Afternoon Headlines for Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Reuters
“Seeking compromise deal, Greece warns it might skip IMF payment”
“Greece’s international creditors signaled on Wednesday they were ready to compromise to avert a default even as a defiant Athens warned it might skip an IMF loan repayment due this week.”
AFP
“Ukrainian army accuses rebels of launching ‘large-scale offensive’”
“Rebel forces began a ‘large-scale offensive against Ukrainian positions’ close to the separatist stronghold of Donetsk at 0400 local time (0100 GMT) using some dozen tanks and up to a thousand troops, Ukraine’s General Staff said in statement, adding that government troops had fought back the attack using heavy artillery.”
New York Times
“Jeb Bush, taking his time, tests the legal definition of candidate”
“Jeb Bush is under growing pressure to acknowledge what seems obvious to some voters and election lawyers: He is running for president. The lawyers say Mr. Bush, a former Florida governor, is stretching the limits of election law by crisscrossing the country, hiring a political team and raising tens of millions of dollars at fund-raisers, all without declaring — except once, by mistake — that he is a candidate.”
AFP
“‘New era’ in physics as world’s biggest particle smasher cranks up”
“Scientists on Wednesday hailed a ‘new era’ in their quest to unravel more mysteries of the universe as the world’s biggest particle smasher started experiments with nearly doubled energy levels in a key breakthrough.”
New York Times
“Lincoln Chafee to announce bid for Democratic nomination for president”
“During a foreign policy speech at George Mason University in Virginia, Mr. Chafee is expected to announce his plans to become the fourth candidate to seek the Democratic nomination, joining Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland.”
AFP
“Burundi parliamentary vote postponed amid political crisis”
“Burundi’s parliamentary polls scheduled for Friday will be postponed until a new date is set by the electoral commission, an aide to the president said, with the country rocked by weeks of political crisis.”
New York Times
“Pentagon seeks easing of ban on Russian rockets for U.S. space missions”
“Only five months after the ban became law, the Pentagon is pressing Congress to ease it. It says that additional Russian engines will be needed for at least a few more years in order to assure access to space for the country’s most delicate defense and intelligence technology.”
Reuters
“FBI to investigate Russia, Qatar World Cup bids”
“The FBI’s investigation of alleged corruption at FIFA includes scrutiny of how soccer’s governing body awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 competition to Qatar, a U.S. law enforcement official said.”
AFP
“Air raid destroys huge I.S. car bomb plant in Iraq”
“An air strike in Iraq completely levelled one of the Islamic State jihadist group’s largest car bomb factories on Wednesday in a massive explosion heard for kilometers, officials said.”
Reuters
“U.S. tells Okinawa government new base ‘fundamental’ to security”
“U.S. officials told the governor of Okinawa on Wednesday that a U.S. troop presence on the Japanese island, which he opposes, is fundamental to the U.S. commitment to defend Japan.”
