WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will review military strategy against the Islamic State group, press nations to admit more refugees and review progress around the world, despite new challenges, when he makes his final appearance at the U.N. General Assembly session in New York next week, the White House said Friday. On the sidelines … Continue reading
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A permanent cease-fire took effect in Colombia on Monday, Aug. 22, a major step in bringing an end to 52 years of bloody combat between the government and the country’s biggest rebel group. The commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia announced Sunday that his fighters would cease hostilities beginning … Continue reading
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s president is moving quickly to hold a national referendum on a peace deal meant to end a half-century of bloody conflict with leftist rebels, delivering the final text of the deal to congress on Thursday, Aug. 25, and declaring a definitive cease-fire with the guerrillas. “The armed conflict with the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Internet users of the Yik Yak social media app popular among college students aren’t nearly as anonymous as they believe: Missouri police within hours arrested a student accused of threatening violence, the latest in a string of such arrests at colleges in recent months involving threats of mass violence posted online using … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — For months, Marco Rubio’s campaign team in South Carolina operated out of a staffer’s garage, plotting strategy for the first-in-the-South primary from freshly painted yard sale furniture and tiny classroom desks. The shoestring budget setup was a point of pride for the Republican presidential candidate’s team. Now, with Rubio enjoying a … Continue reading
SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — Supported by U.S.-led airstrikes, Kurdish Iraqi troops on Thursday seized part of a highway that is used as a vital supply line for the Islamic State group, a key initial step in a major offensive to retake the strategic town of Sinjar from the militants. The town was overrun by the … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The racial tension at the heart of the protests that led two top University of Missouri administrators to resign remained at the Columbia campus with the arrest of a white college student suspected of posting online threats to shoot black students and faculty. Hunter M. Park, a 19-year-old sophomore studying computer … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A report filed by a campus police officer confirms that one of the most disturbing incidents of racial intimidation cited by University of Missouri protesters in recent weeks actually happened. The university system’s president and the Columbia campus chancellor announced their resignations Monday after racial unrest that included protests, a hunger … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The latest on the protests and turmoil over racially charged incidents at the University of Missouri (all times local): 8:55 a.m. A 19-year-old man accused of making online threats against black students and faculty at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia is scheduled to make his first court appearance. Boone … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A video showing a high school resource officer flipping a student out of her chair prompted the officer’s firing and the county sheriff to call for citizens to record more videos to keep police accountable. Those statements came just days after FBI Director James Comey said fears about being caught on … Continue reading
Elections were being held in nine countries around the world on Sunday. Here’s a look at what’s at stake: — ARGENTINA: Argentines chose between continuity versus a financial overhaul when they voted for the successor to President Cristina Fernandez, a polarizing leader who dominated national politics for 12 years. Her chosen successor, Daniel Scioli, the … Continue reading
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A nonviolent past and lack of hard drug use were factors cited by a judge who lowered bond for a man accused of failing to tell authorities all he knew about a friend accused of massacring nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church. U.S. Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges lowered Joey … Continue reading
PUERTO GAITAN, Colombia (AP) — Soaring oil prices the past decade transformed this rural backwater into Colombia’s richest city as nearby fields pumped black gold, drawing new businesses, international pop stars and vanity art projects such as the biblical-themed arch that towers over these sweltering grasslands. Now, crashing crude prices have the 45,000 residents … Continue reading
MIAMI (AP) — Despite being a relative pageant newcomer, Miss Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries. At Sunday’s pageant in Miami, Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said she would wear the … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 