Yahoo! News: World News

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• Gaza war rages on, Hamas says Israel tried to kill its military chief
• Dozens die in Ukraine in street battles, Donetsk shelling
• Brazil's Silva launches bid, threatens Rousseff re-election
• U.S. military tried, but failed to rescue journalist Foley, other hostages
• Opposition leader Khan opens talks with Pakistan government over protests
• Heavy fighting erupts in Libya's Benghazi, killing five
• Officials: US rescue mission in Syria failed
• Missy Franklin to swim freestyle, test sore back
• Brazil Socialists name presidential candidate after Campos death
• UN Council members reject NKorea meeting request
• Fate of captured beluga whales in hands of Georgia judge
• US military to reduce land footprint in Guam
• Obama: U.S. won't stop confronting Islamic State
• U.S. effort to protect bald eagle suffers legal setback
• Yankees RHP Tanaka throws 35-pitch bullpen session
• Utah woman accused in husband's death deported
• Los Angeles waterslide plan draws protests during drought
• UN Council urges Israel, Palestinians to resume talks
• Rose sits out US exhibition vs Dominican Republic
• US warns travelers of canceled Venezuela flights
• UN agency: Iran abiding with terms of nuke deal
• Garcia-Lopez outlasts Young in 3 sets
• Guatemala army chief of staff dies in helicopter crash
• Liberia's Ebola clampdown turns violent as Asia fears new cases
• Social media pushes back at militant propaganda
• Rory seeks fourth win in a row as playoffs open
• Beheading video puts spotlight on British jihadists
• Officials: Special forces sent to Syria to rescue US hostages this summer but didn't find any
• Pakistan begins talks to end protest crisis
• Global cruise lines set sail for China
• Top Guatemalan general killed in air crash near Mexico border
• Lawyer: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl wants to attend college
• CEO: Kidnappers threatened Foley's life last week
• Islamic State video shows conversion of Yazidis to Islam
• Bahamas identifies victims of small plane crash
• West Indies beat Bangladesh in opening ODI

Gaza war rages on, Hamas says Israel tried to kill its military chief Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:01 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike in Gaza killed the wife and infant son of Hamas's military leader, Mohammed Deif, the group said, calling it an attempt to assassinate him after a ceasefire collapsed. Palestinians launched more than 180 rockets on Tuesday and Wednesday, mainly at southern Israel, with some intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said. Israeli aircraft have carried out more than 100 strikes in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon said, the military adding it was "targeting terror sites". Hamas and medical officials said 23 people had died in the latest Israeli raids, including Deif's wife and seven-month-old son.

Dozens die in Ukraine in street battles, Donetsk shelling Posted: 20 Aug 2014 12:27 PM PDT By Richard Balmforth and Thomas Grove KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Heavy shelling hit residential neighborhoods in Ukraine's rebel stronghold of Donetsk and government forces fought street battles in other towns on Wednesday as they sought to crush a four-month-old separatist rebellion. The forces of the Western-backed Kiev government are steadily gaining the upper hand over the separatists in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine and are tightening the noose around the main rebel bastions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Brazil's Silva launches bid, threatens Rousseff re-election Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:49 PM PDT By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Environmentalist Marina Silva officially launched a bid for president on Wednesday, upending Brazil's October elections and threatening the ruling Workers' Party's 12-year hold on power. Silva, until now a vice-presidential candidate for the Brazilian Socialist Party, accepted its nomination to top the ticket after candidate Eduardo Campos, a former governor and rising political star, was killed in a plane crash last week. Viewed as an outsider with no links to traditional elites, Silva is a former environment minister whose ironclad environmental and religious beliefs prompt critics to call her inflexible but supporters to praise her as Brazil's most principled politician. Silva, a rubber tapper in her youth who was illiterate until adolescence, appeals mostly to young voters disgusted with Brazil's political establishment.

U.S. military tried, but failed to rescue journalist Foley, other hostages Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:51 PM PDT The unsuccessful rescue operation "involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL," the Pentagon said in a statement, using a different name for the militant group. "Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location." President Barack Obama authorized the mission "earlier this summer," Lisa Monaco, Obama's top counter terrorism aide, said in a separate statement. Foley, 40, was executed by an Islamic State militant in a video that surfaced on the Internet on Tuesday.

Opposition leader Khan opens talks with Pakistan government over protests Posted: 20 Aug 2014 12:43 PM PDT By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Opposition leader Imran Khan opened negotiations Wednesday with the Pakistani government, a lawmaker from his party said, in an effort to end protests against the prime minister and overcome a political impasse. The announcement came the day after Pakistan's powerful military said the two sides should engage in dialogue and warned that key government institutions were under its protection. Former cricket star Khan and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, who controls a network of Islamic schools and hospitals, have been leading protests in the capital Islamabad since Friday. Both want Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign over allegations of corruption and election rigging.

Heavy fighting erupts in Libya's Benghazi, killing five Posted: 20 Aug 2014 02:56 PM PDT Clashes between irregular forces of a renegade general and Islamists erupted in Libya's eastern Benghazi city on Wednesday, killing at least five people, medical and military sources said. Loud explosions and a war plane circling the port city could be heard in the evening in the Lithi district, where forces of renegade general Khalifa Haftar and Islamist brigades such as the Ansar al-Sharia were fighting. Benghazi, home to several oil companies, has plunged into anarchy since Haftar declared war on Islamists using war planes and other anti-aircraft guns. Despite this, Islamists earlier this month overran the main army camp which Haftar has been trying to retake together with regular army forces.

Officials: US rescue mission in Syria failed Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sent special operations troops to Syria this summer on a secret mission to rescue American hostages, including journalist James Foley, held by Islamic State group extremists, but they did not find them, the Obama administration said Wednesday.

Missy Franklin to swim freestyle, test sore back Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:54 PM PDT GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Multiple Olympic and world champion Missy Franklin will swim in the 200-meter freestyle to test her sore back in the first event at the Pan Pacific championships.

Brazil Socialists name presidential candidate after Campos death Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:53 PM PDT Brazil's Socialist party named popular environmentalist Marina Silva as presidential candidate Wednesday, replacing her late running mate Eduardo Campos after his plane crash death last week. Campos's death has radically shaken the electoral landscape ahead of the October vote, possibly setting up his former vice presidential candidate Silva to unseat incumbent Dilma Rousseff in a runoff, according to the latest poll. PSB president Roberto Amaral said party leaders had chosen Silva unanimously to replace her late running mate at the top of the ticket.

UN Council members reject NKorea meeting request Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:44 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — United Nations Security Council members are rejecting North Korea's request for a meeting to protest joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Fate of captured beluga whales in hands of Georgia judge Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:33 PM PDT By Rich McKay ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia aquarium went to court on Wednesday seeking federal permission to bring 18 captured beluga whales to the United States from Russia. The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries service in September for the right to acquire the whales, which were captured off the coast of northern Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk and are currently in the care of Russian scientists. The government contends that bringing the whales to the United States would contribute to the depletion of the known wild beluga whale population and violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The aquarium disputes that and wants NOAA Fisheries to hand over more internal documents to show how the government made its decision.

US military to reduce land footprint in Guam Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:28 PM PDT HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — U.S. defense officials say they plan to keep their pledge to reduce the military's land footprint in Guam even as it shifts about 5,000 people to the territory.

Obama: U.S. won't stop confronting Islamic State Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:26 PM PDT President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to continue to confront Islamic State militants despite the beheading of an American journalist in Iraq, standing firm in the face of the militants' threats to kill another hostage unless the U.S. military changes course.

U.S. effort to protect bald eagle suffers legal setback Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:25 PM PDT The bald eagle may no longer be at risk of extinction, but the U.S. A federal appeals court revived a religion-based challenge to a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Department of the Interior did not show the regulation was the "least restrictive means" to advance the compelling government interest in protecting the bald eagle because of its status as a national symbol. Wednesday's decision reversed a lower court ruling, and revived claims by Texas-based groups and individuals, including the McAllen Grace Brethren Church, that the regulation violated their rights under the First Amendment's free exercise clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Yankees RHP Tanaka throws 35-pitch bullpen session Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Masahiro Tanaka threw 35 pitches Wednesday in his second bullpen session as he tries to return to the New York Yankees this season.

Utah woman accused in husband's death deported Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:22 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Authorities have deported a northern Utah woman to El Salvador where she is wanted in connection with her American husband's death in 2013.

Los Angeles waterslide plan draws protests during drought Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:20 PM PDT By Daina Beth Solomon LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Plans to set up a three-block-long "slip 'n slide" in Los Angeles next month have drawn the ire of conservationists who say splashing up to 16,000 gallons of water down it during a severe drought is frivolous and irresponsible. Michelle Vargas, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Water and Power, said the water used for the slide equals the amount used by 180 residents in a single day. "We don't believe it's consistent with the water conservation lifestyle in Los Angeles," she said. Overall, Los Angeles uses about 500 million gallons daily.

UN Council urges Israel, Palestinians to resume talks Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:20 PM PDT The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table to quickly agree on a lasting truce in Gaza. The statement drafted by France was agreed after negotiations in Cairo teetered on the verge of collapse amid a fresh flareup of violence in the war that has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians since July 8. Earlier this month, Jordan circulated a draft resolution backed by Arab countries that calls for a ceasefire, the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the delivery of urgently-needed aid to the Palestinians. The fighting over the last six weeks marks the most violent confrontation between Israel and Hamas militants since the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, from 2000-2005.

Rose sits out US exhibition vs Dominican Republic Posted: 20 Aug 2014 04:12 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Derrick Rose is sitting out the U.S. national's team exhibition game against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night, with coach Mike Krzyzewski saying he wants to look at other guards.

US warns travelers of canceled Venezuela flights Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:45 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Come to Venezuela and you might get a longer trip than you bargained for.

UN agency: Iran abiding with terms of nuke deal Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:45 PM PDT VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear agency says that Iran is keeping commitments it agreed to with six world powers in a pact that temporarily caps its nuclear activities and eliminates material that could be most easily used to make nuclear weapons.

Garcia-Lopez outlasts Young in 3 sets Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:44 PM PDT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Guillermo Garcia-Lopez battled through a third-set tiebreaker before beating 11th-seeded Donald Young of the 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) on Wednesday in the third round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Guatemala army chief of staff dies in helicopter crash Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:40 PM PDT Guatemalan army chief of staff Rudy Ortiz and four other military officers died Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region where drug traffickers operate, the government said. The crash occurred in the Huehuetenango department on the Mexican border as the officers carried out a routine inspection of the area, where unrest has also erupted over hydroelectric dams and mining projects, said Defense Minister Manuel Lopez.

Liberia's Ebola clampdown turns violent as Asia fears new cases Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT Violence erupted in an Ebola quarantine zone in Liberia's capital Wednesday as authorities struggled to contain the epidemic, with new suspected cases in Asia sparking fears of it spreading beyond Africa. Four residents were injured in Monrovia's West Point slum when soldiers opened fire and used tear gas on crowds as they tried to evacuate a state official and her family from the quarantined quarter. The crackdown in Liberia comes as authorities around the world are scrambling to stem the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola, with the latest official toll jumping 106 in two days to 1,350 dead. Liberia, with 576 deaths from 972 diagnosed cases, is the worst hit of the four affected west African countries, with the numbers of deaths and infections rising dramatically.

Social media pushes back at militant propaganda Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:37 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The extremists of the Islamic State group have turned their social media into a theater of horror, broadcasting a stomach-turning stream of battles, bombings and beheadings to a global audience.

Rory seeks fourth win in a row as playoffs open Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:34 PM PDT Top-ranked Rory McIlroy tries to become only the fifth player in PGA history to win four consecutive starts when the season-ending US tour playoffs begin Thursday with The Barclays. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland won last month's British Open and followed with his first World Golf Championships title at Akron, Ohio, before claiming the PGA Championship two weeks ago for his fourth major title. Four players in PGA history have produced win streaks of at least four tournaments, with Byron Nelson claiming the record at 11 wins in 1945, Tiger Woods taking a career-best seven in a row in 2006 and early 2007, Ben Hogan having a run of six in a row in 1948 and Jack Burke winning four straight in 1952.

Beheading video puts spotlight on British jihadists Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:32 PM PDT The distinct English accent of the militant seen beheading US journalist James Foley in a grisly online video has forced Britain once again to confront the question of how it became an exporter of jihadist fighters. The video, published on Tuesday, has also left Britain nervously wondering how many potential jihadists are walking its streets and whether the return of fighters from Iraq and Syria will bring the violence home. Experts say young British men are often driven into the arms of jihadist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) by adolescent feelings of alienation, often resulting from their backgrounds as second or third generation of immigrant families, as well as poor economic prospects which they contrast with the perceived glory of bloody martyrdom.

Officials: Special forces sent to Syria to rescue US hostages this summer but didn't find any Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials: Special forces sent to Syria to rescue US hostages this summer but didn't find any.

Pakistan begins talks to end protest crisis Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT Pakistani ministers and opposition politicians met anti-government protesters on Wednesday, but talks ended for the day with the sides appearing no closer to resolving a week-long political crisis that has rattled the restive, nuclear-armed nation. Thousands of followers of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been demonstrating outside the parliament building in Islamabad, trying to force Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office. Khan and Qadri say last year's general election that swept Sharif to power by a landslide was rigged and are demanding his resignation. Late Wednesday Khan's team met with government negotiators in Islamabad to discuss his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's demands.

Global cruise lines set sail for China Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT HONG KONG (AP) — Royal Caribbean's newest ship has attractions not usually seen on cruise liners, including bumper cars, a skydiving simulator and a glass observation capsule on a mechanical arm that lifts its passengers high into the air.

Top Guatemalan general killed in air crash near Mexico border Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:28 PM PDT A top Guatemalan general and four other officers were killed on Wednesday when the helicopter they were in crashed near the country's northern border with Mexico, Guatemala's government said. Chief of the Defense Staff General Rudy Ortiz and the four others had gone to inspect military installations when the Bell 206 helicopter came down in thick cloud in the village of El Nenton in the Huehuetenango region, the Defense Ministry said. Guatemala's Defense Minister Manuel Lopez said the causes of the crash were still being investigated, but added he did not believe foul play had been involved. The Central American country has one of the highest murder rates in the Americas and the government is battling to crack down on violent drug gangs from Mexico that use Guatemala as a staging post to move contraband north to the United States.

Lawyer: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl wants to attend college Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:26 PM PDT HOUSTON (AP) — An Army sergeant held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan for five years wants to attend college once the investigation into how he was captured by the Taliban is finished, his attorney said Wednesday.

CEO: Kidnappers threatened Foley's life last week Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — The chief executive officer of a Boston-based media company says James Foley's kidnappers last week threatened to kill him in response to U.S. bombings in Iraq.

Islamic State video shows conversion of Yazidis to Islam Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State, a militant group that witnesses and officials say has executed hundreds of members of Iraq's Yazidis, has released a video that seeks to show it enlightened hundreds of members of the religious minority by converting them to Islam. The production was issued not long after the group on Tuesday released a video showing one of its black-clad fighters beheading American journalist James Foley, sparking international outrage. The Yazidis, followers of an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism who are part of the country's Kurdish minority, have paid the highest price for Islamic State's dramatic advance through northern Iraq. Islamic State militants, widely seen as more hardline than al Qaeda, storm into villages armed with machine guns and give Yazidis a simple choice: convert to Islam or die.

Bahamas identifies victims of small plane crash Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:19 PM PDT NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The four men who died in a small plane crash in the Bahamas were from Florida, police said Wednesday.

West Indies beat Bangladesh in opening ODI Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:03 PM PDT ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) — All-rounder Kieron Pollard hit 89 and Denesh Ramdin chipped in with 74 as the West Indies overcame a disastrous start to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in their opening one-day international at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

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