| Iraq troops aim to tighten noose on Islamic State in Mosul Posted: 13 Nov 2016 08:16 AM PST  By Stephen Kalin BAWIZA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi soldiers fighting just north of Mosul, within sight of city neighborhoods, said on Sunday they were ready to tighten the noose around Islamic State militants waging a brutal defense of their Iraqi stronghold. Four weeks into the campaign to crush Islamic State in Mosul, the city is almost surrounded but the jihadists' defenses have so far been breached only to the east, where they have battled elite troops for control of around a dozen districts. The battle for Mosul, the biggest city held by the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamist group in Iraq and Syria, is the largest military operation in Iraq in a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 U.S. invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.
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| Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes near Christchurch, New Zealand: USGS Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:58 PM PST  A strong new earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck New Zealand's South Island on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, hours after a more powerful quake killed two people and damaged buildings along the east coast of the South Island. The latest quake was initially measured with a magnitude of 6.8. It struck at about 1.45 p.m. local time (0045 GMT) at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), about 120 km (75 miles) northeast of Christchurch, the USGS said.
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| Migrants stopped at Serbia's border with Croatia Posted: 13 Nov 2016 11:29 AM PST  A group of migrants who had marched for two days from the Serbian capital Belgrade were stopped on Sunday at the border with Croatia, a European Union member which said would not allow illegal crossings. Some 150 migrants, reported as being mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, left Belgrade on Friday to walk about 125 km (80 miles) to the Croatian border, demanding free and secure passage to Western Europe.
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| Trial to begin of man accused of murdering British lawmaker before Brexit vote Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:33 PM PST  The trial of the man accused of murdering British lawmaker Jo Cox a week before Britain voted in June's referendum on membership of the European Union is due to begin on Monday. The murder of Cox, a former aid worker who had been an ardent supporter of staying in the EU, shocked Britain and led to the suspension for several days of referendum campaigning which had been growing increasingly bitter. Thomas Mair, 53, is charged with murder, causing grievous bodily harm to a 77-year-old man who tried to help the lawmaker, and possession of a firearm and a dagger.
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| Israeli ministers defy Netanyahu over settlement evacuation Posted: 13 Nov 2016 01:15 PM PST  By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday defied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and voted to support a bill to allow settlers in the occupied West Bank to remain in homes built on privately owned Palestinian land. Israel's Supreme Court had ruled the government must evacuate a few dozen families from the Amona settlement and return the land to its Palestinian owners but right-wing lawmakers want to pay them compensation instead and allow the settlers to stay. Israel's attorney-general, Avihai Mandelblit, said in a statement that the bill was legally flawed in its current form as it contravened private property rights legislation and did not tally with Israel's international law commitments.
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| EU braces for 'more businesslike' ties with Trump's America Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:30 PM PST  By Gabriela Baczynska and Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union must spend more on defense and uphold accords on climate change and Iran's nuclear program, the bloc's foreign ministers said after mulling future ties with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has cast doubt on all three. "We understand that there will be more American businesslike approach and therefore there should also be more Europe from our side," said Miroslav Lajcak, the foreign minister of Slovakia, which now holds the EU's rotating presidency. During the election campaign, Trump suggested he would make U.S. security guarantees for its European allies conditional and has criticized both the international Paris agreement to fight climate change and the deal curbing Iran's nuclear program.
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| Goydos wins Champions finale, Langer takes season title Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:54 PM PST SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Paul Goydos and Bernhard Langer got the big trophies and checks Sunday in the PGA Tour Champions' season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. |
| Anti-Trump protests continue in New York, LA, Philadelphia Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:51 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Immigrants, their advocates and others opposing a Donald Trump presidency continued to protest Sunday, speaking out against the president-elect's support of deportation and other measures.
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| 2nd test: de Kock century gives South Africa a 203-run lead Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:47 PM PST  HOBART, Australia (AP) — Quinton de Kock posted a century and shared a 144-run sixth-wicket stand with Temba Bavuma to guide South Africa to 288-6 at lunch Monday, extending its first-innings lead to 203 runs in the second test against Australia.
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| Top Asian News 1:47 a.m. GMT Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:47 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand's South Island early Monday, killing at least two people, damaging buildings and infrastructure, and prompting warnings to people along the coast to move to higher ground to avoid possible tsunami waves. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck just after midnight in a mostly rural area that's dotted with small towns. Near the epicenter, it opened up snaking fissures in roads and triggered landslides. It caused damage in Wellington, the capital, more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the north. It was also strongly felt to the south in the city of Christchurch, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2011 that killed 185 people. |
| Powerful earthquake strikes New Zealand, killing 2 people Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:46 PM PST  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand's South Island early Monday, killing at least two people, damaging buildings and infrastructure, and prompting warnings to people along the coast to move to higher ground to avoid possible tsunami waves.
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| St-Gelais shines, Knegt breaks world record at ISU World Cup Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:30 PM PST  KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Canada's Marianne St-Gelais won the women's 500 meters at the ISU World Cup short-track speedskating event Sunday to close the weekend with three medals.
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| Two dead as huge quake rocks New Zealand Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:17 PM PST  A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed two people and caused massive infrastructure damage in New Zealand on Monday, but officials said they were optimistic the death toll would not rise. The tremor, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the quake-prone South Pacific nation, hit just after midnight near the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura. Rescuers were left scrambling to reach Kaikoura, which had no telecommunications and was isolated by landslips, leaving officials fearing the worst.
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| New U.N. role needed to fight human trafficking in conflict: experts Posted: 13 Nov 2016 05:09 PM PST  By Umberto Bacchi LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - People displaced by war across the world are at heightened risk of human trafficking due to gaps in the United Nations' response, campaigners said on Monday, calling for the creation of a new U.N. office to fight modern slavery. Refugees are considered particularly vulnerable as poverty, insecurity and the necessity to flee war push them in the arms of traffickers who often operate with impunity in conflict areas. The U.N.'s response to trafficking amid the global refugee crisis has been fragmented, according to a report by Freedom Fund, an international initiative to fight slavery.
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| Report: carbon emissions flat in last 3 years Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:53 PM PST  MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Worldwide emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide have flattened out in the past three years, a new study showed Monday, raising hopes that the world is nearing a turning point in the fight against climate change.
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| The Latest: New Zealand PM to survey earthquake damage Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:40 PM PST  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Latest on a strong earthquake that struck New Zealand (all times local):
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| Trump seeks to calm protests -- and reassure own camp Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:31 PM PST  Donald Trump sought in his first televised interview as president-elect to reassure Americans fearful of a crackdown on minorities -- while assuring his core supporters he will not let them down on gun rights, abortion or immigration. Trump said he was "saddened" by reports that incidents of harassment and intimidation of minorities had spiked since his election -- and called for it to end. Trump sent out clear signals to his core electorate on a string of flashpoint issues.
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| Five facts on World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:18 PM PST  + Aged just 19 Barrett made history as he appeared for the Super Rugby franchise Hurricanes, making it the first time a father and son had represented the side. + Losing to Ireland and ending their world-record run of 18 successive Test wins would have been painful, but Beauden honed some of his skills when at the age of five he and the family moved to Ireland after his father was offered a farm manager post in County Meath. + Whilst the Barrett boys enjoyed their time in Ireland, their initial reception at school was one of amazement at their attire as their father recounted.
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| Pat Perez rallies to win OHL Classic at Mayakoba Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:17 PM PST  PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Pat Perez won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba on Sunday in his third start since returning from shoulder surgery.
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| World CO2 emissions stay flat for third year, helped by China falls: study Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:14 PM PST  By Alister Doyle MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - World greenhouse gas emissions stayed flat for the third year in a row in 2016, thanks to falls in China, even as the pro-coal policies of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump mean uncertainty for the future, an international study said on Monday. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry were set to rise a tiny 0.2 percent in 2016 from 2015 levels to 36.4 billion tonnes, the third consecutive year with negligible change and down from three percent growth rates in the 2000s, it said. The Global Carbon Project, grouping climate researchers, welcomed the flatlining of emissions amid global economic growth.
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| U.S. will be 'rogue' state if it ditches climate accord: U.N. envoy Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:11 PM PST  By Laurie Goering MARRAKESH, Morocco (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The United States would become "a kind of rogue country" if it pulls out of an international agreement to combat global warming, leaving the world more vulnerable to droughts and other climate extremes, warned Mary Robinson, a former Irish president and human rights advocate. "It would be a tragedy for the United States and the people of the United States if the U.S. becomes a kind of rogue country, the only country in the world that is somehow not going to go ahead with the Paris Agreement," Robinson said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Sunday. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, has promised to pull the United States out of that global climate accord, which was agreed last year by 193 countries and which came into effect earlier this month, just in advance of his election.
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| Lack of school drives girls into armed groups in eastern Congo: charity Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:08 PM PST By Kieran Guilbert DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Girls in conflict-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are joining armed groups because they cannot afford to go to school, while former girl soldiers struggle to return to class amid stigma from their communities, a charity said on Monday. Many girls in the region join militia groups to obtain food and money, to seek protection against violence, or because their families cannot afford to pay their school fees, according to a report by Britain-based Child Soldiers International (CSI). Eastern Congo is plagued by dozens of armed groups that prey on locals and exploit mineral reserves. |
| Carlota Ciganda wins Lorena Ochoa Invitational Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:07 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Carlota Ciganda rallied to win the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour victory in four starts. |
| All Blacks flyhalf Barrett voted World Player of the Year Posted: 13 Nov 2016 04:07 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — New Zealand flyhalf Beauden Barrett has been voted World Player of the Year as the world champion All Blacks swept the major awards at the end of a record-breaking rugby season.
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| Five facts on World Rugby coach of the Year Steve Hansen Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:59 PM PST  London (AFP) - Five facts on New Zealand coach Steve Hansen after he won the World Coach of the Year award in London on Sunday:
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| Tomlinson, Coil win Superboat title off Florida Keys Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:57 PM PST KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — John Tomlinson and Myrick Coil won the Superboat title Sunday in the Key West World Championship off the Florida Keys. |
| Pakistan cricketers safe after earthquake hits NZ Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:52 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Pakistan cricket team is safe and well after being shaken awake Monday by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake which struck New Zealand, killing at least two and causing extensive damage. |
| Barrett leads New Zealand dominance of World Rugby awards Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:41 PM PST  Fly-half Beauden Barrett led a hat-trick of titles for world champions New Zealand at the World Rugby awards on Sunday as he collected Player of the Year. The 25-year-old, who has filled the huge vacuum left by the international retirement of Dan Carter with aplomb, was joined on the podium by Steve Hansen, who won Coach of the Year, and the record-breaking All Blacks as Team of the Year. Barrett and Hansen, who scooped the coaching award for the fourth time in five season, were central figures as New Zealand set a world record of 18 successive Test wins before being beaten by Ireland just over a week ago.
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| Maduro rejects early elections as way out of Venezuela crisis Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:36 PM PST  Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday rejected early elections as a way out of a spiraling crisis that has led to widespread shortages, soaring inflation and mass protests. Only half of the roughly 30 groups that belong to the MUD back the dialogue, seeing it as an attempt to deflect their demands for a leadership change.
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| Moldova: Pro-Russia presidential candidate declares victory Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:35 PM PST  CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — A pro-Russia candidate has declared victory in Moldova's presidential election, opening up a commanding lead in the former Soviet republic with nearly all the votes tallied.
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| Greece gets late point off Bosnia; Belgium hits 8 vs Estonia Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:34 PM PST  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A last-gasp goal by Giorgos Tzavelas allowed Greece to escape with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday, while Group H leader Belgium crushed Estonia 8-1.
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| Pro-Russian candidate set to win Moldova presidency Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:29 PM PST  Pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon was on the brink late Sunday of being declared winner of Moldova's presidential runoff, viewed as an East-West choice in the impoverished ex-Soviet country. With 97 percent of ballots counted, Socialist Party chief Dodon had 55.3 percent of the votes, according to the electoral commission, with pro-European rival Maia Sandu on 44.7 percent. "We have won, everyone knows it," Dodon told a late-night press conference.
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| EU ministers seek 'strong partnership' with Trump Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:27 PM PST  European Union foreign ministers insisted on Sunday they expected good relations with Donald Trump, after a crisis meeting that Britain, France and Hungary snubbed in a move that exposed rifts over the US president-elect. The ministers said they wanted more details about Republican Trump's plans following his shock election win, which has sparked anxiety in Europe due to his campaign-trail rhetoric questioning US commitment to the continent. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the special dinner on the eve of a scheduled meeting of the ministers, but some capitals criticised the decision to have an emergency meeting on a democratic election result in a key ally.
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| Trump looking at fast ways to quit global climate deal: source Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:16 PM PST  By Valerie Volcovici and Alister Doyle WASHINGTON/MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is seeking quick ways to withdraw the United States from a global accord to combat climate change, a source on his transition team said, defying broad international backing for the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Since Trump's election victory on Tuesday, governments ranging from China to small island states have reaffirmed support for the 2015 Paris agreement during climate talks involving 200 nations set to run until Friday in Marrakesh, Morocco.
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| France marks 1 year since Paris attacks, wary and watched Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:07 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Less insouciant, more policed — France is a changed place since Islamic State extremists killed 130 people in the country's deadliest attacks a year ago. Fearing it's becoming more divided, too, survivors and victims' families marked Sunday's anniversary of the violence by pleading for national unity instead.
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| Powerful earthquake shakes New Zealand, two killed Posted: 13 Nov 2016 03:07 PM PST  By Charlotte Greenfield and Greg Stutchbury WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake rocked New Zealand on Monday killing at least two people, damaging roads and buildings, and prompting a tsunami warning that sent thousands fleeing to higher ground. Emergency response teams were flying by helicopter to the region at the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude quake, some 91 km (57 miles) northeast of Christchurch in the South Island, amid reports of injuries and collapsed buildings. Powerlines and telecommunications were down, and daylight revealed sizeable cracks in roads and damage to infrastructure.
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