| Plane with 54 on board crashes in remote Indonesian region Posted: 16 Aug 2015 07:37 AM PDT  By Kanupriya Kapoor and Fergus Jensen JAKARTA (Reuters) - An aircraft with 54 people on board crashed in Indonesia's remote and mountainous region of Papua on Sunday, a government official said, the latest in a string of aviation disasters in the Southeast Asian nation. "The latest information is that the Trigana aircraft that lost contact has been found at Camp 3, Ok Bape district in the Bintang Mountains regency," Air Transportation Director General Suprasetyo told reporters. "Residents provided information that the aircraft crashed into Tangok mountain." There was no immediate word on whether anyone survived.
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| Air strikes near Damascus kill at least 80 people: activists Posted: 16 Aug 2015 08:34 AM PDT  A Syrian government air strike northeast of Damascus killed at least 80 people in a marketplace on Sunday, rescue workers in the rebel-held area and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. At least 200 more people were wounded in the attack on Douma, about 15 km (10 miles) northeast of Damascus, according to the British-based Observatory and the local arm of Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue service operating in rebel areas. The Observatory said at least 10 rockets were fired during the air strike and accused the warplanes of bombing again after rescue workers had arrived at the scene.
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| Greek opposition party refuses to back PM in any confidence vote Posted: 16 Aug 2015 12:29 PM PDT  Greece's socialist PASOK party joined the main opposition on Sunday in saying it would not back Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras if he calls a confidence vote following a rebellion in the governing party over a new bailout deal. Tsipras had to rely on opposition groups including PASOK to win a parliamentary majority on Friday in favour of the 86 billion euro bailout programme, Greece's third with international creditors since 2010. By contrast, Tsipras suffered the biggest rebellion yet among anti-bailout lawmakers from his leftist Syriza party, forcing him to consider a confidence vote that would pave the way for early elections if he loses.
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| U.S., Germany to pull Patriot missiles from Turkey Posted: 16 Aug 2015 08:56 AM PDT  BERLIN/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States and Germany said they will pull Patriot missile batteries from southern Turkey after a reassessment of the threats stemming from the conflict in neighboring Syria. The U.S. Patriots, in Turkey as part of a broader NATO mission since 2013, will be redeployed to the United States for upgrades, according to a joint Turkish-U.S. statement on Sunday. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced at the weekend that Berlin would let its three-year Patriot mission lapse in January instead of seeking parliamentary approval to extend it.
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| Rescuers work to clear China blast site of chemicals before rain falls Posted: 16 Aug 2015 09:06 AM PDT  By Megha Rajagopalan TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - Chinese soldiers and rescue workers in gas masks and hazard suits searched for toxic materials in China's port of Tianjin on Sunday as Premier Li Keqiang arrived to offer condolences, days after explosions flattened part of a national development zone. Emotional family members of missing fire fighters - 85 of the 95 people missing - also protested, marching to district government offices where they scuffled with police before being dispersed.
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| Iraqi panel finds Maliki, others responsible for fall of Mosul Posted: 16 Aug 2015 12:41 PM PDT  By Ahmed Rasheed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Iraqi parliamentary panel called on Sunday for former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and dozens of other top officials to stand trial over the fall of the northern city of Mosul to Islamic State last year. Separately, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi directed military commanders accused of abandoning their posts in Ramadi, the capital of western Anbar province which was overrun by Islamic State in May, to face court martial. The moves come a week after Abadi launched a sweeping campaign to reform the governing system, and are the most drastic steps yet taken by Baghdad to provide accountability for the loss of nearly a third of the country's territory to the radical jihadists.
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| Kenseth in control at Michigan, wins 3rd Cup race of season Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:54 PM PDT  BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Matt Kenseth had little to say about how NASCAR's rules package affected his race at Michigan International Speedway.
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| Palace win can be title turning point for Wenger Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:51 PM PDT  Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal's gritty 2-1 win against Crystal Palace will prove a significant moment in the Premier League title race. Wenger's side could ill-afford another setback after their embarrassing opening day meltdown against West Ham and they rose to the challenge at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Although they were still someway short of their best, the Gunners did enough to subdue a dangerous Palace outfit with a composed performance, prompting Wenger to hail the result as a huge moment in his club's season even at this early stage.
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| Murray wins Montreal as coach Mauresmo gives birth Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:47 PM PDT  Britain's Andy Murray snapped an eight-match losing streak against top-ranked rival Novak Djokovic on Sunday to win the ATP Montreal Masters only hours after his coach Amelie Mauresmo gave birth. The Scotsman, who moves to second in the ATP rankings on Monday, revealed the news from his French mentor, the only woman to coach a major men's player. With assistant Jonas Bjorkman watching from the player box, Murray turned in a fighting performance over three hours to finally beat Djokovic for the first time in more than two years, the first time since he won the 2013 Wimbledon final over the Serbian.
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| Day 20-under in historic PGA win over Spieth Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:43 PM PDT  Australia's Jason Day won the PGA Championship in historic fashion on Sunday, capturing his first grand slam title with a 20-under par total unprecedented in major championship history. Day carded a five-under par 67 in the final round at Whistling Straits for a 20-under total of 268 -- breaking Tiger Woods's major-record low winning total of 19-under set at the British Open in 2000. Day, who has endured a bevy of near-misses on golf's biggest stages, was never going to let this one slip away.
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| Canadian teen Brooke Henderson wins Portland Classic Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:41 PM PDT  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brooke Henderson won the Cambia Portland Classic by eight strokes Sunday to become the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history.
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| Egypt adopts anti-terror law critics say may muzzle media: official Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:36 PM PDT  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ratified on Sunday an anti-terrorism law which stipulates exorbitant fines, and possible suspension from employment, for "false" reporting on militant attacks. The government had sped up the passage of the law after the state prosecutor was assassinated in a car bombing in late June, followed by a large-scale jihadist attack in the Sinai Peninsula days later. The military was infuriated after media, quoting security officials, reported that dozens of troops had been killed in the Sinai attack.
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| Brazilians rage against president, corruption Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:34 PM PDT  Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's resignation Sunday, blaming her and the leftist Workers' Party for runaway corruption and looming recession in Latin America's biggest country. Organizers claimed a total of 1.9 million, including a million in Sao Paulo, where police counted only 350,000. Less than a year into her second term, Rousseff is all but a lame duck, with the opposition considering controversial impeachment proceedings, and the country's elite caught in a vast embezzlement scandal centered on state-oil company Petrobras.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:32 PM PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An airliner carrying 54 people went missing Sunday during a short flight in bad weather in Indonesia's mountainous easternmost province of Papua, and rescuers were heading to an area where villagers reported seeing a plane crash into a mountain, officials said. The Trigana Air Service plane was flying from Papua's provincial capital, Jayapura, to the Papua city of Oksibil when it lost contact with Oksibil's airport, said Transportation Ministry spokesman Julius Barata. There was no indication that the pilot had made a distress call, he said. |
| The Latest: Day closes out PGA Championship Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:22 PM PDT  SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — The Latest from the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits (all times local):
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| Egypt's Sisi approves anti-terrorism law setting up special courts Posted: 16 Aug 2015 04:08 PM PDT  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday approved an anti-terrorism law that sets up special courts and provides protections to its enforcers in the face of a two-year-long insurgency that aims to topple his government. It also shields those applying it, such as the military and police, from legal ramifications for the proportionate use of force "in performing their duties." Sisi had promised a tougher legal system in July, after a car bomb attack that killed the top public prosecutor, the highest level state official to be killed in years. Financing "terrorist groups" will also carry a penalty of life in prison, which in Egypt is 25 years.
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| Montana declares state of emergency as U.S. Northwest battles blazes Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:57 PM PDT By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Montana declared a state of emergency on Sunday to battle more than a dozen wildfires as blazes, fueled by drought and winds, also raged in Oregon, Idaho and the California wine region north of San Francisco. Wildfires have destroyed 50 homes in north central Idaho while a fire in north-central Washington nearly doubled in size, almost encircling the town of Chelan and forcing the evacuation of some 1,500. The Reach fire, sparked on Friday by lightning strikes and high winds, had doubled to 55,000 acres (22,250 hectares) by Sunday, fire incident spokesman Wayne Patterson said. |
| Mikulak grabs 3rd straight US gymnastics national title Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:53 PM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Mikulak felt his hands slip off the high bar and knew trouble was coming. A split second later the best male gymnast in America found himself face down on the mat. What better time for a little internal pep talk?
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| Swiss teen Bencic wins Toronto title as Halep quits Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:50 PM PDT  Swiss teen Belinda Bencic outlasted Simona Halep to win Sunday's WTA Rogers Cup final when the Romanian second seed retired trailing 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 3-0. Bencic, who upset world number one Serena Williams in the semi-finals, broke twice to open the third set before the effort of battling in extreme heat and humidity proved more than Halep could take. "I don't think I'm so good at speeches yet," Bencic said.
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| Over 60 same-sex couples married at Puerto Rico wedding Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:48 PM PDT  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Over 60 couples from around the region gathered in Puerto Rico's capital Sunday to exchange vows at a same-sex marriage ceremony while a crowd of supporters snapped photos and cheered.
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| Manchester City, Arsenal and PSG all earn league wins Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:46 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Manchester City showed Chelsea just how badly it wants to wrest back the Premier League title by handing the defending champion a resounding loss on Sunday.
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| Anti-government protesters take to streets across Brazil Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:46 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilians took to the streets of cities and towns across the country Sunday for anti-government protests being watched as a barometer of discontent with the increasingly unpopular President Dilma Rousseff.
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| Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic in Montreal final Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:41 PM PDT  MONTREAL (AP) — Andy Murray beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday in the Rogers Cup for his fourth tournament victory of the year and third title in the Canadian event.
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| US warns China on agents pressuring fugitives to go home Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:38 PM PDT  The United States has warned Beijing about Chinese agents it says are operating secretly in the US to pressure fugitives to return to China, The New York Times reported Sunday. Citing unnamed US officials, the Times said the effort, part of Beijing's global manhunt dubbed Operation Fox Hunt, sought to repatriate fugitives wanted for corruption and other misdeeds and recover illicit funds. In recent weeks, the US State Department issued a warning to Chinese officials to halt these activities.
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| Hayne makes big impression in first NFL action for 49ers Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:35 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Even a day later, hype surrounded Jarryd Hayne's impressive first NFL action for the San Francisco 49ers.
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| Benfica routs Estoril 4-0 to begin title defense Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:04 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Benfica routed Estoril 4-0 with a late flurry of goals to start its defense of the Portuguese league title and give new coach Rui Vitoria a winning home debut on Sunday. |
| US hopefuls split on sending ground troops to Middle East Posted: 16 Aug 2015 03:01 PM PDT ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidates are split on whether the U.S. should send ground troops to the Middle East to combat Islamic State forces. |
| Ex-strongman Rajapakse plans comeback as Sri Lanka votes Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:52 PM PDT  Sri Lanka goes to the polls Monday with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse desperate to pull off a shock political comeback, this time as prime minister, months after being toppled as president. Rajapakse is confident of returning to power after drawing massive crowds on the election trail, despite the 69-year-old and his closest relatives facing corruption allegations. "This election is about whether you want Mahinda Rajapakse as prime minister or not," his spokesman, Rohan Valivita, told AFP.
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| PSG goes top of league with 2-0 win against Gazelec Ajaccio Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:51 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved to the top of the French league after beating Gazelec Ajaccio 2-0 on Sunday in a match pitting the biggest and smallest budgets in the division.
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| Indonesia rescuers head to mountains in missing plane search Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:41 PM PDT  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An airliner carrying 54 people went missing Sunday during a short flight in bad weather in Indonesia's mountainous easternmost province of Papua, and rescuers were heading to an area where villagers reported seeing a plane crash into a mountain, officials said.
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| Iraq PM scraps third of cabinet posts in reform drive Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:33 PM PDT  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the removal of 11 of 33 cabinet posts Sunday, the first concrete step in a reform drive to curb corruption and streamline the government. The announcement came as parliament and Abadi made preliminary moves toward holding top officials -- including ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki -- accountable for military disasters in the cities of Mosul and Ramadi, which have been seized by the Islamic State jihadist group. Abadi rolled out a reform programme a week ago in response to popular pressure from weeks of protests against corruption and poor services, and to a call for drastic change from Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
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| Why tech stocks are trending again Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:31 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks are trending big-time as investors latch on to innovative companies racing ahead in a slow-growth world.
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| Migrants mass in Turkey to take shortest route to Europe Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:27 PM PDT  BODRUM, Turkey (AP) — Suddenly, almost silently, a group of young men carrying a small plastic dinghy emerges from the darkness, dashes across a road and a dirty strip of sand and plunges into the crystal-clear waters of the Aegean Sea.
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| Trump says illegal immigrants 'have to go' Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:24 PM PDT  The millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States must leave, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said Sunday, as he unveiled his immigration platform. Trump, himself the son and grandson of immigrants, also vowed to rescind President Barack Obama's executive orders that have slowed deportations of illegal immigrants, and to end birthright citizenship. "They have to go," Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" program, referring to undocumented immigrants.
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| New Zealand PM: McCaw to be offered knighthood Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:23 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says record-breaking All Blacks captain Richie McCaw will again be offered a knighthood after previously rejecting the honor for leading the country to a Rugby World Cup victory. |
| Iraq's Abadi cuts 11 ministerial positions in reform push Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:21 PM PDT  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate reduction in the number of ministers on Sunday to 22 from 33, as part of a sweeping campaign to reduce corruption and mismanagement affecting the highest reaches of government. Abadi moved to eliminate the three deputy prime minister positions as well as the minister of human rights, ministries of state for women's affairs and provincial affairs, and another minister of state.
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| Day in charge as he goes for first major at PGA Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:19 PM PDT SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — Jason Day rolled in a 50-foot putt for one of his four birdies on the front nine Sunday as he built a three-shot lead in the PGA Championship. |
| Day maintains two-shot lead, Spieth lags at PGA Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:19 PM PDT  Australia's Jason Day was showing steely resolve in his quest for a first major title on Sunday, maintaining a two-shot lead through nine holes in the final round of the PGA Championship. The player applying the most pressure at Whistling Straits wasn't Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth but South African Branden Grace, who had four birdies without a bogey through nine holes to move to 16-under par. Grace rolled in three straight long-range bombs to move up the leaderboard, draining a 30-footer for birdie at the par-three third, a 20-footer for par at the fourth and a 30-footer for birdie at the par-five fifth, and also added birdies at six and seven.
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| Rested Federer tries for 7th Cincinnati title Posted: 16 Aug 2015 02:01 PM PDT  MASON, Ohio (AP) — Roger Federer has spent the last few weeks in Switzerland, practicing and resting for the final push of the season. He's back on the ATP Tour at one of his favorite stops.
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| Ecuador volcano quiet after prompting state of emergency Posted: 16 Aug 2015 01:55 PM PDT  After rumbling and belching ash, the Cotopaxi volcano was silent Sunday, hours after Ecuador declared a state of emergency and fearful residents were evacuated. "Monitoring of the Cotopaxi volcano last night and this morning indicated no increase in activity," Ecuador's Ministry of Security Coordination said in a statement. The agency is the only source authorized to speak on the matter after Ecuador issued a "preventative censorship," which President Rafael Correa defended as a means of avoiding false rumors that could unleash panic.
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