Yahoo! News: World News

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• Artillery attack challenges ceasefire in east Ukraine
• Former French hostage says Brussels attack suspect was among his captors in Syria
• Libya says Sudanese war plane loaded with ammunition for Tripoli enters its airspace
• Iraq air strike kills seven in hospital near Kirkuk
• Boko Haram militants attack northeast town near Cameroon border
• Islamic State says executes second Lebanese soldier
• Halys beats Tiafoe in US Open boys' semifinal
• Obama defends decision to delay immigration action
• Explosions heard on outskirts of Ukraine's Mariupol
• Brussels museum shooting suspect 'was Syria captor'
• Top Obama aide in Beijing to highlight vital China ties
• Federer, Djokovic both lose in US Open semifinals
• Storms cut power to more than 600,000 in Michigan, Illinois
• Amnesty accuses Ukraine rivals of war crimes
• Frampton wins IBF super-bantam title off Martinez
• Reitman film surveys tech-damaged intimacy in Toronto
• Scottish independence campaign ahead in poll for first time
• Hesjedal wins Vuelta's 14th stage, Contador leads
• Firefighters make progress battling blaze near California's Yosemite
• Spain & France to meet again in WCup quarters
• Thousands flee as Boko Haram militants seize Nigerian towns
• Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT
• Supporters of Scottish independence take narrow poll lead for first time
• Absalon, Pendrel win mountain bike world titles
• Artillery fire heard, blaze seen near port in east Ukraine: Reuters witness
• Brathwaite 205no as West Indies compile 407-3
• Apparent shelling heard outside Ukrainian port
• Roosters finish first in NRL after Manly loses
• Hurricane drenches Mexico, prompting evacuations
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT
• Congo stun African champions Nigeria
• Cyprus parliament adopts crucial foreclosure bill
• Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT
• Ukraine truce 'largely holding' but fears run deep

Artillery attack challenges ceasefire in east Ukraine Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:35 PM PDT By Gareth Jones and Aleksandar Vasovic KIEV/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces came under artillery fire late on Saturday near the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, in the first serious violation of a ceasefire declared only about 30 hours earlier. The presidents of Russia and Ukraine had earlier said the ceasefire, part of a peace road-map intended to end five months of conflict, was largely holding across eastern Ukraine, where Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists. The area had previously been quiet since the ceasefire took effect on Friday evening, but many residents and combatants in Mariupol and in Donetsk, the other main flashpoint in the conflict, have expressed doubts that the ceasefire can last.

Former French hostage says Brussels attack suspect was among his captors in Syria Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:52 PM PDT By Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) - A French journalist held hostage for months in Syria said on Saturday that one of his captors was a Frenchman suspected of killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May. The reporter, Nicolas Henin, said he recognized Mehdi Nemmouche from video shown to him as part of an investigation. "After the arrest of Mehdi Nemmouche I have been shown a few audovisual documents that allowed me to recognize him formally," Henin, who was freed on April 20 along with three other French journalists, told a news conference. Henin spoke at the Paris offices of French weekly Le Point, which early on Saturday had published excerpts of a piece written by Henin in which he described Nemmouche as one of a group of French nationals who had moved in Islamic State circles in Syria. Le Point said it had not initially planned to go public with Henin's information for fear of jeopardizing the safety of other hostages, but decided to go ahead when French daily Le Monde reported on Saturday morning that French intelligence identified Nemmouche as one of the captors of Western hostages in Syria.

Libya says Sudanese war plane loaded with ammunition for Tripoli enters its airspace Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:30 PM PDT Libya said a Sudanese military transport plane bound for a Tripoli airport under control of an armed group had entered its airspace, a government statement said on Saturday. "This work from the Sudanese state violates (the sovereignty) of the State of Libya and interferes with its affairs," the statement said, adding that Libya had asked the Sudanese military attache to leave the country. Libya said the Sudanese plane had been bound for Tripoli-Matiga airport and made a refueling stop in the Libyan desert oasis Kufra near the border to Sudan. Ammunition had been found loaded on that plane during an inspection at Kufra airport, it added.

Iraq air strike kills seven in hospital near Kirkuk Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:23 PM PDT Iraq's air force hit a hospital in a town controlled by Islamic State and other militant groups on Saturday, killing seven patients and wounding 22 others, including children, eyewitnesses said. Islamic State launched a lightning advance through northern and central Iraq in June, declaring an Islamic caliphate. Civilian deaths are hard to quantify due to security restrictions in the roughly third of Iraq that Islamic State controls.

Boko Haram militants attack northeast town near Cameroon border Posted: 06 Sep 2014 11:28 AM PDT Boko Haram militants early on Saturday attacked another town in northeast Nigeria, pushing southwards in an apparent strategy to carve out an Islamist enclave in the remote north of Africa's biggest economy, residents and local officials said. Fighters from the group, which has taken over several northeast towns and villages in recent weeks, stormed Gulak in the northern part of Adamawa state, near the hilly border with Cameroon where the militants are thought to have bases. An eyewitness to the attack, Sabo Lukas, who escaped to the Adamawa state capital Yola, told Reuters the militants had gone from house to house in Gulak shooting, and he had seen bodies of victims. Tanko Wazumtu, an aide to Adamawa state Acting Governor Alhaji Ahmed Umaru Fintiri, also confirmed the attack, saying his own father was among those killed.

Islamic State says executes second Lebanese soldier Posted: 06 Sep 2014 10:52 AM PDT Islamic State militants have beheaded a captive Lebanese soldier, images published on social media showed on Saturday, the second Lebanese soldier to be killed in captivity by the group since it raided a Lebanese border town last month. The men were among a group of 19 soldiers missing since the attack on Arsal by militants including fighters affiliated with Islamic State. A caption posted with the images on a Twitter account used to publish Islamic State statements named the soldier as Abbas Medlij, identifying him as a Shi'ite Muslim. A Lebanese security source said Medlij was one of 19 soldiers missing and believed taken captive by Islamic State and other Islamist insurgents who launched the incursion into the border town of Arsal in August.

Halys beats Tiafoe in US Open boys' semifinal Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:51 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Sixth-seeded Francis Tiafoe of College Park, Maryland, couldn't convert on two match points and lost to fifth-seeded Quentin Halys of France in the U.S. Open boys' semifinals Saturday.

Obama defends decision to delay immigration action Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:51 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Saturday that the surge of immigrant children entering the U.S. illegally changed the politics surrounding the issue of immigration and led him to put off a pledge to use executive action that could have shielded millions of people from deportation.

Explosions heard on outskirts of Ukraine's Mariupol Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:50 PM PDT Loud explosions were heard on Saturday evening on the eastern outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to AFP, despite a fragile ceasefire being put in place. A checkpoint held by Ukraine loyalists seemed to be on fire, according to AFP journalists close to the scene. The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on Saturday in a phone call that the truce "was generally being observed".

Brussels museum shooting suspect 'was Syria captor' Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:45 PM PDT A freed French hostage says the suspected gunman behind the deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May was among his Islamic extremist captors in Syria. Writing on the website of his former employer Le Point magazine, Nicolas Henin said Mehdi Nemmouche, who has been extradited to Belgium and held for questioning, was his jailer between July and December 2013. One of a group of four journalist hostages freed in April, Henin said the 29-year-old, who spent more than a year fighting in Syria, was a feared and violent figure. "When Nemmouche was not singing, he was torturing," wrote Henin in an article published on Saturday.

Top Obama aide in Beijing to highlight vital China ties Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:33 PM PDT President Barack Obama's top White House national security aide lands in Beijing on Sunday, signaling that ties with China remain a priority despite turmoil and tensions tearing at US foreign policy. National Security Advisor Susan Rice is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials in talks which come two weeks after Washington accused a Chinese fighter jet of buzzing one of its spy planes. The talks will likely focus on key areas of contention between Washington and Beijing -- including China's maritime territorial disputes with US allies in the region and a long-running cyber-hacking row between the two powers.

Federer, Djokovic both lose in US Open semifinals Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:30 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Instead of Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer for the U.S. Open title, first-time Grand Slam finalists Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic will vie for the championship after a pair of semifinal surprises Saturday.

Storms cut power to more than 600,000 in Michigan, Illinois Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:25 PM PDT (Reuters) - More than 600,000 electric customers in Michigan and Illinois lost power at the height of storms that brought heavy winds and lightning, ripping up trees, downing power lines and leaving at least two people dead, officials said on Saturday. An Illinois woman died Saturday of injuries she sustained when she was struck by a falling tree and a Michigan man was electrocuted after touching a power line, local media said. Molly Glynn, 46, died at NorthShore Evanston Hospital on Saturday, hospital spokeswoman Colette Urban said. Commonwealth Edison, an Exelon Corp unit, reported more than 174,000 customers lost power in Illinois in Friday's storms.

Amnesty accuses Ukraine rivals of war crimes Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:23 PM PDT Amnesty International accused rival fighters in the Ukraine conflict of war crimes including indiscriminate shelling, abductions, torture, and killings, in a report compiled ahead of the ceasefire deal. "All sides in this conflict have shown disregard for civilian lives and are blatantly violating their international obligations," Amnesty Secretary General Salil Shetty said in the report published Sunday. The London-based rights group also charged that Russia -- accused by the West of secretly sending in troops and heavy weapons to support the rebels -- had been "fuelling separatist crimes" in Ukraine. "Their testimonies suggest that the attacks were indiscriminate and may amount to war crimes," it said.

Frampton wins IBF super-bantam title off Martinez Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:17 PM PDT BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Carl Frampton won the IBF super-bantamweight belt from Kiko Martinez of Spain by unanimous decision before an ecstatic home crowd of 16,000 in a purpose-built outdoor arena in the Titanic Quarter on Saturday.

Reitman film surveys tech-damaged intimacy in Toronto Posted: 06 Sep 2014 04:12 PM PDT Toronto (Canada) (AFP) - "Juno" director Jason Reitman was back at the Toronto film festival Saturday with ensemble drama "Men, Women & Children," chronicling hunger for intimacy in a world where connections are increasingly electronic. Based on the dark novel by Chad Kultgen, "Men, Women & Children" delves into the personal lives of a couple whose marriage is devoid of intimacy, a girl seeking advice on being a better anorexic, a teenage boy feeling lost and empty after his mother leaves, and others, with narration by Emma Thompson providing a cosmic view of their small, insignificant universe. Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dean Norris of the acclaimed television series "Breaking Bad," and Judy Greer, it's "what we're all going through... figuring out how to find intimacy in this Internet age," said screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, whose previous work "Chloe" became director Atom Agoyan's biggest box office hit.

Scottish independence campaign ahead in poll for first time Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:23 PM PDT A new opinion poll being published Sunday put Scotland's pro-independence camp ahead for the first time in the campaign, just 11 days before a referendum on splitting from Britain. Although the two point lead is within the margin of error, the findings dramatically up the stakes ahead of the vote on September 18, handing valuable momentum to First Minister Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party (SNP). The Sunday Times also reported that Queen Elizabeth II now feels "a great deal of concern" over the independence vote and has asked for daily updates. Those fighting to keep the 300-year-old union, who include Prime Minister David Cameron, are now expected to announce key concessions in a bid to fight back.

Hesjedal wins Vuelta's 14th stage, Contador leads Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:14 PM PDT LA CAMPERONA, Spain (AP) — Ryder Hesjedal of Canada won a mountainous 14th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Saturday, while Alberto Contador held onto the red leader's jersey for a fourth straight day.

Firefighters make progress battling blaze near California's Yosemite Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:13 PM PDT Crews battling a wildfire on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park in central California reported progress Saturday containing the blaze though evacuation orders for about 700 homes remain in effect, officials said. The blaze, named the Bridge Fire, was 25 percent contained and holding steady at 300 acres (120 hectares), one day after it erupted in Mariposa County near Oakhurst, some 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southwest of the national park, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CalFire). The fire was threatening about 700 homes and evacuation orders for those residents would stay in place until firefighters deemed the area safe enough to return, said CalFire spokesman Dennis Mathisen. The Bridge Fire was burning near where a fast-moving blaze last month forced thousands of people out of their homes and businesses in the well-populated region south of Yosemite.

Spain & France to meet again in WCup quarters Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:11 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rivals Spain and France will meet again in the quarterfinals of the Basketball World Cup after both won in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Thousands flee as Boko Haram militants seize Nigerian towns Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:04 PM PDT Thousands of fear-stricken residents in several towns and villages in Nigeria's northeast Adamawa state have fled their homes after troops failed to retake a major town seized by Boko Haram militants, residents said Saturday. Residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika towns and nearby villages fled their homes Friday through Saturday following a Boko Haram advance after repelling a military offensive to retake Madagali town, seized by the militants last month. "All the residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika have fled their homes to the mountains and Mubi town after soldiers retreated from Madagali where they made a failed attempt to push out the insurgents and the recapture the town," said Bello Alaramma who also ran away from Gulak to Mubi, 76 kilometres (48 miles) away.

Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:02 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia aims to send a search team to the crash site in Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 before winter sets in to gather physical evidence to prove that it was shot down, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday. Najib said the government has "pretty conclusive" intelligence reports about what happened to the jet carrying 298 people but evidence must be collected so that its downing can be proved beyond a doubt if the case goes to court.

Supporters of Scottish independence take narrow poll lead for first time Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:56 PM PDT Supporters of Scottish independence have taken their first opinion poll lead since the referendum campaign began, according to a YouGov survey for the Sunday Times newspaper. With less than two weeks to go before the Sept. 18 vote, the poll puts the "Yes" to independence campaign on 51 percent, with the unionists on 49 percent, overturning a 22-point lead for the unionist campaign in just a month, the Sunday Times said. "The YouGov survey ... shows that the nationalists have taken a two-point lead and are poised to triumph in the referendum," the paper said. After months of surveys showing nationalists heading for defeat, recent polls have been showing the gap narrowing to the extent that they raise the real prospect that secessionists led by Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party (SNP) could achieve their goal of breaking the 307-year-old union with England.

Absalon, Pendrel win mountain bike world titles Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:53 PM PDT HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Julian Absalon of France won his fifth mountain bike world championship, pulling away from Nino Schurter for an easy victory on Saturday.

Artillery fire heard, blaze seen near port in east Ukraine: Reuters witness Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:51 PM PDT Prolonged artillery fire was heard late on Saturday to the east of the port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters reporter said, in what may be the first significant violation of a ceasefire declared little more than 24 hours earlier. The reporter saw an industrial facility, a truck and a gas station ablaze in an area within the limits of Mariupol, a city of 500,000 people on the Sea of Azov near the Russian border.

Brathwaite 205no as West Indies compile 407-3 Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:51 PM PDT ARNOS VALE, St. Vincent (AP) — Opener Kraigg Brathwaite compiled an unbeaten 205 as the West Indies reached 407-3 against Bangladesh at the close of a rain-hit second day of the opening cricket test at Arnos Vale Sports Complex on Saturday.

Apparent shelling heard outside Ukrainian port Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:44 PM PDT KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Witnesses in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol reported sustained explosions outside the city and a volunteer battalion of Ukrainian fighters says Grad rockets were fired at its positions late Saturday, little more than a day after Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist rebels signed a cease-fire following more than four months of fighting in the country's east.

Roosters finish first in NRL after Manly loses Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:40 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — With a little help from their friends in North Queensland, the defending champion Sydney Roosters finished in first place heading into the National Rugby League finals.

Hurricane drenches Mexico, prompting evacuations Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:35 PM PDT LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Rains and high surf brought by Hurricane Norbert damaged more than 1,000 homes and forced thousands of people to seek higher ground as the storm roared northward off the coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:32 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia aims to send a search team to the crash site in Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 before winter sets in to gather physical evidence to prove that it was shot down, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday. Najib said the government has "pretty conclusive" intelligence reports about what happened to the jet carrying 298 people but evidence must be collected so that its downing can be proved beyond a doubt if the case goes to court.

Congo stun African champions Nigeria Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:17 PM PDT Defending champions Nigeria suffered a stunning 3-2 home loss to Congo Brazzaville Saturday on matchday 1 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition. It was the first defeat in 47 home matches for the Super Eagles since qualifying started 48 years ago and the first time they conceded three goals at home in an eliminator. The Congolese Red Devils were not even supposed to be in south-eastern city Calabar having lost a preliminary tie against Rwanda. Celtic defender Efe Ambrose nodded Nigeria into an early lead at UJ Esuene Stadium only for Prince Oniangue to level within three minutes.

Cyprus parliament adopts crucial foreclosure bill Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:04 PM PDT The Cypriot parliament adopted Saturday a controversial bill to streamline bank foreclosures of bad debts, clearing the way for international lenders to release the next tranche of a 10 billion euro loan. The emergency vote came a day after a deadline set by the so-called troika of lenders, who bailed Cyprus out last year and had warned that the next tranche, 436 million euros ($565 million), would be withheld unless the bill was passed. The foreclosure bill was approved by a vote of 47-seven, with one abstention, in the 56-member House of Representatives. In a separate vote, MPs decided that the foreclosures bill will not come into effect until the government submits a separate bill on insolvencies, scheduled by the end of the year.

Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:02 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia aims to send a search team to the crash site in Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 before winter sets in to gather physical evidence to prove that it was shot down, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday. Najib said the government has "pretty conclusive" intelligence reports about what happened to the jet carrying 298 people but evidence must be collected so that its downing can be proved beyond a doubt if the case goes to court.

Ukraine truce 'largely holding' but fears run deep Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT Ukraine said Saturday a truce was largely holding in the war-battered east, despite fears it may ultimately fail to halt a pro-Russian insurgency still threatening to tear the country apart. The 12-point pact signed on Friday is the first backed by both Kiev and Moscow to end a conflict which triggered the most serious crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

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