| Iran, powers explore nuclear compromises, Israel alarmed Posted: 29 Mar 2015 03:45 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers tried to break an impasse in nuclear negotiations on Sunday, but officials cautioned that attempts to reach a preliminary deal by a deadline in two days could yet fall apart. The two sides explored compromises in areas including numbers of centrifuges used to enrich uranium that Iran could operate, and its nuclear enrichment work for medical research. Foreign ministers from the six countries will hold the first full meeting with Iran's foreign minister on Monday morning. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there had been "some progress and some setbacks in the last hours".
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| Fighting and air strikes across Yemen; dialogue remains distant Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:18 PM PDT  By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Sami Aboudi ADEN (Reuters) - Yemeni fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi clashed with Iranian-allied Houthi fighters on Sunday in Aden, the absent leader's last major foothold in the country. Hadi loyalists in the southern port city reported a gunbattle in the central Crater district in which three people were killed, and said they recaptured the airport, which has changed hands several times in recent days. The Health Ministry, loyal to the Houthi fighters who control the capital, said Saudi-led air strikes had killed 35 people and wounded 88 overnight. The Houthi fighters, representing a Shi'ite minority that makes up around a third of Yemen's population, emerged as the most powerful force in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country last year when they captured the capital Sanaa.
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| Nigeria vote runs into second day after glitches, killings Posted: 29 Mar 2015 11:59 AM PDT  By Tim Cocks and Bate Felix ABUJA (Reuters) - Voting in Nigeria's tensest election since the end of military rule in 1999 spilled into a second day on Sunday after technical glitches hit voter ID machines and Islamist Boko Haram militants killed more than a dozen people in drive-by shootings. The race pits President Goodluck Jonathan against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari for the favor of an electorate divided along a complex mix of ethnic, regional and in some cases religious lines. Islamist insurgents launched several attacks on voters in the northeast on election day, killing three in Yobe state and 11 in neighboring Gombe, including an opposition parliamentary candidate. The militants, who are trying to establish an Islamic caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria, reject democracy and their leader Abubakar Shekau has threatened to kill those who go to vote.
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| Germanwings crash co-pilot may have had detached retina: newspaper Posted: 29 Mar 2015 07:21 AM PDT  By Maria Sheahan and Michael Nienaber BERLIN (Reuters) - The co-pilot suspected of crashing a passenger jet in the Alps may have been suffering from a detached retina but investigators are unsure whether his vision problems had physical or psychological causes, a German newspaper said on Sunday. Bild am Sonntag also reported how the captain of the Germanwings Airbus had screamed "open the damn door!" to the co-pilot as he tried to get back into the locked cockpit before the jet crashed last Tuesday, killing all 150 on board. Another German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, quoted a senior investigator as saying the 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz "was treated by several neurologists and psychiatrists" and that a number of medications had been found in his apartment. Lufthansa, the parent company of the budget airline, said the carrier was unaware of a psychosomatic or any other illness affecting Lubitz.
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| Egypt lists top Brotherhood leader, 17 others as terrorists: state media Posted: 29 Mar 2015 11:17 AM PDT  Egypt's public prosecutor has listed the Muslim Brotherhood's leader and 17 other top members of the group as terrorists, state media said on Sunday, part of a sustained crackdown by the authorities on Islamists. Egypt has already listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and jailed thousands of its supporters since the army removed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi from power in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. The Brotherhood's General Guide Mohamed Badie and Khairat El-Shater were listed alongside other members of the group's leadership, state news agency MENA said. Most members of the Brotherhood's leadership in Egypt are in custody and have already been given lengthy jail sentences or the death penalty.
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| Air Canada plane landed short, hit antennas in Halifax accident Posted: 29 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PDT  By Mark Blinch HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - An Air Canada plane that suffered heavy damage in an accident in the east coast city of Halifax on Sunday landed short of the runway and hit an antenna array, losing its landing gear, safety officials said. "They touched down 1,100 feet (335 meters) short of the runway, so I'd say they're pretty lucky," Mike Cunningham, an official with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada, told a news conference. He said when the plane landed short it hit an antenna array and "this caused considerable damage to the aircraft and the main landing gear came off at that point." Cunningham, who noted one of the plane's engines had also detached, said it was too early to draw any conclusions about the accident. Air Canada said the Airbus A320 flying from Toronto was carrying 133 passengers and five crew members.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 29 Mar 2015 05:03 PM PDT SINGAPORE (AP) — Singaporeans bid farewell to longtime leader Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday with an elaborate procession and a three-hour state funeral at which his son, the current prime minister, eulogized the statesman and declared that the wealthy city-state he helped build is his monument. Undeterred by heavy rain, about 100,000 people lined a 15-kilometer (9-mile) route through the city to catch a glimpse of the funeral cortege. Lee's coffin, draped in Singapore's red and white flag and protected from the downpour by a glass casing, lay atop a ceremonial gun carriage that was solemnly led past city landmarks from Parliament to a cultural center where the state funeral was held. |
| Clippers sign guard Lester Hudson to 10-day contract Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:47 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers have signed guard Lester Hudson to a 10-day contract. |
| David Frost wins Champions Tour event in Mississippi Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:46 PM PDT SAUCIER, Miss. (AP) — David Frost survived a one-stroke penalty on the par-3 17th and won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on Sunday when Tom Lehman missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the last hole. |
| Denny Hamlin races to 25th Cup win, 5th at Martinsville Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:38 PM PDT  MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin just needed a visit to Martinsville Speedway to get his racing team back on track.
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| Two Saudi policemen injured in Riyadh drive-by shooting Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:36 PM PDT  Two Saudi police officers were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Riyadh Sunday, a spokesman said, days after the Kingdom strengthened security measures as it leads air strikes on Yemen. "A security patrol was carrying out its duties in Riyadh when it came under fire from an unknown vehicle" in an attack that "left two policemen wounded," the spokesman said in a statement published on the official SPA news agency. The attack comes just days after Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef ordered that security measures be strengthened along borders and across the kingdom, as Riyadh leads air strikes against Iran-backed Shiite rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
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| Rafael Nadal loses to Verdasco in 3rd round of Miami Open Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:21 PM PDT  KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Rafael Nadal was eliminated Sunday in the third round of the Miami Open by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
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| Air Canada plane crash lands at Halifax airport, 23 injured Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:15 PM PDT  Twenty-three people were injured when an Air Canada jet struck an antenna and crash landed as it attempted to touch down in heavy snow at Halifax airport early Sunday. Like the doomed Germanwings flight, the Air Canada plane involved in Sunday's incident was an Airbus A320. Flight AC624 from Toronto "exited runway upon landing at Halifax," the airline said on Twitter, and pictures showed the nose of the plane sliced off, its landing gear collapsed and at least one engine badly mangled. Passengers said the plane had circled over the airport before coming in to land and had "bounced" upon impact, shortly after midnight.
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| Sierra Leone ends anti-Ebola lockdown after three days Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:05 PM PDT  Sierra Leoneans were once again allowed to leave their homes Sunday evening after the government announced the end of a three-day nationwide lockdown aimed at preventing a resurgence of the deadly Ebola virus. During the curfew period -- which was ordered by President Ernest Bai Koroma and ran from 0600 GMT on Friday until 1800 GMT Sunday -- some 26,000 volunteers went door-to-door to check for sick people and raise awareness about the disease. Officials at the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) said locals had overwhelmingly complied with the lockdown, the second time in six months the country's six million residents were told to stay indoors over Ebola concerns. "The campaign went well and we are pleased over the level of compliance," the head of NERC's Situation Room, Obi Sesay, told AFP.
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| Air Canada plane makes hard landing short of Halifax runway Posted: 29 Mar 2015 03:56 PM PDT  HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — An Air Canada plane made a hard landing short of the runway at the Halifax airport during a snowstorm, crashing into a bank of antennas and shearing off its main landing gear, nose cone, and an engine as it skidded on its belly, officials said. The airline said Sunday that 25 people were taken to hospitals for observation and treatment of minor injuries.
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| Montoya holds off Power to give Penske 1-2 sweep at St. Pete Posted: 29 Mar 2015 03:48 PM PDT  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Juan Pablo Montoya gave Team Penske a victory Sunday in the season-opening race at St. Petersburg, where the driver showed how far he has come a year after returning to the IndyCar Series.
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| Starc truth a lesson for future one-dayers Posted: 29 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PDT  Amidst all the blazing hitting witnessed at the 2015 World Cup, the value of one of cricket's enduring constants was proved again -- nothing slows a run-rate quite like taking wickets. Few matches better demonstrated this point than Australia's dominant seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sunday's final in Melbourne. The dynamic Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's inspirational captain, couldn't lay a bat on the first couple of balls he faced and was then yorked for a duck by an express Starc delivery off the third. "What this World Cup has clearly shown is that a fast, full and straight yorker is a very good delivery," tweeted former Australian paceman Jason Gillespie.
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| Germany, Portugal boost Euro 2016 qualifying hopes Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:52 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Traditional heavyweights Germany and Portugal earned important wins to boost their hopes of qualifying for the 2016 European Championship on Sunday, while Romania and Northern Ireland hold a big edge in their group after victories.
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| US beats Finland 4-1 in women's world hockey Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:42 PM PDT  MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Hilary Knight had two goals and an assist and the United States beat Finland 4-1 on Sunday to improve to 2-0 in Pool A play in the women's world hockey championships.
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| France beats Denmark 2-0 in friendly match Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:29 PM PDT  SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — Alexandre Lacazette scored his first international goal as France beat Denmark 2-0 in a friendly match on Sunday.
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| WWII heroes to give congressional gold medal to Ohio museum Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:22 PM PDT  CINCINNATI (AP) — More than seven decades after a daring bombing run by the "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders" rallied their own nation while stunning another, the World War II heroes are still adding to their legacy.
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| Germany beats Georgia 2-0 away in Euro qualifier Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:21 PM PDT  TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Germany got its European Championship qualifying campaign back on track with a hard-fought 2-0 win in Georgia on Sunday.
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| Northern Ireland wins again in Euro 2016 qualifying Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:18 PM PDT  BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Romania and Northern Ireland both won on Sunday to tighten their grip on the top two places in Group F of European Championship qualifying, while Greece showed signs of improvement in a 0-0 draw against Hungary.
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| Arab League unveils joint military force amid Yemen crisis Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:08 PM PDT  SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — A two-day Arab summit ended Sunday with a vow to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen and the formal unveiling of plans to form a joint Arab intervention force, setting the stage for a potentially dangerous clash between U.S.-allied Arab states and Tehran over influence in the region.
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| French conservatives win key local voting, gov't left loses Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:59 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Former President Nicolas Sarkozy blasted the "lies, denial and impotence" of France's governing Socialists after estimates showed his conservative party and their allies chalked up wins across France in Sunday's local elections that saw the left lose nearly half of its councils. The far-right National Front edged forward in its bid to create an army of grassroots support, but fell short of its dream to capture its first council.
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| Nigeria in tense vote count after second day of polling Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:57 PM PDT  Nigeria counted ballots in a closely fought general election Sunday after failures in controversial new technology pushed voting into a second day, with President Goodluck Jonathan facing a stiff challenge from ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. Despite violence linked to Boko Haram militants and sporadic unrest elsewhere, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and others praised the conduct of the vote and called for calm to avoid a repeat of deadly rioting that followed 2011 elections. In a sign of the continuing threat posed by the Islamists however, military fighter jets and ground troops pounded Boko Haram fighters in the northeastern state of Bauchi after a series of attacks on polling stations at the weekend.
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| Portugal beats Serbia 2-1 in Euro 2016 qualifier Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:52 PM PDT  LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal went top of European Championship qualifying Group I with a 2-1 win over Serbia on Sunday.
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| French right deals major blow to ruling Socialists in local elections Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:28 PM PDT  France's ruling Socialists took a drubbing in run-off local polls on Sunday that saw major gains for former president Nicolas Sarkozy and the far-right ahead of 2017 presidential elections. Right-wing parties, spearheaded by Sarkozy's UMP, won a thumping victory, taking between 65 and 71 councils out of a possible 98, according to projections from a range of pollsters. Voters punished the Socialist government of President Francois Hollande for failing to revive the slumping economy, with left-wing parties projected to take only between 28 and 37 councils. The far-right National Front (FN) of Marine Le Pen, which took a quarter of the vote in the first round last week, was not expected to win any councils -- in part because mainstream voters combine to keep it out of power in second-round run-offs.
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| Leading suspect in Tunisia museum attack killed Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:27 PM PDT  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian security forces decimated the leadership of a Tunisian jihadi group linked to al-Qaida's North African branch, including the man identified as the "operational chief" of the attack this month on the National Bardo Museum that killed 22 people, mostly foreign tourists, the interior minister said Sunday.
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| What an Iran nuclear deal could look like Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:09 PM PDT  Global powers were Sunday narrowing in on a deal to stop any Iranian bid to develop nuclear weapons, with diplomats saying some key parts of an outline had been tentatively agreed. The "framework" accord -- no one knows how detailed it will be -- is meant to be fleshed out into a comprehensive agreement by June 30 to end over a decade of tensions with the Islamic republic. Here are the possible contours of such an agreement, which Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States -- have been negotiating since late 2013. To reach a verifiable comprehensive agreement that limits Iran's ability to harness enough fissile material to build a nuclear bomb.
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| Equatoguinean party-poopers hold Ivory Coast Posted: 29 Mar 2015 01:08 PM PDT  Equatorial Guinea became party-poopers on Sunday at the ongoing celebrations of new African football champions Ivory Coast by forcing a 1-1 international friendly draw in Abidjan. Spain-born teenage winger Ivan Salvador put the visitors ahead after 13 minutes at a vibrant, near-full Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. It was the second friendly match within four days for both countries after Ivory Coast defeated Angola 2-0 in Abidjan and Equatorial Guinea lost to Egypt by the same score in Cairo.
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| Apology for wrong anthem for El Salvador before game in US Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Organizers of a soccer match in the U.S. capital apologized to El Salvador on Sunday for playing the wrong national anthem before an exhibition game against Argentina. |
| Rossi wins thrilling Grand Prix of Qatar Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:42 PM PDT  Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, on a Yamaha, won a spectacular Grand Prix of Qatar on Sunday as he withstood a furious onslaught from fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso over the final laps to take the opening race of the season. A see-saw battle saw the the lead change hands numerous times before the 36-year-old Rossi opened up a slight gap on the final two laps and held off the charging Dovizioso on his Ducati, who was looking for his first win in MotoGP. It was a stunning 109th victory for the iconic Rossi and his 197th podium as Italy swept the board with Andrea Iannone, also on a Ducati, coming home third. It was a first time Italy took the top three places since the Japanese MotoGP in 2006.
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| Nigerians vote Sunday despite violence, technical hitches Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:41 PM PDT  ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Boko Haram fighters attacked poll stations in northeast Nigeria and a governor demanded elections be canceled in an oil-rich southern state Sunday as the count started for a presidential election too close to call.
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| Arabs vow to pound Yemen rebels until they surrender Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:36 PM PDT  Saudi-led warplanes bombed Yemen's main international airport and a renegade troop base in the capital Sunday, as Arab leaders vowed to pummel Iranian-backed rebels until they surrender. Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has urged his Arab allies to keep bombing until the Huthi Shiite rebels are defeated, branding them Iran's "puppet". His Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said there could be "no negotiations and dialogue" with the rebels "until the legitimate government has control over all Yemeni lands". Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said at a regional summit in Egypt the offensive would last until the rebels "surrender" their weapons and withdraw from areas they seized.
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| Curfew in Bauchi, NE Nigeria, after Boko Haram fighting Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:29 PM PDT  An indefinite lockdown was ordered on three areas in northeast Nigeria on Sunday after troops battled scores of Boko Haram fighters outside the Bauchi state capital, Bauchi city, the authorities said. The fighting took place as Nigeria held a second day of voting in its general election after technology failures hampered polling on Saturday. A spokesman for the Bauchi state governor said an indefinite, round-the-clock curfew had been imposed on three areas because of the fighting. "The state government has put a 24-hour curfew in Bauchi, Kirfi and Alkaleri local governments as a result of the security breach by Boko Haram," Danlami Baban-Takko said.
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| Afghan MP survives suicide attack, three dead: officials Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PDT  A prominent Afghan MP escaped a suicide attack Sunday that killed three people including a child and left seven others wounded, officials said, just days after Washington announced it would slow the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. President Barack Obama last Tuesday reversed plans to withdraw around 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan this year, an overture to the country's new reform-minded leader, President Ashraf Ghani. The Taliban, waging a deadly insurgency since they were ousted from power in late 2001, warned that the announcement would damage any prospects of peace talks as they vowed to continue fighting. The suicide bomber detonated himself on Sunday evening as Gul Pacha Majidi, a lawmaker from eastern Paktia province, was leaving a meeting of Afghan elders in central Kabul.
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| Syria forces regroup after Islamists seize Idlib city Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PDT  Syrian troops regrouped on Sunday after a coalition including Al-Qaeda's local affiliate seized the city of Idlib, the second provincial capital to fall from government control. The capture is a blow to the government and raises the prospect that Idlib will become the effective capital of territory held by Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing, Al-Nusra Front, analysts said. On Sunday, the city in northwestern Syria was largely quiet, after sporadic government aerial bombardment overnight, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. A security source in Damascus and Syrian media said government forces were regrouping outside the city.
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| Saudi response to Swedish criticism tests Europe's reach Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PDT  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sweden's foreign minister is hardly the first diplomat to raise concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, but when she used the word "dictatorship" in a speech last month she crossed a red line for the kingdom at a time of intense regional turmoil, igniting a diplomatic crisis.
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| Results expected from Monday in Nigeria election: commission Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:12 PM PDT  First results of Nigeria's presidential election could be given from Monday, the head of the country's electoral commission said on Sunday, as voting went into a second day after technical glitches. "Our hope is to be able to declare within 48 hours (of polls closing on Saturday) and hopefully within less time," said Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC later said that collation of results from states across the country would begin in Abuja from 12:00 pm (1100 GMT). Technical problems with new devices to "read" biometric voter identity cards plus the delayed arrival of election material and officials forced INEC to extend voting into a second day on Sunday.
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