| Mediators held in Ukraine as U.S. readies new Russia sanctions Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:13 PM PDT  By Thomas Grove and Arshad Mohammed SLAVIANSK, Ukraine/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union are expected on Monday to impose new sanctions on Russian individuals, sources said on Friday, as the Ukraine crisis escalated with armed pro-Russia separatists seizing a bus carrying international mediators. The Pentagon said Russian aircraft breached Ukraine's airspace several times over the past 24 hours, but did not offer more details. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren called on Russia to "take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation." The separatist self-declared mayor of the east Ukraine city of Slaviansk told Reuters the mediators were being held because they were believed to have a spy amongst them from the pro-Western government in Kiev. The fresh U.S. and EU sanctions come in response to Russia's alleged efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine, said sources familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| 'Pause' perhaps needed in Israeli-Palestinian talks: Obama Posted: 25 Apr 2014 11:40 AM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday a "pause" might be needed in U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, suggesting leaders on both sides lacked the will to make the necessary compromises. Israel on Thursday suspended participation in negotiations with the Palestinians in response to President Mahmoud Abbas's unexpected unity pact with the rival Islamist Hamas group, which Israel and the United States consider a terrorist organization.
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| Western intel suggests Syria can still produce chemical arms Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:32 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria maintains an ability to deploy chemical weapons, diplomats say, citing intelligence from Britain, France and the United States that could strengthen allegations Syria's military recently used chlorine gas in its bloody civil war. The comments reflect a growing conviction among Western capitals that President Bashar al-Assad has failed to come clean about Syria's chemical weapons program despite his promises to end it, and they insist the United States and its allies will resist calls by Assad to shut down a special international chemical disarmament mission set up to deal with Syria.
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| 28 killed in attack on Shi'ite political rally in Iraq Posted: 25 Apr 2014 12:48 PM PDT  By Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of explosions killed 28 people and wounded more than 40 at a Shi'ite political organization's rally in Iraq on Friday, police and medical sources said. The militant group Asaib Ahl Haq (League of the Righteous) was presenting its candidates for elections on April 30 at the rally in eastern Baghdad. Al Qaeda offshoot the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on the Internet. The attack came as tensions ran high in Iraq in the runup to a national election on April 30 and as the Iraqi security forces are locked in a four-month battle with ISIL in western Anbar province.
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| South Korea, U.S. pledge firm response to North Korea Posted: 25 Apr 2014 10:55 AM PDT  By Ju-min Park and Mark Felsenthal SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea represents a threat not just to Asia but to the United States, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday, as he and South Korea's President Park Geun-hye warned they would respond firmly to any "provocations". Recent satellite data shows continued work at the nuclear test site in North Korea, although experts analyzing the data say that preparations do not appear to have progressed far enough for an imminent test. "When North Korea is threatening further provocations and publicly discussing the possibility of a further nuclear test, President Obama's visit to South Korea will send a firm message that North Korea's provocations will not be tolerated," Park told a joint press conference.
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| Over 100 dead, thousands left homeless by Afghan floods Posted: 25 Apr 2014 09:24 AM PDT More than 100 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by flash floods in north and west Afghanistan, officials said on Friday, prompting desperate pleas for help from the impoverished provincial authorities. In the northern province of Jawzjan, police chief Faqer Mohammad Jawzjani said 55 bodies had been recovered, and that the number of dead would increase over the coming days. |
| Slovenian PM Bratusek loses party leadership, government likely to fall Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:53 PM PDT  By Marja Novak BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia (Reuters) - Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek lost the leadership of her center-left Positive Slovenia (PS) party to a challenger unwanted by her coalition partners on Saturday, a move that is likely to bring down her government and trigger an early election. A party congress chose Ljubljana mayor Zoran Jankovic as the new PS leader, the party said. All three coalition partners have said they would not cooperate with a party led by Jankovic, who is under investigation for corruption and has denied all allegations. Bratusek, whose government managed to save Slovenian from an international bailout last year, told congress before the vote that she cannot remain the prime minister without the party support.
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| Ecuador orders US military group to leave Posted: 25 Apr 2014 05:07 PM PDT  QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador has ordered the U.S. Embassy's military group, about 20 Defense Department employees, to leave the country by month's end, in a further indication of strained relations.
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| Rio mayor says he won't bow to sports federations Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:14 PM PDT  Rio de Janeiro's mayor has responded to the high number of complaints about the city's preparations for the 2016 Olympics by saying sports federations are making too many unnecessary demands for the games.
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| Bolivia's Morales urges troops to end their strike Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:13 PM PDT  Bolivian President Evo Morales on Friday urged striking members of the armed forces to return to their barracks, calling for a return to military "discipline" by the soldiers. Morales demanded that the troops end a strike that has lasted several days, calling their refusal to obey orders "a betrayal of the homeland." "A military without discipline, ceases to be a military," Morales declared at an event marking the anniversary of an army military college. "The people need you," Morales pleaded to the soldiers and low-ranking officers.
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| US gingerly repairing ties with Egypt Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:10 PM PDT  Top Egyptian diplomat Nabil Fahmy visits Washington next week on the highest level trip since the army ousted the Islamist government, as the US papers over democracy concerns to mend ties with a key ally. The freeze had been imposed when Cairo's military-installed leaders failed to restore full democracy after toppling president Mohamed Morsi. But the release of some 10 Apache helicopters and $650 million in other military aid to Egypt a month before closely watched presidential elections has been widely criticized by rights groups. The organizations have said that they're troubled by a brutal crackdown by Egyptian authorities which has seen scores of opposition leaders and journalists jailed.
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| Hagel eyes value, danger of military goodwill Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:07 PM PDT  LOS LIMONES, Guatemala (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a firsthand look Friday at the U.S. military's goodwill-building humanitarian work — its dangers as well as its benefits.
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| Fresh Slovenia turmoil as PM loses party leadership Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:01 PM PDT  Brdo castle (Kranj) (Slovenia) (AFP) - Slovenia's Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek lost the leadership of her party after 13 months in office on Saturday, plunging the small eurozone country back into political turmoil. The centre-left Bratusek lost a vote of support by members of her Positive Slovenia (PS) after a challenge by party founder and Ljubljana mayor Zoran Jankovic early on Saturday. Under Jankovic, a charismatic supermarket millionnaire, the PS came first in elections in December 2011 but he failed to form a coalition and he stepped down as party leader in early 2013 following corruption allegations.
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| Egypt diplomat seeks new path for US relations Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:54 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Egypt is seeking to chart a new direction with the United States, the Arab nation's top diplomat said Friday, following several years of upheaval and uncertainty that has forced delays in American aid to Cairo and spurred tensions between the two governments. |
| Interpol reports low use of stolen passport database Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:52 PM PDT  United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Fewer than 10 countries in the world systematically use an Interpol database to verify whether a passenger is flying with stolen documents, the organization's secretary general said Friday. The Stolen or Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database contains 42 million records from 167 countries, Ronald Noble told a press conference. The number has come to light after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was carrying two Iranian men who boarded with stolen passports. It was later reported that they were illegal migrants, and Malaysian authorities were criticized for not consulting the database.
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| John Paul II sainthood stirs Latin Americans Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:35 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The canonization of Pope John Paul II is drawing special attention in Latin America, reviving both warm memories of his frequent visits to the region and debate over his handling of sex-abuse scandals.
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| Israeli push for visa-free travel to US faces test Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A campaign to allow Israelis to enter the United States without a visa is gaining steam in Congress, but is still running into a brick wall with the Obama administration over the U.S. government's most elementary demand: that the Jewish state provide the same treatment at its borders to all Americans, even if they are Arab or Muslim. |
| Russian aircraft entered Ukraine airspace: Pentagon Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:28 PM PDT Russian aircraft have repeatedly breached Ukraine's airspace in the past 24 hours, a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday, and he called on Moscow to "take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation." "I can confirm that on several occasions in the last 24 hours, Russian aircraft have entered Ukrainian airspace," the spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, said. The disclosure came a day after the Pentagon sharply criticized Russia's announcement of new military drills near the border with Ukraine. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Russian military activity along the border "dangerously destabilizing" and provocative. The Pentagon confirmed Russian reports that the top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, had spoken on Thursday by telephone with Russian General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff. |
| Official: Salvadoran gangs buying automatic rifles Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:14 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — A Salvadoran official says the country's street gangs are arming themselves with high-powered rifles and that some members have tried to join the army to get military training. |
| Senegal's exiled ex-president Wade returns home Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:13 PM PDT  Dakar (AFP) - Senegal's former president Abdoulaye Wade returned home on Friday after two years abroad following his election defeat, his party told AFP, with his son facing jail for corruption.
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| Exclusive: U.S., EU seen imposing sanctions on Russia on Monday - sources Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:12 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union are expected to impose fresh sanctions on Russian individuals on Monday in response to Moscow's alleged efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said. The United States was expected to sanction individuals and entities, they said, with the U.S. list of individuals expected to include "cronies" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The sources said the one thing that might prevent the EU and the United States from moving ahead with the sanctions on Monday would be a sudden reversal of what they say is Russian-sponsored separatist movements in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies allegations it is directing the separatists, who have taken control of large parts of eastern Ukraine over the past three weeks.
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| O'Sullivan eyes end of the worlds Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:10 PM PDT  Sheffield (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Reigning champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will have to come from behind if he is to remain in this year's World Championship after going down 9-7 to Joe Perry on Friday. The all-English match resumes Saturday, with O'Sullivan needing to win six frames in the best of 25 contest if the five-times world champion is to reach the quarter-finals. Friday's afternoon session at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre saw the pair win four frames each and Perry might have been even better placed, at four frames in front, had he not missed several chances to win the day's final frame. O'Sullivan, 5-3 down at the end of Thursday's first session, reduced his deficit with a break of 93 in Friday's opening frame.
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| Russian aircraft violated Ukraine's airspace: US Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:06 PM PDT  Washington (United States) (AFP) - Russian warplanes violated Ukraine's airspace several times in the past 24 hours, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday, in the latest sign of a mounting confrontation between Moscow and Kiev. "I can confirm that on several occasions in the last 24 hours, Russian aircraft have entered Ukrainian airspace," said Colonel Steven Warren. Warren urged Russia to take "immediate steps to de-escalate the situation." With tensions soaring, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had tried to arrange a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to discuss the crisis, but Moscow has yet to respond to the request, Warren said.
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| Puerto Rico paramedic charged with lewd acts Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:06 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in Puerto Rico have charged a paramedic with performing lewd acts on a car crash victim. |
| Fotuali'i stars as Northampton reach Challenge Cup final Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:06 PM PDT  Samoa's Kahn Fotuali'i produced two fine pieces of skill as Northampton beat English rivals Harlequins 18-10 on Friday to keep alive hopes of a European Challenge Cup and Premiership double. In this Challenge Cup semi-final, scrum-half Fotuali'i set up one try with a precise cross-kick and scored another before a try from veteran Harlequins back-row Nick Easter frayed the nerves of home fans at Franklin's Gardens. But Northampton held on and will face the winners of Sunday's second semi-final, another all-English affair between Wasps and Bath, in the final of European club rugby's second-tier tournament in Cardiff next month. Northampton were on top in the first half even though the Saints were briefly down to 14 men after just three minutes when Jamie Elliott was shown a yellow card after tackling Mike Brown while the England full-back was in mid-air fielding a high ball.
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| FIFA downplays Brazil violence worries Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:03 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The recent outbreak of deadly violence in the heart of Rio de Janeiro will not compromise the World Cup, FIFA's secretary general pledged Friday.
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| USVI announces $30M donation for medical school Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:03 PM PDT CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — The University of the Virgin Islands has received a $30 million donation to help build a long-awaited medical school in the U.S. territory. |
| Lawyer: Congressman Grimm to face federal charges Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:58 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, who has been dogged by allegations of campaign violations since his first campaign for Congress in 2009 and 2010, is facing criminal charges from federal prosecutors, his lawyer said on Friday.
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| Woman killed in clash between Egypt's Brotherhood, security forces: sources Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:53 PM PDT  A supporter of Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood was killed on Friday in clashes with the security forces in Fayoum province, south of Cairo, medical sources said. The woman, Reda Dahish, died after being hit by birdshot in her stomach. A Reuters witness saw Brotherhood supporters throwing rocks and fireworks at security forces who fired teargas and used birdshot against the protesters. In a separate incident in Cairo, a policeman was shot dead by Brotherhood supporters, the interior ministry said in a statement.
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| Kerry to lead peace mission to Africa next week Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:47 PM PDT  Top US diplomat John Kerry heads on his first major tour of sub-Saharan Africa next week with talks on some of the most brutal conflicts plaguing the continent high on his agenda. His stops in Ethiopia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo will focus on peace and democracy efforts in various countries, officials said Friday. The trip from Tuesday to May 5 will seek to "encourage democratic development, promote respect for human rights, advance peace and security," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Ethiopia has been hosting peace talks between South Sudan's government and rebels aimed at ending a bloody four-month civil war, which has left thousands of people dead and over a million displaced.
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| Ex-Brazilian president absolved in corruption case Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:45 PM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's Supreme Court has absolved former President Fernando Collor de Mello in a corruption case that was among scandals that led to his impeachment more than 20 years ago. |
| British business group U-turns on Scottish independence Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:43 PM PDT  Britain's biggest employers' organisation, the CBI lobby group, sought Friday to disassociate itself from the campaign against Scottish independence after a backlash among its members north of the border. The CBI has warned against Scotland breaking from the United Kingdom in September's referendum, and last week it emerged that it had registered its support for the 'No' camp with the Electoral Commission. The move sparked anger among many of the 190,000 businesses represented by the CBI, and some, including Scottish government agencies VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, and broadcaster STV, withdrew from the organisation. CBI director-general John Cridland announced Friday that registering with the Electoral Commission had been an "honest mistake" and the application would be nullified.
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| UN set to lift Ivory Coast diamond embargo Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:42 PM PDT  United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council is set to lift a nearly decade-old embargo on Ivory Coast's international diamond trade and plans to relax its arms embargo there, diplomats said Friday. The diamond embargo was declared in 2005 because the stones were helping fund the Forces Nouvelles rebels that controlled the north of the country after a failed coup attempt in 2002 against then-president Laurent Gbagbo. However, the diamond trade is now regulated by the Kimberley Process, of which Ivory Coast is a member, and the UN oversight is seen as redundant. According to a recent report by UN experts, the illegal trade in raw diamonds continues in Ivory Coast, using networks that buy and then illegally export the gemstones via neighboring countries.
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| Russian aircraft entered Ukraine airspace, Pentagon says Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:40 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian aircraft have entered Ukrainian airspace on several occasions in the past 24 hours, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said on Friday, without offering further details. Warren called upon Moscow to "take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Sandra Maler) |
| Hawaii flight stowaway's family split for years, refugee mom says Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:40 PM PDT  (Reuters) - The Somali mother of a teen stowaway who survived a flight from California to Hawaii in the plane's wheel well said in a radio interview from a refugee camp in Ethiopia that she had not been able to speak to her son for years before his risky adventure. The boy sneaked into the wheel compartment of a Boeing 767 that took off on Sunday from San Jose International Airport, becoming one of only a fraction of stowaways to emerge alive after such a treacherous trip. He told investigators he wanted to go to Africa to see his mother, according to CNN. The mother, Ubah Mohamed Abdulle, fled Somalia and lives in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where she told Voice of America that she was divorced from the boy's father, who lives in Santa Clara with the teenager and two of his siblings.
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| Yeovil relegated after loss at Brighton Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:32 PM PDT  Yeovil's brief stay in the Championship came to an end on Friday when they were relegated from the second tier after a 2-0 defeat at Brighton. Gary Johnson's team had travelled to the Amex Stadium already resigned to their fate as they needed to win their remaining two games, hope everyone else around them lost theirs, and engineer a 13-goal swing in order to beat the drop. And, despite a battling display, the Somerset club's relegation was confirmed in the closing stages on the south-coast when late goals from Kazenga LuaLua and Jesse Lingard fired Brighton back into the play-off places.
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| Exclusive: U.N. set to lift Ivory Coast diamond ban, tweak arms embargo Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:19 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols and Joe Bavier UNITED NATIONS/ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is set to partially ease a decade-long arms embargo on Ivory Coast and lift a ban on diamond exports, diplomats said on Friday, despite claims by U.N. experts the measure failed to stop illicit trafficking of rough diamonds. A French-drafted resolution circulated among the 15 council members proposes lifting the diamond ban and easing the 2004 arms embargo to allow government forces to purchase light weapons without the approval of a U.N. committee. The Security Council made a similar change last year to an arms embargo on Somalia to allow the government in Mogadishu to strengthen its security forces.
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| Bombers kill 31 at Iraq campaign rally for Shiites Posted: 25 Apr 2014 01:50 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Suicide bombers killed 31 people Friday at a sports stadium hosting a campaign rally for thousands of supporters of a militant Shiite group before parliamentary elections, authorities said — an attack that could unleash more sectarian violence.
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