| Turkey, U.S. aim for zone cleared of Islamic State in northern Syria Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:46 PM PDT  By Nick Tattersall and Phil Stewart ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey and the United States are working on plans to provide air cover for Syrian rebels and jointly sweep Islamic State fighters from a strip of land along the Turkish border, bolstering the NATO member's security and possibly providing a safe haven for civilians. Long a reluctant member of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, Turkey last week made a dramatic turnaround by granting the alliance access to its air bases and bombarding targets in Syria linked to the jihadist movement. Struggling with more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees, Turkey has long campaigned for a "no-fly zone" in northern Syria to keep Islamic State and Kurdish militants from its border and help stem the tide of displaced civilians trying to cross.
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| Obama says yet to hear good argument against Iran nuclear deal Posted: 27 Jul 2015 05:38 AM PDT  U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday said he was yet to hear a strong factual argument against a nuclear deal with Iran and criticized rhetoric about the agreement from some leading members of the Republican party. Obama, speaking in Ethiopia during a tour of African nations, said the majority of the world's nuclear scientists and non-proliferation experts backed the July 14 accord, indicating it was the best way to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. "There is a reason why 99 percent of the world thinks it's a good deal -- it's because it's a good deal," Obama said during a joint press conference with Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn in the capital Addis Ababa.
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| Kerry heads for Egypt and the Gulf to discuss Iran deal, ISIS Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:40 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for talks on the recent nuclear deal between major powers and Iran and the fight against Islamic State militants, then he will head to Southeast Asia, where countries share U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims. Kerry will visit Cairo on Aug. 2 for a session of the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, a forum that "reaffirms the United States' longstanding and enduring partnership with Egypt," the State Department said on Monday.
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| Houthis, foes fight on as Yemen ceasefire quickly unravels Posted: 27 Jul 2015 05:55 AM PDT  By Mohammed Ghobari and Mohammed Mukhashef SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi group carried on fighting across Yemen on Monday despite a ceasefire announcement by its Saudi-led foes, and media controlled by the Iran-allied movement acknowledged that its forces had shelled targets inside Saudi Arabia. The violence prolongs a four-month-old conflict rooted in political strains that spread across the Arabian Peninsula country last year, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and pushed aside President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a U.S. ally. This angered the Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf Arab states led by Riyadh, which regards the once obscure Houthis, who hail from Yemen's northern highlands, as terrorists.
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| Obama says more political openness would strengthen Ethiopia Posted: 27 Jul 2015 07:51 AM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told Ethiopia's leaders on Monday that allowing more political freedoms would strengthen the African nation, which had already lifted millions out of a poverty once rooted in recurring famine. Obama was speaking after talks with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on the first trip by a U.S. president to Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, which is often criticized for its rights record. Ethiopia's opposition failed to secure a single seat in a May parliamentary election, drawing skepticism from Washington, which has also criticized Ethiopia's detention of bloggers and journalists.
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| Nine killed in day-long Indian gun battle near Pakistani border Posted: 27 Jul 2015 07:52 AM PDT  By Andrew MacAskill DINANAGAR, India (Reuters) - Indian police overcame a group of gunmen dressed in military fatigues on Monday after a 12-hour battle that ended in a small-town police station near the border with Pakistan, and at least nine people were killed. Police in the frontier state of Punjab killed three unidentified assailants who had pulled up at the police complex in a stolen car, automatic weapons blazing, at about 5 a.m. (2330 GMT Sunday). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his top ministers have not made detailed statements on the attack, which came weeks after he met Pakistan's premier Nawaz Sharif in an attempt to revive stalled relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
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| South Korea declares end of MERS outbreak: Yonhap Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT  South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn on Tuesday declared the deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was over, Yonhap news agency reported. Thirty-six people died out of the 186 infected in the MERS outbreak, the biggest of the virus outside Saudi Arabia, following the first diagnosis on May 20. "After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry," Hwang said in a meeting with government officials, Yonhap reported.
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| Strong earthquake hits Indonesia's Papua: USGS Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:37 PM PDT  A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the eastern Indonesian province of Papua on Tuesday, US seismologists said, causing panicked people to run out of their homes. No tsunami warning was issued after the quake, which struck inland, and Indonesia's national disaster agency said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The tremor hit at 6:41 am (2141 GMT Monday), almost 250 kilometres (150 miles) west of the provincial capital Jayapura at a depth of 52 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
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| Strong earthquake rocks Indonesia's Papua province Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:34 PM PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A strong earthquake has rocked Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:33 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The weapons of Afghanistan's long decades of war can be seen almost everywhere, from the burned-out hulks of Soviet tanks to the Kalashnikov assault rifles slung over policemen's shoulders and helicopter gunships roaring overhead. It should be no surprise then that young children play "police and Taliban," chasing each other around with toy guns and weaponry designed to mimic the real thing. And like the real war, there have been casualties. |
| Swedish wreck divers claim 'Russian mini sub' discovery Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:23 PM PDT  Swedish wreck divers said Monday they had found the wreck of a Russian mini-submarine in Swedish territorial waters, nine months after a high-profile hunt in Sweden for a mystery submarine. "It is they who claim it's a submarine," Swedish Armed Forces spokesman Anders Kallin told AFP. According to Stefan Hogeborn, a diver from the Ocean X Team company that made the discovery, the vessel is "completely intact" with "no visible damage to the hull" and the hatches closed.
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| Nigeria's Buhari to visit Cameroon for talks on Boko Haram Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:04 PM PDT  Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to neighbouring Cameroon on Wednesday for talks with that country's President Paul Biya on combatting the regional threat from Boko Haram, Nigerian officials said. "President Buhari is going to Cameroon on Wednesday. Since his inauguration on May 29, Buhari has already visited Chad and Niger, two other neighbours of Nigeria that, like Cameroon, have been targeted in cross-border attacks by the Nigeria-based jihadists.
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| Libyan city Benghazi plunges into darkness as fighting hits power plants Posted: 27 Jul 2015 03:46 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's eastern city of Benghazi has been plunged into darkness as clashes between pro-government forces and Islamist fighters have knocked out three of five power stations serving the city, the country's second largest, officials said on Monday. Power has been off for 16 hours a day in the port city where forces loyal to the official government based in the east have been fighting Islamist groups for 15 months in a battle that has turned parts of Benghazi into ruins. A spokesman at state power firm GECOL in Benghazi said output at the gas-fired main power plant was still stable at 650 megawatts on average a day, but three sub-stations distributing electricity inside the city had been damaged. |
| Jamaica airport police detain US woman with bullet in bag Posted: 27 Jul 2015 03:37 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Police in Jamaica say a U.S. tourist has been charged with illegal possession of ammunition after customs officials at an island airport allegedly found a bullet in her handbag. |
| US bans some Mexican cilantro after feces found in fields Posted: 27 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is banning imports of some fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico, after a government investigation found human feces and toilet paper in growing fields there. |
| Peru frees 39 people held by Shining Path rebels Posted: 27 Jul 2015 03:10 PM PDT  Authorities in Peru rescued 39 people, including 26 children, whom Maoist Shining Path rebels were raising in bondage as future rebel troops, the government said Monday. Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Vega told Canal N television the children were aged one to 14. The Shining Path has a camp in the area where it holds women who are raped to produce offspring as future troops, children and some elderly, according to Vega.
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| Saudi FM slams 'aggressive' Iran comments Posted: 27 Jul 2015 03:02 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Monday denounced "aggressive statements" by Iran, intensifying the verbal sparring between the regional rivals following a global deal on Tehran's nuclear programme. A day earlier, Iran's foreign ministry spokeswoman accused Saudi ally Bahrain of making "unfounded allegations" to foment "tension in the region", after Bahrain's interior ministry announced the detention of two men accused of trying to smuggle weapons from Iran. "This does not represent the intentions of a country seeking good relations," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said of the Iranian comments.
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| US, Turkey plan for 'safe zone' free of IS in northern Syria Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:50 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey and the United States have agreed on the outlines of a plan to rout the Islamic State group from a strip of Syrian territory along the Turkish border — a plan that opens the possibility of a safe haven for tens of thousands of displaced Syrians but one that also sets up a potential conflict with U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces in the area.
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| With Boston out, can Los Angeles revive a US Olympic bid? Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:50 PM PDT  Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympics was undercut by its own mayor, its skeptical public and, finally, leaders of the U.S. Olympic Committee, who were tired of the city's ever-changing blueprint.
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| Chadian forces in 'major' hunt for Boko Haram on Lake Chad Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:48 PM PDT  N'Djamena (AFP) - The Chadian army has launched a "major operation" to flush out jihadists from the Nigeria-based Boko Haram group from islands in Lake Chad, a security source said Monday. Chadian forces have "around 1,000 men positioned to occupy all the islands and neutralise Boko Haram", the security official said.
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| Impact acquire former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:40 PM PDT  MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Impact added an established scoring presence when they traded for former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba on Monday.
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| U.S. private sector vows to ante up on climate finance Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:35 PM PDT  By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of the biggest U.S. corporate names on Monday offered their support - and billions of dollars in green financing pledges - to buttress the Obama administration's quest for a global agreement on combating climate change. Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs and 10 other well-known companies joined the White House in launching the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, a campaign that the White House said would inject $140 billion in low-carbon investments into the global economy. Massive private sector commitments are seen by participants as essential to getting a global agreement on climate change in Paris in December.
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| U.S. softens view of Malaysia, Cuba in human trafficking report Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:31 PM PDT  By Jason Szep and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States took Malaysia off its list of worst offenders in human trafficking on Monday, removing a potential barrier to a signature Asia-Pacific trade pact despite opposition from human rights groups and nearly 180 U.S. lawmakers. The U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report also upgraded Cuba from its lowest rank for the first time since it was included in the annual report in 2003. South Sudan, Burundi, Belize, Belarus and Comoros were downgraded to the lowest rank, Tier 3, where Thailand remained for a second year, alongside countries with some of the world's worst trafficking records, including Iran, North Korea and Zimbabwe.
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| Turkish bombing of Kurds carries risk of instability Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:23 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's unexpected move to launch raids against Kurdish rebels at the same time it is cracking down on the Islamic State group risks ending a period of relative calm and stability for the country that has been a boon for the economy.
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| Swedish military investigating report of mini-sub wreck find Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:19 PM PDT HELSINKI (AP) — Sweden's military says it's investigating the discovery of a wreck of what could be a mini-submarine in its territorial waters. |
| US, Turkey join forces to drive Islamic State from Syria Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:15 PM PDT  The US and Turkey have agreed to work together to drive Islamic State (IS) jihadists from northern Syria, senior US officials said Monday, as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to press ahead with parallel strikes against Kurdish militants. The potentially game-changing accord with the US was revealed as Turkey fuelled the growing anger of its Kurdish minority by shelling a Kurdish-held village in northern Syria while its warplanes continued to pound Kurdish targets in northern Iraq. Details of the zone "remain to be worked out", the official, who asked not to be named, said during a visit by President Barack Obama to Ethiopia, while adding that "any joint military efforts will not include the imposition of a no-fly zone" -- a long standing Turkish demand.
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| Top officials from anti-ISIS coalition to meet in Canada: sources Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:11 PM PDT  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Senior officials from the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State forces will meet in Canada this week to discuss how to improve the effectiveness of the campaign, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said on Monday. Turkey and the United States are now working on plans to jointly sweep Islamic State fighters from a strip of land along the Turkish border. The Quebec City meeting of the so-called anti-ISIS Coalition Small Group will focus on all aspects of the struggle against ISIS, both military and political, the two sources said.
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| Egypt police kill two suspected jihadists in Cairo raid Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:10 PM PDT  Egyptian police killed two alleged jihadists suspected of involvement in the recent bombing of the Italian consulate in Cairo in a raid Monday on an apartment in the capital, security officials said. "The two jihadists belonged to Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) and investigations reveal that they could be involved in the bombing of the Italian consulate," one official said, adding they were also wanted "for their role in assassinating policemen". The Islamic State group had claimed the July 11 bombing of the consulate -- the first such attack on a foreign mission in Egypt since jihadists launched a campaign against the country's security forces two years ago following a crackdown on Islamists.
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| Ed Sheeran to star in TV medieval epic Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:08 PM PDT  British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose music career has been soaring, will play a recurring role in a television epic about a medieval warrior, a report said Monday. Sheeran, who was the most popular artist globally last year on streaming service Spotify, will appear on "The Bastard Executioner" series on the FX network, The Hollywood Reporter said. Sheeran was a professed fan of "Sons of Anarchy" and performed a song for one of its final episodes.
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| Paramilitary police commander killed in Turkey: hospital source Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:08 PM PDT  Gunmen in a predominantly Kurdish part of eastern Turkey shot dead a paramilitary police commander late on Monday, a hospital source said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killing in Mus province but suspicions fell on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has claimed several attacks on Turkish security forces over the past few days. Ankara has expanded its cross-border offensive on Islamic State jihadists in Syria to include PKK positions in northern Iraq, after deadly attacks inside Turkey blamed on the Kurdish separatists.
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| Plunge in Chinese shares helps send global markets lower Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:04 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The worst drop in China's stock market in eight years helped drag down other markets around the world Monday.
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| Sweden investigates if wreck in its waters is Russian submarine Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:01 PM PDT The Swedish military is studying a video taken by shipwreck hunters who say it shows a wrecked submarine just off the eastern coast of Sweden which appears to be Russian, a spokesman said on Monday. The discovery comes less than a year after Swedish troops and ships unsuccessfully hunted for a Russian submarine reportedly cited near Stockholm, in the country's biggest military mobilization since the Cold War. Swedish Armed Forces spokesman Anders Kallin did not say whether the military also believed it was a Russian submarine. |
| Greece launches bailout talks as Plan B details revealed Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:57 PM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's government on Monday launched complex bailout negotiations with creditors, but faced rebuke following revelations that former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, formed a secret committee to plan for the possible conversion of euros into drachmas "at a drop of a hat."
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| Delta Air to buy stake in China Eastern Airlines Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:53 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Delta said it will pay $450 million to buy a stake in China Eastern Airlines as the Atlanta-based airline seeks to expand into China's fast-growing travel industry. |
| Amnesty: Mexico bodies report highlights 'shocking' crisis Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:52 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The discovery of 129 bodies in clandestine graves during months of searching for 43 missing students highlights a crisis of disappearances in Mexico, Amnesty International said Monday.
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| Mexico national team coach allegedly hits TV journalist Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:52 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The coach of Mexico's national soccer team is known for his histrionic displays of emotion during games.
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| Somalia hotel truck bomb toll rises to 15 Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:51 PM PDT  MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The massive truck bomb that killed 15 people, including a Kenyan diplomat, and wrecked Somalia's premier hotel has stunned the capital and raised fears Monday that the Islamic extremist al-Shabab rebels are escalating their violence.
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| Alleged German Hells Angels boss bailed in Spain Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:48 PM PDT  A Spanish judge freed on bail Monday a German suspected of being a top leader of the Hells Angels biker gang on money-laundering and prostitution-related charges, a judicial source said. The National Court in Madrid released Frank Hanebuth, suspected to be one of the top Hells Angels in Europe, and his alleged number two Khalil Yousafi, after they each paid bail of 60,000 euros ($67,000), the source told AFP. Hanebuth had been in detention pending investigations since being arrested two years ago on the Mediterranean resort island of Mallorca along with 24 other suspects, in one of a series of Spanish raids against the gang.
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| How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Monday Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:45 PM PDT Stocks fell broadly around the globe on Monday, a reaction to a steep drop in the Chinese market. The losses follow declines in U.S. markets last week, when the three major indexes fell between 2 to 3 percent each. Global economic growth concerns remain the main focus for investors. |
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