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Monday, June 30, 2014

Q&A: Next steps in the Benghazi case

Q&A: Next steps in the Benghazi case


Q&A: Next steps in the Benghazi case

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:54 PM PDT

FILE - This undated file image obtained from Facebook shows Ahmed Abu Khattala, an alleged leader of the deadly 2012 attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, who was captured by U.S. special forces on Sunday, June 15, 2014, on the outskirts of Benghazi. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said Saturday, June 28, 2014 that Khattala is in federal law enforcement custody. There is heightened security at Washington's federal courthouse. (AP Photo, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — In the court of public opinion, the 2012 Benghazi attack has been contentious. In the court of law, it's going to be a grind.


'Transformers' dominates box office with $100M

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:54 PM PDT

This photo released by Paramount Pictures shows Mark Wahlberg, left, as Cade Yeager and Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson, in "Transformers: Age of Extinction," from Paramount Pictures. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Andrew Cooper)The "Transformers" film franchise is far from extinct.


US farmers plant record soybean crop, less corn

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:52 PM PDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The nation's farmers planted the largest soybean crop on record this year by devoting millions of acres of land to the crop that had been used for growing corn, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.

Obama taps business exec to oversee troubled VA

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:49 PM PDT

President Barack Obama pauses while speaking at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, Monday, June 30, 2014, to announce he will nominates former Procter and Gamble executive Robert McDonald, right, as the next Veterans Affairs secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, McDonald would succeed Eric Shinseki, the retired four-star general who resigned last month as the scope of the issues at veterans' hospitals became apparent. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has nominated former Procter & Gamble executive Robert McDonald to lead the troubled Veterans Affairs Department as it attempts to confront reports of lengthy waiting times and mismanagement.


Pension agency says plans for 1.5 million at risk

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:48 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite an improving U.S. economy, retirement plans covering roughly 1.5 million workers are severely underfunded, threatening benefit cuts for current and future retirees, a federal watchdog agency warned Monday.

Algeria and Germany 0-0 at halftime at World Cup

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:47 PM PDT

Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, left, slides in to make a save against Algeria's Islam Slimani during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Germany and Algeria at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Monday, June 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — A chaotic Germany was fortunate to hold an attacking Algeria to 0-0 Monday at halftime in the second round of the World Cup.


Obama: I'll act on my own on immigration

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:46 PM PDT

President Barack Obama, followed by Vice President Joe Biden, leave the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 30, 2014, to walk to the Rose Garden where the president spoke about immigration reform. The president said he's done waiting for House Republicans to act on immigration. He says he now plans to act on his own. Obama announced his intention Monday to take executive action. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)In the face of an unyielding Congress, President Barack Obama said Monday he will no longer wait for Republicans to act on immigration and will move on his own to make policy changes in what has been a top second-term priority of his presidency.


Ukrainian cease-fire expires, no extension yet

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:45 PM PDT

Valery who only gave his first name examines a room of his damaged house after shelling in the city of Slovyansk, Donetsk Region, eastern Ukraine Monday, June 30, 2014. Residential areas came under shelling on Monday morning from government forces. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The fragile, 10-day cease-fire in eastern Ukraine expired Monday night with no immediate word from the country's president on whether he would extend it, and no sign that the pro-Moscow separatists had met his demands to ease the violence.


Kitten travels 30 miles in engine compartment

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:45 PM PDT

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — A San Francisco Bay Area man had an unexpected passenger in his car during the 30-mile trip to his parents' house: a small, stray kitten that had somehow found a place to ride in the engine compartment.

Iraq: Mortar shells hit near gate of Shiite shrine

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:44 PM PDT

In this Sunday, June 29, 2014 photo, an Iraqi family leave their hometown Mosul, walking towards Irbil, on the outskirts of the northern city of Mosul, Iraq. The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of Syria and Iraq has formally declared the establishment of a new Islamic state, demanding allegiance from Muslims worldwide in a move that could further strain relations with other militant groups. (AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say three mortars have landed near the gate of a much-revered Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, wounding at least nine people.


A year after 19 firefighters died, city remembers

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:44 PM PDT

In this Tuesday, June 24, 2014 photo, in her first visit to the firehouse in Prescott, Ariz., since her son's death, Colleen Turbyfill, right, Travis Turbyfill's mother, gets a hug from Katie Cornelius, Prescott Fire Department volunteer exhibit curator for the Tribute Fence Preservation Project, after Turbyfill visited the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew vehicle buggy where her son Travis sat before he was killed along with 18 other hotshots in a wildfire almost a year ago. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — This Arizona city is marking the first anniversary of the deaths of 19 wildland firefighters with a series of tributes and remembrances that will include a ceremony featuring a bell-ringing and reading of the names of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.


BNP pleads guilty in U.S. sanctions case, to pay $8.8 billion

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:43 PM PDT

The logo of BNP Paribas is seen on top of the bank's building in Fontenay-sous-Bois, east of ParisBy Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - BNP Paribas on Monday pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to pay $8.83 billion in a broad agreement with U.S. authorities over charges the French bank violated U.S. sanctions laws. A lawyer for BNP briefly appeared in New York state court on Monday and pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying business records and one count of conspiracy. Assistant District Attorney Ted Starishevsky said the bank engaged in a "long-term, multi-jurisdictional conspiracy" to violate sanctions laws by facilitating transactions involving Sudan, Cuba, and Iran. "This conduct, this conspiracy was known and condoned at the highest levels of BNP," Starishevsky said.


Stocks end mixed; S&P closes near all-time high

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:43 PM PDT

FILE - This April 22, 2010, file photo, shows a Wall Street sign in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Global stock markets mostly inched higher Monday, June 30, 2014, as investors prepared for a busy week of economic news that will give new clues about the strength of the global recovery. Wall Street was set for a tepid session. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market closed out the second quarter regaining its upward momentum as investors were encouraged by an improving economy.


Marine who said he was kidnapped returned to US

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:42 PM PDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun disappeared from his unit in Iraq nearly a decade ago under mysterious circumstances. A week later, a photo of a blindfolded Hassoun with a sword poised above his head turned up on Al-Jazeera television. There was even a claim that he was beheaded.

Madonna donating to her hometown of Detroit

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:40 PM PDT

DETROIT (AP) — Madonna, who was "inspired" during a recent visit to Detroit, is donating money toward the construction of a new youth boxing gym and buying iPods, iPads and other supplies for students at a charter school in her hometown, according to a news release issued by the music icon's publicist Monday.

Transgender officer fired in Connecticut

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:39 PM PDT

San Francisco Chief of Police Greg Suhr waves while marching with a number of his officers in the 44th annual Gay Pride parade Sunday, June 29, 2014, in San Francisco. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender celebration and parade is one of the largest LGBT gatherings in the nation. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — When Francesca Quaranta told her fellow police officers in 2012 that she was transgender, she said it began a long and harsh career decline that included discrimination and harassment and culminated with her firing last week.


U.S. jobs growth likely to be relatively strong in June

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:37 PM PDT

Job seekers listen to a presentation at the Colorado Hospital Association health care career fair in DenverBy Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers likely maintained a fairly healthy pace of hiring in June, consistent with data that have suggested a sharp economic contraction in the first-quarter was an aberration. Nonfarm payrolls probably increased 212,000, marking the fifth consecutive month of job gains above 200,000, according to a Reuters poll of economists. "The economy is certainly headed in the right direction," said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. "While the momentum in the labor market has shifted modestly lower from the last two months, it's still quite strong." The economy, which has regained the 8.7 million jobs lost during the recent recession, buckled under the weight of an unusually cold weather in the first quarter, with GDP contracting at a 2.9 percent annual pace.


Supreme Court clears ban on gay conversion therapy

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:36 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for enforcement of a first-of-its-kind California law that bars psychological counseling aimed at turning gay minors straight.

Obama condemns terror against teens in Mideast

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:36 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is condemning what he calls a "senseless act of terror against innocent youth" in the Mideast and offering U.S. help to find those who killed three teenagers.

Boy's death draws attention to immigration perils

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:32 PM PDT

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — When authorities found the body of an 11-year-old boy in South Texas, a phone number for his brother in Chicago was scribbled on the inside of his belt buckle.

No selfies of porch shooting victim at trial

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:31 PM PDT

Defendant Theodore Wafer listens during the motion hearing in the Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit Friday June 27, 2014. The Dearborn Heights homeowner is charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Renisha McBride on his front porch last November. (AP Photo/Detroit News, Clarence Tabb, Jr.)DETROIT (AP) — Jurors in the upcoming trial of a Detroit-area man who shot a young, drunken woman on his porch won't see selfies of the victim with a gun, marijuana and cash, a judge said Monday in another defeat for the defense.


Springsteen to debut short film on website July 9

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:31 PM PDT

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2013 file photo, musician Bruce Springsteen performs at the Stand Up for Heroes event at Madison Square Garden, in New York. Springsteen will debut a short film,NEW YORK (AP) — Bruce Springsteen will debut a short film on his website July 9.


Study: Plastic debris widespread on ocean surface

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:29 PM PDT

This undated photo provide by NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program shows small plastic debris that are visible from the surface of the water. A study released by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, June 30, 2014, estimated the total amount of floating plastic debris in open ocean at 7,000 to 35,000 tons. The results of the study showed fewer very small pieces than expected. (AP Photo/NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program)NEW YORK (AP) — Plastic junk is floating widely on the world's oceans, but there's less of it than expected, a study says.


UNC: NCAA to reopen probe into academic misconduct

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:27 PM PDT

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Monday that NCAA investigators will take another look into academic misconduct at the school.

GM safety crisis grows as recalls mount

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:21 PM PDT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors' safety crisis worsened on Monday when the automaker added 8.2 million vehicles to its ballooning list of cars recalled over faulty ignition switches.

S&P 500 posts its sixth straight quarterly gain

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:16 PM PDT

FILE - This April 22, 2010, file photo, shows a Wall Street sign in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Global stock markets mostly inched higher Monday, June 30, 2014, as investors prepared for a busy week of economic news that will give new clues about the strength of the global recovery. Wall Street was set for a tepid session. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing out another strong quarter, giving the Standard & Poor's 500 index its sixth straight quarterly gain.


Mourners pay respects to Sen. Howard Baker Jr.

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:14 PM PDT

Former Kansas U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, left, the widow of late U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., greets former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist Monday, June 30, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn. The funeral for Baker, who died June 26 at age 88, will be held Tuesday in his hometown of Huntsville, Tenn. Sundquist's wife, Martha, is in the background. (AP Photo, Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel)KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mourners on Monday paid their respects to former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. at the University of Tennessee center in that bears his name.


BRAZIL BEAT: Neymar may not go for gold cleats

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:10 PM PDT

Brazil's Neymar, right, fights for the ball with Chile's Mauricio Isla during their World Cup round of 16 soccer match at Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — Neymar is having doubts about what to wear to his World Cup matches.


US man jailed for planning Al-Qaeda training

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:59 PM PDT

Pakistani container trucks carry NATO vehicles as they make their way to Afghanistan, in Peshawar on March 25, 2014A US man was jailed for 13 years Monday for planning to travel to Pakistan to give weapons training to Al-Qaeda fighters, after spending time fighting in Syria, prosecutors said. Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, 25, pleaded guilty late last year to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Nguyen, based outside Los Angeles and also known as Hasan Abu Omar Ghannoum, admitted that in late 2012 he traveled to Syria, where he joined forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad. After returning to the United States, Nguyen said he had offered to train Al-Qaeda forces in Syria, but had been turned down.


UK TV host Rolf Harris guilty of indecent assault

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:55 PM PDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, May 28, 2014, Australian born veteran TV and music entertainer Rolf Harris arrives for his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. The court jury on Monday June 30, 2014, found broadcaster and entertainer Rolf Harris guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault. Harris had denied the charges. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, FILE)LONDON (AP) — Television entertainer Rolf Harris, known to generations of children in Britain and Australia for his friendly screen presence, was found guilty Monday of a string of indecent assaults on young girls that took place from the '60s to the '80s.


Machado's bat-tossing ban stands

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT

Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles looks on from the dugout on June 15, 2014 in Baltimore, MarylandMajor League Baseball on Monday upheld the five-game suspension of Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado for a bat-tossing incident that sparked a brawl. The Orioles said Machado would begin serving the ban on Monday, when they host the Texas Rangers. Machado was sanctioned after flinging his bat down the third base line as he swung and missed on a pitch from Oakland pitcher Fernando Abad in June 8 game. Machado, 21, insisted the bat slipped out of his hands, but his action sparked a bench-clearing brawl and resulted in ejections for both Machado and Abad, who nearly hit Machado with the previous pitch.


Utah man sent to jail for fight over church seats

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — A 52-year-old man accused of punching another man and hitting him with his car in a dispute over pew space in Utah has been ordered to spend 30 days in jail.

Israeli military finds bodies of kidnapped teens

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:48 PM PDT

This undated image released by the Israel Defense Forces shows a combination of three photos of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, who disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late at night on June 12, 2014 and were never heard from again. The Israeli military found the bodies of the three missing teenagers on Monday, June 30, 2014, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants. The grisly discovery culminated a feverish search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.(AP Photo/Israel Defense Forces)JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military found the bodies of three missing teenagers on Monday, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants. The grisly discovery culminated a feverish search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.


A violent weekend in NYC: At least 21 people shot

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:43 PM PDT

A man walks past a small memorial that was placed near the site of a fatal shooting in the Bronx section of New York, Monday, June 30, 2014. Authorities say at least 21 people were shot across New York City over the weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say at least 21 people were shot across New York City over the weekend. Four victims died.


Bryan Cranston leaves 'All the Way' on a new high

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:42 PM PDT

FILE - This June 8, 2014 file photo shows actor Bryan Cranston accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for NEW YORK (AP) — Bryan Cranston left Broadway with a Tony Award and a new record.


Murray in Wimbledon quarters for 7th straight year

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:38 PM PDT

Andy Murray of Britain plays a return to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, June 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)LONDON (AP) — Without the loss of a set so far, Andy Murray is back in familiar territory at Wimbledon.


GM recalls 7.6 mn more US cars after crashes, deaths

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:35 PM PDT

General Motors said it will pay at least $1 million in compensation to the families of each person killed in accidents apparently caused by defective ignition switches in its carsGeneral Motors Monday announced another massive auto recall, calling back 8.4 million vehicles -- 7.6 million of them in the US -- following seven crashes and three fatalities. GM, reeling over an ignition-switch recall scandal linked to at least 13 deaths, said that while there were three fatalities related to fatal crashes of older cars being recalled for ignition issues, there is "no conclusive evidence" the defect caused the incidents. GM said the three fatal crashes occurred in older model full-size sedans with that problem, but the company did not provide further details.


GM recalls 8.2 million cars for ignition switches

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:32 PM PDT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors' safety crisis worsened on Monday when the automaker added 8.2 million vehicles to its huge list of cars recalled over faulty ignition switches.

IBM's Watson app whips up Big Data in the kitchen

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:32 PM PDT

IBM's 'Watson' computing system at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center on January 13, 2011 in Yorktown Heights, New YorkPutting a chef's hat on its Watson supercomputer, IBM and the magazine Bon Appetit unveiled a new initiative Monday that seeks to use Big Data for gastronomy. A new app unveiled in test version called "Chef Watson with Bon Appetit" aims at helping cooks "draw on Watson's advanced cognitive capabilities to create entirely new recipes and gastronomic combinations that have previously never been conceived," IBM said. The kitchen becomes the new proving ground for Watson, which has been working on fighting cancer and other medical applications, after a successful challenge on the TV game show "Jeopardy." The new app is part of the Chef Watson program introduced this year by IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education.


Body found in Texas near border was Guatemalan boy

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:30 PM PDT

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — South Texas sheriff's officials say a body found this month in brush near the border apparently was an 11-year-old unaccompanied immigrant from Guatemala.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in US

Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in US


Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in US

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:17 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Marine who was declared a deserter nearly 10 years ago after disappearing in Iraq and then returning to the U.S. claiming he had been kidnapped, only to disappear again, is back in U.S. custody, officials said Sunday.

Israeli leader calls for independent Kurdistan

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:13 PM PDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty, Pool)TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Seizing on the mayhem in Iraq, Israel's prime minister on Sunday called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan as part of a broader alliance with moderate forces across the region, and asserted that Israel would have to maintain a long-term military presence in the West Bank to keep a jihadi juggernaut from powering its way to the outskirts of Tel Aviv.


Obama picks ex-P&G head to lead Veterans Affairs

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:04 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is selecting former Procter and Gamble executive Robert McDonald as his choice to be secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Dolly Parton thrills crowd at Glastonbury Festival

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:04 PM PDT

U.S singer Dolly Parton performs at Glastonbury music festival, England, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Thousands of music fans have arrived for the festival to see headliners Arcade Fire, Metallica and Kasabian. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)LONDON (AP) — Dolly Parton has won over legions of hard rock fans at England's Glastonbury Festival, one of the biggest events on the summer calendar.


Obama: Battle-hardened militants pose threat to US

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:02 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is concerned that battle-hardened militants who have spent time in Syria and Iraq could present a rising threat to U.S. security because they would be able to enter the country without visas on European passports.

Egypt moves to restrict Ramadan sermons

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:02 PM PDT

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt will restrict sermons during the holy month of Ramadan to topics of faith and morality, the state's top official in charge of religious affairs said Sunday, in the latest measure by the government to control mosques and limit access of opponents to them.

AP NewsAlert

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:01 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama selects former Procter and Gamble executive Robert McDonald to head Veterans Affairs .

Al-Qaida splinter declares new Islamic caliphate

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:56 PM PDT

In this Saturday, June 28, 2014 photo, Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The Islamic State, which already controls vast swaths in northern and eastern Syria amid the chaos of that nation's civil war, aims to erase the borders of the modern Middle East and impose its strict brand of Shariah law. (AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of northern Syria and huge tracks of neighboring Iraq formally declared the creation of an Islamic state on Sunday in the territory under its control.


Kidnapped Tunisian embassy workers freed in Libya - Tunisia's envoy

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:54 PM PDT

A Tunisian diplomat and an embassy worker kidnapped earlier this year by unknown gunmen in Libya have been freed, the Tunisian ambassador to Tripoli said on Sunday. With Libya's government weak and its armed forces still in formation, armed groups have targeted foreign diplomats for abduction this year to pressure for the release of Libyan militants held in jails overseas. The other embassy official was taken separately. Right now they are with us at the embassy," the ambassador, Ridha Boukadhi, told Reuters by telephone.

After Iraq gains, Qaeda offshoot claims Islamic "caliphate"

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:52 PM PDT

By Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - An offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on Islamist websites and Twitter said on Sunday. The move poses a direct challenge to the central leadership of al Qaeda, which has already disowned it, and to conservative Gulf Arab rulers. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as "Caliph" - the head of the state, the statement said. "Accordingly, the "Iraq and Sham" (Levant) in the name of the Islamic State is henceforth removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name is the Islamic State from the date of this declaration," he said.

'Transformers' unearths $100M debut at box office

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT

This photo released by Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Hound, Bingbing Li as Su Yueming, Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce, Bumblebee, Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson, Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager, Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, Optimus Prime, Drift, and Crosshairs, in a scene from the film, "Transformers: Age of Extinction," from Paramount Pictures. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, ILM)LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Transformers: Age of Extinction" is ruling the box office.


Benghazi case unfolds against political backdrop

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:43 PM PDT

This artist's rendering shows United States Magistrate, Judge John Facciola, swearing in the defendant, Libyan militant Ahmed Abu Khatallah, wearing a headphone, as his attorney Michelle Peterson looks on during a hearing at the federal U.S. District Court in Washington, Saturday, June 28, 2014. The hearing of the Libyan accused of masterminding deadly Benghazi attacks, lasted ten minutes; he pled not guilty to conspiracy Saturday at his first appearance in U.S. court. (AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren)WASHINGTON (AP) — The first prosecution arising from the Benghazi attacks is playing out in the federal courthouse blocks from both the White House and Capitol Hill, an appropriate setting for a case that has drawn stark lines between President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress.


Thousands of Israelis rally for abducted youths

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:41 PM PDT

Thousands of Israelis gather for a rally calling for the release of the three missing Israeli teens, feared abducted in the West Bank on June 12, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 29, 2014. There has been an increase in rockets launched from the Hamas-ruled territory toward Israel this month, as the army has carried out a wide-ranging operation against Hamas in the West Bank while searching for three Israeli teens who Israel says were abducted by the Palestinian militant group. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in a central Tel Aviv square on Sunday night to draw attention to the plight of three Israeli teenagers who were abducted in the West Bank earlier this month.


Israel bombs Gaza after rocket attacks, Hamas gunman killed

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:40 PM PDT

Israeli forces attacked militant targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing a Hamas gunman and wounding two others after a spate of rocket launches from the Palestinian territory, officials on both sides said. The Hamas casualties were caused by a strike that the Israeli military said targeted a group of Palestinians spotted about to fire a rocket across the border. Palestinian medics said two other people were wounded in air strikes on at least six other Gaza targets. The Israeli military said two rockets fired from Gaza earlier on Sunday were shot down by its Iron Dome missile interceptor defense system.

1 dead, 5 injured in awards party violence in LA

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:38 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say one person was killed and five injured in two separate incidents at parties ahead of the BET Awards in Los Angeles.

Iraqi army presses Tikrit assault as lawmakers scramble to fill posts

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:32 PM PDT

Members of Iraqi security forces take positions during patrol looking for militants of ISIL west of KerbalaBy Ahmed Rasheed and Alexander Dziadosz BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's army sent tanks and armored vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern city of Tikrit on Sunday, the second day of a pushback against a Sunni militant takeover of large stretches of Iraq. The hardline Sunni group leading the insurgency, until Sunday known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), declared itself a "caliphate" on Sunday and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance - a move analysts saw as a direct challenge to al Qaeda, which disowned ISIL in February, and to Gulf Arab rulers. In Baghdad, which is threatened by the rebel advance, top Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers scrambled to agree cabinet nominations before parliament meets on Tuesday to try to prevent the rebel advance jeopardizing Iraq's future as a unitary state. They are racing against time as ISIL, which loathes Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government, consolidates its grip on the north and west.


Gay pride parades step off across United States

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:26 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Gay pride parades stepped off around the nation on Sunday, in cities large and small, with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their supporters celebrating a year of same-sex marriage victories.

BRAZIL BEAT: Celebration to sadness for Mexico

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:26 PM PDT

Mexico soccer fans react after a second goal was scored against their team as they watch the World Cup round of 16 match against Netherlands on a live telecast inside the FIFA Fan Fest area on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 29, 2014. The Netherlands staged a dramatic late comeback, scoring two goals in the dying minutes to beat Mexico 2-1 and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)SAO PAULO (AP) — Mario Alejandro Barrientos hid his hurt over Mexico's World Cup elimination beneath the brim of a humongous sombrero.


African migrants protest Israeli treatment

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:22 PM PDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities on Sunday broke up a protest by hundreds of African migrants who marched out of an Israeli detention center over the weekend to protest their treatment.

Huntelaar's late penalty gives Dutch 2-1 win

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT

Netherlands' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and Mexico at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Sunday, June 29, 2014. The Netherlands won the match 2-1. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)FORTALEZA, Brazil (AP) — Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder scored late goals Sunday to give the Netherlands a 2-1 victory over Mexico and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals.


Ukraine's Poroshenko urges Putin to tighten borders after violence

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:02 PM PDT

Local residents and a pro-Russian fighter stand near the entrance to an apartment block damaged by shelling in Slaviansk in eastern UkraineBy Thomas Grove KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to strengthen Russian control over its borders to prevent militants and arms entering Ukraine after violence broke a truce there. The ceasefire, declared by Poroshenko on June 20 to allow for peace talks with the pro-Russian rebels, is due to expire on Monday, a deadline also set by EU leaders considering new sanctions against Russia. The statement came after a four-way telephone conversation among the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said a statement from Poroshenko's office.


Al-Qaida breakaway formally declares Islamic State

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT

In this Saturday, June 28, 2014 photo, Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The Islamic State, which already controls vast swaths in northern and eastern Syria amid the chaos of that nation's civil war, aims to erase the borders of the modern Middle East and impose its strict brand of Shariah law. (AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of northern Syria and huge tracks of neighboring Iraq formally declared the creation of an Islamic state on Sunday in the territory under its control.


2 dead, including rescuer, at Washington falls

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:52 AM PDT

PILCHUCK FALLS, Wash. (AP) — A search and rescue worker has died trying to save another man who fell 100 feet at Pilchuck Falls in western Washington.

'Designing Women' star Meshach Taylor dies at 67

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:48 AM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 1989 file photo, actor Meshach Taylor poses during an interview in Los Angeles, Calif. Taylor's agent says the actor, who appeared in the hit sitcoms "Designing Women" and "Dave's World" died of cancer on Saturday, June 28, 2014, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 67. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)Meshach Taylor, who played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by boisterous Southern belles on the sitcom "Designing Women" and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles, died of cancer at age 67, his agent said Sunday.


World Cup breaks Super Bowl record on Twitter

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:44 AM PDT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Nervous Brazilian soccer fans took to Twitter to breathe a collective sigh of relief as the final, tension-filled moments of a penalty shootout against Chile broke an all-time record for online buzz during a live event.

Girl, 3, ID'd as victim of Italian ice shop door

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:42 AM PDT

Investigators look over the debris of a fallen security door outside a Rita's Water Ice store in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia on Saturday, June 28, 2014. Investigators tell Philly.com that the metal security door detached and fell on a 3-year-old girl who died. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek)PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities on Sunday were investigating how a metal security grate detached and fell from the facade of an Italian ice shop, killing a 3-year-old girl in front of dozens of people who tried to rescue her.


Muslims mark start of Ramadan as deadly conflicts rage

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:40 AM PDT

Pakistani Muslims perform a special "Taraweeh" evening prayer on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at the grand Faisal Mosque in Islamabad on June 29, 2014Muslims began observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Sunday with Islamic leaders again concerned about entrenched conflicts as jihadists issued threats from Indonesia to Somalia. Ramadan is sacred for the world's estimated 1.6 billion Muslims because it is during that month that tradition says the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. In that spirit the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation launched a joint appeal with the Arab League for a ceasefire in Syria, where a deadly conflict has raged unabated for more than three years. The call came as Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is home to Islam's holiest sites, sharply criticised religious extremists and vowed not to let "a handful of terrorists... terrify Muslims".


Iraqi Christians return to villages

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:34 AM PDT

Displaced Iraqi Christian families, who fled from the villages of Hamdaniya near the northern city of Mosul, gather outside a temporary shelter for displaced families, as they wait for buses to return to their villages after ruling Kurdish forces told them it was safe to return, in Irbil, Iraq, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Thousands of Iraqi Christians flocked back home days after they fled their villages that came under attack Wednesday by Sunni insurgents led by the al-Qaida inspired Islamic Sate in Iraq and the Levant. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Thousands of Iraqi Christians flocked back to their homes in the north on Sunday, days after they fled villages under attack by Sunni Muslim extremists.


Bosnia marks end of Europe's violent century

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:31 AM PDT

A man walks past a mosaic depicting Gavrilo Princip, the Bosnian-Serb nationalist who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, and other members of "Mlada Bosna" movement in the Bosnian town of Visegrad,140 kilometers east of Sarajevo, Saturday, June 28, 2014. Marking the centennial of the beginning of World War I in their own way, Bosnian Serbs in Visegrad on Saturday unveiled a mosaic of the man who ignited the war by assassinating the Austro-Hungarian crown prince on June 28, 1914. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Artists and diplomats declared a new century of peace and unity in Europe on Saturday in the city where the first two shots of World War I were fired exactly 100 years ago.


Netherlands into last eight as Mexico sunk

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:19 AM PDT

Netherlands' forward Arjen Robben celebrates their victory at the end of a Round of 16 football match between Netherlands and Mexico at Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 29, 2014Klaas-Jan Huntelaar struck a stoppage-time penalty as the Netherlands staged an incredible late fightback to beat Mexico 2-1 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals here Sunday. Huntelaar kept his cool in furnace-like conditions to fire Holland into the last eight after Wesley Sneijder had scored an 88th-minute equaliser to cancel out Giovani Dos Santos's goal for Mexico. The dramatic Dutch fightback left Mexico's players in tears as their last 16 jinx struck again. Mexico have now lost in the second round in six consecutive World Cup appearances, and had been just minutes away from a first quarter-final since 1986.


Mars 'flying saucer' splashes down after NASA test

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:18 AM PDT

This image provided by NASA shows the launch of the high-altitude balloon carrying a saucer-shaped vehicle for NASA, to test technology that could be used to land on Mars, Saturday June 28, 2014 in Kauai, Hawaii. Saturday's experimental flight high in Earth's atmosphere is testing a giant parachute designed to deliver heavier spacecraft and eventually astronauts. (AP Photo/NASA)LOS ANGELES (AP) — NASA has tested new technology designed to bring spacecraft — and one day even astronauts — safely down to Mars, with the agency declaring the experiment a qualified success even though a giant parachute got tangled on the way down.


BRAZIL BEAT: Impromptu viewing party in Recife

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:13 AM PDT

In this June 24, 2014 photo, a supporter celebrates Costa Rica's classification at the end of the World Cup group D match against England, at the Mineirao Stadium, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Tuesday. Costa Rica finished first in what many considered the World Cup's toughest group after a dour 0-0 draw against England. The Central Americans face Greece in the knockout stage, in Recife, Sunday, June 29. (AP Photo/Bruno Magalhaes)RECIFE, Brazil (AP) — A gas station in rural northeastern Brazil turned into an impromptu World Cup viewing party.


Cruise ship leaves Seattle again following fire

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:07 AM PDT

SEATTLE (AP) — A cruise ship that returned to Seattle after a fire in its boiler room left the port again on Sunday morning.

Argentina 'won't be brought to our knees' over debt

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:04 AM PDT

Argentina's Finance Minister Axel Kicillof (R) speaks to the G77 conference entitled "Sovereign Debt Restructuring: The case of Argentina," June 25, 2014 at the United Nations in New YorkArgentina took out paid ads in major US newspapers for the second weekend running on Sunday, slamming an "absurd" American court decision as a ploy "to bring us down to our knees." The country is poised to default on its debt for a second time in 13 years if a payments deal cannot be achieved by Monday with hedge funds holding $1.3 billion in bonds. Judge Thomas Griesa, in New York, said Friday a deposit from Argentina towards paying off restructured debt was illegal unless the hedge funds -- which Buenos Aires brands "vulture funds" -- were also paid. Under the title "Argentina Pays," the full-page ad, signed "Presidency of the nation Argentine Republic," appeared in The Washington Post and The New York Times on Sunday.


First UK poll after Juncker battle shows rising support for EU exit

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:59 AM PDT

Candidate for the European Commission presidency Juncker arrives at an European People's Party meeting in KortrijkBy William James LONDON (Reuters) - Public support for Britain to leave the EU is growing again after falling to a multi-year low, according to the first survey published since EU leaders nominated Jean-Claude Juncker to become the next president of the European Commission. British Prime Minister David Cameron openly campaigned to stop Juncker getting the top EU job, but last Friday lost the final vote by 26-2. He warned at the time that choosing Juncker, an old-style EU federalist, would make it harder to keep Britain in the European Union. Under pressure from Eurosceptic lawmakers in his own Conservative party and from the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) which won European parliamentary elections last month, Cameron has pledged to try to reshape Britain's EU ties before giving people a referendum in 2017 on whether the UK should remain a member of the EU.


Ukraine president talks to Putin, Merkel, Hollande

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:48 AM PDT

People shout slogans during a rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Hundreds of people have come on Sunday morning to the presidential administration to demand a stop to the cease fire on the eastern part of Ukraine. According to soldiers of the Donbass battalion, the other side hasn't stopped attacks and around 20 soldiers were killed during the last week that suppose to be a pause in active fighting. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tried to keep his peace plan to settle the conflict with pro-Russian separatists on track in a four-way phone call Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany.


Israeli leader calls for long-term military presence in West Bank to counter extremist threat.

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:30 AM PDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli leader calls for long-term military presence in West Bank to counter extremist threat.

Citing chaos in Iraq, Israeli leader endorses Kurdish independence

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:29 AM PDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Citing chaos in Iraq, Israeli leader endorses Kurdish independence.

BRAZIL BEAT: Sun scatters fans in Fortaleza

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:24 AM PDT

Mexico's Rafael Marquez, right, watches as teammate Hector Moreno slide tackles Netherlands' Arjen Robben during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and Mexico at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Sunday, June 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)FORTALEZA, Brazil (AP) — As the shadows shifted across the Arena Castelao, sections of stands emptied and filled during Sunday's round of 16 match between the Netherlands and Mexico. With an early afternoon start on a hot, muggy day in northeastern Brazil, many fans abandoned their seats when the sun beat down on them in an otherwise full stadium.


US poised to slap record $9 bn fine on BNP Paribas

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:23 AM PDT

A photo taken on June 24, 2014 in Lille, northern France shows the logo of the French bank BNP ParibasFrench bank BNP Paribas is expected to pay a record $9 billion fine and admit its guilt for years of dealing with US-blacklisted Sudan and Iran, in a case that has strained ties between Paris and Washington. US justice authorities could announce the hefty penalty as early as Monday, capping months of haggling which saw French President Francois Hollande pressing US counterpart Barack Obama to step in and lighten the punishment. The record US fine of a foreign bank will also come with a guilty plea from BNP, according to a person close to the situation. France's largest bank is accused of breaching US sanctions against Iran, Sudan and Cuba between 2002 and 2009 by handling $30 billion worth of transactions with them.