| Greece and creditors fail in 'last attempt' to reach deal Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:25 PM PDT  By Jan Strupczewski and Renee Maltezou BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Talks on ending a deadlock between Greece and its international creditors broke up in failure on Sunday, with European leaders venting their frustration as Athens stumbled closer toward a debt default that threatens its future in the euro. European Union officials blamed the collapse on Athens, saying it had failed to offer anything new to secure the funding it needs to repay 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to the International Monetary Fund by the end of this month. Athens insists it will never give in to demands for more pension and wage cuts.
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| U.S. plans to store heavy arms in Baltic, Eastern Europe - source Posted: 14 Jun 2015 11:14 AM PDT  The United States plans 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, U.S. officials said. The move would be the first time Washington has stationed heavy military equipment in the newer NATO member states that were once in the Soviet sphere of influence or - in the case of the three Baltic republics - part of the Soviet Union.
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| South Africa court bars indicted Sudan leader from leaving Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:01 PM PDT  By Ed Cropley and Joe Brock JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African judge barred Sudan's indicted president from leaving the country on Sunday, in a deepening rift between Africa and the West over what Pretoria called anti-poor country bias in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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| Libya says Algerian militant Belmokhtar killed in U.S. strike Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:55 PM PDT  TRIPOLI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Libya's recognized government said on Sunday that Algerian veteran militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a major figure in North African and Sahel Islamist insurgencies, has been killed in a U.S. air strike inside Libya. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense said the U.S. military conducted a counter terrorism strike against an al Qaeda-associated target in Libya on Saturday night, but were assessing results before providing more details. "The Libyan government in the east of Libya confirms that the U.S fighter jets conducted air strikes last night in a mission which resulted in the death of the terrorist Belmokhtar," Libya's recognized government said.
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| Islamic State turns to widescreen TV propaganda in Iraq Posted: 14 Jun 2015 11:51 AM PDT  Islamic State militants have set up giant television screens in the Iraqi city of Ramadi and are using them to proclaim that they will seize more Iraqi territory after capturing the provincial capital last month, residents said. Efforts by the Shi'ite Muslim-led government and its American allies to break the hardline group's control of about a third of Iraq are currently focused on Ramadi, in Sunni Muslim heartland Anbar province. "They have started to show videos of their military operations in Iraq and also show confessions by captured soldiers," said the owner of a small food shop near one of the screens in central Ramadi.
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| Syrian Kurds battle Islamic State for town at Turkish border Posted: 14 Jun 2015 09:36 AM PDT  By Seyhmus Cakan and Tom Perry SANLIURFA, Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish-led militia backed by U.S.-led air strikes fought Islamic State near a Syrian town at the Turkish border on Sunday, a monitoring group and a Kurdish official said, in an advance that has worried Turkey. Concerned about an expansion of Kurdish sway in Syria, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Kurdish groups were taking over areas evacuated by Arabs and Turkmen, saying that might eventually threaten Turkey's borders. The Kurdish-led YPG, working with the U.S.-led alliance and small Syrian rebel groups, has pushed into Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa province, threatening one of its supply lines to the jihadists' de facto capital, Raqqa city.
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| Inbee Park wins third consecutive Women's PGA Championship Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:49 PM PDT  HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) — Inbee Park won her third consecutive Women's PGA Championship on Sunday and accomplished a whole lot more.
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| Algerian jihadist Belmokhtar killed in US strike: Libya's recognised govt Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:45 PM PDT  Notorious Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar has been killed in a US airstrike in Libya, the strife-torn country's internationally recognised government said in a statement Sunday. "American jets conducted an operation which resulted in the deaths of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a group of Libyans belonging to a terrorist organisation in eastern Libya," said the statement, which was posted on Facebook. One-eyed Islamist commander Belmokhtar was the leader of the north African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
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| Park In-Bee wins major to return to number one Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:44 PM PDT  South Korean star Park In-Bee won the Women's PGA Championship for the third year in a row on Sunday to return to number one in the world in dominant style. Park finished with a five-under-par 68 for a record-equaling 19-under total of 273 and a huge five-shot victory over compatriot Kim Sei-Young in the second major of the LPGA season. Park joined Swedish great Annika Sorenstam as the only players to win three successive editions of the tournament which was formerly known as the LPGA Championship and was rebranded this year in a collaboration between the LPGA and the PGA of America.
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| MERS cases in South Korea rise to 150 with five more, one death Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:35 PM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's health ministry reported five new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Monday, taking the total to 150 in an outbreak that is the largest outside Saudi Arabia. The ministry also said a patient infected with the MERS virus had died, the 16th fatality in an outbreak that began in May. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Paul Tait)
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| Fabian Gomez wins 1st PGA Tour title at St. Jude Classic Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:17 PM PDT  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Fabian Gomez held his native flag close while celebrating his first career PGA Tour title at the St. Jude Classic. A win to remember is even more special now he's the fifth champion from Argentina, joining mentor Jose Coceres, Angel Cabrera, Andres Romero and Roberto De Vicenzo.
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| Weak climate plans mean world set to overshoot temperature goal - IEA Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:04 PM PDT  By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - Countries' current pledges for greenhouse gas cuts will fail to achieve a peak in energy-related emissions by 2030 and likely result in a temperature rise of 2.6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the International Energy Agency said on Monday. An international deal to combat climate change is meant to be agreed in December but a meeting in Bonn, Germany, last week ended with little progress toward an agreement to keep average temperature rises within 2C. Based on proposals submitted to the United Nations, and energy policies in countries that have yet to produce plans, the amount of emissions the world can produce if it has a 50 percent chance of keeping to 2C will be exceeded by 2040 - just eight months later than if there were no proposals, the IEA said.
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| Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:03 PM PDT HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of people, many holding yellow umbrellas, marched in Hong Kong on Sunday to urge lawmakers to vote down Beijing-backed election reforms that sparked huge street protests last year, although the turnout was lower than organizers had expected. With a crucial vote on the southern Chinese financial hub's political future days away, pro-democracy supporters marched to city government headquarters to rally support for a veto of the government's electoral reform package. |
| Atletico Paranaense loses Brazilian league lead Posted: 14 Jun 2015 04:00 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Atletico Paranaense's four-match winning streak ended with a 2-1 loss to Gremio on Sunday, a result that cost the team the lead in the Brazilian league. |
| Colombia starts Copa America with loss 1-0 to Venezuela Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:44 PM PDT  RANCAGUA, Chile (AP) — Colombia got off to a disappointing start in the Copa America on Sunday, losing 1-0 to Venezuela in the first game for each team in the South American championship.
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| US launched airstrike on al-Qaida operative in Libya charged in leading attack on gas plant Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:34 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — US launched airstrike on al-Qaida operative in Libya charged in leading attack on gas plant. |
| Tattoos, nautical theme for Alexander McQueen collection Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:34 PM PDT  The Alexander McQueen label took centre-stage at London's fashion week for men on Sunday with a collection that drew heavily on tattoo art and nautical themes. Models wore creations with "wrestler jacquard" prints, while there was plenty of royal blue on show alongside the tattoo-inspired collection, which featured anchors and compasses on the sleeves. Sarah Burton became the brand's creative director in 2010, having worked alongside the label's late founder Lee McQueen for more than 14 years.
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| Montgomerie checks out OK for chest pains at senior tourney Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:33 PM PDT BELMONT, Massachusetts (AP) — Champions Tour points leader Colin Montgomerie checked out OK after heading to the hospital with chest pains during the Senior Players Championship. |
| Carlos weakens off Mexico, but heavy rains and strengthening seen Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:27 PM PDT  Tropical storm Carlos threatened Mexico's southwest Pacific coast with heavy rains on Sunday, and is likely to become a hurricane again as it barrels toward land, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Bracing for high winds, strong waves and downpours, Acapulco, the biggest city in the southwestern state of Guerrero, closed its port, and school classes were suspended in the state for Monday, local government authorities said. Acapulco's airport was still open on Sunday afternoon.
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| U.S. oil companies eye tropical disturbance in south Gulf of Mexico Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:27 PM PDT U.S. oil companies were closely watching a large tropical disturbance in the southern Gulf of Mexico, but were not changing operations despite the system's 70 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours, according the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Leading oil producer in the U.S.-regulated Gulf of Mexico Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell, said it was monitoring the storm on Sunday. The system does not yet have a closed circulation needed to classify it as a tropical storm or hurricane, but was producing winds near gale force or about 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour), or about half the strength of winds generated in the weakest hurricane. |
| Spain edges Belarus 1-0 in Del Bosque's 100th match Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:24 PM PDT  BORISOV, Belarus (AP) — David Silva scored to give Spain a 1-0 win against Belarus in coach Vicente del Bosque's 100th match in charge on Sunday, as the two-time defending champion moved closer to qualifying for Euro 2016.
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| Nuclear weapons states upgrade warheads despite disarmament Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:06 PM PDT  Nuclear armed states continue to upgrade their stockpiles despite an international trend towards disarmament, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported Monday. Between 2010 and 2015 the number of warheads fell from 22,600 to 15,850 according to the institute's annual disarmament report which said the US and Russia represented the bulk of the reduction. The institute also pointed to "extensive and expensive long-term modernization programmes" in the world's two largest nuclear powers which account for 90 percent of the weapons.
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| Shamed TV star Rolf Harris 'writing song about accusers' Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:02 PM PDT  Disgraced veteran entertainer Rolf Harris, convicted for a string of sex assaults against girls, is writing a song about money-grabbing accusers, a British newspaper said Sunday. Harris, 85, a household name for decades in Britain and his native Australia, said his song was driven by "inner rage" about the "injustice of it all". The television star, artist and songwriter was jailed for five years and nine months in July last year.
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| Rooney 1 goal from England record, Del Bosque hits 100 games Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:59 PM PDT  Wayne Rooney closed to within one goal of England's all-time scoring record on Sunday, while Vicente del Bosque reached his 100th game in charge of Spain with a victory in European Championship qualifying.
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| Shane Bertsch wins Rust-Oleum Championship Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:57 PM PDT WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — Shane Bertsch won the Rust-Oleum Championship on Sunday for his third career Web.com Tour title, beating Lucas Lee by a stroke at Lakewood Country Club. |
| Jamaica police hunts for man suspected in quadruple slaying Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:57 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica's police force is offering a rare reward for information leading to the capture of a man suspected in a quadruple killing. |
| Adebayor, Aboubakar snatch dramatic winners Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:51 PM PDT  Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor put recent troubles behind him on Sunday to score a dramatic winner for Togo as matchday 1 of 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying concluded. The gangling 31-year-old struck three minutes from time to earn Togo a come-from-behind 2-1 Group A victory over fellow west Africans Liberia in Lome. William Jebor had put the Lone Stars ahead late in the opening half and Sadat Ouro-Akoriko equalised midway through the second half.
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| Default dangerously closer after Greece debt talks collapse Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:44 PM PDT  Default by debt-wracked Greece loomed dangerously closer after last-ditch talks between Athens and its EU-IMF creditors collapsed on Sunday, bringing the threat of a Greek exit from the euro closer than ever. The crunch negotiations failed in their second day, heaping worry that the cash-starved Greek government was heading irreversibly into a financial abyss with a huge IMF debt payment due at the end of the month. "They came with their hands in their pockets," a furious EU source close to the negotiations told AFP, while Greek officials said the failure was the fault of the International Monetary Fund, the country's most hardline creditor.
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| Israeli artists up in arms over culture minister remarks Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:37 PM PDT  Israeli artists and leading cultural figures gathered Sunday to try and consolidate an approach against Culture Minister Miri Regev's declared intent to withdraw support from institutes that "delegitimize" Israel, a move critics say would amount to censorship. Hundreds of cultural icons crammed into a performance venue in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, to discuss a joint response after Regev sparked a furore last week when she threatened to defund a theatre managed by an Arab Israeli if he refused to perform in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The debate was also fired up by Education Minister Naftali Bennett's recent decision to overrule a professional committee and pull an Arab play from a state-funded educational programme.
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| Moldovans choose between Europe, Russia in local elections Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:35 PM PDT  CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovans voted in local elections Sunday which are seen as a test of whether the country is committed to European integration or will move closer to Russia's orbit.
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| Jimin Kang wins rain-shortened Symetra Tour event Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:15 PM PDT DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — South Korea's Jimin Kang won the Symetra Tour's Decatur-Forsyth Classic on Sunday when rain washed out the final two rounds. |
| Rooney sees off Slovenia to close on record Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:04 PM PDT  Wayne Rooney moved to within one goal of England's all-time scoring record with an 86th-minute winner as his side edged Slovenia 3-2 in a topsy-turvy Euro 2016 qualifier on Sunday. Milivoje Novakovic gave Slovenia the lead against the run of play in the 37th minute at the Stozice Stadium, before Jack Wilshere broke his international duck with a pair of brilliant, almost identical second-half goals to put England ahead. Slovenia substitute Nejc Pecnik appeared to have rescued a point with an 84th-minute equaliser, but moments later Rooney atoned for two glaring earlier misses by scoring his 48th England goal, taking him level with Gary Lineker and leaving him one goal behind Bobby Charlton.
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| Cricketers knocked unconscious after clash in English game Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:03 PM PDT ARUNDEL, England (AP) — Two cricketers were knocked unconscious when they collided in an English county match on Sunday and were taken to a hospital in ambulances that had come onto the field. |
| Somali Islamists attack Kenya military base, 11 militants, two soldiers dead Posted: 14 Jun 2015 02:02 PM PDT By Joseph Akwiri MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Eleven Somali al Shabaab militants and two Kenyan soldiers were killed when the al Qaeda-linked fighters attacked a military base on Kenya's northern coast near to the Somali border on Sunday, a local official and a military spokesman said. The militants carried out the early morning raid on the military base near the town of Baure in Lamu County, said Lamu's deputy county commissioner, Joseph Rotich. |
| Rooney within 1 goal of record after clinching Slovenia win Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:57 PM PDT  Wayne Rooney went within one goal of Bobby Charlton's England scoring record on Sunday by clinching a 3-2 victory over Slovenia in European Championship qualifying.
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| French minister asks shops to stop selling Monsanto Roundup weedkiller Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:57 PM PDT French Environment and Energy Minister Segolene Royal has asked garden shops to stop over-the-counter sales of Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller as part of a wider fight against pesticides seen as potentially harmful to humans. "France must be offensive on stopping pesticides," Royal told France 3 television on Sunday. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), said in March that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup was "probably carcinogenic to humans." That prompted calls from some public officials and consumers for a ban on the pesticide. |
| Austria upsets Russia 1-0 with Janko's overhead goal Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:48 PM PDT  Marc Janko scored with a spectacular overhead kick Sunday as Austria maintained its grip on European Championship qualifying Group G with a 1-0 away win over Russia.
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| Mother and daughter, 12, dismembered in Mexico Posted: 14 Jun 2015 01:48 PM PDT  An ethnic Russian woman and her young daughter have been found dismembered and their body parts stored in plastic garbage bags in the violence-plagued Mexican city of Tijuana near the US border. Baja California state deputy prosecutor Jose Maria Gonzalez said the drug-affected eldest daughter, 19, was the prime suspect in the grisly case, uncovered only when neighbors reported a foul smell emanating from the house in the middle-class district of Playas de Tijuana. Authorities found the bodies of Yuliya Masney Safonchik, 45, and her 12-year-old daughter Valeria Lechtchenko on Thursday.
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