| Iran nuclear talks in endgame, negotiators push on sticking points Posted: 03 Jul 2015 12:22 PM PDT  A year and half of nuclear talks between Iran and major powers were creeping towards the finish line on Friday as negotiators wrestled with sticking points including questions about Tehran's past atomic research. Iran is in talks with the United States and five other powers - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - on an agreement to curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. "We are coming to the end," said a senior Western diplomat, who added there was no plan to carry on for long past next Tuesday.
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| South Carolina church fire started by natural causes: police Posted: 03 Jul 2015 11:49 AM PDT  The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the fires and has so far determined that one was an electrical fire and two others were from natural causes. The fires were being investigated against the backdrop of the June 17 shooting of nine black churchgoers at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
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| Wisconsin man accused of threatening to kill President Obama Posted: 03 Jul 2015 09:53 AM PDT A Wisconsin man is being detained in a mental health facility after authorities say he told a security guard he planned to kill President Barack Obama. |
| New York governor orders more July Fourth security after alert Posted: 03 Jul 2015 09:36 AM PDT  (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered heightened security measures across the state over the U.S. July Fourth holiday weekend in response to a call for vigilance by the federal government. "We are keenly aware that New York State remains a top target for terrorists," Cuomo said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have issued an alert calling for local authorities and the public to remain vigilant for possible threats following recent calls for violence by Islamic State militants.
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| New York fugitive wrote to daughter 'See you on the outside': report Posted: 03 Jul 2015 09:21 AM PDT  Matt, 49, was shot and killed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on June 26 about 27 miles northwest (43 km) northwest of the prison in Dannemora, New York. Sweat, 35, was shot and captured on Sunday another 23 miles (37 km) away, close to the Canadian border.
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| Investigators probe Tennessee train fire that forced evacuation Posted: 03 Jul 2015 08:48 AM PDT  The flames that engulfed a car of the CSX Corp train in Blount County, near Maryville in eastern Tennessee, late Wednesday were extinguished by late Thursday, CSX said. The tank car was loaded with about 24,000 gallons of acrylonitrile, a hazardous material used in manufacturing plastics and other industrial processes. Noxious fumes sent more than 80 people to the hospital, including 10 law enforcement officers who were kept overnight, said Blount County Sheriff's spokeswoman Marian O'Briant.
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| Greek PM Tsipras says IMF debt report justifies rejection of deal Posted: 03 Jul 2015 06:48 AM PDT  Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday said an IMF analysis showing Greece's debt is unsustainable justifies his government's decision to reject an aid package from creditors that offered no debt relief. In a televised address to the nation on the final day of campaigning ahead of Sunday's referendum, Tsipras renewed his appeal to Greeks to vote against the bailout package and say 'no' to blackmail and ultimatums. "Yesterday an event of major political importance happened," Tsipras said.
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| IS says it destroyed archaeological pieces from Palmyra Posted: 03 Jul 2015 05:58 AM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State group militants have destroyed six archaeological pieces from the historic town of Palmyra that were confiscated from a smuggler, the group said.
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| Insurer Aetna to buy Humana in $37B deal Posted: 03 Jul 2015 05:09 AM PDT  Aetna will spend $37 billion to buy rival Humana and become the latest health insurer bulking up on government business as the industry adjusts to the federal health care overhaul.
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| Bone-dry West Coast states curb July 4 fireworks displays Posted: 03 Jul 2015 04:35 AM PDT  By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - Authorities battling dozens of large wildfires along the parched U.S. West Coast are clamping down on Independence Day fireworks displays over fears that wayward sparks could trigger fresh blazes. Communities in Washington state and Oregon have imposed restrictions or outright bans on fireworks, while Cupertino, California, joined Alaska's largest city of Anchorage in canceling signature fireworks shows because of drought concerns. "I suggest to show our patriotism, fly U.S. flags, not fireworks," said Erin Janssens, Fire Chief in Portland, Oregon.
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| Vendors in Los Angeles parks may be forced to move along Posted: 03 Jul 2015 04:19 AM PDT  Lourdes Segura and Teresa De Leon, sitting on folding chairs by a playground at a Los Angeles park, have neatly set out anything a child might want, from tiny firework snappers that crackle on pavement to Doritos chips. Thousands of Los Angeles street vendors, many of them unauthorized immigrants in a city that has increasingly sought to show support to migrants, may soon be forced out of parks where they peddle ice cream, toys, trinkets, dresses hung on tree branches and other items. "It's been quite a while since the police bothered us," De Leon, 54, an immigrant from El Salvador, said in Spanish.
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| Hispanic leaders say Republican Party must condemn Trump Posted: 03 Jul 2015 02:07 AM PDT  Hispanic leaders are warning of harm to Republican White House hopes unless the party's presidential contenders do more to condemn Donald Trump, a businessman turned presidential candidate who's refusing to apologize for calling Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers.
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| 'Yes' camp takes slim lead in Greek bailout referendum poll Posted: 03 Jul 2015 12:30 AM PDT  Supporters of Greece's bailout terms have taken a wafer-thin lead over the "No" vote backed by the leftist government, 48 hours before a referendum that may determine the country's future in the euro zone, a poll showed. It could also determine whether Greece becomes the first country to crash out of the 19-nation European single currency area, membership of which is meant to be irrevocable. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has urged Greeks to reject the "humiliating" terms offered last week by international creditors in a deal that is no longer on the table, and accused lenders of "blackmail" by withholding credit.
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| Reigning Miss Universe rebukes Trump for his migrant remarks Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:33 PM PDT  The reigning Miss Universe says Donald Trump, the beauty pageant's owner, was "hurtful and unfair" in his comments about Mexican migrants. But Paulina Vega of Colombia says she isn't giving up her crown.
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| Brazil cyclist killed at World Police and Fire Games near Washington Posted: 02 Jul 2015 06:41 PM PDT A Brazilian cyclist was killed and two other riders were critically injured in a crash on Thursday during an international bicycle race near Washington, D.C., police said. One cyclist blew out a tire and lost control, colliding with the other two riders at the annual World Police and Fire Games, which drew some 12,000 first responders and law enforcers to compete in sporting events in the Washington area, police said. Carlos Silva, 48, died from his injuries a few hours after the early-afternoon crash in Dumfries, Virginia, about 35 miles (56 km) south of Washington, Prince William County police said. |
| U.S. probe sees no links among black church fires in South Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:46 PM PDT  Federal law enforcement officials have found no links among any of several recent fires at African American churches in the U.S. South and have determined that two were started by natural causes and one was due to an electrical fire. The investigation into the fires follows the June 17 shootings at a historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine black people were killed and a white man linked to racist views was charged in their deaths. A federal law enforcement team including the FBI and the Justice Department's civil rights division are investigating several church fires across five states over the past two weeks, Newman said.
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| Washington state reports first U.S. measles death in 12 years Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:15 PM PDT By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - A previously undetected measles infection was found by an autopsy to be the underlying cause of a Washington state woman's death this spring, marking the first known U.S. fatality from the disease in 12 years, public health officials said on Thursday. The woman from Clallam County, in northwestern Washington, was most likely exposed to measles at a medical facility during a recent outbreak in the area, the state Health Department said in a statement on its website. The cause of her death was ruled by medical examiners as pneumonia due to measles, according to the agency. |
| Anonymous donors raise $3 million for scholarships after U.S. church shooting Posted: 02 Jul 2015 03:58 PM PDT  The large contribution underscores a national outpouring of grief and support for Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church, site of the racially motivated shooting spree on June 17. The scholarship fund will be named after one of the victims, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the church's leader and a state senator. The scholarships are intended for the church's extended community, including the victims' relatives.
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| Bail set for Florida doctor tied to Senator Menendez corruption case Posted: 02 Jul 2015 03:09 PM PDT  A judge set bail on Thursday at $18 million in a Medicare fraud case for a doctor who has also been accused of bribery and political corruption for giving lavish gifts to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, his attorney said. Salomon Melgen, 60, has pleaded not guilty to 76 counts of Medicare fraud and falsifying medical records in federal court in southern Florida. Melgen is accused of ordering unnecessary tests and falsifying records at his Florida practice.
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| Officials say N.Y. prison escapee pointed gun moments before death Posted: 02 Jul 2015 02:53 PM PDT  New York prison escapee Richard Matt was aiming a shotgun at a federal agent when the fugitive was shot and killed following an intense three-week manhunt, officials said on Thursday. The convicted murderer was discovered last Friday lying behind a fallen tree near Malone, a town about 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Clinton Correctional Facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. Matt, 49, refused to put up his hands, authorities said.
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