| Kerry extends Iran talks, French foreign minister returns Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:35 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his German and French counterparts extended marathon talks in Switzerland on Wednesday for a second day beyond a self-imposed deadline to reach a preliminary agreement with Iran on its nuclear program. Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced they would stay at least until Thursday. In a potentially hopeful sign, French Foreign Secretary Laurent Fabius returned for more talks after flying back to Paris the previous day because progress had been too slow. Six world powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - aim to stop Iran from gaining the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb.
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| Yemen Houthi fighters backed by tanks reach central Aden Posted: 01 Apr 2015 11:49 AM PDT  "What's happening now would be a disaster for Aden and its people, if Aden falls" Reyad Yassin Abdulla told Al Jazeera television. "We can say that after a week of bombing on Yemen the aggressors have not achieved any result ... The victories in Aden today embarrass this campaign and silenced the aggressor states," Houthi spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam told the militia's al-Maseera television. Asked for his reaction, a Saudi military spokesman said Houthi forces had been in Aden before the alliance began its campaign on March 26 and had fought daily battles against the people of the city. The Houthis, with vital support from army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, emerged as the dominant force in Yemen after they took over the capital six months ago and they now control much of the Arabian Peninsula country.
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| Islamic State seizes vast Damascus refugee camp Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:42 PM PDT  By Sylvia Westall and Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters seized most of a vast camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of Damascus from other insurgents on Wednesday in a bid to capture a major foothold close to President Bashar al-Assad's seat of power. In a separate advance, rebel groups that have received backing from Assad's Arab and Western foes captured a border crossing with Jordan, the first time Damascus has lost it since the start of the conflict, sources on both sides said. The gains by groups at opposite ends of the insurgent spectrum show the pressures still facing Assad, who has sought to shore up his control over western Syria including the border zone with Jordan and Israel - the last notable foothold of the mainstream rebels who have largely been eclipsed by jihadists. The Nusra Front, al Qaeda's wing in Syria and one of the groups involved, announced on Wednesday the city would be run according to sharia law.
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| Iraq claims victory over Islamic State in Tikrit Posted: 01 Apr 2015 09:09 AM PDT  The Iraqi government claimed victory over Islamic State insurgents in Tikrit on Wednesday after a month-long battle for the city supported by Shi'ite militiamen and U.S.-led air strikes, saying that only small pockets of resistance remained. State television showed Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, accompanied by leaders of the army and police, the provincial governor and Shi'ite paramilitary leaders, parading through Tikrit and raising an Iraqi flag. The militants captured the city, about 140 km (90 miles) north of Baghdad, last June as they swept through most of Iraq's Sunni Muslim territories, swatting aside a demoralized and disorganized army that has now required an uneasy combination of Iranian and American support to get back on its feet. With explosions and gunfire still audible, and columns of smoke dotting the horizon, Interior Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban told reporters that security forces were fighting to clear the city's last Islamic State holdout, the northern neighborhood of Qadissiyah.
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| Explosion at Yemen factory kills at least 25: residents, medics Posted: 01 Apr 2015 11:09 AM PDT  An explosion at a dairy factory in Yemen's Hodaida port killed at least 25 workers, medical sources said, with conflicting accounts attributing the blast to an air strike by a Saudi-led alliance or to a rocket landing from a nearby army base. The 26September website of Yemen's factionalized army, which mostly sides with the Houthis, said 37 workers were killed and 80 wounded at the dairy and oils factory "during the aggressive air strikes which targeted the two factories last night". Medical sources in the city said 25 workers at the plant had been killed at the factory, which was located near an army camp loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Houthi ally. Residents and witnesses contacted by Reuters said the air strikes had targeted the factory shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
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| Israel tests U.S.-backed missile shield as Iran nuclear talks churn Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:10 PM PDT By Dan Williams and Andrea Shalal JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new Israeli air defense system being developed in partnership with the United States met all its objectives in a series of recent live interception tests, U.S. and Israeli officials said Wednesday, putting it on course for deployment by next year. The system, David's Sling, shot down targets simulating longer-range missiles like Scuds that could be fired at Israel from Syria and by Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas. The latter coincided with international negotiations on Iran's disputed nuclear program that have drawn censure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in turn soured his relations with U.S. President Barack Obama. |
| UN report: More than 25,000 foreigners fight with terrorists Posted: 01 Apr 2015 05:12 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The number of fighters leaving home to join al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and other countries has spiked to more than 25,000 from over 100 nations, according to a new U.N. report.
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| Hugo Chavez' favorite daughter makes UN debut as US bashed Posted: 01 Apr 2015 05:09 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — With more than a million Twitter followers and no diplomatic experience, the favorite daughter of Venezuela's late leader Hugo Chavez made her debut Wednesday as her country's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 01 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's junta lifted martial law in most of the nation, but 10 months after staging a coup, it remains firmly in control — with new laws invoked Wednesday that essentially give it absolute power. The government of former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha had faced growing pressure from foreign governments, human rights groups and particularly Thailand's own business community to revoke martial law. |
| Antiquities looted from India end up at Honolulu museum Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:53 PM PDT  HONOLULU (AP) — An international investigation into antiquities looted from India and smuggled into the United States has taken authorities to the Honolulu Museum of Art.
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| US Senate foreign affairs expert indicted Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:45 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants who rose to become one of the highest-ranking Hispanic members of Congress, was charged Wednesday with accepting nearly $1 million worth of gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.
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| Red Sox catcher Vazquez says he will have Tommy John surgery Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:39 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. |
| Irish punt jeopardises All Black's World Cup chance Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:28 PM PDT  Rising All Blacks star Charles Piutau may have sold his World Cup berth for NZ$1.0 million (US$745,000) with coach Steve Hansen indicating he could be on the outer for accepting a lucrative European deal. The 23-year-old fullback has signed a two-year contract to join Irish club Ulster in July 2016, nearly a year after the World Cup. "Does it make him ineligible for the World Cup? The Auckland Blues fullback, who can also cover wing and centre, is contesting an already congested role in the All Blacks which includes Israel Dagg, Julian Savea, Ben Smith and Cory Jane.
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| Lacking faith in government, Mexican parents approach cartel Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:24 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Some of the families of 43 college students missing in southern Mexico since September say desperation and a lack of confidence in the government drove them to appeal to the leader of a drug gang for help in locating their sons.
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| New Jersey's Menendez: I'll be vindicated in corruption case Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:21 PM PDT NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — New Jersey's Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez says he'll be 'vindicated' in a corruption case against him. |
| 35 dead in Yemen after airstrikes hit factory vicinity Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:13 PM PDT  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Shiite rebel positions Wednesday across Yemen as a missile strike on a dairy factory killed 35 workers, authorities said, as both sides disputed who fired on it.
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| Murray rallies to reach Miami semi-finals Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:13 PM PDT  World number four Andy Murray booked his semi-final berth at the Miami Masters on Wednesday, rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Austrian Dominic Thiem. Third-seeded Murray, the champion at Crandon Park in 2009 and 2013, was initially stunned by the clean and powerful one-handed backhand of the 21-year-old Thiem, who has looked strong in Miami after coming into the tournament with a 3-5 record in 2015.
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| LPGA Tour's first major of year has another new name Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:59 PM PDT  RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — When Judy Rankin won at Mission Hills in 1976, the tournament now called the ANA Inspiration was the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle.
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| In Jamaica, man hurls 'suspicious package' at US Embassy Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:59 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Heavily armed Jamaican soldiers and police took positions around the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday after a man hurled a "suspicious package" over the building's wall. |
| Johns Hopkins sued over sexually transmitted disease study Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:40 PM PDT BALTIMORE (AP) — More than 750 plaintiffs are suing the Johns Hopkins Hospital System Corp. over its role in a series of medical experiments in Guatemala in the 1940s and 1950s during which subjects were deliberately infected with venereal diseases without their consent. |
| Four dead, 16 injured in fiery blast at Mexico oil rig Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:35 PM PDT  An explosion and a fire erupted on an offshore oil platform operated by Mexico's Pemex on Wednesday, killing at least four workers, injuring 16 and forcing 300 to be evacuated. Eight firefighting vessels with water cannons were deployed to battle the blaze as smoke billowed skyward at the Abkatun A-Permanente platform on the Gulf of Mexico's Campeche Sound. The blast took place at 3:40 am in the dehydration and pump area of the platform, located off the coast of eastern Campeche state, the ASEA energy safety agency said in a statement. "The fire is under control but has not been extinguished," a Pemex spokesman told AFP, adding that the explosion had not triggered an oil spill.
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| Flames engulf Mexico oil platform in Gulf, killing 4 workers Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:30 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — A huge ball of flames engulfed an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, killing four people and sending terrified workers leaping into the sea.
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| Rebels seize Syria-Jordan border as IS storms Damascus Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:21 PM PDT  Rebels backed by Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate seized control Wednesday of the last border crossing with Jordan that had been under regime control, dealing a major blow to President Bashar al-Assad. "Armed groups, joined today by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, took over the Nasib border point from regime soldiers" on the Syrian side of the frontier, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A coalition of rebel groups had launched the offensive Tuesday, and Al-Nusra joined them late Wednesday.
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| Zarif says 'seize the moment' as Iran talks hit final stretch Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:10 PM PDT  Iran's foreign minister Wednesday told world powers to "seize the moment" and drop "excessive demands" as marathon high-stakes nuclear talks headed into another long bruising night of hard bargaining. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrived back in Switzerland to rejoin the negotiations saying the talks were in the final stretch. Fabius was re-joining US Secretary of State John Kerry and their counterparts from Germany and Britain. "Iran has shown its readiness to engage with dignity and it's time for our negotiating partners to seize the moment," Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters late on a seventh day of talks in Lausanne.
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| Serena Williams earns 700th win to reach Miami Open semis Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:06 PM PDT  KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Serena Williams abused her racket, scolded herself and even made angry faces at the sun.
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| Service held for 2 Coast Guard cadets killed in crash Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:03 PM PDT NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — Two Coast Guard Academy cadets from the Republic of Georgia who died in a car crash last month had lived the dream of many young people in their country by attending school in the United States, a fellow cadet said Wednesday at a memorial ceremony at the Connecticut school. |
| Bondholders offer $2B boost for Puerto Rico power company Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:02 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A group of U.S. bondholders on Wednesday offered to invest $2 billion in energy production and other measures that it said would help improve the finances and infrastructure of Puerto Rico's power company amid fears it will go bankrupt. |
| US Senators want FIFA to move 2018 World Cup out of Russia Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:01 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Thirteen U.S. Senators asked FIFA to consider taking the 2018 World Cup out of Russia because of what they call that country's "ongoing violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine." |
| England have edge over Italy, says Rooney Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:59 PM PDT  Manchester United star Wayne Rooney believes a new-look England proved they have the edge over Italy based on the evidence of their 1-1 draw in Turin on Tuesday. After a largely unproductive first-half display in the friendly at Juventus Stadium, where Graziano Pelle hit a 29th minute opener for the hosts, it took a superb leveller from Spurs winger Andros Townsend for England to complete their turnaround in what was a far more promising second half. England had travelled to Turin without injured forwards Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck, forcing manager Roy Hodgson to reshuffle his side and deploy several players in unfamiliar positions. Rooney, who was partnered up front by Harry Kane making his first start in an England shirt having come on as a substitute and scored on his debut against Lithuania last Friday, admitted there was disappointment in the England dressing room at half-time.
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| Ebola vaccine tests show it could 'neutralise' virus: Geneva hospital Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:57 PM PDT  An experimental Ebola vaccine tested on humans in Europe and Africa sparks the production of the antibodies needed to neutralise the deadly virus, a Geneva hospital said Wednesday. There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola, and the World Health Organization last year endorsed rushing potential ones through trials in a bid to stem the epidemic still simmering in west Africa. Initial clinical trials of the VSV-ZEBOV candidate vaccine, manufactured by the Public Health Agency of Canada and developed by Merck, show that it "triggers the production of antibodies capable of neutralising the Ebola virus," the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) said in a statement.
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| Can Nigeria's election inspire wave of African democracy? Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:55 PM PDT  Nigeria's first-ever peaceful transition after elections this week has inspired hopes that it could spark a trend among other African countries where democracy has failed to take hold. In a continent where leaders often refuse to give up office, Goodluck Jonathan's willingness to accept defeat and step down has been met with relief by foreign observers. "If the largest democracy on the continent of Africa couldn't get it right -- or didn't even try to get it right -- then why would anybody else try to get it right?" US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Linda Thomas-Greenfield told AFP. "So, Nigeria is a trailblazer.
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| Tikrit victory boosts Iraq fight to defeat IS Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT  Iraq vowed Wednesday to reclaim the entire country from jihadists after retaking Tikrit from the Islamic State group, as its forces fought to consolidate control of the city. Speaking from a newly-recaptured area of central Tikrit after a month-long operation that was Baghdad's biggest success yet against IS, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the government was "determined to liberate every inch of Iraqi land". Interior Minister Mohammed al-Ghaban told journalists in Tikrit that there were "a few pockets (of IS fighters) remaining in some of the neighbourhoods".
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| Iran extensions underscore Obama's dilemma in talks Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's willingness to extend Iranian nuclear talks at least twice this week has laid bare the dilemma he faces as he pursues a high-stakes accord. |
| Unbeaten Hurricanes face Stormers in Super Rugby Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:37 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The top-ranked Hurricanes and eighth-placed Stormers have bolstered their lineups for their clash in Wellington on Friday which opens the eighth round of Super Rugby. |
| Puerto Rico approves law to crack down on tax evasion Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:34 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor has signed a law that requires service providers to accept at least two different types of payment in a push to crack down on tax evaders. |
| Police take over from military at Rio slum near airport Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:26 PM PDT  Despite a recent upsurge in urban violence, Rio de Janeiro officials insisted Wednesday they will manage to pacify slum areas in the run-up to next year's Olympics. Last weekend, six people including two police officers, were hurt in clashes in the Rocinha slum overlooking some of Rio's chicest districts. An estimated 3,000 soldiers were initially sent a year ago into Mare, a group of 16 slums near Rio's international airport and home to some 140,000 people. Now they are handing back responsibility for law and order to military police.
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| Daura celebrates, Otuoke commiserates after Nigeria election Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:24 PM PDT  Daura and Otuoke couldn't have been more different on Wednesday. "Our joy is indescribable as a result of this historic victory of Muhammadu Buhari, which is why we are on the streets for the second day of celebration," said Lawan Shuaibu, a 29-year-old bus driver. The mood in beaten candidate Goodluck Jonathan's hometown of Otuoke in the oil-rich south was more sombre. Businesses reported sluggish trade as groups of people in twos or threes discussed the gripping election, which Buhari won by 2.75 million votes, in the first opposition win in Nigeria's history.
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| Qaeda-backed rebels seize post on Syria-Jordan border: monitor Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:20 PM PDT  Rebels backed by Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate seized control Wednesday of the last border crossing with Jordan that had been under the control of the Damascus regime, a monitor said. "Armed groups, joined today by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, took over the Nasib border point from regime soldiers" on the Syrian side of the frontier, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Abdel Rahman said regime troops had withdrawn from Nasib, leaving no Syrian government presence along the entire border with Jordan.
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| Lisbon mayor steps down to launch election bid Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:19 PM PDT  Lisbon's Socialist mayor Antonio Costa, tipped to succeed centre-right Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, stepped down Wednesday to fight Portugal's parliamentary elections this autumn. "It is time to open a new chapter for the Lisbon town hall as for the country as a whole," said Costa, who has held the mayor's post since 2007. The Socialist Party, seen as favourites to win this year's elections, last year installed Costa, 53, as its prime ministerial candidate. The Socialist Party won the European elections last May, however the main opposition party has been shaken by a corruption scandal involving former prime minister Jose Socrates.
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| Brazil NGO declines contract to clean up dirty Olympic bay Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:07 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro's pledge to clean up the blighted waters where the 2016 Olympic sailing events are to be held has suffered another setback: A prominent Brazilian sailing and environmental organization declined a city contract to help clean up sewage- and trash-filled Guanabara Bay.
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