Yahoo! News: Top Stories

• Obama plays some hoops, works on speech (AP)
  

  AP - Barack Obama aims to weave the personal with the political Thursday night as he tells 75,000 supporters in a football stadium — and millions more at home — how as president he would make a difference in their lives.

  
  
  
  
• Salmonella outbreak over: CDC (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - An outbreak of an unusual strain of Salmonella that sickened more than 1,400 people and put 286 in the hospital appears to be over in the United States, federal health officials said on Thursday.

  
  
  
  
• U.S. forces arrest senior Iraqi official (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - U.S. forces arrested the deputy head of a committee that purged Iraq's government of members of Saddam Hussein's party, an ally said, but the U.S. military said he was a wanted militia leader behind a deadly Baghdad bombing.

  
  
  
  
• Tourists flee as Gustav churns toward Jamaica (AP)
  

  AP - Tourists and oil workers fled Thursday as Gustav swamped eastern Jamaica on a path to hit the Cayman Islands with winds near hurricane force. Louisiana called a state of emergency and put the National Guard on standby, hoping to avoid the chaos of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

  
  
  
  
• CDC: Salmonella outbreak appears to be over (AP)
  AP - The government said Thursday that the salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 1,440 people appears to be over, but its ultimate source may never be known, partly because of shortcomings in the nation's food safety system.
  
  
• Mexican Supreme Court upholds legal abortion (AP)
  

  AP - Mexico's Supreme Court has voted to uphold legal abortion in the capital.

  
  
  
  
• Spring's economic rebound unlikely to last (AP)
  

  AP - The economy pulled out of a dangerous rough patch in the spring, thanks largely to strong exports, but the rebound isn't expected to last. Economic slowdowns overseas could make exports tail off just as Americans are hunkering down after the bracing impact of rebate checks wanes, plunging the country into another rut later this year.

  
  
  
  
• In King's shadow, Obama claims his prize (AFP)
  

  AFP - Barack Obama was Thursday to summon America to join his crusade for change, as the Democratic convention climaxes in a historic echo of Martin Luther King's" "I have a dream" speech.

  
  
  
  
• Putin assails US over Georgia conflict (AFP)
  

  AFP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the United States of manufacturing the Georgia conflict as tensions mounted with the United States threatening to scrap a nuclear deal to protest Moscow's actions.

  
  
  
  
• Italy museum defies pope anger over crucified frog (AP)
  

  AP - An art museum in northern Italy said Thursday it will continue displaying a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross that has angered Pope Benedict XVI and local officials.

  
  
  
  
• Strengthening Gustav threatens Jamaica (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Jamaicans deserted the streets and government offices closed as a strengthening Tropical Storm Gustav took aim at the island on Thursday on a path toward the Gulf of Mexico oil fields as a powerful hurricane.

  
  
  
  
• Russia faces diplomatic isolation on Georgia (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Russia faced diplomatic isolation over its military action against Georgia on Thursday, with its Asian allies failing to offer support and France saying EU leaders were considering sanctions.

  
  
  
  
• Economy shows vigor, but seen flagging (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Strong exports and consumer spending supported by government stimulus checks pushed the U.S. economy ahead at a solid 3.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter, much stronger than first thought, but growth is expected to flag as those factors fade.

  
  
  
  
• Court upholds dismissal of charges in KPMG case (Reuters)
  Reuters - A U.S. appeals court has upheld the dismissal of criminal charges against 13 former executives at accounting firm KPMG, saying prosecutors violated the defendants' constitutional rights.
  
  
• McCain says no vice presidential decision yet (AP)
  

  AP - Looking toward his turn in the spotlight, Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain sought to siphon attention from Democrat Barack Obama's show in Denver by playing coy about his pick for vice president.

  
  
  
  
• Rapper DMX pleads out Florida drug case (AP)
  AP - Rapper DMX has pleaded out a Miami drug case and now awaits extradition to face more charges in Arizona.
  
  
• Democrats ready celebration for Obama (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Democrats prepared a grand celebration on Thursday for Barack Obama, who will accept a historic presidential nomination with a speech that spells out his vision for change in America.

  
  
  
  
• MLB spends $2.5M to give umps 2nd look at homers (AP)
  

  AP - Baseball's replay central is an 18-by-24 foot room on the fifth floor of a former baking factory in Manhattan's Meatpacking District that's crammed with so many computers and television screens that it looks like NASA's Mission Control.

  
  
  
  
• US coalition: 100 militants killed in Afghanistan (AP)
  

  AP - A four-day battle that began with an ambush on a joint U.S-Afghan patrol in southern Afghanistan has killed more than 100 militants, the coalition said Thursday.

  
  
  
  
• More than 100 Taliban killed in Afghanistan (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces have killed more than 100 Taliban in the southern Afghan province of Helmand during three days of fighting, the U.S. military said on Thursday.