US (MSM)

Oklahoma reserve deputy pleads not guilty in shooting death

An Oklahoma reserve deputy pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in the death of a man he said he accidentally shot with a gun instead of a Taser, a Tulsa County District Court clerk said on Tuesday. Robert Bates, 73, an insurance executive who serves as a volunteer deputy with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the April 2 death of Eric Harris, 44.

Oklahoma reserve deputy pleads not guilty in shooting death

An Oklahoma reserve deputy pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in the death of a man he said he accidentally shot with a gun instead of a Taser, a Tulsa County District Court clerk said on Tuesday. Robert Bates, 73, an insurance executive who serves as a volunteer deputy with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the April 2 death of Eric Harris, 44.

Inside the big business of little presidential campaign souvenirs

Heading back to Washington from Las Vegas just days after announcing his presidential candidacy, Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.) huddled with some of his top advisers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight. The candidate had to make a spot decision. It wasn’t a burning policy question, delicate staffing change or coveted endorsement that engrossed him that day but the kind of choice unique to modern presidential campaigns. Poring over an iPad that

EU has 'no more excuses' on migrants after Mediterranean tragedy

EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said Monday the bloc had “no more excuses” not to act to halt the flood of migrants as Italy and Malta continued to look for survivors from the latest shipwreck. More than 700 people are feared dead after a fishing boat crammed with migrants seeking a better life in Europe capsized off Libya, with some survivors suggesting nearly 1,000 could have been on board.

White House fence climber arrested

US Secret Service agents arrested an intruder who scaled the White House fence late Sunday, officials said. The individual was immediately arrested while climbing the fence on the south side of the presidential mansion, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said in a statement. Secret Service agents, whose job it is to protect the president, have been on high alert in recent months following a string of high-profile security breaches at

Seeking Obamacare alternative, Republicans eye tax credits

By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) – If the U.S. Supreme Court blows up the tax subsidies at the heart of Obamacare in June, Republicans hope to deliver on their promise to offer an alternative healthcare plan. Two front-running Republican options at an early stage in Congress include a refundable tax credit that experts say is virtually the same thing as the Obamacare tax subsidy being challenged before the Supreme Court.

Iran charging U.S. journalist Rezaian with four crimes: Washington Post

Iran is charging Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian with four crimes, including espionage, the newspaper said on Monday in a report offering the first details about the exact charges against him. Rezaian, the Post’s bureau chief in Tehran, was detained last year in Iran. Among the charges, he is accused of “collaborating with hostile governments” and “propaganda against the establishment,” according to a statement from Rezaian’s attorney, Leilah Ahsan, the

WORLD (MSM)

Obama, Castro shake hands as U.S., Cuba seek better ties

By Matt Spetalnick and Dave Graham PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shook hands on Friday at a summit in Panama, a symbolically charged gesture as the pair seek to restore ties between the Cold War foes. A photograph showed Obama and Castro, both wearing dark suits, chatting in a small group of leaders at the summit’s opening ceremony. Obama and Castro are expected

U.S., allies conduct air strikes in Syria and Iraq: U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led forces have targeted Islamic State militants with eight air strikes in Syria and nine in Iraq since early on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday. In Syria, the air strikes hit Islamic State positions near Al Hasakah and Kobani, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. In Iraq, they hit Islamic State positions near Bayji, Mosul and Fallujah, among other places, it said.

Egypt sentences Muslim Brotherhood leader, others to death

By Mahmoud Mourad CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court sentenced Mohamed Badie, leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and 13 other senior members of the group to death for inciting chaos and violence, and gave a life term to a U.S.-Egyptian citizen for ties to the Brotherhood. The men were among thousands of people detained after freely elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was toppled in 2013 by the military under

Yemeni militiamen say captured two Iranian officers in Aden

By Mohammed Mukhashaf ADEN (Reuters) – Local militiamen in the Yemeni city of Aden said they captured two Iranian military officers advising Houthi rebels during fighting on Friday evening. Tehran has denied providing military support for Houthi fighters, whose advances have drawn air strikes by a regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic’s main rival for influence in the Gulf. If confirmed, the presence of two Iranian officers,

Syrian Kurds battle Islamic State in northeast

At least two dozen Islamic State fighters have been killed in northeastern Syria in a battle with Kurdish forces supported by U.S.-led air strikes, a Kurdish official and a group monitoring the war said on Saturday. Ten members of the Kurdish YPG militia were also killed in the fighting in Hasaka province, a strategically important region that borders Turkey and Iraq and where Islamic State has recently lost ground, said

Turkey says sends more troops, aerial support to fight Kurdish militants

By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey sent extra troops, reconnaissance planes and armed helicopters into its eastern Agri province on Saturday after four soldiers were wounded in a clash with Kurdish insurgents, the military said. The government said militants from the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) were trying to destabilize the country before a parliamentary election in June. “We have sent reconnaissance planes, armed helicopters and additional ground troops to

Kenya demands U.N. removes massive Somali refugee camp

Kenya has given the United Nations three months to remove a camp housing more than half a million Somali refugees, as part of a get-tough response to the killing of 148 people by Somali gunmen at a Kenyan university. Kenya has in the past accused Islamist militants of hiding out in Dadaab camp which it now wants the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR to move across the border to inside Somalia.

Obama, Castro to share stage at summit as detente takes hold

By Daniel Trotta PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro will share the same stage on Friday in an encounter rich with symbolism as their countries set aside decades of mistrust and attempt to restore diplomatic relations. Obama and Castro have separate agendas for most of the day but they will both attend the start of the summit along with other regional leaders on

Islamic State attacks Iraqi provincial capital

Islamic State militants attacked the capital of Iraq’s vast Anbar province on multiple fronts on Friday, seizing two areas on the city outskirts in a setback for a government campaign to retake the desert terrain. The jihadists deployed vehicle and suicide bombs to tear through Iraqi government lines north of the city of Ramadi overnight before attacking on foot, said security officials and a hospital source. The head of Anbar’s

Pakistan declines Saudi call for armed support in Yemen fight

By Mohammad Mukashaf ADEN (Reuters) – Pakistan’s parliament voted on Friday not to join the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, dashing Riyadh’s hopes for powerful support from outside of the region in its fight to halt Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia had asked fellow Sunni-majority Pakistan to provide ships, aircraft and troops for the campaign, now in its third week, to stem the influence of Shi’ite Iran in what appears

Iran deal could stumble on sensitive nuclear monitoring

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Beefing up international monitoring of Iran’s nuclear work could become the biggest stumbling block to a final accord between Tehran and major powers, despite a preliminary deal reached last week. As part of that deal, Iran and the powers agreed that United Nations inspectors would have “enhanced” access to remaining nuclear activity in Iran, where they already monitor key sites. Iran says its

More austere, accommodating Rousseff paying off for Brazil

By embracing power-sharing deals and budget cuts that she shunned during her first term in office, President Dilma Rousseff has begun to ease the economic and political crisis plaguing Brazil, congressional leaders and economists say. Rousseff’s decision this week to hand formal responsibility for negotiating with Congress to Vice President Michel Temer, a leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), was a milestone that should help ease tensions with

Brazil police arrest three ex-Congressmen, broaden corruption probe

Brazilian police arrested three former congressmen on Friday, broadening their corruption investigation beyond state-run oil firm Petrobras to state lender Caixa Economica Federal and the federal health ministry. A federal judge in the southern city of Curitiba ordered the arrest of André Vargas, ex-congressman for the ruling Workers’ Party as well as Luiz Argolo and Pedro Corrêa, former lawmakers for the smaller opposition Party of Solidarity. Though none currently hold

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