| 'Heads as well as hearts': Croatia says it can take no more migrants Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:22 PM PDT  By Maja Zuvela and Igor Ilic TOVARNIK, Croatia/ZAGREB (Reuters) - After suddenly landing in the path of the biggest migration in Europe for decades, Croatia said on Friday it could no longer offer them refuge and would wave them onwards, challenging the EU to find a policy to receive them. The migrants, mostly from poor or war-torn countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, have streamed into Croatia since Wednesday, after Hungary blocked what had been the main route with a metal fence and riot police at its border with Serbia. "We cannot register and accommodate these people any longer," Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told a news conference in the capital Zagreb.
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| Obama chips away at Cuba embargo, easing business and travel rules Posted: 18 Sep 2015 01:24 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration announced wide-ranging new rules on Friday to further ease trade, travel and investment restrictions with Cuba, the latest effort to chip away at the long-standing U.S. economic embargo amid a thaw between the former Cold War foes. The changes will allow certain U.S. companies to establish offices on Cuba for the first time in decades, expand banking and Internet activities and eliminate limits on the amount of money that can be taken to the Communist-ruled island, U.S. officials said. Aides to President Barack Obama touted the moves, which he implemented with his executive powers in defiance of critics in Congress, as a way to boost business and promote economic and political reform in Cuba.
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| U.S. sees military talks with Russia on Syria as important next step: Kerry Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:10 AM PDT  U.S. President Barack Obama believes that holding military talks with Russia on Syria is an important next step and hopes they will take place very shortly, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday. Russia, which is building up a military presence in Syria, was quick to say that Moscow was also ready for talks with the United States. At a meeting in London with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Kerry said the U.S. president hoped that talks would "help define some of the different options available to us as we consider next steps in Syria".
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| China 'extremely concerned' by proposed U.S. challenge to claims Posted: 18 Sep 2015 01:48 AM PDT  China said on Friday it was "extremely concerned" about a suggestion from a top U.S. commander that U.S. ships and aircraft should challenge China's claims in the South China Sea by patrolling close to artificial islands it has built. China's increasingly assertive action to back up its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea have included land reclamation and the construction of ports and air facilities on several reefs in the Spratly Islands. The work has rattled China's neighbors, in particular U.S. ally the Philippines, and raised concern in the United States.
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| Taliban gunmen kill 17 in attack on Pakistan air force base Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:37 AM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban gunmen stormed a Pakistani air force base early on Friday, killing at least 17 people, most of whom were offering prayers in a mosque, a military spokesman said, the deadliest such attack in years. The assault shows the Taliban retain the capability to mount devastating attacks despite a military campaign and tougher government measures against them following the massacre of more than 150 people at an army-run school last December. Sixteen of Friday's victims were at morning prayers, and a captain died leading the counter-attack against the raiders, 13 of whom were killed, Major General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.
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| Syrian army reversals spook Kremlin into hasty military build-up Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:35 AM PDT  By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - For Vladimir Putin, Russia's military build-up in Syria is a potential diplomatic trump card and a handy way of diverting attention from Ukraine's frozen conflict. When it saw several months ago that Syrian government forces were retreating on several fronts at a rate that threatened President Bashar al-Assad, its closest Middle East ally, the Kremlin quietly decided to despatch more men, weaponry and armor, diplomats and analysts told Reuters. "The situation at the front was pretty serious if not critical," said Ivan Konovalov, director of the Center for Strategic Trend Studies in Moscow.
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| Gaza rockets target southern Israel, spark air raid Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:47 PM PDT  Two rockets were fired into southern Israel by Palestinian militants in Gaza on Friday, causing no casualties but triggering a series of Israeli air raids. One of the rockets hit a parked bus in the town of Sderot, while the Israeli army said the second was destroyed by its "Iron Dome" defence system over the town of Ashkelon. Israeli warplanes then bombed a base of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist movement Hamas, in northern Gaza, according to a witness and a security official in Gaza.
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| Wounded come home as Mexico demands Egypt compensation Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:43 PM PDT  On stretchers and in wheelchairs, six Mexican tourists hurt in a mistaken Egyptian air strike that killed eight others returned home Friday, as Mexico pressed for compensation for the victims. President Enrique Pena Nieto visited the five women and one man at a public hospital in Mexico city hours after they returned on the presidential plane with the country's foreign minister. Pena Nieto told reporters that he assured the patients that his government would "accompany them in this legal process" to obtain compensation for the attack.
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| Tiger Woods has second microdiscectomy surgery on back Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:42 PM PDT  With his game ailing, Tiger Woods announced he underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery on his back.
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| US, Chinese governors to meet in Seattle Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:37 PM PDT SEATTLE (AP) — Five governors from U.S. states will meet with Chinese counterparts Tuesday to discuss clean technology and economic development as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Seattle. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:32 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament has approved contentious legislation that enhances the role of the country's military by loosening post-World War II constraints, as the ruling bloc defeated opposition parties' last-ditch effort to block a vote. The upper house's approval in the early hours of Saturday makes the legislation into law, reinterpreting Japan's constitution and fundamentally changing the way it uses its military. Opponents say it violates Japan's constitution and puts the country at risk of becoming embroiled in U.S.-led wars. |
| Opposition leader's daughter seeks US pressure on Malaysia Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The daughter of imprisoned Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is urging U.S. officials to press the government to allow him medical treatment and release him. |
| Parkway to hold about a quarter-million for papal mass Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:28 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The parkway where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass will be able to hold about 250,000 of the million or more people organizers have projected will attend the service, a new estimate shows. |
| Venezuelan fighter jet crashes on Colombia border Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:14 PM PDT  A Venezuelan fighter jet crashed on the border with Colombia during an operation to intercept an "illicit aircraft," killing its two pilots, the government said Friday. The two countries have been locked in a border conflict for a month after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the closure of part of the frontier, saying some of his military were attacked by Colombian paramilitaries during an anti-smuggling operation. The Venezuelan plane was Thursday night chasing an "illicit aircraft that entered the northwestern part of the country (Venezuela) headed south toward the border with Colombia," Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a statement.
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| Slovenia border police fire tear gas at migrants Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:09 PM PDT  Slovenian police used tear gas late on Friday to disperse a group of migrants on its border as the country's government said it was considering opening safe corridors for refugees to pass through the tiny Alpine country. The incident happened at the Harmica border crossing as several hundred migrants demanded to be allowed to enter Slovenia. After over an hour of tension, riot police used tear gas to stop migrants, some with children, that were pushing against a police cordon at a bridge on the border.
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| Croatia buses out migrants as Europe tensions mount Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:07 PM PDT  Overwhelmed Croatia on Friday began bussing hundreds of migrants to its border with Hungary, ratcheting up tensions in Europe's refugee crisis as a string of countries closed their frontiers. With Croatia claiming it had reached saturation point after more than 17,000 people arrived on its soil in the last two days, it began channelling the flow towards hardline Hungary, which has vowed to "defend its borders" from the influx. Hours earlier, Budapest had started building a new anti-migrant fence along part of the Croatian frontier, sparking a diplomatic row between the neighbours as Budapest accused Zagreb of inciting refugees to break its draconian new border laws.
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| Surging Day leads BMW Championship by five strokes Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:56 PM PDT  Jason Day rolled in a 43-foot eagle putt at the 18th hole on Friday to equal the lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history and seize a five-shot lead in the BMW Championship. Day also had a leg up on world number two Jordan Spieth and number one Rory McIlroy, who could see the currently third-ranked Australian leap-frog to the top of the world rankings with a victory on Sunday. Spieth, who played alongside Day in the first two rounds, fired a second-round 66 for a share of fourth on 132, alongside fellow American Kevin Na, who also carded a 66.
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| It's Jason Day and everyone else at BMW Championship Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:56 PM PDT  LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — As Jason Day's long eagle putt at the last hole rolled down the hill and toward the hole, every revolution of the ball only added to the sense of inevitability.
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| Canada Liberals support veil in election pledge Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:47 PM PDT  A Canadian Liberal government would allow new citizens to wear a veil at citizenship ceremonies, its leader said Friday, bucking popular opinion just a month away from elections. The position on the niqab, which covers all the face except the eyes, differs strikingly from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's ruling Tories, who have fought a court battle to prevent just that and this week vowed to enshrine a niqab ban into law. Justin Trudeau -- whose centrist Liberal Party is neck and neck with the Conservatives and leftist New Democrats in opinion polls -- said that if elected on October 19 his party would halt an appeal of a Federal Court of Appeal ruling this week that effectively quashed the ban.
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| England beat Fiji by flattering 35-11 in RWC opener Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:36 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — After the fireworks and razzle-dazzle of a fun opening ceremony, the Rugby World Cup's first match was a fizzer as England accounted for Fiji by a flattering 35-11 at Twickenham on Friday.
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| Brown makes big impression for England with 2 tries vs. Fiji Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:34 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Fullback Mike Brown timed it just right to make his biggest impression yet for England.
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| Japan enhances military's role as security bills pass Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:33 PM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament has approved contentious legislation that enhances the role of the country's military by loosening post-World War II constraints, as the ruling bloc defeated opposition parties' last-ditch effort to block a vote.
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| Lithuania edges Serbia 67-64 to reach Eurobasket final Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:24 PM PDT  LILLE, France (AP) — Lithuania beat Serbia 67-64 on Friday to advance to the final of the European basketball championship and clinch a slot at next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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| Havana spruces up for pope visit Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:23 PM PDT  Havana has received a rush makeover ahead of Pope Francis's arrival in Cuba on Saturday with newly paved streets, a renovated cathedral, repainted buildings and billboards of the pontiff plastered across the city. On the Cuban capital's iconic Revolution Square, where Francis will give mass Sunday, workers have erected a massive altar and a sacristy painted in white and yellow -- the colors of the Vatican -- as well as three sets of stands for journalists and a 230-voice choir. The square is decked out with enormous Catholic posters and Cuban and Vatican flags which flutter near a 36-meter (118-foot) sculpture of revolutionary Che Guevara's silhouetted face.
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| Davis Cup semis: Belgium-Argentina, Britain-Australia level Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:18 PM PDT  Australia's Bernard Tomic beat Dan Evans in four sets after Andy Murray gave Britain the early lead to leave its Davis Cup semifinal at Glasgow level at 1-1 on Friday.
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| Lessons from 2010 quake saved lives in Chile: experts Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:16 PM PDT  Lessons learned from a devastating quake five years ago when Chile's authorities were accused of failing the population helped limit the toll from this week's powerful earthquake, experts say. Twelve people were killed in the 8.3-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami that ravaged a stretch of Chile's northern coast in the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. "Chile's investment in resilient infrastructure, early warning systems and urban planning have ensured that casualties have been low on this occasion, despite the intensity of the earthquake," Margareta Wahlstroem, head of the UN disaster reduction agency UNISDR, said in a statement on the quake response.
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| 'We will win' says Tsipras as Greece vote goes down to wire Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:13 PM PDT  Alexis Tsipras wound up his campaign to be re-elected Greek prime minister by declaring his victory would strike a blow for Europe's left, as final polls Friday gave him a slim lead. The return of his Syriza party to power after Sunday's vote would deliver "a key message for Europe", Tsipras told thousands of supporters in his last electoral rally in Athens. "Do we want a Europe of austerity or one of solidarity and democracy?
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| US stocks fall sharply as investors mull Fed's rate decision Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:12 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Fears over slowing global growth hammered stocks in the U.S. and Europe on Friday and lifted prices of government bonds and other assets seen as safer bets.
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| Brown double secures nervy England win over Fiji in World Cup opener Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:12 PM PDT  Mike Brown scored two tries as England claimed a nervy 35-11 win over Fiji in the World Cup opening match at Twickenham on Friday. Billy Vunipola scored a last gasp try that gave the victory respectability and maximum bonus points in Pool A. England captain Chris Robshaw blamed the "emotion" of the World Cup for the jittery start, but insisted Fiji deserved "credit".
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| Russia and US defense chiefs in Syria talks Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:05 PM PDT  Russia and the United States launched military talks on the Syrian conflict on Friday as Moscow stepped up its buildup of forces in the war-torn country. The phone conversation between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ended an 18-month freeze in military relations triggered by NATO anger over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis. Russia's defense ministry said the talk marks a resumption of military-to-military cooperation between the countries and that the practise would continue, although Washington was a little more circumspect.
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| Forbes: International athletes made biggest gains since 1995 Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:00 PM PDT The highest-paid athletes today are far wealthier than they were 20 years ago, and fewer Americans rank among the top earners, according to a study from Forbes. |
| Canada's enforcer ready to rumble at Rugby World Cup Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:58 PM PDT  CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — As the last vestiges of rugby's amateur era disappear, some of the game's older players hark back to the days when an on-field punch-up was followed by a handshake and a couple of beers in the locker room.
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| Europeans shut borders, block bridges, to halt migrant surge Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:51 PM PDT  ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Thousands of migrants were trapped Friday in a vicious tug-of-war as bickering European governments shut border crossings, blocked bridges and erected new barbed-wire fences in a bid to stem the wave of humanity fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
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| Obama, Raul Castro speak ahead of pope's visit to US, Cuba Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:50 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro had a rare phone call Friday ahead of Pope Francis' impending visit to both their nations.
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| Gwen Jorgensen wins Chicago triathlon to take world title Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:47 PM PDT CHICAGO (AP) — Gwen Jorgensen won the ITU World Triathlon Series' Grand Final on Friday for her second straight season championship. |
| How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Friday Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:47 PM PDT Fears over slowing global growth hammered stocks in the U.S. on Friday and lifted prices of government bonds and other assets seen as safer bets. The selling came a day after the Federal Reserve decided to hold interest rates near zero, citing low inflation and a weak global economy. |
| Getafe beats Malaga 1-0 in Spanish league Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:37 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Serbia forward Stefan Scepovic scored an early goal to give Getafe a 1-0 win against Malaga in the Spanish league on Friday. |
| Muslims flock to hajj despite deadly crane collapse Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:30 PM PDT  Pilgrims from around the world have begun massing in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, one of the biggest gatherings on the planet, undeterred by a crane collapse that killed 108 people at Islam's holiest site. More than 1.2 million faithful have already arrived for the annual hajj, which begins on Tuesday against a backdrop of increased jihadi violence, a surge of the deadly MERS virus and with the kingdom at war in Yemen. From all races and ages, they flocked into the Grand Mosque, where they prayed -- some silently in tears and others loudly in groups carrying their countries' flags.
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| Migrants blocked in Turkey inch towards Greek border Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:29 PM PDT  Several hundred migrants who were blocked by police in northwest Turkey from crossing a land border to Greece this week drew a few kilometres closer to their destination Friday after the authorities briefly opened the route. There were jubilant scenes as the crowd of mostly Syrian refugees who have been camping at the side of the road outside the city of Edirne for four days, began to advance towards the border. Chanting and whistling, faces wreathed in smiles, the refugees surged forward after the riot police that stood between them and the last leg of their journey to the EU turned on their heels and led the group down the road.
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| The Latest: England fans applaud Fiji warmly after RWC loss Posted: 18 Sep 2015 02:27 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — The Latest from the Rugby World Cup:
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