| Egypt's Sisi takes office to cool reception from West Posted: 08 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised to rule Egypt in an inclusive manner after he was sworn in as president on Sunday but gave no indication he would reconcile with the Muslim Brotherhood movement he removed from power nearly a year ago. Last month's election, which officials said Sisi won with 97 percent of the vote, followed three years of upheaval since a popular uprising ended 30 years of rule by former air force commander Hosni Mubarak. Sisi said combating terrorism would be his top priority for the time being, a reference to Islamist foes he describes as a threat to national security. "As for those who shed the blood of the innocents, there will be no place for them in this path," Sisi said in his first speech to the nation.
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| Five people dead in attack on airport in Karachi, Pakistan: police Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:13 PM PDT  Gunmen attacked one of Pakistan's biggest airports in Karachi on Sunday, killing at least five people, police said. The attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan's sprawling commercial hub of 18 million, took place as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government tries to engage Taliban militants in negotiations to end years of fighting. "The old terminal of Karachi airport was attacked by militants," said a senior police official. "All flights destined for Karachi have been diverted to other cities," said a civil aviation authority spokesman.
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| U.S. deaths in Afghanistan may have only tenuous link to Bergdahl Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:56 PM PDT  By Andy Sullivan, Phil Stewart and Jibran Ahmed WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The frantic search for Bowe Bergdahl began the moment his comrades discovered he was no longer inside the fragile outpost in a rock-strewn valley in one of the most hostile corners of Afghanistan. Exactly why Bergdahl left is subject to intense scrutiny. But accounts by two Taliban sources as well as several U.S. officials and fellow soldiers raise doubt over media reports that he had sought to join the Taliban, and over suggestions that the deaths later that year of six soldiers in his battalion were related to the search for him. His dramatic release on May 31 after five years in captivity in return for five Taliban commanders sparked a national controversy over whether President Barack Obama paid too high a price for his freedom.
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| Ukraine's Poroshenko plans new team to take on Putin, build ties with West Posted: 08 Jun 2014 06:57 AM PDT  By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's newly-installed President Petro Poroshenko is set to remake a governing team which will handle the crisis with Russia, with talks on gas prices on Monday providing an early test of his new relationship with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Poroshenko's swearing-in as president at a pomp-filled, but relaxed, ceremony on Saturday conveyed the feeling that a line had been drawn under six months of unprecedented and bloody upheaval which toppled his predecessor, Viktor Yanukovich. But behind the euphoria that Ukraine might now, at last, start to "Live in a new way", as Poroshenko's campaign slogan has promised, lies the reality of seething separatism in the east in which Ukraine sees Moscow's hand, and Russia's opposition to his plans to lead Ukraine into mainstream Europe.
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| Pope says Israelis, Palestinians must seek peace 'undaunted in dialogue' Posted: 08 Jun 2014 12:37 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis told Israeli and Palestinian leaders they "must respond" to their people's yearning for peace "undaunted in dialogue" during an unprecedented prayer meeting among Jews, Christians and Muslims at the Vatican on Sunday. The pope made his vibrant appeal to Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the end of a two-hour evening service in the Vatican gardens, an encounter he hopes will relaunch the Middle East peace process. The pope spoke after Jewish rabbis, Christian cardinals and Muslim Imams read and chanted from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran in Italian, English, Hebrew and Arabic in the first such inter-religious event in the Vatican. At times the chanting made it seem that participants were in a synagogue or outside a mosque in the Middle East rather than a primly manicured triangular lawn, a spot the Vatican chose as a "neutral" site with no religious symbols.
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| South African President Zuma discharged from hospital Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:46 PM PDT  South African President Jacob Zuma was discharged from hospital on Sunday evening after being admitted the previous day for a routine health check, the President's office said in a statement. "The president will continue to rest for a few days and will work mainly from home during the rest period," Jeff Radebe, a minister in the president's office, said in the statement. Zuma's office said his doctors had felt he needed to be hospitalized for a thorough check-up after a grueling election campaign, which saw him elected to a second term in May. (Reporting by Xola Potelwa;
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| Kosovo ex-rebel claims third term, turnout reflects frustrations Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:24 PM PDT  By Fatos Bytyci and Matt Robinson PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's ruling party of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci claimed a third term on Sunday in an election marked by a low turnout among Kosovars frustrated with widespread poverty and corruption. With votes from 70 percent of polling stations counted, Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) held 30 percent, ahead of its arch rival in the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 26 percent. Turnout of only 43 percent, down from the two previous parliamentary elections, reflected widespread frustration among the Balkan country's 1.8 million people at the lack of progress made since Thaci presided over the territory's secession from Serbia in 2008. "Tonight, Kosovo has won.
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| Kosovo snap vote tests EU efforts in Balkans Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:18 PM PDT  PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Former rebel leader Hashim Thaci claimed a third term as prime minister of Kosovo on Sunday after official preliminary results gave him the lead in a snap parliamentary election that also saw minority Serbs casting votes for the 120-seat assembly despite their rejection of Kosovo's claim to statehood.
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| 12 dead in assault on Pakistan's Karachi airport Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:11 PM PDT  Heavily armed militants attacked Pakistan's busiest airport in the southern city of Karachi Sunday night, killing at least six people as flights were suspended and the army was called in, officials said. Some six militants were also killed in the assault as gunfire, which continued overnight, and two huge blasts rocked the Jinnah International airport. Army spokesman Asim Saleem Bajwa said in a statement: "All passengers in planes have been evacuated and three terrorists killed." The attackers appeared to have entered from at least two sides of the airport;
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| Former number one Park nabs first LPGA win of season Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:05 PM PDT  Waterloo (Canada) (AFP) - Park In-Bee, motivated by her fall from the top of the world rankings, stormed to her first LPGA title of 2014 at the Manulife Financial Classic on Sunday. The South Korean star had 10 birdies in a course record-equalling 10-under par 61 on the Grey Silo Golf Course, erasing a two-stroke overnight deficit win by three strokes with a 23-under par total of 261. "It never gets old," said Park, whose course record-equalling round was a career-low. "Obviously, my last win on the LPGA Tour was about this time a year ago -- and it sure felt longer than a year.
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| Report: Chinese company faulted on bridge project Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:04 PM PDT SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — The decision by California transportation officials to hire a Chinese company that had never built a bridge to make key components of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge's eastern section ended up being a costly choice in terms of both dollars and confidence in the span's structural integrity, a newspaper reported Sunday. |
| JLo won't perform in World Cup opener in Brazil Posted: 08 Jun 2014 04:01 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Jennifer Lopez won't perform the World Cup's official song alongside fellow artists Pitbull and Claudia Leitte during the tournament's opening ceremony in Brazil, FIFA officials said Sunday.
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| Brazil subway strike on in WCup city despite fine Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:56 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — A labor court slapped fines on the subway workers union Sunday for a strike that has closed many stations and clogged the avenues of Brazil's largest city just days before it hosts the World Cup opening match.
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| S.Africa president Zuma discharged from hospital Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:55 PM PDT  South Africa's President Jacob Zuma left hospital late Sunday, the day after he was admitted for routine tests following a bout of exhaustion, this office said. "President Jacob Zuma has been discharged from hospital this evening," his office announced in a statement late Sunday. The 72-year-old leader checked into hospital on Saturday after officials from his party had asked him on Friday to take a break because "the punishing election programme was taking its toll, not on him only, (but) on many of us," ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe had earlier said. Following the discharge from hospital, Zuma will "continue to rest for a few days and will work mainly from home during the rest period," said Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe in the statement.
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| Italy beats Fluminense 5-3 in World Cup warm-up Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:54 PM PDT  VOLTA REDONDA, Brazil (AP) — Ciro Immobile scored a hat trick and also set up two other goals as Italy ended its recent slump by beating Brazilian club Fluminense 5-3 in a World Cup warm-up match Sunday.
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| Five dead in Las Vegas shooting Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:47 PM PDT  Two Las Vegas police officers and a civilian were killed Sunday in an apparent ambush that ended with the two gunmen killing themselves, local media reported Sunday. One of the attackers yelled "This is the start of a revolution" before shooting the officers and stripping them of their weapons and ammunition, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said. The attackers then headed to a nearby Walmart store, exchanging gunfire with and ultimately killing a civilian who was carrying a concealed weapon. The male shooter, described as a tall white man, yelled "everyone get out" before shooting, Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
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| Williamson ton puts NZ on top vs West Indies Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:40 PM PDT  KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Kane Williamson scored his sixth test century Sunday to lead New Zealand to a satisfying 240-2 against the West Indies at the close of day one at Sabina Park.
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| Kurdish rebels ramp up pressure ahead of Turkey vote Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:28 PM PDT  Kurdish rebels in Turkey's southeast are ramping up attacks in a bid to pressure Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to speed up reforms ahead of presidential elections, analysts say. A recent spate of ambushes, kidnappings and roadblocks by Kurdish militants threatens to further erode the fraught relationship between Ankara and the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) ahead of Turkey's first direct presidential election in August. The PKK declared a ceasefire in March 2013, but peace talks stalled in September after the rebels said they were suspending their retreat from Turkish soil, accusing the government of failing to deliver on promised reforms. The upsurge in violence in the southeast is seen as a sign that the PKK -- blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Ankara and much of the international community -- is raising the stakes in order to secure greater concessions.
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| Victory lifts Esperance back into title race Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:19 PM PDT  CAF Champions League strugglers Esperance scored twice within a minute to defeat CS Sfaxien 2-1 in a Tunisian derby Sunday and get back into the title hunt. Oussama Darragi struck on 65 minutes for the 'Blood and Gold' at Stade Olympique in Tunis and Idriss Mhirssi grabbed the winner. Maher Hannachi had put Sfaxien ahead two minutes into the second half as they sought to extend an unbeaten run in the competition this season to seven games. Victory was a huge boost for two-time African champions Esperance after shock losses to Algerians Entente Setif and Libyans Al-Ahly Benghazi last month.
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| Nigeria's ex-central bank governor takes throne as Muslim monarch Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:14 PM PDT  By Haruna Mohamed KANO Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's ousted central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, was named Emir of Kano on Sunday, making an outspoken government critic one of the most influential leaders in the largely Muslim north. Sanusi, who regularly railed against the government's record on corruption, was suspended from his post at the bank in February by President Goodluck Jonathan in a decision that alarmed international investors. The emir is the second-highest Muslim authority in Nigeria. Sanusi's switch from the offices of the capital Abuja to the palace in Kano will make him a central player in confronting a mounting insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram militants in the northeast.
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| Global auto component makers gear up for China's tougher emission rules Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:11 PM PDT  By Samuel Shen and Kazunori Takada SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Global companies that specialise in making vehicle emissions cleaner are rushing to take advantage of Beijing's war on pollution, as Chinese automakers look to comply with tougher regulations in the world's biggest auto market. Firms from Bill Gates-backed start-up EcoMotors Inc to Faurecia SA, a parts supplier controlled by French giant Peugeot SA, are jostling to help automakers meet new diesel emission rules taking effect in January, despite concerns the standards may not be strictly enforced. "Generally speaking, we will benefit from higher emission standards in China as they will further spur our business growth," said Liu Xiaoxing, China vice president of Cummins Inc, a U.S. diesel engine maker that partners with Faurecia and counts China as its biggest and fastest-growing market. Pollution has reached crisis levels in China after decades of growth-at-all-costs, contributing to hundreds of thousands of deaths a year and sowing the seeds of social unrest.
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| Gun and suicide attack kills 23 near Pakistan-Iran border Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:11 PM PDT  Quetta (Pakistan) (AFP) - At least 23 people including several Shiite pilgrims were killed in a gun and suicide attack on the restive Pakistan-Iran border late Sunday night, Pakistani officials said, in the latest assault on the beleaguered minority sect. The attack came when a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims returning from a visit to holy Muslim sites in Iran stopped at a restaurant in the Pakistani town of Taftan in Baluchistan province, around 700 kilometres (430 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Quetta. Akbar Durrani, the provincial home secretary said: "Twenty-three pilgrims were killed in the suicide attack in Taftan. Addressing a press conference, Durrani said four suicide bombers attacked two restaurants full of pilgrims.
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| Japan entertains in attack, falters in defense Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:06 PM PDT  ITU, Brazil (AP) — On a sultry June evening last year in Recife, Brazil, it was hard to tell which side were the four-time World Cup champions and which the footballing outsiders who had never tasted global glory.
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| Rosberg looks on the bright side Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:06 PM PDT  World championship leader Nico Rosberg looked on the bright side of his Mercedes team's first defeat of the season in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix where he finished second to Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull. The 28-year-old German said that he was pleased with his points-haul in a race that saw Mercedes team-mate and title rival Briton Lewis Hamilton retire with brake and power problems. "When you lose ERS (Energy Recovery System) it doesn't harvest anymore, then any braking is done by rear braking, so that is why the rear brakes overheated," said Rosberg.
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| Ricciardo wins drama-laden race to end Mercedes run Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:03 PM PDT  Daniel Ricciardo beamed from ear to ear on Sunday when he ended Mercedes early-season domination by claiming his maiden Formula One victory for Red Bull in a dramatic crash-hit Canadian Grand Prix. The 24-year-old Australian took full advantage of power and electrical problems that hit both championship leader Nico Rosberg and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to claim a stirring triumph. "I am still a bit in shock," said Ricciardo. Ricciardo was close to a victory in his first race with Red Bull on home turf in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix in March, but after finishing second, he was disqualified for a technical infringement.
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| Hamilton suffers brakes problems from early battles Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:02 PM PDT  Lewis Hamilton said his early-race battle with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg led to the brake problems that finally ended his challenge in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix Hamilton and Rosberg were locked in a close and dramatic fight for the lead until they both began to suffer from Energy Recovery System problems that also led, in the end, to them losing speed – and Australian Daniel Ricciardo claiming his maiden victory for Red Bull. Hamilton said he was informed soon after his first pit-stop that both he and Rosberg had mechanical problems.
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| Vettel lucky to escape high-speed crash Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT  Sebastian Vettel said he was very lucky to escape being hit at high speed when Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez collided at the end of Sunday's drama-filled Canadian Grand Prix. The defending four-time world champion's Red Bull car was passed on either side by the Williams and Force India cars of the two Latin Americans, missing his vehicle by less than a metre as they tangled approaching Turn One on the final lap. Mexican Perez and Brazilian Massa avoided serious injury in the crash that saw Perez's collision with the barriers measured at a force of 27G.Form German Vettel had just passed Perez into the final chicane just prior to the clash.
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| Iran beats Trinidad 2-0 in last World Cup warm-up Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Iran defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in a World Cup warm-up Sunday played on a training ground that was empty apart from a few journalists.
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| Gunmen storm airport in Pakistan, killing 9 people Posted: 08 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen disguised as police guards stormed an airport terminal used for VIPs and cargo in Pakistan's largest city Sunday night, killing at least nine people as explosions echoed into night, officials said. |
| France thrashes Jamaica 8-0 in final warm-up match Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:52 PM PDT  LILLE, France (AP) — France heads to Brazil with its confidence high after rounding off its World Cup warm-up matches by thrashing Jamaica 8-0 on Sunday, with striker Karim Benzema scoring two and creating two in an impressive display of attacking football.
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| Venezuela rally supports jailed opposition leader Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:51 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of Venezuelans who oppose their country's socialist-led government rallied peacefully in the capital Sunday to protest the continued detention of an opposition leader and to call for an early presidential election.
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| Gunmen storm airport in Pakistan, killing 5 people Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:38 PM PDT  KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen stormed an airport terminal used for VIPs and cargo flights in Pakistan's largest city Sunday night, killing at least five people, officials said, striking blow to a city vital to the country's economy.
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| Quebec sees second jailbreak involving helicopter Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:34 PM PDT  MONTREAL (AP) — The search widened Sunday for three inmates who escaped with the help of a helicopter from a detention center in Quebec City a day earlier.
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| Lukaku's ankle strain gives Belgium worries Posted: 08 Jun 2014 02:33 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Romelu Lukaku is nursing an ankle strain and will have to rest for up to four days, giving Belgium worries that it might have to start the World Cup without its main striker fully fit.
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