| U.S.-backed Syria force closes in on IS-held city; slow Iraq advance causes rift Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:42 PM PDT  By John Davison and Maher Chmaytelli BEIRUT/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Syrian fighters have surrounded the Islamic State-held city of Manbij from three sides as they press a major new offensive against the jihadists near the Turkish border, a spokesman for the fighters said on Monday. The simultaneous assaults on Manbij in Syria and Falluja in Iraq, at opposite ends of Islamic State territory, are two of the biggest operations yet against Islamic State in what Washington says is the year it hopes to roll back the caliphate. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), including a Kurdish militia and Arab allies that joined it last year, launched the Manbij attack last week to drive Islamic State from its last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish frontier.
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| Peru's presidential election in limbo, Kuczynski with thin lead Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:41 PM PDT  By Mitra Taj and Ursula Scollo LIMA (Reuters) - The future of Peru's presidency hung in the balance as former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held a razor-thin lead in Sunday's election over Keiko Fujimori, daughter of an imprisoned authoritarian leader. With 94 percent of votes processed by late Monday, Kuczynski's lead over Fujimori narrowed to 0.56 percent in one of the Andean country's tightest elections ever. Ballots from far-flung provinces and the Peruvian diaspora were still outstanding, said Mariano Cucho, the head of the electoral office ONPE.
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| Mexico ruling party routed in regional vote on graft, gang violence Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:23 PM PDT  By Dave Graham XALAPA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling party lost several bastions in Sunday's regional elections to the center-right opposition, dealing a heavy blow to President Enrique Pena Nieto for failing to crack down on corruption and gang violence. Results from gubernatorial races in 12 of Mexico's 31 states on Monday showed Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, heading for defeat in seven of them, a result far worse than most polls had forecast. Pena Nieto, four years into his single six-year term, heeded the drubbing in his first public remarks on the elections.
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| Saudi-led Yemen coalition removed from U.N. child rights blacklist pending review Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:45 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had removed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases of child deaths and injuries. The U.N. report on children and armed conflict - released last Thursday - said the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, and half the attacks on schools and hospitals. Following a complaint by Saudi Arabia, however, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases cited in the annual report of states and armed groups that violate children's rights in war.
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| British support for remaining in the EU narrowly ahead: polls Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:20 PM PDT  By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Britons narrowly favor remaining in the European Union according to two polls published in Tuesday's newspapers, in contrast to surveys released on Monday which showed the campaign for Brexit ahead. Support for remaining in the EU had a one-point lead in both an online YouGov survey published for The Times newspaper and an ORB telephone poll of those definite to vote conducted for The Daily Telegraph. The 'Remain' campaign rose by 2 percentage points to 43 percent in the YouGov survey, overtaking the 'Leave' side which fell to 42 percent in a poll of 2,001 adults conducted on June 5 and 6.
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| Venezuelan woman shot dead during latest looting Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:07 PM PDT  By Anggy Polanco SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - A Venezuelan woman died on Monday after being shot in the face when looters raided state food warehouses, her family said, in the latest unrest in the crisis-hit OPEC nation. Relatives of hotel worker Jenny Ortiz, 42, said she died in hospital after being shot during the melee late on Sunday in San Cristobal, a town near the border of Colombia, where looting and antigovernment protests have occurred in recent months. Family including her mother-in-law Carmen Rosa, 58, who said she saw the incident, alleged that a policeman shot Ortiz.
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| Venezuela opposition in new protests for recall vote Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:42 PM PDT  Venezuela's opposition held new protests Monday, seeking to convert widespread anger over food shortages and economic havoc into pressure for a referendum on removing embattled President Nicolas Maduro.
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| Top Asian News 11:40 p.m. GMT Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:40 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Modi arrived earlier Monday at Andrews Air Force Base, beginning a visit to advance ties between the world's two largest democracies. Modi also met Monday with Attorney General Loretta Lynch during a ceremony marking the repatriation of over 200 artifacts to the Indian government. President Barack Obama will host Modi at the White House Tuesday. Modi addresses a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday. It is Modi's fourth visit to the U.S. since he was elected in 2014. A new defense agreement and progress on U.S. |
| Indian prime minister lays wreath at Arlington Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
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| EU countries refuse to back new license for glyphosate weed-killer Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:34 PM PDT  By Alissa de Carbonnel BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate's use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto's Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month. The EU executive had offered a 12- to 18-month extension to allow time for further scientific study by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), in hopes of allaying health concerns. The compromise proposal failed to win the qualified majority needed for adoption, an EU official said, adding the European Commission will discuss the issue at a meeting on Tuesday.
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| El Salvador captures former prison director Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:30 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador's former director of prisons has been arrested after more than a month on the run. |
| UN takes Saudi coalition off Yemen list of child violators Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:26 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Following a vehement protest from Saudi Arabia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen from a list of government forces that committed grave violations against children last year, pending a joint review of cases. |
| CEO back in US after Mexico race crash that killed boy Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:18 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials say the CEO of a Utah-based home security company has been released by Mexican authorities after his truck crashed in an off-road race and killed an 8-year-old boy. |
| Italian consulate employee in Venezuela killed Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:14 PM PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Authorities say an Italian national who arrived in Venezuela just three months ago to work in the European nation's consulate has been violently murdered. |
| Brazil Olympic chief urges protesters not to mar opening ceremony Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:07 PM PDT  Brazil's Olympics chief on Monday urged protesters angry over the impeachment of suspended president Dilma Rousseff not to mar the opening ceremony of the Rio Games in two months. The first Summer Olympics ever staged in South America open on August 5 in Rio's Maracana Stadium. According to latest estimates, that could be just a few days after a vote in the Senate over whether to remove Rousseff from office -- marking a showdown in a months-long political crisis that has divided the country and sparked accusations of a coup d'etat.
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| Suspect held over Jordan 'terror attack' Posted: 06 Jun 2016 04:03 PM PDT  Jordanian authorities have arrested a suspect accused of gunning down five intelligence agents on Monday in their office at a Palestinian refugee camp. "Investigations are under way but early indications are that this was an isolated and individual act," said government spokesman Mohammed Momani, announcing the arrest without identifying the suspect. The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday -- the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- in what Momani called a "terrorist attack".
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| On cusp, Clinton keeps focused: 'Not over until it's over' Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:58 PM PDT  COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Clinton stood on the cusp Monday of having enough delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, having overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in a pair of weekend elections in the Caribbean.
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| NBA names Arnon de Mello as new head of NBA Latin America Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:56 PM PDT As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the Summer Olympics in August, the NBA has named a new head of NBA Latin America to continue growing the game in the region. |
| Chile sues Bolivia at UN court over water dispute Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:55 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean President Michelle Bachelet says that her government has sued Bolivia over a water dispute at the International Court of Justice. |
| As California prepares to vote, Clinton on cusp of history Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:35 PM PDT  Californians geared up Monday for their state's high-profile primary, the last major vote in a process all-but-certain to culminate with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump facing off in the US presidential election. Clinton was mounting a hectic 48-hour campaign push before Tuesday's primary, hoping to finish strong and end any argument for her nomination rival Bernie Sanders to remain in the race, as he has pledged to do until the Democratic national convention in July. "It's not over until it's over, and tomorrow is a really important day particularly right here in California," the former secretary of state told reporters at a community center in Compton, near Los Angeles.
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| No charges against mother in Cincinnati gorilla case: prosecutor Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:17 PM PDT  By Ginny McCabe CINCINNATI (Reuters) - No criminal charges will be filed against the mother of the 3-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill an endangered gorilla to protect the child, an Ohio prosecutor said on Monday. A 17-year-old endangered western lowland silverback gorilla named Harambe was shot by zoo staff in the minutes after the boy fell on May 28, touching off a storm of criticism aimed at both the zoo and the boy's mother. Some critics had called for criminal charges against the mother, who was with the boy at the zoo, for reckless endangerment.
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| Conservative economist narrowly ahead in Peru election Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:16 PM PDT  LIMA, Peru (AP) — Economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had a razor-thin lead over the daughter of an imprisoned former president in Peru's presidential election, as Peruvians nervously awaited results still trickling in from remote parts of the Andean nation.
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| Ruling party sees stinging defeats in Mexican elections Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:13 PM PDT  XALAPA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico's ruling party was headed for stinging defeats in some of the 12 governorships up for grabs in state elections, according to preliminary vote counts Monday.
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| Tropical Storm Colin gains speed, barrels toward Florida Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:12 PM PDT  By Letitia Stein TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Colin picked up speed over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday as it headed toward Florida's northwest coast, unleashing thunderstorms and flooding, while the governor activated the national guard ahead of imminent landfall. The storm, about 70 miles from the Florida coast as of 5 p.m., barreled toward land at 23 miles per hour, more quickly than it moved earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The combination of the storm surge and high tides threatened flooding in coastal areas across the U.S. Southeast, with the storm expected to make landfall below Florida's Panhandle on Monday evening.
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| Broad has no problems facing Pakistan's Amir Posted: 06 Jun 2016 03:07 PM PDT  Stuart Broad has insisted he won't have any issues playing against Mohammad Amir should the convicted spot-fixer make his Test return at Lord's next month. Lord's was the venue six years ago when left-arm quick bowler Amir and two Pakistan team-mates were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls as part of a newspaper 'sting' operation to demonstrate the trio's willingness to take part in spot-fixing. A teenager at the time and one of world cricket's undoubted rising stars, Amir was sent to jail by an English court and banned from all cricket worldwide for five years.
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| Obama to make last trip to Europe Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:55 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama will visit Poland and Spain in July, in what will likely be his final presidential trip to Europe, a continent that has often presented more problems than opportunities during his term. The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain. During his nearly eight years in office, Obama has at times had difficult relationships with America's oldest allies.
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| Cardinals could have rookie of year candidate at SS in Diaz Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:49 PM PDT  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two injuries in spring training gave Aledmys Diaz an opening. Now, the St. Louis Cardinals have a rookie of the year candidate at shortstop, a player so productive that when Jhonny Peralta returns Tuesday it will be at third base.
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| Jailed Venezuela leader says he won't negotiate freedom Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:47 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's most-prominent jailed opposition leader said he won't negotiate his own freedom if it means abandoning the effort to recall President Nicolas Maduro.
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| Civilians die trying to flee Iraq's besieged Fallujah Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:43 PM PDT  Amriyat al-Fallujah (Iraq) (AFP) - Civilians desperate to flee Fallujah were having to dodge sniper fire from the Islamic State group, which was keen to keep its "human shields" inside the city as Iraqi forces closed in Monday. "We know from witness testimonies that civilians... are being forced to stay and are being threatened," Nasr Muflahi, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Iraq director, told AFP. Footage carried by Iraqi channels showed civilians paddling for their lives on the river, others drifting in inflated wheel chambers.
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| Debate surrounds how to save Mexico's vaquita porpoise Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:40 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A new report on Mexico's endangered vaquita marina porpoise says authorities may have to consider trapping some of the few remaining specimens to try to breed them in captivity or semi-captivity. |
| Suspect arrested over Jordan 'terror attack': government Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:37 PM PDT  A suspect has been arrested for allegedly carrying out a gun attack Monday that killed five Jordanian intelligence agents at their office at a Palestinian refugee camp, an official said. The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in what Momani called a "terrorist attack". Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks.
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| Italy beats Finland 2-0 in final warmup before Euros Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:27 PM PDT  VERONA, Italy (AP) — Italy again dominated as it beat Finland 2-0 at Stadio Bentegodi in Verona on Monday, in its final warmup for the European Championship.
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| U.S. fighter jets bomb 16 more IS targets in Syria, Iraq: U.S. admiral Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:26 PM PDT  U.S. Navy fighter jets flying from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea bombed 16 new Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday. Now in their fourth day, the strikes from the Mediterranean have opened a new front in the U.S. air campaign against the militant group. "We're getting the job done," Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder, commander of the USS Harry S. Truman strike group, told reporters on the ship as the strikes were being conducted.
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| Brazil's surfer prince urges return to monarchy Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:22 PM PDT  He surfs, dances in carnivals and can sound more revolutionary than royal, but Prince Dom Joao de Orleans e Braganca is serious about restoring the monarchy to save Brazil. As Latin America's biggest country sinks under a tsunami of corruption, recession and political instability, Dom Joao told AFP that the royals -- who were last in charge 126 years ago -- could be part of a "radical" solution. The prince, great-great-grandson of the tragic final monarch, Emperor Pedro II, said Brazil should switch from a republic to a constitutional monarchy, along the lines of Britain or Sweden, where Queen Elizabeth II and King Carl XVI Gustaf are essentially figureheads.
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| Mexico ruling party hit by major defeats in elections Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:18 PM PDT  Before Sunday's vote, President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) held nine of the 12 states at play. There are 32 federal jurisdictions in Mexico. The biggest winner was the conservative National Action Party (PAN), which was ahead in seven states, including three in partnership with the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).
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| 'Remain' narrowly leads 'Leave' in latest YouGov Brexit poll: the Times Posted: 06 Jun 2016 02:15 PM PDT (Reuters) - British support for remaining in the European Union has a one-point lead over the "Leave" campaign, according to a YouGov poll for the Times posted Monday. Forty-three percent of respondents of the latest YouGov poll intend to vote to keep Britain in the EU, while 42 percent support an exit vote in the referendum, according to a message posted on Twitter by Times political correspondent Sam Coates. |
