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Putin meets Saudi defense minister amid differences over Syria

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin met Saudi Arabia’s defense minister on Sunday, in Moscow’s biggest attempt so far to reach out to enemies of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad since Russia joined the conflict with air strikes. Putin met Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman, a son of the Saudi king, on the sidelines of a Formula One race on Sunday, nearly two weeks since Moscow began bombing enemies of Assad, including

House conservative group would 'look favorably' on Ryan for speakership

By Jason Lange and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of hard-line conservative Republicans would “look favorably” on Paul Ryan if he ran to be speaker of the House of Representatives, the group’s leader said on Sunday. The approximately 40-member House Freedom Caucus is at the center of turmoil within the Republican Party over who will be the party’s effective leader in the House ahead of the 2016 presidential

Cushing quake follows rules to curb seismic activity tied to wells

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 that struck near the U.S. crude oil hub of Cushing, Oklahoma on Saturday occurred just days after regulators imposed new rules meant to prevent temblors in the area and said more changes were possible. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, ordered companies on Sept. 18 to shut or reduce usage of five saltwater disposal wells around

Reports find police shooting of Tamir Rice 'reasonable'

Two outside experts have concluded a Cleveland police officer’s fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a toy gun was a reasonable response to a perceived threat, according to reports released by an Ohio prosecutor’s office on Saturday. The independent conclusions submitted to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office come ahead of an expected decision by a grand jury on whether criminal charges are warranted in the November 2014