In Brief: Nation & World: 11-7-16

Justin Bieber wins 3 MTV EMA Europe music awards

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Justin Bieber’s “Beliebers” helped turn him into the biggest winner Sunday at the MTV EMA European music awards. Again.

Bieber, who carried away the most silverware at the MTV EMAs last year with five awards, won Best Song this time around for his smash “Sorry,” and also took away the title of Best Canadian Act. His army of so-called Beliebers earned him his third crown of the night, Biggest Fans, in online voting via Twitter and Instagram that closed shortly before the show started.

Bieber was one of the many winners on the night who did not attend the show.

Just two days ahead of the U.S. presidential election, veteran punk rockers Green Day closed the raucous show with their anti-establishment anthem “American Idiot.”

“It is nice to be out of America just for a second because of this horrendous election that is going on right now,” lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong said.

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FBI chief: No charges against Clinton after new email review

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — FBI Director James Comey abruptly announced Sunday that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges related to newly discovered emails from her tenure at the State Department, lifting a cloud of uncertainty that has shadowed the final days of her presidential campaign.

In a letter to congressional lawmakers two days before Election Day, Comey said the FBI has worked “around the clock to process and review a large number of emails” obtained from a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Comey said the review has not changed the bureau’s assessment from earlier this year that Clinton should not be prosecuted for her handling of classified information at the State Department.

Clinton’s campaign welcomed the FBI announcement.

“We’re glad this matter is resolved,” Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton’s communications director, told reporters traveling with the campaign to Ohio.

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Black pastors issue urgent plea to voters at Sunday services

DETROIT (AP) — At Sunday services, in rallies and on social media, black pastors urged congregants to vote, hoping to inspire a late flood of African-American turnout that could help propel Democrat Hillary Clinton to victory in critical swing states on Tuesday.

In Detroit, a pastor spoke of voting and citizenship. In Philadelphia, the minister reminded congregants others had died for their chance to cast a ballot. The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to a crowd of a few hundred people gathered in front of City Hall in Tallahassee, Florida, right before they marched a block over to the county courthouse to vote early.

Along with women and Hispanics, African-Americans are seen as critical to Clinton’s chances against Republican Donald Trump, who polls show is not popular among black voters. However, early voting data from key states indicate turnout will not be as high this year as it was four years ago, when Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, was on the ballot. Sunday’s efforts were aimed at minimizing that decline.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of the Texas megachurch The Potter’s House, who has a national and international following, tweeted on a red, white and blue backdrop, “Make sure your voice is heard. Vote on Nov. 8.”

“Preachers are trying to strike a moral nerve and somehow penetrate the fog of indifference and try to remind people what’s at stake this year,” said the Rev. James Forbes, retired senior minister of The Riverside Church, who has been traveling the country to mobilize voters. He will speak Sunday night in New York for a national get-out-the-vote telecast from the church called “The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution in Values.”

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Captive’s rescue leads to break in grisly quadruple slaying

CHESNEE, S.C. (AP) — For 13 years, the relatives came together periodically to grieve one of South Carolina’s grisliest mass shootings and compare leads with stumped investigators.

On Sunday, they gathered again on the anniversary of the crime — this time in a Spartanburg courtroom after an unexpected break led to the man who, authorities say, confessed to the quadruple slayings.

The victims’ relatives sat a few feet away from Todd Kohlhepp as he was denied bond on the murder charges. It was their first chance to face the man accused of killing their loved ones.

After the hearing, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson thanked the families for their civility and composure.

“I know there’s a lot of hurt … beyond what a lot of people understand,” he said.

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Syrian Kurds begin campaign to oust Islamic State from Raqqa

BEIRUT (AP) — Kurdish-led Syrian forces began an offensive Sunday to liberate the Islamic State group’s de facto capital of Raqqa, clashing with the extremists north of the Syrian city and warning neighboring Turkey not to interfere in the operation.

The United States, France and Britain said they would provide air support for the offensive, which was announced at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, by a coalition of Kurds and Arabs known as the Syria Democratic Forces. But it lacked details on how the group dominated by Kurds plans to oust the militants from the city, home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 IS fighters.

Unlike several successful military efforts to drive Islamic State militants out of cities in Iraq, the Raqqa offensive faces several political obstacles and is likely to be much more complex.

In Iraq, a U.S.-led coalition is working with the government in Baghdad, but Washington and its partners in Syria are relying on a hodgepodge of local Arab and Kurdish opposition groups, some of which are fierce rivals. The tensions are exacerbated by Russian and Syrian forces on one side and Turkish forces on another.

Still, the start of the Raqqa offensive, which aims initially at isolating and encircling the city, increases the pressure on the Islamic State group, making it harder for its fighters to move reinforcements between Syria and Iraq. The city, which has been under IS control since early 2014, is home to some of the group’s top leaders and is seen as the key to defeating the group militarily.

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Q&A: A look at the offensive against IS-held Raqqa

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed Syrian forces on Sunday said they would march on the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group’s self-styled caliphate.

The offensive promises to divert IS fighters from Mosul, the much larger extremist-held city in northern Iraq, which has been the target of a massive operation launched by Baghdad last month. But long-running tensions between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish-led forces leading the assault on Raqqa could complicate the battle and buy IS more time.

A closer look at what the new offensive means:

WHO IS LEADING THE OFFENSIVE?

The Kurdish-dominated Syria Democratic Forces have emerged as one of the principal players in the country’s multi-sided civil war. They are recognized by the U.S. as one of the most effective fighting forces against IS and have captured large swaths of northeastern Syria from the extremists.

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Deadly police response to medical alert focus of trial

NEW YORK (AP) — When Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.’s medical alert pendant accidentally went off five years ago, the 68-year-old told police who showed up that he was fine, barred them from entering his apartment and repeatedly asked them to go away.

They didn’t. That set off a tense, 90-minute standoff that ended with the mentally ill, former Marine, shot dead.

What lived on is a dispute over whether the black victim was an armed threat when a white officer fired his gun — the question central to a federal civil case set to go to trial this week. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday.

The deadly 2011 encounter at Chamberlain’s apartment in suburban White Plains — much of it captured on audiotape that will be played for jurors — was a precursor to the national debate over use of force by police in communities of color and in response to calls involving emotionally disturbed people.

Chamberlain’s case combines both issues, said his son, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., whose family filed a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit that went forward after a grand jury declined to indict the shooter.

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Mosul battle rages as IS bombings elsewhere in Iraq kill 20

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s special forces worked Sunday to clear neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Islamic State-held Mosul as bombings launched by the extremist group elsewhere in the country killed at least 20 people.

The Mosul offensive has slowed in recent days as Iraqi forces have pushed into more densely populated areas, where they cannot rely as much on airstrikes and shelling because of the risk posed to civilians, who have been told to stay in their homes.

“There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them,” said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. “This is one of the hardest battles that we’ve faced till now.”

Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requested U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Iraq’s special forces are some of the country’s best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.

Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have advanced just over a kilometer (mile) into the city.

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Pope Francis holds special Jubilee Mass for prisoners

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis held a special Jubilee Mass for prisoners in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, telling them that all people “have made mistakes” and urging them to never give up hope in God’s mercy.

He later urged political leaders across the world to respect the dignity of inmates and offer them amnesty whenever possible.

Wearing green robes and a white skull cap, Francis stood before a congregation made up of some 1,000 prisoners from 12 countries and their families, as well as prison chaplains and volunteers. The event was part of the Vatican’s Holy Year of Mercy, which comes to an end later this month.

“Today we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy for you and with you, our brothers and sisters who are imprisoned,” he told them. He said while breaking the law involves paying the price, “hope must never falter.”

“Sometimes, a certain hypocrisy leads to people considering you only as wrongdoers, for whom prison is the sole answer,” Francis said in his homily. “We don’t think about the possibility that people can change their lives. We put little trust in rehabilitation … into society. But in this way we forget that we are all sinners and often, without being aware of it, we too are prisoners.”

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US election looms large over UN climate talks

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — U.N. climate talks open Monday against the backdrop of a U.S. election that could have a major impact on America’s role in the global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Given Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s diverging views on climate change and the landmark emissions pact adopted in Paris last year, some countries’ delegates have been unusually blunt about their preferred outcome.

Brazilian Environment Minister Sarney Filho told reporters in a conference call Thursday he believes American society supports climate action regardless of who becomes the next president. “However, on a personal note, I hope Trump doesn’t win,” he added.

Clinton backs the climate policies of President Barack Obama’s government, including continued engagement in the Paris Agreement. Trump, meanwhile, has expressed doubts about global warming on social media and said in a speech this year that he would “cancel” the climate deal if elected.

Those comments have raised concerns in other countries about whether the U.S. would ignore its commitments under the agreement — or withdraw from it completely — if Trump were elected.