SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, flair for showmanship and political stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, dies aged 74.(PEOPLE-ALI/ (UPDATE 5, PICTURES, TV), expect by 1300 GMT/9 AM ET, by Ricardo Arduengo, 800 words)
- PEOPLE-ALI/LIFE (OBITUARY, PICTURES, TV), moved, by Bill Trott, 1,350 words
- PEOPLE-ALI/REACTION (FACBTOX), moved, 600 words
- PEOPLE-ALI/FACTS (FACTBOX), moved, 400 words
- PEOPLE-ALI/FIGHTS (FACTBOX), moved, 600 words
- PEOPLE-ALI/QUOTES (FACTBOX), moved, 350 words
Syrian army enters Raqqa province in offensive against Islamic State - monitor
AMMAN - The Syrian army has crossed the boundary of Raqqa province after advancing in a major Russian-backed offensive against Islamic State militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war, said on Saturday. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-RAQQA (UPDATE 2), expect by 1200 GMT/8 AM ET, 500 words)
- MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ, moved, by Ned Parker and Jonathan Landay, 1,400 words
- MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-UN (UPDATE 5), moved, by Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau, 600 words)
- MIDEAST-CRISIS/STRIKES-USA (UPDATE 1, PICTURES), moved, 440 words
Trump seizes on U.S. jobs report to target Democratic economic policies
WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says a U.S. jobs report that showed the weakest hiring in more than five years proves that Democratic economic policies are pushing the country in the wrong direction. (USA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 3, PICTURES, TV), moved, by Amanda Becker and Emily Stephenson, 670 words)
- USA-ELECTION/PROTESTS (UPDATE 2, PICTURES, TV), moved, by Julia Love, 700 words
- USA-ELECTION/TRUMP (PICTURES), moved, by Steve Holland, 715 words
EUROPE
French PM says Seine seems to have peaked after floods
PARIS - Floods that inundated parts of France killing four and forcing thousands from their homes could start easing after the Seine river hit a peak and stabilises, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says. (FRANCE-WEATHER/ (PIX, TV), expect by 1200 GMT/ 8 AM ET, by Bate Felix, 400 words)
- GERMANY-WEATHER/FESTIVAL (UPDATE 1), expect by 1500 GMT/11 AM ET, 300 words
I am my own man, says Ukraine's new prime minister
KIEV - Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman says will not let decision-making be shackled by powerful vested interests, in his first interview with foreign media since taking office in April. (UKRAINE-CRISIS/PM (INTERVIEW, PIX, TV), by Pavel Polityuk, Matthias Williams and Alexei Kalmykov, 865 words)
Brexit debate brings out Britain's World War Two fixation
LONDON - When Nigel Farage rolls into town in a purple double-decker bus to campaign for Britain to leave the EU, the music blaring from the loudspeakers is from the classic World War Two movie "The Great Escape". (BRITAIN-EU/WORLDWARTWO (PICTURES), by Estelle Shirbon, 625 words)
ASIA
U.S. flexes muscles as Asia worries about S.China Sea row
SINGAPORE - The United States steps up pressure on China to rein in its actions in the South China Sea, with top defence officials underlining Washington's military superiority and vowing to remain the main guarantor of Asian security for decades to come. (ASIA-SECURITY/ (UPDATE 3, PICTURES, TV), moved, by David Brunnstrom and Greg Torode, 825 words)
- ASIA-SECURITY/JAPAN, moved, 460 words
- ASIA-SECURITY/JAPAN-KOREA, moved, 270 words
Democracy nothing to fear, Taiwan says to China
TAIPEI - On the anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on student-led protests in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Taiwan's new president tells China that democracy is nothing to fear. (CHINA-TIANANMEN/ (PICTURES, TV), moved, by J.R. Wu, 475 words)
UNITED STATES
NY Fed first rejected cyber-heist transfers, then moved $81 million
DHAKA/NEW YORK - Hours before the Federal Reserve Bank of New York approved four fraudulent requests to send $81 million from a Bangladesh Bank account to cyber thieves, the Fed branch blocked those same requests because they lacked information required to transfer money, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. (CYBER-HEIST/BANGLADESH (EXCLUSIVE, PICTURES), moved, by Krishna N. Das and Jonathan Spicer, 930 words)
- USA-FED/CYBER (UPDATE 2, GRAPHIC), moved, by Dustin Volz and Jason Lange, 530 words)
Carter says nine soldiers now known to have died in Fort Hood incident
SINGAPORE - Nine U.S. soldiers are now known to have died when a troop carrier overturned this week during a training exercise at the U.S. Army base of Food Hood in Texas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter says. (TEXAS-FLOODS/FORTHOOD (UPDATE 1), moved, 200 words)
- TEXAS-FLOODING/ (UPDATE 5, PICTURES, TV), moved, by Jon Herskovitz, 410 words
AFRICA
Nigerian militants say aim is zero oil output after three new attacks
LONDON/ABUJA - The Niger Delta Avengers militant group claims responsibility for three new attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure, promising to cut production to zero. NIGERIA-OIL/SECURITY (UPDATE 6), moved, by Libby George and Ulf Laessing, 560 words)
HEALTH
WHO emergency panel to meet on Zika and Olympics
GENEVA/NEW YORK - With debate growing over the safety of holding the Olympics in Brazil amid the Zika virus outbreak, the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on Zika will meet in the coming weeks to evaluate the risks of going ahead with the Games in August. (HEALTH-ZIKA/WHO (UPDATE 2, PIX, GRAPHICS), by Stephanie Nebehay and Bill Berkrot, 615 words)
+ See also:
- HEALTH-ZIKA/BIRTHDEFECTS, moved, by Bill Berkrot, 320 words
SPORT BUSINESS
Winner takes all in mega soccer shirt deals
BERLIN - A battle between Adidas and Nike for dominance of the global soccer gear market is driving a steep rise in sponsorship payments to elite clubs - and cutting into the two manufacturers' profits. (SOCCER-SPONSORSHIP/ (ANALYSIS, PIX, GRAPHIC), by Emma Thomasson, 900 words)
