| Nineteen feared dead after knife attack in Japan: media reports Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:07 PM PDT  By William Mallard TOKYO (Reuters) - Nineteen people were feared dead and 45 injured after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in Japan early on Tuesday, national broadcaster NHK reported. Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Tokyo, have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year old former employee at the facility, Japanese media reported. The 3-hectare (7.6 acres) facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, NHK said, quoting an unidentified employee.
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| Turkey detains 42 journalists in crackdown as Europe sounds alarm Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:04 PM PDT  By Daren Butler and Seda Sezer ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey ordered the detention of 42 journalists on Monday, broadcaster NTV reported, under a crackdown following a failed coup that has targeted more than 60,000 people and drawn fire from the European Union. The arrests or suspensions of soldiers, police, judges and civil servants in response to the July 15-16 putsch have raised concerns among rights groups and Western countries, who fear President Tayyip Erdogan is capitalizing on it to tighten his grip on power. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker questioned Ankara's long-standing aspiration to join the EU.
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| Erdogan vows to stick to migrant deal, but questions EU's commitment Posted: 25 Jul 2016 02:50 PM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to keep Turkey's promises in a migrant deal with the European Union but said the EU was failing to deliver on its side of the bargain. The EU struck a deal in March to reward Turkey for preventing migrants from crossing to Greece by channeling aid to Syrian refugees in the country, reviving accession talks and scrapping visas for Turks wishing to visit Europe. "I want to say one thing quite clearly: On the refugee issue, we will stand behind our promises," Erdogan told German broadcaster ARD.
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| Car bomb wounds several in Syrian capital: state media Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:06 PM PDT An explosives-laden car blew up on Monday in a heavily policed district in the center of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing injuries and extensive damage, state media said. The explosion in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood close to the main Umayyad Square that connects the city center with several highways hit an area where some of Syria's main security installations are based. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which tracks violence across the country said the blast was near an Iranian school and that there were dead among the casualties. |
| Cooperation with Russia in Syria would not be based on trust -U.S. general Posted: 25 Jul 2016 12:53 PM PDT  Any military or intelligence cooperation between the United States and Russia to strike targets in Syria would include measures to ensure U.S. operational security and would not be based on trust, a top U.S. military official said on Monday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days to discuss an American proposal for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing on Syria. The proposal, which Kerry hopes to conclude within weeks, envisions ways in which Washington and Moscow would share intelligence to coordinate air strikes against the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and prohibit the Syrian air force from attacking moderate rebel groups.
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| Israel says aircraft strikes in Syria after errant Syrian fire Posted: 25 Jul 2016 02:06 PM PDT JERUSALEM/AMMAN (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft attacked a target in Syria on Monday after errant fire from fighting among factions in Syria struck inside Israel, Israel's military said. The Syrian fire had hit an open area near the border causing no injuries, and in retaliation the air force "successfully targeted the source of the fire in Syria", said an army spokeswoman. The Syrian army said two missiles from Israeli reconnaissance planes hit a residential building in Baath City in the Syrian Golan Heights, near the border with Israel. |
| At least 15 killed, about 20 injured in knifing near Tokyo Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:48 PM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — At least 15 people were killed and about 20 wounded in a knife attack Tuesday at a facility for the handicapped in a city just outside Tokyo in the worst mass killing in generations in Japan.
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| Eugenie Bouchard confirms she'll play at Rio Olympics Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:48 PM PDT  Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard will play at the Rio Olympics next month, after weighing the risks posed by the Zika virus and security concerns in Brazil. "It was a hard decision for me and I definitely thought about all the pros and cons," Bouchard told the media at the weekend as she prepared to play in the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal. "But at the end of the day, I knew in my heart I didn't want to be sitting at home watching the Olympics on TV.
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| 19 killed in Japan knife attack: firefighters Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:43 PM PDT  At least 19 people were killed in Japan when a knife-wielding man went on a rampage at a care centre for the mentally disabled early Tuesday, officials said. Another 25 were wounded, 20 of them seriously, in the attack in Sagamihara city, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Tokyo, a local fire department spokesman said. "Doctors confirmed the deaths of 19 people," the fire department official told AFP.
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| Solar Impulse 2 lands in UAE, ending round-the-world trip Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:38 PM PDT  Abu Dhabi (AFP) - Solar Impulse 2 landed in the UAE early on Tuesday, completing its epic journey to become the first sun-powered airplane to circle the globe without a drop of fuel.
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| Nineteen killed, dozens wounded in Japan knife attack: media reports Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:36 PM PDT By Issei Kato SAGAMIHARA, Japan (Reuters) - Nineteen people were killed and dozens were wounded after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in central Japan early on Tuesday, media reported, in Japan's worst mass killing in decades. Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Tokyo, have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year-old former employee at the facility, Japanese media reported. The 3-hectare (7.6 acre) facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, NHK said, quoting an unidentified employee. |
| Top Asian News 12:47 a.m. GMT Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:48 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — At least 15 people were killed and about 20 wounded in a knife attack Tuesday at a facility for the handicapped in a city just outside Tokyo in the worst mass killing in generations in Japan. Police said they responded to a call about 2:30 a.m. from an employee saying something horrible was happening at the facility in the city of Sagamihara, west of Tokyo. A man turned himself in at a police station about two hours later, police in Sagamihara said. He left the knife in his car when he entered the station. He has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and trespassing. |
| Solar Impulse 2 plane lands in Abu Dhabi, completes first round-the-world solar-powered flight Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:10 PM PDT ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Solar Impulse 2 plane lands in Abu Dhabi, completes first round-the-world solar-powered flight. |
| Canada province slaps tax on foreign real estate buyers Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:56 PM PDT  The Canadian province of British Columbia announced Monday it will impose a 15 percent tax on foreigners who buy residential property in Vancouver, a city with a housing shortage and soaring real estate prices. "Owning a home should be accessible to middle-class families, and those who are in a position to rent should be able to find a suitable home," British Columbia Premier Christy Clark said. The additional property transfer tax rate of 15 percent will apply to both buyers who are foreign nationals and foreign-controlled corporations that register their residential purchases in Vancouver.
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| Colombian drug kingpin sentenced to 35 years in U.S. prison Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:53 PM PDT  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Colombian drug kingpin was sentenced on Monday to 35 years in a U.S. prison for engaging in a multi-million dollar scheme to manufacture hundreds of tons of cocaine that he trafficked throughout the world. Daniel Barrera Barrera, also known as "Loco" (Crazy), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan after pleading guilty to various narcotic-related charges and to having conspired to engage in money laundering. Woods, who also fined Barrera $10 million and ordered him to forfeit the same amount, called the Colombian national a "smart, talented, maybe even gifted man" who went from working as a farm hand to heading a violent drug trafficking organization.
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| Democratic emails: All about the hack, the leak, the discord Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:52 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — First came the hack, then the leak. Now, the Clinton and Trump campaigns are fighting over Russia's role in the release of thousands of internal Democratic National Committee emails.
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| Olympic plotters saw 'opportunity to reach paradise': prosecutor Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:49 PM PDT  By Stephen Eisenhammer CURITIBA, Brazil (Reuters) - Twelve Brazilian suspects arrested for discussing a potential attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were "no joke," the prosecutor for the case told Reuters on Monday. Dismissing criticism that the recent arrests were a calculated move to show Brazil taking the threat of terrorism seriously, Rafael Brum Miron said the suspects, alleged sympathizers of the Islamic State militant group, discussed an attack with at least two foreigners who formed part of a messaging group. One suspect, he said, wrote via the Telegram messaging service that "the Olympics are an opportunity to reach paradise." Another, who was detained on Sunday following a search after initial arrests last Thursday, had discussed acquiring heavy weaponry.
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| The Latest: Wrestling works to validate Russian athletes Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:44 PM PDT  The Latest on the Rio Games (all times local to Rio de Janeiro):
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| Doping whistleblower appeals to IOC, says decision flawed Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:43 PM PDT  Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova's hopes of competing in the Summer Olympics are all but over. Her fight to expose doping and corruption is not.
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| Syria regime pounds Aleppo as UN backs call for truce Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:38 PM PDT  Syria's regime intensified air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo province Monday, as the UN backed a call by its top aid official for a humanitarian truce in the city. The push for aid to reach desperate civilians trapped by a regime siege in Syria's former second city came on the eve of a meeting between a UN envoy, US and Russian officials to try to revive peace talks. UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien branded the siege on rebel-held parts of Aleppo as "medieval and shameful", and called for weekly 48-hour humanitarian truces to prevent it from taking hold.
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| Wyoming partners with Japanese companies seeking coal Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:29 PM PDT CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Aiming to develop new export markets for a fuel source hit by declining domestic demand, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead on Monday signed an agreement calling for cooperation between the state and a consortium of Japanese companies in researching clean-coal technology. |
| Russia, US not on same page on Syria: Carter Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:22 PM PDT  Russia, now discussing a military cooperation agreement with the United States in Syria, is still far from American positions, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Monday. Talks led by Secretary of State John Kerry are aimed at seeing if "it's possible... for the Russians to begin to do the right thing in Syria," Carter said. In other words, Russia's policies that have prolonged the war should end, he said.
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| Despite delays, Australians ready to move to Rio village Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:05 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Despite a delay of several days, the head of the Australian delegation said she expects her 700 athletes and officials to move into housing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.
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| US fines Chile-based airline LATAM $22 million over bribes Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:55 PM PDT  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Latin America's largest airline has agreed to some $22 million in civil and criminal fines in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to end a labor strike in Argentina a decade ago, U.S. authorities said Monday.
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| Wagner festival given rapturous reception on opening night Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:55 PM PDT  Germany's legendary Bayreuth opera festival, dedicated to the works of Richard Wagner, got off to a rapturous start on Monday with a brand new production of the composer's last opera, "Parsifal", enthusiastically received by the first-night audience. While this year's month-long proceedings have been overshadowed by a series of deadly attacks in the country, the performers were tumultuously applauded at the end of the six-hour performance. Out of respect for those killed or wounded in attacks over the last week in Ansbach, Munich and Wuerzburg -- all in the state of Bavaria -- organisers cancelled the lavish banquet that traditionally follows the first performance of the festival.
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| After falling, homicides up again in Mexico in 2015 Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:53 PM PDT  More than 20,500 homicides were committed in Mexico in 2015, rising slightly from 2014 after murders had fallen for three consecutive years, official figures showed on Monday. A total of 20,525 homicides were reported last year, compared to 20,010 in 2014, according to the national statistics institute (INEGI). Murders surged in Mexico after the government deployed troops to crack down on drug cartels in December 2006.
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| US approves release of last Russian held at Guantanamo Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:53 PM PDT MIAMI (AP) — A former ballet dancer and member of the Russian military who has been imprisoned as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo for nearly 14 years was given notice Monday that a review board has approved his release from the U.S. base in Cuba. |
| Disunity rules as Democratic convention gets underway Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:50 PM PDT  The Democratic convention opened to chaotic scenes Monday, as rival supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders traded boos and jeers in a very public show of party disunity. As polls showed Republican Donald Trump leading the race for the White House, Democrats meeting in Philadelphia to make Clinton the first woman presidential nominee from a major party were in disarray. Sanders' supporters booed as a pastor leading the invocation prayer mentioned Clinton's name, setting the stage for a raucous chorus of cheers and jeers as successive speakers took to the podium.
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| Hollande seeks to defuse row over Nice security Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:42 PM PDT  French President Francois Hollande on Monday sought to defuse a row over allegations his government tried to alter a security report after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice. At the centre of the storm is Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who right-wingers accuse of security failings after France suffered its third major terror attack in 18 months. Pressure on Cazeneuve intensified when a local police officer, Sandra Bertin, accused his ministry of trying to bully her into altering a report on police deployment on the night of the attack.
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| Boston Marathon bombing amputee scales mountain in Ecuador Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:41 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — Boston Marathon bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet can check mountaineering off her bucket list.
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| Brazil's Rousseff refuses 'secondary role' at Olympics Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:36 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's Dilma Rousseff said Monday she will insist on being treated as the country's president at the Olympic Games despite having been suspended for an impeachment trial. Olympics organizers are contending with a tricky seating plan at the opening ceremony on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro. Rousseff, suspended in May and facing final judgment shortly after the Olympics, is invited.
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| Turkey targets media in new crackdown after coup Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:30 PM PDT  Turkish authorities on Monday issued arrest warrants for over 40 journalists in a new phase of the controversial legal crackdown after the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparking fresh alarm over the scope of the detentions. With Erdogan seeking to rally national cross-party support for his rule 10 days after defeating the attempted putsch, he hosted two top opposition leaders for an unprecedented meeting at his presidential palace resulting in signs of agreement to work together on a new constitution. More than 13,000 people have been detained so far in a vast sweep in the wake of the July 15 military coup bid, which the authorities blame on the reclusive US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
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| UN overturns decision keeping out press freedom watchdog Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:20 PM PDT  The UN's economic and social council on Monday overturned by a strong vote a decision to deny the Committee to Protect Journalists consultative status at the United Nations. The CPJ, which defends the right of journalists to work freely and speaks out for jailed reporters worldwide, applied for the special UN status four years ago but was denied the request by the UN NGO committee in May. Seeking to reverse the decision, the United States asked the full 54-member ECOSOC, which oversees the work of the NGO committee, to vote on granting CPJ special status.
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| Committee to Protect Journalists wins UN accreditation Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:19 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations granted accreditation to the Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday, overturning a committee's rejection and giving the group the right to promote press freedom at the Human Rights Council and other U.N. bodies. |
| Powerful car bomb blast hits Damascus: state news agency Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:08 PM PDT  A car bomb blast on Monday hit an upmarket area of Damascus housing several government buildings, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, saying there were "several wounded". The explosion took place in front of a 10-storey building in the Kafar Sousse district in the southwest of the war-torn country's capital, an AFP journalist at the scene said. Debris littered the ground, including pieces of metal apparently from the vehicle used in the blast, which the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said caused casualties, without giving details.
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| California man sentenced for trying to aid Islamic State Posted: 25 Jul 2016 02:56 PM PDT SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a California man to 15 years in prison for trying to join the Islamic State group in Syria, calling his conduct a serious threat to the U.S. and saying it was influenced by his abusive childhood and history of mental problems. |
