Yahoo! News: World News

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• Syrian army's Aleppo advance slows, but victory in sight
• Iraqi troops pull out from Mosul hospital after fierce battle
• South Korea's President Park faces historic impeachment vote
• Exclusive: Risking Beijing's ire, Vietnam begins dredging on South China Sea reef
• U.S. estimates 50,000 Islamic State fighters killed so far: U.S. official
• Brazil's Temer to call Trump as country seeks business openings
• Top Asian News 12:59 a.m. GMT
• Russia says Syria army halts Aleppo attacks as rebels cornered
• The Latest: Turkey sends 300 more troops to Syria border
• Italian tourist shot dead by drug traffickers in Rio
• U.N. urges Myanmar's Suu Kyi to visit country's divided northwest
• African governments urged to help 3.5 million people uprooted from their homes in 2015
• UN to vote on 'too little, too late' Syria ceasefire
• Canadian zoo probing penguin drowning deaths
• Italian tourist killed in favela in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro
• Climate refugees in South Asia need protection, advocates say
• Washington state sues Monsanto over PCB damages, cleanup costs
• U.N. Syria mediator says he plans to meet Trump team members
• UN Syria envoy to meet Trump team
• UN envoy says Syria peace talks should restart
• Huge quake hits Solomon Islands, tsunami alert lifted
• UN Syria envoy say time may be right for negotiations
• Langer to coach Australia T20 side for 3 Sri Lanka matches
• Wedding in Mosul displaced camp defies IS rule
• Polar vortex redux? U.S. forecasters say it could hit next week
• Impeachment day for S. Korea's president
• Gambia's new leader claims military's support
• Man United beats Zorya 2-0 to advance in Europa League
• Mexican leftist senators defend battering Trump pinata
• Banks mull post-Brexit switch from London to Paris
• Chisora punished but bout to go ahead
• Pentagon works to ease Kurdish-Turkish tensions in Syria
• Hanyu leads as he bids for 4th straight Grand Prix Final win
• How the Dow Jones industrial average finished Thursday
• US approves $7 bn in aircraft sales to Arab allies
• Bolivia air official alleges pressure over crash flight
• North Korea still struggling with nuclear missile re-entry: U.S. official
• U.S. aquarium aids in release of rescued penguins in South Africa
• Film on Cuba's gay intolerance pulled from Havana festival

Syrian army's Aleppo advance slows, but victory in sight Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:29 PM PST By Laila Bassam and John Davison ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army's advance in Aleppo slowed on Thursday but a victory was still firmly in sight after President Bashar al-Assad vowed that retaking the city would change the course of the six-year-old war. Russia's RIA news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying the Syrian army, which has captured territory including Aleppo's historic Old City in recent days, had halted military activity to let civilians leave rebel-held territory. Washington said it had no confirmation that the army had ceased fire.

Iraqi troops pull out from Mosul hospital after fierce battle Posted: 08 Dec 2016 11:04 AM PST By Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi troops who briefly seized a Mosul hospital believed to be used as an Islamic State base were forced to withdraw from the site, but managed to establish a base for army tanks nearby after days of fierce back-and-forth fighting, residents said. The rapid advance into the Wahda neighborhood where the hospital is located marked a change of tactic after a month of fighting in east Mosul in which the army has sought to capture and clear neighborhoods block by block. The ferocity of the fighting reflects the importance of the army's push from southeast Mosul towards the center, their deepest advance in a grueling seven-week offensive to crush Islamic State in Iraq's largest northern city.

South Korea's President Park faces historic impeachment vote Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:03 PM PST By Jack Kim and Cynthia Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye, engulfed in an influence-peddling scandal, faces a historic impeachment vote in parliament on Friday that could see her become the country's first democratically elected leader to be ousted from office. Parliament is expected to vote in favor of impeachment, with support from some members of Park's conservative Saenuri Party, but the Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days. Parliament introduced the impeachment bill on Thursday and it must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours.

Exclusive: Risking Beijing's ire, Vietnam begins dredging on South China Sea reef Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:09 PM PST By Lincoln Feast and Greg Torode SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Vietnam has begun dredging work on a disputed reef in the South China Sea, satellite imagery shows, the latest move by the Communist state to bolster its claims in the strategic waterway. Activity visible on Ladd Reef in the Spratly Islands could anger Hanoi's main South China Sea rival, Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the group and most of the resource-rich sea. Ladd Reef, on the southwestern fringe of the Spratlys, is completely submerged at high tide but has a lighthouse and an outpost housing a small contingent of Vietnamese soldiers.

U.S. estimates 50,000 Islamic State fighters killed so far: U.S. official Posted: 08 Dec 2016 10:19 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military believes that some 50,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed since the United States started battling the group more than two years ago, a senior U.S. military official said on Thursday, calling it a "conservative estimate." The official, who spoke to Pentagon reporters on condition of anonymity, said the figure showed how the United States was effectively combating the group with U.S.-led coalition airpower and limited U.S. troop deployments in support of local forces. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chris Reese)

Brazil's Temer to call Trump as country seeks business openings Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:52 PM PST By Alonso Soto and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer plans to call U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next week as Brazil looks for business opportunities that could open up if Trump follows through on campaign promises to rewrite a trade deal with Mexico. A senior Brazilian official said on Thursday that Temer would call Trump for their first conversation since the New York businessman was elected to the White House last month.

Top Asian News 12:59 a.m. GMT Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:59 PM PST SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Park Geun-hye entered what could be her last day in power Friday, as lawmakers geared up for what's widely expected to be a successful impeachment vote amid a corruption scandal that has left her isolated and loathed. The opposition feels confident that they'll get an impeachment Friday, the last day of the current parliamentary session, because dozens of members of Park's ruling party have said they'll vote against the woman who was once their standard bearer. It's possible that the vote could be delayed or fail, but lawmakers from both parties face huge pressure to act against Park, the daughter of a military dictator still revered by many conservatives for lifting the country from poverty in the 1960s and 1970s.

Russia says Syria army halts Aleppo attacks as rebels cornered Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:40 PM PST Syria's army has halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russia's foreign minister said, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city. Immediately after the announcement, AFP correspondents in Aleppo said air strikes ceased and artillery fire was far less intense, but later reported that the army was continuing to shell two rebels districts, Kalasseh and al-Maadi. The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights monitoring group also reported sporadic clashes with new raids and artillery fire late Thursday and said at least 18 civilians had been killed during the day in rebel zones by regime raids and artillery.

The Latest: Turkey sends 300 more troops to Syria border Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:28 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local):

Italian tourist shot dead by drug traffickers in Rio Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:22 PM PST Drug traffickers shot an Italian tourist in the head and killed him Thursday, after he and his companion strayed into a slum in Rio de Janeiro, police said. Roberto Bardella, 52, and his cousin were traveling on motorcycles through South America and arrived in Brazil after visiting Argentina and Paraguay. "They were in Rio as tourists, visiting the statue of Christ the Redeemer, and they consulted their GPS to find their way to the beach," civil police spokesman Fabio Cardoso told reporters.

U.N. urges Myanmar's Suu Kyi to visit country's divided northwest Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:17 PM PST The United Nations urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday to visit the country's divided northwest to reassure civilians they will be protected amid accusations that soldiers have raped Rohingya Muslim women, burnt houses and killed civilians. Myanmar's military and government have rejected the allegations. Soldiers have poured into the area along Myanmar's frontier with Bangladesh, responding to coordinated attacks on three border posts on Oct. 9 that killed nine police officers.

African governments urged to help 3.5 million people uprooted from their homes in 2015 Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:03 PM PST By Tom Gardner ADDIS ABABA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As many as 3.5 million people in Africa were uprooted from their homes in 2015 due to conflict and natural disasters and left stranded in their own country, with many governments overlooking this growing problem, according to a report released on Friday. Figures from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) showed an average of about 9,500 people fled their homes daily last year, bringing the total number of Africans displaced internally to 12.4 million, with the number set to rise in 2016. The report calculates the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) is double the number of the continent's refugees, estimated by the United Nations to have reached 5.4 million in 2015, highlighting the scale of Africa's comparatively overlooked "internal displacement crisis".

UN to vote on 'too little, too late' Syria ceasefire Posted: 08 Dec 2016 04:00 PM PST Canada drafted the text, part of the 193-nation assembly's attempt to break the deadlock over Syria at the Security Council. Russia and China this week vetoed a draft Security Council resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo, the Syrian city that is on the verge of falling to government forces.

Canadian zoo probing penguin drowning deaths Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:57 PM PST Montreal (AFP) - A Canadian zoo said Thursday it has launched an investigation into the mysterious drowning deaths of seven Humboldt penguins.

Italian tourist killed in favela in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:54 PM PST RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — An Italian tourist was killed Thursday in a shantytown near the center of Rio de Janeiro in an area fought over by rival drug trafficking gangs, police said.

Climate refugees in South Asia need protection, advocates say Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:51 PM PST By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - People forced to leave their homes because of climate change in South Asia should get the same protections given to political refugees, advocates said on Thursday. Governments in South Asia have failed to address the climate migration of millions of people, uprooted by cyclones, flash floods and other disasters, said a report by the non-profit groups Climate Action Network - South Asia, Bread for the World and ActionAid. The region's eight nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - should adopt a treaty and policies to help protect climate refugees, said Harjeet Singh, a spokesman in India for the South African-based ActionAid.

Washington state sues Monsanto over PCB damages, cleanup costs Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:31 PM PST (Reuters) - Washington state filed an environmental lawsuit on Thursday against agricultural company Monsanto Co seeking damages and cleanup costs associated with the company's production of PCBs, the state's attorney general said. Monsanto produced the polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, "for decades while hiding what they knew about the toxic chemicals' harm to human health and the environment," Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. St. Louis-based Monsanto, whose products include genetically modified crop seeds and pesticides, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in King County Superior Court.

U.N. Syria mediator says he plans to meet Trump team members Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:29 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday he planned to meet "people around the team" of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the nearly six-year conflict in the country. "The plan is to meet some people around the team of President (elect) Trump," de Mistura told reporters, adding that meetings would take place in New York and Washington. De Mistura briefed the U.N. Security Council behind closed doors on Thursday afternoon and said he would remain in the United States until Tuesday.

UN Syria envoy to meet Trump team Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:27 PM PST The UN's peace envoy for Syria on Thursday said he is planning to hold meetings with US President-elect Donald Trump's transition team. Staffan de Mistura, who has been leading diplomatic efforts to end the five-year war in Syria, told reporters that talks would be held in New York and in Washington next week. "The plan is to meet some people around the team of president Trump," De Mistura said as the Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the crisis in Syria.

UN envoy says Syria peace talks should restart Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:19 PM PST The UN envoy for Syria said Thursday that political talks to end the nearly six-year war should resume soon. The envoy raised the possibility of a return to the negotiating table as Russia announced that the Syrian army was halting military operations in order to evacuate civilians from Aleppo. Backed by Russia, Syrian forces have captured about 85 percent of eastern Aleppo after three weeks of heavy fighting to seize one of the last opposition strongholds.

Huge quake hits Solomon Islands, tsunami alert lifted Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:17 PM PST By Tom Westbrook and Charlotte Greenfield SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands early on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties and a tsunami warning for a wide swathe of the South Pacific was later lifted. Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office director Loti Yates said he received reports of collapsed buildings on Malaita, an island near the epicenter of the massive undersea quake, which had initially prompted a tsunami watch as far afield as Hawaii. "Most houses are built by traditional materials, so some houses are reported to have been damaged in south Malaita but the extent is not known," Yates told Reuters by telephone.

UN Syria envoy say time may be right for negotiations Posted: 08 Dec 2016 03:10 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia's announcement that Syria was suspending combat operations in Aleppo may mean the time is right to restart negotiations for a peace deal, the U.N. envoy for Syria said Thursday.

Langer to coach Australia T20 side for 3 Sri Lanka matches Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:58 PM PST MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Cricket Australia says former test opener Justin Langer will coach the Australia Twenty20 side in three matches against Sri Lanka in February.

Wedding in Mosul displaced camp defies IS rule Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:41 PM PST Well-wishers danced in defiance of the Islamic State group on Thursday at the wedding of a bride and groom among families who fled the jihadists' brutal rule in Iraq's Mosul. "In Mosul, I would never have been able to do this," said the groom, 35-year-old Jassem Mohammad, in the Hasan Sham camp east of Mosul. Music, dancing and partying were banned at weddings under IS rule in Mosul, the jihadists' last remaining stronghold in Iraq.

Polar vortex redux? U.S. forecasters say it could hit next week Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:39 PM PST By Timothy Mclaughlin CHICAGO (Reuters) - Forecasters are sending chills down some spines with a prediction that much of the northern half of the United States could see frigid weather next week similar to life-threatening lows the polar vortex brought to parts of the country in 2014. Anticipation of a freezing blast began to build this week when weather maps and forecast models showed similarities between next week's system and one that developed in January 2014. The southward shift in the polar vortex in 2014 brought the Midwest some of its coldest weather in two decades.

Impeachment day for S. Korea's president Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:37 PM PST South Korean President Park Geun-Hye woke Friday to what could effectively be her final day in office, with parliament set to vote on an impeachment motion triggered by a devastating political scandal. Whichever way the vote goes, it has been a startling fall from grace for a politician who had run for the presidential Blue House as an incorruptible candidate, declaring herself beholden to nobody and "married to the nation". Now she faces the ignominy of going down in history as the first democratically-elected South Korean president to be booted out of office.

Gambia's new leader claims military's support Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:26 PM PST Gambia's President-elect Adama Barrow vowed Thursday to set up a South Africa-style truth commission as he claimed the army's support after his surprise election in the west African nation. Barrow, whose shock victory this month ended the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh, said the country's chief of the defence staff had called to pledge the army's backing. "He said he was loyal to President Yahya (Jammeh) because he was the elected president.

Man United beats Zorya 2-0 to advance in Europa League Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:24 PM PST ODESSA, Ukraine (AP) — Manchester United won for the first time in 10 away games in Europe and advanced to the Europa League knockout stage by defeating Zorya Luhansk 2-0 on Thursday.

Mexican leftist senators defend battering Trump pinata Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:12 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Senators from Mexico's leftist Democratic Revolution Party are defending a private party at which they took turns whacking a pinata in the shape of U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Banks mull post-Brexit switch from London to Paris Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:11 PM PST Major international banks are seriously exploring whether to shift operations from London to Paris in the wake of Brexit, according to a senior official at France's markets regulator. Powerful lobby group the British Bankers' Association (BBA) has warned that international lenders with operations in the UK are ready to transfer some of their activities out of the country from early 2017, following Britain's shock referendum decision to leave the European Union. De Juvigny noted that while London possessed "great expertise" in the field, his own city's expertise should not be underestimated, adding he sees the prospect of regulating banks wishing to move across the Channel as "a welcome challenge".

Chisora punished but bout to go ahead Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:09 PM PST Fiery heavyweight Dereck Chisora has been fined £25,000 ($31,000, 29,600 euros) and received a suspended two-year ban for hurling a table at a press conference to promote Saturday's bitter bout with British champion Dillian Whyte. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) -- who have withdrawn 32-year-old Zimbabwe-born Chisora's licence before for disciplinary reasons -- have also deemed the fight will no longer be for the British title. It will, however, still be a WBC world heavyweight title eliminator fight, although the duo will weigh in at different times and not face-off as Wednesday's ill-tempered press conference is not the first time they have clashed out of the ring.

Pentagon works to ease Kurdish-Turkish tensions in Syria Posted: 08 Dec 2016 02:08 PM PST The US military is working to ease simmering tensions between Syrian Kurdish rebels and Turkey, both fighting the Islamic State group in northern Syria, US defense officials said Thursday. A US-led coalition has trained and armed the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces -- most of whom are Kurdish -- to attack the IS group. Turkey, a key NATO ally, has also entered Syria, where it, too, is fighting the jihadist group.

Hanyu leads as he bids for 4th straight Grand Prix Final win Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:59 PM PST MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Yuzuru Hanyu took the lead with an electrifying performance in the short program on Thursday to stay on course for a fourth straight Grand Prix Final figure skating title.

How the Dow Jones industrial average finished Thursday Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:54 PM PST After a quiet start, major U.S. stock indexes again set all-time highs Thursday afternoon as the market built on a surge the previous day. Banks continued to lead the way as bond yields jumped, and small-company stocks soared again.

US approves $7 bn in aircraft sales to Arab allies Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:54 PM PST Washington (AFP) - The United States on Thursday approved a series of deals worth more than $7 billion to supply military helicopters, planes and missiles to four of its Arab allies.

Bolivia air official alleges pressure over crash flight Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:52 PM PST The crash on November 28 wiped out most of the Chapecoense football team from Brazil, which was flying to Colombia to play in a big match. Aeronautic official Celia Castedo told Bolivian newspaper El Deber she had noted in a report before the flight that the LaMia airline charter plane had only just enough fuel to make it to its destination. The plane left Santa Cruz in Bolivia and crashed near its destination of Medellin, Colombia, after apparently running out of fuel, flight recordings published by media have indicated.

North Korea still struggling with nuclear missile re-entry: U.S. official Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:48 PM PST By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea appears able to mount a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a missile but is still struggling with missile re-entry technology necessary for longer range strikes, a senior U.S. military official said on Thursday. "They're endeavoring to overcome that." North Korea has carried out repeated nuclear and missile tests this year in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and sanctions and claims it has the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile. Asked whether North Korea could mate the warhead to the missile, the official said: "I think they can." North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons program is one of the major national security challenges that awaiting President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office on Jan. 20.

U.S. aquarium aids in release of rescued penguins in South Africa Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:45 PM PST (Reuters) - Twenty-three rescued African penguins that had been abandoned several weeks ago along the coast of South Africa were released back into the wild on Thursday, according to officials at the U.S. aquarium who helped rehabilitate them. Experts from the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, which treats threatened seabirds, transported the penguins in cardboard boxes to the coast near Cape Town where they waddled on the sand before swimming out to sea. As many as 900 African penguins are rescued and need rehabilitation each year due to environmental factors such as oil spills, food shortages and habitat degradation, according to the aquarium.

Film on Cuba's gay intolerance pulled from Havana festival Posted: 08 Dec 2016 01:33 PM PST Drama spilled beyond movie plotlines and into real life Thursday at the opening of a Latin American film festival in Havana, where the authorities have excluded a movie touching on Cuba's intolerance toward gays under Fidel Castro. "The film presents an image of the revolution that reduces it to an expression of intolerance and violence against culture and makes irresponsible use of our patriotic symbols and unacceptable references toward comrade Fidel," Smith -- director of the all-powerful Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) -- said in a statement.

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