| Olympics-Weightlifting-Men's 105kg overall results Posted: 15 Aug 2016 04:47 PM PDT Aug 15 (Gracenote) - Olympic weightlifting men's 105kg overall results in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. Snatch Clean&Jerk Overall 1. Ruslan Nurudinov (Uzbekistan) 194 237 OR 431 2. Simon Martirosyan (Armenia) 190 227 417 3. Alexandr Zaichikov (Kazakhstan) 193 223 416 4. Yang Zhe (China) 190 225 415 5. Ivan Efremov (Uzbekistan) 194 220 414 6. Mohammadreza Barari (Iran) 186 220 406 7. Arkadiusz Michalski (Poland) 179 221 400 8. Arturs Plesnieks (Latvia) 181 218 399 9. Salwan Abbood (Iraq) 180 214 394 10. Jurgen Spiess (Germany) 170 220 390 11. Sargis Martirosyan (Austria) 179 210 389 12. ... |
| FACT CHECK: Trump gets his Mideast history wrong Posted: 15 Aug 2016 04:45 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump on Monday painted the Middle East as an oasis of stability before Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, arguing that she and President Barack Obama "launched" the Islamic State group onto the world.
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| 15 Guantanamo inmates transferred to UAE Posted: 15 Aug 2016 04:22 PM PDT  Fifteen Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred to the United Arab Emirates, the largest such release in years, the Pentagon announced Monday. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, about 780 inmates have been housed in the US military-run facility. The Pentagon has previously struggled to find a third country to take Yemeni detainees, given that they can't go home because of the civil war in their nation.
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| Joe Biden: Trump Has No Clue How to Lead the Country – or Deal With Putin Posted: 15 Aug 2016 02:45 PM PDT  In a stinging pre-rebuttal to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's major speech Monday on national security and defeating ISIS, Vice President Joe Biden declared that the billionaire businessman has "no clue" how to lead the country and should never be entrusted with the nuclear weapon codes. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who Biden once considered challenging for the nomination, the vice president told a cheering crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that Clinton has "forgotten more" than Trump and his advisers will ever know about foreign policy. "He doesn't understand it, he doesn't have a clue," Biden said in his first joint appearance with Clinton since she won their party's nomination in Philadelphia.
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| Trump vows 'Cold War' terror fight, immigrant controls Posted: 15 Aug 2016 02:44 PM PDT  Donald Trump on Monday laid out a US blueprint for defeating global terrorism in partnership with NATO and Middle East allies, demanding extreme restrictions on immigration and likening the fight to the Cold War. The Republican nominee, who is tanking in the polls following weeks of self-inflicted disasters, made his pitch to be a security strongman as the Democratic vice president accused him of imperiling the lives of Americans. "We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism just as we have defeated every threat we faced at every age," said Trump in Ohio, a battleground state considered essential to winning the US presidential election.
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| Trump promises to work with NATO to defeat Islamic State Posted: 15 Aug 2016 02:43 PM PDT  By Ginger Gibson YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump said on Monday he would work closely with NATO allies to defeat Islamic State militants if he wins the White House, reversing an earlier threat that the United States might not meet its obligations to the Western military alliance. In a policy speech, Trump said he would wage a multi-front "military, cyber and financial" war against Islamic State, although it was not clear how this would differ from the Obama administration's fight with the jihadist group. "We will also work closely with NATO on this new mission," said Trump, whose remarks about the defense organization earlier this summer drew heavy criticism from allies and even some of his fellow Republicans.
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| Trump calls for 'extreme vetting' of immigration applicants Posted: 15 Aug 2016 02:34 PM PDT  YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Donald Trump called Monday for "extreme" ideological vetting of immigrants seeking admission to the United States, vowing to significantly overhaul the country's screening process and block those who sympathize with extremist groups or don't embrace American values.
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| Pentagon to announce transfer of 15 Guantanamo inmates: Amnesty Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:59 PM PDT The Pentagon was expected Monday to announce 15 inmates have been transferred from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba, in what would be the largest such release in years, Amnesty International USA said. The Pentagon declined to comment, but if confirmed, the transfers would bring the number of detainees left at Guantanamo down to 61. "It's a significant repudiation of the idea that Guantanamo is going to be open for business for the indefinite future," Naureen Shah, Amnesty International USA's security and human rights program director, told AFP. |
| CAIR Says Trump's Plan to Subject Immigrants to an Ideological 'Test' Violates American Values Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:53 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, said today that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's newly-announced proposal to subject immigrants to an ideological "test" is a violation of American values.In a speech today in Ohio, Trump also repeated his demand that the ill-defined hot button term "radical Islamic terrorism" be used to describe America's ongoing struggle against deviant groups like ISIS. ... |
| Biden, stumping for Clinton, trashes Trump Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:50 PM PDT  Vice President Joe Biden on Monday hit the 2016 campaign trail with Hillary Clinton for the first time, trashing Donald Trump as unqualified for the White House and accusing him of endangering the lives of US troops. In the former coal mining town of Scranton, where Biden grew up in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, the vice president said Clinton was the only choice for Americans who know what it's like to struggle. Biden's folksy demeanor and ability to connect with working-class voters is considered an asset for Clinton -- particularly among blue collar white male voters who lean towards Trump, her Republican rival.
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| Brazil's feminist footballers leaving a Games legacy Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:39 PM PDT  Brazil's emotional journey to the semi-finals of a home Olympic Games has the potential to change the perception of women's football in the soccer-mad country for generations, according to coach Vadao. The Canarinha will face Sweden for the right to guarantee a medal in front of a capacity 75,000 crowd at the Maracana on Tuesday -- just the second time the women's national team have played at the iconic home of Brazilian football. In contrast to the huge crowds the five-time world champions men attract, Brazil's women, who have never won a major tournament, have traditionally failed to catch the public's imagination.
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| 'Islam for Dummies': IS recruits have poor grasp of faith Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:14 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The jihadi employment form asked the recruits, on a scale of 1 to 3, to rate their knowledge of Islam. And the Islamic State applicants, herded into a hangar somewhere at the Syria-Turkey border, turned out to be overwhelmingly ignorant.
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| A Homecoming for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:10 PM PDT NEWS BRIEF For Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, their joint campaign stop Monday in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was a play for the swing state's crucial voters, particularly those from the white working class who Donald Trump has taken pains to attract. |
| Canada to launch counter-radicalization office Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:06 PM PDT  The Canadian government announced plans Monday for a specialized center to fight radicalization of its citizens following a police shooting death of a suspected jihadist last week and lone-wolf attacks. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Ottawa would combine a patchwork of counter-radicalization efforts launched by cities and universities under a new federal office. "We pride ourselves of being a generous and diverse society," Goodale said.
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| OPEC deal a tough task, as oil output freeze expectations rise Posted: 15 Aug 2016 12:48 PM PDT  DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC will probably revive talks on freezing oil output levels when it meets non-OPEC nations next month as top exporter Saudi Arabia appears to want higher prices, according to OPEC sources, although Iran, Iraq and Russia present obstacles to a deal. Riyadh sharply raised expectations for a global production deal between on Thursday when Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Saudi Arabia will work with OPEC and non-OPEC members to help stabilize oil markets.
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| Close to a medal, Brazil tries not to get too optimistic Posted: 15 Aug 2016 12:31 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — With the Olympic soccer gold medal only two games away, Brazil is trying hard to manage expectations.
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| Oil extends rally to five-week highs on talk of producer action Posted: 15 Aug 2016 12:24 PM PDT  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices hit five-week highs on Monday, gaining 10 percent or more in a three-day rally as speculation intensified over potential producer action to support prices amid a crude glut. Data from market intelligence firm Genscape estimating a draw of more than 350,000 barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures last week added to the bullish sentiment, said traders who saw the data. Brent has gained about 10 percent cumulatively in the past three sessions, its most in such a stretch since May. Since the start of August, it has risen nearly 14 percent.
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| Fire at Phillips 66 Louisiana refinery out, no injuries: official Posted: 15 Aug 2016 12:24 PM PDT A fire that started in a processing unit on Monday at Phillips 66's 260,000 barrel per day Lake Charles refinery in Louisiana, has been put out with no injuries reported, an emergency management official said. A Phillips 66 representative did not immediately comment. |
| Earth's hottest month on record was July 2016: NASA Posted: 15 Aug 2016 11:49 AM PDT  Earth just had its hottest month yet, and the record-shattering warmth shows no signs of stopping. According to NASA, global average surface temperatures during July were 0.84 degrees Celsius, or 1.51 degrees Fahrenheit, above average. This beats all previous Julys, with July 2011 coming in second at 0.74 degrees Celsius above average. SEE ALSO: June marks Earth's 14th-straight record warm month, catapults globe into new climate regime The large anomaly seen during July 2016 means that the month was the hottest on Earth since instrumental records began in 1880. July is typically the planet's hottest month of the year due to the fact that the Northern Hemisphere has more land area than the Southern Hemisphere, making Northern Hemisphere summer the warmest month. July is now the tenth month in a row to be the warmest such month on record in NASA's database. It is now virtually certain that 2016 will beat 2015 for the dubious distinction of the hottest year on record. NASA is not the only agency that tracks global temperatures, and its methods differ slightly from the others. If the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also finds that July was the hottest such month on record and hottest month overall, it would mean that the past 15 months have each set records — an unprecedented feat in its database. Seasonal cycle of temperature anomalies showing July 2016 as the hottest month-to-date. Image: NASA GISS via Gavin Schmidt The heat in the past two years has been caused by human-caused climate change with a boost from an El Niño event, which has now faded. Yet the record heat, clearly, is continuing. The (presumed) record warm year of 2016 has brought flood disasters to the U.S., the latest of which is still devastating parts of Louisiana, as well as China. Typically hot locations, such as India, Kuwait and Iraq, set new benchmarks for what constitutes their hottest days. Meanwhile, the world's oceans are suffering through the longest-lasting global coral bleaching event on record. La Niña may break the fever temporarily Climate projections show that the odds favor a weak La Niña to develop in the tropical Pacific Ocean. If this occurs, it would be expected to hold down global temperature anomalies, and possibly interrupt the constant string of record warm months, at least for a while. In fact, global average temperature departures from average had been declining in recent months, though July marks an uptick compared to June, NASA found. Global temperature anomalies since 1956, broken up into 20-year averages compared to the 20th century baseline. Image: Climate Central You can think of El Niño as a driver pressing the gas pedal on a car all the way to the floor, while La Niña is more like a driver still pressing the gas, but at a more moderate pace. However, even La Niña years have been warming as a result of long-term global warming, and it's possible the developing La Niña could set a record for the mildest La Niña year. For climate scientists, what matters is the long-term trend over decades to centuries, making monthly records much less significant compared to the steady increase in temperatures throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The long-term record shows an unmistakable upward trend in global temperatures, with warming accelerating in the oceans and atmosphere in recent decades.
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| Iraq Kurds gain new ground in pre-Mosul operation Posted: 15 Aug 2016 11:33 AM PDT  Iraqi Kurdish forces on Monday wrapped up a two-day offensive during which they took several positions from the Islamic State group near its Mosul bastion, officials said. The peshmerga forces had launched the assault on Sunday to retake villages in the Nineveh plain between Mosul, the jihadists' last major Iraqi stronghold, and Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdish region. Colonel Chris Garver, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, said coalition advisers had been helping peshmerga forces in an advisory role on the ground.
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| Biden: Trump is already making our country less safe Posted: 15 Aug 2016 11:26 AM PDT  (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's remark that President Barack Obama founded Islamic State had increased threats to the physical safety of U.S. troops in Iraq. "Trump is already making our country less safe," Biden told a crowd at a joint Scranton, Pennsylvania, appearance with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Alana Wise in Washington; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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| Hezbollah's leader backs Donald Trump on Obama 'founding ISIS' Posted: 15 Aug 2016 10:57 AM PDT Donald Trump has apparently found an unlikely espouser of his allegation President Obama was the "founder" of the Islamic State (ISIS). Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the militant Hezbollah group, said at a rally in southern Lebanon Saturday that Mr. Trump's statement, which the Republican presidential nominee has since backed away from, was was factual, reported Al-Manar, a Lebanese TV outlet. What he says is based on facts and documents," said Mr. Nasrallah, adding that Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were responsible for the destabilization of the region that created ISIS. |
| WHY IT MATTERS: North Korea Posted: 15 Aug 2016 10:56 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: Pariah state North Korea could soon be capable of targeting America with nuclear weapons. Economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation have failed to halt its progress. What can the U.S. do to stop the authoritarian government from building up a nuclear arsenal that threatens the United States and its allies in Asia?
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| US nukes at Turkey base at risk of seizure: report Posted: 15 Aug 2016 10:30 AM PDT  Dozens of US nuclear weapons stored at a Turkish air base near Syria are at risk of being captured by "terrorists or other hostile forces," a Washington think tank claimed Monday. Critics have long been alarmed by America's estimated stockpile of about 50 nuclear bombs at Incirlik in southern Turkey, just 70 miles (110 kilometers) from the border with war-torn Syria. The issue took on fresh urgency last month following the attempted coup in Turkey, in which the base's Turkish commander was arrested on suspicion of complicity in the plot.
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| PKK bombing kills 7 near Turkey's Diyarbakir Posted: 15 Aug 2016 10:16 AM PDT  Five Turkish police officers and two civilians were killed on Monday in a car bombing outside the southeastern city of Diyarbakir blamed on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels, the government said. The blast hit a police traffic control building on a highway leading southeast from Diyarbakir to the city of Batman, killing the seven, a Turkish official said, confirming media reports and asking not to be named. The local governor's office earlier said in a statement that 25 people were wounded including five police officers.
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| Iraq's parliament approves partial Cabinet reshuffle Posted: 15 Aug 2016 09:59 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's parliament approved a partial Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, part of a set of reforms proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that has been stymied by entrenched political blocs. |
| Fix campaign or step aside, Wall Street Journal tells Trump Posted: 15 Aug 2016 09:42 AM PDT  By Alana Wise and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump should fix his stumbling White House campaign in the next three weeks or step down, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday in a sharply worded warning from a leading conservative voice. Trump has alienated his party and failed to establish a competent campaign operation, the paper said in an editorial. The Journal's editorial board, which generally favors Republicans, has been critical of Trump and has questioned his conservative credentials, but its warning on Monday was its strongest attack yet.
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| Kurdish forces open new front on Islamic State capital Mosul Posted: 15 Aug 2016 09:03 AM PDT  By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Kurdish Peshmerga forces on Monday said they had secured a river crossing point enabling them to open a new front against Islamic State and further tighten their grip on the militants' capital Mosul. The militants damaged the bridge, across the Grand Zab river and to the southeast of Mosul, two years ago as they swept through northern and western Iraq. Repairing the bridge would allow Peshmerga and other anti-IS forces to move toward Mosul from a new front.
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| Law firm that championed Iraqi claims against UK troops to close: media Posted: 15 Aug 2016 08:50 AM PDT A British law firm that doggedly pursued allegations of killings and torture made by Iraqi claimants against British troops will close down at the end of the month after it lost vital government funding, British media reported on Monday. Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) had been widely criticized for driving a series of legal actions that resulted in a costly public inquiry into suspected unlawful killings that concluded after years of work the allegations were untrue. "This is the right outcome for our armed forces," Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement. |
| Turkish police raid Istanbul courthouses, more officers detained Posted: 15 Aug 2016 08:45 AM PDT  By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police raided the country's biggest courthouse and two other halls of justice in Istanbul on Monday, detaining dozens of judicial personnel as part of their investigation into last month's attempted military coup. The raid on the Palace of Justice, which has hosted some of Turkey's most important trials, was a powerful symbol of a post-coup crackdown that has purged Turkey's military, law-and-order, education and justice systems since the failed putsch. Warrants had been issued for 173 judicial staff, of whom 136 were detained in the raid, the state-run Anadolu agency said.
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| Under heavy security, Catholic pilgrims visit Lourdes shrine Posted: 15 Aug 2016 08:31 AM PDT  LOURDES, France (AP) — Watched over by French soldiers and police, Catholic pilgrims from around the world prayed together for healing and peace Monday at a grotto shrine in Lourdes where exceptional security greeted the spiritual travelers due to recent extremist attacks.
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| Even after defeat, IS sows fear in Syria's Manbij Posted: 15 Aug 2016 07:57 AM PDT  When Fatima and Mohammad pushed open their front door -- elated to return to Syria's Manbij after it was retaken from jihadists -- their weeks-long dream of coming home turned into a nightmare. The blast could be heard across the ruined town in northern Syria, where US-backed Arab and Kurdish fighters chased out the last remaining Islamic State group fighters at the weekend. IS militants withdrew after making a last stand in the centre of Manbij against the Syrian Democratic Forces, leaving behind them a booby-trapped town.
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| Iraq parliament approves cabinet overhaul, bolstering PM Abadi Posted: 15 Aug 2016 06:57 AM PDT By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament approved the appointment of Jabar Ali al-Luaibi, former head of the main state oil firm, as oil minister in a cabinet overhaul on Monday that bolsters Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's leadership. Luaibi, who led the South Oil Company that produces most of the OPEC nation's crude, was one of six candidates Abadi nominated to fill vacant ministerial jobs. Parliament approved five of them, state television said, rejecting only Abadi's pick for trade minister. |
| Iraq MPs approve five new ministers after long delay Posted: 15 Aug 2016 04:57 AM PDT  Iraq's parliament on Monday approved five new ministers after months of delay and repeated setbacks to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet. Four of the five new ministers were the same as had been approved by lawmakers earlier in the year at a session that was later scrapped by a court ruling that dealt a blow to Abadi.
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| New Iraq oil minister says solution to conflict with Kurds possible Posted: 15 Aug 2016 03:58 AM PDT Iraq's new oil minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi on Monday said a solution to the Iraqi government's conflict over oil with the Kurdish self-ruled region was possible. "There are solutions to the existing problems between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government about the oil file," he told Baghdad-based Sumaria TV. The conflict centres on the Kurdish region's crude oil exports which Baghdad wants to bring under its control. |
| GOP could be near Trump breaking point; frustration abounds Posted: 15 Aug 2016 01:14 AM PDT  ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The Republican Party could be nearing a breaking point with Donald Trump.
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| Brazil's women desperate to taste Maracana magic Posted: 14 Aug 2016 11:51 PM PDT Already buoyed by the pursuit of landing a first gold medal in the sport for football-mad Brazil, the hosts' women will be inspired by the rare chance to play at the iconic Maracana in their Olympics semi-final with Sweden on Tuesday. A heart-stopping 7-6 penalty shootout win over Australia left five-time World Player of the Year Marta in tears of relief after her missed spot-kick looked to have sealed Brazil's fate. Instead, goalkeeper Barbara made two brilliant stops to set up a semi-final against Sweden, who also ended the USA's bid for a fourth straight gold on penalties in the quarter-finals. |
| Iraqi Kurds advance near Islamic State-held city Posted: 14 Aug 2016 05:26 PM PDT  IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Kurdish forces say they have retaken five villages east of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in an operation launched early Sunday.
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