| U.S. consulate in Turkey targeted as wave of attacks kills 9 Posted: 10 Aug 2015 01:29 PM PDT  By Yesim Dikmen and Seyhmus Cakan ISTANBUL/DIYABAKIR (Reuters) - Two women shot at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Monday and at least nine people were killed in a wave of separate attacks on Turkish security forces, weeks after Ankara launched a crackdown on Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants. The NATO member has been in a heightened state of alert since starting its "synchronized war on terror" last month, including air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq. It has also rounded up hundreds of suspected militants at home.
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| Islamic State claims Iraq car bombs that kill nearly 60 Posted: 10 Aug 2015 01:17 PM PDT At least 58 people were killed and more than 100 wounded on Monday in two blasts in eastern Iraq claimed by Islamic State in a province once considered mostly free of them. In January Iraqi officials declared victory over the insurgents in Diyala province, which borders Iran, after security forces and Shi'ite paramilitaries drove them out of towns and villages there. Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack in the mixed Sunni-Shi'ite Muslim province and said the target was "rejectionists", as the group refers to Shi'ites. |
| Greece and lenders in final push to seal new bailout Posted: 10 Aug 2015 11:10 AM PDT  Greece and its international creditors sought to put final touches to a multi-billion euro bailout accord on Monday to keep the country financially afloat and meet an important debt repayment to the European Central Bank within days. Germany set out "strict" conditions for further aid and said it would be sensible to link the size of the first tranche to Greece's progress in carrying out reforms, a reflection of worry around the euro zone that Athens might not do as promised. Greece is hoping to wrap up the deal for 86 billion euros ($94 billion) in fresh loans by Tuesday so it can get parliamentary and other approvals for aid to flow by Aug. 20, when a debt repayment to the ECB is due.
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| Impeaching Rousseff would set Brazil on fire: Senate chief Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:23 PM PDT  The president of Brazil's Senate said on Monday that attempting to impeach President Dilma Rousseff was not a priority and warned that seeking her removal in Congress would "set the country on fire." Renan Calheiros, who is often critical of the administration, struck a more positive tone amid a deepening political crisis after seven months into Rousseff's second term. Many of the president's opponents in Congress have called for her impeachment for allegedly breaking the law by doctoring fiscal accounts to allow her government to spend more in the run-up to her re-election in October. Calheiros, a leader of the country's biggest party, the PMDB, spoke to reporters after meeting with Finance Minister Joaquim Levy to discuss the government's fiscal austerity plan.
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| Car bomb kills five in Kabul, Afghan leader warns Pakistan Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:22 PM PDT  By Sayed Hassib and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani demanded that Pakistan crack down on the Taliban after a car bomb explosion near Kabul airport claimed by the Islamist militants killed five people on Monday, the latest in a series of suicide attacks to rock the capital. The attacks have followed a change of leadership in the Taliban and have dashed any hopes of an immediate resumption of peace talks with the government. The attacks, which have killed dozens of civilians and wounded hundreds more, have also stoked tensions with neighboring Pakistan, the base of many leaders of the hardline movement, according to many in Afghanistan.
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| Iraqi deputy PM resigns, faces corruption investigation Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:06 PM PDT  One of Iraq's three deputy prime ministers resigned on Monday and will be investigated for corruption, officials said, the first tangible result of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's push to tackle corruption in the face of mounting unrest. Emboldened by widespread anti-government protests and a call by a leading Shi'ite Muslim cleric for tougher action, Abadi announced measures over the weekend aimed at reforming a system critics say hands high office to unqualified candidates and encourages corruption.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:32 PM PDT HUSSAIN KHAN WALA, Pakistan (AP) — In this dusty town near Pakistan's border with India, families kept quiet for years about the blackmail gang that locals believe filmed some 270 children being sexually abused, fearful the videos could appear online or sold in markets for as little as 50 cents. Those living in Hussain Khan Wala say the gang forced children at gunpoint to be abused or drugged them into submission. It was only after one family spoke up that others rose against the gang, with police later arresting 11 suspects. |
| China pledges continued support for Ebola-hit Africa nations Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:26 PM PDT CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — China's foreign minister has pledged continued support to the three West African countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 11,200 people. |
| Pakistan horrified by alleged child sex abuse blackmail ring Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:18 PM PDT  HUSSAIN KHAN WALA, Pakistan (AP) — In this dusty town near Pakistan's border with India, families kept quiet for years about the blackmail gang that locals believe filmed some 270 children being sexually abused, fearful the videos could appear online or sold in markets for as little as 50 cents.
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| Australia to announce target to cut carbon emissions Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:16 PM PDT Australia is expected to announce on Tuesday that it plans to cut carbon emissions by at least 26 percent of 2005 levels by 2030, a target that will leave the country trailing most other advanced economies. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's cabinet agreed on a target of 26 to 28 percent in a meeting overnight, The Australian newspaper reported citing unnamed sources. The level is far below recommendations by its own Climate Change Authority. |
| Turkey's ruling party, opposition positive on coalition Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:15 PM PDT  Turkey's ruling party and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) voiced cautious optimism Monday about the chances of forming a coalition government, but said more talks were needed to end the country's political impasse. Two months after June legislative elections left the country without a government, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu held their first talks in Ankara, in a meeting that lasted four hours. Culture Minister Omer Celik and CHP deputy chief Haluk Koc, who both attended the meeting, afterwards said efforts were being made to reach "a consensus" and the two sides would meet again later this week to come to a final decision on a possible AKP-CHP coalition.
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| British actor John Hurt 'optimistic' about cancer treatment Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:13 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Veteran British actor John Hurt has said that his cancer treatment is going "terrifically well" and he is optimistic.
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| Jordanian-US suspect nabbed in NY area extremist ring Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:08 PM PDT  A 20-year-old Jordanian-American who flew overseas in an apparent bid to join the Islamic State extremist group, appeared in court near New York on Monday on terror allegations, prosecutors said. Nader Saadeh, who traveled to Jordan in May in an apparent attempt to join IS fighters in Iraq or Syria, is accused of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the extremists. Prosecutors say that as early as 2012 Saadeh was in contact with one of the other three accused in the New York area, expressing hatred for America and wanting to form a small army of friends.
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| American lawyer slain, companion wounded in Caracas home Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:07 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A prominent American expatriate lawyer was slain and his companion was wounded in an attack at their home in the Venezuelan capital, authorities and family members said Monday.
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| UN Security Council pushes talks to defuse Burundi crisis Posted: 10 Aug 2015 04:05 PM PDT  The UN Security Council on Monday demanded that Burundi's government immediately reopen talks with the opposition to put a halt to a spiral of violence that is pushing the country to the brink. The 15-member council backed plans by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to send a high-level UN official on an urgent mission to ease the Burundi crisis. "Council members expressed deep concern on the political and security situation in Burundi and called for the immediate resumption of inclusive dialogue in order to achieve a lasting peace," Nigerian Ambassador Joy Ogwu told reporters following the meeting.
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| McIlroy declares himself to be 100 percent for PGA Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:58 PM PDT  SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — Rory McIlroy says he's 100 percent and his game appears to be in order.
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| US 'deeply concerned' by arrests in Cuba Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:46 PM PDT  The United States is "deeply concerned" about recent arrests of dissidents in Cuba, but this will not affect a landmark visit to Havana by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the State Department said Monday. About 90 activists, some wearing masks with the image of US President Barack Obama, were briefly detained Sunday during a march in Havana led by the Ladies in White, a dissident group founded by wives of political prisoners. All were released after about four and a half hours in custody, the dissident group said.
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| OAS: Irregularities did not disrupt overall Haiti elections Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:46 PM PDT  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — An international mission that monitored legislative elections in Haiti said Monday that there were scattered problems with violence and other disruptions during Sunday's first round but not enough to disrupt the legitimacy of the overall vote.
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| Michael Phelps back on top as focus turns to Rio Olympics Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:42 PM PDT  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Michael Phelps already has far more medals than any Olympic athlete.
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| Autopsy finds Texas man drowned in waters of Bahamas Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:39 PM PDT NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — An autopsy in the Bahamas has determined that a Texas man drowned in the island chain last month, a police spokeswoman said Monday. |
| Obama says opposition to Iran deal over politics, not merits Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:39 PM PDT CHILMARK, Massachusetts (AP) — President Barack Obama said Republicans are reflexively opposing the Iran nuclear deal because his name is on it, brushing off criticism from a majority in Congress. |
| Pennetta advances into Serena's path Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:28 PM PDT  Italy's Flavia Pennetta breezed past Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski 6-4, 6-1 Monday at the WTA Rogers Cup, booking a second-round date with world number one Serena Williams. Williams, who like all top seeds received a first-round bye at the US Open hardcourt tuneup event, has won all six prior matches against the Italian, who will be the US superstar's first hardcourt foe since winning her fourth Grand Slam title in a row last month at Wimbledon. "It's going to be nice because I'll play one of the best players ever," Pennetta said.
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| Struggles and surprises as Premier League gets moving Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:24 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — It is, of course, much too early to try to read something into the first round of matches in a Premier League season that has another 37 games and more than eight months to run.
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| US stocks jump as oil's bounce boosts energy stocks Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:18 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A resurgent energy sector and another big acquisition by Warren Buffett propelled the stock market to its best day in three months on Monday.
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| Exclusive - Trump's Republican support holds strong post-debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:05 PM PDT  By Andy Sullivan and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There is no sign that Donald Trump's raucous first presidential debate is hurting his support among party voters, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showing he still has a big lead over his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump's staying power is defying predictions of political doom and leading some Republicans to explore ways to persuade him not to pursue a third-party bid should he falter in his quest for the Republican nomination in 2016. Trump led the party's 17-strong 2016 presidential field with the backing of 24 percent of Republican voters, unchanged from before Thursday's televised debate, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
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| 'Playboy's' reign of terror over, but Rio still on edge Posted: 10 Aug 2015 03:01 PM PDT  Rio de Janeiro officials celebrated Monday the death of "Playboy," a brutal gang leader famous for thumbing his nose at the authorities -- yet his killing left new questions unanswered. The gang boss, whose real name was Celso Pinheiro Pimenta, ruled over a lawless slum, or favela, called Morro da Pedreira, controling a ring dealing in drugs, stolen vehicles and weapons. "It was a total success, a surgical operation," said federal police officer Carlos Eduardo Antunes Thome in an interview Monday on Globo television.
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| Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' tops US box office again Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:46 PM PDT  Los Angeles (AFP) - "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" fought off competitors to claim the top spot on the North American box office chart for a second straight week, industry data showed Monday.
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| Drake scores year's first platinum album Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:40 PM PDT  Drake on Monday become the first artist to release an album this year that has sold more than one million copies in the United States, ending the latest industry drought. The Canadian rapper's "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," which he put out digitally without prior warning in February, has sold 1.007 million copies as of the week ending Friday, tracking service Nielsen Music said. Only one other album has sold more than one million copies in the United States this year -- pop superstar Taylor Swift's "1989," although it came out in 2014.
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| Some US rowers fall ill at 2016 Olympics test event Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:39 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thirteen rowers on the 40-member U.S. team came down with stomach illness at the World Junior Rowing Championships — a trial run for next summer's Olympics — and the team doctor said she suspected it was due to pollution in the lake where the competition took place.
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| Foes set for top seeds at Montreal Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:38 PM PDT  Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic learned the identities of their second-round opponents on Monday after first-round matches at the ATP Montreal Masters tournament. Top seed Djokovic will start after the bye given to the leading eight seeds when he faces Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci, who worked for two and three-quarter hours to defeat Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4). The South American fired 14 aces to 11 for Cuevas, with Bellucci forced to save nine of 12 break points.
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| British farmers declare 'crisis' after milk price protests Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:33 PM PDT  British farmers declared a "crisis" on Monday after days of protests over falling prices that saw milk removed from shop shelves and cows walked up supermarkets aisles. "Obviously the industry is in crisis. There's despair within our members," said Meurig Raymond, president of the National Farmers' Union.
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| Greece, lenders agree on 2016, 2017 baseline on primary surplus Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:33 PM PDT Greece and international lenders agreed on Monday to baseline scenario projections for a primary surplus in 2016 and 2017 as part of broader bailout conditions still under discussion, a senior government official said. The two sides had agreed on a baseline scenario of a 0.5 percent primary budget surplus in 2016, and a primary surplus of 1.0 percent in 2017, the official said, requesting anonymity. |
| Mexican governor to testify in probe into journalist killing Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City's mayor says investigators will travel to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz to question its governor about the July 31 killing of a photojournalist. |
| Loyalist challenge to ousted Burkina leader's treason case fails Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:25 PM PDT  Burkina Faso's Constitutional Council has rejected a request by supporters of ousted president Blaise Compaore to revoke his indictment for treason, saying it has no powers to grant such a request, according to a decision seen by AFP Monday. On July 16, the west African country's National Transitional Council, which acts like a parliament, indicted Compaore for "high treason" over his bid to change the constitution to remain in office. Accusing the TNC of a "witch hunt" a group of lawmakers loyal to Compaore had appealed to the country's Constitutional Council to cancel the indictments, saying they did not respect Burkina Faso's basic law.
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| Peru dismantles Shining Path rebel column: officials Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:19 PM PDT  Peru has dismantled a column of Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path by capturing two of its leaders, the government said Monday. A military intelligence operation led the army to the leaders, Dionisio Ramos and Alexander Alarcon Soto, both suspected of killing police and soldiers in the southeastern province of Cusco, shooting down a helicopter and attacking a police station, said Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Vega. "With this operation, the southern wing of Shining Path is dismantled.
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| Berkshire Hathaway buying Precision Castparts for about $32B Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:16 PM PDT  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett's biggest acquisition yet — a $32.36 billion buyout of Precision Castparts — will further change the complexion of Berkshire Hathaway and increase the conglomerate's reliance on industrial companies.
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| Austrian former cyclist banned for selling doping substances Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:14 PM PDT VIENNA (AP) — Former cyclist Christof Kerschbaum of Austria has been banned for life for selling doping substances to other riders from 2007-09. |
| Two dead in Haiti election violence: parties Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:12 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Two people were killed during Haiti's long-delayed legislative elections, political parties said Monday, amid violence that forced some polling stations to close early. Several Port-au-Prince polling stations were vandalized in the morning and 26 shut down early because of violence. The president of a party called Fusion, Edmonde Supplice Beauzile, said the son of a party supporter was killed in the town of Savanette in central Haiti.
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| Man City beats West Brom 3-0 in Premier League Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:11 PM PDT  WEST BROMWICH, England (AP) — Yaya Toure scored twice in the first half Monday as Manchester City began its Premier League campaign with an impressive 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
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