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Mets rally past Nationals 8-7 after Harvey struggles (Yahoo Sports)

Matt Harvey has no idea when he will start again for the Mets. Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a tiebreaking, pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning off Jonathan Papelbon, and the resilient Mets rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 8-7 Tuesday night. The Mets’ second straight comeback win over Washington extended their lead in the NL East to six games.

Juncker urges Europe to welcome refugees

By Alastair Macdonald STRASBOURG (Reuters) – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged EU governments on Wednesday to accept a mandatory system to share out a wave of refugees fleeing war and poverty but also promised to improve frontier defenses and deport more illegal migrants. In his first State of the Union address to the European Parliament, Juncker outlined an emergency plan to distribute 160,000 refugees among the 28 EU member

Russian troops join combat in Syria: sources

By Gabriela Baczynska, Tom Perry, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Phil Stewart MOSCOW/BEIRUT/AMMAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russian forces have begun participating in combat operations in Syria to help defend President Bashar al-Assad’s government, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday. The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what U.S. officials say appears

Khamenei says Iran will not negotiate with U.S. beyond nuclear talks

Iran’s Supreme Leader has said Tehran will not negotiate with the United States on any issue after the landmark nuclear deal with world powers in July, according to his official website on Wednesday. The comments appeared to contradict more moderate president Hassan Rouhani, who said on Tuesday the Islamic Republic was ready to hold talks with the United States on ways to resolve Syria’s civil war. “We negotiated with the

U.S. House mulls canceling vote on Iran disapproval bill-aide

Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives are weighing the possibility of abandoning a disapproval resolution for the Iran nuclear deal, as doubts grow that the legislation has enough votes to even clear a procedural hurdle, a Republican leadership aide said on Wednesday. The House was on a path to vote later on Wednesday on the rule for debating the measure, a procedural step that would have cleared the

Al Qaeda calls Islamic State illegitimate but suggests cooperation

By Omar Fahmy CAIRO (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri dismissed Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as illegitimate but said his followers would join them in fighting the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria if possible. In an audiotape on the internet, Zawahri said: “We don’t recognize this caliphate.” It was not clear when the recording was made but references to events suggest it was made

Security forces lock down Beirut as politicians meet, protesters gather

By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese security services locked down central Beirut on Wednesday as ministers and parliamentarians met to discuss ways out of a political crisis that has paralyzed government and fueled a wave of street protests. Activists mobilizing against government failures, including a rubbish disposal crisis that has allowed garbage to pile up in Beirut, gathered for protests but were kept away from government buildings by soldiers