| France makes new push for Aleppo ceasefire Posted: 05 Oct 2016 12:27 PM PDT  By John Irish, Lidia Kelly and Angus McDowall PARIS/MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - France is to launch a new push for United Nations backing for a ceasefire in Syria that would allow aid into the city of Aleppo after some of the heaviest bombing of the war. As diplomatic efforts resumed, the Syrian military said army commanders had decided to scale back air strikes and shelling in Aleppo to alleviate the humanitarian situation there. It said civilians in rebel-held eastern Aleppo were being used as human shields and a reduced level of bombardment would allow people to leave for safer areas.
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| Russia suspends nuclear agreement, ends uranium research pact with United States Posted: 05 Oct 2016 01:05 PM PDT By Lidia Kelly MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia further curtailed its cooperation with the United States in nuclear energy on Wednesday, suspending a research agreement and terminating one on uranium conversion, two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium pact with Washington. The Russian government said that as counter-measures to the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, it was putting aside a nuclear and energy-related research pact with the United States. |
| Colombia's Santos, rival Uribe willing to work on peace deal Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:41 PM PDT  By Julia Symmes Cobb and Helen Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and opposition rival Alvaro Uribe met on Wednesday in a bid to resolve differences over a peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels that was rejected in a shock vote this week, leaving the country in limbo. Sunday's surprise referendum result, which confounded pollsters and was a political disaster for Santos, plunged the country into uncertainty over the future of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, who had been expected to disarm once the deal was passed by voters. After more than three hours of talks, former President Uribe emphasized the need for "adjustments and proposals that should be introduced...to seek a new peace deal that will include all Colombians." Without giving any concrete proposals, Uribe, 64, said Santos had shown he was disposed to changes.
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| Baghdad bridles at Turkey's military presence, warns of 'regional war' Posted: 05 Oct 2016 11:04 AM PDT  By Maher Chmaytelli and Tuvan Gumrukcu BAGHDAD/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has warned Turkey that it risks triggering a regional war by keeping troops in Iraq, as each summoned the other's ambassador in a growing row. Relations between the two regional powers are already broadly strained by the Syrian civil war and the rise of the Islamic State militant group. Turkey's parliament voted last week to extend its military presence in Iraq for a further year to take on what it called "terrorist organisations" - a likely reference to Kurdish rebels as well as Islamic State.
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| U.S. government condemns new Israeli plan on settlements Posted: 05 Oct 2016 01:27 PM PDT By Doina Chiacu and Ori Lewis WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States sharply criticized Israel on Wednesday over plans to build a new Jewish settlement in the West Bank that it said would damage prospects for peace with the Palestinians and contradicted assurances made to Washington. The White House and State Department "strongly condemned" Israel's decision to advance a plan that they said would create a new settlement "deep in the West Bank" and undermine a two-state solution. In unusually harsh words for its Middle Eastern ally, Washington also accused Israel of going back on its word. |
| Hurricane Matthew kills 26 in Caribbean on destructive path to U.S. Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:54 PM PDT  By Makini Brice and Sarah Marsh LES CAYES, Haiti/GUANTANAMO, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Matthew twisted toward the Bahamas and Florida's east coast on Wednesday after killing at least 26 people and damaging a majority of homes in Haiti's south, prompting the hard-hit country to postpone a long-awaited presidential election. The powerful Category 3 hurricane, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230-kph) winds and torrential rains on Tuesday, pummeling towns and destroying livestock, crops and homes. In the United States, millions of people were urged to evacuate the southeastern coast and Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents to prepare for a possible direct hit that could be catastrophic.
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| Brazil police seek more charges against Lula in graft case: source Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:50 PM PDT  Brazil's federal police have requested formal corruption charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a case involving contracts obtained by building and engineering conglomerate Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] in Angola, a source said on Wednesday. The source, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information, said that Lula was among 10 people that police have requested be charged in a document sent by police to prosecutors. Under Brazilian law, only prosecutors can formally charge someone after a police investigation and those charges must then be approved by a judge.
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| Syria announces surprise easing of Aleppo assault Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:48 PM PDT  Syria's military announced it was scaling back its bombardment of rebels in devastated Aleppo, in a surprise move nearly two weeks after declaring an all-out assault to capture the city. Once Syria's commercial hub, Aleppo has been divided by rebel groups in the east and regime forces in the west since violence erupted there in 2012. "The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas," said a statement.
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| Top Asian News 12:50 a.m. GMT Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:51 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — Buddhist monks, mourners, activists and the merely curious gathered Thursday to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the darkest days in Thailand's history, when police killed scores of university students at a peaceful protest, and ghoulish vigilantes defiled the dead. Students at Bangkok's Thammasat University had been protesting the return from exile of a hated former dictator when they were trapped by a right-wing mob and heavily armed paramilitary police, who fired guns and grenades at the defenseless crowd of several thousand. After subduing the students, thugs rushed in and grabbed as many as a dozen. They were then taken to a nearby public field, beaten to death, hanged and otherwise abused, with the bodies unceremoniously tossed onto a makeshift funeral pyre. |
| Buddhist monks lead commemoration of 1976 Thai massacre Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:50 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — Buddhist monks, mourners, activists and the merely curious gathered Thursday to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the darkest days in Thailand's history, when police killed scores of university students at a peaceful protest, and ghoulish vigilantes defiled the dead. |
| The Latest: 2 plead not guilty in cocaine smuggling plan Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:34 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on two Colombian men charged with trying to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States (all times local): |
| Plane evacuated after Samsung smartphone starts smoking Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:29 PM PDT  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An overheating, smoking Samsung smartphone forced the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines jet that was preparing to take off Wednesday from the Louisville airport.
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| Thousands of Colombians march to save peace deal with rebels Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:50 PM PDT  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Thousands carrying candles and waving white flags and handkerchiefs marched through the capital Wednesday demanding Colombia's political establishment and leftist rebels not give up on a peace deal narrowly rejected by voters.
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| Paris climate accord to take effect; Obama hails 'historic day' Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:01 PM PDT  By Alister Doyle and Roberta Rampton OSLO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A global agreement to combat climate change will take force after support from European nations sent the accord across an important threshold on Wednesday, prompting U.S. President Barack Obama to hail it as a "historic day" for protecting the planet. European nations, Canada, Bolivia and Nepal raised backing for the 2015 Paris Agreement to countries representing 56.87 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, above the 55 percent needed for implementation, a United Nations website showed. The deal will formally start in 30 days on Nov. 4, four days before the U.S. presidential election in which Republican Donald Trump opposes the accord and Democrat Hillary Clinton strongly supports it.
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| Soldier from Maryland killed on patrol in Afghanistan Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:53 PM PDT BALTIMORE (AP) — The Pentagon says a soldier from Maryland was killed after being hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan while on patrol with Afghan forces in a northeastern province bordering Pakistan. |
| 2 Colombians accused in US of trafficking 3 tons of cocaine Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:53 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Colombian men have been extradited to Los Angeles to face charges that they tried to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. |
| Portugal's Guterres set to be UN secretary general Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:45 PM PDT  Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres is poised to become the next secretary general of the United Nations following a decisive vote by the Security Council on Wednesday. Guterres, who led the UN's refugee agency for a decade, won backing in the straw poll from 13 of the 15 council members while none of the five veto-holding powers blocked his candidacy. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin emerged from the council chamber along with the 14 other ambassadors to declare that Guterres was on course to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the world's diplomat-in-chief.
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| Manfred hopeful of regular-season games in London in 2018 Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:44 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred remains hopeful the sport can play regular-season games in London for the first time in 2018.
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| Aussies to appear in Malaysian court for partying in briefs Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:40 PM PDT  CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Nine Australian friends who have spent four nights in Malaysian police detention will appear in a court for the first time on Thursday after stripping down to their briefs and drinking beer from shoes at the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix, an official said.
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| Nearly 2M urged to evacuate as Matthew edges toward US Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:36 PM PDT  MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Matthew marched toward Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas and nearly 2 million people along the coast were urged to evacuate their homes Wednesday, a mass exodus ahead of a major storm packing power the U.S. hasn't seen in more than a decade.
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| FIFA shows red card to hotel where police arrested officials Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:20 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — The doormen at Zurich's Baur au Lac hotel can put away their white sheets. There will be no FIFA executives to shield while being dragged out of the hotel into police cars again.
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| IS recruits more educated than average: World Bank study Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:03 PM PDT  Recruits into the Islamic State group are better educated than their average countryman, contrary to popular belief, according to a new World Bank study. The study, which aimed to identify socioeconomic traits that might explain why some are drawn to the Syria-based extremist group, made clear that poverty and deprivation were not at the root of support for the group. Out of 331 recruits described in a leaked Islamic State database, only 17 percent did not finish high school, while a quarter had university-level educations.
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| Wal-Mart increases stake in China's JD.com Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:03 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has increased its stake in JD.com, China's No. 2 e-commerce site. |
| Colombia's Santos meets rival in race to save peace deal Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:00 PM PDT  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday peace with the FARC rebels is "close," but his top opponent demanded an overhaul of a "weak" deal rejected by voters in a referendum. Seeking to salvage the peace process on which he has staked his legacy, Santos held a meeting with his predecessor and former boss, Alvaro Uribe, who has branded him a traitor for negotiating with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Santos -- who also held talks with former president Andres Pastrana (1998-2002), another leading opponent of the deal -- tried to sound upbeat after the meetings at the presidential palace.
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| Canada ratifies Paris climate accord Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:57 PM PDT  Canada ratified the landmark Paris climate accord on Wednesday despite significant domestic pushback over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's carbon price proposal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The 207-to-81 vote in the House of Commons came 30 days before the pact comes into force globally, and brings the total number of nations that have endorsed it to 74. Parliamentarians split along party lines, with Trudeau using his Liberal majority to push through ratification as the opposition Tories accused the government of heavy-handedness and betrayal.
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| All Blacks drop Aaron Smith over toilet tryst Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:50 PM PDT  The All Blacks suspended halfback Aaron Smith Thursday over a toilet tryst with a woman at a busy airport, in the latest scandal to hit the beleaguered New Zealand Rugby union. Coach Steve Hansen said the 54-Test veteran breached team standards and his fellow players felt he should be punished. "As a result Smith was not considered for selection for this weekend's Durban Test," Hansen said as the world champions prepare for their Rugby Championship Test match against South Africa.
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| Argentina group IDs 121st person taken as baby Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:41 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — DNA tests have determined the identity of another person taken from parents by Argentina's former dictatorship, bringing the number of such cases to 121, a human rights group said Wednesday.
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| NYC FC says it will build training complex in Orangeburg Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:38 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Soccer's New York City team says it's acquired a 17-acre site in the Rockland County town of Orangeburg with the intent of constructing a training complex. |
| Brazilian bank strike reaches 1 month, longest in 12 years Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:36 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Union leaders expressed confidence Wednesday an agreement with Brazilian banks could be reached in the next few days to end a nationwide strike that has closed more than half the bank branches in Latin America's biggest country.
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| What are Haiti's humanitarian needs after Hurricane Matthew? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:29 PM PDT  By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hurricane Matthew, which slammed into Haiti this week, has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the impoverished nation since a devastating earthquake hit six years ago, according to the United Nations. The storm ripped through Haiti on Tuesday, causing heavy flooding and knocking down houses. Here are what some of the world's leading aid agencies expect will be humanitarian needs in Haiti in the storm's wake.
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| Argentine man finds brother stolen by military regime Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:15 PM PDT  The son of two leftist activists "disappeared" by Argentina's 1976-1983 military regime said Wednesday he would like to meet his long-lost brother, who was stolen at birth and recently found through DNA testing. "We have 40 years of love to give you," Ramiro Menna, a 42-year-old teacher, told the brother he has never met. Menna was two years old when regime agents swooped on his family's home in July 1976 and detained his parents, Ana Maria Lanzillotto and Domingo Menna.
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| Hurricane prompts Americans to flee coast, lay in supplies Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:14 PM PDT  By Gabriel Stargardter and Harriet McLeod MIAMI/CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - People along the southeast U.S. coast fled inland, stocked up on groceries and queued for gasoline on Wednesday as President Barack Obama and state governors urged millions to evacuate or brace for a potentially devastating Hurricane Matthew. Matthew pummeled the Bahamas and took aim at the United States as the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, appearing likely to hit Florida with powerful winds, storm surges and heavy rain on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. "I want to emphasize to the public - this is a serious storm," Obama said after a briefing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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| Evacuations in coastal US as Matthew rolls on Bahamas Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:13 PM PDT  The United States began evacuating coastal areas on Wednesday as Hurricane Matthew churned toward the Bahamas, after killing at least nine people in the Caribbean in a maelstrom of wind, mud and water. Haiti's presidential election, scheduled for Sunday, was postponed after Matthew blasted the impoverished nation, knocking out a key bridge providing access to the country's south where the storm made landfall. Matthew, the worst storm to hit the Caribbean in nearly a decade, also forced the closure airports in the Bahamas, which was girding for a hit as early as Wednesday evening.
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| Shots fired at planned migrant centre in France Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:01 PM PDT  French police were investigating Wednesday after shots were fired at a building set to host migrants evicted from the squalid "Jungle" camp in Calais. The gunshots, fired Tuesday night, hit the facade of a holiday camp building in Saint-Brevin on the northwestern French coast, police told AFP. The building is being converted into a migrant hostel and is expecting to host 70 people evicted from the Jungle camp, which President Francois Hollande has vowed will be dismantled by the end of 2016.
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| Trio wins Nobel chemistry prize for 'world's smallest machines' Posted: 05 Oct 2016 02:54 PM PDT  By Niklas Pollard and Kate Kelland STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) - A trio of European scientists has won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for developing molecular machines that could one day be injected to fight cancer or used to make new types of materials and energy storage devices. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Scotland's J. Fraser Stoddart and Dutchman Bernard Feringa developed molecules that produce mechanical motion in response to a stimulus, allowing them to perform specific tasks, the Nobel Academy said on Wednesday in awarding the 8 million Swedish crown ($931,000) prize. Such molecular machines can be developed in smart medicines that seek out disease or damage and deliver drugs to fight or fix it, and in smart materials that can adapt in response to external triggers such as changes in light or temperature.
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| Accused global sex-trafficking ring busted with U.S., international arrests Posted: 05 Oct 2016 02:54 PM PDT By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than a dozen people have been arrested and accused of running an international sex-trafficking ring that held hundreds of Thai women trapped in debt bondage across the United States, authorities said on Wednesday. The arrests could be a fatal blow to the criminal organization cited for luring victims from poor backgrounds in Bangkok to live as sex slaves, U.S. federal authorities said. "They promised women in Thailand a chance at the American dream, but instead exploited them, coerced them and forced them to live a nightmare," said Andrew Luger, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, in a statement. |
| Hurricane damage forces Haiti to delay voting yet again Posted: 05 Oct 2016 02:46 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haitian authorities have postponed presidential and legislative elections originally set for Sunday because of the havoc caused by Hurricane Matthew, election officials said Wednesday. The impoverished Caribbean nation's last elections, in 2015, were canceled amid violence and massive fraud, leaving the country stranded in political limbo ever since. The president of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council, Leopold Berlanger, said a new date for elections would be announced by next Wednesday at the latest, after talks between the various interested parties.
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