| U.S. weighs near-term Assad military retrenchment in Syria Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:20 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are weighing the possibility that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, under growing military pressure, may soon narrow his focus on defense of more limited areas of the country, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday. Losses in the north, east and south have put Assad under more military strain than at any point in the four-year-old war, which has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions, according to United Nations data. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress that his trip to Israel last week was focused on discussing scenarios involving Assad's departure or his government's collapse.
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| Islamic State car bombs kill or injure 50 in Yemeni capital Posted: 17 Jun 2015 02:00 PM PDT  By Mohammed Ghobari and Lara Sukhtian SANAA/GENEVA (Reuters) - Car bombs killed or injured at least 50 people near mosques and the headquarters of Yemen's dominant Houthi group in Sanaa on Wednesday, in coordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State. The four blasts rocked the capital as Saudi-led forces conducted more air strikes against Houthi military bases across Yemen and Houthi delegates attending peace talks in Switzerland reported the first tentative progress on the second day of a U.N.-sponsored push for a Ramadan truce. "I returned and found cars burning, people screaming and wounded people all over." The Sunni Muslim Islamic State said in a statement posted online it carried out the attacks.
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| New U.S.-Philippine military deal, already on ice, could face further delays Posted: 17 Jun 2015 02:51 PM PDT  By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - A U.S.-Philippine defense agreement that would help counter China's growing naval power in the disputed South China Sea has yet to be implemented more than a year after it was signed, and could now face a fresh political hurdle in Manila. The deal gives U.S. troops wide access to local military bases and approval to build facilities to store fuel and equipment for maritime security, but it was effectively frozen after left-wing politicians and other opponents challenged its constitutionality in the Philippine Supreme Court last year. The court is expected to issue a ruling before U.S. President Barack Obama visits Manila for an Asia-Pacific summit in November.
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| Islamic State says shot down Iraqi fighter plane Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:50 PM PDT Islamic State said on Thursday it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane north of the city of Ramadi in Anbar Province. It was not immediately possible to confirm the claim made on one of Islamic State's Twitter accounts. |
| Russia not acting as responsible nuclear power: NATO commander Posted: 17 Jun 2015 01:33 PM PDT  NATO's top commander said on Wednesday Russia's announcement it was adding 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal was not the kind of behavior expected of a responsible nuclear power. President Vladimir Putin's announcement on Tuesday of the planned new deployments put further strain on the relations between Moscow and the West, already tense over the Ukraine crisis. "This is not a way that responsible nuclear nations behave," U.S. Air Force General and NATO supreme allied commander Philip Breedlove told Reuters during a visit to Poland.
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| Haitians fear deportation from Dominican Republic as deadline looms Posted: 17 Jun 2015 12:31 PM PDT  By Jorge Pineda SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent faced the risk of deportation from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday as a deadline for enforcement of a new immigration law approached. Dominican officials say anyone lacking identity documents or who has not registered for a so-called "regularization" program before the Wednesday night deadline could face deportation. The Dominican government says the changes to its nationality and immigration laws aim to tackle illegal migration from neighboring Haiti.
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| Honduran army seizes hospitals after Social Security scandal Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:49 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Honduran soldiers are taking over public hospitals and medicine storage warehouses to guarantee the supply of drugs to patients after a recent fraud and graft scandal rocked the Social Security Institute. |
| France, England, Colombia advance to last 16 Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:46 PM PDT  France and England both advanced to the last 16 of the Women's World Cup on Wednesday with wins as Colombia booked their spot as one of the best third-placed finishers. Third-ranked France bounced back from a shock defeat to Colombia by whipping Mexico 5-0 in Ottawa to finish top of Group F with six points. England, also on six points, but behind France on goal difference, beat Colombia 2-1 in Montreal and advance second from the group.
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| Obama, leading Republicans mounting rescue effort on trade Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:44 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and top Republicans in Congress joined forces Wednesday on a quick, bipartisan rescue attempt for the administration's trade agenda, left for dead in the House last week in a revolt carried out by Democrats and backed by organized labor.
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| Mom, stepdad plead guilty to fleeing country with daughter Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:44 PM PDT  LANCASTER, New Hampshire (AP) — A mother and stepfather entered guilty pleas Wednesday to charges they fled the country more than a decade ago with the woman's daughter amid a custody dispute.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Recent satellite imagery shows not only construction work at North Korea's nuclear complex, but also signs that its existing reactor is not fully operating, a U.S. research institute said Wednesday. The Nyongbyon complex is North Korea's only publicly known nuclear facility. International monitors were expelled in 2009, but commercial satellite photos offer a partial window into its operations. |
| UN urges Libyan factions to reach agreement Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:26 PM PDT  The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged Libyan factions to quickly reach a government agreement aimed at ending months of chaos and accept the latest proposals of mediator Bernardino Leon. UN envoy Leon has been mediating between the Fajr Libya Islamist militia-led alliance and Libya's internationally recognized government to try and bring calm to a country that has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed revolt in 2011. The draft proposes both sides commit to integrating their militias into one military under control of a unity government.
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| Most important figure at US Open not even playing Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:26 PM PDT  UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. (AP) — Tiger Woods speaks of him in reverential tones.
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| Hungary to build border barrier as EU migrant crisis rages Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:19 PM PDT  Hungary said Wednesday it was building a four-metre (13-foot) high fence on its border with Serbia to keep out migrants, as the EU struggles to deal with a massive influx of people trying to reach Europe. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he was "surprised and shocked" by the plan. Serbia can't be responsible for the situation created by the migrants, we are just a transit country.
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| Hackers attack Canada government websites Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:05 PM PDT  Hackers disrupted Canadian government websites for several hours on Wednesday, senior officials said, but denied that any personal data had been compromised in the cyberattack. The hacker collective Anonymous took responsibility in an online video, saying it was done in protest of a controversial anti-terror law that dramatically expands the powers and reach of Canada's spy agency. The government's public website for applying for social services and downloading official forms was briefly shut down in the cyberattack, Treasury Board President Tony Clement said in a Twitter message, while those of Parliament, Industry Canada and Public Works also appeared to be down.
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| North Dakota duo helps make up another quirky US Open field Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:02 PM PDT  UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. (AP) — All that separated Tom Hoge and Josh Persons growing up was five years and a few miles, which wouldn't be so odd if their hometown was Dallas or Los Angeles or somewhere in Florida.
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| Thousands of Liberians in 'post-Ebola syndrome' study Posted: 17 Jun 2015 04:01 PM PDT  Liberia launched a five-year study on Wednesday to unravel the mystery of the long-term health effects that plague Ebola survivors and assess how long they should go without sex. The Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia, a collaboration with the United States more commonly known by the acronym PREVAIL, is expected to enrol 1,500 survivors and 6,000 of their partners and family across the west African country. "The clinical course of Ebola virus disease is reasonably well-understood, but we still have much to learn about the long-term health effects of the illness in those who recover," Anthony Fauci, of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in a statement.
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| England beats Colombia 2-1 to advance to knockout stage Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:50 PM PDT  Karen Carney and Fara Williams scored first-half goals, and England beat Colombia 2-1 at Montreal on Wednesday to reach the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup.
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| Puerto Rico governor says declaring bankruptcy was option Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:42 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor confirmed Wednesday that his administration recently pursued a proposal to request that the U.S. Congress allow the island's heavily indebted government to declare bankruptcy amid an economic crisis. |
| NASA: International satellite studying oceans stops working Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:42 PM PDT PASADENA, California (AP) — NASA says an international satellite studying the world's oceans has stopped working after four years. |
| Australian swimmer Palmer out of worlds after doping test Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:34 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — Kylie Palmer has withdrawn from the Australian swim team for next month's world championships in Russia after testing positive for a banned substance at the Barcelona worlds in 2013. |
| France routs Mexico 5-0 at Women's World Cup Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:33 PM PDT  Marie Delie scored off a header 34th seconds in, the second-fastest goal in the history of the Women's World Cup, and France routed Mexico 5-0 Wednesday night at Ottawa, Ontario, to win Group F on goal difference over England.
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| Foster Farms suspends workers amid probe into chicken abuse claim Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:32 PM PDT  By Karl Plume CHICAGO (Reuters) - Foster Farms LLC, one of the top U.S. chicken producers, has suspended five workers as it investigates claims of animal abuse at some of its Fresno, California, facilities, the company said on Wednesday. The company's internal investigation follows the recent release of hidden-camera footage by an animal rights group, Mercy For Animals, that allegedly showed workers punching chickens, mistreating young chicks and apparently scalding live birds in hot water to remove their feathers. The group's investigators took jobs at three Foster Farms production facilities and a slaughter house and covertly gathered the footage in March and April, said Matt Rice, director of investigations at Mercy for Animals.
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| Deadly balcony collapse tied to rotted wooden beams Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:18 PM PDT  BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The balcony collapse that killed six college students appears to have been caused by rotted wooden beams, Berkeley's mayor said Wednesday as the victims' heartbroken loved ones began arriving in the U.S. from Ireland.
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| Donald Trump says he has no regrets about '16 kickoff speech Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:15 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has no regrets.
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| 5 torn ACLs later, Jacki Gemelos finally makes WNBA roster Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:13 PM PDT Jacki Gemelos nearly gave up on her goal of reaching the WNBA. |
| England beat Colombia to advance to last 16 of Women's World Cup Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:12 PM PDT  Montreal (AFP) - England beat Colombia 2-1 to advance to the last 16 of the Women's World Cup on Wednesday.
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| Weather provides reprieve for firefighters battling Alaska blazes Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:12 PM PDT  By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Crews battling a pair of Alaska wildfires that have destroyed up to 100 structures this week received a slight weather reprieve on Wednesday that may help them contain the raging blazes, officials said. "The predicted wind issues from last night never came to pass, so we were able to dig in and make a lot of progress," Alaska Forest Division spokesman Pete Buist said. Crews have been working to contain the two fires since Monday while unseasonably high temperatures and unpredictable winds have helped the blazes spread, forestry officials said.
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| 'Queen's vagina' sculpture at Versailles vandalised Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:12 PM PDT  Vandals have sprayed yellow paint on a controversial sculpture on display in the gardens of France's famed Palace of Versailles that has become known as the "queen's vagina". The 60-metre (200-foot) long, 10-metre (33-foot) high steel-and-rock abstract sculpture by British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor, resembling a funnel in the form of an orifice, is set up in the garden aimed directly at the royal chateau, which attracts five million tourists a year. Some French media outlets have expressed unease at the level of provocation unleashed by Kapoor who has described the piece as "the vagina of a queen who is taking power".
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| France whip Mexico to book last 16 berth in the Women's World Cup Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:10 PM PDT  France bounced back from their shock defeat to Colombia by whipping Mexico 5-0 to book their last 16 spot at the Women's World Cup on Wednesday. The French take top spot in Group F with six points, ahead of England who beat Colombia 2-1 in Montreal, and also have six points but are behind on goal difference. Colombia, ranked 28, are on four points and will also advance out of the group as one of the four best third-placed finishers.
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| U.S. general says no decision yet on storing hardware in eastern Europe Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:09 PM PDT By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States already has many of the tanks and other vehicles needed to equip an armoured brigade in Europe, but has not decided yet whether to store some of the hardware in eastern Europe, a top U.S. commander said on Wednesday. U.S. officials said over the weekend that the United States planned to store heavy military equipment in the Baltics and eastern European nations to reassure allies unnerved by Russia's intervention in Ukraine and to deter further aggression. |
| US stocks rise after Fed stands pat on rates Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:09 PM PDT  Stocks edged higher Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reassured investors it was in no rush to raise interest rates from historically low levels.
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| Crisis deepens as Greek central bank warns of euro exit Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:08 PM PDT  The Greek central bank warned for the first time on Wednesday that the country could suffer a "painful" exit from the eurozone and even the EU if it fails to reach a bailout deal with international creditors. All eyes are on a meeting of the 19 eurozone countries to take place Thursday in Luxembourg, but several officials including Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said they were not expecting a breakthrough in the cash-for-reforms standoff there either. Underscoring mounting fears of a possible "Grexit", US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned that the global economy could see significant turmoil if Greece and its creditors failed to do a deal.
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| Secret police detentions of activists on the rise in Egypt Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:08 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — The knock on the door came just before midnight, a group of plainclothes police demanding that 29-year-old Fatma el-Sayed, an activist with one of Egypt's secular opposition groups, come with them. Her father pleaded to accompany her, but they took her away, alone.
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| Record year for renewable power; heat, transport stay fossil Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:07 PM PDT  STOCKHOLM (AP) — The growth of renewable energy outpaced that of fossil fuels in the electricity sector last year, with a record 135 gigawatts of capacity added from wind, solar, hydropower and other natural sources, a new study shows.
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| Muslims worldwide to mark the start of Ramadan on Thursday Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:05 PM PDT  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslims around the world will mark the start of Ramadan on Thursday, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.
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| Chambers Bay looks like a links golf course, but it's not Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:04 PM PDT  UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. (AP) — When Chambers Bay first opened, one of promotional tags for the course was the opportunity to play, "Pure Links Golf."
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| Ecuador weighs Swedish request to question Assange Posted: 17 Jun 2015 03:01 PM PDT  Ecuador said Wednesday it is considering Swedish prosecutors' request to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over rape allegations. The Australian fled to the Ecuadoran embassy in London in June 2012, where he has been holed up ever since, to escape extradition to Sweden. Ecuador is evaluating the request "in the spirit of judicial cooperation" and will make a decision based on international law and "Ecuadoran jurisdiction in the area of asylum rights," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
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