| Belgian police kill two in raid on suspected Islamists Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:47 PM PST  By Christian Levaux VERVIERS, Belgium (Reuters) - Belgian police killed two men who opened fire on them during one of about a dozen raids on Thursday against an Islamist group that federal prosecutors said was about to launch "terrorist attacks on a grand scale". Coming a week after Islamist gunmen killed 17 people in Paris, the incident fueled fears across Europe of young Muslims returning radicalised from Syria. A third man was detained in the eastern city of Verviers, where police commandos ran into a hail of gunfire after trying to gain entry to an apartment above a town center bakery. All three were citizens of Belgium, which has one of the biggest concentrations of European Islamists fighting in Syria.
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| Fighting intensifies at Ukraine airport, two soldiers killed Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:05 AM PST  By Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Fighting intensified around the international airport in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Thursday as pro-Russian separatists stepped up efforts to dislodge government forces and Ukraine's military said two of its soldiers had been killed. "Unfortunately, there are two (Ukrainian soldiers) killed," Vladyslav Seleznyov, a senior member of the Ukrainian army general staff, told Interfax news agency. In Kiev, parliament voted to refresh its front-line forces and resume partial conscription after a top security official warned that Russian forces backing separatist rebels had sharply increased military activity in the east of the country. "Russian aggression is continuing.
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| Afghan leader seeks to sideline powerful bloc in break with past Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:07 PM PST  By Hamid Shalizi and Kay Johnson KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan cabinet, finalised this week after months of haggling, leaves a powerful faction that helped oust the Taliban in 2001 significantly weakened, in a bold but risky break from the past by President Ashraf Ghani. The outcome of that process is difficult to predict, but Ghani, faced with the daunting task of dragging Afghanistan out of war and poverty, appeared to believe his predecessor Hamid Karzai had been held back by factional rivalries. The main loser is the ethnic Tajik wing of the former Northern Alliance, a group of fighters mainly from the north of the country who have long been criticized for carving out local fiefdoms and putting personal above national interests. Afghanistan is listed as the world's fourth most corrupt nation by the watchdog group Transparency International, although accusations of graft have been leveled at officials across the ethnic and political spectrum.
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| Hollande reassures Muslims, Islamists hack French websites Posted: 15 Jan 2015 01:38 PM PST  By Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande reassured Muslims on Thursday that his country respected them and their religion but said France would not compromise on its commitment to freedom and democracy. Speaking a week after Islamist militant violence that killed 17 people in Paris, he told a meeting at the Institute of the Arab World in Paris that Muslims were "the first victims of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance". Hollande's speech struck a balance between France's commitment to protect its 5 million-strong Muslim minority and to defend free speech even if Muslims find it offensive.
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| U.S.'s Kerry says may meet Iran's Zarif again this week Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:55 PM PST  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he may meet Iran's foreign minister again this week to discuss Tehran's nuclear program following their roughly six hours of talks on Wednesday. Iran and six world powers have renewed their quest for an elusive nuclear deal - seen as crucial to reducing the risk of a wider Middle East war - after negotiators failed for the second time in November to meet a self-imposed deadline. The major powers hope to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program, which the West suspects may seek to develop atomic weapons, in exchange for a gradual easing of economic sanctions. Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
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| Hezbollah says arrested operative confessed to spying for Israel Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:32 PM PST By Mariam Karouny and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah has detained one of its own operatives who has confessed to spying for Israel, its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged for the first time on Thursday, in a case that has shattered the group's aura of impenetrability. Local media reported the arrest several weeks ago, describing the man as an officer overseeing foreign operations, but Hezbollah had previously declined to comment. Nasrallah told Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV that the man was detained five months ago and had confessed to working for Israel's intelligence service, Mossad. He said the arrest demonstrated Hezbollah's vigilance in its 32 years of struggle against the Jewish state. |
| Contractor at center of Navy bribery scheme pleads guilty Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:52 PM PST SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Malaysian military contractor at the center of one of the U.S. Navy's worst corruption cases pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges Thursday — only hours after a second commander admitted to providing him classified information in exchange for lavish hotel rooms and prostitution services. |
| Belgian police kill 2 in anti-terror raid during shootout Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:50 PM PST  VERVIERS, Belgium (AP) — With Europe dreading more terror, Belgian authorities moved swiftly to pre-empt what they called a major attack by as little as hours Thursday, killing two suspects in a firefight and arresting a third in a vast anti-terrorism sweep that stretched into the night.
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| Belgium raid on alleged terror group kills two Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:45 PM PST  Belgian police shot dead two alleged militants in a gun battle Thursday during a huge operation to prevent what they called imminent terrorist attacks, raising fresh alarm for Europe days after 17 people were killed in Paris. A third person was arrested after the bloody shootout in the eastern town of Verviers, near the German border, which targeted a cell of the latest in a series of young Europeans said to have returned from jihad in Syria. Police also conducted around a dozen searches in Brussels and its suburbs in a sweep that came on the heels of last week's Islamist attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris. "This operational cell of about ten people, some of whom had returned from Syria, was on the point of launching significant terrorist attacks in Belgium," Thierry Werts of the Belgian federal prosecutor's office told a press conference in Brussels.
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| Obama hosting UK's David Cameron for working dinner Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is hosting British Prime Minister David Cameron for a working dinner as they begin their two-day visit.
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| Aztec app brings historic Mexico codex into the digital age Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:34 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A 16th century document considered one of the most important primary sources on the Aztecs of pre-Columbian Mexico went digital Thursday with a new app that aims to spur research and discussion. |
| Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:32 PM PST MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Pope Francis began his visit to Asia's largest Catholic nation Thursday with a provocative statement about one of Europe's largest Catholic nations: Referring to the Paris attacks, Francis said there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith. Francis made the comments to reporters en route to the Philippines, where hundreds of thousands of people lined Manila's streets to cheer him as he arrived from Sri Lanka for the second and final leg of his Asian tour. Francis said his visit here would focus on the plight of the poor, the exploited and victims of injustice — themes sure to resonate in a nation where poverty afflicts nearly a quarter of its 100 million people. |
| Litany of problems pushes Target into giving up on Canada Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:30 PM PST  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Target is giving up on its money-losing foray into Canada after just two years, closing 133 stores and cutting loose more than 17,000 employees.
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| U.S. signals it may downgrade protections for vanishing bat Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:22 PM PST  The Obama administration signaled on Thursday it may classify a bat decimated by a fungal disease as threatened, rather than endangered, which would allow activities such as logging of trees the bats use for forage and roosting. In 2013 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended classifying the northern long-eared bat as endangered under the federal law after some populations in the northeastern United States declined by 99 percent due to a disease known as white-nose syndrome. The special rule proposed on Thursday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would allow tree-cutting under certain conditions in areas used by northern long-eared bats, according to a proposal to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. It needs all the help it can get and that would be an endangered listing," said Mollie Matteson, scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
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| Cuba to print higher-denomination peso banknotes Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:16 PM PST  HAVANA (AP) — Cuba will print bills of 200, 500 and 1,000 pesos that will start to circulate in February, a step forward in the government's plan to unify its dual-currency system.
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| Report: Boat sinks on China's Yangtze River, 20 missing Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:16 PM PST BEIJING (AP) — China's state-run Xinhua News Agency is reporting that more than 20 people, including several foreigners, are missing after a tugboat sank on the Yangtze River. |
| Williams to meet Belgian in 1st round at Australian Open Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:14 PM PST  MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Top-seeded Serena Williams will play Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium in her first-round match at the Australian Open as she begins her attempt to win a 19th Grand Slam singles.
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| Mexico considers delaying some oil exploration bidding Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:11 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's finance secretary says plunging oil prices may delay bidding on some oil and gas exploration and production contracts. |
| Weak bank results weigh on stock market Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:08 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Disappointing results from Bank of America and Citigroup tugged the stock market to its fifth straight loss Thursday.
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| Q&A: US government eases Cuba travel restrictions Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:02 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are one step closer to being able to vacation in Cuba, but don't pack your bathing suit and sunscreen just yet.
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| Knicks drop 16th straight, fall to Bucks in London Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:51 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Business trip or not, this certainly resembled a holiday at times for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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| Immigrants can now get Mexican birth certificates in US Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:47 PM PST  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — For Mexicans living in the U.S. illegally and hoping to stay in the country under President Barack Obama's new immigration policy, things just got one step simpler.
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| Puerto Rico militant sentenced in record heist arrives home Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:35 PM PST  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Supporters of Puerto Rican independence welcomed a 69-year-old islander home Thursday after serving jail time for his role in the 1983 holdup of a Wells Fargo depot in Connecticut that netted his militant group $7 million — the largest heist in U.S. history at the time.
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| 2 ex-Bolivian officials get 3 years in Ostreicher case Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:34 PM PST  LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A former Bolivian government official was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday as the No. 2 figure in the extortion ring that victimized U.S. businessman Jacob Ostreicher and was exposed by actor Sean Penn.
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| US: Oil spilled in 2010 Gulf disaster more than BP estimate Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:29 PM PST NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge determined Thursday that more oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico following a rig explosion in 2010 than BP estimated, a decision that could potentially cost the London-based oil giant more than $13 billion in one of America's worst environmental disasters. |
| Ginola seeks FIFA presidency in bookmaker-backed campaign Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:28 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Former France player David Ginola wants to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in a campaign backed by a bookmaker.
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| USA Swimming opposes March open water race in Abu Dhabi Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:26 PM PST  More than four years after the death of open water star Fran Crippen, swimming's international governing body plans to hold a World Cup race in the United Arab Emirates.
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| BP's max fine for spill cut by billions on court ruling Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:18 PM PST  BP Plc will face a maximum fine of $13.7 billion under the Clean Water Act for its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, several billion less than feared, after a judge found on Thursday the size of the spill was smaller than the U.S. government claimed. The ruling by federal magistrate Carl Barbier put the size of the worst offshore spill in U.S. history in 2010 at 3.19 million barrels. U.S.-listed shares of BP rose about 1 percent to $36.20 in after-hours trading as investors worried about the size of potential penalties breathed a sigh of relief. Under a "gross negligence" ruling Barbier issued in September, BP could be fined a statutory limit of up to $4,300 for each barrel spilled, though he has authority to assign lower penalties.
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| Ex-coup leader opposes Madagascar's new prime minister Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:14 PM PST  Antananarivo (AFP) - A former president of Madagascar who plunged the Indian Ocean island into chaos after he staged a coup in 2009 on Thursday rejected the newly appointed prime minister, a military man, alleging procedural irregularities.
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| UN calls on Israel to unlock Palestinian tax payment Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:06 PM PST  The United Nations on Thursday called on Israel to unlock millions of dollars in taxes owed to the Palestinian Authority that were withheld after it decided to join the International Criminal Court. A senior UN official told the Security Council that the freeze of about $127 million imposed on January 3 was in violation of the Oslo agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. "We call on Israel to immediately resume the transfer of tax revenues," said UN Assistant Secretary-General Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen. The United States and the European Union have criticized Israel's retaliatory move in response to the Palestinian application to join the ICC, which could investigate war crimes complaints against Israel.
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| Torres nets 2 as Atletico ends Real's Copa del Rey defense Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:05 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Fernando Torres scored twice as Atletico Madrid ended Real Madrid's defense of the Copa del Rey title with a 2-2 draw on Thursday, maintaining its dominance over its crosstown rival this season.
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| Argentina slams prosecutor who accused president in bombing Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:55 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government called a leading prosecutor a liar on Thursday for accusing President Cristina Fernandez of secretly negotiating with Iran to avoid punishing those responsible for the country's worst terrorist attack.
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| Turkey PM backs press freedom, warns against stigmatising Muslims Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:51 PM PST  Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the European Union on Thursday they shared many values, including freedom of speech, but warned against stigmatising Muslims in the fallout from the Paris Islamist attacks. Davutoglu, in Brussels to press for progress on Turkey's stalled EU-membership bid, had warned only hours earlier that publication of cartoons of the Muslim prophet were an "open provocation" and would not be tolerated. He also accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of having committed "crimes against humanity" comparable to those of the Islamist gunmen behind two Paris attacks that left a total of 17 dead. In Brussels, Davutoglu avoided any reference by name to the Charlie Hebdo magazine which on Wednesday published a new cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed despite the slaying of 12 people in an attack on its offices in the French capital.
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| China's Xiaomi takes aim at Apple with new phone Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:48 PM PST  BEIJING (AP) — Rising smartphone star Xiaomi is moving upmarket and taking aim at Apple's iPhone.
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| Pope on Charlie Hebdo: There are limits to free expression Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:47 PM PST  ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Thursday there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith.
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| Pope begins final leg of Asia trip on provocative note Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:46 PM PST  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Pope Francis began his visit to Asia's largest Catholic nation Thursday with a provocative statement about one of Europe's largest Catholic nations: Referring to the Paris attacks, Francis said there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith.
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| Hollande-Valls make powerful double-team after France attacks Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:40 PM PST  French President Francois Hollande and his prime minister Manuel Valls have made a powerful pair in responding to the past week's attacks -- a far cry from the grinding unpopularity in which they are normally stuck. A new poll found that 80 percent of the nation believes they have dealt well with the jihadist shootings in Paris that left 17 dead -- the sort of approval rating that was the stuff of dreams for France's top two leaders just days ago. Hollande put in a powerfully emotional performance at a Tuesday ceremony granting the Legion d'honneur -- France's top distinction -- to three police officers killed in the attacks. The normally reserved National Assembly rarely sees such displays, but the Spanish-born premier managed to rouse the lawmakers into several standing ovations after a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise anthem -- the first since the end of the First World War.
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| Oil prices will hurt revenues but Canada on track to budget surplus Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:40 PM PST  Canada remains on track to post a budgetary surplus next year despite a hit to government tax revenues as lower oil prices weigh on energy company profits, the finance minister said Thursday. "Our government is on track to achieve a budgetary balance next year," Minister Joe Oliver told reporters on the sidelines of budget consultations. He said the recent oil price crash from above $100 a barrel to below $50 will benefit drivers gassing up at the pump. Manufacturers and transport companies can similarly expect lower energy costs.
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| 6 years for multimillion-dollar fraud, involved NBA team Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:37 PM PST  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge handed down a six-year prison sentence Thursday to a man who portrayed himself as a member of a wealthy Pakistani family while running a multimillion-dollar investment scam involving three former Miami Heat players and the team.
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