| Iraq Shi'ite militia take lead in campaign to reverse Islamic State gains Posted: 26 May 2015 10:55 AM PDT  Iraq's Shi'ite paramilitaries said on Tuesday they had taken charge of the campaign to drive Islamic State from the western province of Anbar, giving the operation an openly sectarian codename that could infuriate its Sunni Muslim population. The United States described the codename as "unhelpful" while France, which will host a meeting of nations fighting Islamic State next week, accused the Shi'ite-led government of failing to represent fully the interests of all Iraqis. The Iraqi government is scrambling to reverse the fall of Ramadi, its biggest military setback in nearly a year.
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| China to extend military reach, build lighthouses in disputed waters Posted: 26 May 2015 01:32 PM PDT  By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - China outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach on Tuesday and announced plans for the construction of two lighthouses in disputed waters, developments likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing's maritime ambitions. In a policy document issued by the State Council, the Communist-ruled country's cabinet, China vowed to increase its "open seas protection", switching from air defence to both offence and defence, and criticised neighbours who take "provocative actions" on its reefs and islands. China has been taking an increasingly assertive posture over recent years in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where it has engaged in extensive land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago.
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| Malaysian police reveal grim secrets of jungle trafficking camps Posted: 26 May 2015 02:51 PM PDT  By Praveen Menon and Andrew R.C. Marshall BUKIT WANG BURMA, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysian police forensic teams, digging with hoes and shovels, on Tuesday began pulling out bodies from shallow graves found in abandoned jungle camps where an inter-governmental body said hundreds of victims of human traffickers may be buried. The Malaysian government said it was investigating whether local forestry officials were involved with the people-smuggling gangs believed responsible for nearly 140 such graves discovered around grim camps along the border with Thailand. The dense forests of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia have been a major stop-off point for smugglers bringing people to Southeast Asia by boat from Myanmar, most of them Rohingya Muslims who say they are fleeing persecution, and Bangladesh.
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| Obama says working with NATO allies on Islamic State, Libya Posted: 26 May 2015 09:27 AM PDT  President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the United States was working closely with its NATO allies to partner with other countries in the fight against Islamic State militants and addressing challenges in Libya. "NATO is necessarily recognizing a whole range of global challenges, particularly on what we call the Southern Front... making sure that we continue to coordinate effectively in the fight against ISIL," Obama said, noting that all 28 members of the alliance were part of the coalition to support the Iraqi government against the group, also known as ISIL or ISIS. Obama made the remarks during a meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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| Seven members of Yemeni family killed in Saudi-led strike: residents Posted: 26 May 2015 05:18 AM PDT  CAIRO/ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Seven members of a family were killed in an overnight strike by Saudi-led warplanes on a border village in northern Yemen, residents said, as heavy clashes erupted across the frontier after Houthi fire killed one Saudi citizen. In southern Yemen, the Saudi-led airforce launched nearly 20 raids on Houthi fighters in the port city of Aden, while fighters allied with exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi made advances near the Houthi-controlled al-Anad military base. Saudi-led forces have been targeting fighters of the Iranian-allied Houthi group and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since in March, part of a campaign to restore Hadi to power.
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| Exclusive: Before Myanmar seized migrant boat, Rohingya whisked away Posted: 26 May 2015 02:04 PM PDT  By Timothy Mclaughlin and Antoni Slodkowski YANGON/THEK KAY PYIN, Myanmar (Reuters) - When the Myanmar navy seized a boat used by people smugglers last week, it announced that the 200 people found aboard were mostly Bangladeshis seeking better economic prospects in Southeast Asia. The message was clear - that very few of the people on the boat, and by extension in the wave of Asian "boatpeople" drifting on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, were members of Myanmar's Rohingya minority. Myanmar denies discriminating against the Rohingya or that they are fleeing persecution.
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| UN envoy urges Kosovo to establish war crimes court Posted: 26 May 2015 04:55 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Kosovo urged the government on Tuesday to move swiftly to establish a court to investigate crimes committed by ethnic Albanian rebels during the country's 1998-99 war of independence from Serbia. |
| FTC approves Reynolds' purchase of cigarette rival Lorillard Posted: 26 May 2015 04:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Reynolds American's proposed $25 billion acquisition of rival Lorillard has cleared a key regulatory hurdle to move closer to completing a deal that will unite some of the nation's top cigarette brands. |
| Some of Brazil's most successful coaches out of a job Posted: 26 May 2015 04:41 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Some of the most successful coaches in Brazilian soccer are without a job, slowly losing out to a younger generation who are bringing fresh ideas and willing to accept lower salaries.
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| Governor says deadly flooding is worst ever seen in Texas area Posted: 26 May 2015 04:36 PM PDT  By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday likened the ferocity of flash flooding that killed at least three people to a tsunami, and authorities said a dam had given way in a state park. Abbott declared states of disaster in 24 counties and flew over the area south of Austin to assess the damage caused by tornadoes, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flooding that forced evacuations and rooftop rescues and left thousands of residents without electricity. "This is the biggest flood this area of Texas has ever seen," Abbott said.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 26 May 2015 04:32 PM PDT BUKIT WANG BURMA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian forensics teams exhumed a body from a shallow grave Tuesday at an abandoned jungle camp used by human traffickers, the first of what police predicted would be more grim findings as they search through a cluster of illicit hideouts near the border with Thailand. Authorities say there are 139 suspected graves in the mountainous jungle where northern Malaysia meets southern Thailand, a remote area that trafficking syndicates used as a transit point to hold migrants and refugees. Most were believed to be members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority and impoverished migrants from Bangladesh. |
| Brazil's Sao Paulo hires Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio Posted: 26 May 2015 04:26 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian club Sao Paulo says it has signed Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio for the next two seasons. |
| Gunmen try to kill Libya's recognized prime minister Posted: 26 May 2015 04:23 PM PDT  BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Gunmen tried to assassinate Libya's internationally recognized prime minister on his way to the airport in the eastern city of Tobruk on Tuesday, a spokesman for his government said.
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| Libyan prime minister says survives assassination attempt Posted: 26 May 2015 04:21 PM PDT  By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's internationally recognised prime minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, said on Tuesday he had survived an assassination attempt by gunmen who opened fire as he was leaving a session of the anarchic country's elected parliament. The incident highlighted the unravelling of state authority in the North African country in which two governments and parliaments allied to armed factions are fighting for control four years after rebels overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Thinni told pan-Arab news channel al-Arabiya that after he left parliament in the town of Tobruk and drove off, gunmen in several cars followed his entourage and opened fire.
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| Queen Elizabeth to unveil EU referendum plans as UK parliament opens Posted: 26 May 2015 04:06 PM PDT  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth will set out the government's plans for a European Union membership referendum on Wednesday as Prime Minister David Cameron faces pressure to explain when it will be held and what changes to the EU he wants before then. Queen Elizabeth, 89, will detail the plans in a speech written for her by Cameron's government as she opens parliament with an annual display of pomp. It will include talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
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| White House says Iraqi lack of will to fight 'a problem' in past Posted: 26 May 2015 03:59 PM PDT The White House said on Tuesday that Iraqi troops' lack of will to fight Islamic State militants, an issue cited by the Pentagon chief over the weekend, has been a concern. "That certainly has been a problem that we have seen in the past," White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged when asked about Defense Secretary Ash Carter's comments on Sunday. Carter said Iraqi forces showed no will to fight against Islamic State militants during the fall of Ramadi a week ago, and U.S. forces were trying to encourage them to engage more directly. |
| Madagascar parliament votes to dismiss president Posted: 26 May 2015 03:58 PM PDT  Madagascar's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to dismiss President Hery Rajaonarimampianina for alleged constitutional violations and general incompetence. The Indian Ocean island's constitutional court will now decide whether the decision to dismiss Rajaonarimampianina can be enacted. The motion was backed by 121 of the 125 lawmakers who voted, easily clearing the two-thirds majority required.
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| Hundreds more oil sands staff evacuated on Alberta fire threat Posted: 26 May 2015 03:54 PM PDT  By Scott Haggett and Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Statoil ASA, MEG Energy Corp and Cenovus Energy Inc evacuated hundreds of workers from three oil sands projects in northeastern Alberta on Tuesday as wildfires raged through the key crude-producing region. The latest evacuations are in addition to project shutdowns by Cenovus and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd over the weekend, as companies rushed to remove staff from potential danger.
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| UN official: Nepal quake victims need shelter before rains Posted: 26 May 2015 03:50 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A senior U.N. official who just returned from Nepal said Tuesday the top priority now is finding temporary housing for hundreds of thousands of people before monsoon rains begin. |
| Mexico rights body probes gunfight that killed 43 Posted: 26 May 2015 03:41 PM PDT  Mexico's human rights commission formally opened an investigation on Tuesday to determine whether federal police committed any abuses in a shootout that killed 42 drug cartel suspects and one officer. The governmental National Human Rights Commission said it requested "detailed reports" from the authorities to "find out the truth" about what happened in the May 22 gunfight in the western state of Michoacan. Authorities suspect the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, which has killed several security forces in recent months, had taken over the ranch in Tanhuato, near the border with Jalisco state.
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| Detroit Zoo sends snails back to Tahiti to restore species Posted: 26 May 2015 03:40 PM PDT ROYAL OAK, Michigan (AP) — One-hundred endangered snails are on their way to Tahiti to restore a species that became extinct in the wild, the Detroit Zoo said Tuesday. |
| Canada wildfires displace nearly 7,000 Posted: 26 May 2015 03:38 PM PDT  Nearly 7,000 people in Canada's Alberta province have been evacuated from the path of wildfires which threaten to ravage homes and businesses, including oil refineries in the region, officials said Tuesday. More than 1,600 firefighters are battling the 70 wildfires, 55 of which were sparked by lightning on Sunday. Fire has creeped to within 20 kilometers of homes or oil facilities, Alberta Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said during a telephone briefing.
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| UN says alarming spike in female suicide bombings in Nigeria Posted: 26 May 2015 03:35 PM PDT  GUBIO, Nigeria (AP) — Children are now being seen as potential threats after an "alarming spike" in suicide bombings by girls and women used by Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria, the U.N. children's agency said Tuesday.
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| Canada federal police raid suspected jihadists' homes Posted: 26 May 2015 03:31 PM PDT  Canadian federal police on Tuesday raided homes in the Montreal area linked by local media to suspected jihadists who had been detained for allegedly seeking to join Islamic State militants. Searches were conducted around the city and had concluded by late afternoon, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Erique Gasse told AFP. Local television showed officers hauling boxes out of the suspects' homes in three Montreal suburbs.
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| Draft bill on transsexuals sent to Iran parliament Posted: 26 May 2015 03:07 PM PDT  A bill that would provide better protection for transsexuals in Iran has been sent to researchers in parliament, the ISNA news agency quoted an official as saying on Tuesday. Under a fatwa or religious decree by the Islamic republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran recognises transsexuality. Sex change operations are common, with part of the fees paid by the authorities.
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| Militants lay siege to guesthouse in Afghanistan's capital Posted: 26 May 2015 03:05 PM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Heavy gunfire and explosions echoed through an upscale neighborhood in Afghanistan's capital late Tuesday night, as police surrounded a guesthouse popular with foreigners thought to be under attack by insurgents.
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| Ton-up Malik helps Pakistan outbat Zimbabwe Posted: 26 May 2015 03:04 PM PDT  Shoaib Malik hit his first century in six years to help Pakistan outbat Zimbabwe in the first day-night international by 41 runs in Lahore on Tuesday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Malik, playing his first one-dayer after two years, notched up a 76-ball 112 with 12 fours and two sixes to steer Pakistan to 375-3 -- their highest against Zimbabwe -- before restricting the tourists to 334-5 in 50 overs at Gaddafi Stadium. Zimbabwe tried their valiant best with skipper Elton Chigumbura hitting a rapid 95-ball 117 but the mounting asking rate proved too much in the end.
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| Egypt sentences eight jihadists to death Posted: 26 May 2015 02:59 PM PDT  An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced to death eight jihadists found guilty of acts of violence against the security forces and belonging to groups that incite "terrorism", a judicial official said. Jihadists in Egypt, primarily in the Sinai Peninsula, have staged regular attacks on the security forces since the then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after a single year in power. Hundreds of Morsi supporters have been killed and thousands jailed in a crackdown.
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| Afghan insurgents launch late-night attack on Kabul guesthouse Posted: 26 May 2015 02:56 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - Heavily armed insurgents stormed a guesthouse in the diplomatic quarter of Kabul late on Tuesday night and were still battling Afghan security forces more than two hours after the assault began. "A group of insurgents has entered a guesthouse in the Wazir Akbar Khan area," Kabul police chief spokesman Ebadullah Karimi said.
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| Salmon, fruit losses due to Chilean customs strike Posted: 26 May 2015 02:54 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean exporters are complaining of big losses due to a nationwide customs strike that is halting shipments of fruits and salmon, and the government called Tuesday for talks to resume. |
| Spain's top court overturns regional anti-eviction law Posted: 26 May 2015 02:52 PM PDT  Spain's Constitutional Court on Tuesday struck down a regional law which blocked banks from repossessing homes from the most needy families for up to three years. The court ruled in favour of an appeal by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government, which argued that the law passed by the left-wing regional government of Andalucia interfered with powers alloted by the constitution to the central government. The law which came into force in April 2013 allowed the regional government of Andalucia, Spain's most populous region, to expropriate properties from which people are about to be evicted for up to three years to allow them to continue to live there.
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| Greenpeace calls for probe into DR Congo wood trade Posted: 26 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT  Greenpeace on Tuesday called on the United States, Europe and China to launch probes into companies selling lumber from the Democratic Republic of Congo where illegal logging is damaging the country's forests. The report is the result of a two-year Greenpeace investigation into the logging concessions operated by Lebanese-owned firm Cotrefor as well as the ports around the world where the wood is exported and sold. Greenpeace concludes the company's practices -- which allegedly include mistreating employees, the non-payment of taxes and exceeding quotas for felling endangered trees -- are putting at risk Bonobo chimpanzees and a precious variety of wood called afrormosia.
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| Pentagon chief's take on Iraqis undercuts Obama's strategy Posted: 26 May 2015 02:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter's blunt assessment that Iraqi forces lack the "will to fight" undermines a central premise of President Barack Obama's strategy for defeating the Islamic State: that Iraq's military can effectively handle ground operations so Americans don't have to.
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| Kashiwa Reysol, Jeonbuk advance to Asian CL quarterfinals Posted: 26 May 2015 02:48 PM PDT  KASHIWA, Japan (AP) — Kashiwa Reysol advanced to the Asian Champions League quarterfinals despite a 2-1 loss at Suwon on Tuesday, progressing on away goals after the second-round series finished level at 4-4.
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| Mourinho pokes fun at rivals Posted: 26 May 2015 02:47 PM PDT  Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says his Premier League winning players have not been given the credit they deserve and took time to make fun of the teams that finished below them on Tuesday. The 52-year-old Portuguese -- whose side finished the season eight points clear of 2014 champions Manchester City -- used the end of season Chelsea dinner to use a convoluted story to poke fun at City, Arsenal, who finished third, and fourth-placed Manchester United. To a backdrop of a graphic showing a pitch with two goals he addressed first of all Louis van Gaal-managed United -- the 'plain red shirted team' -- saying they would have preferred to play without goals.
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| Yemen fighters backing exiled government take southern city Posted: 26 May 2015 02:41 PM PDT  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Fighters backing Yemen's exiled government captured a key city on the road to the port city of Aden, officials said Tuesday, the pro-government forces' first significant victory since a Saudi-led coalition began targeting Shiite rebels in airstrikes.
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| Peru sends in army as new mining strike starts Posted: 26 May 2015 02:40 PM PDT  Peru said Tuesday it is sending its army to intervene in seven regions where workers have called a strike to protest a controversial mining project by Mexican firm Southern Copper. The $1.4-billion Tia Maria mine project has been the target of months of protests by locals who fear it will pollute their land and damage local agriculture. After protesters called a 48-hour strike from Wednesday for seven southern regions, the interior ministry announced it was deploying the army to the area until June 24 to bolster security.
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| Syria says carries out deadly air raid on Islamic State stronghold Posted: 26 May 2015 02:40 PM PDT By Tom Perry and Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian air force hit an Islamic State-controlled air base in Raqqa province on Tuesday, killing more than 140 militants, state media said, striking the jihadist group in its Syrian stronghold a week after it seized Palmyra from the government. The city of Raqqa is seen as the de facto capital of the "caliphate" Islamic State has declared in Syria and Iraq. The group has made notable gains in both countries this month, capturing both Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria. |
| Maestro Barenboim to spend less time wielding baton Posted: 26 May 2015 02:33 PM PDT  Israeli-Argentinian maestro Daniel Barenboim on Tuesday revealed he would spend less time wielding the conductor's baton and more time at the keyboard as he unveiled a new piano in London. The 72-year-old currently heads Berlin's flagship opera house, the State Opera, and had been mooted as a candidate for the prestigious chief conductor position at the Berlin Philharmonic (BPO), taking over from the departing Simon Rattle. "I have to slow down in any case because it is too much as it is," he said following the piano's launch at London's Royal Festival Hall.
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