| U.S. says conducted air strike near Afghan hospital, MSF says 19 killed Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:46 PM PDT  By Hamid Shalizi and Andrew MacAskill KABUL (Reuters) - An air strike, probably carried out by U.S.-led coalition forces, killed 19 staff and patients on Saturday, including three children, in a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, the aid group said. The U.S. military said it conducted an air strike "in the vicinity" of the hospital as it targeted Taliban insurgents who were directly firing on U.S. military personnel. U.N. Human Rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein led a chorus of condemnation, without saying who carried out the strike, noting that an assault on a hospital could amount to a war crime.
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| Russia says to step up air strikes in Syria Posted: 03 Oct 2015 10:42 AM PDT By Alexander Winning and Suleiman Al-Khalidi MOSCOW/AMMAN (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it will step up air strikes in Syria, escalating a military intervention which Moscow says is weakening Islamic State militants but which Western powers say aims to support President Bashar al-Assad. A senior Russian military officer said Russian jets based in western Syria had carried out more than 60 sorties in 72 hours across Syria. "We will not only continue strikes... We will also increase their intensity," said Andrei Kartapolov from the Russian army General Staff. |
| Vatican sacks gay priest after highly public coming out Posted: 03 Oct 2015 10:48 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Saturday dismissed a Polish priest from his Holy See job after he came out as gay and called for changes in Catholic teachings against homosexual activity on the eve of a major Church meeting on the family. Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, a theologian, had worked at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal arm, since 2003, and taught theology at pontifical universities in Rome, which have also dismissed him. The Church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin but homosexual activity is, and priests, whether heterosexual or gay, take vows of celibacy.
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| British PM Cameron signals he will push for vote on Syria military action: Telegraph Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:14 PM PDT  British Prime Minister David Cameron signaled that he would push ahead with plans for a vote in the British parliament to approve military action against Islamic State militants in Syria, The Daily Telegraph newspaper said. Cameron was quoted as saying that British military attacks in Syria "may well become possible." Previously, Cameron has said he sees a strong case for extending British air strikes to Syria from Iraq. Cameron lost a parliamentary vote on the use of force in Syria in 2013.
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| Putin promised to use influence in Donbass for progress on Minsk deal: Kremlin Posted: 03 Oct 2015 11:16 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin had promised to use his influence in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region to ensure progress in the Ukraine conflict's Minsk peace process, The Kremlin's spokesman said on Saturday according to Interfax. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman, added that the terms of the Minsk agreements could be extended into next year but that they couldn't be extended for ever. (Reporting by Alexander Winning)
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| Two suicide car bombs kill at least 18 in Baghdad: police, medics Posted: 03 Oct 2015 12:13 PM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Suicide car bomb attacks targeting two mainly Shi'ite Muslim districts of Baghdad killed at least 18 people on Saturday, police and medical sources said. The attacks targeted Kadhimiya and Hurriya in the north of the capital. Police said at least 60 people were wounded. Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq, claimed responsibility and said the target was "rejectionists", its derogatory word for Shi'ites. (Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; Writing by Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Louise Ireland) |
| Guatemalan mudslide death toll reaches 56, hundreds missing Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:18 PM PDT  SANTA CATARINA PINULA, Guatemala (AP) — Rescue workers using shovels and pickaxes recovered more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed hillside on the outskirts of Guatemala City on Saturday as an official said the death toll had risen to 56 with another 350 people believed missing.
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| The Latest: Obama demands details on Afghan clinic airstrike Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:15 PM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The latest developments from Afghanistan, where the international charity Doctors Without Borders says that at least 19 people were killed when its clinic came under "sustained bombing" as government and international forces continue to battle Taliban fighters in the northern city of Kunduz (all times local):
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| Obama offers condolences over 'tragic incident' in Kunduz Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:08 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama offered his "deepest condolences" over a suspected US airstrike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed 19 people. "On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences to the medical professionals and other civilians killed and injured in the tragic incident at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz," he said in a statement released by the White House.
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| Life ring found from cargo ship missing off Bahamas: U.S. Coast Guard Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:08 PM PDT (Reuters) - A life ring has been found from the cargo ship El Faro, which went missing on Thursday after sailing through Hurricane Joaquin in the Bahamas, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Twitter on Saturday. The Coast Guard did not say where the life ring had been found. This is the first trace of the El Faro, a 735-foot (224-meter) cargo ship with 33 crew on board. |
| Coast Guard locates life ring from ship lost off Bahamas Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:05 PM PDT  NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has located a life ring from a cargo ship that lost power and communications during Hurricane Joaquin and is now the subject of an intense search in the southeastern Bahamas.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:02 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Confusion reigned in the wake of the deadly bombing Saturday of a hospital compound in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz that killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens more. It remains unclear exactly who bombed the hospital run by Doctors Without Borders and the international medical charity has demanded an investigation into the incident. Doctors Without Borders said that "all indications" pointed to the international military coalition as responsible for the bombing and called for an independent investigation. The U.S. Defense Secretary, Ash Carter said an inquiry is underway into whether the carnage at the clinic was caused by an airstrike from an American fighter jet, while Afghan officials said helicopter gunships had returned fire from Taliban fighters hiding in the compound. |
| The Latest: Hurricane Joaquin moving toward Bermuda Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:57 PM PDT  MIAMI (AP) — The latest on Joaquin and the storm's predicted path. All times local:
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| Britain will double drone fleet: Cameron Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:51 PM PDT  Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday he will double Britain's drone fleet and warned about the prospect of Britain's exit from the European Union. Cameron said the government would purchase 20 "Protector" drones and spoke confidently about the prospects of a parliamentary vote to join air strikes targeting the Islamic State group in Syria.
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| Pope Francis defends appointment of bishop accused of protecting priest Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:50 PM PDT  Pope Francis called critics protesting the appointment of a new bishop in Chile, who has been accused of covering up sexual abuse crimes committed by priests, "lefties" in a video message Saturday. The installation of Juan Barros earlier this year as the Bishop of Osorno, in southern Chile, was heavily protested by those accusing him of having protected Fernando Karadima, a priest the Vatican in 2011 found guilty of child sex abuse, committed in the 1980s.
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| 'End of the World', says press after England humiliation Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:48 PM PDT  Newspapers bemoaned the 'End of the World' on Sunday after England's humiliating early exit from the Rugby World Cup at Australia's hands. The Mail on Sunday's back page headline also featured a picture of England captain Chris Robshaw down on one knee and gasping for breath and another of Prince Harry with his hands to his face in disbelief at the magnitude of the 33-13 hammering by Australia. Newspapers targeted Robshaw and England coach Stuart Lancaster.
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| Pope's blessing, Netanyahu's silence: Key UN summit moments Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:47 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Pope Francis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Barack Obama and even celebrities like Daniel Craig and Shakira dropped by a whirlwind U.N. summit that drew more than 150 world leaders, a record, and ended Saturday afternoon. Here are some notable moments:
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| Argentina's Emiliano Grillo tops Web.com Tour Finals finale Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:39 PM PDT PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Argentina's Emiliano Grillo shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead in the Web.com Tour Finals-ending Web.Com Tour Championship. |
| No beer bribe for Samoa, says Cotter Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:39 PM PDT  Scotland coach Vern Cotter would do almost anything to get his side into the World Cup quarter-finals, but he has ruled out trying to buy Samoa off with a few beers. It's make or break for Scotland when they play Samoa in their final Pool B match in Newcastle next weekend. After the Springboks brought their charmed start to the tournament to a shuddering halt with a 34-16 win on Saturday, Scotland went from the top of the table to fighting for survival with one game left.
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| Joaquin soaks eastern US, leaves devastation in Bahamas Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:39 PM PDT  Parts of the US southeast were under water on Saturday, deluged by Hurricane Joaquin's torrential rains, with forecasters predicting historic flooding for the already waterlogged region. Joaquin, a powerful Category Four storm, brought record-setting rain to the southeastern US after devastating parts the Bahamas and threatening to do much the same to Bermuda. News reports have blamed Joaquin for four deaths in the United States since Thursday.
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| England out of its own Rugby World Cup party Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:38 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Let the post-mortems begin.
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| England coach faces exit after World Cup exit Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:33 PM PDT  England coach Stuart Lancaster apologised and admitted his future is uncertain after Australia inflicted his side's second devastating World Cup defeat in a week. The 33-13 loss at Twickenham on Saturday saw England become the first host nation to exit a World Cup before the knockout stage. Asked if he was considering his position after the loss, Lancaster said: "Yeah, obviously I think I've got to.
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| Venezuela official denounces US hostility after airport stop Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:31 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A top Venezuelan official railed against the United States after being stopped at a Mexican airport Saturday while traveling on official business. |
| Australia wary of Wales threat, says Pocock Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:28 PM PDT  Australia will recalibrate their game plan to deal with a "totally different set of threats" from Wales in the battle to top Pool A, back row star David Pocock said. After dumping hosts England out of the Rugby World Cup with a 33-13 victory at Twickenham on Saturday, Pocock said the clash with Wales on October 10 would be a completely different contest. "I feel they got some pretty good play against England.
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| Greece must stick to program to exit bailout: PM Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:26 PM PDT  By Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece must implement its bailout program fast to achieve its main aim of regaining access to market financing and escaping international supervision, re-elected leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday. Speaking to lawmakers of his Syriza party on the day a new parliament was sworn in, the premier said he aimed to complete the first review of a 86 billion euro bailout agreed in August as soon as possible so Athens could open negotiations with its euro zone partners on debt relief. "Implementing the bailout is not going to be easy.
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| Palestinian kills two in Jerusalem, then shot dead: police Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:26 PM PDT  By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian man stabbed and killed two people in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday before police shot him dead, officers said, amid an uptick in violence in the city and occupied West Bank. Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad issued a statement claiming the attacker as one of its members. "The terrorist approached a group of Jews, whipped out a knife and began stabbing," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
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| A glare, a handshake, a pope: Busy UN summit makes history Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:20 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russian airstrikes launched in Syria during the U.N.'s 70th anniversary gathering of more than 150 world leaders stole the spotlight and highlighted deep divisions on how to end that conflict and deal with the many thousands of people fleeing to Europe in search of safety.
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| Aussie fans revel in role as World Cup party-poopers Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:18 PM PDT  As the referee blew the final whistle on England's World Cup dream Saturday, crestfallen rugby fans in London drowned their sorrows while enduring taunts from joyous Australian supporters. "It's very upsetting," said Rich, 34, minutes after Australia rubbed salt into the wounds by scoring a late converted try to seal a 33-13 defeat, making England the first host nation to be dumped out at the group stages. After last week's devastating loss to local rivals Wales, England knew they had to beat old enemy Australia to stand any chance of qualifying from the "Group of Death".
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| Australia win puts host England out of World Cup contention Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:13 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Bernard Foley orchestrated England's demise at the Rugby World Cup with his finest performance in a Wallabies jersey, scoring all but five of Australia's points in a 33-13 win Saturday that ensured the host team will exit the tournament after the pool stage.
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| Gay former student of Pope Francis' speaks out Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:09 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — An openly gay former student of Pope Francis' who visited with the pope during his recent trip to Washington said Saturday he was surprised Francis had met with the Kentucky county clerk who gained attention for refusing to issue same-sex couples marriage licenses.
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| Woman, young boy killed as bus ploughs into supermarket in UK Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:07 PM PDT  A woman and an eight-year-old boy were killed and five other people injured on Saturday when a double-decker bus ploughed into a supermarket in the centre of Coventry in central England. The bus crashed into several cars and a lamppost before hitting the supermarket on what would have been a busy shopping day in the city centre. The boy was on the upper deck of the bus.
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| Barcelona, Chelsea both lose; Aguero nets 5 goals Posted: 03 Oct 2015 04:04 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Barcelona and Chelsea both stumbled to losses on Saturday to make a bad week even worse for two of Europe's defending league champions.
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| Brazil high court: Lula can be questioned in Petrobras probe Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:58 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Police in Brazil can question former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as they probe the massive money-laundering scandal at state oil giant Petrobras, the nation's Supreme Court ruled. Brazil's top court issued its ruling late Friday, after being petitioned last month by police to interrogate Lula, who governed the country from 2003 to 2010. Lula's name has been mentioned in the testimony of some defendants in exchange for a reduction of their sentencing, but they also said there was no proof of the ex-president's involvement.
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| UN slams 'inexcusable' Afghan hospital air strike that killed 19 Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:53 PM PDT  A suspected US air strike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz killed 19 people Saturday, medical charity MSF said, a bombardment the UN condemned as "inexcusable, and possibly even criminal". The US has promised a "full investigation" into the bombing at the facility, a key lifeline that has been running beyond capacity during fighting that saw the Taliban seize control of the northern provincial capital for several days. The attack early Saturday left the building engulfed in flames, and dozens more people seriously wounded, with photos posted by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) showing their staff shocked and dazed.
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| Gunman in Oregon college massacre committed suicide Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:52 PM PDT  By Courtney Sherwood and Emily Flitter ROSEBURG, Ore. (Reuters) - The gunman who killed his English professor and eight others at an Oregon community college committed suicide after a shootout with police who were on the scene within five minutes and exchanged fire with him almost immediately, authorities said. Investigators had previously said the 26-year-old shooter was killed by the officers who raced to the rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, which ranks as the deadliest among dozens of U.S. mass shootings in the past two years. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told a news conference on Saturday the state medical examiner had determined that the gunman, Christopher Harper-Mercer, took his own life.
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| Palestinian kills two Israelis, wounds child in Jerusalem attack Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:48 PM PDT  A Palestinian said to be an Islamist militant killed two Israeli men and injured a woman and a toddler in a knife and gun attack in Jerusalem Saturday, in a fresh escalation of violence. The attack in the Old City came with Israeli security forces on alert after recent clashes at the city's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the murder in the West Bank of a Jewish settler couple in front of their young children. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said it appeared the child had been shot.
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| Vargas Llosa: More freedom now for Latin America press Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:46 PM PDT CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — While there's more freedom of the press for Latin American media under democracies than the dictatorships once common in the region, drug cartels pose a threat to such freedoms, Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa said Saturday. |
| British PM Cameron says will not be rushed on EU referendum date Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:34 PM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said his renegotiation of Britain's ties with the European Union was "bloody hard work" but that he would not be rushed into naming a date for a referendum on membership, The Sunday Telegraph reported. On the eve of an annual gathering of his ruling Conservative Party, Cameron urged his lawmakers and supporters to show patience over the issue of Europe which is likely to dominate the conference in the northern English city of Manchester. For at least a generation, Cameron's party has been riven by a conflict over Europe that contributed to the downfall of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, the last two Conservative prime ministers.
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| Barcelona falls 2-1 to Sevilla in Spanish league Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:34 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Barcelona lost 2-1 at struggling Sevilla on Saturday, missing the chance to take the provisional lead in the Spanish league.
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| Egypt says Russia's intervention in Syria will counter terrorism Posted: 03 Oct 2015 03:20 PM PDT Russia's intervention in Syria will curtail the spread of terrorism and help deal a fatal blow to Islamic State in the war-torn country, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday. Russia launched air strikes in Syria on Wednesday in its biggest Middle East intervention in decades, marking a dramatic escalation in a more than four-year-old civil war in which every major country in the region has a stake. "Russia's entrance, given its potential and capabilities, is something we see is going to have an effect on limiting terrorism in Syria and eradicating it," Shoukry said in a televised interview on Saturday. |
