2nd term Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:33 PM PDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — President Juan Manuel Santos took the oath for his second term Thursday and promised to redouble his efforts to end Colombia's half-century war amid a renewed wave of rebel violence that has put peace talks at risk.

Western farmers take hit from Russia food ban Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:26 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian diners will not be able to find creamy Dutch cheeses or juicy Polish apples in the grocery store or cook up chicken from the United States — the result of a Russian ban on most food imports from the West.

Cambodia tribunal convicts Khmer Rouge leaders Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:25 PM PDT PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — They were leaders of Cambodia's infamous Khmer Rouge, the fanatical communist movement behind a 1970s reign of terror that transformed this entire Southeast Asian nation into a ruthless slave state — a place where cities were emptied of their inhabitants, religion and schools were banned, and anyone deemed a threat was executed.

Prosecutor says 'deceitful' Pistorius can't dodge murder charge Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:24 PM PDT A South African prosecutor branded Oscar Pistorius "deceitful" and insisted the Paralympian cannot avoid a conviction for murdering his glamorous model girlfriend, as the state closed its case against him Thursday. "Pitbull" prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that even if the court accepts Pistorius's claim he killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year believing she was an intruder, "he cannot escape" a conviction for murdering with intent. Ending the first of two days of concluding arguments in the gripping five-month murder trial, Nel said Pistorius's efforts to concoct an alibi had led to a "snowball effect" of lies requiring more lies to back them up. Nel also pointed to state experts' testimony that Steenkamp had food in her stomach when she died and that neighbours heard a woman screaming to show the star sprinter was lying.

Landon Donovan says he'll retire after season Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:24 PM PDT CARSON, Calif. (AP) — A year after Landon Donovan returned to soccer, he realized he had lost his passion for the sport again. This time, the best player in American history decided to walk away for good.

Mali leader warns north could become criminal hub Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:21 PM PDT Mali's leader warned Thursday that a lack of air surveillance in his country's troubled north could pose risks for the world by allowing criminals to use it as a base. On a visit to Washington for a US-Africa summit, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said his government was committed to negotiating a peaceful solution with Tuareg separatists after rebels and Al-Qaeda-linked militants overran much of the north in 2012. "What is happening doesn't just matter for Mali. If Mali becomes a drug base, it would pose "a danger for the youth of Mali, Europe and the whole world," he said.

Poultry firms: Russia ban has little impact on US Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT Poultry producers say Russia's decision to ban imported U.S. meat won't lead to a glut of the product because other countries are clamoring for inexpensive meat.

US weighs airstrikes and humanitarian aid in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering dropping humanitarian supplies by air to thousands of religious minorities in Iraq who are under siege from Islamic militants, possibly in combination with U.S. airstrikes, according to defense officials and others familiar with the administration's thinking.

Tensions high as Gaza truce deadline looms Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:13 PM PDT Fears rose that the Gaza conflict could resume Friday as a temporary ceasefire entered its final stretch and Palestinians accused Israel of stalling at truce talks in Cairo. Israel has said it is ready to "indefinitely" extend the 72-hour lull, due to expire at 0500 GMT on Friday. Hamas has so far hedged its bets, with an official on the negotiating team saying a decision would be taken later. "The Israeli delegation is proposing extending the ceasefire while refusing a number of the Palestinian demands," he said, without elaborating.

Benin waiting for test results on two possible Ebola cases Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:09 PM PDT Benin said Thursday that it has placed two patients with Ebola-like symptoms in isolation and was waiting for test results to establish if the pair were infected with the deadly tropical disease. Deputy chief of staff at the health ministry, Moufalilou Aboubakar, told journalists that the two patients were being treated as suspected cases of Ebola and that blood samples had been sent to foreign labs for conclusive results. "We cannot say today that the virus is in Benin," Aboubakar told reporters. If the patients are confirmed to have Ebola, Benin would become the fifth country in the region to be hit by the outbreak.

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