| Yemen Houthi rebels advance despite Saudi-led air strikes Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:03 PM PDT  By Mohammed Mukhashef ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi rebels made broad gains in the country's south and east on Friday despite a second day of Saudi-led air strikes meant to check the Iranian-backed militia's efforts to overthrow President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Shi'ite Muslim Houthi fighters and allied army units gained their first foothold on Yemen's Arabian Sea coast by seizing the port of Shaqra 100km (60 miles) east of Aden, residents told Reuters. Explosions and crackles of small gunfire rang out across Aden late on Friday as Houthis made a push on the southern port city's airport, a witness said. The advances threaten Hadi's last refuge in Yemen and potentially undermine the air campaign to support him.
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| Torn-up sick notes show crash pilot should have been grounded Posted: 27 Mar 2015 10:56 AM PDT  By Tom Käckenhoff DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - German authorities said on Friday they had found torn-up sick notes showing that the pilot who crashed a plane into the French Alps was suffering from an illness that should have grounded him on the day of the tragedy. French prosecutors believe Andreas Lubitz, 27, locked himself alone in the cockpit of the Germanwings Airbus A320 on Tuesday and deliberately steered it into a mountain, killing all 150 people on board. "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors," said the prosecutors' office in Duesseldorf, where the co-pilot lived and where the doomed flight from Barcelona was heading. Germanwings said Lubitz had not submitted any sick note that would have grounded him on Tuesday, March 24, the day of the crash.
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| Amanda Knox acquitted of murder by Italy's top court Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT  By Massimiliano Di Giorgio ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top court on Friday annulled the conviction of American Amanda Knox for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher and, in a surprise verdict, acquitted her of the charge. The Court of Cassation threw out the second guilty verdict to have been passed on Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the lethal stabbing, saying there was insufficient evidence to convict either of them. Instead, both Knox and Sollecito are now definitively cleared. "I cannot tell you how I feel in this moment," said her lawyer Luciano Ghirga outside the Rome courtroom after the verdict before he called Knox to tell her the news.
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| Time for Iran to make tough decisions in nuclear talks: U.S. Posted: 27 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and John Irish LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Negotiations between six world powers and Iran over its nuclear program have been "tough and very serious" and the next few days will show whether Tehran is ready to make the necessary hard decisions, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's move to reach out to the leaders of the six powers on Thursday is "hopefully a sign that Iran is ready to make some of the tough decisions," the senior State Department official added on condition of anonymity. Tehran and the powers are struggling to hammer out a political framework accord by the end of this month that would lay the foundations for a full settlement by June 30. Under a final accord, Tehran would halt sensitive nuclear work for at least a decade and in exchange, international financial and oil and some U.N. sanctions on Iran would be lifted.
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| Libya forces said to leave bases near oil ports; hopes they may reopen Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PDT Forces loyal to a rival Libyan government controlling the capital Tripoli have withdrawn from frontline bases near the country's biggest oil ports, a spokesman said on Friday, raising hopes the ports might soon be reopened. A Tripoli official said the internationally recognized government and the rival administration, which have fought since December over the two biggest oil ports in eastern Libya, had reached an agreement to withdraw. Libya is divided with factions allied to two governments -- the internationally recognized one in the east and the rival administration in Tripoli - vying for control of territory and oil facilities. COMPLEX STRUGGLE Ali al-Hassi, a spokesman for an oil port protection force loyal to the official government, said the rival force had left positions west of Es Sider. |
| Turkey says U.S.-led campaign to train Syria rebels delayed by Washington Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:21 PM PDT  By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A campaign to train Syrian opposition forces to fight hardline Islamic State militants, which was due to start this month, has been delayed by Washington, Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday. U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters annually for three years as part of a program to counter Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. In Washington, the Pentagon said on Friday that about 2,200 potential recruits for the U.S. military's training program had been identified so far and more than 400 of those were in the "pre-screening process." Full screening would follow. "Because of U.S. (geographic) distance, there has been a minor delay but everything is fine both politically and technically," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Turkey's NTV television, adding there was "no delay" from the Turkish side.
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| Sierra Leoneans to stay home in final push to stop Ebola Posted: 27 Mar 2015 05:03 PM PDT  FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone's 6 million people were told to stay home for three days beginning Friday, except for religious services, as the West African nation attempted a final push to rid itself of Ebola.
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| 15-year-old American CiCi Bellis advances at Miami Open Posted: 27 Mar 2015 05:03 PM PDT  KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Precocious amateur CiCi Bellis says she's ready to take on the best of the pros — Serena Williams.
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| 'Car park king' Richard III's tomb revealed Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:52 PM PDT  The stone tomb covering the grave of Richard III was unveiled Friday, the last act in the reburial of the 15th-century king found beneath a car park. The 2.3-tonne slab of Swaledale fossil stone went on public display the day after he was reinterred in Leicester Cathedral, central England, in the presence of royalty. The light-coloured stone was quarried from land that Richard once owned in Yorkshire, his northern English stronghold. Richard's coffin was reburied in the Leicester Cathedral on Thursday, across the street from where his remains were discovered in 2012.
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| Venezuela to present anti-US petition at summit with Obama Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:33 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is readying a gift for President Barack Obama when the two leaders cross paths at a regional summit next month: a petition containing millions of signatures denouncing U.S. aggression.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 27 Mar 2015 05:02 PM PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The number of foreign fishermen stranded on several remote eastern Indonesian islands has spiraled to 4,000, including some revealed in an Associated Press investigation to have been enslaved. Many are migrant workers abandoned by their boat captains after the Indonesian government passed a moratorium on foreign fishing five months ago, according to the International Organization for Migration in Indonesia, which released the number Friday. However, others have been trapped on the islands for years, after being dumped by fishing boats or escaping into the jungle. |
| Montenegro-Russia match abandoned; Sweden, Austria win Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:31 PM PDT  PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — The European championship qualifying match between Montenegro and Russia was abandoned Friday after Russia's goalkeeper was hit by a flare and a 30-minute suspension of the game was followed by a brawl between players.
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| Mexico sets 25 pct pollution cut by 2030 for climate talks Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:30 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has become the first developing nation to submit pollutant reduction goals for next fall's Paris climate change talks, pledging Friday to cut greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutants 25 percent by 2030. |
| Amanda Knox murder conviction overturned by Italy high court Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:27 PM PDT  ROME (AP) — Italy's highest court on Friday overturned the murder conviction against Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend in the 2007 slaying of Knox's roommate, bringing to a definitive end the high-profile case that captivated trial-watchers on both sides of the Atlantic.
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| Timeline of Meredith Kercher murder probe and trial Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:19 PM PDT  Rome (AFP) - Italy's top court on Friday quashed the convictions of American Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.
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| Montgomerie, Durant top Champions Tour leaderboard Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:18 PM PDT SAUCIER, Miss. (AP) — Colin Montgomerie and Joe Durant shared the lead at 5-under 67 on Friday after the breezy first round of the Champions Tour's Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. |
| Kercher's mother 'shocked' by Italy verdict Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:16 PM PDT  Meredith Kercher's mother said Friday she was "surprised and very shocked" by Italy's top court clearing Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of her daughter's murder. Arline Kercher said the decision by the Court of Cassation in Rome was "odd" given the pair had been convicted twice following the British student's killing in 2007. Judges cleared Knox and Sollecito after 10 hours of deliberations, concluding an eight-year legal drama. Arline Kercher said she had heard little more about the decision other than the verdict.
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| Britain offers Saudis support over Yemen strikes Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:16 PM PDT  Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday offered Britain's "firm political support" to Saudi Arabia over its air strikes on rebel camps in Yemen. Cameron and Saudi Arabia's King Salman spoke for the first time since the monarch came to the throne in January, with the prime minister giving his clear backing to the action. Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Huthi rebel camps in Yemen on Friday in a second day of strikes as embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi arrived in Egypt for talks with Arab allies. "The prime minister emphasised the UK's firm political support for the Saudi action in Yemen, noting that it was right to do everything possible to deter Huthi aggression, to support President Hadi and his legitimate government," said a spokeswoman for Cameron's Downing Street office.
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| Guatemala arrests gang suspect in journalist's killing Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:14 PM PDT GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — An alleged gang member suspected of ordering the recent killing of a young journalist has been arrested, President Otto Perez Molina said Friday. |
| Fitch downgrades Greece amid bailout uncertainty Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:11 PM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The ratings agency Fitch has downgraded Greece's sovereign rating amid growing uncertainty over the new government's pledge to overhaul reforms needed to restart bailout loan payments and avoid default.
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| Italy clears Knox of murder that gripped the world Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:09 PM PDT  Italy's top court on Friday threw out Amanda Knox's conviction for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher, bringing a sensational end to an eight-year legal drama that has gripped a global audience. Judges at the Court of Cassation also quashed all charges against Knox's Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito after ten hours of deliberations in Rome. "I am tremendously relieved and grateful for the decision of the Supreme Court of Italy," Knox said in a statement from her home in Seattle. Sollecito, 31, learned of the verdict at his home in Puglia in southern Italy, where he had driven after attending the final hearing in the high court review on Friday morning.
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| Brazil federal police report massive tax fraud scheme Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — The federal police agency said Friday it has begun legal proceedings against companies allegedly involved in a fraud scheme that has cost Brazil's public coffers almost $2 billion in unpaid fines and taxes.
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| About 4,000 fishermen stranded on Indonesian islands Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:05 PM PDT  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The number of foreign fishermen stranded on several remote eastern Indonesian islands has spiraled to 4,000, including some revealed in an Associated Press investigation to have been enslaved.
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| France says will propose UN Security Council draft on Israel Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:03 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — France's foreign minister said Friday his country will propose a U.N. Security Council resolution in the coming weeks that could present a framework for negotiations toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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| Nigerian leader urges peaceful vote as elections loom Posted: 27 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PDT  ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan urged his nation to vote peacefully and accept the results of Saturday's presidential elections, which analysts say will be the most tightly contested in the history of Africa's richest nation and its largest democracy.
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| Nigeria must set 'high standard' for elections: UN Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for transparent and peaceful elections in Nigeria on the eve of the vote that will be closely-watched by world governments. "The international community has high expectations that Nigeria will provide leadership in setting a high standard for this election," Ban said in a statement. The UN chief called on Nigerians to vote in large numbers and voiced hope that the presidential and parliamentary elections will be "transparent, inclusive and peaceful". Nigeria has a history of election violence and both candidates have appealed for calm to prevent a repeat of 2011, when 1,000 people were killed in clashes after the results were announced.
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| Montenegro-Russia qualifier abandoned; Kane scores on debut Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PDT  A Russian player was hit by a flare after 20 seconds in Montenegro before a brawl between the two teams' players eventually resulted in the European Championship qualifier being abandoned on Friday.
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| UN Security Council holds Libya arms embargo in place Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:54 PM PDT  The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday to step up the fight against Islamic extremists in Libya but without lifting the arms embargo. Libya, backed by Egypt, had asked for an end to the arms embargo to allow the embattled government to build up its army and take on groups such as Islamic State (IS). The measure called on a Security Council committee to "consider expeditiously" requests for arms purchases from Libya.
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| Power returns after long layoff eager to repeat 2014 success Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:54 PM PDT  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Will Power shook off a six-month layoff by pacing the opening practice of the IndyCar season.
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| Kane scores 80 seconds into England debut in qualifying win Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:50 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Harry Kane scored 80 seconds into his England debut on Friday, providing another astonishing moment in his breakthrough season in a 4-0 victory over Lithuania in European Championship qualifying.
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| Ravaged east Ukraine village reveals cost of war Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:49 PM PDT  A stuffed toy horse hanging from a gate reminds visitors that the war-ravaged eastern Ukraine village of Logvinove, now held by pro-Russian separatists, was once bustling with life. Next to it, a wooden sign warns "Mines".
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| Spain beats Ukraine 1-0 in Euro 2016 qualifier Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:45 PM PDT  SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Alvaro Morata scored in his first start for Spain to secure a 1-0 win at home over Ukraine in a European championship qualifier on Friday.
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| Amanda Knox 'relieved and grateful' after court saga ends Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:33 PM PDT SEATTLE (AP) — Amanda Knox says she's "tremendously relieved and grateful" that Italy's highest court overturned her murder conviction in the slaying of her British roommate. |
| Montenegro-Russia qualifier abandoned after brawl Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:30 PM PDT PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A European championship qualifying match between Montenegro and Russia has been abandoned following a brawl between the two teams' players. |
| Tribes kill 21 Shiite rebels in south Yemen: local official Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:29 PM PDT  At least 21 Yemeni Shiite rebels were killed Friday when residents in a tribal southern region opened fire at their vehicles, a local official and witnesses told AFP. The Huthi rebels, who are also facing Saudi-led air strikes, were travelling in three vehicles from Lahj province towards Aden, the southern stronghold of embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, when they were ambushed. At least eight people were killed in clashes around Aden airport, where the Shiite militiamen were deployed on the runway, security and medical sources said.
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| Pygmies demand end to discrimination in DR Congo Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:20 PM PDT  Pygmies in the Democratic Republic of Congo used the forum offered by a festival of indigenous peoples Friday to demand protection against discrimination by other Congolese who they claim treat them like "savages". Pygmies are hunter-gatherers who live in DR Congo, the Central African Republic, Congo, Cameroon and Gabon. Since colonial times, they have cohabited uneasily with majority Bantus, who are accused of exploiting the Pygmies, paying them meagre wages -- or with alcohol and cigarettes -- and generally treating them as inferior beings.
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| Islamists enter flashpoint city in northwest Syria: monitor Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PDT  Islamist rebels entered neighbourhoods in the regime-held city of Idlib in northwest Syria for the first time in four days of fierce clashes with government forces, a monitor reported. "The armed groups have entered a number of areas inside the city and clashed violently with regime soldiers," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said the Islamists had advanced significantly from the northwestern and southeastern sides of the city, and that the total death toll since Tuesday was 117. The city is almost completely encircled by rebel groups, leaving only two exit routes for pro-regime forces.
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| Togo election postponed after concerns over voter roll Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PDT  Togo's presidential election has been postponed by 10 days to April 25, the communications minister announced on Friday, after calls for a delay over claims the voter register was flawed. "The presidential election will be held on April 25, 2015 and not April 15, the initial date," said a presidential decree read on state television in the small West African country by Communications Minister Germaine Koumealo Anate. The chairman of regional bloc ECOWAS, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, had suggested the postponement during a visit to Togo Tuesday, citing the need to update the electoral roll. "As a result, ECOWAS proposes that the election is delayed by 10 days to allow the election list to be revised so everyone is satisfied," Mahama told reporters.
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| Stocks close with slight gains, but still end the week lower Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:09 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A tough week on the stock market ended quietly Friday.
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| 2 more Galileo satellites launched from French Guiana for EU Posted: 27 Mar 2015 03:08 PM PDT KOUROU, French Guiana (AP) — A rocket fired from French Guiana has launched two Galileo satellites for the European Space Agency as the European Union continues to expand its global navigation system. |
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