Reports: 115 killed in seizure of gas field

Reports: 115 killed in seizure of gas field

BEIRUT

Islamic extremists killed at least 115 Syrian troops, guards and workers as they captured a gas field in central Syria after daylong clashes, activists said Friday.

More than 20 militants also died in the fighting Thursday for the Shaer gas field, the deadliest battles so far between fighters of the Islamic State group and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.

Fighters from the Islamic State have in the past few weeks seized a huge chunk of territory straddling the Iraq-Syria border where they declared a self-styled caliphate. Earlier, they already captured much of Syria’s oil-rich eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

Mortuary owners charged with abuse of corpses

FORT WORTH, Texas

North Texas police have filed criminal charges against two owners of a funeral home where eight decaying bodies were discovered earlier this week.

Rachel Hardy-Johnson was arrested Friday and charged with seven counts of abuse of a corpse, according to a police statement. She was arraigned and was to be transported to a Tarrant County jail with bond set at $10,500, but it was unclear if she had an attorney, said Officer Sharron Neal, a Fort Worth police spokeswoman. Court records do not list an attorney.

She and her husband, Dondre Johnson, owned Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth.

Seven corpse-abuse counts also were filed against Dondre Johnson, but he was not yet in custody Friday evening, Neal said. He has been contacted and is expected to turn himself in, but it was unknown when, she said.

NYC man dies during arrest

NEW YORK

A New York City man died during an arrest — partially captured on amateur video — during which a plain-clothes police officer placed him in what appeared be a choke hold while several others brought him to the ground and struggled to place him in handcuffs.

Internal-affairs investigators and prosecutors announced inquiries Friday into the death of Eric Garner, who died the evening before outside a Staten Island beauty salon. Garner, 43, had a heart attack as he struggled with officers trying to arrest him on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes, police said.

Colo. high court halts gay marriages

DENVER

Colorado’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Denver County clerk to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples while the state’s ban against the unions remains in place.

The two-page ruling noted that a judge who ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex unions was unconstitutional put his decision on hold pending appeal, meaning the definition of marriage approved by Colorado voters in 2006, as between one man and one woman, remains active.

Iran nuke talks to be extended

VIENNA

Iran and six world powers failed today to meet their target date for cutting a nuclear deal but agreed to extend the talks until Nov. 24 in a bid to overcome stubborn differences over the size and capacity of activities by Tehran that could be used to make nuclear arms.

Months of exhausting negotiations were meant to culminate in an agreement by Sunday that would limit programs Iran says it needs to produce energy and for other peaceful purposes — but which can also be used to make nuclear arms. In return, Tehran would have gotten progressive relief from all nuclear-related sanctions on its economy.

Associated Press