| Russia seizes initiative in Syria crisis; France bombs Islamic State Posted: 27 Sep 2015 01:28 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and John Irish UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia appeared to seize the initiative in international efforts to end the conflict in Syria on Sunday as Washington scrambled to devise a new strategy for the war-ravaged country and France sent warplanes to bomb Islamic State targets. As leaders gathered in New York at the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. U.S. officials said Kerry was working on a new political initiative in New York that would include Russia and key regional powers.
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| Catalan separatists win majority in regional election: exit poll Posted: 27 Sep 2015 11:17 AM PDT  BARCELONA (Reuters) - Separatist parties are seen winning a solid absolute majority of seats in Catalonia's regional parliament, an exit poll showed on Sunday, potentially setting the region on a collision course with Spain's central government over independence. The main secessionist group "Junts pel Si" (Together for Yes) would get between 63 and 66 seats in the 135-strong assembly, while smaller leftist party CUP would secure another 11 to 13 seats, according to the poll released by local broadcaster TV3, the largest carried out. They would jointly obtain 49.8 percent of the vote. ...
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| Israeli strikes hit Syrian army on Golan: rebel sources, monitor Posted: 27 Sep 2015 12:38 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least three Israeli air strikes hit Syrian army targets on the Golan Heights on Sunday, rebel sources and a monitoring group said. The raids struck near the frontier with the Israeli-occupied part of the strategic plateau. There were no immediate reports of casualties, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rebel sources in southern Syria confirmed the account. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by Andrew Roche)
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| France launches air strikes against Islamic State in Syria Posted: 27 Sep 2015 01:36 PM PDT  By John Irish and Dominique Vidalon UNITED NATIONS/PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Sunday it launched its first air strikes in Syria, destroying an Islamic State training camp in the east of the country to prevent the group from carrying out attacks against French interests and to protect Syrian civilians. France had until now only struck Islamic State targets in neighboring Iraq, carrying out just 3 percent of air strikes in an offensive on the group by a U.S.-led coalition. France has also provided limited logistical support to Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurds.
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| Kerry, Lavrov discussed possible 'transition' in Syria: U.S. official Posted: 27 Sep 2015 09:57 AM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday discussed Russia's military involvement in Syria, as well as ways to "de-conflict" and the possibility of a political transition for the war-ravaged country. "It was a very thorough exchange of views on both the military and the political implications of Russia's increased engagement in Syria," a senior U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity, adding that the meeting was to prepare for talks between the U.S. and Russian presidents on Monday. "They discussed the need not simply to de-conflict but, if possible, to get back to the conversation about a way forward on a political transition," the official added.
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| Italy's Berlusconi says Crimea split from Ukraine was democratic Posted: 27 Sep 2015 07:52 AM PDT  Four-time Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday the Crimean people had made a democratic choice to split from Ukraine and hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world's greatest political leader. Earlier this month, Berlusconi became the most prominent Western politician to visit the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia last year in a move that has driven a wedge between Moscow and Washington. Pro-Russian separatists are fighting the Kiev government in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that will most likely be raised at a meeting on Monday in New York between U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin.
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| Francis' busy itinerary on his final day in US Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:49 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Francis made the most of his last day in the United States, packing in appearances both scheduled and unscheduled in Philadelphia on Sunday.
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| Jordan Spieth wins Tour Championship to cap off big season Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:48 PM PDT  ATLANTA (AP) — Jordan Spieth treated the Tour Championship as if it were a major. He played like it was, too.
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| The Latest: At airport, Francis thanks trip organizers Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:45 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Latest developments in Pope Francis' visit to the United States. All times local:
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| Putin: No Russian ground operations in Syria 'right now' Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:48 PM PDT  Russia's President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Moscow does not plan ground operations in Syria "right now" but will intensify its support for Bashar al-Assad. The Russian leader was speaking on CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" on the eve of a much-anticipated speech to the UN General Assembly in which he is expected to defend the Syrian strongman. Moscow has recently reinforced its military presence in Syria, deploying tanks and attack jets and sparking reports that it plans strikes against the Islamic State or other rebel groups.
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| Matt Kenseth wins 2nd race of NASCAR's playoffs Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:41 PM PDT  LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Matt Kenseth had the fresher tires and the fuller tank as he stalked Kevin Harvick with postseason advancement at stake.
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| France announces 4 billion-euro boost in aid Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:40 PM PDT  France said Sunday that it would ramp up foreign assistance, pumping in an extra four billion euros ($4.5 billion) per year starting in 2020. President Francois Hollande, announcing the aid boost at a United Nations summit on development, said the move would bring French aid to 12 billion euros annually. France has been seeking greater commitments by wealthy countries to nations hardest hit by rising temperatures and sea levels as part of year-end negotiations in Paris aimed at a new agreement on climate change.
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| Pope Francis wraps up joyful US visit with big open-air Mass Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:36 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Francis urged hundreds of thousands of the faithful gathered Sunday for the biggest event of his U.S. visit to be open to "miracles of love," closing out his joyful six-day trip with a message of hope for families, consolation for victims of child sexual abuse and a warning to America's bishops. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:33 PM PDT MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touted the power of social media and his own goals for developing India's tech economy on Sunday, speaking to a global audience from a "town hall" meeting at the headquarters of the world's largest social network. Modi also vowed to improve education for girls and "bring more women into decision-making" in his country, while responding to a handful of questions during a carefully orchestrated session led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. |
| Pope meets with family who drove 13,000 miles to see him Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:27 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Francis met Sunday with a family who made a 13,000-mile trip over 194 days from Argentina to Philadelphia in an old Volkswagen van.
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| Brazil gives boost in push for climate deal Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:26 PM PDT  Brazil on Sunday promised ambitious cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, boosting efforts for a global climate accord as leaders warned more work was needed. In one of the last big meetings before a high-stakes climate summit in Paris later this year, French President Francois Hollande pressed for hard commitments during consultations at the United Nations. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff used the occasion to announce the rainforest-rich nation's plans to reduce emissions blamed for the planet's rising temperatures.
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| Iran ready for prisoner swap with US: Rouhani Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:20 PM PDT  Tehran will work to free three Americans from its prisons if the United States releases jailed Iranians, President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday. "If the Americans take the appropriate steps and set them free, certainly the right environment will be open and the right circumstances will be created for us to do everything within our power and our purview to bring about the swiftest freedom for the Americans held in Iran as well," Rouhani, who is visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, told CNN. At least three Americans, all of them of Iranian heritage, are in jail in Iran including Jason Rezaian, a correspondent for The Washington Post who was arrested in July 2014 and accused of spying.
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| The Latest: Cameron says gender equality key to progress Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:15 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Developments from the final day of a record U.N. gathering of world leaders to launch sweeping development goals:
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| 'God weeps,' says pope after meeting abuse victims Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:12 PM PDT  Pope Francis on Sunday used the last day of his historic US tour to meet victims of the church's devastating sex abuse scandal, saying "God weeps" for their suffering, and pledging to hold those responsible to account. One rare criticism of the pope during his six-day trip to Washington, New York and Philadelphia, which ended Sunday with a giant open-air mass, was that he did not have such a meeting on his public agenda. Francis met the three women and two men, with their relatives at the San Carlo Borromeo seminary, the Vatican said in a statement.
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| Putin: No plans 'right now' to send Russian troops to Syria Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:01 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Russia had no plans "right now" to put combat troops on the ground in Syria, but would continue backing the Syrian government.
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| Empty tables, deserted streets for pope's Philadelphia visit Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:55 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One restaurant owner spent $7,500 on food she couldn't sell. A smoothie shop's business was down more than 50 percent.
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| Fiorentina crushes 10-man Inter 4-1 to move top of Serie A Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:55 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan's perfect record this season was left in tatters on Sunday after Fiorentina triumphed 4-1 at San Siro to move top of Serie A.
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| Separatists win control of Catalonia parliament in key regional vote Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:54 PM PDT  Separatists in Catalonia won control of their regional parliament Sunday in an election that they vowed would set them on the road to independence from Spain. The region's nationalist president Artur Mas declared victory to a cheering crowd of flag-waving supporters after an emotional election that has heightened tensions with Madrid. "We have a democratic mandate... This gives us enormous legitimacy to go ahead with our plan" for independence, Mas told the open-air rally in Barcelona.
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| Pope wraps up US tour with giant open-air mass Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:48 PM PDT  Pope Francis celebrated a giant outdoor mass in Philadelphia on Sunday, bringing to a close an electrifying US tour with an appeal for unity and family love, having met victims of church sex abuse. Babies and disabled children were handed over to security agents to be hoisted up for a kiss from the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics before being passed back to overjoyed parents.
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| Pro-secession parties in Catalonia win landmark vote Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:46 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Pro-secession parties pushing for Spain's northeastern Catalonia region to break away and form a new Mediterranean nation won a landmark vote Sunday by capturing a majority of seats in the regional parliament, setting up a possible showdown over independence with the central government in Madrid.
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| Huge demo in Congo against president's bid to extend rule Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:40 PM PDT  Thousands of people staged a mass demonstration in Congo's capital Brazzaville Sunday to protest at plans by veteran ruler Denis Sassou Nguesso to try to extend his rule. The rally was the biggest since Sassou Nguesso returned to power in 1997, an AFP journalist said, stretching for almost a kilometre along a main boulevard in the city centre. "Sassou out!" echoed through Brazzaville's central Boulevard des Armees as some protesters carried banners reading "Sassoufit", a play on words that sounds like "that is enough" in French, the nation's official language.
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| Amid VW scandal, polluted Paris asks if time to dump diesel Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:30 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Guidebooks rarely mention it, but Paris is one of the most polluted cities in the rich world. The Eiffel Tower is periodically shrouded in smog, and there's one key culprit: France's disproportionately heavy reliance on diesel fuel.
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| Lance Armstrong settles case with promotions company Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:29 PM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With a payment and an apology, Lance Armstrong has settled a decade-long dispute with a promotions company that sought repayment of more than $10 million in bonuses it paid the former cyclist during a career that was later exposed to be fueled by performance-enhancing drugs.
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| Winning run ends for Inter; Saint-Etienne loses to Nice Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:22 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Everything had been going right for Inter Milan, with five consecutive victories, just one goal conceded and the undisputed top slot in Serie A.
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| AP PHOTOS: Kissing babies: A precious papal custom Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:20 PM PDT  It's the moment a faithful parent is waiting for: The popemobile slows, a security agent in a suit grabs an infant and hoists him or her up to the pope.
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| Saint-Etienne hammered 4-1 at home by 9-man Nice in Ligue 1 Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:19 PM PDT  Saint-Etienne missed the chance to close the gap on French league leader Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday as it fell to a surprise 4-1 defeat at home to a Nice side which ended the match with nine men.
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| Next World Meeting of Families to be held in Dublin in 2018 Posted: 27 Sep 2015 03:00 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The next World Meeting of Families will be held in 2018 in Dublin, church officials announced Sunday, placing the event in an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country that has been ground zero for the church's clergy sex abuse crisis outside the United States. |
| Questions and answers about the Catalonia independence vote Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:59 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Parties pushing for independence from Spain won a majority of seats in Catalonia's regional Parliament in a ballot Sunday, but failed to secure more than 50 percent of the popular vote in an election they had hoped would give them a clear, unequivocal mandate for secession.
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| Pilgrims pack Philadelphia for papal Mass Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:48 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims made their way to Philadelphia for a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on the last day of his first-ever visit to the United States. Here are some of their stories:
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| Five-goal Etoile stun Zamalek in CAF Cup Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:45 PM PDT  Etoile Sahel of Tunisia stunned title favourites Zamalek of Egypt 5-1 Sunday to virtually clinch a CAF Confederation Cup final place. Marouane Tej scored twice and Baghdad Bounedjah, Alaya Brigui and substitute Saddam Ben Aziza once for the 2015 Tunisian league runners-up, who led 3-1 at half-time. Ayman Hefny halved a two-goal deficit with a goal midway through the opening half, but that was a rare moment of happiness for the Egyptian league and cup title-holders.
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| Kurdish rebel rockets miss target, kill 2 girls in Turkey Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:42 PM PDT  Two girls were killed and four people wounded on Sunday when Kurdish rebels fired rockets at police in Turkey's southeast and missed, hitting a house instead. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants launched rockets at a passing armoured police vehicle in the Bismil district of the Kurdish majority Diyarbakir province, the sources told AFP. The Turkish government has been waging an offensive against PKK strongholds in the southeast and in neighbouring northern Iraq.
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| Basque Country head also wants referendum on ties to Spain Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:38 PM PDT  The head of Spain's Basque Country said Sunday he wants to a hold a "legal consultation" on the northern region's future within Spain, as Catalonia voted in a regional election centred on independence. "I believe in the possibility of a legal and negotiated consultation," Basque Country premier Inigo Urkullu told a rally of his Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in the town of Foronda.
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| On menu for world leaders - trash, and a message Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:27 PM PDT  World leaders accustomed to fine dining had a surprise on their plates Sunday at the United Nations -- trash. Chefs cooked up a lunch made entirely of food that would have ended up in garbage bins, hoping to highlight the extraordinary waste in modern diets and its role in worsening climate change. The burger came with fries created from starchy corn that would typically go to animal feed -- which along with biofuels is the end product of the overwhelming majority of the 90 million acres (36 million hectares) of corn grown in the United States.
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| Pro-Kremlin party suffers rare defeat in local election Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:26 PM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin's ruling party suffered a rare election defeat on Sunday when its candidate for governor of the Irkutsk region of Siberia lost to a Communist candidate. With 90 percent of ballots counted, Sergei Levchenko had won 56.9 percent of the vote compared to 40.9 percent for interim governor Sergei Yeroshchenko of United Russia garnered 40.9 percent. The head of the local electoral commission, Eduard Devitsky, said the votes that remained to be counted would not influence the final result.
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| Tuesday's lineups at the Rugby World Cup Posted: 27 Sep 2015 02:24 PM PDT Tuesday's lineups at the Rugby World Cup: |
