| Three killed in Palestinian shooting attack in Tel Aviv: Israeli police Posted: 08 Jun 2016 01:34 PM PDT  Both of the gunmen who opened fire outside the open-air Sarona shopping complex were apprehended, and one of them was wounded, Israeli police said. Police said they had no advance intelligence of any plan to strike in Tel Aviv.
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| Islamic State loses ground on fronts in Syria, Iraq Posted: 08 Jun 2016 09:29 AM PDT  By Tom Perry and Ahmed Rasheed BEIRUT/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State's far-flung enemies in Syria and Iraq pressed ahead on Wednesday with major advances on multiple fronts that have put some of the greatest pressure on the ultra-hardline Islamists since they declared their caliphate two years ago. A spokesman for a U.S.-backed alliance in northern Syria said it was poised to enter the city of Manbij, a week after launching an assault with the aim of cutting off the last stretch of Turkish frontier still under Islamic State control. A short distance further west, rebels fighting against both Islamic State and the government of President Bashar al-Assad said Islamic State fighters had pulled out of an area near the border.
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| North Korea to convene assembly late June after rare party congress Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:44 PM PDT  North Korea said on Thursday that it will convene a session of its parliamentary in late June, following a rare congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party in May that cemented young leader Kim Jong Un's control of the isolated state. The party congress, the first in 36 years, was held amid great attention and elevated Kim to the post of party chairman. North Korea has come under growing pressure since its January nuclear test and a space rocket launch in February, which led to a new U.N. Security Council resolution in March tightening sanctions against Pyongyang.
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| Turkey blames Kurdish militants for Istanbul car bombing Posted: 08 Jun 2016 01:31 PM PDT  By Tulay Karadeniz and Seyhmus Cakan ANKARA/MIDYAT, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's office blamed Kurdish militants for a car bombing that killed 11 people in central Istanbul, while a second bomb on Wednesday killed five people in the largely Kurdish southeast. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, meanwhile, said that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), blamed for Tuesday's attack in Istanbul, had recently sought to revive peace talks and offered to lay down their arms. A ceasefire with the PKK collapsed almost a year ago, setting off the worst violence the country has seen in two decades.
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| Brazil police officer, symbol of corruption crackdown, arrested Posted: 08 Jun 2016 10:40 AM PDT  By Brad Brooks RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - He is a symbol of Brazil's biggest corruption investigation - a ballyhooed battle against impunity for powerful politicians and businessmen. Known in Brazil simply as "the Japanese cop," due to his heritage, Ishii's face appeared on placards at massive rallies in the past year that demanded the impeachment of now-suspended President Dilma Rousseff. Ishii's visit to Brazil's lower house of congress in February created a commotion as deputies, including the far right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, took selfies with him.
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| Undecided voters see Brexit making them worse off: survey Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:28 PM PDT  Britons still undecided on how they will vote in a referendum on EU membership think they would be 71 pounds ($103) a year worse off if Britain quits the bloc, a survey said, suggesting the "Leave" camp faces a bigger challenge than the "Remain" side. Undecided voters, on average, estimated that households would be 181 pounds worse off per annum five years after a vote to leave the EU, compared with a hit of 110 pounds if Britain decided to stay, the survey showed. Eighteen percent of the 3,000 respondents polled by market research firm Opinium and the European Centre for Research in Electoral Psychology at the London School of Economics said they did not know how they would vote in the June 23 referendum.
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| Argentine energy minister sl Shell shares controversy Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:46 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government is defending its energy minister who is facing growing criticism for continuing to own shares to Royal Dutch Shell, where he was an executive of the local branch. |
| Four killed in shooting at Tel Aviv nightspot Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:45 PM PDT  Tel Aviv (AFP) - Two Palestinians opened fire at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot near Israel's military headquarters on Wednesday, killing four people in one of the worst attacks in a months-long wave of violence.
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| Thais celebrate 70 year of king's reign, but anxious about his health Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:41 PM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - The bespectacled image of King Bhumibol Adulyadej dominates public space in Thailand, from billboards on high-rises to portraits that flank leafy boulevards. After seven decades on the throne, King Bhumibol is seen by many Thais as a pillar of stability, and accorded semi-divine status. The festivities will serve as a reminder to Thais of their relationship to a king who is regarded as integral to Thailand's identity and a father-figure to the nation.
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| Palestinian gunmen kill four in Tel Aviv, assailants held - police Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:40 PM PDT By Rami Amichay TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Two Palestinian gunmen killed four people at a popular shopping and restaurant area in Tel Aviv on Wednesday in an attack that sent diners, some clutching small children, running for their lives just outside Israel's Defence Ministry. Both gunmen, identified by police as Palestinians from a village near the city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were apprehended, and one was wounded. Police said the assailants killed four people in the 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) assault and that six were wounded. |
| Mickelson among those in Memphis tuning up for US Open Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:23 PM PDT  Phil Mickelson is in the midst of a busy three weeks, so he made sure he got one of the first tee times bright and early Wednesday morning at the TPC Southwind course.
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| Cricket Australia says South Africa OK with day-night test Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:21 PM PDT MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Cricket Australia says South Africa has agreed to play a day-night test match in Adelaide with a pink ball and under lights in November. |
| Palestinian gunmen kill 4 Israelis in Tel Aviv, 5 wounded Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:21 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Palestinians opened fire near a popular open-air market in central Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, killing four Israelis and wounding at least five others in one of the deadliest attacks in an eight-month wave of violence.
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| Russia demands all Olympic retests thrown out Posted: 08 Jun 2016 04:14 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko wants all retested doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics to be thrown out because of alleged flaws in the reanalysis process.
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| Study: Most antidepressants don't work for young patients Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:45 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Scientists say most antidepressants don't work for children or teenagers with major depression, some may be unsafe, and the quality of evidence about these drugs is so bad the researchers cannot be sure if any are truly effective or safe.
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| Kuczynski keeps narrow lead as Peru tallies presidential votes Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:35 PM PDT  By Mitra Taj LIMA (Reuters) - Former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski inched closer to winning Peru's presidency three days after Sunday's election, holding on to a slim but steady lead over rival Keiko Fujimori with just 1 percent of votes left to tally. Fujimori, daughter of the Andean country's imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori, was trailing Kuczynski by 0.25 percentage point on Wednesday, a difference of about 42,000 votes. Peru's electoral office ONPE said it would announce results with 100 percent of ballots processed early on Thursday.
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| Patience wears thin as Peru vote count drags on Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:35 PM PDT  LIMA, Peru (AP) — Patience was wearing thin as ballots in Peru's presidential election continued to trickle in on Wednesday, three days after a contest whose results remained too close to call.
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| Inbee Park ready for 1st round of Women's PGA Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:32 PM PDT SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — No matter the outcome, the first round of the Women's PGA Championship will be memorable for Inbee Park. |
| Assault on IS-held Manbij in Syria within days: Pentagon Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:31 PM PDT  A US-backed Kurdish and Arab alliance is set to attack an Islamic State-held city in northern Syria within days, a military spokesman said Wednesday, helping clear the way for an eventual assault on the jihadists' stronghold of Raqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the northern edge of Manbij, a strategically important town held by IS forces that serves as a waypoint between Raqa and the Turkish border. "At the pace they're moving now and at the speed that they've been able to fight the enemy, we think they're a matter of days before they conduct the attack on (Manbij)," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Chris Garver told Pentagon reporters in a video call.
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| Top Asian News 10:28 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:28 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that the world's two largest democracies can anchor stability and prosperity from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific in an aspirational speech that glossed over continuing divisions in the relationship. Modi, who has ushered in closer bilateral ties since taking power two years ago, said that India and the U.S. have overcome "the hesitations of history" and called for ever-stronger economic and defense links between the two countries. Speaking in English, Modi used dashes of humor, drawing a parallel between the rough-and-tumble politics of his own nation and the U.S., which he described tongue-in-cheek as "harmonious" and well-known for bipartisanship. |
| Papua New Guinea court bars university protests after violence Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:21 PM PDT  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - A Papua New Guinea court has granted an injunction barring university students from protesting on campus after dozens of people were wounded during clashes between student protesters and police in the capital, Port Moresby. A groundswell of political unrest in recent weeks has surged in the country, just to Australia's north, amid calls for Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to resign over corruption allegations. An official at the Port Moresby General Hospital said 38 casualties had been treated there, including four with bullet wounds, but no deaths.
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| Canada talking green, making plans; investors unsure Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:09 PM PDT By Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - Green talk is in the air in Canada these days, but investors are waiting for the public policy dust to settle and risk-reward metrics to improve before committing big money to what are still largely considered boom-or-bust companies. Ontario's government released a climate change action plan on Wednesday that it hopes will help cut pollution and encourage green industry, partly funded by a cap-and-trade scheme that puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions. Trudeau has promised Canada would do more to curb its emissions, and must work with the country's provinces to execute a plan that will make energy extraction a more expensive undertaking. |
| DR Congo opposition leader ready for 'dialogue' with government Posted: 08 Jun 2016 03:07 PM PDT  Veteran Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi said Wednesday he was ready for dialogue with President Joseph Kabila under international oversight as he called for unity against the government. DRC opposition figures began a two-day meeting in Belgium to thrash out a common position against Kabila who is widely believed to want a third term, in contravention of the constitution which allows only two. "More than ever, we must be united to get rid of you know who," he said, referring to Kabila who has been in power since his father's assassination in 2001.
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| Sports minister sees Olympics as Brazil's chance to recover Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:52 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Brazil's new sports minister says that the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will help Latin America's largest economy emerge from a deep recession and showcase the country's beauty to the world. |
| 1996 team impact: Big Olympic moments, where are they now? Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:49 PM PDT  The 1996 U.S. women's basketball team keeps impacting the game at all levels — sparking the launch of two professional leagues and inspiring players at the college and high school levels. Here's a look at the players on the gold-medal winning team, their contributions and where they are now:
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| Four dead in Tel Aviv shooting: police Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:38 PM PDT  Tel Aviv (AFP) - A fourth victim died in hospital after a shooting on Wednesday night by Palestinian assailants in central Tel Aviv, police said.
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| Smalling grateful for Van Gaal teachings Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:37 PM PDT  Manchester United defender Chris Smalling paid tribute to former manager Louis van Gaal on Wednesday for helping him to become a first-choice pick for both club and country. United said farewell to defensive stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic prior to Van Gaal's arrival in 2014 and when it came to constructing a new back four, the Dutchman made Smalling a central component. With Smalling a virtual ever-present, United had the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League last season and although Van Gaal was sacked, to be replaced by Jose Mourinho, the England defender remains grateful for his efforts.
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| Peru's long wait for next president drags on Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:36 PM PDT  Peruvians waited Wednesday to learn who their next president will be, as ex-Wall Street banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's camp called his lead insurmountable and controversial rival Keiko Fujimori insisted she still had a shot. Three days after Sunday's runoff election, the race to lead one of Latin America's fastest-growing economies was still too close to officially call, even though 99.5 percent of the ballots had been counted. The Oxford-trained economist known as "PKK" maintained his razor-thin edge over Fujimori, the daughter of jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori: 50.12 percent to 49.88 percent.
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| Peru's forced sterilization trauma haunts election Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:22 PM PDT  The doctors told Victoria Vigo her third child must be born by Cesarean. Next month, thousands of them hope to learn whether the courts will at last agree to investigate charges against the man they blame: the president at the time, Alberto Fujimori. What she really wants is for Fujimori and his former health ministers to go on trial.
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| Five dead in Turkey bombing blamed on Kurdish rebels Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:16 PM PDT  Five people including a pregnant policewoman were killed in a car bombing Wednesday in Kurdish majority southeastern Turkey, a day after a deadly attack hit Istanbul. Both bombings targeted Turkish police and have been blamed on Kurdish rebels waging a decades-long insurgency against the state. A spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, said it was too early to attribute blame but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blamed the "killer PKK", referring to the outlawed rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party.
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| Federal court allows America's Cup sailor's suit to proceed Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:16 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal court has denied a request by an international America's Cup jury to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a sailor punished before the 2013 regatta. |
| S.Sudan moots truth body to heal war wounds Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:10 PM PDT  The newly-reconciled leaders of South Sudan have called for a South Africa-style truth commission to heal the scars of a gruesome war in the world's youngest nation. President Salva Kiir and the newly-appointed vice president, Riek Machar, a former foe, said in a joint piece in The New York Times they were committed to ensuring South Sudan never again goes through a civil war. "Bringing South Sudan together can be truly guaranteed only through one route: an organised peace and reconciliation process with international backing," they wrote on Tuesday.
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| Cultural sensitivities obstacle at UN AIDS conference Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:09 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — No one at the high-level United Nations conference devoted to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 denies serious scientific and financial challenges remain, but cultural sensitivities may prove the toughest stumbling block on the way to achieving that goal.
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| UN: Setbacks haven't weakened Islamic State strategically Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:07 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Islamic State extremist group hasn't been weakened strategically or irreversibly despite military setbacks in Iraq and Syria, the U.N. political chief said Wednesday. |
| Sinkhole closes part of Canadian capital's downtown Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:05 PM PDT  By Leah Schnurr OTTAWA (Reuters) - A large sinkhole closed down part of the Canadian capital on Wednesday and forced the evacuation of businesses a few blocks from the national parliament, three weeks before Ottawa is due to host a summit of the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States. The sinkhole formed on a normally busy downtown street in an area that has been under construction for Ottawa's new light-rail transit (LRT) system. City officials said the cause of the sinkhole was not yet known but earlier gas and water leaks have been contained.
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| Syria approves aid to three more besieged areas:UN Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:05 PM PDT  The United Nations said Wednesday it has received approval from the Syrian government for aid deliveries to three more besieged areas including Daraya where there have been no humanitarian supplies of food since 2012. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Damascus regime had given the green light for convoys to reach Daraya, Douma and Moadamiyeh, which are under seige by government forces. Syrian permission has been granted for 15 of the 17 besieged areas for which the United Nations has requested access, said Dujarric.
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| Philanthropist Bill Gates to donate 100,000 chicks to fight poverty Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:04 PM PDT  By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, speaking in front of chickens pecking and clucking in a New York City skyscraper, announced plans on Wednesday to donate 100,000 chicks to poor nations in an effort to end extreme poverty. The chicks will go to rural areas in two dozen developing countries from Burkina Faso to Bolivia, where the Heifer International charity manages breeding operations and distribution, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Raising and selling chickens can lift families out of poverty, and a farmer breeding 250 chickens a year could make $1,250 U.S., said the Foundation, which is partnering with the Heifer International.
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| German federation president plays down security fears Posted: 08 Jun 2016 02:01 PM PDT  EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Security at the European Championship is not a worry for German soccer federation president Reinhard Grindel, even though defender Jerome Boateng reportedly said he would feel safer if his family didn't attend games.
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