Gains made in fighting California wildfires as some residents return
Fire officials say the two blazes, which have killed five people, highlight the severity in drought-stricken California of an intense wildfire season that in the coming weeks could become one of the state’s fiercest on record. The so-called Valley Fire, which is north of the wine-producing region of Napa Valley, has burned 74,500 acres (29,946 hectares), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), or more
Three Westerners flown to Oman by Yemen's Houthis: source
By Mohammed Ghobari DUBAI (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis flew two U.S. citizens and one Briton they held for several months to Oman on Sunday, sources in the group said, in what appears as a goodwill gesture ahead of talks with the United Nations on efforts to end nearly six months of fighting. The three Westerners had been held by the Houthis since the early days of a Saudi-led military campaign
State of play in the GOP: Trump rivals see reasons for hope
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s rivals emerged from the second Republican debate newly confident that the brash billionaire will fade if the nomination fight takes a more substantive turn, and that they can play a role in taking him down without hurting their own White House ambitions.
Pope offers solidarity with Cuba, highlights Hispanics in U.S.
Pope Francis begins a 10-day trip to Cuba and the United States on Saturday, embarking on his first trip to the onetime Cold War foes after helping to nudge forward their historic rapprochement. He will be offering a show of solidarity with Cubans and making clear that Hispanics in the United States are the bedrock of the American church.
Iran nuclear deal is done, but not the debate in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a done deal, yet opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement won’t go quietly.
Crews gain ground on California blazes, search for missing goes on
By Curtis Skinner SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Firefighters battling two deadly wildfires in drought-stricken California have gained more ground and some displaced people were allowed to go home, officials said on Friday, even as the search went on for people reported missing. Two men and an elderly, disabled woman have been killed by the so-called Valley Fire, which has scorched 73,700 acres (29,825 hectares) just north of Napa County’s wine-producing
Suspect in string of Arizona shootings arrested: authorities
“We got him! DPS SWAT team is in custody of the individual suspected of I-10 shootings. Apprehended moments ago,” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said on Twitter. At a late Friday news conference, law enforcement officials gave few details of the suspect and did not release his name, but said a gun he owned was “forensically linked” to the first four shootings on the highway.
Deputy Kentucky clerk questions validity of licenses altered by Kim Davis
A deputy for the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed after refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples questioned on Friday the validity of the licenses he has issued since his boss’ return. In a filing with the federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for not issuing marriage licenses, the attorney for deputy clerk Brian Mason said he has “some substantial questions” about the
Hunting El Chapo: For DEA's Jack Riley, it's personal
Riley was once the target of an assassination plot by the escaped drug lord’s operatives.
Alleged church shooter's friend pleads not guilty to lying
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Dylann Roof’s friend knew about his plans to shoot black church members during Bible study in Charleston and lied to investigators when they interviewed him a day after the massacre, according to an indictment unsealed Friday.
Trump declines to correct man who says Obama is Muslim
The GOP frontrunner declined to correct a questioner at a town hall in New Hampshire.
Massachusetts police identify remains of missing toddler: media
Massachusetts police have identified the 4-year-old girl whose body was found stuffed in a trash bag on a beach in Boston Harbor in June, local media reported on Friday, citing unnamed law-enforcement sources. Police have also searched an area home in conjunction with the investigation, Boston’s WHDH television said. A spokesman for Suffolk County prosecutors said the “investigation remains very active,” but declined to provide details.
Police to review handling of Texas student handcuffed over clock
“One thing is clear to me, regardless of what we did, no matter what decision was made, there would’ve been people who agreed with it and people who disagreed with it,” police Chief Larry Boyd told CNN. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Ahmed Mohamed, 14, is Muslim and the case was an example of the climate of hate and manufactured fear around the religion. The bespectacled ninth grader in
Contraception opt-out violates religious freedom: U.S. appeals court
A U.S. appeals court has ruled that President Barack Obama’s healthcare law violates the rights of religiously affiliated employers by forcing them to help provide contraceptive coverage even though they do not have to pay for it. The split in the circuit courts created makes it more likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue in its coming term, which begins in October and runs through June.
Carly Fiorina’s victory lap: 'I am a fighter … and this is going to be a fight'
Clerk Kim Davis loses another appeal in gay marriage case
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis lost another legal bid to delay issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, marking the latest in a mounting stack of rejected appeals.
GOP debate's star: Carly the Communicator
GOP leaders seek to avert shutdown over Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders scrambled Thursday to head off a politically damaging government shutdown in two weeks over rebellious conservatives’ demand that any stopgap spending bill block federal funds for Planned Parenthood.
Trump pledges military buildup, better deal for vets
The Republican frontrunner offers few details on his plans for the nation’s military.
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Israel, Russia to coordinate military action on Syria: Netanyahu
By Maria Tsvetkova NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters) – Israel and Russia agreed on Monday to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Moscow. Recent Russian reinforcements for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which regional sources say include warplanes and anti-aircraft systems, worry Israel, whose jets have on occasion bombed the neighboring Arab country to foil suspected handovers of
Baghdad car bomb kills at least 12: police and medics
A car bomb killed at least 12 people and injured 42 others on Monday in Ameen, a Shi’ite district in eastern Baghdad, police and medical sources said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Shi’ite areas are often targeted by Sunni Muslim militants from the Islamic State group. Earlier in the day, gunmen shot and killed a local official along with his son and nephew in the town
Saudi-led coalition strikes kill at least 30 in north Yemen
At least 30 people were killed in air strikes by a Saudi-led alliance on a Houthi-held security compound in northern Yemen on Monday, medical sources and officials said, in an escalating campaign that has claimed increasing civilian lives. The coalition intervened in Yemen in March to restore Hadi after he fled to Saudi Arabia when the Houthis, backed by supporters of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, overran his southern stronghold
Exclusive: Russia sends drone aircraft on surveillance missions in Syria – U.S. officials
By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia has started flying drone aircraft on surveillance missions in Syria, two U.S. officials said on Monday, in what appeared to be Moscow’s first military air operations inside the country since staging a rapid buildup at a Syrian air base. The U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, could not immediately say how many Russian drones were involved in the surveillance
The Latest: After the rush, numbers fall at Austrian border
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The latest developments as European governments rush to cope with the huge number of people moving across Europe. All times local:
Stakes high as Obama and Xi confront evolving economic ties
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and China can’t go on this way.
Netanyahu meets Putin in Moscow over Syria worries
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday as Israel frets over a Russian military buildup in Syria. Netanyahu was accompanied by his army and intelligence chiefs in a rare step for an overseas visit that Israel said would focus on Russia’s manoeuvreing in the war-torn nation. “It was very important to come here in order to clarify our position and to do everything
Bombings kill 13 in Shiite areas of Baghdad
Bombs exploded in two Shiite-majority areas of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 13 people, security and medical officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but bombings in Baghdad are often carried out by the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran swathes of Iraq in June last year.
Pope celebrates Mass in Havana's Revolution Square
By Philip Pullella and Nelson Acosta HAVANA (Reuters) – Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square on Sunday, offering both spiritual and political messages for the tens of thousands who packed the plaza, the symbolic heart of the Cuban revolution. To welcome the pope, who helped bring about the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, a similarly giant poster of Jesus Christ was hung nearby. Some pilgrims
Refugee crisis to test EU itself at summit of divided leaders
By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Bitterly divided European leaders will seek to find a credible response to the worst migration crisis affecting the continent since World War Two, which has tarnished its image as a beacon of peace, at an emergency summit next week. European Council President Donald Tusk, who chairs EU summits, on Friday called on the 28-country bloc’s leaders to stop shifting the responsibility onto others and
Greece's Tsipras faces weary voters after reversal on bailout
By Michele Kambas and John Stonestreet ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek leftist Alexis Tsipras made a last call on Sunday for weary voters to return him to power in a close-fought election, after a tumultuous year that saw him cave in to European demands for austerity to keep the country afloat. Both Tsipras and his conservative rival Vangelis Meimarakis, vying to take on the daunting task of steering the country through
East European leaders argue as migrants pour across borders
By Sasa Kavic and Ivana Sekularac BELI MANASTIR/HARMICA, Croatia (Reuters) – Hungary and Croatia traded threats on Saturday as thousands of exhausted migrants poured over their borders, deepening the disarray in Europe over how to handle the tide of humanity. More than 20,000 migrants, many of them refugees from the Syrian war, have trekked into Croatia since Tuesday, when Hungary used a metal fence, tear gas and water cannon on
Turkish jets hit Kurdish militant camps in Iraq, at least 55 killed: sources
At least 55 militants were killed when Turkish warplanes hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq overnight, security sources said on Saturday, as Ankara shows no sign of easing up strikes on insurgents ahead of a Nov. 1 election. The jets took off from a base in Diyarbakir, in Turkey’s southeast, and later returned without damage, the sources said. Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast has been hit by almost
Pope to witness impact of U.S.-Cuba detente he helped spur
By Andrew Cawthorne HAVANA (Reuters) – Pope Francis begins a nine-day tour of Cuba and the United States on Saturday where he will see both the benefits and complexities of a fast-evolving detente between the old Cold War foes that he helped broker. Better sensitized to the issue than predecessors because of his Latin American roots, the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff facilitated a back channel for talks and sent missives to
U.S. says Assad must go, timing down to negotiation
By Lesley Wroughton LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has to go but the timing of his departure should be decided through negotiation. Speaking after talks with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London, Kerry called on Russia and Iran to use their influence over Assad to convince him to negotiate a political transition. Kerry said the United States welcomed
Putin gives go-ahead to Belarus airbase plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the establishment of an airbase in neighboring Belarus, the latest move by Moscow to project its military power abroad. Saturday’s announcement, which comes at a time of tension with the West over Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria, may also signal the Kremlin’s interest in keeping unpredictable Belarus within its geopolitical orbit. Putin said in a statement he had agreed a government proposal to
Israeli aircraft strike Gaza after rocket fire
Israel carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday after Palestinian militants there fired rockets into southern Israel. Gaza militants fired at least two rockets into Israel late on Friday, Israeli military said. A Palestinian group that supports the Islamic State claimed responsibility for one of the rockets fired at Israel.
Brazilian police arrest alleged major drug trafficker
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police have arrested a man they say is one of the country’s biggest international drug traffickers.
The Latest: Mediterranean boats save 4,978 migrants at sea
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The latest developments as European governments rush to cope with the huge number of people moving across Europe. All times local (CET):
Leicester stages another comeback to draw at Stoke 2-2
STOKE, England (AP) — High-flying Leicester maintained its unbeaten start to the season as a second-half fightback secured a 2-2 draw at Stoke on Saturday, denying the Potters their first Premier League win this season.
