| Islamic State bombs kill 80 in deadliest Baghdad attacks this year Posted: 11 May 2016 08:33 AM PDT  Three suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State across Baghdad killed at least 80 people on Wednesday, Iraqi police and hospital sources said, in the deadliest attacks in the Iraqi capital this year. Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, which was the target of daily bombings a decade ago, but violence against security forces and Shi'ite Muslim civilians is still frequent. The fight against Islamic State, which seized about a third of Iraq's territory in 2014, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq mostly between Sunnis and the Shi'ite majority that came to power after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
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| Canadian oilfield workers readying return after wildfire Posted: 11 May 2016 03:54 PM PDT  By Nia Williams and Ernest Scheyder CALGARY/LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Workers for one of the largest oil sands companies affected by a massive wildfire in northern Canada will begin returning to the shuttered facilities on Thursday, a union official said on Wednesday, the latest indication that the key petroleum production area was slowly coming back online. Meanwhile, the premier of the province of Alberta and the head of the Canadian Red Cross announced that residents of Fort McMurray, the oil-boom town that was evacuated last week because of the fire, would be offered direct financial aid. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established a new ad hoc cabinet committee to coordinate federal relief efforts.
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| Brazil Senate debates impeachment trial as Rousseff's removal looms Posted: 11 May 2016 02:28 PM PDT  By Lisandra Paraguassu and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Supreme Court rebuffed a last-ditch bid by President Dilma Rousseff to halt a vote in the Senate on Wednesday that is expected to put her on trial for breaking budget laws and end 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America's biggest country. If her opponents garner a simple majority in the 81-seat Senate in a session that will last late into the evening, Rousseff will be replaced on Thursday by Vice President Michel Temer as acting president for up to six months during the trial. There were signs Rousseff was preparing for defeat: she plans to dismiss all her cabinet and has given instructions that there should be no easy transition for a Temer government because she considers her impeachment illegal, presidential aides said.
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| Australia defends U.S. in latest South China Sea dispute Posted: 11 May 2016 03:46 PM PDT  Australia on Thursday backed the United States in its so-called freedom of navigation operation close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, a patrol China has denounced as an illegal threat to peace. U.S. guided missile destroyer the USS William P. Lawrence on Tuesday traveled within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, in an operation undertaken to challenge excessive maritime claims by China, Taiwan and Vietnam which were seeking to restrict navigation rights in the South China Sea. Australia has consistently supported U.S.-led freedom of navigation activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been adding land reclamation to islands and reefs in waters claimed by several regional countries.
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| Quietly, Vietnam hosts arms gathering attended by U.S. companies Posted: 11 May 2016 07:22 AM PDT  By My Pham and Idrees Ali HANOI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vietnam hosts a defense symposium this week attended by top American arms manufacturers, ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama and as Washington weighs whether to lift an arms embargo on its former enemy. Secrecy has surrounded the event staged by the communist country and attended by firms including Boeing and Lockheed Martin . It coincides with the biggest arms buildup in the country since the Vietnam War.
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| Georgia begins U.S.-led military exercise, angering Russia Posted: 11 May 2016 08:37 AM PDT  By Margarita Antidze TBILISI (Reuters) - The Georgian army began two weeks of military exercises with the United States and Britain on Wednesday, drawing an angry response from former Soviet master Russia which called the war games "a provocative step". About 650 soldiers from the United States, 150 from Britain and 500 from Georgia were taking part in the maneuvers, with Washington dispatching an entire mechanized company including eight Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and, for the first time, eight M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks. Georgia's Defence Minister Tina Khidasheli said the drills were an important event for the South Caucasus republic.
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| Australian PM Turnbull named in Panama Papers: AFR Posted: 11 May 2016 04:49 PM PDT  Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been named in the Panama Papers as a former director of a British Virgin Islands company set up to exploit a Siberian gold prospect, the Australian Financial Review reported on Thursday. Turnbull and former New South Wales Premier Neville Wran joined the board of Australian-listed Star Mining NL in 1993. Both Turnbull and Wran were subsequently appointed directors of Star Technology Services, a subsidiary of Star Mining in the British Virgin Islands which had been incorporated by Mossack Fonseca, the Panama-based law firm at the center of the global scandal.
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| Venezuela tense as cops block anti-president march Posted: 11 May 2016 04:45 PM PDT  Riot cops fired tear gas to head off a protest march Wednesday by opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, who were demanding a referendum on removing him from office. Security forces blocked the street to keep demonstrators away from the headquarters of the National Electoral Board (CNE) in Caracas. The opposition coalition MUD said in a statement that one of its top leaders, Henrique Capriles, was affected by the tear gas as he led the march.
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| Nevada high court ruling keeps judge on Las Vegas Sands case Posted: 11 May 2016 04:43 PM PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court says a state court judge will continue to handle a lawsuit headed for trial involving billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and a former Sands China Ltd. chief executive. |
| The Latest: Senate leader chides colleagues over chattering Posted: 11 May 2016 04:43 PM PDT  BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The latest on the debate and vote in Brazil's Senate on the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff (all times local):
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| Baby starfish return to Oregon, California after massive die-off Posted: 11 May 2016 04:35 PM PDT  By Shelby Sebens PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - Baby starfish are making a comeback in Oregon and California just two years after disease nearly wiped out the small but integral sea creature, scientists said on Tuesday. Starfish, also known as sea stars, are crucial predators that eat mussels and barnacles, keeping their populations under control, scientists said. A study by Oregon State University scientists released last week showed an increase of purple ochre starfish babies that was 300 times the normal rate.
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| Brazil president faces impeachment over creative accounting Posted: 11 May 2016 04:22 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — THE IMPEACHMENT CASE: The proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff are based on accusations that she broke fiscal laws in 2015 to hide budget problems. The main allegation is that her administration delayed moving treasury funds to state-owned banks to pay for government programs. Her critics say that made public finances look better than they were. Rousseff insists the practice is not an impeachable offense, pointing to other Brazilian presidents who used such creative accounting techniques and were not punished in any way.
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| Italy overrules Church with green light for gay unions Posted: 11 May 2016 04:21 PM PDT  Italy on Wednesday joined the rest of the Western world in extending legal recognition to same-sex relationships with parliament overwhelmingly backing gay civil unions after a long battle to overcome opposition led by the Catholic church. The government used the same confidence vote tactic to get the bill approved by the upper house Senate in February, but only after the original text had been diluted to appease opponents threatening to scupper it altogether.
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| UK unveils property register in anti-corruption push Posted: 11 May 2016 04:18 PM PDT  Britain will force foreign companies that own property in the country to reveal their ownership on a public register, Prime Minister David Cameron announced ahead of a global anti-corruption summit Thursday. Foreign companies hoping to buy property in Britain or bid for central government contracts will have to join the register, to be launched next month. It will also apply to the foreign firms that already own some 100,000 properties in England and Wales, almost half of them in the capital London.
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| Earthquake shakes Guadalajara, Mexico: emergency services Posted: 11 May 2016 03:59 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico's second most populous city Guadalajara on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The local seismological institute put the quake at a fairly shallow depth of 16 km. One witness described a strong but short tremor. (Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom) |
| Cheers in London for 'Brexit the Movie' premiere Posted: 11 May 2016 03:47 PM PDT  Britain's EU referendum campaign took a film star turn on Wednesday as Brexit supporters took to the red carpet in black tie and evening dresses in for the premiere of a documentary backing their cause. UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage beamed and waved at hundreds of onlookers in London's West End, including men with Union Jack bowties and T-shirts reading "It's Time to Break Away". "Brexit the Movie", which is being released on YouTube on Thursday, combines interviews of pro-Brexit economists, politicians and small businessmen with Monty Pythonesque cartoon graphics, a potted history of the EU and its workings.
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| When Zika hits, a push for birth control and abortion? Posted: 11 May 2016 03:40 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — There's little doubt: Zika is coming to the continental United States, bringing frightening birth defects — and, most likely, newly urgent discussions about abortion and contraception.
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| Abortion rate steady in poor nations, plunging in rich ones Posted: 11 May 2016 03:35 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — The rate of abortions in the developed world has dropped to an all-time low while remaining steady in poorer regions, where nearly 90 percent of the abortions worldwide occur, researchers say in a new study published Wednesday in the journal Lancet. |
| Removal of judge, prosecutors sought in Guantanamo 9/11 case Posted: 11 May 2016 03:34 PM PDT  MIAMI (AP) — The military judge and the entire prosecution team in the Sept. 11 war crimes trial should be removed from the case because important classified evidence that would have been helpful to the defense was destroyed, lawyers for the lead defendant said Wednesday.
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| Brazil's Senate debates impeaching cornered Rousseff Posted: 11 May 2016 03:32 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's Senate launched a marathon debate Wednesday on impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, whose hours in office appeared numbered after the Supreme Court rejected her bid to halt the proceedings. Rousseff is accused of illegal accounting maneuvers to hide budget holes in an election year, but says the charges are trumped up and amount to a coup by her right-wing opponents. A simple majority in the 81-member Senate will trigger Rousseff's six-month suspension pending the outcome of her impeachment trial.
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| Violence created growing population of displaced in Mexico Posted: 11 May 2016 03:20 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Violence unleashed by organized crime has forced thousands of people in Mexico to abandon their homes, adding to the country's internally displaced population, the country's National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday.
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| Syrian army battles jihadists near Palmyra Posted: 11 May 2016 03:20 PM PDT  Syrian regime forces Wednesday battled jihadists who cut a key supply route west of ancient Palmyra, after new bombardments hit Aleppo city where a ceasefire was due to expire at midnight. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the Islamic State (IS) group on Tuesday cut the main road from Homs city to Palmyra just weeks after the army recaptured the city, a UNESCO world heritage site. A military source told the SANA official news agency that the Syrian air force had carried out strikes against IS around the main facility in the Shaer gas field, northwest of Palmyra.
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| Online retailer buys Basquiat painting for record $57.3M Posted: 11 May 2016 03:18 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A Japanese online retailer is the buyer of a self-portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat (zhahn mee-SHEHL' BAH'-skee-aht) that sold for a world auction record of $57.3 million in New York City. |
| Future of Brazil's president on the line in key Senate Vote Posted: 11 May 2016 03:12 PM PDT  BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's Senate on Wednesday neared a historic vote on impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, likely ending 13 years of government by her left-leaning party amid a spate of crises besetting Latin America's largest nation.
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| Nigeria lifts gas subsidy, nearly doubling the price of fuel Posted: 11 May 2016 03:09 PM PDT  LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's government announced Wednesday it is lifting a controversial subsidy on gas, nearly doubling the price amid a massive fuel shortage and militant attacks on oil installations in Africa's biggest petroleum producer.
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| Gulfstream plans $12 million Pegasus World Cup for Jan. 28 Posted: 11 May 2016 03:08 PM PDT HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — What would be the world's richest thoroughbred race is being planned for early next year at Gulfstream Park. |
| Sunderland survives in EPL, Newcastle and Norwich relegated Posted: 11 May 2016 03:02 PM PDT  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Sunderland completed its latest escape from relegation in the English Premier League on Wednesday — and consigned bitter northeast rival Newcastle to the second tier in the process.
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| Western Libyan forces prepare attack on Islamic State stronghold Posted: 11 May 2016 02:56 PM PDT  By Ahmed Elumami MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Forces in western Libya are preparing to advance on the city of Sirte, seized by Islamic State last year, their spokesman said, pushing ahead with plans for a counter-attack after the Islamists made territorial gains in the last week. The fighters based in the city of Misrata would like international logistical support to help retake what has become Islamic State's most important base outside Syria and Iraq, but will not wait for it before launching the operation, they said. "We are ready and we are preparing our security arrangements to attack Sirte," said Brigadier General Mohamed al-Gasri, spokesman for a newly formed military operations room in Misrata.
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| Venezuelans clash with police in march to demand recall Posted: 11 May 2016 02:52 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan protesters clashed Wednesday with police who fired tear gas on marchers demanding that election officials start counting signatures for a vote to recall President Nicolas Maduro.
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| DR Congo president can remain in office without a vote: court Posted: 11 May 2016 02:47 PM PDT  DR Congo's President Joseph Kabila can remain in office when his mandate expires at the end of 2016, even without being re-elected, the Constitutional Court said Wednesday. The ruling came amid rising tensions over the government's failure to set a date for the country's next elections, originally due in November this year before Kabila's term ends. After months of incessant controversy, protests and arrests, Wednesday saw police in Lubumbashi, the country's second biggest city, use tear gas and stun batons to clear thousands of opposition supporters who had stormed a courthouse.
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| Kone brace helps Sunderland relegate Newcastle, Norwich Posted: 11 May 2016 02:38 PM PDT  Newcastle United and Norwich City were relegated from the Premier League on Wednesday as Sunderland secured their survival with a one-sided 3-0 victory over Everton. Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone's first two goals for the club and a Patrick van Aanholt free-kick took Sam Allardyce's side four points clear of danger with one game remaining. Norwich returned to the Championship a year after promotion despite a 4-2 win over Watford, while Newcastle, Sunderland's arch rivals, will play in the second tier for the first time since 2010.
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| Chile's 'red tide' outbreak widens in threat to fishing industry Posted: 11 May 2016 02:33 PM PDT  A "red tide" outbreak is widening in southern Chile's fishing-rich waters, the government said on Wednesday, deepening what is already believed to be one of the country's worst environmental crises in recent years. The red tide - an algal bloom that turns the sea water red and makes seafood toxic - is a common, naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented. The southern region of Los Lagos has been affected in recent weeks by the largest red tide in its history, prompting fishermen deprived of their livelihoods to angrily demand more support from the government.
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| Benteke scores late to give Liverpool 1-1 draw with Chelsea Posted: 11 May 2016 02:32 PM PDT  LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A stoppage-time equalizer from substitute Christian Benteke earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea in the English Premier League on Wednesday.
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| Cayman to join effort aimed at sharing company details Posted: 11 May 2016 02:27 PM PDT GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — The Cayman Islands has become the latest financial center vowing to join an initiative aimed at sharing details on company ownership to make it tougher for tax cheats and criminals to avoid detection. |
| UN peacekeepers urged to use force to 'save lives' Posted: 11 May 2016 02:26 PM PDT  Rwanda and the Netherlands, two countries embroiled in the UN's worst peacekeeping failures, on Wednesday launched a push at the United Nations for blue helmets to more readily use force to defend civilians in conflicts. The initiative seeks to persuade countries that contribute troops to UN peacekeeping to agree to more robust action and more readily intervene instead of staying behind the high walls of their UN compounds. "The blue flag needs to stand for protection and it doesn't always," Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told the gathering at UN headquarters in New York.
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| Google to ban payday lending ads, calling industry 'harmful' Posted: 11 May 2016 02:24 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Internet giant Google said Wednesday it will ban all ads from payday lenders, calling the industry "deceptive" and "harmful."
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| US heralds Romania missile defence system as step forward Posted: 11 May 2016 02:24 PM PDT  A US missile defence system in Romania will become operational Thursday in a move welcomed by US officials as an "important step" but also one likely to infuriate Moscow. The missile interceptor station in Deveselu, southern Romania, will help defend NATO members against the threat of short and medium-range ballistic missiles -- particularly from the Middle East, US assistant secretary of state Frank Rose told a news conference in Bucharest Wednesday. "Both the US and NATO have made it clear the system is not designed for or capable of undermining Russia's strategic deterrence capability," Rose said.
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| Top Asian News 9:17 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 May 2016 02:17 PM PDT DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The head of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party was executed early Wednesday for his role in acts of genocide and war crimes during the country's independence war against Pakistan in 1971, a government official said. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Motiur Rahman Nizami, the 73-year-old leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at 12:10 a.m. in Dhaka central jail amid tight security. A crowd of activists celebrated outside the jail. The execution came a few hours after Nizami's family visited him for the last time. His body was handed over to his family for burial in the northwestern district of Pabna, his ancestral home. |
