Bangladesh files murder charges in 2013 building collapse
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Authorities in Bangladesh filed murder charges Monday against dozens of people for their roles in the 2013 collapse of a garment factory building that killed more than 1,100 people.
Senate takes up House bill but fails to avoid spying lapse
In a remarkable turnaround, Senate Republicans have agreed to debate a House bill that would overhaul the NSA’s handling of Americans’ calling records while preserving other domestic surveillance provisions.
U.S. Supreme Court rules for Muslim woman denied job at clothing store
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Muslim woman who sued after being denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch Co clothing store in Oklahoma because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons. On an 8-1 vote in an important religious rights case, the court handed a victory to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal
Watchdog says ex-Nazis got $20.2 million in Social Security
In a forthcoming report triggered by an Associated Press investigation, the top watchdog at the Social Security Administration found the agency paid $20.2 million in benefits to more than 130 suspected Nazi war criminals, SS guards, and others who may have participated in the Third Reich’s atrocities during World War II.
Vice President Joe Biden's son Beau dies of brain cancer
The former Delaware attorney general was reported to be undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center outside Washington.
Kerry breaks leg in bike crash; ends overseas trip early
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday after striking a curb, and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group.
Senate meets with key Patriot Act provisions on the ropes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Key Patriot Act anti-terror provisions, including bulk collection of Americans’ phone records, expire at midnight unless senators come up with an 11th hour deal in an extraordinary Sunday afternoon session.
Joe Biden's son Beau dies of brain cancer
By Jeff Mason and Frances Kerry WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, son of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, died on Saturday after battling brain cancer, the vice president said. “The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words,” Vice President Biden said in a statement released by the White House. “We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us, especially through his brave wife,
Kerry breaks leg in cycling accident in Alps, returns home
By Lesley Wroughton GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his right leg in an accident while cycling a portion of the Tour de France route near Scionzier, France, on Sunday and is returning to the United States, his spokesman said. Kerry broke his femur but the injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, spokesman John Kirby said. Kerry had been
Jeb Bush says U.S. should embed some troops with Iraqis for training
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Jeb Bush, calling President Barack Obama’s handling of the Islamic State a failure, said the United States should embed some U.S. troops with Iraqi forces to train them and identify targets. The expected Republican presidential candidate, in an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” said he was not calling for U.S. combat forces to be deployed in Iraq, in
B.B. King recalled with love, humor at Mississippi funeral
INDIANOLA, Miss. (AP) — B.B. King’s early life personified the blues: He was born to dirt-poor sharecroppers in the cotton country of the Mississippi Delta and left alone by the deaths of his mother and grandmother when he was a child. But he never let those circumstances hold him back or define him, a minister said Saturday at the funeral of the blues legend.
Martin O'Malley launches populist campaign from embattled hometown
More heavy rain but no new serious flooding in Houston area
ROSENBERG, Texas (AP) — The seemingly ceaseless rain swept across areas of Texas again on Saturday, bringing fears of renewed flooding but no new serious problems.
Former Md. Gov. O'Malley jumps into 2016 Democratic race
BALTIMORE (AP) — Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Saturday joined the Democratic presidential race with a longshot challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2016 nomination and tried to stake a position to her left on the economy and Wall Street reform.
Disagreement over impact if US surveillance laws do expire
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barring a last-minute deal in Congress, three post-Sept. 11 surveillance laws used against spies and terrorists are set to expire as Sunday turns into Monday.
Presidential disaster declaration signed after Texas storms kill 21
By Lisa Maria Garza and Jim Forsyth DALLAS (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration late on Friday for areas in Texas hammered by severe weather that killed at least 21 people, caused massive flooding and prompted evacuations this week. Storms that battered North Texas on Thursday and Friday added more runoff to swollen rivers and prompted hundreds of calls for help in Dallas, where some areas
Obama says 'handful of senators' blocking surveillance reforms
By Patricia Zengerle and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama warned on Friday that surveillance powers used to prevent attacks on Americans could lapse at midnight on Sunday unless “a handful of senators” stop standing in the way of reform legislation. Obama said he had told Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators that he expects them to act swiftly on a bill passed by
Sources: Hastert engaged in sexual misconduct as a teacher
The alleged “misconduct” referenced in the indictment of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is of a sexual nature involving a male individual, dating back to Hastert’s time as a high school wrestling coach and history teacher in Yorkville, Illinois, sources with knowledge of the case told ABC News. Associates and former colleagues of Hastert expressed surprise and dismay today over allegations that he disbursed $1.7 million in hush money payments
Obama: 'Handful of senators' standing in way of Patriot Act
WASHINGTON (AP) — Blaming a “handful of senators” for stalled national security legislation, President Barack Obama said Friday he has told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators that he expects them to take action swiftly to extend key Patriot Act provisions.
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Islamic State claims blast killing four at Saudi mosque
By Maha El Dahan and Sami Aboudi ABU DHABI/DUBAI (Reuters) – Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed four people at a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, the second attack claimed by the Sunni militant group in a week in the world’s top oil-exporting country. The Interior Ministry said a car exploded outside al-Anoud mosque in Dammam during noon prayers on Friday, while witnesses
Islamic State claims responsibility for Baghdad hotel bombs
Islamic State claimed responsibility on Friday for bombings outside two heavily fortified five-star hotels in the Iraqi capital that killed 10 people. In a statement, Islamic State said a suicide bomber called Abu Qutaiba had parked a car outside the Ishtar hotel in central Baghdad late on Thursday before driving another vehicle laden with 230 kg of explosives to the nearby Babylon hotel. Iraqi authorities lifted a decade-old night-time curfew
SE Asia vows to rescue 'boat people'; Myanmar seizes migrant vessel
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Kanupriya Kapoor BANGKOK (Reuters) – Southeast Asian nations agreed on Friday to intensify search and rescue efforts to help vulnerable “boat people” stranded in the region’s seas, as Myanmar said its navy had seized a vessel off its coast with more than 700 migrants aboard. More than 4,000 migrants have landed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh since Thailand launched a crackdown on people-smuggling
Explosion shakes Burundi capital, deadly protests continue
By Clement Manirabarusha BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – An explosion shook the center of the Burundi capital on Friday but no one was injured, a police source said, as deadly unrest against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office rumbled on. “We don’t know the cause of the explosion yet,” said one police officer who had visited the scene of the blast. The demonstrations, which began a day after
Iran, North Korea forging ballistic, nuclear ties: dissidents
By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) – An exiled Iranian opposition group said on Thursday a delegation of North Korean experts in nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles visited a military site near Tehran in April amid talks between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. The dissident National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed Iran’s uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water facility at Arak in 2002.
U.S. hopes Chinese island-building will spur Asian response
By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) – By releasing video of Beijing’s island reclamation work and considering more assertive maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action. The release last week of the surveillance plane footage – showing dredgers and other ships busily turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbors – helps ensure
U.S. hopes Chinese island-building will spur Asian response
By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) – By releasing video of Beijing’s island reclamation work and considering more assertive maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action. The release last week of the surveillance plane footage – showing dredgers and other ships busily turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbors – helps ensure
Iran, North Korea forging ballistic, nuclear ties: dissidents
By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) – An exiled Iranian opposition group said on Thursday a delegation of North Korean experts in nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles visited a military site near Tehran in April amid talks between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. The dissident National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed Iran’s uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water facility at Arak in 2002.
Yemen border strikes kill two Saudis, Yemen death toll near 2,000: WHO
CAIRO/ADEN (Reuters) – Two Saudi border guards were killed and five wounded by shells fired from Yemeni territories, an Interior Ministry spokesman said late on Wednesday, as the United Nations said the war’s death toll was close to 2,000. Saudi forces and the Houthis have been trading fire across the border since an Arab alliance began military operations against the Iranian-backed Shi’ite group in March to try to restore exiled
Blatter defies calls to quit as FIFA scandal widens
By Mike Collett and Brian Homewood ZURICH (Reuters) – FIFA President Sepp Blatter rejected an emotional plea to resign from one of the world’s soccer greats on Thursday as the corruption scandal engulfing the game’s governing body drew warnings from sponsors and political leaders. As FIFA faced the worst crisis in its 111-year history, Michel Platini, the former French international who now heads UEFA, Europe’s soccer confederation, said he had
Blatter defies calls to quit as FIFA scandal widens
By Mike Collett and Brian Homewood ZURICH (Reuters) – FIFA President Sepp Blatter rejected an emotional plea to resign from one of the world’s soccer greats on Thursday as the corruption scandal engulfing the game’s governing body drew warnings from sponsors and political leaders. As FIFA faced the worst crisis in its 111-year history, Michel Platini, the former French international who now heads UEFA, Europe’s soccer confederation, said he had
Putin classifies information on deaths of Russian troops on special missions
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared all deaths of Russian soldiers during special operations to be classified as a state secret, a move that comes as Moscow stands accused of sending soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine. Putin, who has repeatedly denied any involvement of Russian troops in a pro-Russian rebellion there, amended a decree that had previously classified only deaths of servicemen during war time as secret. Asked to
Putin classifies information on deaths of Russian troops on special missions
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared all deaths of Russian soldiers during special operations to be classified as a state secret, a move that comes as Moscow stands accused of sending soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine. Putin, who has repeatedly denied any involvement of Russian troops in a pro-Russian rebellion there, amended a decree that had previously classified only deaths of servicemen during war time as secret. Asked to
Yemen border strikes kill two Saudis, Yemen death toll near 2,000: WHO
CAIRO/ADEN (Reuters) – Two Saudi border guards were killed and five wounded by shells fired from Yemeni territories, an Interior Ministry spokesman said late on Wednesday, as the United Nations said the war’s death toll was close to 2,000. Saudi forces and the Houthis have been trading fire across the border since an Arab alliance began military operations against the Iranian-backed Shi’ite group in March to try to restore exiled
Pentagon mulls improving Iraqi troop training after fall of Ramadi
By David Alexander ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday Pentagon officials have begun to examine how the U.S. military could better equip and train Iraqi troops after the recent fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi to Islamic State insurgents. Carter told reporters on his plane to Asia that he had convened a group of defense policy officials and military officers from
Pentagon mulls improving Iraqi troop training after fall of Ramadi
By David Alexander ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday Pentagon officials have begun to examine how the U.S. military could better equip and train Iraqi troops after the recent fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi to Islamic State insurgents. Carter told reporters on his plane to Asia that he had convened a group of defense policy officials and military officers from
Rebels storm last regime-held city in Syria's Idlib: monitor
A rebel coalition led by Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate edged into the last remaining government-held city in the northwest province of Idlib on Thursday, a monitoring group said. The lightning offensive saw the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic, enter outer districts of Ariha within a matter of hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. “There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, then they stormed the city,”
Rebels storm last regime-held city in Syria's Idlib: monitor
A rebel coalition led by Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate edged into the last remaining government-held city in the northwest province of Idlib on Thursday, a monitoring group said. The lightning offensive saw the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic, enter outer districts of Ariha within a matter of hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. “There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, then they stormed the city,”
German citizen burned in gas blast dies in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hospital officials say a German citizen whose body was severely burned in an explosion that destroyed his and several other apartments in a Rio de Janeiro building has died.
German citizen burned in gas blast dies in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hospital officials say a German citizen whose body was severely burned in an explosion that destroyed his and several other apartments in a Rio de Janeiro building has died.
