Fire crews battling a Riverside County wildfire that has burned more than 3000 acres made slight progress overnight, and the blaze is now 15% contained, authorities said. More than 400 firefighters were called in from around the state to help with the … Mitt Romney, Obama duel over Medicare as campaign intensifies - Washington Post
The presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and President Obama dueled Wednesday over Medicare, potentially a key issue in swing states that both camps are targeting in the November elections. As Obama continued a swing through Iowa on the third and … Romney in Chillicothe Tuesday Night - ABC6OnYourSide.com
CHILLICOTHE — Hundreds gathered in Chillicothe to hear presumptive presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The republican candidate making his final stop of the day Tuesday night. Romney told the crowd he wants to "stop killing our jobs and that means … Great Basin Gold considers sale; CEO resigns
(Reuters) – Precious metals miner Great Basin Gold Ltd said it was reviewing strategic alternatives, including a sale of the company, after technical problems at its South Africa mine led to a cash crunch during the second quarter. Great Basin Chief Executive Ferdi Dippenaar had resigned as part of the process and CFO Lou Van Vuuren would take charge as interim CEO, the company said in a statement. Shares of the company fell 43 percent to a 14-year low. The company plans to raise at least C$60 million ($60.49 million) through asset sales and issue of new equity to ease short-term cash …
Bid to defuse deadly strike at S.African mine
Police and mining officials Wednesday sought to defuse a strike that sparked clashes between rival unions leaving 10 people dead and shutting down a Lonmin platinum operation. Untouchables: Asia's biggest wildlife traffickers
Squealing tiger cubs stuffed into carry-on bags. Luggage packed with hundreds of squirming tortoises, elephant tusks, even water dragons and American paddlefish. Officials at Thailand's gateway airport proudly tick off the illegally trafficked wildlife they have seized over the past two years. US urges fair trial for Kazakh opposition leader
A senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday that he hopes the upcoming trial of a prominent opposition leader in Kazakhstan is conducted fairly and does not set back democratic reforms in the Central Asian nation.
Asian island dispute flares on WWII anniversary - The Associated Press
By By MARI YAMAGUCHI - 1 minute ago TOKYO (AP) -- Regional tensions flared on the emotional anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender as activists from China and South Korea used Wednesday's occasion to press rival territorial claims, prompting 14 … Syria tensions spill over border to Lebanon - Newsday
World Newsday > News Print Aa Syria tensions spill over border to Lebanon Originally published: August 15, 2012 2:23 AM Updated: August 15, 2012 10:04 AM By The Associated Press BASSEM MROUE (Associated Press) BEIRUT – (AP) — Armed Shiite clansmen in … Fractious politics taking India to brink, warns Prime Minister - Sydney Morning Herald
DELHI: India's national security is being jeopardised by the country's fractious domestic politics and its laggard economy, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has warned. Speaking atop Delhi's famed 350-year-old Red Fort to mark India's Independence … 20 Syrians reported seized in Lebanon - USA TODAY
BEIRUT - Armed Shiite clansmen in Lebanon said Wednesday they had captured more than 20 Syrians and will hold them until one of their relatives seized by rebels inside Syria is freed. The tensions were a stark reminder of how easily Syria's civil war … Firefight erupts near PM's office in Damascus: AFP
Fierce fighting erupted between the Syrian army and rebels near the prime minister's office in Damascus on Wednesday, an AFP journalist said. IMF's Lagarde to visit Egypt on August 22
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde will visit Egypt on August 22, the IMF said Wednesday, as discussions gear up over a possible $3.2 billion loan for the country. US warns Iran to stay out of Syria - The Australian
A huge bomb blast rocked the heart of Damascus yesterday as pressure mounted on the regime, with the world's largest pan-Islamic bloc poised to suspend Syria over the unrelenting violence. The US accused Iran of setting up a pro-regime militia in Syria … Chinese activists arrested by Japan after landing on disputed island - Washington Post
BEIJING -- Regional tempers flared in Asia on Wednesday -- the anniversary of the end of World War II -- after Japan arrested more than a dozen Chinese activists who had landed on a disputed island in the East China Sea. The conflict is the latest in a … Families of slain Iranian scientists sue Israel - Fox News
Families of Iran's slain nuclear scientists have filed a lawsuit against Israel, the US and Britain accusing them of involvement in the assassination of their loved ones. Rahim Ahmadi Roshan, father of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, the slain chemistry expert … Dutch Socialists lead in polls ahead of Sept 12 vote
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch Socialist Party, campaigning for tax hikes for the rich and looser budget deficit targets for Europe, led in a rash of opinion polls a month ahead of a parliamentary election. The hard-left movement was seen winning as many as 37 seats in the 150-seat assembly – a result that would leave it the biggest party in parliament but needing an alliance with at least two other groups to take power. …
Provocative front-page ad over disputed territory angers Japan - Brisbane Times
AH DOKDO! So alluring, just the spot for a holiday – a ''beautiful island in the East Sea''. Or should that read ''Takeshima, a collection of barely habitable rocks in the Sea of Japan''? Yesterday the Herald was caught up in a troubling territorial … Muamba retires from football after cardiac arrest
Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba has retired from playing professional football on health grounds, the English second-tier club said on their website Thursday. Australia won't send war crimes suspect to Hungary - Houston Chronicle
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Australia's highest court ruled Wednesday that a 90-year-old citizen cannot be extradited to Hungary to face accusations he tortured and killed a Jewish teenager during World War II. The High Court upheld a lower court's … Ugandans celebrate first medal in 40 years
Uganda’s only medal winner at the London Olympics cried tears of joy as hundreds of people welcomed him home on Wednesday with celebrations of music and dance in honor of the African nation’s first gold since the 1972 games in Munich.
Explosion hits near Damascus hotel used by UN
A bomb attached to a fuel truck exploded Wednesday outside a Damascus hotel where U.N. observers are staying in the Syrian capital, wounding at least three people, Syria's state TV reported. Canadian artist calls for Putin lynching in Pussy Riot video - AFP
BERLIN -- Canadian electro-punk performance artist Peaches posted a protest video for Russian feminist band Pussy Riot online Wednesday in which she calls for President Vladimir Putin to be lynched. The video for the new song "Free Pussy Riot", … 
Updated: 8:39 am ET (CBS News) In his solo first interview since tapping Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney on Wednesday attempted to create daylight between his plan for Medicare and his running mate's controversial budget proposal, … 
A large Lebanese Shiite clan said on Wednesday it has kidnapped at least 20 Syrians to try to secure the release of a family member abducted near Damascus this week. 
Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned an EU decision to effectively label parts of an Israeli town as a settlement, in a new list of locales not entitled to European tariff exemptions. 
Muslim leaders in Ethiopia jailed as part of a "brutal crackdown" must be released immediately, the US-based Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, a demand dismissed by the government. 
Regional tensions flared on the emotional anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender as activists from China and South Korea used Wednesday's occasion to press rival sea territory claims, prompting 14 arrests by Japanese police. 
Syrian troops and rebels clashed inside Damascus for a second day on Monday, causing plumes of black smoke to drift over the city's skyline in some of the worst violence in the tightly controlled capital since the country's crisis began 16 months ago. 
Britain's recession-hit economy remained on course for more cash stimulus despite an improved employment backdrop, minutes from the Bank of England's latest monetary policy meeting showed Wednesday. 
Scouts will light flames on the highest mountains in each of the four home nations of Britain next week to spark the torch relay for the London Paralympics, organisers said Wednesday. 
India's national security is at risk if urgent steps are not taken to boost economic growth, attract new investment in infrastructure and legislate against corruption, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday. 
o A daily summary of global reports on security issues. Syrian rebels are claiming responsibility for a massive explosion today near a hotel in downtown Damascus that United Nations observers have been using, but they say that the bomb was a strike … 
The semiofficial Mehr news agency on Tuesday quoted Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as saying Israeli leaders are resorting to "psychological war" against Iran. Israel has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The West suspects Iran is … 
(CBS News) The back-and-forth on who is running a nastier presidential campaign continued Wednesday, with Republican candidate Mitt Romney saying that President Barack Obama was running "just to hang on to power" and has based his campaign on "division … 
The Obama administration on Tuesday directed young illegal immigrants to fill out new forms and pay $465 if they want to apply under a new program that would let them avoid deportation and obtain a US work permit. The government renewed warnings that … 
China and South Korea on Wednesday pressed Japan to face up to its wartime past, as festering territorial disputes flared and Asia marked the anniversary of Tokyo's World War II surrender. 
Asian nations must act quickly to protect their cities from flooding and other natural disasters as rapid urbanisation raises environmental risks, the Asian Development Bank said Wednesday. 
Mali's army chief of staff Ibrahima Dembele has pledged that Malian rather than West African regional troops will eject Islamists from the country's occupied north. 
Nearly seven decades after Japan surrendered, leadership changes in Northeast Asia are fuelling territorial disputes that are themselves the legacy of a war the region never really settled, analysts say. 
(Fixes punctuation in paragraph 4) (The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own) By Jeff Glekin MUMBAI, Aug 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) – India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a vague speech on India's … 
A bomb exploded in central Damascus on Wednesday near several military buildings and a hotel housing UN observers, wounding three people and sending a pillar of black smoke into the sky above the Syrian capital. No UN staff were hurt in the blast, … 
(Reuters) – Canada's main stock index, with its heavy weighting of resource issues, looked set to open lower on Wednesday as commodity prices fell and investors stayed on the sidelines awaiting clues from major central banks on economic stimulus. TOP STORIES Retailer Sears Canada Inc reported a wider second-quarter loss on a drop in sales at its outdoor power equipment category and lower sales during weekends. Standard Chartered is pursuing a collective settlement with other U.S. … 
Kenya's under-fire Olympic team received a tumultous welcome home from family and friends on Wednesday, even as the government announced an inquest on the poor showing at the London Games. 
CARACAS (Reuters) – Sitting in front of a mural of Jesus and the Virgin Mary armed with AK-47s, three red-shirted children are clutching assault rifles and copies of Venezuela's constitution. The photo, taken in a poor Caracas neighborhood and posted online earlier this year by the militant left-wing group "La Piedrita" (The Little Stone), triggered outrage across the South American nation and beyond. … 
Malawian President Joyce Banda said Wednesday her country will not "go to war" with Tanzania over a border dispute in Lake Malawi, now poised to become a new oil and gas frontier. 
The violence continues in Aleppo as pro-government forces try to dislodge the rebel Free Syrian Army using heavy artillery and air strikes. Accurate figures of the death toll are impossible but observers say that anywhere between 18 and 20000 people …