| Mexico says murdered students were mistaken for rival gang Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST  By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The 43 Mexican students who disappeared four months ago were murdered on the orders of a drug cartel who mistook them for members of a rival gang, the government said on Tuesday, finally confirming the deaths of the trainee teachers. Their disappearance on the night of Sept. 26 in the southwestern city of Iguala led to massive street protests in Mexico and international condemnation of its security situation. It embarrassed President Enrique Pena Nieto and plunged his administration into its biggest crisis. Until now, the government had said only that the students were almost certainly murdered after clashing in Iguala that night with corrupt police officers, who handed them over to members of local drug gang Guerreros Unidos.
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| Nine killed as gunmen storm luxury hotel in Libyan capital Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:01 PM PST  By Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Heavily armed gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Tripoli favored by Libyan officials and visiting delegations on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, including foreigners, before blowing themselves up with a grenade. Officials said shooting erupted inside the five-star Corinthia Hotel and security forces evacuated guests, including Tripoli's prime minister and an American delegation, after at least two gunmen blasted through the building's reception. It was one of the worst assaults targeting foreigners since the 2011 civil war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi and fractured the oil-producing North African state into fiefdoms of rival armed groups with two national governments, both claiming legitimacy. "The attackers opened fire inside the hotel," Omar Khadrawi, head of Tripoli security, told Reuters.
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| Japan urges Jordan's help in IS hostage crisis after video Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:26 PM PST  By Antoni Slodkowski and Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan pressed Jordan for help in securing the release of Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage of Islamic State militants, after a video on Tuesday appeared to show him saying he could be killed in 24 hours. "Tell the Japanese government to put all their political pressure on Jordan," said the voice on the video, addressing the Japanese people and saying he will be killed unless Jordan frees would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi from death row. Jordanian state television, quoting an army source, said authorities were trying to authenticate the video.
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| Ukraine rebels say government forces pushed back near Donetsk Posted: 27 Jan 2015 12:07 PM PST  By Alessandra Prentice and Maria Tsvetkova KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatist forces said on Tuesday they had pushed Ukrainian government troops out of two districts on the outskirts of their main stronghold Donetsk, and their aim was to expand their control to the entire region. A rebel advance launched last week has dashed a five-month truce, reignited a war that has killed more than 5,000 people and brought threats of new sanctions on Moscow, which NATO accuses of backing the separatists with money, arms and troops. The separatists say their initial objective is to drive back government forces to push artillery out of range of their cities and improve their grip on their main strongholds. Eduard Basurin, deputy commander of the rebels in Donetsk, said fighters had repelled government troops from the suburb of Maryinka and the center of the town of Pesky near Donetsk's airport, a constant battlefield.
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| Greek PM Tsipras names anti-austerity cabinet, port sale halted Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:09 PM PST  By Lefteris Papadimas and George Georgiopoulos ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras named a cabinet of anti-austerity veterans and halted privatization of Greece's biggest port on Tuesday, signaling he aims to stick to election pledges despite warning shots from the euro zone and financial markets. Greek markets endured a second day of turmoil, with bank shares diving and investors fearing the anti-bailout government might be set on a collision course with the country's European Union and IMF creditors. Among a team spanning the radical and more pragmatic wings of Syriza, Tsipras named academic economist Yanis Varoufakis as his finance minister. The defence portfolio went to Panos Kammenos, leader of the right-wing Independent Greeks party which is the junior partner in the Tsipras coalition.
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| Yemen's Houthi leader says wants peaceful transfer of power Posted: 27 Jan 2015 12:46 PM PST  By Yara Bayoumy SANAA (Reuters) - The leader of Yemen's Houthis who control the capital Sanaa said on Tuesday his group was seeking a peaceful transfer of power after the resignation of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and urged all factions to work together to solve the crisis. The seizure of the aide, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, helped to plunge Yemen deeper into political crisis, resulting in clashes between the Houthis and Hadi's presidential guards that prompted the president and the government to resign on Thursday. Political parties in Yemen, including the Houthis, are currently trying to agree what to do after Hadi's resignation, which has left a power vacuum in a country which borders the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia. In his speech, Houthi warned against allowing Yemen to be pushed to collapse and said that consultations were proceeding under United Nations auspices to resolve the country's standoff.
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| Yahoo CEO heeds shareholders' call to spin off Alibaba stake Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:50 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is spinning off the company's $39 billion stake in China's Alibaba Group Holding in a move that wards off a potential shareholder rebellion.
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| Secret talks in Jordan try to win release of hostages Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:49 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Japanese officials were tightlipped Wednesday as secret talks in Jordan sought to secure the freedom of a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State extremists and purportedly threatened with death within 24 hours.
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| As blizzard skips New York, meteorologists ponder forecasts' power Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:47 PM PST By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the end, it was the weather forecasts that crippled New York City, not the blizzard. As residents emerged into a largely shuttered city on Tuesday morning after a snowfall that barely covered garbage bags left out on the sidewalk, several meteorologists pondered the storm-like havoc their mere words can cause and debated who among them was the least inaccurate. "CRIPPLING AND POTENTIALLY HISTORIC BLIZZARD TO IMPACT THE AREA," read a weekend National Weather Service (NWS) advisory amid colorful maps warning that the whole city could expect up to 36 all-time-record-breaking inches (91 cm) of snow. This was reason enough for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo to go to the unusual lengths of ordering that every street and subway in the city be closed to commuters. |
| Argentine Jewish groups boycott commemoration in protest Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:46 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Jewish groups boycotted the Argentine government's Holocaust Day commemoration Tuesday in protest over the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, while skepticism grew over President Cristina Fernandez's plan to reform intelligence services that she has suggested were behind the prosecutor's death.
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| Mexico AG: Captured drug lord 'Chapo' Guzman to stay put Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:43 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's top prosecutor says the country does not intend to extradite captured Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States anytime soon. |
| Gunmen storm Libya hotel, killing American, 9 others Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:43 PM PST  TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — In the latest sign of Libya's descent into chaos, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel used by diplomats and businessmen in the capital on Tuesday, killing 10 people, including an American, a French citizen and three people from Eastern Europe.
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| Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:33 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Secret talks were underway Tuesday in Jordan in the presence of a Japanese envoy to secure the freedom of a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State extremists and purportedly threatened with death within 24 hours. The global efforts to free Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto and Jordanian Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh gained greater urgency with the release of the apparent ultimatum from the Islamic State group. |
| Too soon to say 'mission accomplished' in Kobani Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:32 PM PST  By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kurdish fighters' expulsion of Islamic State forces from the Syrian town of Kobani helped stop the momentum of the Islamist group but is not a significant turning point in the overall campaign, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. The setback for Islamic State in the war-ravaged town near the Turkish border did not mean "anyone is declaring mission accomplished" in the international campaign against the group, that has taken over parts of Syria and Iraq, the official said. U.S. air strikes in liaison with Kurdish ground troops and Iraqi Kurd reinforcements allowed in from Turkey tipped the battle the Kurds' way, and the Islamic State's appetite for the fight had been undermined by heavy death tolls. "The entire notion of this organization that is on the march and the inevitable expansion and inevitable momentum has been halted at Kobani," added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| Mexico: Investigation shows that all 43 students are dead Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:29 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Investigators are now certain that 43 college students missing since September were killed and incinerated after they were seized by police in southern Guerrero state, the Mexican attorney general said Tuesday.
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| The distinctive international flavor of Super Bowl Media Day Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:28 PM PST  PHOENIX (AP) — New England Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer spent a good portion of his hour-long media session answering questions in German.
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| Virginia CEO IDs American killed in Libya as contract worker Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:26 PM PST FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (AP) — The CEO of a Virginia security company says one of his contract employees was the American victim in an attack in Libya that left five foreigners dead. |
| New York, meterologists defend storm shutdown Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:23 PM PST  New York (AFP) - New York authorities and meterologists on Tuesday defended a decision to shut down America's biggest city for a storm that skirted the Big Apple, dumping the worst snow east and north.
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| Japan says working closely with Jordan for release of captives held by Islamic State Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:20 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is working closely with Jordan for the early release of captives held by Islamic State, including Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday after a video appeared to show Goto saying he could be killed in 24 hours, Kishida said the Japanese government had confirmed the video apparently showing Goto at around 11 p.m. (9.00 a.m. EST) on Tuesday. ... |
| Nine dead in attack on luxury Tripoli hotel Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:20 PM PST  Gunmen stormed a luxury Tripoli hotel popular with diplomats and officials Tuesday in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group, killing at least nine people -- including five foreigners -- before blowing themselves up. After setting off a car bomb outside the opulent Corinthia Hotel -- where visiting world leaders have met local dignitaries in the past -- three militants rushed inside and opened fire, Issam al-Naass, a security services spokesman, told AFP. They made it to the 24th floor of the hotel, a major hub of diplomatic and government activity, before being surrounded by security forces and detonating explosive belts they were wearing. The head of Libya's self-declared government, Omar al-Hassi, was inside the hotel at the time but was evacuated safely, Naass said.
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| AUSTRALIAN OPEN SCENE: Someone is missing Roger Federer Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:19 PM PST  MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — While the capacity crowd was filling Rod Laver Arena for the start of Wednesday's play at the Australian Open, someone was remembering a four-time champion who won't make it five titles — at least this year.
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| Rebel killings of 44 commandos test Philippine peace deal Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:17 PM PST  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials asked lawmakers Tuesday not to withdraw their support from a new government peace deal with the country's largest Muslim rebel group after some insurgents were involved in a clash that killed 44 anti-terror police commandos.
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| Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictions Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:05 PM PST  By Scott Malone, Laila Kearney and Ellen Wulfhorst BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A powerful blizzard struck Boston and surrounding New England on Tuesday, leaving some 4.5 million people grappling with as much as three feet of snow and coastal flooding, but sparing New York City residents who had braced for a significant blast. Snow was forecast to keep falling into early Wednesday in eastern New England, possibly setting a record snowfall in Boston. At Logan International Airport, 20.8 inches (53 cm) of snow was on the ground late afternoon, swept higher in parts by strong winds. "There are drifts now of four, five and six feet in some places," Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said.
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| Chelsea into League Cup final after fiery win over Liverpool Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:03 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea into the League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, settling an enthralling semifinal in extra time.
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| 'Huge' effort needed to fight Boko Haram: US commander Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:01 PM PST  Turning the tide against Boko Haram will require a "huge" international effort, a top US military commander warned on Tuesday, taking a swipe at Nigeria's response to the emboldened extremists. Relations between the Nigerian and US militaries have been strained with Nigeria cancelling training by US advisers of a unit that was supposed to fight the militants, who have captured towns and villages in the country's northeast and vowed to create a hardline Islamic state. "I think it's going to take a huge international and multinational effort there to change a trajectory that continues to go in the wrong direction," Rodriguez said at an event organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
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| Jamaica saw 16 percent reduction in homicides last year Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:58 PM PST KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica saw double-digit decreases in every crime category last year, including a 16 percent drop in homicides, the island's national security minister announced Tuesday. |
| Colombia angers Venezuela with call to free jailed opponent Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:46 PM PST  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is taking a tougher line with Venezuela's socialist government, urging it to free a prominent opposition leader.
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| Too soon to say 'mission accomplished' in Kobani: U.S. official Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:29 PM PST By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kurdish fighters' expulsion of Islamic State forces from the Syrian town of Kobani helped stop the momentum of the Islamist group but is not a significant turning point in the overall campaign, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. The setback for Islamic State in the war-ravaged town near the Turkish border did not mean "anyone is declaring mission accomplished" in the international campaign against the group, that has taken over parts of Syria and Iraq, the official said. U.S. air strikes in liaison with Kurdish ground troops and Iraqi Kurd reinforcements allowed in from Turkey tipped the battle the Kurds' way, and the Islamic State's appetite for the fight had been undermined by heavy death tolls. "The entire notion of this organization that is on the march and the inevitable expansion and inevitable momentum has been halted at Kobani," added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. |
| Terror suspect to be released to halfway house Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:22 PM PST MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group will be released to a halfway house while his case is pending, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. |
| Obama, Merkel discuss increased violence in Ukraine Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:21 PM PST RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have spoken about their concern over the "significant increase in violence" in eastern Ukraine. |
| Monarch butterfly count rises as conservationists warn of extinction Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:20 PM PST  A tally of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico rose to 56. 5 million this year from a record low of 34 million last year but conservationists said on Tuesday the increase was too slight to reduce the threat of extinction facing the insect. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said last month the popular orange-and-black butterfly may warrant federal Endangered Species Act protections tied to declines in cross-country migrations because of farm-related habitat loss. Sarina Jepsen, endangered species director for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said scientists had predicted that favorable weather in the butterfly's breeding grounds in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere would result in more monarchs migrating to Mexico this year than the 56.5 million estimated this week by the Mexican government and that country's chapter of the World Wildlife Fund.
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| Pentagon docs: Obama to request big Pentagon budget hike Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will ask Congress for a hefty, almost 8 percent boost for the Pentagon, including $5.3 billion to equip and train Iraqi soldiers and moderate Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East. |
| Obama tackles IS fight, Iran with new Saudi king Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:10 PM PST  US President Barack Obama led a heavyweight delegation to Saudi Arabia Tuesday to meet new King Salman and discussed the two countries' ongoing fight against the Islamic State group. The leaders also tackled the issue of Iran's nuclear programme and human rights in the conservative kingdom, a senior US official said. Riyadh has been part of the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS since last year and is a long-time regional ally of Washington. There has also been unease in the kingdom about Obama's pursuit of a nuclear deal with Shiite-dominated Iran, the regional rival of Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia.
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| 2 ask pope to investigate their diocese sex abuse complaints Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:09 PM PST  AMHERST, New York (AP) — A woman who says she was groped by a teacher when she was a Catholic school cheerleader and a man who says a priest abused him beginning when he was 10 are asking Pope Francis to investigate the way a diocese handled their sexual-abuse complaints.
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| Kristen Stewart, Robin Wright hit politically-minded couture Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:04 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart stunned crowds at Chanel's Paris couture show Tuesday, revealing an edgy bob in a white Chanel sleeveless mini-dress that showed the 24-year-old is fashion savvy beyond her age.
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| Obama pays respects to Saudis, defends ties to kingdom Posted: 27 Jan 2015 02:59 PM PST  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — In a show of solidarity with Saudi Arabia, President Barack Obama led a parade of American dignitaries to the ultraconservative desert kingdom Tuesday to pay respects after King Abdullah's death and take measure of the new monarch.
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| Russian skier Khoroshilov wins WCup slalom by huge margin Posted: 27 Jan 2015 02:56 PM PST  SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Less than a year after the slalom at his home Olympics ended in disappointment, Alexander Khoroshilov gave Russia its first World Cup victory in more than three decades.
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| Dominican Republic adds troops to border to deter migrants Posted: 27 Jan 2015 02:55 PM PST SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic has dispatched additional troops to its border amid concerns about potential instability in neighboring Haiti. |
