| Kerry, Lavrov hold talks on de-escalating Ukraine crisis Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:22 PM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton and Alexei Anishchuk PARIS/MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, discussed ways to defuse the Ukraine crisis during talks in Paris on Sunday in which Kerry made clear Washington still considered Russian actions in Crimea "illegal and illegitimate." Kerry said after his four-hour meeting with the Russian foreign minister that while they differed on events leading to the crisis, both sides recognized the importance of finding a diplomatic solution that meets the needs of the Ukrainian people. "Both sides made suggestions of ways to de-escalate the security and political situation in and around Ukraine," Kerry told a news conference, adding he raised "strong concerns" with Lavrov about the presence of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, which he said created a climate of fear and intimidation. The two were seeking to hammer out the framework of a deal to reduce tensions over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
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| Long search looms for Malaysia jet, families renew protests Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:58 PM PDT  By Matt Siegel and Rujun Shen HMAS STIRLING NAVAL BASE, Australia/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - T he search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 could take years, U.S. Navy officials suggested on Sunday, as search and rescue officials raced to locate the plane's black box recorder days before its batteries are set to die. Ten ships and as many aircraft are searching a massive area in the Indian Ocean west of Perth, trying to find some trace of the aircraft, which went missing more than three weeks ago and is presumed to have crashed. U.S. Navy Captain Mark Matthews, who is in charge of the U.S. Towed Pinger Locator (TPL), told journalists at Stirling Naval Base near Perth that the lack of information about where the plane went down seriously hampers the ability to find it. "Right now the search area is basically the size of the Indian Ocean, which would take an untenable amount of time to search," he said.
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| Turkey's Erdogan declares victory in polls despite graft crisis Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:34 PM PDT  Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in local polls that had become a referendum on his rule and said he would "enter the lair" of enemies who have accused him of corruption and leaked state secrets. Erdogan spoke from a balcony at his AK Party headquarters to thousands of cheering supporters as early results showed it winning some 44-46 percent of the vote, and the opposition CHP trailing with 23-28 percent. Erdogan accuses a U.S.-based Islamic cleric, a former ally, of mounting a smear campaign using a network of followers in the police force to concoct a corruption case against him.
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| Thailand's 'red shirts' gear up for a fight Posted: 30 Mar 2014 02:50 PM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Aubrey Belford KHON KAEN/BANGKOK (Reuters) - The clock is ticking for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who faces impeachment within weeks, but her supporters are hatching plans to thwart any move to dismiss her, with some leaders assembling what amount to militias. Yingluck has until later on Monday to defend herself before the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) against charges of dereliction of duty over a ruinously expensive rice-buying scheme. If the commission recommends Yingluck's impeachment, and the Senate then seeks to remove her, it could be a tipping point for the pro-government "red shirts", who have mostly stayed out of the fray since anti-government protests first flared in November. "We'll act when our democratically elected prime minister is kicked out by the elite," Suporn Attawong, a red shirt leader known by followers as "Rambo Isarn", told Reuters in Bangkok.
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| Libyan parliament passes law to organize new elections Posted: 30 Mar 2014 12:02 PM PDT  Last month, the General National Congress (GNC) assembly agreed to hold early elections, in an apparent effort to assuage ordinary Libyans angry over political chaos in the country nearly three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. It is now up to the elections commission to set a date.
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| French reshuffle may loom after Hollande's Socialists routed in local elections Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:42 PM PDT  By Mark John PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande will take soundings on a possible cabinet reshuffle on Monday after the drubbing of his Socialists in local elections handed the far-right National Front victory in a record number of towns. Provisional results from Sunday's voting showed the protectionist, anti-EU party of Marine Le Pen set to take control of 11 towns across the country, easily surpassing a past record in the 1990s when it ruled in four towns. At least another 140 towns swung from the left to mainstream opposition conservatives as voters punished Hollande for his failure to turn around the euro zone's second largest economy and above all to tackle an unemployment rate stuck at more than 10 percent. While Hollande himself, who surveys show is the least popular leader in France's 56-year-old Fifth Republic, will remain in power, the question is whether he will replace Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, whose government has been accused of amateurishness and of being paralyzed by policy splits.
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| Greece passes reform bill, government majority shrinks to two seats Posted: 30 Mar 2014 05:03 PM PDT  By Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece approved on Monday a contentious reform bill to secure bailout aid but the government was forced to expel a dissenting lawmaker, reducing its majority in parliament to just two seats. A total of 152 lawmakers backed the bill, which incorporates into Greek law hundreds of reform measures Athens agreed earlier this month with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after more than six months of tough negotiations. The passage allows Athens to obtain loans to repay 9.3 billion euros of debt maturing in May, but left the fragile pro-bailout government with a new headache as three deputies refused to vote or voted against key articles in the bill. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras expelled one lawmaker who failed to back one article, while the Socialist PASOK party, one of the two ruling parties, was facing a new crisis after one of its lawmakers did not vote and another voted against an article.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 30 Mar 2014 05:02 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans go to the polls next weekend to choose a new president, and that in itself may one day be considered Hamid Karzai's greatest achievement. There has been no shortage of criticism of Karzai in recent years. His mercurial behavior and inability or unwillingness to tackle corruption in his government have been well documented. |
| River defeats Boca 2-1 to move 1 point off lead Posted: 30 Mar 2014 05:02 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — River Plate defeated Buenos Aires archrival Boca Juniors 2-1 on Sunday to move within a point of the lead in Argentina's first division.
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| Hollande set to swing axe after Black Sunday for France's Socialists Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:59 PM PDT  French President Francois Hollande is set to take the axe to his beleaguered government after it suffered humiliating losses in local elections in which the far-right National Front (FN) made historic gains. The outcome of the first nationwide vote since Hollande was elected in 2012 was described as "Black Sunday" by one Socialist lawmaker. The FN won control of 11 towns and was on track to claim more than 1,200 municipal council seats nationwide, its best ever showing at the grassroots level of French politics and a stunning vindication of leader Marine Le Pen's efforts to extend its appeal. It was also a night to savour for France's main opposition, the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).
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| U.S. lawmakers see no evidence of terrorism in Malaysia jet crash Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:59 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. lawmakers on Sunday said investigators had found no evidence thus far pointing to terrorism in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 three weeks ago, and that it was critical to find the plane to understand what happened on board. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, speaking on Sunday talk shows, said they had seen no evidence of foul play. |
| Steven Bowditch wins Texas Open, place at Masters Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:56 PM PDT  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Steven Bowditch held on to win the Texas Open in windy conditions Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory and a spot in the Masters.
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| Turkey PM has boost in apparent local election win Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:55 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hailed what appeared to be a decisive victory for his party in local elections, providing a boost that could help him emerge from a spate of recent troubles.
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| Israel hands Palestinians proposal to extend peace talks Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:50 PM PDT  Israel on Sunday handed the Palestinians a proposal they hope will lead to an extension of their peace talks beyond an April 29 deadline, as efforts to salvage the negotiations came to a head. The fate of the US-brokered peace process could be decided within days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier, warning that "either the matter will be resolved or it will blow up." Netanyahu's remarks to ministers from his rightwing Likud party came as US officials were working around the clock to prevent a collapse of the negotiations over a dispute about Palestinian prisoners. "In any case, there won't be any deal without Israel knowing clearly what it will get in exchange," Netanyahu said.
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| US, Russia talks fail to end Ukraine deadlock Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:47 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The United States and Russia agreed Sunday that the crisis in Ukraine requires a diplomatic resolution, but four hours of talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to break a tense East-West deadlock over how to proceed.
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| Greek Parliament passes omnibus reform bill Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:35 PM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek Parliament passed an omnibus reform bill early Monday containing the latest measures agreed upon between Greece and international lenders, with the slim government majority holding despite suffering new defections.
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| Northampton hooker Hartley escapes punishment over 'bite' claim Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:35 PM PDT  Northampton and England hooker Dylan Hartley will not face disciplinary action over a claim that he bit Leicester counterpart Tom Youngs, the Rugby Football Union announced on Sunday. Youngs claimed to have been bitten by an opponent during Leicester's 22-16 win over Northampton in the English Premiership on Saturday and appeared to suggest that it was Hartley. "The incident has been reviewed and no action will be taken against Dylan Hartley," an RFU spokesperson said.
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| Liverpool still title outsiders, insists Rodgers Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:34 PM PDT  Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is adamant his side are still dark horses for the Premier League title, despite going to the top of the table. A 4-0 demolition of Tottenham at Anfield took Liverpool into top spot after Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all dropped points the day before. With Liverpool still to play City and Chelsea at home, their chance of ending a 24-year wait for a title success is still in their hands. But Rodgers continues to play down the prospect.
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| Turkey PM claims victory, warns rivals 'will pay price' Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PDT  Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory for his Islamic-rooted party in Sunday's key local elections and warned his foes they will "pay the price" for plotting his downfall. "Those who attacked Turkey got disappointed," Erdogan told a jubilant crowd of thousands, speaking from the balcony of his party's Ankara headquarters after months of turmoil marked by street clashes, sleaze claims and an Internet clampdown. "You have protected the independence struggle of the new Turkey," the man often called "the sultan" told his flag-waving followers, interrupted by chants of "Turkey is proud of you", "Stand tall, don't bow" and "God is great".
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| Liberian health authorities confirm two cases of Ebola: WHO Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:18 PM PDT By Alphonso Toweh MONROVIA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Sunday that Liberia has confirmed two cases of the deadly Ebola virus that is suspected to have killed at least 70 people in Guinea. The outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola, which in its more acute phase, causes vomiting, diarrhoea and external bleeding, has sent Guinea's West African neighbors scrambling to contain the spread of the disease. Eleven deaths in towns in northern Sierra Leone and Liberia, which shares borders with southeastern Guinea where the outbreak was first reported, are suspected to be linked to Ebola. |
| All eyes on Britain's panda pair as mating season approaches Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:08 PM PDT  Experts at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland have begun daily check-ups of Britain's only female giant panda Tian Tian and male partner, Yang Guang, the zoo announced on Monday. The zoo is hoping to put behind the disappointment of last year, when Tian Tian suffered a late-term miscarriage after being artificially inseminated, and is looking out for signs that the pair are ready to mate. "Tian Tian and Yang Guang are both in great health and condition and things are progressing nicely," explained Iain Valentine from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which runs the zoo. "The giant pandas are clearly showing an increased interest in one another, both pandas are fairly regularly scent marking now and we've also seen food intake increase in both pandas as they seek to drive their body weight up -- all fantastic instinctive pre-breeding behaviours.
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| Turkey's premier gets boost from local elections Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:08 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hailed what appeared to be a clear victory for his party in local elections, providing a boost that could help him emerge from a spate of recent troubles.
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| Search for MH370 'black box' to get underway Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT  Perth (Australia) (AFP) - An Australian ship carrying equipment to locate the "black box" from flight MH370 was to put to sea Monday but experts warned surface debris must be found first to narrow down the search zone. The hunt for physical evidence that the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people crashed more than three weeks ago, as Kuala Lumpur has declared, has so far proved fruitless despite a massive operation involving seven countries. More objects were seen by aircraft on Sunday with several items retrieved by Australia's HMAS Success and China's Haixun 01, but the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said: "Nothing has yet been verified as being from MH370." The growing search resumed Monday across a sweeping expanse of the southern Indian Ocean the size of Norway, with 10 planes taking to the skies from Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Korea and the US.
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| Shootout in Nigerian capital during attempted jail break kills 21 Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Detainees suspected of being members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram overpowered their guards at a prison near Nigeria's presidential villa in Abuja, seizing a rifle and triggering a gun battle that killed 21 people, security officials said. The prisoners struck on Sunday as the guards from Nigeria's State Security Service (SSS) came in to feed them at their headquarters' prison near the residence of President Goodluck Jonathan, SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said. Jail breaks by Islamists in Nigeria are common. Boko Haram militants, who are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria and are seen as the main threat to Africa's top oil producer, attacked the main military barracks in the northeast, freeing dozens of prisoners on March 14. |
| Greek parliament passes reform bill Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:54 PM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek Parliament passed an omnibus reform bill early Monday containing the latest measures agreed upon between Greece and international lenders, with the slim government majority holding despite suffering new defections. |
| Getafe ends winless run at Valencia to escape drop Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:50 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Getafe fought back for a sorely needed 3-1 victory at Valencia on Sunday, breaking a 15-round winless streak and escaping from the Spanish league's relegation zone. |
| Benfica beats Braga 1-0 to close on title Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Benfica continued its march toward the Portuguese league title by winning 1-0 at Braga on Sunday. |
| Kerry, Lavrov agree diplomatic solution needed Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday night the United States and Russia agree on the need for a diplomatic solution for Ukraine but he stressed the Russian troop buildup along the border is not helpful. |
| Kerry, Lavrov discuss ways to de-escalate Ukraine crisis Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:39 PM PDT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said late on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, discussed suggestions for de-escalating the Ukraine crisis during four hours of talks in Paris. Kerry told a news conference that the United States made clear it still considered Russian actions in Crimea to be "illegal and illegitimate." "The U.S. and Russia have differences of opinion about events that led to this crisis but both of us recognize the importance of finding a diplomatic solution and simultaneously meeting the needs of the Ukrainian people, and that we agreed on tonight," Kerry said. "Both sides made suggestions of ways to de-escalate the security and political situation in and around Ukraine," he said. Kerry and Lavrov were seeking to hammer out the framework of a deal to reduce tensions over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, with Western leaders considering broader sanctions against Russia that would target vital sectors of its economy including its mainstay oil and gas industry. |
| Colombia wants truth commission after FARC peace deal Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:38 PM PDT  A truth commission to probe abuses in Colombia's half-century-old conflict should be held after, not before, peace is reached with leftist rebels, Bogota's top negotiator said Sunday. Humberto de la Calle's remark was the first government reaction to a proposal raised eight months ago by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in talks between the two sides to resolve their differences. "There can be no end to the conflict without truth," said de la Calle, a former Colombian vice president. The government of President Juan Manuel Santos sees such a commission as "a real instrument for peace and not as a tactical tool for negotiations," he added.
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| Washington mudslide victims remembered at tearful church services Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:17 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky and Bryan Cohen DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Local churches offered prayers on Sunday for dozens of people dead and missing from last week's devastating mudslide in Washington state and words of solace for grieving families and friends, many of whom are still waiting for news of loved ones who vanished. The official death toll from the March 22 catastrophe northeast of Seattle stood at 18, based on the number of victims whose bodies have been recovered and positively identified by medical examiners. But Snohomish County authorities have acknowledged finding 10 more sets of remains that have yet to be identified, putting the overall presumed body count at 28.
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| Liverpool tops Premier League after beating Spurs Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:13 PM PDT  After a 24-year wait, the English league title could be on its way back to Liverpool.
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| Russia's Lavrov says Moscow, Washington to work with Ukraine Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:12 PM PDT Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that Moscow and Washington had agreed to work with the Ukrainian government and the country's people to overcome the crisis, after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian agencies reported. "We have agreed to work with the Ukrainian government and people to achieve progress in rights of minorities and linguistic rights," Lavrov told reporters after talks that lasted four hours, Interfax reported. Lavrov and Kerry met following a phone call between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week, as both sides move to ease tensions in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. |
| Afghan woman bids for power to halt slide in rights Posted: 30 Mar 2014 03:07 PM PDT  By Katharine Houreld and Jessica Donati KABUL/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The deeply conservative, all-male crowd at Afghanistan's Kandahar stadium stared in disbelief as the small woman in a modest black headscarf stood up and reached for the microphone. Habiba Sarabi's speech in the southern Taliban heartland city lasted only a few minutes, thanking the crowd for supporting her candidacy in next month's presidential election. During their strict Islamist rule from 1996-2001, the Afghan Taliban had banned women from education, voting and most work, and they were not allowed to leave their homes without permission and a male escort. A fair election would mark Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power, a monumental achievement for Afghans struggling to end decades of bloodletting and cement fragile gains in education, health and human rights.
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