Yahoo! News: World News

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• Defiant Iran pledges to ramp up missile program, in challenge for Obama
• U.S.-backed alliance advances against Islamist groups in Syria's north: spokesman
• Suicide bombing hits restaurant in Afghan capital Kabul
• Man drives car at troops protecting mosque in southern France
• Two shot dead in Tel Aviv, Israeli Arab named as fugitive suspect
• Australia goes with two spinners in 3rd test vs West Indies
• Fire destroys cars outside US consulate in Tijuana
• UN Libya envoy in Tripoli for government talks
• Eight killed in Guatemala prison fight: official
• Haiti president says postponed runoff vote slated for Jan 17
• 15 killed in early hours of new year in El Salvador
• Wenger reveals secret of Ozil's success
• Anne Frank's diary goes online despite rights dispute
• Exxon closes Memphis, Tennessee, terminal on flood risk
• Southern states face floods as Midwest rivers recede
• Gaza rockets strike Israel: army
• Gunman kills 2 at bar in Tel Aviv; manhunt underway
• Terrified families emerge from rubble after battle of Ramadi
• U.S. reports 24 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq
• Erdogan cites Hitler's Germany to defend presidency plans
• Munich terror threat remains in place, stations open again
• Man attacks soldiers guarding French mosque with his car
• Venezuela cuts gas export to neighboring Colombia
• New Year's in Rio: 2 million revelers, 315 tonnes of trash
• Algerian hero and longtime opposition leader buried in chaos
• Driver shot as he drives at French soldiers guarding mosque
• Two killed, seven wounded, in Tel Aviv shooting
• Guatemala prison riot leaves 8 dead
• Bournemouth take Iturbe on loan from Roma
• Germany lifts alert of imminent attack in Munich
• 'Africa's biggest Jesus statue' unveiled in Nigeria
• Mallinder set for talks with England RugbyU boss Jones
• Erdogan's office denies advocating Hitler-style rule
• Honduras torches effigies of president, 2015's problems
• Iceland's president not seeking re-election after 20 years
• Yemen pro-government fighters kill al-Qaida leader in south
• Brazil's Rousseff signs budget law, vetoes congressional amendments
• Turkish presidency says Erdogan's Hitler comments misconstrued

Defiant Iran pledges to ramp up missile program, in challenge for Obama Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:08 AM PST By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - A series of Iranian officials vowed on Friday to expand Tehran's missile capabilities, a challenge to the United States which has threatened to impose new sanctions even as the vast bulk of its measures against Iran are due to be lifted under a nuclear deal. "As long as the United States supports Israel we will expand our missile capabilities," the Revolutionary Guards' second-in-command, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency. All our depots and underground facilities are full," he said in Friday Prayers in Tehran.

U.S.-backed alliance advances against Islamist groups in Syria's north: spokesman Posted: 01 Jan 2016 06:58 AM PST A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters advanced against Islamist insurgents in the north of the country on Friday, capturing at least one village in Aleppo province, a spokesman and a monitoring group said. Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria seized the village of Tanab near the town of Azaz after heavy clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the powerful Ahrar al Sham, spokesman Talal Selo told Reuters. Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Democratic Forces of Syria had also captured the village of Tat Mrash.

Suicide bombing hits restaurant in Afghan capital Kabul Posted: 01 Jan 2016 03:17 PM PST By Sayed Hassib KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide attack on a French restaurant in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday killed a 12-year-old boy and wounded more than a dozen other people, officials said. The latest in a series of suicide bombings in Kabul targeted "Le Jardin", one of a small number of restaurants in the city still frequented by foreigners. The medical aid group Emergency said 15 people had been referred for treatment to the hospital that it runs nearby, and that a 12-year-old boy had been dead on arrival.

Man drives car at troops protecting mosque in southern France Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:16 AM PST A soldier and an elderly Muslim man were slightly injured when a man drove his car at troops protecting a mosque in Valence in southern France on Friday, officials said. The injured passerby was a 72-year-old worshipper who was hit in the calf by a stray bullet shot by the soldiers, Valence mayor Nicolas Daragon told the iTELE news channel. "A car drove at them." The driver tried twice to hit the soldiers and they shot at him on his second attempt, he said.

Two shot dead in Tel Aviv, Israeli Arab named as fugitive suspect Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:00 AM PST By Rami Amichay TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A gunman identified by relatives as a member of Israel's Arab minority killed two people on a bustling thoroughfare in central Tel Aviv on Friday before fleeing, an incident that ramped up tensions after three months of Palestinian street violence. Security camera footage showed the assailant, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late 20s and wore protective eyeglasses and a windbreaker, browsing dried fruit at a health food store on Dizengoff Street. "Large-scale police forces are conducting searches for him." Nati Shakked, owner of the next-door Simta bar where several people were hit while they celebrated a birthday, told Israel's Channel 2 TV: "It was a terrorist attack, without a doubt." Sami Melhem, an Israeli Arab lawyer, said the shooter was a relative of his, whose father, a police volunteer, had come forward to identify him to authorities after the security footage aired.

Australia goes with two spinners in 3rd test vs West Indies Posted: 01 Jan 2016 04:39 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Australia has selected both Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe for the third and final test against the West Indies, marking the first time in 10 years that Australia has named two specialist spinners for a home test match.

Fire destroys cars outside US consulate in Tijuana Posted: 01 Jan 2016 04:08 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A spokeswoman says a New Year's Day fire on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana has destroyed several U.S. government vehicles. No injuries have been reported.

UN Libya envoy in Tripoli for government talks Posted: 01 Jan 2016 03:23 PM PST The UN's envoy for Libya held talks in Tripoli Friday, seeking to encourage the administration there to commit to a national unity government that would end years of bloodshed. Martin Kobler, on a desperate diplomatic push to get Libya's two separate administrations to sign a power-sharing agreement, met Thursday with representatives of the internationally-recognised government near its headquarters in the east of the country. "More discussions in Tripoli -- I invite all to take responsibility for Libya's future, take responsibility for next generations," Kobler tweeted on Friday after meeting with the head of the rival parliament in Tripoli, Nouri Abusahmein.

Eight killed in Guatemala prison fight: official Posted: 01 Jan 2016 03:20 PM PST A fight at an overcrowded Guatemalan prison killed at least eight prisoners and wounded 20, the country's interior minister said on Friday. An altercation between two inmates turned into a battle between rival gangs at the prison in Puerto Barrios, about 185 miles (300 km) northeast of the capital, said Interior Minister Eunice Mendizabal, who arrived at the prison after the incident. Mendizabal said there were nearly 1,000 prisoners in the prison that was designed to hold 400.

Haiti president says postponed runoff vote slated for Jan 17 Posted: 01 Jan 2016 03:14 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian President Michel Martelly has announced that a postponed presidential runoff vote will be held on Jan. 17.

15 killed in early hours of new year in El Salvador Posted: 01 Jan 2016 03:13 PM PST SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador, suffering an epidemic of violence, opened the early new year with 15 more people gunned down, including an 11-year-old killed by men dressed as police, officials said Friday.

Wenger reveals secret of Ozil's success Posted: 01 Jan 2016 02:50 PM PST Arsene Wenger has revealed Mesut Ozil rarely trains between matches as he looks to keep the German playmaker in peak condition for Arsenal's Premier League title charge. Ozil has been the key figure in Arsenal's rise to the top of the table and has already provided a league leading 16 assists this season. While the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez are out injured, Ozil has avoided any problems and become a pivotal part of an Arsenal side ahead of Saturday's visit from Newcastle.

Anne Frank's diary goes online despite rights dispute Posted: 01 Jan 2016 02:26 PM PST A French academic and an MP published online Friday the famous diary of Anne Frank, despite a dispute with rights holders as to whether the work is now in the public domain. The duo claim "Diary of a Young Girl" became public property on January 1 as 70 years had elapsed since Frank's death at the age of 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Under a 1993 European law, a book loses exclusive copyright at the start of the seventh decade after its author or authors are dead.

Exxon closes Memphis, Tennessee, terminal on flood risk Posted: 01 Jan 2016 02:21 PM PST Exxon Mobil Corp shut its 340,571 barrel-per-day refined products terminal along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, as floodwaters threatened to inundate the facility just south of the city's downtown, a company spokesman said on Friday. Heavy rains in Missouri and Illinois have swollen the Mississippi and its tributaries in the past week, shutting two pipelines feeding the Phillips 66 refinery in Wood River, Illinois, and threatening other refineries, terminals and pipelines along the river to the Gulf Coast in Louisiana. "Safety is our first priority and due to rising flood waters, Exxon Mobil's Memphis Terminal has closed its facility," said company spokesman Todd Spitler in an email statement.

Southern states face floods as Midwest rivers recede Posted: 01 Jan 2016 02:21 PM PST (Reuters) - Residents of Southern states along the Mississippi River are bracing for the flooding that has swamped communities in Illinois and Missouri over the last week, causing thousands of evacuations and killing at least 29 people. Officials in Louisiana are checking levees daily, and Exxon Mobil Corp has decided to shut its 340,571 barrel-per-day refined products terminal in Memphis, Tennessee, as floodwaters threatened to inundate the facility just south of the city's downtown. "We're moving things up high and we've got our generators out and got some extra water," said Dotty Kirkendoll, a clerk at Riverside Park Marina on McKellar Lake, which feeds off the Mississippi River.

Gaza rockets strike Israel: army Posted: 01 Jan 2016 02:18 PM PST Rockets fired by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel on Friday, without causing casualties or damage, the Israeli army said. "Moments ago multiple rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip," a statement read. A military spokeswoman told AFP that two rockets hit Israel, with no immediate injuries or damage reported.

Gunman kills 2 at bar in Tel Aviv; manhunt underway Posted: 01 Jan 2016 01:48 PM PST JERUSALEM (AP) — A gunman opened fire outside a popular bar in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, killing two people and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said.

Terrified families emerge from rubble after battle of Ramadi Posted: 01 Jan 2016 01:29 PM PST Terrified families waved white flags as they emerged from homes reduced to rubble in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, where government troops were still battling Islamic State fighters holed up on Friday, five days after the army recaptured the city center. The provincial capital in the fertile Euphrates River valley west of Baghdad is the biggest city to have been recaptured from Islamic State, and the first retaken by Iraq's army since it collapsed in the path of the militants' advance 18 months ago. The victory has been hailed as a turning point by the Iraqi government, which says its rebuilt army will soon march on Islamic State's main Iraqi stronghold Mosul further north, and defeat the group in Iraq in 2016.

U.S. reports 24 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq Posted: 01 Jan 2016 01:29 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 24 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. military said on Friday. It said in a statement the strikes targeted Islamic State positions in seven areas, including near Tal Afar, where 11 strikes destroyed nine bunkers, five culverts and four bridges used by the militants. Near Mosul, three strikes struck a tactical unit and destroyed two heavy machine guns, six fighting positions, a weapons cache and a trench. ...

Erdogan cites Hitler's Germany to defend presidency plans Posted: 01 Jan 2016 12:27 PM PST Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler to defend his controversial push to expand the powers of the presidency, local media reported on Friday. Erdogan, the strongman of Turkish politics for more than a decade, is seeking a new constitution to transform his post into a powerful US-style executive "super-presidency," which he says will provide more effective governance. "In a unitary system (such as Turkey's) a presidential system can work perfectly," Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters in Istanbul on Thursday on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Munich terror threat remains in place, stations open again Posted: 01 Jan 2016 12:23 PM PST BERLIN (AP) — A terror warning in Munich on New Year's Eve that led to the evacuation of two train stations was not a false alert, security officials said Friday, although there have been no arrests.

Man attacks soldiers guarding French mosque with his car Posted: 01 Jan 2016 12:23 PM PST PARIS (AP) — A man rammed his car into four soldiers guarding a mosque on Friday in the southeast French city of Valence, but was stopped when a soldier fired and wounded him, authorities said.

Venezuela cuts gas export to neighboring Colombia Posted: 01 Jan 2016 12:22 PM PST BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Venezuela's state oil company is temporarily halting gas exports across the border to Colombia, citing climate factors and the need to generate electricity, the Colombian Mining Ministry reported Friday.

New Year's in Rio: 2 million revelers, 315 tonnes of trash Posted: 01 Jan 2016 12:20 PM PST The two million revelers who ushered in 2016 on Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana Beach left behind a calling card Friday: 315 tonnes of trash for the Olympic host city to cart away. An army of nearly 1,200 workers and a fleet of 250 trash trucks began working at dawn to haul away the mountain of refuse strewn over six kilometers (four miles) of beach.

Algerian hero and longtime opposition leader buried in chaos Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:57 AM PST ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Tens of thousands of Algerians massed in a mountain village for a chaotic burial ceremony Friday of a national hero of the brutal independence war with France.

Driver shot as he drives at French soldiers guarding mosque Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:50 AM PST A driver was shot and wounded on Friday as he drove a car at four soldiers guarding a mosque in southeastern France, local authorities said, as the country remained on high alert after the November 13 Paris attacks.

Two killed, seven wounded, in Tel Aviv shooting Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:44 AM PST Two people were killed and at least seven wounded Friday when a gunman opened fire on a pub and nearby cafe in central Tel Aviv, but the motive was not immediately clear. The shooting came amid a recent wave of Palestinian attacks on Israelis and days after the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group threatened the Jewish state with violence. Media reports identified the shooter as an Arab in his late 20s from northern Israel who had recently been jailed for trying to snatch a soldier's weapon, but police refused to confirm.

Guatemala prison riot leaves 8 dead Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:30 AM PST GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan officials say a prison riot in the eastern state of Izabal has left eight inmates dead.

Bournemouth take Iturbe on loan from Roma Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:16 AM PST Bournemouth have signed Roma winger Juan Iturbe on loan for the rest of the season, the Premier League club announced on Friday. Argentina Under-20 international Iturbe will officially complete his switch to Eddie Howe's team subject to endorsement from the Football Association and a European work permit. Bournemouth also have the option of making the move permanent at the end of the season for an undisclosed fee.

Germany lifts alert of imminent attack in Munich Posted: 01 Jan 2016 11:10 AM PST German police on Friday lifted an alert of an imminent attack in Munich, hours after evacuating two key train stations over fears jihadists were planning a New Year suicide bomb assault. Officials had said they were tipped off about a plot by the Islamic State group to strike at the southern German city shortly before midnight as Europe prepared to ring in the New Year in an atmosphere of unprecedented security. "Overall I would say that the situation for Munich is as it was before this threat of attack," Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told journalists on Friday.

'Africa's biggest Jesus statue' unveiled in Nigeria Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:59 AM PST Nigeria on Friday unveiled a nine-metre tall statue of Jesus Christ carved from white marble, thought to be the biggest of its kind in Africa. Standing barefoot with arms outstretched, the "Jesus de Greatest" statue weighs in at 40 tonnes. More than 100 priests and hundreds of Catholic worshippers attended the nine-metre (30-foot) statue's official unveiling in the village of Abajah in southeastern Nigeria.

Mallinder set for talks with England RugbyU boss Jones Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:50 AM PST Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder is set to meet England boss Eddie Jones next week to discuss his controversial approach for Saints assistant coach Alex King. Mallinder recently accused the English Rugby Football Union of making an unofficial approach for King and, speaking after Northampton's 8-3 win over Exeter on Friday, he said he still doesn't know any more about the move. Jones met with King before Christmas after identifying him as his potential attack coach, having already adding scrum coach Ian Peel to his backroom staff following the appointments of Steve Borthwick and Paul Gustard.

Erdogan's office denies advocating Hitler-style rule Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:49 AM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish president's office said Friday that Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not advocating a Hitler-style government when he called for a state system with a strong executive.

Honduras torches effigies of president, 2015's problems Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:47 AM PST Wooden representations of a former president, Rafael Callejas, who was also an ex-football chief caught up in the FIFA corruption scandal, and symbols of government graft and violence also went up in flames overnight. "This country is a disaster because of the corruption, because -- even though they try to cover up the statistics on violence -- there are massacres everywhere," Lagos said.

Iceland's president not seeking re-election after 20 years Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:41 AM PST LONDON (AP) — Iceland's long-serving president says he will not be seeking re-election this year after leading the country for 20 years.

Yemen pro-government fighters kill al-Qaida leader in south Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:41 AM PST SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Pro-government fighters in Yemen attacked and killed a senior al-Qaida leader and three people traveling in his convoy near a security checkpoint in the southern Abyan province on Friday, Yemeni officials said.

Brazil's Rousseff signs budget law, vetoes congressional amendments Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:34 AM PST SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has overruled more than 50 amendments made by lawmakers in the nation's budget guidelines law for this year, including reductions to her flagship social program and a ban on state foreign financing for some projects. According to the government's official gazette, Rousseff signed the so-called LDO law on Thursday. Congress passed the LDO last month, following months of bickering over Rousseff's failure to meet deficit-reduction targets that almost led to a government shutdown.

Turkish presidency says Erdogan's Hitler comments misconstrued Posted: 01 Jan 2016 10:29 AM PST The Turkish presidency said on Friday comments by President Tayyip Erdogan about the system of governance in Hitler's Germany had been misinterpreted and that he had not suggested it was an example of an effective presidential system. Asked on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday whether an executive presidency was possible in Turkey while maintaining the unitary structure of the state, Erdogan said: "There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler's Germany.

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