| Russia has 9,000 troops in Ukraine, Poroshenko tells Davos forum Posted: 21 Jan 2015 10:22 AM PST  By Dmitry Zhdannikov and Noah Barkin DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Wednesday of sending 9,000 troops to back separatist rebels in the east of his country, and the IMF chief said she backed extra financial help for Kiev as the conflict inflicts severe economic damage. Moscow challenged Poroshenko to present facts to prove his allegations. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Poroshenko made one of Kiev's boldest assertions yet that Russia's military is directly involved in a conflict in which more than 4,800 people have died since last April.
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| Disenchanted militants in South Asia eye Islamic State with envy Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:52 PM PST  By Jibran Ahmad and Mohammad Stanekzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan/LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Splits within the Taliban, and doubts over whether its elusive leader is even alive, are driving a growing number of militant commanders in Afghanistan and Pakistan towards Islamic State (IS) for inspiration. Security and intelligence sources believe there are no operational links yet between IS and South Asia, and that the region is not a priority for a group that occupies areas of Syria and Iraq and is focused on the Arab world. In Afghanistan, one militant commander said many have turned to IS, or Daish as it is also known, because they are frustrated at the lack of leadership by Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Afghan Taliban chief who has not been seen in public for years.
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| Japanese reporter's bid to save friend led to Islamic State abduction Posted: 21 Jan 2015 09:02 AM PST  By Antoni Slodkowski TOKYO (Reuters) - It is an unlikely friendship that ties the fates of war correspondent Kenji Goto and troubled loner Haruna Yukawa, the two Japanese hostages for which Islamic State militants demanded a $200 million ransom this week. Yukawa was captured in August outside Aleppo. Goto, who had returned to Syria in late October to try to help his friend, had been missing since then. For Yukawa, who dreamed of becoming a military contractor, traveling to Syria had been part of an effort to turn his life around after going bankrupt, losing his wife to cancer and attempting suicide, according to associates and his own accounts.
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| Yemen leader ready to accept demands of Houthis after his guards defeated Posted: 21 Jan 2015 01:30 PM PST  By Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi expressed readiness on Wednesday to accept demands for constitutional change and power sharing with Houthi rebels who took up positions outside his home after defeating his guards in two days of battle. Gulf neighbors denounced what they described as a coup in Yemen, although both the Houthis and some of the president's allies denied that he had been overthrown. In a statement issued in the evening, Hadi said the Shi'ite Muslim group had a right to serve in posts in all state institutions, and a draft constitution that has been a source of disagreement between him and the Houthis was open to amendment. He said the Houthis agreed to withdraw fighters from areas overlooking his palace, his private home and the official residence of the prime minister, as well as a missile base, and had promised to free immediately his chief of staff, whom they have held captive since Saturday.
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| China censures 11 officials over Shanghai New Year stampede Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:49 PM PST  By John Ruwitch SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has punished 11 Shanghai officials for failing to prevent a New Year's Eve stampede that killed 36 people, injured dozens and dented the image of the country's most cosmopolitan city. Municipal officials involved in the investigation blamed the stampede on government and Communist Party leaders from the Huangpu District, home to the riverfront Bund area where the disaster happened. "The thinking of the Huangpu District government and related department heads was paralyzed, with a serious lack of understanding of guarding against public security risks," Xiong Xinguang, head of the municipal emergency committee and part of the investigation team, told a news conference on Wednesday. Each family would receive 800,000 yuan ($128,800), China's official news agency Xinhua said late on Wednesday.
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| As Obama visits, signs that India is pushing back against China Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:57 PM PST  By Frank Jack Daniel NEW DELHI (Reuters) - When Sri Lanka unexpectedly turfed out President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election this month, it was the biggest setback in decades for China's expansion into South Asia - and a remarkable diplomatic victory for India. Despite New Delhi's protestations, diplomats and politicians in the region say India played a role in organizing the opposition against pro-China Rajapaksa. His successor, President Maithripala Sirisena, has said India is the "first, main concern" of his foreign policy and that he will review all projects awarded to Chinese firms, including a sea reclamation development in Colombo that would give Beijing a strategic toehold on India's doorstep.
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| Italy seizes more than 5,000 looted antiquities in record haul Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:42 PM PST  The Italian government on Wednesday said police had seized more than 5,000 ancient artefacts in a record 45-million-euro haul after dismantling a Swiss-Italian trafficking ring. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said it was the country's "largest discovery yet" of looted works and consisted of 5,361 pieces, including vases, jewellery, frescoes and bronze statues, all dating from the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. The hoard was discovered as part of an investigation into Italian art dealer Gianfranco Becchina, who owns an art gallery in Switzerland, and his Swiss wife. The probe, which also involved Swiss police, revealed the existence of a sophisticated smuggling network between the two countries and prompted raids on several warehouses in Basel where hundreds of artefacts were recovered.
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| Wolves: Rubio's injury far worse than high ankle sprain Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:37 PM PST MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves say point guard Ricky Rubio's right ankle injury was "far worse" than a high ankle sprain. |
| Germany's PEGIDA leader steps down after 'Hitler selfie' Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:35 PM PST  The leader of Germany's "anti-Islamisation" movement PEGIDA stepped down Wednesday after a picture emerged of him sporting a Hitler-style haircut and moustache, along with racist slurs he posted on Facebook. Addressing his followers on the social media site, Lutz Bachmann apologised for the "thoughtless statements that I would not make today". A photo of Bachmann, 41, looking like Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had surfaced Wednesday, going viral on social media and sparking a storm of protest. Media reports also said Bachmann had posted comments on Facebook in the past referring to refugees as "beasts" and "filth".
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| Topless page three returns to Britain's The Sun Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:34 PM PST  British tabloid The Sun published a photo of a winking topless model on Thursday, rebutting reports it had ended the controversial tradition that has featured in the newspaper since 1970. Newspaper The Times, which like the Sun is part of billionaire media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News UK group, reported on Tuesday that the page three feature had been shelved and the news was welcomed by government ministers. Nevertheless, The Sun featured a photo of a bare-breasted blonde woman in its Thursday edition under the words "clarifications and corrections". Amid the publicity, the Sun had directed readers to find the topless photos on a dedicated website.
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| Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:32 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — One is a freelance journalist respected for his reporting on refugees and children in war zones. The other is a man who seems obsessed with guns and went to Syria to train with fighters. Despite their differing backgrounds and passions, their paths had crossed before. Now, in a chilling video released this week, the two Japanese men were seen kneeling on the ground in orange jumpsuits with a masked, knife-wielding figure threatening to kill them if their government failed to pay a $200 million ransom by Friday. |
| Both sides upbeat after hearing about fatal border shooting Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:31 PM PST NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent who shot and killed a Mexican 15-year-old across the border should be accountable in U.S. district court because all of his actions were in the U.S., an attorney for the boy's parents told judges Wednesday. |
| Man United climb Money League despite slump Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:28 PM PST  London (AFP) - Manchester United became the world's second highest-earning club last season despite a disastrous campaign on the pitch, financial consultants Deloitte revealed in their latest Football Money League published on Thursday.
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| Ukraine talks reach agreement on demarcation line, Steinmeier says Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:26 PM PST  By Sabine Siebold and Michael Nienaber BERLIN (Reuters) - Diplomatic progress was made during four-way talks on the Ukraine crisis and an agreement was reached on establishing security zones between pro-Russian fighters and Kiev's forces, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. "Finally there was an agreement reached today that the demarcation line, mentioned in the Minsk protocol, will be the line from which the withdrawal of heavy weaponry should start now," Steinmeier said late on Wednesday after talks with his counterparts from France, Russia and Ukraine. Still, Steinmeier added: "A lot depends on the question if that what we have agreed on will not only remain printed paper, but will also change the situation on the ground." In a joint statement released by the German foreign ministry, the ministers noted "with serious concern" that fighting in eastern Ukraine had severely escalated, causing the loss of many human lives including civilians.
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| Champion Celtic reclaims top spot in Scottish Premiership Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:19 PM PST GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Celtic reclaimed top spot in the Scottish Premiership with a 4-0 victory against Motherwell on Wednesday. |
| Real Madrid signs Norwegian teen Martin Odegaard Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:18 PM PST MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid says it has signed 16-year-old Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard. |
| Messi scores late as Barcelona beats Atletico 1-0 in Copa Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:16 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi finished off his own missed penalty with five minutes left to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Wednesday.
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| Real is top soccer moneymaker for 10th year; Man United 2nd Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:09 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Real Madrid is football's biggest moneymaker for the 10th straight year, while Manchester United has risen to second in the rankings by maintaining its commercial growth during its worst-ever Premier League campaign.
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| European Central Bank stimulus faces hurdles compared to Fed Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:03 PM PST FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Big bang or disappointment? Markets are waiting to see just how much financial firepower the European Central Bank will unleash Thursday, when it is expected to announce large-scale purchases of government bonds with newly printed money to stimulate a sluggish economy. |
| Drug-laden drone crashes near US-Mexico border Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:01 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police in a Mexican border city said Wednesday that a drone overloaded with illicit methamphetamine crashed into a supermarket parking lot.
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| Blur frontman writes Alice in Wonderland musical Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:57 PM PST  Blur frontman Damon Albarn has written the score for a musical version of "Alice in Wonderland" which re-imagines the classic tale of a girl's fantasy world in the Internet era. The National Theatre, announcing "wonder.land" as it revealed its upcoming season, said the musical would offer a modern, high-tech twist to Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in which young Alice falls into a rabbit hole and discovers a strange new universe.
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| Foreign ministers in Ukraine talks call for ceasefire Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:54 PM PST The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France ended their latest Berlin crisis meeting Wednesday with a joint call to cease hostilities in Ukraine but no breakthrough agreement to stop the bloodshed. The talks had been held against the unpromising backdrop of fresh clashes between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Moscow rebels in the east of the former Soviet republic, and after Ukraine's president accused Moscow of fuelling the war with fresh troops and tanks. The four top diplomats in their statement could agree to "call on all sides involved to cease hostilities and to withdraw heavy weapons" back from a demarcation line agreed in a widely flouted September truce pact signed in Minsk. "I'm not going to say we saw a breakthrough, but I think we saw tangible progress today," said the host, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, adding that the coming days would show whether there would be any change on the ground. |
| Cuba, US see good first day of historic talks Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:52 PM PST US and Cuban officials claimed a good first day in historic talks in Havana on Wednesday despite disagreements over migration policies ahead of negotiations to restore diplomatic ties. Each side described the first of two days of talks as productive and constructive even though they remained deeply at odds over the exodus of Cubans to the United States. It was the first meeting in Havana since the momentous decision by US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro in December to seek normal ties. Roberta Jacobson, the US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, became the highest-ranking American official to set foot in Cuba since 1980 when she landed in Havana around midday. |
| Shiite rebels, Yemen's president reach deal to end standoff Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:50 PM PST  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Shiite rebels holding Yemen's president captive in his home reached a deal with the U.S.-backed leader Wednesday to end a violent standoff in the capital, fueling fears that a key ally in the battle against al-Qaida has been sidelined.
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| Russia, Ukraine agree pullback line for heavy arms Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:49 PM PST  BERLIN (AP) — Diplomats from Russia and Ukraine agreed Wednesday on a dividing line from where both sides should pull back their heavy weapons, just hours after separatist forces deployed more arms and manpower to an emerging flashpoint in eastern Ukraine.
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| Kerry heads for London talks on combating jihadists Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:48 PM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry headed for London late Wednesday to co-host talks on the fight against Islamic militants, insisting a 60-plus coalition of nations was determined to win the battle. He and British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond will meet with a small number of the countries that have joined the US-led coalition since September, aiming to drive the Islamic State (IS) group out of its footholds in Iraq and Syria. The coalition had "greater determination, greater resolve to be able to get the job done," Kerry said after talks in Washington with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Foreign fighters would be a particular focus of the London meeting in the wake of the attacks in Paris earlier this month, a State Department official told reporters on a conference call.
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| Attorneys seek new trial in German exchange student's death Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:46 PM PST MISSOULA, Montana (AP) — Attorneys for a Montana man convicted of killing a German exchange student who had broken into his garage have filed a motion seeking a new trial or conviction on a lesser offense. |
| Opening round Iran sanctions fight kicks off in Senate Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress and President Barack Obama are on a fast track toward confrontation over sanctions on Iran.
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| People not vaccinated for measles urged to avoid Disneyland Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:33 PM PST LOS ANGELES (AP) — California public health officials say unvaccinated people and children too young to be immunized against measles should avoid Disneyland after new infections were linked to the theme park. |
| Canada case could boost French teaching Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:24 PM PST  Canada's top court heard a suit Wednesday from French speakers living in the Arctic demanding greater school access that could lead to more French language study across the country. The Yukon Francophone School Board is at odds with the far northern territory's government over what it sees as restrictive admissions criteria at the area's only French-language school. Canada's constitution obliges government to fund French education for French Canadians living outside the French-speaking majority province of Quebec, but there are disagreements about who qualifies. Lawyer Roger Lepage, representing the Yukon school board, told public broadcaster CBC exceptions must be allowed.
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| Spanish parliament passes party corruption bill Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:14 PM PST  Spain's lower house of parliament on Wednesday approved a bill aimed at tightening political party accounting rules as part of measures to fight corruption, seen as a key concern among voters. The bill, which must still be approved by the Senate, adds the crime of illegal financing of political parties to the penal code. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative Popular Party has a majority in the Senate and the bill is virtually assured to pass. Under the bill anonymous donations to political parties above 50,000 euros ($58,000) are banned.
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| Jamaica official says marijuana reform bill ready Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:12 PM PST  KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica's Cabinet has approved a much-anticipated bill of drug law amendments that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot and pave the way for a legal medical marijuana industry on the Caribbean island, the justice minister said Wednesday.
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| Mexico president faces new questions about personal assets Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:00 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena Nieto faced new questions about his personal assets Wednesday after a report that he purchased a home from a businessman whose company won public works contracts worth millions of dollars.
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| Women's World Cup players withdraw turf suit Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:54 PM PST  A group of top women's football players withdrew a gender discrimination lawsuit Wednesday aimed at not being forced to play this year's Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf. Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the men's World Cup is played on natural grass.
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| DAVOS WATCH: Snowmen, oil prices, deflation and Pharrell Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:53 PM PST  DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The World Economic Forum kicks off in the Swiss ski resort of Davos with the goal of "improving the state of the world." In practice, it's a massive networking event that brings together 2,500 heads of state, business leaders, philanthropists and artists.
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| Transfer adds to upstart Florida State Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:51 PM PST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Leticia Romero is back doing what she loves, playing basketball. Sidelined for several months in an eligibility dispute after transferring from Kansas State, the Spanish teenager has resumed her collegiate career in a lead role for No. 17 Florida State. |
| Lustig at the double as Celtic go top Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:48 PM PST  Champions Celtic went top of the Scottish Premiership as they strolled to a 4-0 win over Motherwell thanks to a second-half brace from Mikel Lustig on Wednesday. Celtic struggled to break down a packed Motherwell defence before Virgil van Dijk headed home the opener in the 26th minute and Leigh Griffiths nodded in a second two minutes before the break. Stefan Johansen and Emilio Izaguirre both saw chances hit the woodwork before Lustig, on his return from two months sidelined with injury, added a third in the 76th minute.
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| New questions about death of prosecutor in Argentina Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:47 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Mystery in the gunshot death of a prosecutor who had accused Argentina's president of covering up a terror attack deepened Wednesday with the revelation that a door to his apartment barely locked and the discovery of another previously unknown entry.
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