| Islamic State claims suicide attacks as Mosul campaign makes slow progress Posted: 14 Nov 2016 11:26 AM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed a series of suicide attacks that killed at least 14 people south and west of Baghdad on Monday as a U.S.-backed campaign to capture Mosul, the insurgents' last urban stronghold in Iraq, made slow progress. The attacks showed that even though the jihadists have been losing territory over the past year - and face a big battle to hold Mosul in the north - they retain the ability to strike across Iraq, even in the central areas near the capital. Eight people were killed and about 25 wounded when two suicide bombers blew up their cars at police checkpoints in Falluja, a former Islamic State stronghold west of Baghdad.
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| Canada airliner swerves to avoid object near Toronto; two hurt Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:40 PM PST By David Ljunggren and Allison Lampert OTTAWA/MONTREAL (Reuters) - A Canadian airliner with 54 passengers on board had to swerve to avoid an unmanned flying object near Toronto early on Monday, slightly injuring two cabin crew, in the most serious case of its kind in Canada, officials said. The Porter Airlines Bombardier Q400 plane, which took off from Ottawa, was at 9,000 feet (2,750 meters), descending into the city's Billy Bishop waterfront airport, when the pilots saw an unmanned aerial vehicle. "Two crew members performed an evasive maneuver to avoid the unidentified object," said Genevieve Corbin, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). |
| Hague prosecutors say U.S. forces may have committed war crimes Posted: 14 Nov 2016 03:51 PM PST By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague said on Monday there were preliminary grounds to believe U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan and at secret detention facilities elsewhere in 2003 and 2004. In a report, prosecutors said there was a "reasonable basis to believe" that U.S. forces had tortured prisoners in Afghanistan and at Central Intelligence Agency detention facilities elsewhere in 2003 and 2004. |
| Russian police find evidence of fraud during parliamentary election Posted: 14 Nov 2016 01:29 PM PST  By Gleb Stolyarov and Alexander Winning MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police have said they found evidence of fraud at a polling station where Reuters reporters saw irregularities during a Sept. 18 parliamentary election that was won by a party loyal to the Kremlin. A police unit in the region of Mordovia wrote in a letter to Reuters that it had investigated and found signs of criminal fraud at polling station No. 591. It said it had handed over the case to the Investigative Committee, the state body which decides whether to bring criminal charges.
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| Trump poses daunting new challenge for Germany's Merkel Posted: 14 Nov 2016 10:22 AM PST  By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - Donald Trump's victory has been a shock for America's major partners around the world. On virtually every issue of importance to the German chancellor, from confronting Russian aggression and promoting free trade, to combating climate change and tackling the tide of refugees fleeing Syria, Trump seems likely to turn Washington from an ally into an adversary.
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| EU criticises Turkey but not ready to halt membership talks Posted: 14 Nov 2016 10:10 AM PST  By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers on Monday criticised Turkey's crackdown on alleged supporters of a failed military coup in July but Austria's call to suspend Ankara's EU membership bid failed to garner enough backing. As the 28 EU foreign ministers met in Brussels, President Tayyip Erdogan said he was ready to hold a referendum on whether to continue the membership talks and reiterated that he would restore the death penalty - a move sure to scupper the EU talks - if his parliament passed such a law. Turkey has suspended, dismissed or detained at least 110,000 people, including soldiers, judges and teachers, since the coup.
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| New Zealand vs Pakistan test gets OK after quake Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:26 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The first cricket test between New Zealand and Pakistan will begin on schedule Thursday after engineers declared Christchurch's Hagley Oval safe after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand early Monday. |
| South Africa seals big win in 2nd test, clinches series Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:24 PM PST  HOBART, Australia (AP) — South Africa has clinched the three-test series against Australia with a match to spare, following up its 177-run win in Perth with an emphatic victory by an innings and 80 runs on Tuesday at Bellerive Oval.
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| Top Asian News 1:20 a.m. GMT Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:20 PM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — U.S. armed forces and the CIA may have committed war crimes by torturing detainees in Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said in a report Monday, raising the possibility that American citizens could be indicted even though Washington has not joined the global court. "Members of US armed forces appear to have subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity on the territory of Afghanistan between 1 May 2003 and 31 December 2014," according to the report issued by Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's office. The report added that CIA operatives may have subjected at least 27 detainees in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania and Lithuania to "torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity and/or rape" between December 2002 and March 2008. |
| ICC prosecutors: US forces may have committed war crimes Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:20 PM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — U.S. armed forces and the CIA may have committed war crimes by torturing detainees in Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said in a report Monday, raising the possibility that American citizens could be indicted even though Washington has not joined the global court. |
| South Korea's Park retains lawyer ahead of prosecutors questioning: Yonhap Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:18 PM PST  South Korean President Park Geun-hye has retained a lawyer ahead of being questioned by prosecutors investigating a political scandal engulfing her presidency, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday. Park will be the first president to be questioned by prosecutors over a criminal case. Prosecutors are investigating whether Park exerted improper pressure on "chaebol" conglomerate bosses to raise funds for foundations involving a Park friend, Yonhap reported on Sunday.
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| Seager, Fulmer take Rookie of the Year honors Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:03 PM PST  Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and Detroit pitcher Michael Fulmer were on Monday named National League and American League rookies of the year, judged by voting from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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| South Africa clinch series with innings victory vs Australia Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:56 PM PST HOBART, Australia (AP) — South Africa has clinched the three-test series against Australia with a match to spare, following up its 177-run win in Perth with an innings and 80-run victory on Tuesday at Bellerive Oval. |
| Russian Economy Minister Ulyukayev detained over bribe Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:50 PM PST  Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been detained over a $2-million bribe allegedly received for a "positive" assessment, which led to oil producer Rosneft acquiring a 50 percent stake in Bashneft, the country's Investigative Committee said on Tuesday. The Investigative Committee, which directly reports to President Vladimir Putin, said the investigation would put forward charges soon. "Ulyukayev was detained at night, immediately after interrogation," an Investigative Committee official told Reuters.
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| Gosper expects China Rugby World Cup bid 'sooner than later' Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:49 PM PST  China's ambitious sporting plans will see them bid to host a Rugby World Cup "sooner rather than later" according to World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper on Monday. The earliest World Cup they could hope to host would be the 2027 edition as bidding for the 2023 one is closed with Ireland, France and South Africa vying to win the right to host it. China is already keen to host the football version as its president Xi Jinping is a fervent fan of the sport, with the 2030 edition probably the likeliest one to bid for due to FIFA's rotation policy and Qatar hosting the 2022 version.
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| Army, Interior Department call for more review on Dakota pipeline Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:48 PM PST  Federal authorities deferred a final decision on a controversial North Dakota section of the Dakota Access Pipeline on Monday in a statement that highlighted concerns about the "repeated" dispossession of tribal lands in the country's past. The Departments of the Army and Interior, in a joint statement, said that while their previous decisions to grant construction were consistent with legal requirements, they wanted to have additional discussions with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe due to concerns about protecting Lake Oahe, a culturally sensitive and federally owned water source. The $3.7 billion Dakota Access construction project has drawn steady opposition since last summer from the Standing Rock Sioux, along with environmental activists, who claim it could pollute nearby water supplies and destroy sacred historical sites.
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| Australia PM says asylum seekers to be resettled in U.S. after Trump takes office Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:46 PM PST  By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's prime minister said on Monday resettlement to the United States of many of the 1,200 asylum seekers held in detention camps on Papua New Guinea and the Pacific island of Nauru would begin after President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Whether Trump honors the deal Australia reached with the outgoing Obama administration, and announced earlier this month, will provide an early test of Trump's anti-immigration stance. Campaigning for the presidency, Trump had started by advocating a blanket ban on Muslims entering the United States, but later adjusted his stance to propose that the ban should apply to people from nations that had been "compromised by terrorism".
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| New Zealand begins evacuating tourists from quake-hit town Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:42 PM PST  By Lincoln Feast and Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand emergency services and defense personnel began evacuating hundreds of tourists and residents from the South Island town of Kaikoura on Tuesday, a day after a powerful earthquake hit the region, killing two people. The 7.8-magnitude tremor struck just after midnight on Sunday, destroying farm homesteads, sending glass and masonry toppling from high rises in the capital, Wellington, and cutting road and rail links throughout the northeast of the ruggedly beautiful South Island. Kaikoura, a popular base for whale-watching about 150 km (90 miles) northeast of Christchurch and near the epicenter, was completely cut off by massive landslips.
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| Poland exhumes president, wife killed in 2010 plane crash Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:40 PM PST  WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The bodies of former Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife have been removed from their tomb in Krakow, the first of more than 80 exhumations planned on prominent Poles killed in a plane crash in Russia in 2010.
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| China says air pollution worsens in October Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:38 PM PST  Air quality in China's smog-hit northern regions, which include the capital Beijing, worsened in October despite overall improvements over the course of the year, the environment ministry said in a notice late on Monday. World Health Organisation guidelines recommend an annual average of 10 micrograms. The ministry said six of the worst performing cities over the first 10 months were located in the industrial province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.
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| Five dead as Mediterranean migrant death toll continues to rise Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:33 PM PST  Another five people have been added to the tally of more than 4,200 migrants who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, Italy's coastguard said Tuesday. The coastguard, which coordinates search and rescue operations in the waters between Libya and Italy's southern coast, said a total of 550 people had been saved during five separate operations on Monday. The rescues all involved efforts to get people off overcrowded rubber dinghies in waters off Libya.
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| May: UK must respond to world transformed by Brexit, Trump Posted: 14 Nov 2016 04:18 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Britain's vote to leave the European Union and the election of Donald Trump have transformed the world in a year, Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday, in a speech arguing that governments must heed people's concerns about the impact of globalization on jobs and communities.
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| Obama says Trump soon to face sobering reality check Posted: 14 Nov 2016 03:28 PM PST  President Barack Obama cautioned against dire predictions for Donald Trump's presidency Monday, saying his Republican successor faces a reality check if he tries to enact his most controversial campaign promises. The outgoing Democratic leader made his comments at a wide-ranging news conference before he embarks on a farewell visit to Europe to reassure worried allies about a man he once warned was "unfit" to lead the United States. Trump's election win last week over Hillary Clinton has been met with euphoria among his supporters, but also with a wave of protests across the nation that are unusual for the world's leading democracy.
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| Gambia notifies UN of ICC pullout Posted: 14 Nov 2016 03:04 PM PST  The Gambia has notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, the third African country to give formal notice of a pullout, a UN spokesman said Monday. South Africa and Burundi also ignored appeals from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reverse their decisions and have sent letters confirming that they are quitting the ICC. Banjul's decision to pull out of the court struck a personal blow against the tribunal's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, a Gambian lawyer and former justice minister.
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| Far-left Greek group claims French embassy attack Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:58 PM PST  A far-left Greek group on Monday claimed responsibility for last week's grenade attack on the French embassy in Athens which slightly wounded a police officer on duty. Police are trying to verify the claim by the Organisation of Revolutionary Autodefence, published in the alternative website Indymedia, for Thursday's attack. The same group had claimed responsibility for firing shots at the Mexican embassy in Athens in July 2014.
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| The Latest: Obama blames Congress for not closing Guantanamo Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest on President Barack Obama's news conference ahead of his last overseas trip as president (all times EST):
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| A look at Trump's immigration plans by the numbers Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a top issue in his campaign and now his promises from the campaign trail are about to be put to the test. |
| Puerto Rico Treasury barred from implementing video lottery Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:49 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's Treasury Department has been barred from implementing a video lottery project aimed at generating more revenue amid a dire economic crisis. |
| Murray wins in his debut as the world's top-ranked player Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:48 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Taking the court as the No. 1-ranked player for the first time, Andy Murray got the job done.
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| UN peacekeepers return to Syrian side of Golan Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:39 PM PST  A first group of 127 UN peacekeepers returned Monday to a camp on the Syrian-held side of the Golan Heights, two years after withdrawing amid clashes with Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels. UN spokesman Farhan Haq said more troops from the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) would return to camp Faouar this week and that both governments in Israel and Syria supported the move. The UNDOF monitors a 1974 ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.
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| Guerrilla group claims responsibility for attack at French embassy in Athens Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:38 PM PST  A Greek left-wing urban guerrilla group on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack with a hand grenade on the French embassy in Athens last week, which wounded one guard. The attackers were riding a motorcycle when they threw the hand grenade outside the building opposite parliament, in one of Athens's best-guarded areas. The attack occurred less than a week before a planned visit by U.S. President Barack Obama on Nov. 15-16.
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| World looks up to gaze at extra bright 'supermoon' Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:27 PM PST  Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, tourist landmarks and beaches worldwide on Monday to catch a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades. The unusually big and bright moon happens when the Earth's satellite rock is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee -- its closest point to our planet on its monthly ellipsis-shaped orbit. At a distance of 356,509 kilometres (221,524 miles), this is the closest it has been to Earth since 1948, creating what NASA described as "an extra-supermoon".
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| Evacuations planned for quake-hit New Zealand Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:26 PM PST  Rescuers in New Zealand were scrambling Tuesday to evacuate up to 1,200 tourists stranded by a 7.8 earthquake that caused "utter devastation" on the coast of the South Island. A navy ship was steaming towards the seaside town of Kaikoura, which bore the brunt of the quake that claimed two lives when it struck early Monday. It has a population of 2,000, which Prime Minister John Key said was bolstered by an extra 1,200 tourists attracted by the area's popular whale-watching cruises.
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| Trump starting to sound like Obama on immigration Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:25 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is starting to sound an awful lot like President Barack Obama on immigration.
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| Mauritania anti-slavery activists appeal jail terms Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:24 PM PST  The appeal of 13 anti-slavery activists in Mauritania began Monday under heavy security as defence lawyers called for their case to be thrown out due to "legal inconsistencies", including torture in custody. A court in Zouerate, northern Mauritania, will consider whether the sentences of three to 15 years in prison handed down in August to members of a group fighting hereditary slavery were justified. The lawyer said the activists had been "submitted to torture" while in custody, an assertion repeatedly made by the accused themselves.
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| Murray marks rise to the top with Tour Finals romp Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:17 PM PST  Andy Murray celebrated his rise to the top of the world rankings with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic on Monday as the Scot made a strong start to his bid to win the ATP Tour Finals. Murray was officially confirmed as the first Briton to reach number one last Monday and he marked his first match since that historic moment by dispatching Cilic at the prestigious season-ending event at London's O2 Arena. It was exactly the start Murray needed because to guarantee ending 2016 in pole position, he must win the Tour Finals title for the first time, with anything less than that giving Novak Djokovic the chance to overhaul him depending on the deposed number one's own results.
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| NHL has new meetings set on 2018 Olympics Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:15 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — NHL meetings are set for this week to discuss whether the league will participate in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
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| Fiji upset as World Rugby ignores team at awards ceremony Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:05 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Fiji Rugby Union will express its "concerns and disappointment" to World Rugby after its Olympic gold medal-winning sevens team won none of the major prizes at the sport's annual awards ceremony on Monday. |
| Rose and Stenson, Day and Fowler to unite at revamped PGA event Posted: 14 Nov 2016 02:03 PM PST  Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose and runner-up Henrik Stenson will partner for next year's US PGA Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which announced Monday it will switch to a two-man team format starting next year. The event has been won in the past by such stars as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Byron Nelson, Lee Westwood, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh and Rose in 2015.
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