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Fifty killed in North Sinai attacks claimed by Islamic State

ISMAILIA/CAIRO - Islamic State militants launched a wide-scale coordinated assault on several military checkpoints in Egypt's North Sinai on Wednesday in which 50 people were killed, security sources said, the largest attack yet in the insurgency-hit province. Egyptian army F-16 jets and Apache helicopters strafed the region that lies within the Sinai Peninsula, a strategic area located between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. (EGYPT-SECURITY/SINAI (UPDATE 5), moved at 9:11 a.m., 807 words)

TOP STORIES

U.S., Cuba restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years

HAVANA/WASHINGTON - The United States and Cuba are set to announce the restoration of diplomatic relations on Wednesday, the result of a two-year courtship between former Cold War rivals who severed ties in 1961. The chief of the U.S. interests section in Havana will report to Cuban foreign ministry around 9 a.m. to deliver a letter from President Barack Obama to Cuban President Raul Castro. Obama will then speak at 11 a.m. from the White House's ceremonial Rose Garden. It was unknown whether Castro would reciprocate with comments of his own. (CUBA-USA/ (PIX, TV), moved at 7 a.m., 400 words, will be led with Obama news conference and reaction)

IAEA chief heads to Iran as nuclear talks reach last stretch

VIENNA - The global nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday its boss would fly to Tehran to discuss some of the last big issues that need to be resolved so that Iran and world powers can reach a breakthrough final nuclear deal by a new deadline of next week. Iran and six world powers gave themselves an extra week on Tuesday to reach an accord that would curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions, after it became clear that a June 30 deadline would not be met. Despite the lapsed deadline, diplomats have given upbeat assessments of the prospects for a deal. (IRAN-NUCLEAR/ (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), moving shortly, 772 words)

To many ordinary Iranians, nuclear deal means money, food and jobs

VIENNA - To Iran's leaders, solving a nuclear standoff with the West might be a question of maintaining geopolitical influence and prestige. To its ordinary citizens, it's about money, food and jobs. (IRAN-NUCLEAR/PEOPLE (INSIGHT), moved, by Parisa Hafezi, 900 words) See also: (IRAN-NUCLEAR/OIL (POLL), moved, 510 words)

How Greece went bust

ATHENS - The long-running struggle between wayward Greece and the European Union has been beset by blunders and serial brinkmanship. As a Reuters account details, all parties had their flaws and misjudgments. (EUROZONE-GREECE/NEGOTIATIONS (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX, GRAPHIC), moving shortly, 2,600 words)

Girl Scouts get night under the stars at White House

WASHINGTON - It was not your average Girl Scout camp out. There were tents, but instead of the backwoods, they were pitched on the South Lawn of the most famous address in America, the White House. There was star-gazing. But it was led by Cady Coleman, a U.S. astronaut who spent two years on the International Space Station. And there was a campfire sing-a-long - which President Barack Obama dropped by to join. "What are you guys doing in my yard?" the president said, smiling, as 50 fourth-grade girls bedecked in green badge-covered vests giggled and shouted their hellos. (USA-WHITEHOUSE/CAMPING (PIX), moved at 10:13 p.m., 399 words)

U.S. doctors, hospitals reap $6.5 billion from drug and device makers

-- U.S. doctors and research hospitals collected nearly $6.5 billion in payments for services rendered to pharmaceutical and medical device companies in 2014, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments report released on Tuesday. The report, in its second year, lists 11.4 million payments to 607,000 physicians and more than 1,100 teaching hospitals made by 1,444 companies. The Open Payments program, which was created under the Affordable Care Act healthcare reform with the aim of improving transparency, requires drug and device manufacturers to report payments to health care providers for things like speaking engagements about their products and research grants. (USA-HEALTHCARE/PAYMENTS, moved, 400 words)

CAMPAIGN

Clinton struggled to fit in at Obama White House, emails show

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton struggled to fit into the government of President Barack Obama after being appointed Secretary of State in 2009, according to emails released by the State Department on Tuesday. They showed Clinton turning up for meetings that had been canceled and worrying about how much time she had with her new boss, revealing growing pains in the relationship between her and former election rival Obama in the early months of her time as America's top diplomat. (USA-CLINTON/EMAILS (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved at 3:10 a.m., 788 words) See also: Clinton emails show old friend Blumenthal advising on foreign policy (USA-CLINTON/EMAILS, moved at 12:45 p.m., 572 words)

Jeb Bush releases 33 years of tax returns in show of transparency

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush released 33 years of tax records on Tuesday that traced his path to a net worth of between $19 million and $22 million in a show of transparency that will pressure Democrat Hillary Clinton and his Republican rivals to open their financial books. Bush's income has soared since he left the Florida governor's office in 2007, the records showed. His annual income was $260,580 in 2006, his last year as governor. Tracking steadily higher through the financial crisis and deep recession, Bush's income was nearly $7.4 million in 2013. (USA ELECTION/BUSH (PIX), moved at 8:11 p.m., 1,069 words)

Christie launches 2016 bid, promises straight talk

(USA-ELECTION/CHRISTIE (UPDATE 4, PIX, TV), moved at 7:43 p.m., 687 words)

WASHINGTON

Obama says Ex-Im lapse on Tuesday means 'lost sales, lost customers, lost jobs'

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the Congress "is taking a step backward" by failing to renew the charter for the Export-Import Bank and instead letting it lapse at midnight. The lender will have to stop new loans and insurance coverage, which means "lost sales, lost customers, and lost opportunities" for U.S. exporters, Obama said in an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe. Conservative Republicans want to shut down the lender, which they argue provides corporate welfare to U.S. companies that count on its support, such as Boeing and General Electric. (USA EXIMBANK/WHITEHOUSE (PIX), moved, 353 words)

U.S. economy nearing full employment, bounced back in Q2 - Fed's Fischer

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy probably bounced back to an annual growth rate of around 2.5 percent in the second quarter and the labor market is approaching full employment, Federal Reserve vice chairman Stanley Fischer said on Tuesday. Speaking at a meeting of African central bankers at England's Oxford University, Fischer did not directly address the timing of an initial Fed rate hike that is expected as early as September. But he noted that the central bank needed to stay ahead of the curve. "We should not wait until we have reached our objectives to begin adjusting policy," Fischer said in prepared remarks. (USA FED/FISCHER, moved, 428 words) See also: Fed's Bullard says September rate hike still "very much" in play (USA-FED/BULLARD-CONTAGION, moved at 7:40 p.m., 162 words)

FEATURE

Colorado movie rampage jurors to hear from expert on psychosis

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Calling into question his note-taking, qualifications and conclusions about gunman James Holmes, the lead prosecutor in Colorado's movie massacre trial put the defense's first expert witness through a withering cross-examination. But District Attorney George Brauchler may have a tougher time trying to discredit the public defender's star witness: an eminent psychiatrist involved in the aftermath of some of the nation's worst mass violence cases. (USA-SHOOTING/DENVER-PSYCHIATRIST (FEATURE, PIX), moved at 7 a.m., 759 words)

OTHER U.S. NEWS

South Carolina church, scene of Ku Klux Klan arson, on fire again

CHARLESTON, S.C. - An African-American church in South Carolina that was burned down by the Ku Klux Klan 20 years ago was the scene of another blaze on Tuesday, officials and a newspaper said, though the cause was not immediately clear. The fire at Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Greeleyville comes amid a rash of fires that have erupted at black churches across the U.S. south, at least two of which have already been declared as deliberate. (USA-SOUTH CAROLINA/CHURCH (UPDATE 1), moved at 1:33 a.m., 425 words)

Texas county will issue same-sex marriage licenses, reversing earlier stance

DALLAS - A Texas county clerk said on Tuesday her office will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, reversing a previous decision that was based on religious objections. Some counties in other socially conservative states such as Kentucky have declined to issue such licenses since the Supreme Court said on Friday the . Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry. (USA-COURT/GAYMARRIAGE-TEXAS (UPDATE 1), moved at 9:55 p.m., 370 words)

Residents return to see homes destroyed by Washington state fire

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Families whose homes were destroyed in a massive grassland wildfire in Washington state were returning to scenes of destruction on Tuesday as firefighters fought to contain the virtually unchecked blaze, officials said. Fueled by extreme heat and gusting winds, the so-called Sleepy Hollow fire has scorched nearly 3,000 acres of rolling grasslands and brush around the city of Wenatchee since it erupted on a parched central Washington hillside on Sunday. The blaze was just 10 percent contained late on Tuesday. (USA-WILDFIRE/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved at 9:57 p.m., 389 words)

Crowds count down to legalization of marijuana in Oregon, then light up

PORTLAND - Crowds counted down the minutes to midnight then lit up joints as smoking marijuana became legal in Oregon on Wednesday, part of a growing legalization movement spreading down the United States' west coast. (USA-MARIJUANA/OREGON (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved at 5:45 a.m., 300 words)

Pennsylvania governor to veto budget bill, set stage for summer impasse

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Tom Wolf said he will veto a budget passed on Tuesday by the state's Republican-led legislature, setting the stage for a budget showdown that state lawmakers had warned could last through the summer. (USA-PENNSYLVANIA/BUDGET, moved at 11:45 p.m., 369 words)

Illinois Democrats seek temporary budget to keep government open

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The financially troubled state of Illinois edged closer on Tuesday to a government shutdown as Democratic lawmakers and the Republican governor failed to resolve a budget impasse ahead of a midnight deadline. Veteran House Speaker Michael Madigan said he would present an emergency one-month budget on Wednesday to keep essential services operating, but Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, in office since January, has signaled he would not accept such a measure. (USA-ILLINOIS/BUDGET (UPDATE 2), moved at 7:42 p.m., by Fiona Ortiz, 652 words)

Oklahoma judge orders grand jury probe of Tulsa sheriff's office

TULSA, Okla. - An Oklahoma judge on Tuesday ordered a grand jury investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, which has been under scrutiny since a white reserve sheriff's deputy fatally shot a black suspect in April. Judge Rebecca Nightingale issued the order after an activist group submitted a petition aimed at compelling a grand jury investigation into Sheriff Stanley Glanz and his department. (USA-POLICE/OKLAHOMA, moved at 9:12 p.m., 270 words)

Idaho refugee center targeted by closure campaign over extremism fears

-- A long-standing refugee welcoming center in conservative Idaho has found itself at the center of a campaign by adversaries seeking to force it closed, citing fears that the immigrants it hosts could include Islamist extremists. (USA-REFUGEES/IDAHO, moved at 11:23 p.m., 445 words)

Escapee practiced fleeing New York prison where chief on leave

NEW YORK - Escapee David Sweat made a practice run before he and Richard Matt broke out of an upstate New York prison where on Tuesday the superintendent and 11 other employees were placed on leave. (USA-NEW YORK/PRISONERS (UPDATE 3, TV), moved at 10:23 p.m., 378 words)

Chicago Public Schools make full pension payment by deadline

CHICAGO - The Chicago Public Schools made its full teachers' pension payment on Tuesday ahead of a midnight deadline, saying the move will require $200 million in spending cuts, according to a school official. Illinois law mandated a $634 million payment to the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund, but it was uncertain whether the cash-strapped public school system, the nation's third-largest, would find the necessary money. (USA-CHICAGO/EDUCATION (UPDATE 2), moved at 11 p.m., 320 words)

Milwaukee bus union members to hold three-day work stoppage

MILWAUKEE - Bus drivers and mechanics in Milwaukee will take part in a three-day work stoppage starting on Wednesday morning after negotiations with transit system officials stalled over a new labor contract, union officials said on Tuesday. Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 will stop working at 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday and return 72 hours later, union officials said. (USA-TRANSIT/MILWAUKEE, moved at 10:42 p.m., 340 words)

New Hawaii law legalizes traditional 'clean burial' practice

HONOLULU - In Hawaii, the dead can now be put to rest following an ancient Hawaiian custom called "clean burial" in which only a person's bones are buried under a new law signed by Governor David Ige on Tuesday. The law legalizes the now-rare practice, once considered a violation of Hawaii's penal code, of allowing family members to handle bones of deceased loved ones after their flesh is removed in a partial cremation. (USA-BURIAL/HAWAII, moved at 9:38 p.m., by Suzanne Roig, 313 words)

Los Angeles seeks job training exemption to new minimum wage law

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council, which weeks ago approved a hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, on Tuesday asked its legal staff to carve out an exemption to the ordinance for job training programs. In voting to approve the measure, city council members instructed the city attorney to put together an ordinance allowing employers of job training programs to pay workers below the minimum wage for the first 18 months of their training. (USA-MINIMUMWAGE/LOSANGELES, moved at 7:53 p.m., 232 words)

MIDDLE EAST

Syrian Kurds say thwart big Islamic State attack on border town

BEIRUT - A Syrian Kurdish militia says it has recovered full control of the border town of Tel Abyad after Islamic State fighters raided its outskirts the day before in preparation for a larger assault. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA (UPDATE 1), moved, 270 words)

WORLD

Indonesia to review aging air force fleet after deadly crash

MEDAN, Indonesia - Indonesia's president promises a review of the country's ageing air force fleet and a defense modernization drive, as the death toll from the crash of a military transport plane in the north of the country climbs past 140. (INDONESIA-MILITARY/CRASH (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved, 665 words)

As Europe swelters, UN issues advice on heat waves

GENEVA - As a heat wave hit Europe, the U.N. urges authorities worldwide to set up early warning systems to mitigate health risks posed by heat waves that are "becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change". (WEATHER-UN/HEAT (TV), moved, 380 words)

As populists surge, Nordic consensus politics fray

COPENHAGEN/STOCKHOLM - A policy impasse in Sweden and a newly installed but fragile minority government in Denmark are the latest signs that the Nordic political consensus model is fraying with the ascendency of euroskeptic and anti-immigration parties. (EUROPE-POLITICS/NORDICS, moved, 770 words)

More than 135,000 refugees reached Europe by sea in 2015's 1st half - UNHCR

WASHINGTON - More than 135,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe by sea in the first half of 2015, with most of the burden being borne by countries in southern Europe. (N-EUROPE/REFUGEES, moved at midnight, 250 words)

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Liberia registers second confirmed Ebola case

MONROVIA - Liberia confirms a second case of Ebola just a day after authorities announced they had detected the deadly virus seven weeks after the West African country was declared Ebola-free, a senior health official says. (HEALTH-EBOLA/LIBERIA (UPDATE 1), moved, 200 words)

FDA seeks data on e-cigarettes after surge in poisoning cases

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said it is seeking additional data and comments on liquid nicotine as it considers warning the public about the dangers of its exposure amid a rise in electronic cigarette use. The agency has evaluated data and science on the risks, especially to infants and children, from accidental exposure to nicotine and liquid nicotine that is used in e-cigarettes. (FDA-ECIGARETTES/, moved, 237 words)

PTSD tied to heart, stroke risk among women

-- Women with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder may be at an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes, suggests a new study. Women with the most symptoms were about 60 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, compared to women who never experienced trauma, researchers report in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. "Women who have PTSD should be aware they are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke," said Jennifer Sumner, the study's lead author from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York. (WOMEN-HEART/PTSD, moved, 529 words)

Beware of animal diseases as biological weapons, health experts say

PARIS - The World Health Organization, animal health and national defense officers called on Tuesday for wider international cooperation to avoid the spread of animal diseases that could be used as biological weapons. Sixty percent of human diseases come from animal agents and 80 percent of the agents that could be used for bio terrorism are of animal origin, said Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health. (HEALTH-ANIMAL/, moved, 353 words)

Half of heart disease deaths due to preventable factors

-- In the U.S., preventable risk factors still account for 50 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease among adults age 45 to 79, according to a new analysis. But even if every state brought levels of those risk factors - such as obesity and smoking - down to the best level any state has so far achieved, less than 10 percent of heart disease deaths would be prevented, the researchers estimated. (USA-HEARTDISEASE/PREVENTION, moved, 630 words)

ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE

American women reach World Cup final, earn another chance of glory

MONTREAL - The veteran U.S. women's soccer side earned another chance at World Cup glory on Tuesday, reaching the final for the second time in a row by beating top-ranked Germany 2-0 with the aid of some poor refereeing. Seven of the U.S. team that started the Montreal semi-final had played in the deciding game in 2011, where they lost to Japan, and for many this will clearly be a last opportunity to triumph. Japan and England meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday in Edmonton. The winner will move on to face the United States in the title game on Sunday in Vancouver. (SOCCER-WOMEN/USA (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved at 10:11 p.m., 449 words)

Drummer for Journey in jail on rape charges in Oregon

PORTLAND - Journey drummer Deen Castronovo was in jail in Oregon on Tuesday on charges of rape and sexual assault, court officials said. Castronovo, of Salem, Oregon, is charged with rape, assault and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from his arrest in an alleged domestic violence incident on June 14, the Statesman Journal newspaper reported. (USA-ENTERTAINMENT/JOURNEY-ARREST, moved at 9:26 p.m., 158 words)

Rare pre-Civil War baseball card heads to auction

DALLAS - A pre-Civil War baseball card that survived as an heirloom within the family of a player for more than 150 years is being offered at auction, with online bidding starting on Tuesday, a Dallas-based auction house said. The 1860s Brooklyn Atlantics team card is expected to fetch at least $50,000, said Heritage Auctions, which will sell the card at its Platinum Night Sports Auction on July 30, coinciding with the 2015 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. (USA BASEBALL/CARD, moved, 289 words)

Cartel Land' Blurs Lines Between Good Vs. Evil In Mexican Drug Wars

(VARIETY-ENTERTAINMENT-BIZ/NEWS), moved at 9:04 a.m., 648 words)

Spock Documentary Tops $600,000 Kickstarter Goal

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-FILM/NEWS), moved, 452 words)

Miss USA Loses Cheryl Burke as Co-Host

(VARIETY-ENTERTAINMENT-TV/NEWS), moved, 308 words)

'Star Trek 3' Gets Title, Michael Bay Benghazi Thriller Sets Release Date

(VARIETY-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM/NEWS), moved, 193 words)

BUSINESS AND MARKETS

Swiss Insurer ACE to buy Chubb for $28.3 billion

-- Property and casualty insurer ACE Ltd says it will buy smaller rival Chubb Corp for $28.3 billion to diversify its portfolio and reduce exposure to rock-bottom catastrophe insurance rates. (CHUBB CORP-M&A/ACE (UPDATE 2), moved at 9:02 a.m., 334 words)

U.S. auto sales on pace for gain over year ago, led by SUVs

DETROIT - U.S. June auto sales remained strong in June as once again SUVs and trucks outpaced cars amid moderately low gasoline prices. While Ford Motor Co's sales rose only 2 percent, it showed the largest increase in the market in the average price of its vehicles, Kelley Blue Book said. Ford's SUV sales rose 10 percent but its car sales fell 3.5 percent, the company said on Wednesday. U.S. auto sales, often an early snapshot into consumer spending each month, are expected to rise about 5 percent for the industry. Truck and SUV sales will again grow at a faster pace than sedans, aided by moderately low gasoline prices. (USA-AUTOS/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, GRAPHICS), moving shortly, 281 words, will be led)

General Mills profit halves due to $260 million impairment charge

-- General Mills, the maker of Cheerios cereal and Betty Crocker cake mixes, said fourth-quarter profit halved as it recorded a $260 million charge to write down the value of one of its frozen and canned vegetable businesses. An assessment of its Green Giant brand showed the business's market value was now lower than its carrying value, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. (GENERAL MILLS-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 8 a.m., 276 words)

Patterson Cos to sell rehab business to PE firm for $715 million

-- Patterson Cos said it would sell its business that makes products to help patients' recovery to private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners for $715 million. Patterson, which also makes dental products and veterinary supplies, said it would use the proceeds to pay down debt. The company had said earlier this year that it planned to sell the rehabilitation business. (PATTERSON-DEALS/MADISON DEARBORN, moved at 9:13 a.m., 60 words, will be led)

Canada's Brookfield makes $6.8 billion play for Australian freight major Asciano

SYDNEY - Canada's Brookfield Asset Management has approached Australia's Asciano Ltd with a $6.8 billion takeover bid, but uncertainty about whether the deal would go through capped gains in the stock price of the rail freight firm. (ASCIANO-M&A/BROOKFIELD INFR (UPDATE 2), moved, by Byron Kaye, 370 words)

Toyota's top female executive steps down after arrest in Japan

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp says Julie Hamp, its first female managing offer, has resigned following her arrest last month on suspicion of illegally importing the painkiller oxycodone into Japan. (TOYOTA-EXECUTIVE/RESIGNATION (UPDATE 1), moved, 235 words)

Brazilian leader to visit Silicon Valley, aerospacre giants

-- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is scheduled to visit Google CEO Larry Page; attend a lunch hosted by Condi Rice with top Silicon Valley execs from Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Paypal, Cisco and Amazon; a visit to Stanford's research center; and a visit to the NASA research center at Stanford along with a meeting of top execs from Boeing, GE, Honeywell and Embraer. (BRAZIL-ROUSSEFF (PIX, TV), expect by 4 p.m., 400 words)

JP Morgan builds up apartment-loan leader from WaMu rubble

NEW YORK - In September 2008, JPMorgan Chase & Co executives sifted through the rubble of Washington Mutual, the failed home loan bank that they had just won in a U.S. government auction. They found something unexpectedly good: about $30 billion of mortgages on apartment buildings, which earned strong returns, whether the economy was performing well or not. (JPMORGAN-APARTMENTS/ (INSIGHT, GRAPHICS), moved, by David Henry, 1,160 words)

Ukraine halts Russian gas imports after pricing talks fail

KIEV - Ukraine halts natural gas imports from Russia after energy officials from the two countries fail to agree on quarterly prices, state transport monopoly Ukrtransgaz says. (UKRAINE-GAS/IMPORTS (UPDATE 1), moved, 225 words)

South Korea court ruling keeps $8 billion Samsung merger bid on track

SEOUL - A court rejects a U.S. hedge fund's bid to block a shareholder vote on the planned $8 billion merger of two Samsung Group companies seen as a key step for the leadership succession at South Korea's biggest family-run conglomerate. (SAMSUNG C&T-CHEIL INDUSTRIES/COURT (UPDATE 1), moved, 400 words)

Christine McCarthy Named New Disney Chief Financial Officer

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-FILM/NEWS), moved, 574 words)

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