| Canada must do more to thwart radical threat, security officials say Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:24 PM PDT  By Randall Palmer, David Ljunggren and Richard Valdmanis OTTAWA (Reuters) - The head of Canada's national police told a parliamentary committee on Monday the government must do more to stop homegrown radicals, such as those who killed two soldiers on home soil last week, from going overseas for militant training. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson said last week's killings in Ottawa and outside Montreal, which he said appeared to be carried out with minimal planning or preparation, show the nation faces a "serious" threat. ...
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| Suicide bomber kills 27 militiamen south of Iraqi capital Posted: 27 Oct 2014 01:10 PM PDT By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 27 Shi'ite militiamen outside the Iraqi town of Jurf al-Sakhar on Monday after security forces pushed Islamic State militants out of the area over the weekend, army and police sources said. The attacker, driving a Humvee vehicle packed with explosives and likely stolen from defeated government troops, also wounded 60 Shi'ite Muslim militiamen, who had helped government forces retake the town just south of the capital. ... |
| Mexico arrests four gang members in students' disappearance Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:30 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities on Monday said they had arrested four drug gang members involved in the kidnapping of dozens of student teachers who disappeared last month and are feared massacred. The announcement came as local media reported that a mass grave has been discovered in a trash dump outside mountain town of Cocula, near Iguala in the southwestern state of Guerrero, where 43 students disappeared after they clashed with police and masked men on Sept 26. ...
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| Spain central government moves to block new Catalan vote Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:10 PM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's central government took the first step on Monday towards blocking a "consultation of citizens" that the Catalonia region intends to hold next month in the place of a full referendum on independence from Spain that was barred by a court. The wealthy, northeastern region earlier this month dropped plans to hold the referendum planned for Nov. 9, but said it would still stage a non-binding vote that would be open to anyone who wanted to cast their ballot. ...
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| U.S. and EU hail pro-West election outcome in Ukraine, Russia guarded Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:31 AM PDT  By Richard Balmforth and Timothy Heritage KIEV (Reuters) - Pro-Western parties will dominate Ukraine's parliament after an election handed President Petro Poroshenko a mandate to end a separatist conflict and to steer the country further away from Russia's orbit towards mainstream Europe. U.S. President Barack Obama hailed Sunday's election as "an important milestone in Ukraine's democratic development" while top European Union officials said on Monday it represented a "victory of the people of Ukraine and of democracy". ...
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| Netanyahu to expedite plans for 1,000 new settler homes Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:47 AM PDT  By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will expedite planning for some 1,000 settler homes in East Jerusalem, a government official said on Monday, in a bid to placate a restive coalition ally without further aggravating a dispute with Washington. The ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party, led by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, has been issuing veiled threats to sever its political partnership with Netanyahu unless he agrees to its call for 2,000 new building tenders in settlements in the occupied West Bank. ...
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| Cardinals stunned by Taveras' death Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:57 PM PDT  Mike Matheny needed some time to figure out what to say. Like the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals, the manager was leveled by the sudden death of Oscar Taveras.
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| Man guilty of murder in attack on Chinese students Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:54 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who was recorded confessing to the killings of two Chinese graduate students near the University of Southern California was convicted Monday of first-degree murder. |
| Rio given deadline on Olympic golf course changes Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:43 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — A judge has given the city of Rio de Janeiro and a local developer a deadline to decide whether they are willing to make changes to the Olympic golf course, which could help settle a legal dispute that is threatening its completion in time for the 2016 Games. |
| US Army troops isolated after Africa duty tour Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army two-star general and 11 of his staff are being isolated at the base in Italy upon returning from serving in West Africa to help with the Ebola fight. |
| Jordan to request emergency UN meeting on Israel Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:35 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A spokesman for Jordan's mission to the United Nations says his country will request an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on behalf of the Palestinians, who have written to the council president about "dangerously escalating tensions" in east Jerusalem. |
| US official: Welcome home medics fighting Ebola Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:34 PM PDT  FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Health care workers who go to West Africa to fight Ebola must be welcomed home and nothing should be done to impede fighting the disease "at its source," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Monday.
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| Army troops isolated after Africa duty tour Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army two-star general and 11 of his staff are being isolated at the base in Italy upon returning from serving in West Africa to help with the Ebola fight. |
| N. Korea, UN investigator meet on possible visit Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:30 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korean officials said Monday they met for the first time with a United Nations special investigator on human rights and "envisage" him visiting their country. A U.N. official confirmed the meeting.
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| Peru families receive bodies of dirty war victims Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:12 PM PDT  HUAMANGA, Peru (AP) — The small farmers came from remote mountains and jungle valleys to receive the exhumed remains of loved ones slain three decades ago during Peru's dirty war.
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| France says Armenia, Azerbaijan to hold more talks on Nagorno-Karabakh Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:11 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - Armenian and Azeri leaders have agreed to pursue talks over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after resuming direct contacts at a meeting in Paris on Monday, the French government said. "Status quo is not sustainable," the office of French President Francois Hollande said after he hosted talks between Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sargsyan, following an increase in clashes over the region during the summer. The two leaders agreed to exchange information about people who have gone missing in the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, Hollande's office said. ...
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| Australian teenager features in second IS video Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:05 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian teenage runaway, dubbed the Ginger Jihadist by the media, has been featured in a second Islamic State propaganda video. |
| Poland in defense shift as anti-Russia mood grows Posted: 27 Oct 2014 04:01 PM PDT  WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is planning a major realignment of its military structure because of the conflict in neighboring Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Monday, a move that could shift thousands of troops to its eastern border.
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| Sam Querrey beats 2012 runner-up Jerzy Janowicz Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:57 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — American qualifier Sam Querrey reached the second round of the Paris Masters by beating 2012 runner-up Jerzy Janowicz 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 Monday. |
| Worker dies after Veolia industrial blast in Canada Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:42 PM PDT  A Veolia worker who was injured during a weekend blast at an industrial plant in Canada died Monday, officials said. Four other staff also were hospitalized Saturday in the as-yet-unexplained explosion that collapsed the roof at the Veolia ES Canada Industrial facility in Sarnia, Ontario. France-based Veolia, an industrial cleaning and maintenance firm, said the employee died of "burn injuries related to Saturday's incident," adding they are "hopeful for the speedy recovery" of the others. Veolia said the cause of the incident was unknown.
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| Austin powers QPR to crucial victory Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:35 PM PDT  London (AFP) - Charlie Austin eased the pressure on Harry Redknapp as the QPR forward struck twice to lift his side off the bottom of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday.
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| Rousseff must fight graft to placate angry Brazil Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:34 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Having won re-election, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff must now deliver on her pledge to crack down on corruption or be dogged by the scandals that nearly derailed her campaign. Along with economic woes, corruption was the central issue in a campaign rocked by allegations that the incumbent knew about embezzlement at state oil giant Petrobras, which she once chaired. The Petrobras scandal erupted in the middle of the election campaign with the arrest of the firm's former refineries director on money-laundering charges. Paulo Roberto Costa, who was appointed under Rousseff's predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, turned state's witness after his arrest.
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| QPR beats Aston Villa 2-0 in Premier League Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:27 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Charlie Austin scored twice to lift Queens Park Rangers off the bottom of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Monday that eased some of the pressure on manager Harry Redknapp.
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| Slim chances of Iran nuclear deal by deadline: diplomat Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:16 PM PDT  A deal on Iran's contested nuclear programme before a November 24 deadline is highly unlikely, a Western diplomat close to negotiations said on Monday. "The ball is in Iran's court" and Tehran would have to make "significant gestures," the diplomat added. The six powers in the talks with Iran -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany, known as the P5+1 -- have set November 24 as the deadline for a comprehensive deal. US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has spoken of "a forest of distrust" between the West and Iran.
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| Colombia leader seeks Europe's help for 'last chance' peace Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:12 PM PDT  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he hopes Europe can provide funds to help him strike a "last chance" deal with leftist guerrillas after half a century of conflict. During a lightning tour of six countries in five days next week, Santos will lobby for the creation of a European fund for the post-conflict period, should his government clinch a historic deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). "It's the oldest conflict in the Western world," Santos told AFP in an interview at the presidential palace in Bogota -- his first with an international news agency since his re-election in June. "If we manage to secure peace, it will have an impact far beyond Colombia's borders."
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| UN concerned by Iran 'surge of executions' Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:09 PM PDT  At least 850 people have been executed in Iran in the past 15 months as part of a worsening human rights situation under reformist President Hassan Rouhani, a UN official said Monday. Ahmed Shaheed, the rights rapporteur for Iran, described a "surge in executions," giving Iran the world's the highest death penalty rate per capita. The rapporteur said he was "shocked" by the hanging over the weekend of 26-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari who was convicted of murdering a former intelligence officer she claimed had tried to sexually assault her.
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| Sheriff: School shooter invited victims to lunch Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:04 PM PDT MARYSVILLE, Washington (AP) — A popular student responsible for a shooting at a Washington state high school on Friday invited his victims to lunch by text message, then shot them at their table, investigators said Monday. |
| UN envoy says it's time for investment in DR Congo Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:58 PM PDT  The UN envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo called Monday for a major injection of private investment to shore up peace and turn the country into "the economic heart of Africa." "It is time for Congo's money abroad to come home and for that money, and more, to be invested in the DRC," said Martin Kobler, the head of the UN mission in the DRC. The special envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, told the council that a "substantial portfolio" of investment projects are to be approved at a regional meeting in Luanda in early December.
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| Funeral for Oscar Taveras in Dominican hometown Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:49 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Funeral services are being planned for Oscar Taveras in his hometown in the Dominican Republic following his death in a weekend car crash |
| Tropical Storm Hanna soaks Nicaragua, Honduras Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:47 PM PDT MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall near the Nicaragua-Honduras border Monday, bringing heavy rains to an already waterlogged area. |
| As Marines depart Afghanistan, legacy lingers Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:42 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Marines' handover of Camp Leatherneck to the Afghans is more than a signal that America's longest war is ending. It is a reminder that the Marines' battlefield gains were tempered by losses: 378 killed, nearly 5,000 wounded.
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| Niger cholera outbreak kills 51 people Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:39 PM PDT  Niger has seen more than 1,300 cases of cholera since the beginning of the year, with 51 people dying of the disease, the United Nations said Monday. In September alone there were 38 reported deaths from cholera, said the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the capital of Niamey on its website. The spike in the number of cholera deaths was due in part of heavy flooding which has inundated Niger since June. Steps are being taken "to contain the illness" and "prevent it from appearing in new places," said OCHA, noting that cholera has broken out in four of Niger's eight regions.
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| Canada cop killer faces 75 years in prison Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:36 PM PDT  A man who killed three Canadian police officers on the streets of a New Brunswick city appeared in court Monday, facing a possible 75 years in prison. Prosecutors asked for Justin Bourque, 24, to serve three consecutive life sentences -- an unprecedented penalty in Canada -- for the rampage that also wounded two officers. The June 4 shooting in Moncton, in the eastern province of New Brunswick, shocked Canada, which prides itself on being largely free of the gun violence that regularly plagues cities in the neighboring United States. It was the worst tragedy to hit the Royal Canadian Mounted Police since 2005, when four of its federal agents were killed in Alberta in the west.
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| Poroshenko faces hurdles despite big Ukraine vote win Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:34 PM PDT  Grad rockets roaring from the pro-Russian rebel bastion of Donetsk the day after Ukrainian voters backed President Petro Poroshenko's high-stake talks with Moscow underscored the deadly obstacles facing his search for peace in the separatist east. A visibly-upbeat Poroshenko called the strong showing by moderates in Sunday's parliamentary election a sign that war-weary Ukrainians favour "those political forces that support the president's peace plan". Voters turned their backs on hawkish parties that demand a military triumph and oppose Poroshenko's offer of limited self-rule for the insurgents in return for an end to six months of bloodshed in which 3,700 have died. The 49-year-old chocolate baron added that the drubbing handed to pro-Russian parties demonstrated "strong and irreversible backing to Ukraine's path to Europe."
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| 10 Cuban migrants found near Miami, 3 missing Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:33 PM PDT  MIAMI (AP) — A raft carrying Cuban migrants broke apart a few miles (kilometers) from Miami, leaving survivors clinging to debris for hours in the night. Ten were rescued or managed to swim to shore while three remained missing Monday afternoon.
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