| Relief in Afghanistan after largely peaceful landmark election Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:45 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's presidential election closed on Saturday amid relief that attacks by Taliban fighters were fewer than feared for a vote that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict for decades. It will take six weeks for results to come in from across Afghanistan's rugged terrain and a final result to be declared in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai. This could be the beginning of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave. "On behalf of the people, I thank the security forces, election commission and people who exercised democracy and ... turned another page in the glorious history of Afghanistan." One of the eight candidates will have to score over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off with his nearest rival.
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| Chinese ship hunting for missing Malaysia jet detects 'ping' Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT  By Siva Govindasamy and Swati Pandey KUALA LUMPUR/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - A Chinese patrol ship hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner detected a pulse signal in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, in a possible indicator of the underwater beacon from a plane's "black box". Australian search authorities said such a signal would be "consistent" with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking the "ping" to Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the "ping" signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as emitted by flight recorders - at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said. Dozens of ships and planes from 26 countries are racing to find the black box recorders before their batteries run out.
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| Ukraine PM says will stick to austerity despite Moscow pressure Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT  By Natalia Zinets, Richard Balmforth and Paul Ingrassia KIEV (Reuters) - The Kiev government will stick to unpopular austerity measures "as the price of independence" as Russia steps up pressure on Ukraine to destabilise it, including by raising the price of gas, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk told Reuters. Yatseniuk, 39, who stepped in as interim prime minister last month after Viktor Yanukovich and his ministers fled the "Euromaidan" protests, conceded that it would be very difficult "under the current Russian presence" to undo what he described as Russia's "international crime" in seizing Crimea. But he said Ukraine would never recognise the Russian takeover in exchange for re-establishing good relations. We will never recognise the annexation of Crimea ... The time will come when Ukraine will take over control of Crimea," he said, speaking in English, seated in his cavernous, Soviet-built government headquarters beneath the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag.
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| At least 20 Iraqi soldiers killed in attacks Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:02 PM PDT At least 20 Iraqi soldiers were killed on Saturday, most of them upon entering a house rigged with explosives northwest of the capital, security officials said. Militants last week overran the house in the town of Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad, which had previously been used as an army post, officials said. The army moved in on Saturday morning after militants retreated, but when they entered the house, a powerful blast tore through the building, two security officials said. The identity of the attackers was not clear, but Sunni Islamist insurgents are regaining ground in Iraq and have taken over several towns and cities since the start of the year, including Falluja, around 70 km (44 miles) from Baghdad. |
| Mali government resigns, new PM appointed: state TV Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:54 PM PDT  Mali's government has resigned and town planning minister Moussa Mara will become prime minister, a presidential spokesman said on state television late on Saturday. Outgoing prime minister Oumar Tatam Ly submitted the entire government's resignation to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Saturday and it was accepted, the statement said. His replacement Mara, a political veteran who ran against Keita in Mali's August Presidential election, will be responsible for appointing new ministers. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known universally by his initials IBK, was elected on a pledge to unite Mali and is seeking to rebuild the country from the ashes of a war against Islamists.
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| France's far-right to ban faith-based school lunch options Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:31 PM PDT Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen said on Friday it would prevent schools from offering special lunches to Muslim pupils in the 11 towns it won in local elections, saying such arrangements were contrary to France's secular values. France's republic has a strict secular tradition enforceable by law, but faith-related demands have risen in recent years, especially from the country's five-million-strong Muslim minority, the largest in Europe. "We will not accept any religious demands in school menus," Le Pen told RTL radio. "There is no reason for religion to enter the public sphere, that's the law." The anti-immigrant National Front has consistently bemoaned the rising influence of Islam in French public life. |
| APNewsBreak: Archbishop to sell Atlanta mansion Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:53 PM PDT  SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) — Trying to appease angry parishioners, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Atlanta said Saturday that he will sell a $2.2 million mansion just three months after he moved in.
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| Wanderers move into 2nd place in A-League Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:51 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — Western Sydney moved into second place in the A-League after a 1-1 draw with first-place Brisbane and Central Coast failed to keep pace with a 3-1 defeat to Perth Glory. |
| Relegated Hearts braced for survival fight Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:47 PM PDT  Hearts manager Gary Locke says the club's biggest battle is still to come following their relegation from the Scottish Premiership. The Jambos were condemned to the second-tier Championship despite coming from behind to secure a 4-2 win over Partick Thistle at Firhill on Saturday following St Mirren's dramatic 3-2 win against Motherwell. Two late goals for the Buddies sealed a 3-2 win that left Hearts, who were docked 15 points at the beginning of the season for entering administration, 17 points behind Thistle at the bottom of the league with just five games remaining. It ended a 31-year stay in Scotland's top flight and is a further blow for the cash-strapped Tynecastle club.
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| Cepelova, Petkovic book Charleston final Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:40 PM PDT  Charleston (United States) (AFP) - Jana Cepelova, who stunned world number one Serena Williams in the second round, continued her stirring run in Charleston on Saturday booking a final showdown with Andrea Petkovic. Cepelova, a 20-year-old Slovakian ranked 78th in the world, overcame the spirited challenge of 17-year-old Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (9/7). Petkovic, a former top-10 player trying to make her way back up the rankings after a string of injuries, put the brakes on sixth-seeded Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Cepelova led 5-4 and then 6-5 in the third set, with a match point at 5-4, but couldn't convert against Bencic, who had won just three WTA main draw matches prior to this green claycourt premier level WTA tournament.
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| Rallies in cities across US decrying deportation Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:39 PM PDT PHOENIX (AP) — Immigration advocates and supporters rallied Saturday in cities across the country in a renewed effort to push President Barack Obama to put a freeze on deportations. |
| West Coast, Hawthorn, Geelong win 3 in a row Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:33 PM PDT MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — West Coast, defending champions Hawthorn and Geelong remained the class of the Australian Football League on the weekend as they posted their third consecutive victories to start the season. |
| Soprano debuts in 2 Met Opera roles in 24 hours Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:30 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Soprano Kristine Opolais has made Metropolitan Opera history, becoming the first singer in its 131 years to debut in two major company roles within 24 hours.
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| Mali's first post-war premier resigns Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:26 PM PDT  Mali's first post-war prime minister has been replaced just six months into office after announcing the resignation of his entire government, a statement from the presidency said on Saturday. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita made leading economist Oumar Tatam Ly his prime minister in September as the troubled west African nation began to set up a government charged with turning the page on months of political chaos and war. "The president of the republic... has brought to an end the duties of Prime Minister Oumar Tatam Ly, upon receipt of the resignation of the government of the republic," a statement from Keita's office read out on state television said. Keita appointed planning minister Moussa Mara to take over from Ly and asked him to form a new government, the statement said.
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| Afghans defy Taliban threat to vote in droves Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:10 PM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Millions of Afghans defied Taliban threats and rain Saturday, underscoring their enormous expectations from an election that comes as the country's wobbly government prepares to face down a ferocious insurgency largely on its own.
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| Ex-IRA commander to dine at British queen's banquet Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:09 PM PDT  Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, former IRA commander, will attend a state banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday, his party Sinn Fein announced. McGuinness will attend the banquet at Windsor Castle being thrown for the state visit of Irish President Michael D. Higgins, the first time the republic's head of state has made such a trip.
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| Pot growers association launched in Jamaica Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:03 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — A group of influential Jamaicans gathered Saturday to launch an association of supposed future marijuana cultivators as momentum builds toward loosening laws prohibiting pot on the Caribbean island. |
| Crusaders, Waratahs get wins in South Africa Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:58 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Crusaders and New South Wales Waratahs posted Super Rugby wins in South Africa Saturday, ending a run of 16 games in which no Australian or New Zealand team had been able to win in South Africa and no South African team had won in Australia or New Zealand. |
| APNewsBreak: US archbishop to sell $2.2M mansion Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:52 PM PDT SMYRNA, Georgia (AP) — The Roman Catholic archbishop of Atlanta said Saturday that he will sell a $2.2 million mansion just three months after he moved in as he tried to appease angry parishioners who insisted that he follow the example set by Pope Francis. |
| Navy warship en route to sick infant on sailboat Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:50 PM PDT SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship is heading toward a crippled sailboat hundreds of miles off the Mexico coast to rescue a 1-year-old child who fell ill. |
| Braehmer stops Maccarinelli to keep WBA belt Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:45 PM PDT ROSTOCK, Germany (AP) — Juergen Braehmer of Germany defeated Enzo Maccarinelli of Wales by technical knockout after five rounds Saturday to keep his WBA light heavyweight belt. |
| Israel strikes in Gaza after rocket attack Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:44 PM PDT  Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli warplanes attacked several sites in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Sunday, sources on both sides said, hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit the Jewish state. Palestinian medical and security sources said five sites in northern and southern Gaza were hit, including training camps for the militant Islamic Jihad and Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing. The Israeli army said in a statement it "retaliated" to "ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza", targeting four "terror sites" in northern Gaza and a fifth in the south of the coastal territory. On Saturday night, a rocket fired from Gaza hit an open area in southern Israel without causing damage or injuries, the army and police said.
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| Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen to quit Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:41 PM PDT HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen says he will resign as head of the government and leader of the conservatives when the party meets to elect a new leader in June. |
| One Syrian refugee killed in clashes with Jordanian security Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:39 PM PDT At least one Syrian refugee was killed in Jordan's sprawling Zaatari camp when hundreds of refugees clashed with security forces, residents said on Saturday. They said scores of refugees in the sprawling camp close to the Syrian border were injured as baton-wielding anti-riot police used tear gas to disperse stone-throwing refugees who set fire to official offices and caravans. Jordanian police blamed agitators who were apprehended after trying to flee the refugee camp of nearly 70,000 residents. Residents say the rioting, the first such serious disturbance this year, was provoked when a Jordanian security officer ran over with his car and seriously injured a 4-year old Syrian child, prompting outrage by residents and relatives protesting ill treatment. |
| Eye-injury ends Maccarinelli's world title challenge Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:32 PM PDT  Germany's Jurgen Braehmer defended his world light-heavyweight title on Saturday with a fifth round technical knock-out of Britain's Enzo Maccarinelli, who had his right-eye completely closed by an early punch. Two punches in the first round effectively decided the bout as Wales-born Italian Maccarinelli was left boxing with only one functioning eye from the third round onwards. Maccarinelli's trainer Gary Lockett threw in the towel just before the start of the sixth round as the Welshman suffered the seventh defeat of his career, all by knock-out, in his 45 professional bouts.
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| Atletico wins to stay top, Messi keeps Barca 2nd Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:17 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Atletico Madrid sweated out a 1-0 victory over Villarreal without leading scorer Diego Costa to stay top of the Spanish league on Saturday, while Lionel Messi scored two goals in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Real Betis to stay one point behind.
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| Obama: Afghan election marks important milestone Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:13 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says Afghanistan's presidential election marks another important milestone.
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| Chelsea leads EPL, Atletico stays 1st in Spain Posted: 05 Apr 2014 03:13 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Chelsea reclaimed the lead in England — at least for a day — and Atletico Madrid remained in front in Spain on Saturday. Whether they'll end the season with the trophy is still too early to determine.
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| Barcelona's club members approve new Camp Nou Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:52 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona's club members have voted in favor of a plan to remodel Camp Nou and enlarge Europe's biggest stadium.
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| France snubs Rwanda genocide commemorations after Kagame charge Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:47 PM PDT  France on Saturday pulled out of the 20th anniversary commemorations for the Rwandan genocide after President Paul Kagame again accused Paris of "participating" in the 1994 mass killings. Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said France was "surprised" by Kagame's accusation, which went against reconciliation efforts between the two countries, and announced that Justice Minister Christiane Taubira would not attend Monday's commemorations in Kigali.
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| Inter draws 2-2 at home to Bologna in Serie A Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:45 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan twice squandered the lead and missed a penalty as its Europa League hopes were dented by a 2-2 draw at home to relegation-threatened Bologna in Serie A on Saturday.
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| U.N. chief says C. African Republic peacekeepers 'overwhelmed' Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:40 PM PDT  By Hubert-Mary Djamany BANGUI (Reuters) - French and African soldiers serving in Central African Republic are "overwhelmed" by the "state of anarchy" in the country, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday, a day after Chadian troops began withdrawing from the peacekeeping mission. The U.N. Security Council is due to approve next week a 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force for the former French colony. The force will take over authority from African Union troops in an attempt to restore order to the country. "I commend the African Union and French forces for making a difference," he said in a speech before the interim government.
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| Finland's PM Katainen to step down, eyeing EU posts Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:39 PM PDT  By Jussi Rosendahl HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen announced on Saturday that he was stepping down in June with a view to taking a senior European Union post, a move that could further unsettle a coalition government that last month lost one of its parties. Katainen, who had led a quarrelsome six-party coalition government since 2011, said he would not run again as chairman of his conservative National Coalition party at its congress in June, which means he will then cease to be prime minister. Finnish media have floated the names of Economy Minister Jan Vapaavuori, Municipal Minister Henna Virkkunen, EU Minister Alexander Stubb or Petteri Orpo, who heads the party in parliament. Katainen took the helm of National Coalition in 2004, taking the traditional conservative party in a more liberal direction and leading it to power in 2011 for the first time in 20 years.
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| Funerals start for victims of deadly U.S. mudslide Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:38 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Mourners gathered on Saturday to remember victims killed in Washington state's mudslide, the first of a series of memorial services for the more than two dozen dead, even as the search continues for more victims. A funeral for school custodian Summer Raffo, 36, was taking place in Arlington, a town only a few miles from the site where a torrent of mud swept her car off Highway 530 on March 22. Another service was held in nearby Darrington for retired librarian Linda McPherson, 69, who was found dead in the debris of her home. "She was a sweet, mellow, gentle woman," said Peter Selvig, who served on the Darrington School Board with McPherson.
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