Yahoo! News: World News

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• Iraq gears up for late-year push to retake Mosul from Islamic State
• Three suspected female militants seized in France, policeman stabbed
• U.S. links Venezuelan official related to Maduro to drug probe
• U.N. nuclear agency says Iran sticking to nuclear deal
• In about-face, Kerry heads to Geneva to meet Russia's Lavrov
• Air strike kills top commander of former Nusra group in Syria
• The Latest: Murray and Soares into US Open doubles final
• Ex-head of Argentina air force convicted in 'dirty war' case
• Wenger hopes Arsenal play catch-up in title race
• NASA spacecraft on way to asteroid to bring back samples
• Scottish giants primed to renew hostilities
• Mexico predicts 2.5 pct GDP growth, stronger peso for 2017
• Rights group: Refugee children still in Greek police cells
• Young winger, veteran backrower in Australia 15 v Springboks
• O'Neal, Iverson, Yao headline basketball Hall of Fame class
• Bobby Wyatt leads Web.com Tour Finals opener
• US pushes Russia on 'true' Syria peace deal ahead of new talks
• US agent portrays Venezuelan government as lax on drug trade
• Man charged at Sydney Opera House with threatening property
• Nazi hand stamps used to mark visitors to Ecuadorean jail
• UN panel blames South Sudan leaders for Juba violence
• 45 people stuck overnight in cable cars at Mont Blanc
• Landon Donovan rejoins LA Galaxy, ending 2-year retirement
• US-based group buys F1 amid hopes of North American growth
• All Blacks to be tested by Pumas in Rugby Championship
• Dispute intensifies over Gabon presidential election
• Star tenor Johan Botha dies aged 51
• Commander of Syrian rebel alliance killed in airstrike: jihadists
• Cincinnati Zoo, site of gorilla slaying, evacuated over suspicious device
• Hollande warns against sacrificing rights to anti-terror fight
• US Virgin Islands cop charged in deaths of 2 fellow officers
• US swimmer Jessica Long opens with a silver at Paralympics
• 7 detained over gas canisters found near Paris' Notre Dame
• Turkey, Russia leaders discuss 'Aleppo ceasefire': state media
• US Ambassador: Ties with Mexico will survive "rough times"
• Over 70 aid groups say UN allows Syria to manipulate relief
• Clinton hammers 'dangerous' Trump after Putin praise
• Greenpeace blames industrial accident after Russian river runs red

Iraq gears up for late-year push to retake Mosul from Islamic State Posted: 08 Sep 2016 12:52 PM PDT By Stephen Kalin QAYYARA AIRBASE, Iraq (Reuters) - The U.S.-led war on Islamic State has depleted the group's funds, leadership and foreign fighters, but the biggest battle yet is expected later this year in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his "caliphate" two years ago. The jihadist insurgents have lost more than half the territory they seized in Iraq and nearly as much in neighboring Syria, but still manage to control their twin capitals of Mosul and Raqqa, symbols of the state they sought to build at the heart of the Middle East. Military and humanitarian preparations are now in full swing to retake Mosul, the largest city under the ultra-hardline group's control.

Three suspected female militants seized in France, policeman stabbed Posted: 08 Sep 2016 02:45 PM PDT By Christian Hartmann and Ingrid Melander BOUSSY-SAINT-ANTOINE/PARIS (Reuters) - Three women arrested on Thursday in connection with a car laden with gas cylinders found abandoned near Paris's Notre Dame cathedral were likely planning an imminent attack, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. The minister said one of the women had stabbed a police officer during the arrest before being shot and wounded. A source close to the investigation said the attacker was the missing 19-year-old daughter of the car's owner.

U.S. links Venezuelan official related to Maduro to drug probe Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:54 PM PDT By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent testified on Thursday that a probe of two nephews of Venezuela's first lady began after a drug trafficker cooperating with authorities told him of a meeting arranged by her brother, a top police official. The agent testified in Manhattan federal court about the origins of the probe of Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores as he detailed how two key informants deceived investigators to conduct drug deals. The testimony came during proceedings in which lawyers for the nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, sought the suppression of evidence against them and statements they gave after their November 2015 arrests.

U.N. nuclear agency says Iran sticking to nuclear deal Posted: 08 Sep 2016 11:30 AM PDT By Shadia Nasralla VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has kept to a nuclear deal it agreed with six world powers last year limiting its stockpiles of substances that could be used to make atomic weapons, a report by the U.N. nuclear agency found. The confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by Reuters did not point to any violations in Tehran's observance of the deal which was opposed by hardliners inside Iran and by skeptics in the West. "Throughout the reporting period, Iran had no more than 130 metric tonnes of heavy water ... Iran's total enriched uranium (up to 3.67 percent purity) stockpile did not exceed 300 kg," the report said, citing the nuclear deal's limits on the two substances.

In about-face, Kerry heads to Geneva to meet Russia's Lavrov Posted: 08 Sep 2016 02:08 PM PDT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Russia's foreign minister in Geneva about a ceasefire deal for Syria, the State Department said on Thursday in a sudden about-face after saying it did not believe a meeting was worthwhile. Less than an hour after the U.S. State Department said it had no travel to announce for Kerry, spokesman John Kirby announced that the top U.S. diplomat would meet his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday. "Their discussion follows recent conversations on Syria and will focus on reducing violence, expanding humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, and moving towards a political solution needed to end the civil war," Kirby said in a statement.

Air strike kills top commander of former Nusra group in Syria Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:32 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - The top military commander of the militant group Jabhat Fateh al Sham, the former al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, was killed in an aerial raid that targeted a meeting of the group's leaders, both the group and rebel sources said on Thursday. The commander Abu Hajer al Homsi, whose alias is Abu Omar Saraqeb, was killed in a rural area of Aleppo province, they said, where the group has played an instrumental role in ongoing battles against the Syrian army troops and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias in the gateway city of Aleppo. Since the U.S.-led coalition was launched, air strikes have targeted Nusra Front figures in Syria, killing scores.

The Latest: Murray and Soares into US Open doubles final Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:37 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):

Ex-head of Argentina air force convicted in 'dirty war' case Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:24 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The former head of Argentina's air force was convicted Thursday in the kidnapping and torture of a left-wing activist couple during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Wenger hopes Arsenal play catch-up in title race Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:21 PM PDT Arsenal's meeting with Southampton on Saturday marks the start of important run of six games in 18 days as Arsene Wenger's side play catch-up in the Premier League. The new league campaign is only three games old but Arsenal already lie five points behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, who have all made perfect starts to the campaign.

NASA spacecraft on way to asteroid to bring back samples Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:18 PM PDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first NASA explorer of its kind took off on a seven-year quest Thursday, chasing after a big, black, unexplored asteroid to gather a few handfuls of gravel for return to Earth.

Scottish giants primed to renew hostilities Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:14 PM PDT No one is more excited than Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers when after a four-year hiatus the Old Firm derby returns on Saturday with his side hosting fierce foes Rangers. It will be the first time since 2012, when Celtic ran out 3-0 winners at Parkhead, that the two Glasgow giants have met in the league following Rangers' financial meltdown and subsequent liquidation. Although not all will admit it, Scottish football has missed this fixture, which involves one of the most intense and bitter rivalries in the world.

Mexico predicts 2.5 pct GDP growth, stronger peso for 2017 Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:02 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's government predicted Thursday that the country will see its economy grow by about 2.5 percent next year and the peso strengthen a bit.

Rights group: Refugee children still in Greek police cells Posted: 08 Sep 2016 05:02 PM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Refugee and migrant children in Greece are being held in police cells, often in "poor and degrading conditions" due to a lack of appropriate shelter space, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Friday.

Young winger, veteran backrower in Australia 15 v Springboks Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:57 PM PDT BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Coach Michael Cheika's only changes to an Australia XV mired in a run of six consecutive losses were to hand a 22-year-old winger his starting debut and to install a veteran backrower hoping to give the Wallabies some stability in the lineout.

O'Neal, Iverson, Yao headline basketball Hall of Fame class Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:52 PM PDT SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (AP) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will soon welcome two of the sport's game-changing stars — one big and one small.

Bobby Wyatt leads Web.com Tour Finals opener Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:51 PM PDT BEACHWOOD, Ohio (AP) — Bobby Wyatt took a one-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau on Thursday in the rain-delayed DAP Championship, the inaugural tournament that opens the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.

US pushes Russia on 'true' Syria peace deal ahead of new talks Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:46 PM PDT The US pressed Russia on Thursday for a "true cessation of hostilities" in Syria ahead of high-level peace talks Friday in Geneva, warning that its patience is running thin. Foreign ministers from the two powers, which support opposite sides in the five-year conflict, will meet in the Swiss city to push for a peace agreement, Russia said. Washington later confirmed that Secretary of State John Kerry was leaving Thursday for face-to-face talks Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

US agent portrays Venezuelan government as lax on drug trade Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:36 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. drug enforcement agent portrayed the Venezuelan government as protective of or complicit in the drug trade during testimony Thursday, saying two nephews of Venezuela's powerful first lady who are awaiting trial on drug charges even bragged that they could use the presidential ramp at a major airport for drug-laden planes.

Man charged at Sydney Opera House with threatening property Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:30 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — An 18-year-old man arrested outside the Sydney Opera House has been charged by counterterrorism investigators with threatening to destroy property, police said on Friday.

Nazi hand stamps used to mark visitors to Ecuadorean jail Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:28 PM PDT QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A prison warden found himself in hot water Thursday after it was discovered that security guards have been marking visitors to the penitentiary with hand stamps featuring the Nazi swastika.

UN panel blames South Sudan leaders for Juba violence Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:20 PM PDT A UN panel of experts has concluded that heavy fighting that engulfed South Sudan's capital Juba in July, forcing vice president and ex-rebel leader Riek Machar to flee, was "directed by the highest level" of the country's military. The confidential report seen by AFP on Thursday points the finger at President Salva Kiir and army chief of staff Paul Malong as having ordered the large-scale attacks that began on July 8. "The relatively large scale of the hostilities which featured the deployment of MI-24 attack helicopters, in coordination with ground forces, reinforced by armed units, support the conclusion that the fighting was directed by the highest level of the SPLA command structure," said the report.

45 people stuck overnight in cable cars at Mont Blanc Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:13 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — A series of cable cars carrying tourists stopped working at high altitude over the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps on Thursday, prompting a major rescue operation and leaving 45 people trapped in midair overnight, France's interior minister said.

Landon Donovan rejoins LA Galaxy, ending 2-year retirement Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:13 PM PDT CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Landon Donovan is returning to the LA Galaxy, ending a 21-month retirement to suit up for his Major League Soccer team for at least the rest of this season.

US-based group buys F1 amid hopes of North American growth Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:12 PM PDT CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — In the world of motorsports, there is Formula One and then there is everyone else.

All Blacks to be tested by Pumas in Rugby Championship Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:11 PM PDT The All Blacks may face a greater test of their post-World Cup development when they play Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Saturday than they have in five tests since they became world champions last November.

Dispute intensifies over Gabon presidential election Posted: 08 Sep 2016 04:08 PM PDT LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — The dispute over Gabon's presidential election intensified Thursday as opposition candidate Jean Ping mounted a legal challenge, accusing the incumbent leader of fraud.

Star tenor Johan Botha dies aged 51 Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:54 PM PDT Tributes poured in from the operatic world for South African-born star tenor Johan Botha who died Thursday, aged 51, after a short illness. Botha, who also had Austrian citizenship, died in Vienna where he lived and was engaged at the Vienna State Opera, local media said. "We had been looking forward to his return so much," the prestigious opera house's director Dominique Meyer said.

Commander of Syrian rebel alliance killed in airstrike: jihadists Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:52 PM PDT Beirut (AFP) - The top military commander of the Army of Conquest, the largest Syrian rebel alliance, was killed in an airstrike during a meeting of the group's leaders, jihadist sources said Thursday.

Cincinnati Zoo, site of gorilla slaying, evacuated over suspicious device Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:51 PM PDT (Reuters) - Cincinnati police found nothing on Thursday after receiving a phone threat of a suspicious device at a zoo where a gorilla was shot earlier this year to protect a child who had fallen into its enclosure. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden was evacuated in the afternoon as police and bomb-sniffing dogs searched the area, the police department said. The zoo faced criticism after a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure in May, prompting zookeepers to fatally shoot an endangered gorilla named Harambe to protect the child.

Hollande warns against sacrificing rights to anti-terror fight Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:49 PM PDT Islam can co-exist with secularism, President Francois Hollande said Thursday, warning in a speech seen as preparing the ground for a re-election bid that the anti-terror fight should not undermine French values. The deeply unpopular Hollande has yet to announce whether he will run for a second term next year, but is widely expected to be a candidate. "Nothing in the idea of secularism opposes the practice of Islam in France, provided it respects the law," Hollande said.

US Virgin Islands cop charged in deaths of 2 fellow officers Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:44 PM PDT CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — A policeman in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been charged in the killing of two off-duty officers whose bodies were found on a beach last month.

US swimmer Jessica Long opens with a silver at Paralympics Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:39 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — U.S. swimmer Jessica Long hugged Australian Lakeisha Patterson when the women's 400 freestyle final was over and offered congratulations. Long had a medal in her fourth Paralympics, but Patterson took the gold and the world record.

7 detained over gas canisters found near Paris' Notre Dame Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:32 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Three women radicals with apparent plans for "imminent" violence were detained Thursday after a standoff with French police, as part of a terrorism investigation into six gas canisters found in a car abandoned near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the interior minister said.

Turkey, Russia leaders discuss 'Aleppo ceasefire': state media Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:25 PM PDT Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed late Thursday on the need for a ceasefire in Syria "as soon as possible", state media reported. Ankara is hoping a ceasefire will be implemented in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo for the Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) Islamic holiday which in Turkey begins around September 12. Erdogan told Putin by phone Thursday that it was essential to agree to a ceasefire in Aleppo "as soon as possible," the news agency Anadolu reported.

US Ambassador: Ties with Mexico will survive "rough times" Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:23 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, said Thursday that the two countries may go through some "rough times," but relations will get back on track.

Over 70 aid groups say UN allows Syria to manipulate relief Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:14 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — More than 70 humanitarian organizations are accusing the United Nations of allowing the Syrian government to manipulate relief efforts and deprive thousands in besieged areas of help.

Clinton hammers 'dangerous' Trump after Putin praise Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:09 PM PDT Hillary Clinton portrayed herself Thursday as a steely stateswoman ready to fend off the dangers facing the United States, as she denounced Republican rival Donald Trump as "unpatriotic" and unfit to lead. With just 61 days before America chooses a new commander in chief, the Democrat went on the offensive highlighting the risk of electing a political novice who praises Russia's leader while dismissing the US president, and who has no real plan to combat IS jihadists. Trump pushed back just as hard, accusing Clinton of being a failed and "trigger-happy" secretary of state whose policies triggered mayhem across the world.

Greenpeace blames industrial accident after Russian river runs red Posted: 08 Sep 2016 03:01 PM PDT A river in Russia's far north turned a blood red colour probably as a result of an industrial accident, environmental group Greenpeace said on Thursday. The claim was denied by a nearby factory, run by Norilsk Nickel the world's biggest producer of nickel and palladium. "We believe that a factory pipe must have broken and discharged its waste into the river," Greenpeace Russia spokesman Vladimir Chuprov said.

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