| Iran and six powers entrenched as clock ticks to nuclear deadline Posted: 30 Mar 2015 12:50 PM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Louis Charbonneau LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran and major powers were struggling on Monday to reach a preliminary nuclear accord as "gloom" set in, with both sides sticking to their positions a day before a self-imposed deadline. For days Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have been trying to break an impasse in negotiations aimed at ensuring that Tehran cannot develop a nuclear bomb, in exchange for an easing of United Nations sanctions that are crippling its economy. "There still remain some difficult issues," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN. Senior Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi said various proposals were being discussed.
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| Air strike kills at least 40 at Yemen camp for displaced Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:34 PM PDT  By Mohammad Mukhashaf and Sami Aboudi ADEN (Reuters) - An air strike killed at least 40 people at a camp for displaced people in north Yemen on Monday, humanitarian workers said, in an attack which apparently targeted nearby Houthi fighters who are battling President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Yemen's state news agency Saba, which is under the control of the Houthis, said the camp at Haradh was hit by Saudi planes. "It could have been that the fighter jets replied to fire, and we cannot confirm that it was a refugee camp," Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said. Hadi's Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin earlier blamed Houthi artillery for the explosion.
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| Crash pilot had been treated for suicidal tendencies Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:22 PM PDT  By Tom Käckenhoff DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - The German pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a plane in the French Alps last week was treated for suicidal tendencies years ago before he received his pilot's license, German prosecutors said on Monday. This was the first acknowledgement from German officials that the pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had suffered bouts of depression and it is likely to intensify a debate about how airlines screen and monitor their pilots. Investigators believe Lubitz, serving as co-pilot on a Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf on March 24th, locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the Airbus A320 plane into the side of a mountain while passengers screamed in horror. Lufthansa, the parent of the budget airline, has said it was not aware of anything in the 27-year-old's past which suggested he might have posed a risk.
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| Sollecito may seek compensation after Kercher murder acquittals Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:13 AM PDT  By Isla Binnie ROME (Reuters) - Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito may seek reparations after his second acquittal for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher brought to an end a marathon journey through Italy's justice system. The tortuous zigzag of contradictory rulings that followed Kercher's stabbing in the town of Perugia has underlined the slowness and unpredictability of Italian law, which numerous governments have failed to fix. Sollecito's lawyer Giulia Bongiorno said on Monday her client, now 31, would wait for Italy's top court to give the reasoning behind the acquittal, expected in about three months' time, before taking a decision. "We will see if any mistakes were made, what measures to take, but this is all far in the future." The American Knox and Italian Sollecito were definitively cleared last week by the Court of Cassation.
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| U.S. supports, would cooperate with proposed Arab force: Carter Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:57 PM PDT  By David Alexander FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Reuters) - The United States supports Arab plans to create a unified military force to counter growing security threats in the Middle East, and the Pentagon will cooperate with it where U.S. and Arab interests coincide, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday. Carter told reporters during a visit to Fort Drum in New York that U.S. military leaders who met with him in Kuwait several weeks ago thought that regional members of the coalition fighting Islamic State militants should be encouraged to do more if they were able. His remarks came a day after Arab leaders meeting at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, announced the formation of a unified military force to counter growing security threats from Yemen to Libya.
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| Buhari extends lead in tight Nigerian election Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:34 PM PDT  By Tim Cocks and Alexis Akwagyiram ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian opposition contender Muhammadu Buhari built a lead of over 2.5 million votes with only six states uncounted on Monday, raising the prospect of a stunning ballot box victory for a man who first came to power three decades ago via a military coup. The 72-year-old general who has campaigned as a born-again democrat intent on cleaning up the corrupt politics of Africa's most populous nation notched up 12.9 million votes, according to a tally collated by Reuters from 30 of Nigeria's 36 states. This compared to 10.2 million votes for President Goodluck Jonathan, a one-time zoology professor whose five years at the helm of the continent's biggest economy and top oil producer have been plagued by corruption scandals and a bloody insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram militants. Announcement of the results will resume at 0900 GMT on Tuesday, the election commission said.
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| Spy agencies in 'technology arms race', says British chief Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:50 PM PDT  Spy agencies are caught in a "technology arms race" with terrorists and criminals, the new head of Britain's MI6 said on Monday in his first public comments since becoming chief. Alex Younger defended the use of data by the Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, after the release of documents by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden sparked criticism of sweeping mass surveillance by intelligence agencies. "The bad news is the same technology in opposition hands, an opposition often unconstrained by consideration of ethics and law, allows them to see what we are doing and to put our people and agents at risk," he said.
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| Grisly testimony at Boston bombing trial as prosecutors rest Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:49 PM PDT  US prosecutors rested their case Monday in the trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after gruesome testimony about the death of the youngest victim left some jurors in tears. Defense attorneys then began calling witnesses, trying to minimize the role of the 21-year-old Tsarnaev -- who could face the death penalty if convicted -- in the planning of the April 15, 2013 attack. Their final witness was chief medical examiner Henry Nields, who recounted in graphic detail the injuries suffered by the youngest victim, eight-year-old Martin Richard, who was torn apart by one of the pressure-cooker bombs.
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| Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed named in Australian test squad Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:46 PM PDT MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Pakistan-born refugee Fawad Ahmed has been named in Australia's test squad for tours of the West Indies and England later this year after an impressive domestic first class season. |
| Briton pleads guilty in NYC to trying to set up terror camp Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:43 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A mentally ill British man pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. charges he plotted to set up an al-Qaida training camp on a ranch in a remote part of Oregon that was likened to Afghanistan. |
| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Two of Asia's best-known strongmen, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, had much in common — a streak of authoritarianism, little tolerance for dissent and vision that changed the face of their countries. But friends they were not, and the two rarely saw eye to eye. In fact one of their only agreements was to move their countries' time — which was 7 ½ hours ahead of GMT — forward by half an hour to be in line with world time zones. |
| Solar Impulse lands in China after 20-hour flight from Myanmar Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:30 PM PDT  Solar Impulse 2 landed early Tuesday in China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, as it completed the fifth leg of its landmark circumnavigation of the globe powered solely by the sun. With pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls, the revolutionary plane landed in Chongqing airport at 1:35 am (1735 GMT Monday) after a 20-and-a-half hour flight from Myanmar, its vast wingspan lit up by rows of led lights. "We are tired but we are still very, very happy to be in Chongqing," said mission engineer Michael Anger on the project's website. On a previous circumnavigation, Piccard passed over China in a specially designed balloon, but only after he flew to Beijing personally to negotiate the trip with conditions the balloon avoid large swathes of the country.
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| Cliffhanger in early returns from Nigeria presidential vote Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:24 PM PDT  ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — In a cliffhanger of an election, early returns Monday night from half the states showed Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari almost even. The U.S. and Britain warned of "disturbing indications" that the tally could be subject to political interference.
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| Irvine Welsh, Joseph O'Neill up for comic-writing prize Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:15 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh and Irish-American author Joseph O'Neill are among the finalists for a comic-writing award whose prize includes a bottle of champagne and a pig. |
| Venus Williams beats Wozniacki to reach Miami Open quarters Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:07 PM PDT  KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Basking in her latest victory, a beaming Venus Williams stood near her changeover chair launching autographed balls into the stands, steering her shots with body English and applauding the fans who scrambled for the souvenirs.
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| Close race between Jonathan and Buhari in tense Nigerian elections Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:07 PM PDT  Opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari had a slender lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria's knife-edge general election on Monday with just over half of all states declared. The tense presidential vote pitting Jonathan against the former military ruler Buhari is the closest in Nigeria's history, and the first with a credible opposition challenge. International observers gave broadly positive reactions to the conduct of the vote, despite late delivery of election materials and technical glitches with new voter authentication devices.
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| Death toll rises to 10 in Mexico gas tanker explosion Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:59 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — The death toll from the explosion of a crashed gasoline tanker truck in southern Mexico rose to 10 on Monday. |
| Rubio to announce next campaign on April 13 Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:52 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday that he is planning a political event in two weeks in Miami to announce his plans for the 2016 presidential election.
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| Red Cross worker killed in jihadist attack on aid truck in Mali Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:44 PM PDT  An international Red Cross worker was killed and a local colleague wounded when the aid truck they were driving came under fire in northern Mali on Monday, in an attack claimed by the MUJAO jihadist group. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "profoundly dismayed by the death of one of its staff in Mali", after his aid truck was attacked near the northern city of Gao Monday morning. A member of the national Mali Red Cross had been wounded in the attack, but was in stable condition, it said. "The ICRC strongly condemns the attack and calls on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian workers," the organisation said in a statement.
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| Pentagon chief backs concept of a joint Arab military force Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:26 PM PDT FORT DRUM, New York (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter is endorsing the Arab League's plan to form a joint military force. |
| Hearing about Chinese drywall damage scheduled for April 28 Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:24 PM PDT NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With a hearing scheduled to decide how much money thousands of people are owed for Chinese drywall damage to their homes, the manufacturer has made payments required to participate, including $3.2 million to seven homeowners. |
| Mexico applies new security measures for commercial flights Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:19 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials have announced new measures that would prevent a pilot from being left alone in the cockpit in the wake of a German airliner's crash in France. |
| Muslim family carves chair for Pope Francis' Bosnia visit Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PDT  ZAVIDOVICI, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Salem Hajdarovac says he didn't sleep for a week when he heard his workshop had been granted the honor of carving a special chair that Pope Francis will sit on during his visit to Bosnia.
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| Montoya has swagger back, but also shows softer side Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:11 PM PDT  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — There was a time when the edge to Juan Pablo Montoya was evident everywhere he went. His arrogance was on display as he walked through the paddock, his confidence in a race car clear with every fearless move he made.
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| MUJAO jihadists claim deadly Red Cross attack in Mali Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:09 PM PDT  Bamako (AFP) - The MUJAO jihadist group on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack on a Red Cross aid truck in northern Mali that left one international staff member dead and wounded a local colleague.
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| Mexico files complaint in official's killing of crocodile Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:00 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican civil-defense officer faces a criminal complaint for killing a crocodile with extended bursts of automatic fire from an assault rifle in the northern state of Sinaloa. |
| Spain: 3 generations, all named Emma, die in France crash Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:56 PM PDT  SANT CUGAT DEL VALLES, Spain (AP) — From a lush suburban valley near bustling Barcelona, three generations of a well-heeled family set off last week for a fun trip to Manchester, England: 12-year-old Emma Solera Pardo, her mother Emma Pardo Vidal, and grandmother Emma Vidal Bardan.
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| German co-pilot was once treated for suicidal tendencies Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:56 PM PDT  DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — How could someone once diagnosed with suicidal tendencies get a job as a commercial pilot, entrusted with the lives of hundreds of people? That's the question being asked after officials confirmed Monday that Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz received lengthy psychotherapy before receiving his pilot's license.
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| Obama plans first presidential trip to Kenya, father's homeland Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:53 PM PDT  Barack Obama will make a long-awaited return to Kenya this July, visiting his father's homeland for the first time since becoming US president, the White House announced Monday. During the much-delayed visit, Obama will attend a summit to encourage entrepreneurship and meet the country's controversial leader Uhuru Kenyatta. Obama's late father was from a small village near the shores of Lake Victoria. He met Obama's white American mother in Hawaii, where they had a son before divorcing.
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| US Virgin Islands judge sentences felon in ammunition case Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:50 PM PDT CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — U.S. authorities say a convicted felon was sentenced to 2 ½ years in a U.S. Virgin Islands prison after arriving on a flight from Florida with 290 rounds of ammunition in his luggage. |
| Tsipras seeks 'honest compromise' as Greece wrangles with creditors Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:50 PM PDT  Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday said he wanted an "honest compromise" as the cash-strapped country wrangled with eurozone creditors over a new package of reforms needed to unlock vital bailout funds. Experts from the IMF and the EU are scrutinising a list of reforms that Athens has proposed in its bid to get the creditors to release 7.2-billion euros ($7.81-billion) in loans. Greece's government says the reforms would help raise an extra three billion euros for its coffers without resorting to wage and pension cuts. "We're not there yet," European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters.
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| Ex-FBI agent sentenced to 10 years in Afghan scheme Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:48 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former FBI agent accused of derailing a fraud investigation involving Afghan troops by making a suspect appear to be a key counterintelligence source has been sentenced to 10 years. |
| Saudi-led forces strike Yemen rebels, blockade ports Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:35 PM PDT  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Saudi-led naval forces imposed a blockade on Yemen's ports as coalition airstrikes on Monday repelled an advance on the southern port city of Aden by Shiite rebels and forces loyal to a former president, in what appeared to be the most intense day of fighting since the air campaign began five days ago.
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| Chinese team breaks mast; US skipper rounds Cape Horn Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:28 PM PDT  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hours after a Chinese team suffered a staggering setback when its mast broke in the remote Southern Ocean, the youngest crew in the Volvo Ocean Race experienced one of sailing's rarest and toughest feats when it rounded treacherous Cape Horn at the bottom of South America.
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| Dutch seek BUK missile witnesses in MH17 crash probe Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:27 PM PDT  Dutch and international experts probing the MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine appealed Monday for witnesses who saw the transport or firing of a BUK surface-to-air missile around the time of the disaster. "Given this scenario, investigators are looking for witnesses who can tell more about the transport, crew and launch of a BUK rocket in the area in the days before and after the crash," it said. All 298 people on board the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- the majority of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine last year. Kiev and the West have claimed that the Boeing 777 was shot down by the separatists, using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia.
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| Palestinians join ICC with Israelis in sights Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:27 PM PDT  The Palestinians formally gain membership of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday with the aim of pursuing Israelis for war crimes, despite uncertainty over the move's wider ramifications. It has uncertain consequences, not only because it is highly unlikely Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israelis will find themselves being tried at the ICC, but also because it constitutes a new deterioration in the strained relationship. Exasperated after decades of failed negotiations with Israel, with no perspective for the state they have been yearning, they have decided to take their case to the international arena. On January 2, the Palestinians moved to join The Hague-based court in a process that will be finalised on April 1, setting the scene for potential legal action against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.
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| Mexican growers offer 15 pct in Baja farm strike Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:23 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Export-oriented commercial farms in Mexico's Baja California state say they have offered farm workers a 15-percent wage increase to end a two-week-old strike.
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| China suspected as software site GitHub hit by attack Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:12 PM PDT  The software collaboration website GitHub said Monday it was fighting off a cyber attack since late last week, and security analysts said the effort appeared to originate in China. A US website described as "the world's largest code host," GitHub said it first noticed the so-called distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack Thursday, with intermittent disruptions over the past few days. Some security specialists went further, saying it appears to be an attempt to block the use of anti-censorship tools in China. "Even people outside China are being weaponized to target things the Chinese government does not like, for example, freedom of speech," the security firm said.
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| Hodgson hands Kane full debut against Italy Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:12 PM PDT  Tottenham's Harry Kane is set for his full England debut alongside Wayne Rooney in a friendly against Italy on Tuesday. Spurs sensation Kane has been in scintillating form in the Premier League this season and scored his maiden England goal when he came off the bench during a 4-0 rout of Lithuania in a Euro 2016 qualifier at the weekend. With Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck both sidelined with injury, England manager Roy Hodgson has had little choice but to give the 21-year-old Kane his full competitive debut at Juventus Stadium.
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| Volvo Cars plans to open its first US plant Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:11 PM PDT DETROIT (AP) — Volvo Cars is planning to build its first-ever U.S. assembly plant as part of a push to increase sales here. |
