| U.S. intensifies sanctions on Russia over Ukraine Posted: 12 Sep 2014 12:32 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Bill Trott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States hit Russia's largest bank, a major arms maker and arctic, deepwater and shale exploration by its biggest oil companies with new sanctions on Friday to punish Moscow for its intervention in Ukraine. The sanctions, coordinated with similar European Union steps, were triggered by what the West sees as Moscow's recent effort to destabilize eastern Ukraine by backing pro-Russian separatists with troops, heavy arms and cross-border shelling.. They are the latest economic penalties imposed by the West since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March. The sanctions target companies including Sberbank, Russia's largest bank by assets, and Rostec, a conglomerate that makes everything from Kalashnikovs to cars, by limiting their ability to access the U.S.
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| Obama says need to 'snuff out' militant groups like Islamic State Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:44 PM PDT  By Steve Holland BALTIMORE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday the goal of an international coalition he is helping to form is to "ultimately snuff out" the type of extremism demonstrated by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It is a "sobering time," said Obama at a Democratic fund-raising event in Baltimore following his decision to authorize U.S. The threat from Islamic State has had an important silver lining, he said. It has focused the world's attention on the need to "ultimately snuff out this particular brand of Islamic extremism that really has no place in the 21st century." Obama is leading an effort to form a coalition of Western allies and Gulf Arab states to take on the extremist group, whose savage methods have included beheading two American journalists.
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| Kerry plays down hopes of imminent anti-Islamic State coalition Posted: 12 Sep 2014 01:33 PM PDT  Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday played down chances of an imminent broad coalition against Islamic State militants, illustrating the difficulty Washington faces winning commitment for a military campaign in the heart of the Middle East. Kerry met Turkish leaders to try to secure support for U.S.-led action against Islamic State, but Ankara's reluctance to play a frontline role highlighted the challenges of building a willing coalition to wage what will likely be a tough offensive. Kerry has been touring the Middle East to build support for President Barack Obama's plan, announced on Wednesday, to strike both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier to defeat Islamic State Sunni fighters, who control swathes of both countries.
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| U.S., EU hit Russia with more sanctions despite Ukraine ceasefire Posted: 12 Sep 2014 11:46 AM PDT By Gareth Jones and Darya Korsunskaya KIEV/DUSHANBE (Reuters) - The United States and European Union imposed new sanctions against Russia on Friday, tightening financial measures against Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine despite a week-old ceasefire which has brought calm to the embattled east. President Vladimir Putin called the new sanctions "a bit strange" given the truce, part of a peace deal reached last week between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels. New sanctions from the European Union would limit access by Russian oil companies to funds. Sanctions from the United States hit Russia's biggest bank and an arms maker, and bar U.S. |
| China's military secrecy justifies surveillance flights: U.S. official Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:49 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is justified in carrying out surveillance flights in East Asia, in spite of Chinese objections, given a lack of transparency in China's military buildup, a senior U.S. Beijing called last month for the United States to cut back, or even stop, close surveillance by patrol aircraft if it seriously sought to repair damaged bilateral ties. Asked about the Chinese call to scale back such flights, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, the senior U.S. "We have the right to conduct legitimate missions outside of China's territorial space and there is a persuasive rational for doing so," he told Reuters. |
| Ahead of trial, U.S. says North Korea using Americans as 'pawns' Posted: 12 Sep 2014 01:14 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just before one of three Americans detained in North Korea is due to go on trial, a senior U.S. State Department has called on North Korea to release Miller and two other detained Americans, Jeffrey Fowle and Kenneth Bae, on humanitarian grounds. |
| U.S. skygazers could get rare glimpse of northern lights Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:42 PM PDT  By Victoria Cavaliere SEATTLE (Reuters) - Stargazers across a wide swath of the United States could get a rare view on Friday of the northern lights, a colorful cosmic display normally only visible in far northern latitudes. The northern lights, or Aurora Borealis, was expected to be visible after dark on the East Coast from Maine to as far south as Maryland, and across large parts of Michigan and Iowa. The northern lights are the result of collisions between the Earth's gaseous particles and matter released by the Sun's atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The solar flares that were sent towards Earth this week were very large, the NOAA said, indicating that the aurora will be visible at a far greater distance than normal.
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| US eyes Somalia strategy as model for Islamic State destruction Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:39 PM PDT  Nairobi (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has ordered a "relentless" war against the Islamic State, and has cited the ongoing intervention in Somalia as a model for intervention in Syria and Iraq.
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| Problems seen with new Argentine debt payment law Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:39 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A law designed to restructure Argentina's debt and sidestep a U.S. court ruling that pushed the government into default could be difficult to apply and worsen the country's frail economy, analysts say.
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| Ebola toll hits 2,400 as Cuba pledges medics Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:34 PM PDT  The worst-ever Ebola outbreak has killed more than 2,400 people, the UN said Friday, as Cuba pledged the largest foreign medical team deployed so far in the west African health crisis. World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan warned the spiralling epidemic of the murderous tropical virus demanded a stronger, faster response from the international community. In the three hardest-hit countries, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, "the number is moving faster than the capacity to manage them," she told reporters in Geneva. She did not specify if the figures also included Nigeria, which has reported 21 cases, eight fatal, since the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record began in Guinea at the start of the year.
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| US and France ramp up anti-jihadist efforts Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:32 PM PDT  France's president travelled to war-torn Iraq and Washington's top diplomat to neighbouring Turkey Friday, ramping up efforts to address what they now see as the global threat posed by jihadists. Francois Hollande was the first head of state to visit Iraq since jihadist-led militants seized large parts of it in June, and he said France is ready to step up its military involvement. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry was in neighbouring Turkey, which many observers see as holding one of the keys to turning the tide on the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group's expansion in Iraq and Syria.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:32 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. citizen arrested in North Korea for allegedly tearing up his visa and seeking asylum will go before the North's Supreme Court this weekend in a trial almost certain to end quickly with a guilty verdict. Along with two other Americans detained in the North, the young defendant says he has but one hope — for a senior U.S. statesman to come and get him out. So far there don't seem to be any volunteers. |
| Swedish election to swing more on style than substance Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:30 PM PDT  The two men vying to become Sweden's next leader Sunday may not be far off politically, but in personal style they are a world apart. Incumbent Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of the centre-right Moderates is a gifted speaker and consummate manager, whose polished, suave exterior is sometimes interpreted as aloofness. His stocky challenger, Stefan Loefven of the Social Democratic Party, benefits from a good-hearted guy-next-door image that goes down well in this egalitarian-minded country of almost ten million. His coalition looks all but set to cede power to Social Democratic candidate Loefven, 57, and his allies from the Left and the Green party, with polls putting the Red-Green parties in the lead just days ahead of the election.
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| Thousands mourn Palestinian prisoner dead in jail Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:29 PM PDT  Some 4,000 mourners turned out Friday for the West Bank funeral of a man whose controversial death in an Israeli jail earlier this week has incensed the Palestinians. Mourners crowded around the body of Raed al-Jaabari, which was wrapped in a Palestinian flag, shouting in grief during the funeral procession in his hometown of Hebron, in the southern West Bank, an AFP correspondent said. The Palestinians said on Thursday that Jaabari, 35, had died from a severe blow to the head, and blamed Israel for his death, but Israeli authorities said he hanged himself. Jaabari's body was taken for post-mortems by both Israel and the Palestinians after his death on Tuesday, with Israel not yet publishing its findings.
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| Serbia holds off France, will play US for gold Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:28 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — All those years on Serbia's national team, and one chance kept eluding Milos Teodosic and Nenad Krstic.
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| Yemen rebels, officials to meet with UN to solve crisis Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:28 PM PDT  Shiite rebels and Yemeni officials met Friday seeking to fine-tune a deal to end a standoff sparked by calls for the government to quit but failed to make headway, a UN diplomat said. Zaidi rebels have been camped out in the capital for weeks, demanding the resignation of the government, which they accuse of corruption, and a reduction of fuel prices. Another source in President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's office said it was an "understanding over an agreement that will be finalised by Benomar." Talks to fine-tune the deal were held late Thursday and into the night between government representatives led by presidential adviser Abdelkarim al-Ariani and Mehdi Machchat for the rebels.
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| Scotland polls put 'No' camp ahead as Salmond hits out Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:27 PM PDT  Opinion polls gave campaigners for Scotland to stay in Britain a slight lead Friday as First Minister Alex Salmond hit back at business leaders who revealed their independence contingency plans. With six days to go until the September 18 referendum on independence, the race is too close to call and Scotland is on a knife-edge as its leaders trade increasingly bitter rhetoric. Salmond, leader of the pro-independence movement, was on a whistlestop tour of four cities as he battles to win enough support to end the union between Scotland and England, which dates back to 1707. "Scotland stands on the cusp of history," he wrote in an article for the Daily Record newspaper.
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| Toronto Mayor Rob Ford withdraws re-election bid Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:20 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford withdrew his re-election bid Friday as he seeks treatment for a tumor in his abdomen, dramatically ending a campaign he had doggedly pursued despite a stint in rehab and calls for him to quit amid drug and alcohol scandals. But he announced his brother would run in his place, saying "we cannot go backwards." |
| Mexico lifts limit on businesses' dollar deposits Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:15 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government says it will no longer limit the monthly cash deposits of U.S. dollars that border businesses can make if the companies allow authorities to monitor their financial transactions and meet other requirements. |
| Spain pressured to negotiate on Catalonia: analysts Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:11 PM PDT  Spain's leaders refuse to let their country break apart, but as Catalonia's independence drive gathers steam, analysts say Madrid may have to negotiate on a question affecting all of Europe. Hundreds of thousands of nationalists demanding a vote on independence from Spain staged a mass demonstration in Barcelona on Thursday, gathering in red and yellow shirts to form a giant "V" for vote. "The problem is no longer just with Catalonia," said Fernando Vallespin, a political scientist at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
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| US company wins contract to build Haiti prison Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:07 PM PDT CROIX-DES-BOUQUETS, Haiti (AP) — A construction company based in Maryland has received a U.S. government contract to build a prison in northern Haiti. |
| Former Northern Irish leader Ian Paisley dies aged 88 Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT  Former Northern Irish first minister Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant leader who struck a power-sharing deal with former foes Sinn Fein, died on Friday at the age of 88. A towering figure during the Troubles in Northern Ireland who was known for his decades of intransigence and impassioned rhetoric, Paisley had been ill for some time. Paisley did what even he he once considered unthinkable in May 2007 and entered office with Sinn Fein -- the political wing of the now-defunct Irish Republican Army paramilitary group -- restoring stable, devolved government to the British province. In a feat few could match, the pro-British preacher co-founded both a church and a political party, leading the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster and the Protestant, conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
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| Former gov. breaks up with Argentine fiancee Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:57 PM PDT COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — A former state governor who was forced to resign following revelations that he had an Argentine mistress said Friday he was calling off his engagement with her. |
| U.S. to train Liberian armed forces to help tackle Ebola crisis Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:46 PM PDT  The United States said on Friday it would train Liberia's security forces to assist in isolation operations to tackle an Ebola epidemic ravaging the West African nation, after a boy was killed when soldiers opened fire on a protest last month. The worst Ebola outbreak on record has killed more than 2,400 people in West Africa - more than half of them in Liberia. Ambassador to Liberia Deborah Malac told reporters in Monrovia that the United States would support Liberia both through the epidemic and beyond.
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| US hopes training local forces will work -- this time Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:33 PM PDT  The United States has often struggled to turn rag-tag foreign forces into professional armies, but President Barack Obama is gambling that this time the training effort will succeed in Iraq and Syria. Eager to avoid sending US combat troops to fight against Islamic State jihadists, Obama is touting a renewed effort to bolster Iraqi government forces and "moderate" opposition fighters in Syria with weapons and advice from seasoned American officers. The US president vowed this week to ratchet up support for the rebels, but it remains unclear how much help Washington is ready to provide and whether the West can even identify reliable partners who could form a viable fighting force -- at a time when Islamist hardliners are ascendant.
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| Priest found guilty of raping dozens of children in Canada Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:24 PM PDT  A defrocked Catholic priest was found guilty Friday of raping dozens of children and a sled dog in the Canadian Arctic, where he worked as a missionary for decades. The Belgian-born Eric Dejaeger, 67, was convicted of 31 counts of sexual offenses against children and one count of bestiality. At the start of the his trial last November in Iqaluit, the capital of Canada's northernmost Nunavut territory, Dejaeger acknowledged and pleaded guilty to eight out of 80 original charges. Justice Robert Kilpatrick ruled the evidence had been weakened by the passage of time, and whittled down the number in the indictment.
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| US insists no anti-jihadist coordination with Assad Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:19 PM PDT  With momentum building for international military action against Islamist extremists in Syria, the United States reiterated Friday it will not coordinate with strongman Bashar al-Assad in the effort. "The answer to the security challenges is not the Assad regime," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. An Assad advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, was quoted by state news agency SANA earlier Friday saying Damascus must be included as a "key part" of the multinational coalition that US President Barack Obama announced Wednesday in his strategy to defeat jihadists known as the Islamic State (IS).
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| Tropical Storm Odile stationary off south Mexico Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:19 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Odile stationed itself off Mexico's southern Pacific coast Friday, though forecasters expected it to start drifting north and possibly become a hurricane by morning.
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| Tories pick London Mayor Boris Johnson to run for parliament Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:10 PM PDT  London Mayor Boris Johnson was on Friday chosen by his Conservative Party as their candidate to fight for a west London seat at next year's parliamentary election, raising the spectre of a future tilt at becoming prime minister. Johnson said he was"obviously thrilled" after seeing off the challenge of three rivals to win the backing of the Tories in the safe seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Many see the 50-year-old, known for his unkempt shock of blond hair and frequent gaffes, as a potential successor to Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, given his high profile and popularity with grassroots party members. The first step to this goal -- a return to parliament -- looks virtually assured, with the Conservatives having held the seat since 1970, but the mayor played down talk that he was a threat to former school companion Cameron.
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| Cuba sending dozens of doctors to fight Ebola Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:06 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Cuba's health ministry said Friday it is sending more than 160 health workers to help stop the raging Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, providing a much-needed injection of medical expertise in a country where health workers are in short supply.
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| McIlroy's tee shot lands in spectator's pocket Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:05 PM PDT  ATLANTA (AP) — This is one shot even the great Rory McIlroy had no chance to hit.
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| AP: More than 5,000 dead in C. African Republic Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:56 PM PDT  GUEN, Central African Republic (AP) — More than 5,000 people have died in sectarian violence in Central African Republic since December, according to an Associated Press tally, suggesting that a U.N. peacekeeping mission approved months ago is coming too late for thousands.
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| Prosecutors target credit card thieves overseas Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Criminals from around the world buy and sell stolen credit card information with ease in today's digital age. But if they commit their crime entirely outside the United States, they may be beyond the reach of federal prosecutors.
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| Scots independence would ripple across Canada, Quebec Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:53 PM PDT  Canadians were getting used to the idea that Quebec's dream of independence had faded, but a win by the "yes" side in Scotland's referendum could reinvigorate French-speaking separatists. Quebecers twice rejected splitting from the rest of Canada in 1980 and 1995 referendums. The party, the standardbearer for Quebec's secessionist movement, was driven from power earlier this year. Since then, PQ leaders have been averse to openly discussing their yearning to lead an independent Quebec.
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| Turning tweets to tenners: London Fashion gets digital Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:47 PM PDT  London Fashion Week opened on Friday with a new push for online sales, as designers seek to turn the democratisation of the catwalk through live streaming and Twitter into cold, hard cash. The five-day event will showcase the creative talents of more than 80 designers including Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Mary Katrantzou and Christopher Kane, including a one-off show by New York-based Marchesa. More than 5,000 visitors are expected -- but as elsewhere, the abundance of live streaming, and instant updates on Twitter and Instagram mean the latest looks are now available to anyone with an Internet connection.
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| Pistorius convicted of culpable homicide Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:41 PM PDT  Pretoria (AFP) - "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius was convicted Friday of culpable homicide for shooting his lover Reeva Steenkamp, but walked free on bail ahead of what could still be a stiff prison sentence. South African Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted Pistorius of murder, but found he acted "negligently" in killing the blonde law graduate and fashion model by firing at her through a bathroom door, claiming he mistook her for an intruder. His trial had heard that in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year Pistorius fired four hollow point pistol rounds into a locked toilet door, hitting Steenkamp and causing her head to "explode" and "amputating" her arm.
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| Almeria draws 1-1 with Cordoba at home in Spain Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:28 PM PDT ALMERIA, Spain (AP) — Almeria was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Cordoba on Friday, as Spanish league football returned after the international break. |
| Kerry says no to Iran's help against Islamic group Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:20 PM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Even as it discouraged Iran from joining diplomatic talks on how to defeat the Islamic State militant group, the United States could not outline Friday what other nations have volunteered to contribute to a worldwide effort against the insurgency that has overtaken a third of Iraq and Syria and threatens to upend the Mideast. |
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