| Ukraine president calls for new anti-rebel offensive as crisis deal falters Posted: 22 Apr 2014 01:21 PM PDT  By Alastair Macdonald and Darya Korsunskaya KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukraine's acting president Oleksander Turchinov called on Tuesday for government forces to relaunch an offensive against pro-Russian rebels after a local politician from his own party was found dead with signs of torture. Kiev's first push failed last week to retake one of the towns in the mainly Russian-speaking east occupied by the separatists, and its military has largely suspended operations since the United States, Russia, Ukraine and European Union signed a deal in Geneva last week intended to calm the crisis. But the agreement is already in trouble, with Washington and Moscow putting the onus on each other on Tuesday to ensure that it is implemented, including a stipulation that the rebels must disarm and leave the government buildings they have occupied. One was that of Volodymyr Rybak, a member of Turchinov's Batkivshchyna party, who had recently been abducted by "terrorists", he said in a statement.
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| Iran protests at U.N. committee on envoy ban as U.S. stands ground Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:06 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran complained to a United Nations committee on Tuesday about Washington's refusal to grant a visa to Tehran's proposed new U.N. envoy due to his suspected links to hostage-takers, even as the United States stood firm on its decision. The United States said earlier this month that it would not grant a visa to Hamid Abutalebi because of his connection to the 1979-1981 Tehran hostage crisis when Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Abutalebi has said he acted only as a translator. "As far as we know this is a unique case involving a permanent representative," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday. |
| First PLO delegation since 2007 war arrives in Gaza for unity talks Posted: 22 Apr 2014 12:03 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - Palestine Liberation Organization delegates arrived in Gaza on Tuesday to discuss unity with militant group Hamas for the first time since their 2007 conflict, in a potential boost for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Few Palestinians expect a breakthrough in the deadlock that has paralyzed Palestinian politics, and many have low expectations of any resolution to the seemingly endless duel. A deal could restore a measure of sovereignty to Abbas in Gaza and boost his negotiating power with Israel in any future peace talks, although such a partnership could also provoke a backlash from Israel against the PLO in the occupied West Bank. Hamas and Fatah have failed since 2011 to implement an Egyptian-brokered unity deal because of disputes over power-sharing and the handling of conflict with Israel. |
| Syria's chemical weapons wild card: chlorine gas Posted: 22 Apr 2014 12:52 PM PDT  By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - Chlorine gas attacks in Syria this month, if proven, expose a major loophole in an international deal to remove chemical weapons from the war-torn country and suggest chemical warfare could persist after the removal operation has finished. President Bashar al-Assad agreed with the United States and Russia to dispose of his chemical weapons - an arsenal that Damascus had never previously formally acknowledged - after hundreds of people were killed in a sarin gas attack on the outskirts of the capital last August. The government blamed the rebel side in Syria's civil war, which is now in its fourth year. Syria has vowed to hand over or destroy its entire arsenal by the end of this week, but still has roughly 14 percent of the chemicals it declared to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
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| Obama says disputed islands within scope of U.S.-Japan security treaty Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:36 PM PDT  U.S. President Barack Obama said that islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Japan and China fall within the scope of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Wednesday. Obama, who arrives in Japan later on Wednesday on the first step of a four-nation Asian visit, made the remarks in written replies to questions. Obama also said the United States, Tokyo's key ally, opposes any unilateral attempt to undermine Japan's administration of the Senkakus, which are also claimed by China, and that any disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, not intimidation.
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| U.S. urges North Korea to refrain from new nuclear test Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:10 PM PDT  By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it was watching the Korean peninsula closely after reports that North Korea may be planning another nuclear test and it urged Pyongyang not to take any step that would threaten regional peace. South Korean news reports quoted the South Korean government as saying on Tuesday that heightened activity had been detected at North Korea's underground nuclear test site, indicating possible preparations for another atomic test. The reports come just before U.S. President Barack Obama is due in Japan and South Korea, where he will discuss ways to deal with North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
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| Mexico arrests 110 posing as vigilantes Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:53 PM PDT  Morelia (Mexico) (AFP) - Mexican authorities have detained more than 110 people posing as vigilantes battling a drug cartel in the western state of Michoacan in the last two weeks, an official said Tuesday. At least 46 suspected members of criminal groups were arrested in recent days in the town of Huetamo, where they acted as members of "self-defense" militias that spread in Michoacan in the past year, said senior federal official Alfredo Castillo. The suspects shot first when federal and state security forces arrived in the town, prompting police to return fire, said Castillo, the federal government's security envoy to Michoacan. "The suspected criminals clearly covered their activities by posing as members of the self-defense groups in that town, wearing white shirts with the words 'Free Huetamo' and 'Self-Defense Group,'" he said in a statement.
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| Rwandan president says he is not ready to rule out third term Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:51 PM PDT  By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Tuesday it was too early to say whether he will seek a third term as head of the east African state, adding "whatever will happen, we'll have an explanation." Articles in pro-government newspapers in recent years have raised the prospect of him staying on after his mandate expires in 2017, a move that would anger his critics and require a change to the constitution. Whatever will happen, we'll have an explanation." He was responding to a student's question about how he imagined his political role in Rwanda after his term ends. He accused the "international community" of destabilizing neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo by allowing people who committed the Rwandan genocide to later escape into Congo's eastern hills and giving them guns. Millions have died in eastern Congo, home to myriad rebel groups, since the end of Rwanda's genocide.
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| Asia tensions simmer as Obama set to arrive in Tokyo Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:47 PM PDT  By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in a tense Asian region on Wednesday, faced with the delicate task of assuring Japan and other regional allies of America's commitment to their defense without hurting Washington's vital ties with a rising China. That difficult diplomatic balancing act was highlighted on Monday, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, seen in parts of the region as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. The move strained Tokyo's already tense ties with China and fellow U.S. ally South Korea, another stop on his four-nation tour that will also take in Malaysia and the Philippines.
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| U.S. vows more sanctions on Russia unless tensions ease in Ukraine Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. State Department Secretary John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a telephone call on Tuesday that Washington would impose more sanctions on Russia if tensions did not de-escalate in eastern Ukraine, a U.S. official said. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Sandra Maler) |
| El Salvador church leaders call for new gang truce Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:30 PM PDT By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Church leaders in El Salvador on Tuesday said they want to revive a fragile truce between the country's powerful street gangs in order to curb a resurgence of violent crime. Catholic Bishop Fabio Colindres, who helped broker a 2012 deal between gang leaders, proposed that religious leaders establish new talks with gang leaders. The 2012 truce between the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and rival gang Barrio 18 helped cut the Central American country's murder rate in mid-2013 to around five per day, a 10-year low, from around 12 a day. While the homicide rate is still below levels seen before the 2012 truce, the country still has one of the highest murder rates in the world due to ongoing turf battles between the gangs. |
| Amnesty denounces 'forced' domestic labour in Qatar Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:25 PM PDT  Amnesty International accused authorities in gas-rich Qatar on Wednesday of failing to protect domestic workers, citing cases of abuse, sexual violence and "forced labour". In a report called "My sleep is my break: Exploitation of domestic labour in Qatar", Amnesty spoke of "shocking testimonies of violent abuse". Amnesty urged Qatar "to urgently remove provisions in the labour law which deny labour rights to domestic and other workers". Qatar has been under mounting pressure to improve the working and living conditions of migrant workers building the multi-billion-dollar infrastructure for the FIFA World Cup which it is to host in 2022.
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| Violent protest hits fabled Rio beach district Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:24 PM PDT  Violent protests broke out in Rio's landmark beachfront district, Copacabana, on Tuesday following the death of a resident, an AFP photographer said, less than two months before the World Cup. Brazilian media quoted police sources as saying Douglas Rafael da Silva Pereira, 25, had been killed after being mistaken for a drug trafficker. Friends of the dead man alleged he was beaten to death after attempting to take refuge in a school in the community, where a Police Pacification Unit (UPP) was set up in December 2009 as part of authorities' efforts to smash organized crime ahead of June's World Cup. One resident gave an account of how the trouble began.
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| Guangzhou, Wanderers advance to 2nd round in ACL Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:08 PM PDT  SYDNEY (AP) — Guangzhou Evergrande ensured its Asian Champions League title defense progressed to the knockout stages while Al Ain topped Group C after a 1-1 draw against two-time winner Al Ittihad.
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| Chelsea loses Cech, Terry to long-term injuries Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:06 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Chelsea will be without goalkeeper Petr Cech and captain John Terry for the rest of the Premier League season, prompting manager Jose Mourinho to make the Champions League his team's priority.
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| Sharapova survives scare to progress at Stuttgart Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:05 PM PDT STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Defending champion Maria Sharapova survived a first-round scare at the Porsche Grand Prix by defeating Lucie Safarova 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-6(2) on Tuesday. |
| Violence erupts in Rio slum near Olympic venues Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:04 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Residents of a Rio de Janeiro slum are revolting over the death of a young man they blame on police. |
| Scottish leader says independence could benefit northern England Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:02 PM PDT  By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - An independent Scotland would work closely with northern England to boost its economy and job opportunities, Scottish leader Alex Salmond will say on Wednesday in a bid to allay concerns south of the border about Scotland quitting the United Kingdom. Salmond is expected to use a speech marking St. George's Day, England's national day, to stress that ties and friendship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom would continue if Scots voted to go it alone in a September 18 referendum. Brushing aside a refusal by the main British parties to share the pound if Scotland breaks away, Salmond will insist to business leaders in Carlisle, 10 miles south of the border, that trade and transport links would stay strong and the currency stay the same if Scotland did become independent. He will say that an independent Scotland will be an economic counterweight to London and the southeast of England, tapping into feelings among some in northern England as well as Scotland that they get a raw deal from distant, London-based lawmakers.
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| Cat Deeley ditches fun side for bad girl role Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:01 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — U.K.-born and bred Cat Deeley has found a place in Hollywood, thanks to hosting the Fox dance competition show, "So You Think You Can Dance," which will launch its 11th season next month.
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| Russia expels senior Canadian diplomat in Moscow Posted: 22 Apr 2014 04:00 PM PDT TORONTO (AP) — A senior Canadian diplomat was expelled from Canada's embassy in Moscow in retaliation for Canada expelling a Russia diplomat as tensions grow over the Ukraine, Canadian officials said Tuesday. |
| Venezuela government, opposition to resume talks Thursday Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:54 PM PDT  A Venezuelan opposition coalition and President Nicolas Maduro's government will meet for new talks aimed at ending more than two months of deadly anti-government protests, officials said Tuesday. "We have a date, Thursday, but we still do not have a time and place," said Ramon Guillermo Aveledo of the Democratic Unity (MUD). Anti-government protests have rattled Venezuela since February, leaving at least 41 people dead and more than 600 injured, with opposing sides trading blame for the violence. The elected government and the opposition held preparatory talks on April 7, which were followed by an unprecedented televised meeting between President Nicolas Maduro and some opposition leaders, including the runner-up in last year's presidential election, Henrique Capriles.
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| New Zeakand's Jesse Ryder to play for Essex Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:50 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Cricket says it will not oppose batsman Jesse Ryder's move to English county side Essex, even though he is currently barred from international selection because of off-field misbehavior. |
| Defensive Chelsea holds Atletico in scoreless draw Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:45 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Chelsea's defensive game plan worked perfectly as it held Atletico Madrid to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.
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| US, Iran take envoy row to UN Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:42 PM PDT  United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Iran and the United States brought their simmering row over Tehran's proposed UN ambassador to United Nations headquarters on Tuesday but failed to make any headway. US President Barack Obama signed into law Friday a bill designed to bar Iran's pick for UN ambassador from US soil over his links to the 1979 American embassy hostage siege.
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| Analysis: Putin likely to ignore West on Ukraine Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:39 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — Since he took over Crimea, President Vladimir Putin has seen his popularity soar and his opposition fall silent. So when the U.S. vice president told Russia to defuse tensions in Ukraine, Putin had few reasons to listen.
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| Most Sherpas decide to leave Everest for season Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:29 PM PDT  KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Most Sherpa mountain climbers have decided to leave Mount Everest, a guide said Tuesday, confirming a walkout certain to disrupt a climbing season that was already marked by grief over the 16 lives lost in Everest's deadliest disaster.
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| Ukraine orders new military operation in the east Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:28 PM PDT  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's acting president ordered security forces to resume operations in the country's east on Tuesday after the bodies of two people allegedly abducted by pro-Russia insurgents were found and a military aircraft was reportedly hit by gunfire.
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| Chelsea hold out for Atletico stalemate in Madrid Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:24 PM PDT  Atletico Madrid and Chelsea will have it all to play for when they meet in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final in London next Wednesday after a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday. Chances were far and few between as Chelsea set up to stifle the hosts with two late headers from Raul Garcia the closest Atletico came to breaking the deadlock. The English side did suffer two significant injuries, however, as both goalkeeper Petr Cech and captain John Terry were forced off ruling them out of the second leg. Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel will also be missing for Chelsea, along with Atletico captain Gabi at Stamford Bridge as they all received yellow cards that means they are suspended for the second leg.
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| Iran denies role in Bahrain unrest, urges respect for human rights Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:22 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran denied any role in the violent unrest affecting neighboring Bahrain, accusing Manama of looking for a scapegoat to justify its human rights abuses. "Instead of projecting onto others and raising unfounded charges, Bahraini authorities had better seriously consider their citizens' civil rights demands," the official IRNA news agency cited an "informed" foreign ministry official as saying late Tuesday. "They should avoid police, security and tribal tactics and pave the way for serious dialogue through trust-building actions. ... |
| Chelsea suffer double injury blow Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:19 PM PDT  Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech will miss the rest of the season delivering a huge blow to Chelsea's Premier League and Champions League title winning aspirations after he was injured during his club's 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg match on Tuesday. In a double injury blow it was also revealed by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho that captain John Terry will miss the rest of the Premier League season because of a foot injury he suffered in the second-half of the match. Unlike Cech, though, he could be fit were Chelsea to reach the Champions League final on May 24.
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| Chelsea lose Cech, Terry to long-term injuries Posted: 22 Apr 2014 03:14 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Chelsea will be without goalkeeper Petr Cech and captain John Terry for the rest of the Premier League season after they were injured in Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semifinals. |
| Yum's profit rises as KFC in China sales rebound Posted: 22 Apr 2014 02:53 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Yum reported a higher-than-expected profit for its first quarter as sales recovered at its KFC chain in China. |
| UN committee takes no action on Iran envoy dispute Posted: 22 Apr 2014 02:52 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A U.N. committee took no action Tuesday on the U.S. refusal to grant a visa to Iran's chosen ambassador to the United Nations after hearing from both sides. |
| Oil slips to $102 as US crude supplies seen rising Posted: 22 Apr 2014 02:38 PM PDT The price of oil fell 2 percent to settle just above $102 a barrel Tuesday as investors weighed expectations of rising U.S. crude stockpiles against tensions in Ukraine. |
