| Iraq announces start of offensive to retake Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:18 PM PDT  By Maher Chmaytelli and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of an offensive to retake Mosul, the capital of Islamic State's so-called caliphate in Iraq. "I announce today the start of the heroic operations to free you from the terror and the oppression of Daesh," he said in a speech on state TV, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "We will meet soon on the ground of Mosul to celebrate liberation and your salvation," he said, surrounded by the armed forces' top commanders.
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| U.S., Britain call for immediate ceasefire in Yemen Posted: 16 Oct 2016 08:11 AM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain called on Sunday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states. A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis. On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.
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| Syrian rebels seize 'doomsday' village where Islamic State promised final battle Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:27 PM PDT  By Angus McDowall and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West. Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes. The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighboring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.
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| European-led Mars lander starts descent to red planet Posted: 16 Oct 2016 12:53 PM PDT  A Mars lander left its mothership on Sunday after a seven-month journey from Earth and headed toward the red planet's surface to test technologies for Europe's planned first Mars rover, which will search for signs of past and present life. The disc-shaped 577-kilogramme (1,272 lb) Schiaparelli lander separated from the spacecraft Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) at 1442 GMT (10:42 a.m. EDT) as expected, starting a three-day descent to the surface. Signals received from TGO, which is to orbit Mars and sniff out gases around the planet, did not at first contain data on the lander's onboard status, but the European Space Agency (ESA) later said the link with the craft had been restored.
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| Japan mulls joint administration of disputed Russian-held isles: Nikkei Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:05 PM PDT  Japan is considering proposing joint administration of disputed islands held by Russia in the hope of unblocking an issue that has bedevilled their relations for 70 years, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet on Dec. 15 in Japan to begin negotiations on the proposal, the financial daily said, citing unnamed Japanese and Russian government sources. The dispute over the four islands off the coast of Hokkaido - which Japan calls its Northern Territories and Russia considers the southern tip of its Kurile chain - has prevented Tokyo and Moscow signing a peace treaty formally ending the war they fought with each other in World War Two.
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| European powers seek EU condemnation of Russia over Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:10 PM PDT  By Robin Emmott LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany aim to persuade the European Union on Monday to condemn Russia's devastating air campaign in Syria and pave the way for imposing more sanctions on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The bloc also plans to continue pushing for humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city of Aleppo. Struggling to help end Syria's war, the EU is stepping up efforts to support the United States in its bid to stop the bombing of eastern Aleppo, where 275,000 people are trapped.
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| Montenegrin elections ends inconclusively, incumbent wins most votes Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:44 PM PDT  By Aleksandar Vasovic PODGORICA (Reuters) - The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) secured the most votes in Montenegro's parliamentary election, but with pollsters saying it could not secure a majority, pro-Western Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic sought a coalition to extend his quarter of a century in power. Djukanovic, 54, said the election on Sunday was a historic choice between closer ties with NATO or with Russia, but voters were divided. In a midnight address to his supporters, Djukanovic said he would seek a coalition with parties of national minorities, Bosniaks, Croats and Albanians and the Social Democracy party to secure between 41 to 42 seats.
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| How today's Barca fares vs. Guardiola's best? Not too well Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:39 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Pep Guardiola, the managerial mastermind who led Barcelona to 14 of 19 possible titles in four seasons, is returning to Camp Nou.
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| Top Asian News 12:37 a.m. GMT Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:37 PM PDT BEIJING (AP) — China launched a pair of astronauts into space Monday on a mission to dock with an experimental space station and remain aboard for 30 days in preparation for the assembly of a full facility six years from now. The Shenzhou 11 mission took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northern China at 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket. It will dock with the Tiangong 2 space station precursor facility within two days, conduct experiments in medicine and various space-related technologies, and test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station's core module in 2018. |
| Australian company says 18 employees questioned in China Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:36 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A Crown Resorts Ltd. senior executive was among 18 employees detained in China, the Australia-based gambling company said Monday. |
| Iraqi PM signals start of operations to drive IS from Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:23 PM PDT  IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of military operations to liberate the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants on Monday, launching the country on its toughest battle since American troops left nearly five years ago.
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| China launches longest manned space mission Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:09 PM PDT  China launched its longest manned space mission on Monday, sending two astronauts into orbit to spend a month aboard an space laboratory that is part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. The astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, or "Heavenly Palace 2", which was sent into space last month. It will be the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, state media reported.
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| Citizens are the mayor, will lead urban sustainability drive, says Seoul's mayor Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:08 PM PDT  By Astrid Zweynert SEOUL (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Park Won-soon, the award-winning mayor of Seoul, has made citizens' participation a cornerstone of running the South Korean capital, a model he says cities around the world should adopt to tackle urban challenges. Park, tipped as a candidate in South Korea's presidential elections next year, said sustainability was a pre-condition for survival but had been treated as an abstract notion that needed to be translated into everyday lives to affect change. "There are many challenges ahead, and one of the most important ones I face is ensuring the future sustainability of our city," Park said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation in his office at Seoul City Hall.
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| Half of the world's disabled children are out of school: report Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:06 PM PDT By Zoe Tabary LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - At least half of the world's 65 million school-age children with disabilities are kept out of the classroom because little to no money is budgeted for their needs, disability rights groups said in a report on Monday. Light for the World, a charity which supported the research, said stigma and misinformation surrounding disability as well as a lack of data on the numbers of disabled children contributed to the problem. "People don't see them (children with disabilities) as a worthy investment," Nafisa Baboo, adviser for inclusive education at Light for the World, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. |
| Boko Haram faction ready to negotiate release of 83 more Chibok girls: government Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:05 PM PDT By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani ABUJA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Islamic State-allied faction of Boko Haram which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok girls kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president's spokesman said on Sunday. Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. A faction of the militant group released 21 of the girls on Thursday after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal. |
| Australian's Crown Resorts says 18 staff detained in China Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:53 PM PDT Crown Resorts Ltd, Australia's biggest casino company, on Monday said 18 of its employees including its head of VIP gambling have been detained by Chinese authorities, as its shares dived 11 percent on fears for its Asia strategy. Sydney-listed Crown said it was working with the Australian foreign ministry to make contact with its employees, but it had not been able to speak them and had no explanation for their detention. The Crown staff were held following police raids last week, Australian media reported on the weekend. |
| North Carolina estimates $1.5 billion in hurricane damage to buildings Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:48 PM PDT  (Reuters) - North Carolina emergency officials have estimated that the destructive and deadly Hurricane Matthew caused $1.5 billion worth of damage to more than 100,000 homes, businesses and government buildings in the state. The state's Department of Public Safety said in a release issued on Saturday that county and state officials were still surveying the damage left behind by the storm. The department also said more than 33,000 applications for individual assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been filed and $12.4 million has been approved.
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| Trump attacks, Clinton lies low as last debate nears Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:39 PM PDT  Donald Trump fired off an erratic new broadside at Hillary Clinton on Sunday, making more explosive claims that American media and a conspiracy to commit voter fraud are rigging the presidential election against him. Amid the latest Twitter blasts from the Republican White House nominee, his running mate Mike Pence sought to lower tensions by insisting his camp would accept defeat if that's what voters decide on November 8. Two polls out on Sunday -- and carried out in time to gauge voter reaction to the slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that emerged last week -- put Clinton ahead.
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| Ciganda beats Lee in LPGA Tour playoff in South Korea Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:38 PM PDT  INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Carlota Ciganda overcame an early five-stroke deficit, blew a late five-stroke lead and needed a big break to get in a playoff in the rainy LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship.
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| Trump charges U.S. election results being rigged 'at many polling places' Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:31 PM PDT  By Emily Stephenson and Alana Wise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump dug deeper in his efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the U.S. election, saying on Twitter on Sunday that he believed the results were being "rigged" at many polling places. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump wrote on Twitter, in the latest of a series of comments he has made over the past several days calling into question the fairness of the election. Trump, who is trailing Clinton in opinion polls, did not provide any evidence to back his allegations of impropriety at the voting booth.
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| Factbox: Once-tolerant Mosul site of Iraq push against Islamic State Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:26 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of an offensive aimed at retaking the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants, who have stamped out its rich mix of ethnic and religious cultures. The fight is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein. Here are some facts about Mosul, which had a population of about 2 million before the Sunni militants seized it in 2014. |
| Operation to retake Mosul from IS has begun: Iraq PM Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:25 PM PDT  Operations to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group have begun, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early Monday on state television. "The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started," he said in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. Iraqi federal and allied forces have been tightening the noose on Mosul, the jihadist organisation's main stronghold in the country, for months.
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| Denmark's Nicole Broch Larsen wins Symetra Tour finale Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:22 PM PDT LONGWOOD, Fla. (AP) — Denmark's Nicole Broch Larsen won the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship in a playoff Sunday and 10 players earned LPGA Tour cards. |
| Japan PM Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni shrine for war dead: media Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:21 PM PDT  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Monday to mark the annual autumn festival of the shrine, Kyodo News said. The shrine is seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Past visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged Beijing and Seoul because it honors 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals, along with war dead.
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| City of London's reliance on EU 'passport' exaggerated: think tank Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:07 PM PDT  Britain needs to focus its efforts on the banking sector when negotiating new financial trading terms with the European Union as the benefits of unfettered access across the industry as a whole have been overplayed, think tank Open Europe said in a report on Monday. Open Europe, which campaigned for reforming the EU and adopted a neutral stance in the UK's EU referendum in June, said a broad strategy across the whole financial sector would lack credibility. "To claim that the success of the UK as a global financial center is entirely reliant on the passport is exaggerated," said Vincenzo Scarpetta, a senior policy analyst at the pan-European think tank.
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| Brexit costs UK its spot among top 5 investment destinations Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:02 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Britain has lost its place as one of the top five investment destinations in the wake of the country's decision to leave the European Union, according to a survey released Monday.
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| Unofficial results: Montenegro pro-West ruling party wins Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:56 PM PDT  PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro's pro-West ruling party has won the most votes in the small Balkan country's parliamentary election on Sunday, according to unofficial results, but without enough support to govern alone and assure the country's chartered course into NATO and other Western institutions.
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| South African minister's affidavit details $490 million in Gupta transactions reported as suspicious Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:37 PM PDT  By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has revealed in a court affidavit distributed by the Treasury on Sunday that 6.8 billion rand ($490 million) in payments made by wealthy brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, companies they control, and other individuals with the same surname have been reported to authorities as suspicious since 2012. The three Indian-born businessmen are the subject of an official investigation into allegations that they have had undue influence over President Jacob Zuma. The payments in question, whose destinations were not disclosed in the document provided by Gordhan, were ascribed to the three brothers, their nephew Varun Gupta, numerous companies that they control as well as other individuals named as Chetali Gupta, Shivani Gupta and Arti Gupta.
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| Xanthi upsets Panathinaikos 2-1 for 1st Greek league win Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:30 PM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Xanthi won its first Greek league match of the season, upsetting title hopeful Panathinaikos 2-1 on Sunday. |
| Prandelli off to winning start with Valencia in Spain Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:17 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Former Italy manager Cesare Prandelli got off to a winning start in his coaching debut in Spain. |
| Turkish-backed Syrian opposition captures Dabiq from IS Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:12 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces captured the symbolically-significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday as government forces reversed recent rebel advances in the center of the country.
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| Chibok schoolgirls reunited with families Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:05 PM PDT  Twenty-one of the over 200 missing Chibok schoolgirls freed after being held by Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists for more than two years on Sunday spoke of their ordeal as they were reunited with their families. During a Christian ceremony held for them in the capital Abuja, a schoolgirl named Gloria Dame said they had survived for 40 days without food and narrowly escaped death at least once. The ceremony was organised by Nigeria's security services which negotiated their release.
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| Rugby world mourns as Munster coach Anthony Foley dies at 42 Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:59 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — From ordinary fans to the president of Ireland, rugby was in mourning Sunday for Munster head coach Anthony Foley, who died overnight at the Irish team's hotel in Paris ahead of a scheduled European match.
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| UN worried over attacks on aid convoys in hurricane-hit Haiti Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:56 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - The United Nations is concerned at the rise in looting and attacks targeting emergency aid deliveries in hurricane-ravaged Haiti, a UN official told AFP on Sunday. "It's obviously a concern for the coordination and delivery of aid," said Mourad Wahba, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. In one violent scene -- which occurred shortly before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived at the base via helicopter -- Senegalese UN peacekeepers used tear gas to disperse the crowd, which responded by throwing rocks, Wahba said.
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| Icardi misses penalty as Inter loses 2-1 to Cagliari Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:52 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi can do no right, it seems, and a missed penalty in a 2-1 defeat by Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday won't help at all.
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| Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:51 PM PDT  Syrian rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State group on Sunday by capturing the town of Dabiq where the jihadists had promised an apocalyptic battle. The defeat for IS came as the United States and Britain warned they were considering imposing sanctions against economic targets in Syria and Russia, which is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, over the government-imposed siege of second city Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition fighters backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery seized control of Dabiq.
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| Montenegro's ruling party leads in tinderbox polls Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:44 PM PDT  Montenegro's veteran premier Milo Djukanovic's party was leading in Sunday's tinderbox election during which authorities arrested 20 Serbs and accused them of planning attacks and hijacking the polls. Tensions were already high over Djukanovic's plans to forge closer ties with the EU and NATO and further heightened after the arrest of 20 Serbs allegedly planning to seize the prime minister and parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition, according to authorities. Partial results after 80 percent of the ballots had been counted showed that the premier's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) got a little more than 40 percent of the vote -- more than double than that of the main opposition Democratic Front.
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| Fiery reaction from Dijon after late penalty denies victory Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:28 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The reaction from Dijon players was as fiery as the mustard the eastern French town is famed for, following a last-minute penalty that denied the struggling team a valuable win at Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
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