| U.N. says 850,000 to cross sea to Europe in 2015 and 2016 Posted: 08 Sep 2015 02:49 PM PDT  By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - At least 850,000 people are expected to cross the Mediterranean seeking refuge in Europe this year and next, the United Nations said on Tuesday, giving estimates that already look conservative. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR called for more cohesive asylum policies to deal with the growing numbers. Many are refugees from Syria, driven to make the voyage by intensified fighting there and worsening conditions for refugees in surrounding countries due to funding shortfalls in aid programs, UNHCR said.
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| Queen Elizabeth becomes UK's longest-reigning monarch Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:06 PM PDT  By Michael Holden EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth, who ascended the throne aged just 25 as her exhausted country struggled to recover from the ravages of World War Two, makes history on Wednesday when she becomes Britain's longest-reigning monarch. At about 5.30 p.m. (1230 ET), Elizabeth, who now aged 89 is also the nation's oldest ever monarch, will surpass the 63 years, 7 months, 2 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes that her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne. British Prime Minister David Cameron led tributes to the queen.
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| Juncker to set out EU refugee plan, challenging leaders Posted: 08 Sep 2015 12:04 PM PDT  By Alastair Macdonald STRASBOURG (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will lay out plans for handling Europe's refugee crisis on Wednesday that may provoke new wrangling among EU states and between national leaders and the EU executive. Making his first annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Juncker will propose states accept binding quotas to take in 160,000 asylum-seekers from frontline countries - four times the number he put forward in May to howls of outrage, notably in eastern Europe.
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| Twenty Indians killed in Yemen as more foreign troops reported arriving Posted: 08 Sep 2015 09:39 AM PDT  A Saudi-led alliance killed at least 20 Indian nationals in air strikes on fuel smugglers at a Yemeni port on Tuesday, fishermen said, and more foreign troops were reported to be arriving to intensify the campaign against Houthi forces. The Houthi-run state news agency Saba also said that 15 citizens were killed in air strikes on Sanaa, and medical sources said at least 15 civilians were killed in similar attacks on Monday. The alliance, made up mainly of Gulf Arab countries, has increased air strikes on Sanaa and other parts of the country since Friday, when a Houthi missile attack killed at least 60 Saudi, Bahraini and United Arab Emirates soldiers at a military camp east of Sanaa.
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| Pope radically simplifies Catholic marriage annulment procedures Posted: 08 Sep 2015 09:55 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday made it simpler and swifter for Catholics to secure a marriage annulment, the most radical such reform for 250 years, and told bishops to be more welcoming to divorced couples. Francis said the procedure should be free and the new rules mean that a marriage might be declared null and void in just 45 days in some cases. The announcement came the week after Francis signaled a more merciful approach to women who had obtained abortions and was another sign of his drive to shake up the hidebound Roman Catholic Church and try to soften some of its more rigid rules.
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| Kerry reaffirms U.S. commitment to Israel security in call: State Department Posted: 08 Sep 2015 12:08 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a weekend telephone call and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel's security, the State Department said on Tuesday. "The secretary and the prime minister reiterated the need to continue pushing back on Iran's destabilizing activities in the region, and he agreed to continue to have these discussions in the coming weeks," State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing. "The secretary reaffirmed the United States' commitment to Israel's security and continued military and security relationship," he said.
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| Free tickets to be offered for 2 Philadelphia papal events Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:57 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Free tickets will be available Wednesday for people who want to be within a few blocks of papal events Sept. 26 and 27 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway during the visit by Pope Francis to Philadelphia. |
| Pushed to 5th set, 2014 US Open champ Cilic edges Tsonga Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:54 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Pushed to a fifth set after coming so close to victory, defending champion Marin Cilic kept his act together and held on to get back to the U.S. Open semifinals.
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| Guatemala judge jails ex-president Perez pending graft trial Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:42 PM PDT  By Enrique Pretel GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan judge on Tuesday ordered fallen President Otto Perez to remain in jail while awaiting trial over a graft scandal that stoked a political crisis, charging him with criminal association, taking bribes and customs fraud. Perez, a 64-year-old retired general who was elected in late 2011 on a vow to fight crime and corruption, resigned as president last week, just as the country headed into the first round of a presidential election. There are "sufficient indications that suggest he took part" in the scam, Judge Miguel Angel Galvez told a hearing.
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| Motorist due in Vegas court in fiery fatal 3-vehicle crash Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:33 PM PDT  LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas man will face five felony drunken driving charges that, combined, could get him 100 years in prison in a fiery three-vehicle crash that killed a shuttle bus driver and a German tourist, prosecutors said Tuesday.
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| French government condemns 'Christian refugees only' mayors Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:33 PM PDT  The French government on Tuesday condemned two mayors who said they would only take in Christian refugees, as the country prepares to receive the first tranche of some 24,000 migrants. The right to asylum is a universal right," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday evening, hours before some 200 are expected to arrive from Germany. Under pressure to respond to Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II, President Francois Hollande announced Monday that France would take in 24,000 people over two years.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:32 PM PDT NARAHA, Japan (AP) — A few signs of life are returning to this rural town made desolate by the Fukushima nuclear disaster four-and-a-half years ago: Carpenters bang on houses, an occasional delivery truck drives by and a noodle shop has opened to serve employees who have returned to Naraha's small town hall. But weeds cover the now rusty train tracks, there are no sounds of children and wild boars still roam around at night. On the outskirts of town, thousands of black industrial storage bags containing radiation-contaminated soil and debris stretch out across barren fields. |
| Guatemalan ex-president Perez indicted for corruption Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:27 PM PDT  A Guatemalan court indicted former president Otto Perez on corruption charges Tuesday, days after he resigned over a customs fraud scandal that has stoked outrage in the Central American country. Judge Miguel Angel Galvez granted prosecutors' request to try Perez on charges of customs fraud, racketeering and bribery, and remanded the fallen conservative leader in custody. The judge gave the prosecution three months to continue its investigation, after which the 64-year-old retired general will face trial.
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| Dentist who killed Zimbabwean lion returns to work Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:26 PM PDT  The Minnesota dentist who killed Zimbabwean lion Cecil, sparking a global outcry from animal lovers, returned to work on Tuesday to shouts of "murderer" and "leave town" from a half dozen protesters, but support from some patients at his suburban Minneapolis office. Walter Palmer, 55, did not speak to reporters as he entered his Bloomington, Minnesota, dental practice. The death of Cecil, a familiar sight at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, triggered threats on social media, stoked controversy over big-game hunting and prompted three U.S. airlines to ban transport of African big game killed by trophy hunters.
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| Venezuela ordered to let opposition TV station back on air Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:23 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A regional court has ordered Venezuela to allow a television channel that was critical of the country's socialist administration back on the air. |
| The Latest on US Open: Cilic holds on to beat Tsonga in 5 Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:18 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):
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| Queen Elizabeth II surpasses Queen Victoria's long reign Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:18 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has reached a major milestone by becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Britain's history.
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| Mickelson given spot on US Presidents Cup team Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:17 PM PDT  Phil Mickelson kept alive a streak and earned a footnote in Presidents Cup history Tuesday when he was selected to his 21st consecutive U.S. team.
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| Obama rallies key votes as Congress debates Iran deal Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:13 PM PDT  The US Congress began tense deliberations Tuesday ahead of prospective votes on the Iran nuclear deal, as President Barack Obama gained sufficient Senate support to prevent Republicans' last-gasp efforts to torpedo his accord. As lawmakers returned from their summer recess, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would ask "all senators to be present in the chamber" to debate the merits and shortcomings of the international agreement aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining an atomic bomb. Congress resumed just as the White House earned a major victory in securing support for the deal from 41 senators, the number needed to block a resolution disapproving of the controversial accord.
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| Federer expects 'tougher' Gasquet in US Open quarterfinal Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:11 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Federer is impressed by Richard Gasquet's recent play, one guy with a sweet one-handed backhand appreciating another.
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| Trinidad to swear in new PM Wednesday Posted: 08 Sep 2015 04:00 PM PDT  Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister-elect Keith Rowley will be sworn into office Wednesday, after voters in the twin-island nation backed his calls for change amid an economic contraction. Rowley's party, the People's National Movement, won 23 of 41 seats in general elections Monday, ousting prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar after five years in power. To compress things into a smaller bottle requires a little more time," he told journalists Wednesday after meeting President Anthony Carmona, the largely ceremonial head of state.
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| Opposition appears to have swept Trinidad elections Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:55 PM PDT PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — The main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago appears to have easily defeated the ruling coalition and ousted the country's first female prime minister, according to unofficial returns that were expected to be ratified Tuesday. |
| Mylan says it will launch $27.14B bid for Perrigo Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:51 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Dutch drugmaker Mylan says it will launch a $27.14 billion offer for Irish generic drug and ingredients maker Perrigo next Monday. |
| Nigeria army seizes vehicle with Boko Haram 'fuel, drugs' Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:50 PM PDT  Nigeria's military said on Tuesday it had made a number of arrests after intercepting a vehicle allegedly carrying fuel and drugs for Boko Haram Islamists waging a six-year-old insurgency in the northeast. "Following...directives to troops in the northeast for a painstaking search of motorists and cargoes, troops of the 3 Division Nigerian army have intercepted and arrested some kingpins and foot soldiers of suppliers of Boko Haram terrorists with hard drugs and other stimulants," the army said in a statement. It said the seizure was made on Tuesday between the towns of Depchi and Geidam in Yobe state, a hotbed of the Boko Haram insurgency.
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| Rooney sets record as England beats Swiss, Austria qualifies Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:48 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — A record-breaking goal by Wayne Rooney kept England's winning streak going in European Championship qualifying on Tuesday, while Austria qualified for a major tournament for the first time in 18 years by securing its place at next year's finals in France.
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| Judge orders Guatemalan ex-president jailed on fraud charge Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:44 PM PDT  GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former President Otto Perez Molina was ordered jailed on charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery Tuesday in connection with a customs corruption scandal that took down much of his government and forced him to resign.
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| Turkish nationalists attack headquarters of pro-Kurdish party, newspaper Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:42 PM PDT  An angry crowd on Tuesday attacked the Ankara headquarters of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, in a night of nationalist-tinged violence across the country, reports and officials said. Dozens of nationalist protesters marched on the the headquarters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Ankara, throwing stones and ripping down the sign outside, pictures broadcast by the CNN-Turk channel showed. "Our headquarters in under attack but the police is not performing its duties," the party said on its official Twitter feed.
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| California wildfire jumps containment line, threatens forest homes Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:37 PM PDT  (Reuters) - A wildfire raging in California's Kings Canyon National Park forced the evacuation of about 20 homes and a heat wave prompted concern that the blaze will continue to spread, authorities said on Tuesday. At 98,000 acres (40,000 hectares), the so-called Rough Fire is the largest wildfire currently burning in California, the U.S. Forest Service said, as the state wilts under a heat wave expected to bring temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). The Rough Fire cast smoke over numerous popular hiking and camping area in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Fresno, prompting cancellation of tours and other activities.
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| Yahoo says IRS declined to rule on Alibaba spinoff Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:24 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A crucial deal for Yahoo has hit a snag, with the IRS declining to issue a private ruling that would have confirmed the Internet company can spin off its stake in China's Alibaba Group tax free. |
| Migrants break through Hungary police lines on Serbia border Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:22 PM PDT  Röszke (Hungary) (AFP) - Several hundred migrants broke through police lines at Hungary's main border crossing with Serbia Tuesday, forcing police to use pepper spray on one occasion to move a group off a main road. The series of breakouts took place at a police collection point near the border crossing at Roszke, the first stop on the Hungarian side of the border with Serbia, before people are brought to a registration camp nearby.
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| Crowd attacks headquarters of Turkey pro-Kurdish party Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:18 PM PDT  An angry crowd on Tuesday attacked the Ankara headquarters of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, in a night of nationalist-tinged violence across the country, reports and officials said. Dozens of nationalist protesters marched on the the headquarters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Ankara, throwing stones and ripping down the sign outside, pictures broadcast by the CNN-Turk channel showed. "Our headquarters in under attack but the police is not performing its duties," the party said on its official Twitter feed.
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| Windfall for agents from record-breaking transfer window Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:12 PM PDT MANCHESTER, England (AP) — When the transfer window closed in Europe last week, players weren't the only ones to be celebrating some big-money moves. Agents also toasted their bulging bank balances. |
| New poll gives leftist Syriza thin lead in Greek snap election Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:11 PM PDT  Greece's leftist Syriza party has a 0.5 percentage-point lead over the New Democracy conservatives ahead of a snap election on Sept. 20, according to a poll published on Tuesday. Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras's Syriza was on course to win 26.5 percent of the vote, while New Democracy would get 26.0 percent, the poll by Pulse for Action24 TV found. The poll showed the Independent Greeks, former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's junior coalition partner, is expected to get 2.0 percent of the vote, below the 3.0 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.
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| Turkish forces enter northern Iraq as PKK violence spirals Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:08 PM PDT  Turkish forces crossed into northern Iraq to pursue Kurdish militants on Tuesday after the deadliest rebel attacks in years left dozens dead in a new escalation of the decades-long conflict. Thirteen Turkish police were killed on Tuesday in a new attack by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants as violence in the east threatened to spiral out of control. Early on Tuesday, the Turkish air force pounded PKK targets in northern Iraq while special forces crossed the border in a rare land incursion, a Turkish government source told AFP.
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| No easy passage seen for California climate change bills Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:07 PM PDT By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California lawmakers negotiated frantically behind the scenes on Tuesday over the fate of several proposals to dramatically reduce the state's use of fossil fuels and slash the amount of greenhouse gases that legally could be emitted. The measures, part of an environmental agenda championed by state Senate Democratic Leader Kevin De Leon, aim to require public utilities in California to use renewable resources for half the energy they provide by 2030, and mandate a 50 percent cut in the use of petroleum in cars and trucks by the same year. Another bill would mandate an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from levels emitted in 1990. |
| Rooney breaks record as England beats Switzerland Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:06 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Wayne Rooney broke England's scoring record as the hosts maintained their perfect record in European Championship qualifying with a 2-0 win over Switzerland on Tuesday that secured top spot in Group E.
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| Tearful Rooney nets record 50th England goal Posted: 08 Sep 2015 03:02 PM PDT  An emotional Wayne Rooney became England's all-time leading goal-scorer after netting his 50th international goal in a historic 2-0 victory over Switzerland at Wembley in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Tuesday. With England having already qualified for next year's tournament, the stage was set for their captain to surpass Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old mark of 49, which he had equalled in Saturday's 6-0 win in San Marino. After substitute Harry Kane broke the deadlock, the moment duly arrived in the 84th minute, Rooney crashing a penalty into Yann Sommer's top-right corner and being rewarded with a standing ovation that left him wiping away tears.
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| Pentagon: US looking for ways to fix Syrian rebel program Posted: 08 Sep 2015 02:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is considering ways to fix the problems in supporting moderate Syrian rebels in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, the Pentagon said Tuesday. |
| Canadians urge PM to work to free journalist jailed in Egypt Posted: 08 Sep 2015 02:56 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — Some 300 prominent Canadians have sent a letter to Canada's prime minister urging him to take action to get Al-Jazeera English journalist Mohamed Fahmy freed from an Egyptian prison and returned to Canada. |
