| Dozens die in Odessa, rebels down Ukraine helicopters Posted: 02 May 2014 03:13 PM PDT  By Maria Tsvetkova SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed in a fire and others were shot dead when fighting between pro- and anti-Russian groups broke out on the streets of Odessa on Ukraine's Black Sea coast on Friday, opening a new front in a conflict that has split the country. In the east, pro-Russian separatists brought down two Ukrainian military helicopters involved in a pre-dawn operation to try to dislodge the militants from their strongholds in the town of Slaviansk. The separatists said three of their number had been killed, and two civilians, while the defense ministry said two crew from the downed helicopters died and two other servicemen were killed when separatists attacked them on Friday evening. "Heavy fighting is continuing," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
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| Hundreds killed, thousands missing in Afghan landslide Posted: 02 May 2014 12:32 PM PDT  By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 2,000 are missing after a landslide smashed into a village in a mountainous area of north Afghanistan on Friday, and rescue teams were struggling to reach the remote area. Triggered by heavy rain, the side of a mountain collapsed into the village in Argo district at around 11 a.m. (2.30 a.m. ET) as people were trying to recover their belongings and livestock after a smaller landslip hit their homes a few hours earlier. At least 100 people were being treated for injuries, according to Colonel Abdul Qadeer Sayad, a deputy police chief of Badakhshan, which borders Tajikistan. Seasonal rains and spring snow melt have caused heavy destruction across large swathes of northern Afghanistan, killing more than 100 people.
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| Obama, Merkel still struggle over spying but agree on trade Posted: 02 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel could not hide differences on Friday over U.S. surveillance practices despite Obama's offer of "cyber dialogue" with Berlin and a pledge to bridge gaps that have tarnished their relationship. The two leaders have been at odds over the U.S. National Security Agency's spying habits since revelations from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden last year showed the United States had listened in on many of its allies, including Merkel. Obama has since banned the practice of eavesdropping on allied political leaders, but the measure has not placated Germany. "We have a few difficulties yet to overcome," Merkel said in a joint news conference with Obama at the White House, referring to the conflict and pointedly declining to say, when asked, that trust between the two nations had been restored.
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| Syrian rebel offensive encroaches on last chemical stockpile Posted: 02 May 2014 09:33 AM PDT  By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian rebel offensive aimed at easing a government siege east of Damascus has brought fighting closer to the last declared stockpile of President Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons, according to diplomats and activists. Syria has been removing 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons under a deal reached last year which averted Western military strikes, after a sarin gas attack on rebel-held suburbs around the Syrian capital in August.
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| Northern Ireland police extend Gerry Adams detention in 1972 murder probe Posted: 02 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT  By Padraic Halpin ANTRIM, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Northern Ireland police extended the detention of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams by two days on Friday to give detectives more time to question him about a 1972 murder, raising the stakes in a case that has rocked the British province. Adams' arrest over the killing of Jean McConville was among the most significant in Northern Ireland since a 1998 peace deal ended decades of tit-for-tat killings between Irish Catholic nationalists and mostly Protestant pro-British loyalists. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, a Sinn Fein member and close Adams ally, said the decision by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to seek an extension confirmed his view that the arrest was politically motivated.
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| Merkel: Give Iran talks a chance, but ready to act if needed Posted: 02 May 2014 01:13 PM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have to be given a chance, but sanctions could still be reinstated if needed. Merkel said Iran had to comply with an agreement under which Tehran agreed to limit parts of its nuclear work in return for the easing of some sanctions. "If Iran does not meet its obligations, or does not meet them adequately, we remain ready to take back the current limited suspension of sanctions," she said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event.
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| Uruguay leader calls Colorado pot law 'fiction' Posted: 02 May 2014 04:34 PM PDT  MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — President Jose Mujica says Uruguay's legal marijuana market will be much better than Colorado's, where the state doesn't track the drug once it's sold. He also took aim at the medical marijuana laws many U.S. states have adopted, saying they enable people to fake illnesses to get prescription weed.
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| Brother: Rob Ford will overcome 'little challenge' Posted: 02 May 2014 04:24 PM PDT  TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford expects to overcome his "little challenge" with substance abuse and get back to work after a stint in rehab, his brother said Friday.
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| Gay suspended 1 year, returns Olympic silver medal Posted: 02 May 2014 04:20 PM PDT  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Sprinter Tyson Gay accepted a one-year suspension Friday after testing positive for a banned substance nearly a year ago and returned the silver medal he won in the men's 400-meter relay at the 2012 London Olympics.
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| Obama, Merkel vow broader Russian sanctions if Ukraine election derailed Posted: 02 May 2014 04:14 PM PDT By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia on Friday it will face additional sanctions against key sectors of its economy if Moscow disrupts Ukraine's plan to hold elections on May 25. The two leaders linked the threat to the election when they addressed a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden after Oval Office talks dominated by the situation in Ukraine. Obama and Merkel said they were united in vowing to move to the tougher sanctions but made clear there were still negotiations to determine how to structure the sanctions should they be necessary. The election is to choose a successor to President Viktor Yanukovitch, the pro-Russian leader who resigned in the face of unrelenting protests and whose ouster has provoked the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. |
| Police get extra 48 hours to question Gerry Adams Posted: 02 May 2014 04:11 PM PDT  BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Northern Ireland police were granted an extra 48 hours Friday to interrogate Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams about the 1972 IRA killing of a Belfast widow, infuriating his Irish nationalist party and raising questions about the stability of the province's Catholic-Protestant government.
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| Ukrainian unrest spreads; dozens dead in Odessa Posted: 02 May 2014 04:06 PM PDT  SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine launched an offensive against separatist forces for control of a besieged eastern city Friday, while clashes between pro- and anti-government activists in the previously calm southern port of Odessa led to a fire that police said killed 31 people.
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| Ex-Marine jailed for driving into Mexico with guns Posted: 02 May 2014 03:43 PM PDT SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California congressman sent a letter Friday to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to secure the release of a former U.S. combat Marine jailed in Tijuana after he drove into Mexico with three legally owned guns in his vehicle last month. |
| CDC confirms first case of MERS virus in American Posted: 02 May 2014 03:40 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials on Friday confirmed the first case of an American infected with a mysterious virus that has sickened hundreds in the Middle East.
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| US, Germany warn Putin not to disrupt Ukraine vote Posted: 02 May 2014 03:34 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened tough sanctions Friday on broad swaths of Russia's economy if Moscow disrupts Ukraine's May 25 presidential elections, putting President Vladimir Putin on notice for harsher penalties even if he stops short of a full invasion.
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| One dead in Cairo blast: interior ministry Posted: 02 May 2014 03:34 PM PDT  A driver was killed on Friday when his car exploded in central Cairo, Egypt's interior ministry said, hours after bombers killed a policeman and a soldier. Militants have stepped up their attacks against security forces since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July and the military-installed authorities launched a deadly crackdown on his supporters. On Friday morning, a bomb struck a police kiosk near a courthouse in the northern Cairo district of Heliopolis, killing one policeman and wounding four others. The attack came after two suicide bombers targeted a checkpoint and a nearby bus outside the South Sinai provincial capital Al-Tur, security officials said.
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| Manchester United's Giggs can't fault Van Gaal's credentials Posted: 02 May 2014 03:24 PM PDT  Manchester United interim manager Ryan Giggs admits Louis van Gaal has the right credentials to take charge at any of the world's top clubs. Van Gaal is widely expected to be appointed as United's new permanent boss before the end of the season despite strong support for Giggs from the team's fans and players. While Giggs is a United legend with vast experience of what it takes to succeed at Old Trafford, the Welsh midfielder knows he can't match the wealth of managerial knowledge amassed by Netherlands coach van Gaal in his long career. The 40-year-old would clearly love the chance to manage United, but he seemed to acknowledge that won't happen immediately as he saluted van Gaal's achievements, which include winning the Champions League with Ajax and lifting domestic league titles at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
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| FBI: Flow of foreign fighters into Syria growing Posted: 02 May 2014 03:23 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The flow of foreign fighters into Syria has grown in just the last few months, with dozens of Americans joining the country's conflict along with thousands of Europeans, FBI Director James Comey said Friday. |
| South Sudan leader ready for talks but rival doesn't commit Posted: 02 May 2014 03:06 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said on Friday he was ready for face-to-face talks with rebel leader Riek Machar to try and end months of fighting in the world's newest nation, but his rival held off from promising to take part. Kiir spoke hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met him in South Sudan's capital Juba to urge him to help end the conflict - part of a diplomatic push by Western and African powers who fear it could tip into full-blown ethnic slaughter and destabilize an already fragile region. "In the interest of peace in our country, I am willing and ready for face-to-face talks with Machar," Kiir was quoted as saying in a statement released by the government of Kenya, where he flew to brief his regional counterparts after meeting Kerry.
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| Prisoner boycotts Guantanamo hearing over search Posted: 02 May 2014 03:03 PM PDT MIAMI (AP) — A prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay naval base will not attend an upcoming review board hearing because he does not want to submit to what he considers an overly intrusive body search, according to a statement released Friday from a military official appointed to represent him. |
| UK's detention policy in Afghanistan ruled unlawful Posted: 02 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT  Britain's High Court on Friday ruled that the country's detention policy in Afghanistan was unlawful as it heard the case of an Afghan farmer who was held on suspicion of being a Taliban commander. He claims British troops tortured him into giving a false confession after being transferred to the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) facility at Lashkar Gah. International Security Assistance Force rules allowed detentions for a maximum of 96 hours, but Britain implemented its own policy in 2009 which allowed longer detention if it was believed a suspect could provide fresh information. Judge George Leggatt ruled that Mohammed's initial 96 hour-detention was legal, but that holding him for a further 106 days was not.
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| Puerto Rico bus driver accused in sex assault case Posted: 02 May 2014 02:52 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A school bus driver in Puerto Rico has been charged with sexual exploitation in a case involving an 18-year-old mentally disabled student that authorities say he impregnated. |
| Prisoner boycotts Guantanamo over body search Posted: 02 May 2014 02:47 PM PDT MIAMI (AP) — A prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay naval base will not attend an upcoming review board hearing because he does not want to submit to what he considers an overly intrusive body search, according to a statement released Friday from a military official appointed to represent him. |
| Bilbao clinches Champions League berth Posted: 02 May 2014 02:39 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Athletic Bilbao secured its return to the Champions League next season by winning 3-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Friday to lock up a fourth-place finish in the Spanish league. |
| AstraZeneca rejects sweetened Pfizer takeover bid Posted: 02 May 2014 02:35 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said Friday that it hasn't given up on a deal after British drugmaker AstraZeneca flatly rejected its latest takeover bid, worth $106 billion.
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| German sports head Manfred von Richthofen dies Posted: 02 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Manfred von Richthofen, the honorary president of Germany's national Olympic federation who presided over a shake-up in German sports management, has died. He was 80.
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| Attacks in Egypt kill 5 ahead of presidential vote Posted: 02 May 2014 02:29 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — Suicide bombings in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula hit a police checkpoint and a passenger bus, and two Cairo bombings including one targeted police in new violence that killed at least five people Friday, a day before the start of campaigning in the country's presidential election.
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| UEFA examining 9 clubs over financial fair play Posted: 02 May 2014 02:24 PM PDT NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA says nine clubs are being examined to see if they violated the European football body's financial fair play rules. |
| Explosive issue: how to deal with giant whale carcass Posted: 02 May 2014 02:16 PM PDT  What do you do with a rare blue whale weighing up to 180 tons that has died and is threatening to explode its stinking innards all over your town? That is the unusual quandary the 600 bemused residents of a Canadian fishing town have been wrestling with since the 25-meter-long (80 feet) creature washed up last week on the shores of Trout River, Newfoundland. Town manager Emily Butler told AFP on Tuesday that "there is a concern it can explode" and the close-knit community in the North Atlantic -- which now reeks of dead whale -- lacked the resources to safely dispose of the carcass. Then the Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced that scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto would head to Trout River next week to recover the carcass.
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| 4th attack in Egypt near a subway station kills 1 Posted: 02 May 2014 02:06 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian security official says a car exploded in a busy Cairo district, leaving one person dead and injuring two others. It was the fourth attack in one day and brings death toll to five. |
| N.Ireland police get another 48 hours to quiz Gerry Adams Posted: 02 May 2014 02:03 PM PDT  Antrim (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Northern Ireland police on Friday obtained a 48-hour extension to question detained Irish republican leader Gerry Adams over the notorious IRA murder of a widowed mother of 10 in 1972. "Detectives investigating the abduction and murder of Jean McConville have been granted an extra 48 hours to interview a 65-year-old man," said a spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Adams, 65, who is leader of the Sinn Fein political party and has been the public face of the movement to end British sovereignty in Northern Ireland for the past 30 years, presented himself at Antrim police station late Wednesday. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, the senior Sinn Fein figure in the power-sharing government in Belfast, earlier said: "Yesterday I said that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated.
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| Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 02 May 2014 02:02 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A landslide triggered by heavy rain buried large sections of a remote northeastern Afghan village on Friday, killing at least 350 people and leaving more than 2,000 missing. Villagers looked on helplessly and the governor appealed for shovels to help dig through the mass of mud that flattened every home in its path. The mountainous area in Badakhshan province has experienced days of heavy rain and flooding, and the side of a cliff collapsed onto the village of Hobo Barik around midday. Landslides and avalanches are frequent in Afghanistan, but Friday's was one of the deadliest. |
| Lille held 1-1 at Bastia in French league Posted: 02 May 2014 01:51 PM PDT BASTIA, France (AP) — Lille missed an opportunity to clinch a Champions League spot by drawing 1-1 with mid-table Bastia in the French league on Friday. |
