| Ukraine forces, separatists fight first serious battles in months Posted: 03 Jun 2015 11:03 AM PDT  By Alessandra Prentice and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists on Wednesday fought their first serious battles in months and Ukraine's defense minister said an attempt by rebels to take the eastern town of Maryinka had been thwarted. The Ukrainian military said the Russian-backed rebels had tried to advance using tanks and up to 1,000 fighters west of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk, in the most significant escalation of the conflict in about three months and in defiance of a ceasefire deal. The separatists, who denied their forces had launched an assault, said 15 people had been killed when government troops fired artillery into rebel-held territory near the city.
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| Families march to China shipwreck site as survivor hopes fade Posted: 03 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT  By John Ruwitch and Engen Tham JIANLI, China (Reuters) - Dozens of people broke through a police cordon on Wednesday as they marched towards the site of a sunken cruise ship in the Yangtze River to demand news of missing relatives. Rescuers searched for more than 400 missing people, many of them elderly, but hopes were fading of finding more survivors from the worst shipping disaster in modern Chinese history. Frustrated by the scarcity of information coming from local authorities, about 80 family members hired a bus to take them from Nanjing to Jianli county in Hubei, an eight-hour journey.
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| Al Qaeda's Syria wing sees no peace with Islamic State soon: TV Posted: 03 Jun 2015 01:57 PM PDT  The head of al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra Front said he saw no solution soon to a conflict with the rival Islamic State group in Syria that has killed hundreds of fighters, according to an interview with Al Jazeera aired on Wednesday. Nusra Front, loyal to the successors of Osama bin Laden, and Islamic State are the two most powerful forces fighting government forces in Syria.
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| Hong Kong 'umbrella' protest gives topical relevance to Tiananmen vigil Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:13 PM PDT  By James Pomfret and Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people are due to attend an annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Thursday to mark Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 as tension lingers in the financial hub from its pro-democracy protests last year. More than six months since Hong Kong police demolished the last encampments of protesters agitating for full democracy in the city, the organizers of this year's June 4 vigil are aiming to link the events, which is likely to antagonize China. "Occupy was in a way a mini-June 4 for Hong Kong," said city legislator and vigil organizer Lee Cheuk-yan, referring to last year's Occupy Central protests.
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| Lawyer who defended former Guatemala dictator in genocide trial murdered Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:51 PM PDT  One of Guatemalan former dictator Efrain Rios Montt's defense lawyers was gunned down in the country's capital on Wednesday, authorities said, the latest twist to a tumultuous genocide trial. Francisco Palomo, a leading member of Rios Montt's defense team, was shot dead by two men on a motorbike while driving his car in Guatemala City, according to a preliminary police report. Rios Montt's opponents accuse him of a scorched earth policy in the bloodiest phase of the country's 36-year civil war.
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| Islamic state sympathizer claims rocket fire at Israel Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:38 PM PDT GAZA (Reuters) - A radical Islamist Salafist group posted a statement on Twitter on Thursday claiming responsibility for firing three rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The group, calling itself the Omar Brigades, said the cross-border shooting on Wednesday was in retaliation for Hamas's killing of an Islamic state supporter a day earlier in Gaza. "We are continuing with our jihad against the Jews, the enemies of God and no one will be able to deter us," the statement said, using the term in Arabic for holy war. ... |
| Obama: China 'putting out feelers' about joining trade pact Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said China has made inquiries about potentially joining a Trans-Pacific trade agreement in the future, introducing a new variable to an unfolding debate in Congress over granting him the power to negotiate such international deals.
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| Mysterious oarfish of the deep washes up on California island Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:52 PM PDT  A dead oarfish, a mysterious and serpent-like creature that swims deep below the ocean's surface, has washed up on a Southern California island and a university biologist will study the remains, officials said on Wednesday. Amy Catalano said she and a co-worker at the Catalina Island Conservancy were conducting a bird survey on Monday and standing on a bluff when they spotted the long body of the creature on the island's shore below. Oarfish are of interest to scientists because they live in a largely unknown ecosystem of the oceanic mesopelagic zone, the part of the ocean that is about 660 to 3,280 feet (200 to 1,000 meters) below the surface.
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| The Latest: Ellis addresses FIFA scandal Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:51 PM PDT  1140 GMT (7:40 p.m. EDT)
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| British author Ali Smith wins fiction award Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:51 PM PDT  Scottish-born author Ali Smith won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction on Wednesday, netting a long-sought victory after missing out on a string of prestigious prizes this year. Smith's novel explores the boundaries of gender, weaving together the tales of a modern teenage girl struggling with her sexuality and a female artist in Renaissance Italy who dresses as a man to be able to work. Smith, born in 1962, seemed not to believe her ears as she was announced the winner after being shortlisted for the Man Booker, the Folio Prize and the Costa Book Award in the past year without winning.
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| Greek leader defends bailout plan in talks with creditors Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:50 PM PDT  BRUSSELS (AP) — Greece's prime minister Alexis Tsipras said early Thursday he found a constructive approach during a showdown with creditors in Brussels and all sides insisted talks to unlock crucial bailout loans and save the country from financial disaster would continue within days.
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| Lawyer for former Guatemalan dictator shot dead in capital Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:46 PM PDT  GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The lawyer representing former dictator Efrain Rios Montt against genocide charges was shot to death Wednesday in the capital, Guatemalan authorities said.
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| Amnesty says Nigerian military responsible for deaths of 8,000 prisoners Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:41 PM PDT  By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - More than 8,000 people have died while being detained by Nigeria's armed forces during the campaign against militant Islamist group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, allegations that the military denied. Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed thousands and left 1.5 million people displaced. The group wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in the northeast of Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and top oil exporter.
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| Taiwan opposition leader vows to keep up stability Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:35 PM PDT  Taiwan's main opposition leader sought to assure Washington on Wednesday that if she wins next year's presidential elections she would work to maintain stability with China amid regional volatility. On a 12-day visit to the United States, Tsai is seeking to improve relations between her party and the island's leading ally ahead of the 2016 elections in which she is seen taking a strong lead over the embattled Kuomintang ruling party. The US has "an abiding interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Harf added.
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| Honduran leader acknowledges campaign funds tied to scandal Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:34 PM PDT TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' president acknowledged Wednesday that his election campaign received financing from businesspeople linked to a social security embezzlement and graft scandal that has sparked large protests, but denied any personal involvement. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:32 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan is increasingly relying on a "cheap but dangerous" national militia of some 30,000 fighters, some of whom have committed serious abuses in the communities they are supposed to protect, an international research group said Thursday. The International Crisis Group said members of the militia force, known as the Afghan Local Police, have killed civilians and committed fraud, theft, rape, kidnapping, drugs trafficking and extortion. |
| Tanaka strong in return, Yankees sweep Seattle with 3-1 win Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:18 PM PDT  SEATTLE (AP) — In an effort not to overstress his arm, the goal was to get New York Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka into the sixth inning in 80 pitches in his return from the disabled list.
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| Probe Nigeria military top brass for war crimes: Amnesty Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:10 PM PDT  Amnesty International said Wednesday there was sufficient evidence for the International Criminal Court to probe senior Nigerian officers for war crimes in the battle against Boko Haram, prompting an angry rejection by the country's military. Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari promised to look into the allegations, which target five senior officers and are based on leaked defence ministry documents and hundreds of interviews. "This administration will leave no stone unturned to promote the rule of law and deal with all cases of human rights abuses," Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement.
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| Nigerian leader vows to look into Amnesty report alleging army war crimes Posted: 03 Jun 2015 04:00 PM PDT Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday promised to look into an Amnesty International report urging the International Criminal Court to probe senior military officers for war crimes in the battle against Boko Haram. "I assure you that your report will be looked into," an official statement quoted Buhari as saying in Niger's capital Niamey, in his first reaction to the group's 133-page report. "This administration will leave no stone unturned to promote the rule of law and deal with all cases of human rights abuses," he said in the statement issued by his spokesman, Shehu Garba. |
| Greek talks 'very good', to resume in a few days: Dijsselbloem Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:59 PM PDT  Brussels (AFP) - Crunch bailout talks between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker went well and further discussions will be held soon, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Thursday.
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| Lawyer of ex-dictator Rios Montt is slain in Guatemala Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:58 PM PDT  Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday shot dead an attorney for Guatemala's former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who has been charged with genocide during the Central American nation's civil war, authorities said. Francisco Palomo was driving in his car when gunmen unloaded a hail of bullets, striking him at least 12 times, and killing him in broad daylight in a busy commercial area of Guatemala City, said firefighters spokesman Raul Hernandez. Palomo, 63, was a former constitutional court magistrate, as well as a lead attorney for Rios Montt, whose case is unique in that it marked the first time a former dictator was charged in a domestic and not international court.
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| Al-Qaeda's Syria chief says IS caliphate 'illegitimate' Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:56 PM PDT  The chief of Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate described the rival Islamic State group's self-proclaimed caliphate as "illegitimate", in a wide-ranging television interview aired on Wednesday. In the second part of his appearance on the Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera news channel, Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohamed al-Jolani criticised IS at length and said he did not foresee a reconciliation between the two jihadist groups soon. "They announced a caliphate, but the scholars rejected it as illegitimate.
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| Plains All says California pipeline not to restart in June Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:54 PM PDT (Reuters) - Plains All American Pipeline said it does not expect to restart before June 30 its pipeline that spilled hundreds of barrels of oil on the coast of Santa Barbara, California last month. Plains All American said it could not estimate the costs related to the spill and the civil, regulatory or criminal proceedings that may be brought against it, but expects its insurance to cover some of these costs. Excluding expenses related to the incident, Plains All American maintained its second-quarter adjusted EBITDA forecast of $435 million-$485 million. |
| Hurricanes, Stormers in critical Super Rugby matches Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:54 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Matches between the Hurricanes and Highlanders in New Zealand and the Stormers and Lions in South Africa may be the most critical in the 17th round of Super Rugby as nine teams vie for six playoffs spots this weekend. |
| US officials: Encryption hinders monitoring extremists Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:53 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The growing use of encrypted communications and private messaging by supporters of the Islamic State group is complicating efforts to monitor terror suspects and extremists, U.S. law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
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| Curbs on NSA reflect shifting US mood Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:45 PM PDT  Curbing the US government's power to collect telephone records is a victory of sorts for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden that reflects shifting public opinion about the surveillance state a decade after 9/11, analysts say. In the immediate aftermath of September 11, "Americans were afraid and not really concerned" about the sweeping intelligence-gathering powers imbedded in the Patriot Act, said Neema Singh Guliani, a legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) focusing on privacy and surveillance issues. Stirring that conversation was Snowden's stated desire when the 31-year-old National Security Agency contractor leaked details of the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' telephone metadata.
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| Argentines hold mass rallies condemning violence against women Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:42 PM PDT  Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on Wednesday to condemn violence against women after a series of brutal murders. Carrying signs with slogans like "machismo kills" and "enough deaths," Argentines flooded the streets of Buenos Aires and more than 100 other cities. Marches were also held in Chile, Uruguay and Mexico.
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| Australian football chief says 2022 Qatar process not clean Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:31 PM PDT  The chairman of Football Federation Australia says bidding for the 2022 World Cup awarded to Qatar was not clean, explaining in an extraordinary open letter Wednesday how he felt Australia never had a chance to be given hosting rights.
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| Puerto Rico governor supports privatizing power production Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:27 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor said Wednesday that he supports privatizing electricity production in the U.S. territory as officials seek to restructure the island's troubled public power company. |
| West Indies out for 148, Australia on 85-3 on day 1 of test Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:25 PM PDT  ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Pace bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson took three wickets apiece on Wednesday as Australia skittled the West Indies for 148 on the first day of their first test at Windsor Park.
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| West Indies hit back after batting collapse Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:21 PM PDT  West Indies squandered a promising position, losing their last nine wickets for 85 runs to be dismissed for 148 in their first innings on the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Dominica on Wednesday. At stumps, Australia were 85 for three in reply, the in-form Steve Smith and debutant Adam Voges set to resume on the second morning after the home bowlers battled hard to prevent the visitors from completely dominating day one. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson led the rout of the West Indies with three wickets each on a surface that held few terrors for the batsmen.
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| U.N. aims for June 14 Yemen talks in Geneva, say diplomats Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:20 PM PDT  The United Nations is planning to convene peace talks between Yemen's warring factions in Geneva on June 14, a date agreed to by the war-torn country's exiled government but not yet supported by Houthi militia, diplomats said on Wednesday. The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, briefed the U.N. Security Council behind closed doors on Wednesday. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that while the Riyadh-based Yemeni government had agreed to meet in Geneva on June 14, the Houthis had not yet consented, according to diplomats at the briefing, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| Research group: Afghan pro-government militias running amok Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:11 PM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan is increasingly relying on a "cheap but dangerous" national militia of some 30,000 fighters, some of whom have committed serious abuses in the communities they are supposed to protect, an international research group said Thursday.
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| UN effort to allow EU migrant plan 'paused' without Libya OK Posted: 03 Jun 2015 03:07 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A U.N. Security Council effort to authorize a European Union plan to combat a startling surge of migrant smuggling in the Mediterranean has "paused" as efforts continue in Brussels to secure Libya's crucial consent, two council diplomats said Wednesday. |
| Taiwan president candidate seeks stable relations with China Posted: 03 Jun 2015 02:58 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate said that if she comes to power in January elections, her government would have a responsibility to contribute to peace and stability in relations with mainland China.
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| Former assistant accuses Salazar of encouraging doping Posted: 03 Jun 2015 02:57 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Long-distance running coach Alberto Salazar's former assistant is among those accusing the American of violating anti-doping rules and encouraging doping by one of his top runners, Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp. |
| Judge in Blazer case unsure how to pronounce FIFA Posted: 03 Jun 2015 02:56 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — FIFA may be famous throughout the world. In the Brooklyn court room of U.S. District Judge U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie, not so much. |
| Russia wants answers about Syria chlorine attacks Posted: 03 Jun 2015 02:55 PM PDT  Russia backs moves to determine who is responsible for a wave of chlorine gas attacks in Syria that the West blames on the Damascus regime, Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday. "We support the need to find those people who are behind it," Churkin said.
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