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Saturday, October 11, 2014

Kurds battle for heart of Kobane as UN fears massacre

Kurds battle for heart of Kobane as UN fears massacre

Kurds battle for heart of Kobane as UN fears massacre

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:45 AM PDT

Turkish soldiers on a tank and Kurdish people look at the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds, from a hill at the Turkish-Syrian border on October 11, 2014Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - Kurdish fighters halted a thrust by Islamic State group jihadists towards the heart of the battleground Syrian town of Kobane Saturday, after the UN warned thousands of civilians risked massacre.

Stepped-up Ebola screening starts at NYC airport

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:45 PM PDT

A Moroccan health worker uses a thermometer to screen a passenger at the arrivals hall of the Mohammed V airport in Casablanca, on Thursday, Oct 9, 2014. Airline passengers arriving in the U.S. from three West African countries will face temperature checks using no-touch thermometers and other screening measures at five American airports, starting with New York's Kennedy on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Abdeljalil Bounhar)NEW YORK (AP) — Customs and health officials began taking the temperatures of passengers arriving at New York's Kennedy International Airport from three West African countries on Saturday in a stepped-up screening effort meant to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

IMF, World Bank 2014 fall meetings in Washington on Saturday

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:45 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The following are highlights from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings on Saturday in Washington, where finance ministers and central bankers from around the globe are gathered. Many of the comments come from texts that were prepared for delivery to the IMF's steering committee, the International Monetary and Financial Committee, on Saturday. IMF STEERING COMMITTEE COMMUNIQUE ON GLOBAL ECONOMY "An uneven recovery continues, despite setbacks. A number of countries face the prospect of low or slowing growth, with unemployment remaining unacceptably high. ...

World economies warn of global risks, call for bold action

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:45 PM PDT

A general view shows the IMFC before their meeting at the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in WashingtonBy Krista Hughes and Leika Kihara WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's member countries on Saturday said bold action was needed to bolster the global economic recovery and they urged governments not to squelch growth by tightening budgets too drastically, although Germany poured cold water on the idea of a new global "crisis." With Japan's economy floundering, the euro zone at risk of recession and even China's expansion slowing, the IMF's steering committee said focusing on growth was the priority. ...

Thousands march in St. Louis to protest police violence

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:44 PM PDT

By Kenny Bahr FERGUSON Mo (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters marched through St. Louis on Saturday as part of a weekend of demonstrations against police violence organized after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white officer last summer. After a peaceful, 1/2-mile march through downtown, protesters rallied at Keiner Plaza. Organizers included Hands Up Unite, an activist group that emerged after the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. ...

Michigan toddler dies from enterovirus D68

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:44 PM PDT

DETROIT (AP) — A 21-month-old girl is the first person in Michigan to die from the virus that has caused severe respiratory illness across the country, state health officials said Saturday.

'Love is love' as Snowden's girlfriend joins him in Russia

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:39 PM PDT

File photo taken on June 24, 2014 shows US whistleblower Edward Snowden speaking to European officials via videoconference during a parliamentary hearing at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern FranceMoscow (AFP) - US fugitive Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum by Moscow after revealing the extent of US global surveillance, has been reunited with his girlfriend in Russia, his lawyer said Saturday.

No. 11 Oklahoma returns with 31-26 win over Texas

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:35 PM PDT

Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez (15) celebrates scoring a touchdown after intercepting a pass against Texas wide receiver Jacorey Warrick (11) and quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at the Cotton Bowl, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)DALLAS (AP) — Alex Ross had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Zack Sanchez scored on a 43-yard interception return and No. 11 Oklahoma held on for another bounce-back victory under coach Bob Stoops, beating Texas 31-26 in the Red River rivalry Saturday.

20,000 Kurds protest against IS in Germany

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:35 PM PDT

Some thousand Kurds protest against the Islamic State militants attack on the Syrian city Kobani with a flag showing Kurdistan Workers' Party imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan in Duesseldorf, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)BERLIN (AP) — More than 20,000 Kurdish immigrants have protested in Germany against the Islamic State group.

Fears Gaza donors will fall short as Kerry heads to Egypt

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:33 PM PDT

US Secretary of State John Kerry walks across the tarmac to board his plane at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on October 11, 2014, en route to CairoWashington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry left for Cairo Saturday to back calls to aid the Gaza Strip, amid fears donors may fail to raise $4 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory.

Ebola: 3 more people under observation in Spain

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:30 PM PDT

Medical practitioners wearing protective clothing work while Javier Limon, the husband of the nursing assistant infected with Ebola, is seen through a window, down left, while another isolated girl talks on her phone inside an isolated ward on the sixth floor of the the Carlos III hospital in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. A Spanish hospital official says the nursing assistant infected with Ebola is "stable," hours after authorities described her condition as critical. She is the first person known to have caught the disease outside the outbreak zone in West Africa. She contracted the virus while helping treat a Spanish missionary who became infected in West Africa, and later died. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)MADRID (AP) — Three more people were under observation for Ebola in a Madrid hospital, boosting the number being monitored for symptoms to 16. A nursing assistant infected with the virus remained in serious but stable condition Saturday.

Worried Iraqi capital sees militant push around it

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:24 PM PDT

Iraqi federal policemen search a car at a checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. On the western edge of Iraq's capital, Islamic State group militants battle government forces and exchange mortar fire, only adding to the sense of siege in Baghdad despite airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Military experts say the Sunni militants, won't be able to fight through both government forces and Shiite militias now massed around the capital, It does, however, put them in a position to wreak havoc in Iraq's biggest city, with its suicide attacks and other assaults. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)BAGHDAD (AP) — On the western edge of Iraq's capital, Islamic State group militants battle government forces and exchange mortar fire, only adding to the sense of siege in Baghdad despite airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition.

Dempsey among six new USA faces for Honduras

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:18 PM PDT

US forward Clint Dempsey celebrates after scoring during a Group G football match between USA and Portugal at the Amazonia Arena in Manaus during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 22, 2014Chicago (AFP) - US captain Clint Dempsey was among six players added Saturday by Jurgen Klinsmann for his side's Tuesday friendly against Honduras at Boca Raton, Florida.

Ebola screening starts at New York's JFK airport

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:12 PM PDT

By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Reuters) - Medical teams at New York's JFK airport, armed with Ebola questionnaires and temperature guns, began screening travelers from three West African countries on Saturday as U.S. health authorities stepped up efforts to stop the spread of the virus. John F. Kennedy Airport is the first of five U.S. airports to start enhanced screening of U.S.-bound travelers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those countries have seen most of the deaths from the outbreak, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives. ...

Second day of protests take shape in St. Louis

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 12:06 PM PDT

Protesters march near the St. Louis Arch, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014, in St Louis. More than 1,000 gathered Saturday in downtown St. Louis for a second day of organized rallies to protest Michael Brown's death and other fatal police shootings in the area and elsewhere. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)ST. LOUIS (AP) — More than 1,000 people gathered Saturday for a second day of organized rallies to protest Michael Brown's death and other fatal police shootings in the St. Louis area and elsewhere.

AFP, BBC, Times win top war correspondents prizes

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:54 AM PDT

AFP photographer Mohammed al-Shaikh covering a political demonstration in Sanabis, west of Manama, on February 16, 2013Bayeux (France) (AFP) - AFP photographer Mohammed Al-Shaikh and the BBC's Lyse Doucet were among the winners at the annual Bayeux-Calvados awards for war correspondents announced on Saturday in Bayeux, northwestern France.

Ireland rout Gibraltar, Scotland edge Georgia

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:53 AM PDT

Republic of Ireland's James McClean takes an unsuccessful shot on goal against Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, on October 11, 2014Paris (AFP) - The Republic of Ireland and Scotland both won their Euro 2016 qualifiers on Saturday, but in markedly different fashion.

Car bombs kill 38 in Iraq's capital, Baghdad

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:52 AM PDT

Iraqi federal policemen search a car at a checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. On the western edge of Iraq's capital, Islamic State group militants battle government forces and exchange mortar fire, only adding to the sense of siege in Baghdad despite airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Military experts say the Sunni militants, won't be able to fight through both government forces and Shiite militias now massed around the capital, It does, however, put them in a position to wreak havoc in Iraq's biggest city, with its suicide attacks and other assaults. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of car bomb attacks in Iraq's capital killed 38 people in Shiite areas Saturday, authorities said, after Islamic militants killed a journalist working for a local television network in a Sunni province.

Ukraine, Russia leaders to meet in a bid to rescue truce

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:47 AM PDT

Police officers wearing the uniform of the now-disbanded Ukrainian Berkut special forces stand guard at a checkpoint near Schastya in the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine on October 11, 2014Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) - Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday said he will meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin next week as Kiev reported rebel attacks have subsided, signalling the possibility of rescuing a truce in the six-month conflict.

Hong denies Biles 3rd gold at gymnastics worlds

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:33 AM PDT

Gold medalist Hong Un Jong of North Korea, center, second place Simone Biles of the U.S., left, and third place Mykayla Skinner of U.S. pose for photos on podium during the award ceremony of the women's vault apparatus final of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship at the Guangxi Gymnasium in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)NANNING, China (AP) — Hong Un Jong of North Korea won the vault event on Saturday, denying Simone Biles of the United States a third gold medal at the gymnastics world championships.

As Mexico cracks down, drug money comes to US

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:32 AM PDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 file photo, law enforcement agents stand outside a clothing store after a raid in the Los Angeles Fashion District. Federal authorities on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, slapped new financial reporting rules on 2,000 businesses in the fashion district of Los Angeles in an effort to curtail suspected Mexican drug money laundering.(AP Photo/ Nick Ut, File)CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) — For a company that booked $12 million in annual sales importing snacks like chile- and lime-flavored chips from Mexico, Baja Distributors Inc.'s offices were oddly quiet. There were no signs outside. Its small warehouse was almost empty. Phones went unanswered.

California casino is closed after armed standoff

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:22 AM PDT

A federal judge closed a Central California casino after an armed showdown between tribal factions caused many gamblers to flee with chips left on the tables. U.S. District Judge Lawrence O'Neill, acting ...

Federer blows away Djokovic in straight sets

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:17 AM PDT

Roger Federer serves a ball against Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters on October 11, 2014Shanghai (AFP) - Roger Federer blew away Novak Djokovic in a fearsome Shanghai Masters performance Saturday to end the Serb's incredible winning streak in China and set up a final with Gilles Simon.

Messi penalty miss as Brazil beat Argentina

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Brazil's Luis Felipe (right) challenges Argentina's Lionel Messi for the ball during the Superclasico at the National Stadium in Beijing on October 11, 2014Beijing (AFP) - Lionel Messi missed a first-half penalty as Brazil beat Argentina 2-0 in a fiercely contested "Superclasico" friendly in Beijing on Saturday.

Communique of IMF steering committee

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 11:11 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Following is the text of the communique of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the steering committee of the International Monetary Fund, released on Saturday. The global recovery continues, but is uneven and weaker-than-expected, and downside risks have increased. We are committed to lifting potential growth and to creating a more robust, sustainable, balanced, and job-rich global economy. ...

New Jersey enforces isolation order for NBC crew

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:55 AM PDT

New Jersey officials have issued a mandatory quarantine order for members of an NBC crew that was exposed to a cameraman with Ebola.

Judge: NFL concussion opt-outs due by Tuesday

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:55 AM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2007 file photo, former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson, a trustee for the Burt Bell/Pete Rozell NFL Player Retirement Plan, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Tuesday remains the deadline to opt out of the NFL's class-action settlement of concussion claims after a judge denied requests by former players for an extension. Lawyers for Duerson's family and others had asked for a delay until after objections are weighed at a Nov. 19 fairness hearing. Duerson committed suicide on Feb. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tuesday remains the deadline to opt out of the NFL's class-action settlement of concussion claims after a judge denied requests by former players for an extension.

Ebola ruled out in death of Briton in Macedonia

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:45 AM PDT

Medical personnel leave a quarantined hotel in SkopjeBy Kole Casule SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia on Saturday ruled out the Ebola virus as the cause of death of a British man in the Balkan country on Thursday. "We have just received the results from the lab in Hamburg and they are negative for Ebola, which means that the patient did not have the Ebola virus," said Dr. Jovanka Kostovska of the Health Ministry's commission for infectious diseases. Authorities sealed off the hotel where the Briton had been staying and put 35 people in isolation on Thursday when he died. ...

U2 go from rock legends to accused spammers

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:41 AM PDT

Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) greets the crowd with U2 singer Bono (R) during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, CaliforniaNew York (AFP) - U2 and Apple planned the gesture for maximum publicity -- a concert by the Irish megastars at the tech giant's latest product launch, with the surprise that their new album had just been released for free to the world's half-billion iTunes customers.

US deal with Equatorial Guinean missed chance

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:39 AM PDT

This Oct. 17, 2011 photo provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows the exterior of the Malibu, Calif., mansion of the son of Equitorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, during the execution of a search warrant. Mangue must sell the $30 million Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and Michael Jackson memorabilia and then give the proceeds to the citizens of his impoverished country, under a settlement announced Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 by U.S. authorities who said he bought the lavish items with money stolen from the African nation. Mangue, who is also Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, agreed to turn over $20 million from the sale of these assets to a charitable organization to be used to benefit the people of his country, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Another $10.3 million will be forfeited to the U.S. government. (AP Photo/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A U.S. deal forcing the son of Equatorial Guinea's leader to turn over $31.3 million in ill-gotten gains misses an opportunity to expose the workings of corruption in the oil-rich nation, human rights activists said.

Pro-government group threaten to surround H.K. protest sites

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Pro-democracy supporters gather at Admiralty district after the government called off talks with protest leaders in Hong Kong late on October 10, 2014A Hong Kong pro-government group said Saturday demonstrators occupying main roads to protest for full democracy would find themselves surrounded if the city's administration failed to clear the barricades.

Ban Ki-moon makes surprise visit to Libya, urges dialogue

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:20 AM PDT

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the 65th session of UNHCR in GenevaTRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Tripoli on Saturday to urge the warring factions fighting for control of Libya to make peace, in the highest-level visit since an armed faction took the capital in August. Oil producer Libya is struggling with two governments and two parliaments since an armed group from the western city of Misrata seized Tripoli, setting up its own cabinet and assembly while forcing the internationally recognized government to move to the east. ...

Nations step up measures to stem worsening Ebola outbreak

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:19 AM PDT

A body bag containing a person suspected of dying from Ebola is collected and put on the back of a truck in Monrovia, on October 4, 2014Madrid (AFP) - Countries across the world scrambled Saturday to stem a deadly Ebola outbreak that UN officials warn is getting worse as New York's main JFK airport prepared to screen travellers from epidemic-hit west Africa.

Kurds urge more air strikes in Kobani; monitor warns of defeat

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:18 AM PDT

Turkish Kurds watch over the Syrian town of Kobani as they stand on top of a hill near Mursitpinar border crossing in the southeastern Turkish town of SurucBy Ayla Jean Yackley and Tom Perry MURSITPINAR Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish forces defending Kobani urged a U.S.-led coalition to escalate air strikes on Islamic State fighters who tightened their grip on the Syrian town at the border with Turkey on Saturday. A group that monitors the Syrian civil war said the Kurdish forces faced inevitable defeat in Kobani if Turkey did not open its border to let through arms - something Ankara has so far appeared reluctant to do. The U.S. ...

Obama wrapping up California fundraising trip

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 10:01 AM PDT

President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to speak at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, Calif., Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. Obama designated the nearly 350,000 acres within the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles a national monument. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Jay L. Clendenin, Pool)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Barack Obama on Saturday wrapped up a week that saw him raise campaign money for Democrats on both coasts.

Florida St to use outside official in Winston case

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:58 AM PDT

FILE - In this July 20, 2014, file photo, Florida State's Jameis Winston answers a question during a news conference at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. Florida State University released a document Friday morning, Oct. 10, 2014, defending itself in the handling of the sexual assault investigation of quarterback Jameis Winston, detailing its own timeline of events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State will use an independent official in its hearing of quarterback Jameis Winston, saying it wants to "remove any doubt about the integrity" of the proceedings.

27 Chinese and local hostages released in Cameroon

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:48 AM PDT

Agnes, the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister, hugs a relative upon her arrival in Yaounde on October 11, 2014 after she was freed following her kidnappingTen Chinese and 17 local hostages have been released in Cameroon, where they were kidnapped earlier this year in raids blamed on the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, Cameroon's president said Saturday.

Officials in Iraq say 2 car bombs kill 17 people in Shiite areas of the capital, Baghdad

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:42 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials in Iraq say 2 car bombs kill 17 people in Shiite areas of the capital, Baghdad.

U.S. military says it conducts airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:42 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military conducted six airstrikes against Islamic State militants near the besieged Syrian city of Kobani on Friday and Saturday, U.S. Central Command said. The U.S. and Dutch militaries also carried out three airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq near Tal Afar and Hit on Friday and Saturday, Central Command said in a statement. Additionally, U.S. ...

Ukraine leader says expects tough talks with Putin next week

Posted: 11 Oct 2014 09:36 AM PDT

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko speaks to the media during a news conference in KievBy Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday he expected planned talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin next week in Italy to be difficult but said Moscow had a crucial role to play in bringing peace to his country. Kiev and its Western backers accuse Moscow of backing a pro-Russian separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine by providing troops and arms. Russia denies the charges but says it has a right to defend the interests of the region's Russian-speaking majority. ...
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