| Iraqi forces claim recapture of eastern Mosul after 100 days of fighting Posted: 23 Jan 2017 01:18 PM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi officials said on Monday government forces had taken complete control of eastern Mosul, 100 days after the start of their U.S.-backed campaign to dislodge Islamic State militants from the city. The deputy parliament speaker announced the capture of the east of the city, Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq, after a meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. "We completed the total liberation of the left bank of Mosul and this is a gift to the Iraqi people," said Sheikh Humam Hamoudi in a statement.
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| Trump White House vows to stop China taking South China Sea islands Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:57 PM PST  By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the United States would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea, something Chinese state media has warned would require Washington to "wage war." The comments at a briefing from White House spokesman Sean Spicer signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious U.S. handling of China's assertive pursuit of territory claims in Asia, just days after Trump took office on Friday. "The U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there," Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, on Jan. 11 that China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea.
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| Egyptian state TV airs video of murdered Italian student Regeni Posted: 23 Jan 2017 12:59 PM PST  By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian state television has aired footage of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who was found murdered in Cairo almost a year ago, speaking to the head of a Cairo street vendors' union who reported him to police a few weeks before his death. Egyptian officials have denied any involvement in Regeni's death. Security and intelligence sources told Reuters in April that he had been arrested in Cairo on Jan. 25, and taken into custody.
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| Brexit is opportunity to pull Europe closer together: EU official Posted: 23 Jan 2017 05:26 PM PST  By Daniel Bases NEW YORK (Reuters) - The European Union Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator on Monday said Britain's decision to make a clean break from the EU was an opportunity to reform Europe and avoid a further breakdown in ties between its remaining member states. Former Belgian Prime Minister and member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt also said the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and what he views as Washington's move toward more protectionism, is a wake-up call for the EU. "The Brexit discussion is a good opportunity not only to discuss and negotiate a new agreement, a new partnership with Britain, but also to fix that now it is time to have a real government in Europe," Verhofstadt said in an interview with Reuters in New York while promoting his new book: "Europe's Last Chance." In June, Britons voted 52-48 percent to leave the EU, triggering a change of government leadership and the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister.
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| Russia and Turkey push Syria's warring sides to seal truce Posted: 23 Jan 2017 11:12 AM PST  By Denis Dyomkin and John Irish ASTANA (Reuters) - Syria's warring sides met for their first talks in nine months on Monday, with their Russian and Turkish backers pushing to cement a ceasefire that could pave the way for political talks. The meeting in the Kazakh capital comes at a time when Turkey, which backs the rebels, and Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, each want to disentangle themselves from the fighting. "We understand that militarily they have achieved what they wanted in Syria.
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| Merkel says populism won't solve world's problems Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:05 PM PST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that openness, not populism, polarization or isolation, was the answer to the world's challenges of globalization and digitalization. "I think that, a quarter of a century after German unification, after the end of the Cold War, a new historical era will perhaps be replaced by another one," Merkel said in a speech to church leaders in Wuerzburg.
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| AP source: Giants work to finalize deal with Korean Hwang Posted: 23 Jan 2017 05:33 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants were working Monday to finalize a minor league contract with South Korean infielder Jae-gyun Hwang, who could provide some insurance at third base. |
| Liverpool seek League Cup home comfort in Saints semi-final Posted: 23 Jan 2017 05:25 PM PST  Liverpool's formidable home record was meant to provide the platform for a tilt at three trophies this season -â but Saturday's surprise 3-2 Premier League defeat by Swansea spoiled that idea. If Jurgen Klopp's team are to overcome Southampton at Anfield in the second leg of a League Cup semi-final on Wednesday and reach Wembley, their defending will have to improve significantly. The shock of suffering their first defeat at Anfield in almost 12 months is still being felt by the club's supporters, with a run of just two points won from the last nie available damaging Liverpool's chances of landing a first English league title since 1990.
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| Trump’s new EPA transition team draws from oil industry groups Posted: 23 Jan 2017 05:12 PM PST  By Valerie Volcovici and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has drawn heavily from the energy industry lobby and pro-drilling think tanks to build its landing team for the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a list of the newly introduced 10-member team seen by Reuters on Monday. The email lists at least three former researchers from think-tanks funded by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch and at least one former lobbyist for the mining industry. Several members of the team have also publicly argued against U.S. efforts to combat climate change, a key function of the EPA under former President Barack Obama.
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| Mexico captures son of Sinaloa drug cartel boss 'El Azul' Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:56 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say they have captured a top Sinaloa cartel leader's son who is suspected of running a drug distribution network and managing cartel finances. |
| Deadly storm batters Eastern U.S. with wind and heavy rain Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:56 PM PST  The storm, which unleashed deadly twisters in Mississippi and Georgia over the weekend, turned cooler as it advanced on the Northeast, where residents faced potential flooding, downed power lines and high surf late on Monday and early Tuesday, said Tim Morrin, the National Weather Service's New York observation program leader. Two commuter rail lines operated by New Jersey Transit, which serves about 100,000 passengers daily, suspended service during evening rush hour between New York City and parts of New Jersey due to fallen power lines, the agency said on its website.
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| Nets say injured Jeremy Lin will miss another 3 to 5 weeks Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:49 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin has had another setback while rehabbing a hamstring injury, and this time the Brooklyn Nets won't let him risk further injury trying to rush back. |
| Brazil confirms over 60 yellow fever cases, many fatal Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:48 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian authorities have confirmed more than 60 cases of yellow fever during the summer rainy season, a sharp rise from just seven the previous year. |
| Top Asian News 12:40 a.m. GMT Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:40 PM PST BEIJING (AP) — People across Asia are poised for a potentially dramatic change in relations with Washington under President Donald Trump after decades with the United States as a major military and economic presence. The clues Trump has given about his foreign policy are a break with former President Barack Obama's "pivot to Asia," which re-emphasized American engagement in the region. In one of his first actions in office, Trump withdrew the United States from the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement being negotiated by Washington and 11 Pacific Rim countries. He has talked about requiring allies Japan and South Korea to pay more for U.S. |
| Pentagon chief vows 'unshakeable commitment' to NATO: spokesman Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:33 PM PST  New US Secretary of Defense James Mattis reassured his British counterpart on Monday that Washington has an "unshakeable commitment" to NATO, despite President Donald Trump previously casting the military alliance as obsolete. During a phone call with Michael Fallon on his first full day in office, Mattis "emphasized the United States' unshakeable commitment to NATO," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.
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| Quarterfinal Tuesday at Australian Open: Venus opens play Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:33 PM PST  MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — It's quarterfinal Tuesday for half of the men's and women's draws at the Australian Open, with Venus Williams and Roger Federer among those looking to advance to the final four of the year's first Grand Slam tournament.
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| Peabody reorganization at risk from Wyoming litigation: court paper Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:29 PM PST  By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Peabody Energy Corp's plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy faces a "material risk" that the U.S. coal producer could suffer a $1 billion revenue loss due to a disputed lease at the world's largest coal mine, according to an objection filed to its reorganization plan. Oil and gas driller Berenergy Corp and Peabody hold overlapping federal mineral leases in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, where Peabody operates the North Antelope Rochelle mine that provides the bulk of its coal production. Berenergy said in a court filing that an adverse decision by Wyoming's high court would prevent Peabody from mining near its wells, potentially causing the coal producer to lose more than $1 billion in revenues it projects in the first five years of its emergence from Chapter 11.
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| Wildfires in Chile destroy homes, livestock, livelihoods Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:29 PM PST  PUMANQUE, Chile (AP) — Lambs suffered broken legs trying to escape the blaze that tore across Tarcila Becerra's land. Today there's nothing on the blackened soil left for the few chickens that survived to graze on, and horses whinny in a makeshift stable a few blocks from her ravaged home.
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| Reopening NAFTA could revive debate over what makes a car 'American' Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:27 PM PST By Bernie Woodall DETROIT (Reuters) - Some of the most popular and profitable vehicles sold in the United States by Detroit's automakers are imported from Mexico, a reality that highlights the risks for the auto industry as the Trump administration pushes to overhaul trade policy. President Donald Trump has scheduled a breakfast on Tuesday with the chief executives of Detroit automakers General Motors Co , Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to talk about bringing more manufacturing jobs to the United States, the White House said on Monday. Trump campaigned on a pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and said on Monday he would meet leaders of NAFTA partners Mexico and Canada at an "appropriate time" to get the process started. |
| Q&A: Protests over gas costs disrupt Mexico border crossings Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:08 PM PST  TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Demonstrators have taken control of Mexican border crossings with the U.S. several times in the past month to oppose Mexican gasoline price hikes in an unusual, if not unprecedented, show of protest.
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| Panama ex-dictator Noriega moves to house arrest for brain surgery Posted: 23 Jan 2017 04:02 PM PST  Panama's former dictator Manuel Noriega has been allowed to move from prison to house arrest in order to undergo an operation for a non-malignant brain tumor, his lawyer said Monday. The country's Supreme Court granted the lesser detention after hearing recommendations from the 82-year-old's doctors, attorney Ezra Angel told AFP. Noriega, who is increasingly frail, is serving three 20-year sentences for the disappearances of opponents during his 1983-1990 rule.
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| Canada oil pipeline spills 200,000 liters on aboriginal land Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:59 PM PST By Ethan Lou and Alastair Sharp CALGARY, Alberta/TORONTO (Reuters) - A pipeline in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan has leaked 200,000 liters (52,834 gallons) of oil in an aboriginal community, the provincial government said on Monday. The government was notified late in the afternoon on Friday, and 170,000 liters of oil have since been recovered, said Doug McKnight, deputy minister in the Ministry of the Economy, which regulates pipelines in Saskatchewan. Oil pipelines are viewed by the oil-rich provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan as a critical lifeline to move crude to the coast, but they have drawn fierce opposition from environmental and indigenous groups. |
| Warburton: I'll be a better player without Wales captaincy Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:55 PM PST CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Sam Warburton says letting go of the Wales captaincy will make him a better rugby player. |
| Peabody reorganization at risk from Wyoming litigation: court paper Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:53 PM PST By Tracy Rucinski NEW YORK (Reuters) - Peabody Energy Corp's plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy faces a "material risk" that the U.S. coal producer could suffer a $1 billion revenue loss due to a disputed lease at the world's largest coal mine, according to an objection filed to its reorganization plan. Oil and gas driller Berenergy Corp and Peabody hold overlapping federal mineral leases in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, where Peabody operates the North Antelope Rochelle mine that provides the bulk of its coal production. Berenergy said in a court filing that an adverse decision by Wyoming's high court would prevent Peabody from mining near its wells, potentially causing the coal producer to lose more than $1 billion in revenues it projects in the first five years of its emergence from Chapter 11. |
| Liberty completes F1 takeover; Ecclestone replaced by Carey Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:47 PM PST  Bernie Ecclestone's reign of Formula One ended after Liberty Media officially completed its takeover of the series on Monday, and named American Chase Carey as the new chief executive.
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| Shyamalan's 'Split' scares away competition at box office Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:40 PM PST  Los Angeles (AFP) - "Split," a thriller about a man who imprisons three teenage girls in an underground bunker, topped the North American box office over the weekend, earning a surprising $40 million, industry figures showed Monday.
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| Reopening NAFTA could revive debate over what makes a car 'American' Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:38 PM PST By Bernie Woodall DETROIT (Reuters) - Some of the most popular and profitable vehicles sold in the United States by Detroit's automakers are imported from Mexico, a reality that highlights the risks for the auto industry as the Trump administration pushes to overhaul trade policy.[nL1N1FD126] President Donald Trump has scheduled a breakfast on Tuesday with the chief executives of Detroit automakers General Motors Co , Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to talk about bringing more manufacturing jobs to the United States, the White House said on Monday. |
| Harbaugh taking Michigan to Rome for 3 practices Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:36 PM PST  Just days after an NCAA vote to ban team trips that combine spring break and spring football, Michigan announced Monday that the Wolverines' next getaway is its most exotic yet: Italy.
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| Trump advisor reassures Canada not to fear US trade intentions Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:15 PM PST  A senior economic advisor for US President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet on Monday that Canada should not fear the trade intentions of the new American administration. Speaking at a retreat in Calgary to map out Ottawa's demands in a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trump advisor Stephen Schwarzman said Canadians should not be "enormously worried" about the protectionist rhetoric coming out of the White House.
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| If Trump ends America's world leadership, who will step up? Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's pursuit of an "America first" foreign policy is raising questions about who, if anyone, will fill the void if the U.S. relinquishes its traditional global leadership role. China and Russia are among the aspirants for greater economic and military influence, while an ambivalent Germany could emerge as the West's moral compass.
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| Trump committed to Egypt military assistance Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:13 PM PST  US President Donald Trump is committed to providing military assistance to Egypt, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday, after the new Republican leader spoke with counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Trump "underscored the United States remains committed to the bilateral relationship, which helped both countries overcome challenges in the region for decades," Spicer said. Washington's annual $1.3 billion in military aid was briefly suspended under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama in 2013, following the ouster of then president Mohamed Morsi, but was fully reinstated in 2015.
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| Canada has 'very special status,' not a NAFTA target: Trump adviser Posted: 23 Jan 2017 03:05 PM PST  By David Ljunggren CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada has a "very special status" and is unlikely to be hit hard by changes the United States wants to make to the NAFTA trade accord, the head of a business advisory council to U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday. Stephen Schwarzman made his remarks after addressing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet, who are holding a two-day retreat in Calgary, Alberta to discuss U.S. ties, in particular Trump's demands to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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| Trump White House lowers expectations for quick embassy move in Israel Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:49 PM PST  By Luke Baker and Matt Spetalnick JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump's team spoke often about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In a statement issued before a first post-inauguration phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and later reinforced at a White House news briefing, Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, lowered expectations of an imminent announcement of a move that could anger the Arab world.
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| Family, fans mourn for Dominican pitcher Yordano Ventura Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:47 PM PST  LAS TERRENAS, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dozens of children wearing blue T-shirts with the name "Ventura" emblazoned on the back gathered around a coastal home on Monday to pay their respects to their idol: Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura.
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| White House opens door to cooperation with Russian in Syria Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:47 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday opened the door to cooperating with Russia "or anyone else" to combat the Islamic State group in Syria, suggesting it could reverse a previous refusal to coordinate military action with Moscow as long as it backs the Syrian government.
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| Trump aide Kushner scraps plan for Canada visit: Canada official Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:45 PM PST  CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A senior aide to U.S. President Donald Trump has scrapped plans to visit Canada for talks with officials in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's team, a Canadian government source said on Monday. The source said the planned visit by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner had hit logistical problems. A separate source had earlier said Kushner intended to meet Trudeau aides on the margins of a cabinet retreat in Calgary. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chris Reese)
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| Haskell suffers blow ahead of France Six Nations clash Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:43 PM PST  Veteran backrow forward James Haskell could be facing an uphill battle to make the matchday 22 for titleholders England's opening Six Nations match with France after he returned home instead of joining up with the squad in Portugal. The 31-year-old -- capped 70 times and a key member of England's Six Nations Grand Slam winning side last year and their historic 3-0 series whitewash of Australia Down Under -- admitted he was still feeling some pain in the foot which had seen him miss several months of the campaign already. Haskell only returned to action at the beginning of January but that lasted a matter of seconds before he went off with concussion.
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| Deadly storm batters eastern U.S. with wind and heavy rain Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:27 PM PST By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Torrential rain and strong winds threatened to snarl travel and cause more destruction on Monday as a major storm roared up the U.S. East Coast after killing at least 20 people in the South. The weather system, which formed deadly tornadoes in the deep South, is turning colder as it moves northeast, where residents face potential flooding, downed power lines and high tides overnight, said Tim Morrin, the National Weather Service's New York Observation Program Leader. Two train lines operated by NJ Transit, which serves about 100,000 commuters daily, were suspended during evening rush hour between New York City and parts of New Jersey due to downed power lines, the agency said on its website. |
