WORLD
FRANCE: The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Saturday for the truck massacre in Nice which France said was "a new kind of attack," as it faced hard questions over security failures.
GREECE: A Turkish military helicopter landed in Greece Saturday carrying eight officers seeking asylum after a coup bid, Greek police said.
SYRIA: Air raids on rebel-held districts of Syria's battleground second city of Aleppo killed at least 25 civilians including children on Saturday, a monitor said.
PAKISTAN: A Pakistani social media celebrity whose selfies polarized the deeply conservative Muslim country has been murdered by her brother in a suspected honor
killing.
JAPAN: Tokyo raised pressure on Beijing at an Asia-Europe summit Saturday to respect an international tribunal's ruling that dismissed its claims to much of the South China Sea.
BRAZIL: Brazil said it will bolster security for next month's Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice.
Obama convenes national security team amid Turkey unrest
President Barack Obama was huddling with top national security advisers in the White House Situation Room Saturday to address the destabilizing coup attempt in Turkey. The government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to have repelled the plot, but the situation remained fraught and tensions between Washington and Ankara appeared to be growing. In a statement, the White House said that Obama had convened a meeting with "his national security and broader foreign policy team to update him on the situation in Turkey." During the coup, Obama offered vocal support for Turkey's "democratically elected government" and urged all parties to "avoid any violence or bloodshed." But there were growing concerns
of a government crackdown on Erdogan's opponents. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a key Obama ally on the world stage, has urged Erdogan to deal with coup plotters under the rule of law. The Turkish authorities have imposed a security lockdown and cut power to the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey which is used by US forces.
Separately, a US defense official said that American forces across Turkey had been placed on maximum alert. In public appearances since returning to Istanbul, Erdogan has blamed the putsch on followers of Pennsylvania-based opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher with a large following. State John Kerry said the United States will help Turkey investigate the failed coup and he invited Ankara to share any evidence it has against Gulen.
US reveals suspicions of Saudi ties to 9/11
The United States probed links between the government of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks, finding multiple suspicions but no proven ties, documents declassified showed. Part of a Congressional report that had been kept under wraps for more than a decade showed intelligence believed that Saudi officials may have had multiple contacts with some of the 9/11 hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens. The findings however show no smoking gun for Saudi involvement, but rather an inability to "identify definitively" Saudi links to attacks on US soil and global terror. "While in the United States, some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi government,". One individual, believed to be from the Saudi interior ministry, raised suspicions when appearing to fake a seizure during FBI questioning about his links to a hijacker.
Trump's VP choice compares mogul to Reagan
In his first interview as Donald Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence late Friday compared the Republican presidential hopeful to conservative icon Ronald Reagan. Pence, interviewed on Fox News Channel's "Hannity" show, emphasized that the real estate mogul and reality TV star was "the people's choice". The Republican Party "had a competitive primary with him, enormous number of talented men and women," Pence said. "Donald Trump again and again emerged because I think very much like the 40th president that you and I so admire, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump understands the anxiety and the aspiration of the American people like no leader since Reagan." Trump has no direct political experience. In contrast Reagan, a Hollywood actor, was governor of California before he was elected president. The comparison with the late Reagan, who served two terms during the 1980s and is revered by Republicans, is a clear appeal to make Trump more palatable to conservatives alienated by Trump's bombastic rhetoric and populist message who had backed other primary candidates. The four-day Republican Party convention that will nominate Trump as their presidential candidate, which starts Monday in Cleveland, Ohio, will feature no former presidents, few party luminaries and only a
smattering of elected officials.
United States in Brief
STRIKE: The military has suspended air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq from a base in southern Turkey, an official said. Operations from the Incirlik air base were suspended "because of the closure of the airspace" used by the missions, the defense official said on condition of anonymity.
CHINA: China must abide by the same international rules as everyone else, Vice President Joe Biden warned after a UN-backed tribunal ruled against Beijing's claims in the South China Sea. The United States has no claims of its own within the vast area, but insists that all shipping has a right to pass through seas it regards as international waters.
SPY: Officials urged Beijing on Friday to guarantee "fair and transparent" legal proceedings for an American national held for more than a year in China on suspicion of espionage. Sandy Phan-Gillis, a businesswoman, was detained in March 2015 as she traveled to Macau following a visit to mainland China by a trade delegation from Houston, Texas.
RELEASE: A New Hampshire woman is free after serving a three-year prison sentence for
luring a co-worker to her apartment in 2012 as a sex offering to her domineering boyfriend, then helping him dispose of the co-worker's body after authorities say he strangled and raped the woman. (AP)
MOSQUE: An interfaith gathering will be held at the Rhode Island mosque that was the target of vandalism following the deadly truck attack in Nice, France. The Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement says the program is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Masjid Al-Hoda. (AP)
WINDOWS 10: Microsoft said Friday it will take longer than initially expected for Windows 10 to reach a billion devices due to the lack of traction in its smartphone business. The company had set an ambitious goal of having a billion gadgets running on Windows 10 monthly when the latest generation operating software was release nearly a year ago.
PITBULL: Rapper Pitbull was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday and said the honor was proof that hard work pays off. "To be up here, it just goes to show what happens when you focus, when you work hard, when you believe in yourself, when you go against all odds," the 35-year-old said as he received the 2,584th star at a ceremony.
SPORT
FRIDAY'S SCOREBOARD
MLB: INTERLEAGUE
Chicago Cubs 6, Texas 0
MLB: AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 5, N.Y. Yankees 3
Baltimore 4, Tampa Bay 3
Detroit 4, Kansas City 2
Cleveland 5, Minnesota 2
L.A. Angels 7, ChicagoWhite Sox 0
Oakland 8, Toronto 7
Houston 7, Seattle 3
MLB: NATIONAL LEAGUE
N.Y. Mets 5, Philadelphia 3
Washington 5, Pittsburgh 1
Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 4
Colorado 11, Atlanta 2
Miami 7, St. Louis 6
L.A. Dodgers 13, Arizona 7
San Diego 4, San Francisco 1
MLS
Los Angeles 1, Houston 0
GOLF: HenrikStensonwenttothetopofthe British Open leaderboard after a flying start to his third round at Royal Troon on Saturday.
KO: World number one Lydia Ko fired six birdies in a five-under par 66 on Friday to grab a share of the lead in the LPGA Marathon Classic at the halfway mark alongside Kim Hyo-Joo.
TENNIS: Jack Sock rallied to stun Marin Cilic 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday and put the United States on the road to a 2-0 lead over Croatia in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie.
CYCLING: Britian'sMark Cavendish proved he's the fastest sprinter at the Tour de France
this year with his fourth stage victory on Saturday. The 31-year-old took the honours on the 208.5km 14th stage from Montelimar to Parc des Oiseaux ahead of Norway's Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan of Slovakia.
0 Comment "World News on 07/17/2016"
Post a Comment