| Iran says nuclear deal depends on lifting of sanctions Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:50 AM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi and Sam Wilkin ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it would only accept a deal over its contested nuclear program if world powers simultaneously lifted all sanctions imposed on it. The comments by President Hassan Rouhani came the day after U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to give Congress a say in any future accord -- including the right of lawmakers to veto the lifting of sanctions imposed by the U.S. Bolstering the role of a highly assertive Congress injects an element of uncertainty into the crucial final stages of negotiations between major powers and Iran, which are aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from sanctions.
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| Mideast's arch-survivor stands in way of Saudi success in Yemen Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:04 AM PDT  By Noah Browning and Michael Georgy DUBAI (Reuters) - Three weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen have led to defections of army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, military sources said, dealing a blow to his efforts to stage a comeback. Saleh has teamed up with his old foes, the Iranian-allied Houthis, against his former backer Saudi Arabia, displaying the political skill that enabled him to rule the heavily armed and fractious country for more than three decades. Saudi Arabia launched the air attacks last month as Houthi rebels, who had taken control of the capital Sanaa in September, closed in on the port city of Aden and forced Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh. Further splits could weaken Saleh and help Saudi Arabia and its allies beat back the Houthis, who are engaged in street battles for control of Aden.
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| Islamic State withdraws from Yarmouk camp, Nusra remains: residents Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:52 AM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have largely withdrawn from a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus after expelling their main rival, several residents and a Palestinian official said on Wednesday. The pull-out from Yarmouk leaves al Qaeda-linked Nusra as the main group inside the camp. The sources said hundreds of fighters of the hardline Islamic State had returned to their stronghold in neighboring Hajar al Aswad, from where they had launched their attack earlier this month. "Most of them have withdrawn in mostly to-and-fro skirmishes that took place between them and their adversaries," resident Abu Ahmad Hawari said.
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| Iraq's prime minister says seeks U.S. arms, with payment deferred Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:03 AM PDT  Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Wednesday he would seek a sustainable flow of weaponry from the United States during talks in Washington, with payment deferred, as Baghdad battles a cash crunch due to plunging oil prices. Asked about when Baghdad would pay: "Iraq can pay for it later, not now... I think there can be an arrangement for deferred payment." Reuters had previously reported Abadi's intention to seek billions of dollars in arms during his Washington visit, citing an unnamed Iraqi official.
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| Iraq says Islamic State still fierce; eyes Baiji, Anbar fights Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:56 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Wednesday that the Islamic State remains a fierce adversary as he outlined plans during a trip to Washington to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and Anbar province, where the militants are striking back. Haidar al-Abadi, speaking to reporters a day after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama, portrayed a mixed picture of a weakening Islamic State eight months after U.S.-led air strikes against the group began in Iraq. The United States estimates Islamic State has lost about a quarter of the populated areas it seized in Iraq.
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| U.N. Yemen envoy to step down, may be replaced by Mauritanian: source Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:59 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. special adviser to Yemen Jamal Benomar is planning on stepping down from his job and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is considering appointing a Mauritanian diplomat to the post as the civil war escalates, a U.N. diplomatic source said on Wednesday. Benomar, a veteran Moroccan diplomat, had recently irked Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations for his handling of so far unsuccessful peace talks between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Western and Gulf Arab-backed Yemeni government, Western U.N. diplomats said on condition of anonymity. The Gulf countries, which have been involved in Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen for three weeks, felt that Benomar was being too accommodating toward the Shi'ite Houthis, the Western diplomats said.
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| Na Yeon Choi takes early lead in Lotte Championship Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:40 PM PDT KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — Na Yeon Choi played her second nine in 4-under 32 on Wednesday to take the early first-round lead in the Lotte Championship. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:32 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A year ago, as South Korea writhed in grief and fury after more than 300 people, most of them school kids, drowned in a ferry sinking, it seemed things would never be the same. Yet not much has really changed as the first anniversary of the Sewol disaster is marked Thursday. Experts believe it will be decades before any major shift is seen in widespread attitudes that make safety subservient to economic progress and convenience. Already there's growing fatigue and frustration among citizens who see their government sliding back to business as usual, and a lack of accountability at high levels. |
| Vatican moves towards legal procedures to fight bishops who protect abusers Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:32 PM PDT  The Vatican is preparing to introduce legal procedures to establish the responsibilities of bishops and Catholic hierarchy found guilty of protecting priests who have sexually abused children, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The issue of accountability was discussed in the presence of Pope Francis by the C9, the group of senior cardinals who advise him. Victims' groups accuse the Church, the Vatican and the pope of refusing to take action against hierarchy who have turned a blind eye to paedophile acts. They called for "routes to be explored to proceed on the legal front against abuses of power and omissions" by bishops and other Church hierarchy, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told a press conference.
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| Abuse rampant in F1 host Bahrain despite promises: Amnesty Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:20 PM PDT  Bahrain, the host of a Formula One Grand Prix this weekend, is carrying out rampant human rights abuses against opposition activists despite its promises of reform, Amnesty International said Thursday. "Four years on from the uprising, repression is widespread and rampant abuses by the security forces continues. Bahrain's authorities must prove that the promises of reform they have made are more than empty rhetoric," said Amnesty's Middle East and north Africa deputy head Said Boumedouha. The watchdog, in a report, said Bahrain authorities arbitrarily detain activists with excessive use of force.
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| Amnesty says Bahrain reforms don't end rights violations Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:14 PM PDT  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Government reforms put in place by Bahraini authorities in the wake of widespread anti-government protests four years ago have failed to end serious violations of human rights in the strategically important Gulf nation, Amnesty International said in a report released Thursday.
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| Colombia resumes air raids on rebels after 11 troops killed Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:03 PM PDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's president on Wednesday ordered the resumption of air raids on rebel camps after an attack by leftist guerrillas killed 11 soldiers and wounded 19, jeopardizing progress in two-year-old peace talks. |
| New documentary eyes story of Latino extras in 1956 'Giant' Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:52 PM PDT  A new documentary seeks to tell the story of Mexican-American child actors who appeared in the 1956 blockbuster movie "Giant" but later could only view it in segregated theaters.
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| West Indies out for 295, trail England by 220 in 1st test Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:46 PM PDT  NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood hit an unbeaten 112 but the momentum in the first test remained with England on Wednesday as the tourists built a lead of 220 in their second innings on the third day at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
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| Japan bumps China as top holder of US Treasury debt Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:45 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Japan overtook China in February as the top foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities, a position Japan last held in August 2008.
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| Ex-Colombia ministers convicted of bribes on behalf of Uribe Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:44 PM PDT  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's Supreme Court convicted two close aides of former President Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday of bribing lawmakers to support the conservative leader's 2006 re-election.
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| Sudan extends elections by one day amid slow turnout Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:40 PM PDT  Sudan extended nationwide elections by one day Wednesday after a low turnout the opposition said reflected apathy towards a vote President Omar al-Bashir is widely expected to win. The 71-year-old career soldier, indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, is seeking to extend his quarter-century rule virtually unopposed. Two of the original 15 candidates for the presidency -- independents Omar Awad al-Karim and Ahmed Radhi -- said on Wednesday they were withdrawing from the vote after the extension. Since voting began Monday, the elections for the presidency and for national and state parliaments have seen a poor turnout.
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| Barcelona beats PSG 3-1 in CL quarterfinal Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:34 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Lionel Messi set up Neymar's opener and Luis Suarez scored twice with fine solo runs to give Barcelona a 3-1 victory against a struggling Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday that left the four-time champion with one foot in the Champions League semifinals.
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| Husband in runaway mom-daughter case arrested in US Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:33 PM PDT CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — U.S. marshals in Atlanta say they've arrested the husband of a woman who fled New Hampshire with her 8-year-old daughter a decade ago amid a custody dispute. |
| Relatives of students missing in Mexico rally in Connecticut Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:19 PM PDT HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) — Relatives of some of the 43 students who disappeared last September in Mexico are visiting Connecticut this week, holding rallies to bring attention to their cause and what they describe as human rights abuses on both sides of the border. |
| Brazil ruling party treasurer arrested in Petrobras probe Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:17 PM PDT  The treasurer of Brazil's ruling party was arrested Wednesday for alleged money laundering and taking bribes from state oil giant Petrobras that were stuffed into backpacks, the latest blow to President Dilma Rousseff. Police accused Joao Vaccari of being the Workers' Party (PT) point man in a massive kickbacks scheme in which Petrobras executives colluded with construction companies to inflate contracts to the tune of $4 billion, passing some of the dirty cash to the PT and its allies.
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| England stumble again but take first innings lead of 220 Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:09 PM PDT  England's top order tumbled cheaply again but the tourists still worked themselves into a commanding position at 116 for three in their second innings, an overall lead of 220, by stumps on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday. Jermaine Blackwood's maiden Test hundred lifted the home side to 295 in their first innings with James Tredwell's off-spin bringing him the excellent figures of four for 47 off 26 overs and ensuring his side earned a significant first innings lead. Left with the final session to build on an advantage of 104 runs, openers Jonathan Trott and captain Alastair Cook were prised out in double-quick time by Jerome Taylor. First innings centurion Ian Bell was then run out but at 52 for three, Joe Root (32 not out) joined Gary Ballance (44 not out) in resisting the early threat and then profitted against bowlers who quickly ran out of discipline and inspiration.
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| Citing political pressure, 5,000 Burundians flee to Rwanda Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:00 PM PDT KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — More than 5,800 Burundian refugees have crossed into Rwanda so far this month amid fears of violence before elections later this year, the United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday. |
| Top South African sprinter Magakwe banned Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:00 PM PDT  Leading South African sprinter Simon Magakwe will miss the 2016 Olympic Games after refusing to take an out-of-competition doping test, the national association announced Wednesday. National athletics association president Aleck Skhosana said the former African 100m champion was asked to take the test in South Africa last December, but declined. "IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) rules must be observed," Skhosana said.
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| Nigerian military focus on area abducted girls believed held Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:50 PM PDT  LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian military operations against Boko Haram are focusing on a northeastern forest where officials believe more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped a year ago are being held, the government's counter-insurgency spokesman said Wednesday.
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| US stocks rise as earnings roll in, oil prices climb Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:50 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Rising corporate profits and a jump in oil prices helped push the stock market to a modest gain on Wednesday. Delta and Intel led the way up after turning in results that beat Wall Street's forecasts. The price of oil soared to its highest price this year, driving up energy stocks.
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| Governing party treasurer arrested in Brazil kickback case Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Federal police on Wednesday detained the treasurer of Brazil's governing Workers' Party in the wide-ranging investigation into corruption at state-run oil giant Petrobras, and the party said later he had asked to resign the post.
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| 4 ways a surging dollar rattles world economies, markets Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:43 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. dollar hasn't been on a roll like this since Ronald Reagan sat in the White House and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" ruled the box office.
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| Feared drowning of 400 migrants raises alarms in Europe Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:41 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — The feared drowning of 400 migrants in a shipwreck this week in the Mediterranean Sea — one of the deadliest such tragedies in the last decade — raised alarms Wednesday amid an unprecedented wave of migration toward Europe from Africa and the Middle East.
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| Oil spill leaves 100,000 Mexicans without water Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:41 PM PDT  Some 100,000 people remained without drinking water in southern Mexico on Wednesday after rivers were contaminated by an oil spill triggered when thieves tapped a pipeline. Authorities reopened two out of four water filtration plants that had closed after the weekend spill, which initially left half a million people without clean water in the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco state. Thieves tapped an oil pipeline operated by state-run energy firm Pemex on Sunday, causing oil to gush into local rivers.
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| Quaresma gets 2 as Porto beats Bayern 3-1 in Champs League Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:40 PM PDT  PORTO, Portugal (AP) — Two goals from Ricardo Quaresma in the first 10 minutes helped FC Porto to a surprise 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
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| Tennis Hall of Fame says Thelma Coyne Long dies at 96 Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:30 PM PDT The International Tennis Hall of Fame says that Thelma Coyne Long, an Australian who won 19 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles or mixed doubles, has died. She was 96. |
| Gun found in probe into Argentine prosecutor death Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:24 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The discovery of a gun in a storage area raised new questions Wednesday about the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, a mystery that has rocked Argentina.
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| U.S. sued to curb deaths of sea turtles by shrimping industry Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT  Environmentalists seeking to curb the deaths of an estimated 53,000 sea turtles each year from getting caught in commercial shrimp nets off the southeastern United States sued federal regulators on Wednesday for stronger protections. Oceana, an ocean conservation group, is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service to force the agency to enact closer monitoring of and stricter limits on the number of turtles that can be caught and killed by the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic shrimping industry. "If people knew that their order of shrimp cocktail came with a side of government-authorized sea turtle, they would be horrified," Oceana lawyer Eric Bilsky said in a statement. The fisheries service has estimated that 500,000 loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill and Kemp's ridley sea turtles, all listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, are injured in some way each year by shrimp fishing gear, according to the lawsuit.
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| Former ally of deposed Ukrainian president found shot dead Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:09 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — A former ally of deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has been found shot to death in his home in Kiev. |
| Israel coalition govt talks expand to left: report Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:03 PM PDT  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tasked three weeks ago with forming Israel's next government, fell short Wednesday of striking a coalition with rightwing partners after reports emerged of talks with a centre-left party. Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party won Israel's March 17 election but without a majority, and President Reuven Rivlin gave him until April 22 to form a coalition, as stipulated by the law. Public television reported on Monday that Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog, who heads the Zionist Union and was Netanyahu's main challenger in the vote, had met secretly to discuss the possibility of a national unity government. Herzog has not explicitly ruled out a unity government but said his party would form part of the opposition.
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| Modi's coal turnaround to ease India's chronic power cuts Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:03 PM PDT By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Fewer power cuts are likely in India this summer after a surge in output at Coal India helped generators amass record stocks, a turnaround for Narendra Modi who had to battle a power crisis within months of becoming prime minister last May. Fast-track mine approvals, tighter production oversight and more flexibility in coal sales have helped power station stocks recover from a six-year low hit in October, vindicating Modi's pitch to voters as the state leader who brought round-the-clock power to industrial Gujarat. As Modi prepares to mark his first year in office and seeks to fulfill a poll promise to provide power to all of India's 1.2 billion people by 2019, power stations hold 28 million tonnes of coal, a 38 percent jump from a year ago, government data shows. "The situation is improving," said K. Raja Gopal, head of the thermal power business at construction, power and real estate conglomerate Lanco Infratech, pointing to recent growth in Coal India output. |
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