World
Canary Islands wildfire prompts 9,000 evacuations; reaches park
TEJEDA, Spain (Reuters) – An out-of-control wildfire on Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands kept spreading on Monday, increasing to 9,000 the number of people evacuated from eight municipalities and reaching a natural park, authorities...
Turkish police use water cannon, batons on Kurdish protesters
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Riot police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters demonstrating in southeast Turkey on Tuesday against the ousting of three Kurdish mayors five months after they were elected. Ankara replaced the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) mayors with state officials on Monday and detained more than 400 people for...
Elderly in Hong Kong looking to China for affordable care in retirement
HONG KONG (Reuters) – After spending time with his 84-year-old mother in a senior care home in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, David Lee walked up to the supervisor and asked to reserve a place there for his own retirement. Lee, a 56-year-old from just across the border in Hong Kong, moved his mother,...
Trump urges India and Pakistan to reduce tensions in call with leaders
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of India and Pakistan on Monday, discussing prospects for improved trade ties with Washington and stressing the need to reduce tensions over Kashmir between the nuclear-armed neighbors. “Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of...
Over two dozen rescuers try to save trapped cavers in Poland
WARSAW (Reuters) – More than two dozen rescue workers are battling to save two cavers trapped in a cavern in Poland’s Tatra mountains, the mountain rescue service said on Sunday, after a narrow tunnel flooded with water, blocking their exit. A representative of the rescue service said it had not yet been possible to establish...
Twitter, Facebook accuse China of using fake accounts to undermine Hong Kong protests
(Reuters) – Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Monday they had dismantled a state-backed social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong. Twitter said it suspended 936 accounts and the operations appeared to be a coordinated state-backed effort originating in China. It said these accounts...
Serena to begin 2020 season with return to Auckland
(Reuters) – Former world number one Serena Williams will begin her 2020 season with a return to the Auckland Open in January, her first appearance at the tournament since she was ousted in the second round in 2017. The Auckland Open serves as a warm-up before the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, which...
Blake blasts back with 100m Diamond League win, eyes world champs
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Former world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica edged Britain’s Adam Gemili in a photo-finish to win the 100 meters at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting on Sunday. Both sprinters were given the same time of 10.07 seconds, with Blake declared the winner. “It was coming,” said Blake, the 2011 world champion...
Tiger leaves door open to playing on Presidents Cup team
(Reuters) – U.S. Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods said on Monday he may select himself to play for the team in December but he would need to see how sharp his game is before making the call. Woods was not among the top eight players to automatically qualify for the squad after he finished 13th...
Stephens splits with coach Groeneveld ahead of U.S. Open
(Reuters) – American Sloane Stephens has parted ways with her coach Sven Groeneveld less than a week before the U.S. Open gets underway, the former champion has said. Stephens, who only teamed up with Dutchman Groeneveld in May, has not announced a replacement ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam, which begins on Monday. “After...
Hong Kong readies for further protests after huge, peaceful rally
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong is gearing up for further protests this week after hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators braved heavy rain to rally peacefully on Sunday, marking a change to what have often been violent clashes. Sunday’s massive turnout, which organizers put at 1.7 million, showed that the movement still has widespread...
Hong Kong leader says she hopes non-violent protest puts city on road to peace
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she hopes a non-violent weekend protest that saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets in an anti-government rally was the beginning of efforts to restore peace in the Chinese-ruled city. Sunday’s protest was the calmest since the latest demonstrations against perceived...
Trump and Johnson discuss Brexit, economic issues in call
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Brexit and a U.S.-Britain free trade deal during a phone call on Monday ahead of a Group of Seven summit in France this weekend. “Great discussion with Prime Minister @BorisJohnson today. We talked about Brexit and how we can move rapidly on...
20th August
Elton John blasts relentless character assassination of Harry and Meghan
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres spoke out on Monday in support of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, calling them a down-to-earth and hardworking couple who were being unfairly attacked by the media. John recalled his friendship with Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, in a series of tweets in which...
U.S. envoy offers farm visas to boost asylum deal with Guatemala
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – In a bid to strengthen an asylum deal forged between Guatemala’s outgoing president and the United States, a U.S. official offered on Monday to triple the number of temporary farmworker visas available to Guatemalans. Last month, under threat of painful sanctions issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, Guatemala’s Jimmy Morales agreed...
Elderly in Hong Kong looking to China for affordable care in retirement
HONG KONG (Reuters) – After spending time with his 84-year-old mother in a senior care home in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, David Lee walked up to the supervisor and asked to reserve a place there for his own retirement. Lee, a 56-year-old from just across the border in Hong Kong, moved his mother,...
In retrial, El Salvador acquits woman accused of killing her stillborn child
CIUDAD DELGADO, El Salvador (Reuters) – A Salvadoran court on Monday acquitted a woman accused of homicide after giving birth to a stillborn baby in a case that drew international attention to the socially conservative nation’s strict abortion ban. Evelyn Hernandez, 21, was previously convicted of intentionally inducing an abortion and had already served three...
Canada’s Trudeau under pressure after Britain revokes citizenship of ‘Jihadi Jack’
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under pressure on Monday from the opposition Conservatives who warned against giving any assistance to Jack Letts – a dual citizen dubbed “Jihadi Jack” by the media – after Britain’s decision to strip him of his British citizenship. Letts, who had dual Canadian-British citizenship, said he...
Global network’s nuclear sensors in Russia went offline after mystery blast
VIENNA (Reuters) – The operator of a global network of radioactive-particle sensors said on Monday its two Russian sites closest to a mysterious explosion went offline days after the blast, soon followed by two more, fuelling suspicions that Russia tampered with them. The Russian Defence Ministry, which operates the two stations, did not immediately reply...
UK’s Johnson tells Germany and France: do a Brexit deal
TRURO, England/LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on France and Germany on Monday to change their position on Brexit and negotiate a new exit deal for Britain, reiterating his stance that he is ready to leave the European Union without a deal if they do not. With Britain set to leave the bloc...
Hong Kong leader sees ‘way out’ of chaos through dialogue
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she hoped a peaceful weekend anti-government protest was the start of an effort to restore peace and that dialogue with peaceful protesters would provide a “way out” for the Chinese-ruled city. Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in torrential rain on Sunday...
Besieged Kashmiri neighborhood in test of wills with India’s Modi
SRINAGAR (Reuters) – For more than a week, the young men of Soura, a densely populated enclave in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, have been taking turns to maintain an around-the-clock vigil at the entry points to their neighborhood. Each of the dozen or so entrances have been blocked with makeshift barricades of bricks, corrugated...
Iran tanker heads to Greece, U.S. warns against helping vessel
DUBAI (Reuters) – An Iranian tanker at the center of an angry confrontation between Iran and Washington sailed for Greece on Monday after it was freed from detention off Gibraltar, as Washington called the release unfortunate and warned Greece and Mediterranean ports against helping the vessel. Tehran said any U.S. move to seize the vessel...
Kuwait’s Emir has recovered after health setback: state news agency
DUBAI (Reuters) – Kuwait’s elderly ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah has recovered from a health setback and is “in a good condition now”, the state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday. It cited the Acting Emiri Diwan Minister Mohammad Dhaifallah Sharar as saying that the 90-year-old Sheikh Sabah had gone through a medical checkup...
Italy’s 5-Star says Salvini no longer a credible partner
ROME/LUCCA (Reuters) – Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement said on Sunday that Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League, was no longer a credible partner, apparently closing the door on any possibility of resurrecting the ruling coalition. Top brass of 5-Star met on Sunday at the villa of the movement’s founder, comedian Beppe Grillo, to discuss...
Portugal’s fuel-tanker drivers call off strike to negotiate
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s fuel-tanker drivers voted on Sunday to call off an indefinite strike, with their union agreeing to negotiate with employers in government-brokered talks due on Tuesday. Demanding better salaries and working conditions, the National Hazardous Goods Drivers’ Union (SNMMP) started striking on Monday after negotiations with their employers’ association ANTRAM failed. It...
Israel fires on militants at Gaza border, Palestinians say three killed
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinian gunmen as they tried to cross the Gaza border, the military said on Sunday and Palestinian health officials said three of the men were killed. “A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops spotted a number of armed suspects adjacent to the...
Relieved Thomas wins BMW Championship by three strokes over Cantlay
(Reuters) – Justin Thomas faltered in the final round at the BMW Championship on Sunday but held on for an ultimately comfortable three-stroke victory at Medinah in suburban Chicago. He carded a closing four-under 68 to finish on a 25-under-par total of 263, while fellow American Patrick Cantlay shot a 65 for second place on...
WTA roundup: Keys downs Kuznetsova to win Cincinnati title
Madison Keys served 13 aces and won the fifth singles title of her career on Sunday when she posted a 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the Western & Southern Open near Cincinnati. The 16th-seeded Keys registered 43 winners while overcoming 33 unforced errors to outlast Kuznetsova in one hour,...
Marathon man Medvedev beats Goffin for Cincinnati crown
(Reuters) – Russian Daniil Medvedev survived cramps and tantrum where he cracked a racquet to clinch his first Masters 1000 title on Sunday with a 7-6(3) 6-4 win over David Goffin in the final of the Cincinnati Masters. Medvedev saved two breaks points while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set before...
