| Iran's Khamenei demands all sanctions end when nuclear deal signed Posted: 09 Apr 2015 10:56 AM PDT  Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday demanded that all sanctions on Iran be lifted at the same time as any final agreement with world powers on curbing Tehran's nuclear program is concluded. Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's most powerful figure and who has the last say on all state matters, was making his first comments on the interim deal reached last week in the Swiss city of Lausanne. He repeated his faith in President Hassan Rouhani's negotiating team. Everything is in the details, it may be that the deceptive other side wants to restrict us in the details," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
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| Iran's leader says Saudi air strikes causing genocide Posted: 09 Apr 2015 12:16 PM PDT  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saudi Arabia would not emerge victorious from the war in Yemen, where Iran-allied Houthi fighters who control the capital Sanaa have been trying to seize the southern city of Aden from local militias. Iran has repeatedly urged a halt in the air strikes and called for dialogue in Yemen, but Khamenei's comments are the most critical yet from Tehran about the offensive by Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies.
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| Man kills judge, two others on rampage through Milan courthouse Posted: 09 Apr 2015 09:54 AM PDT By Manuela D'Alessandro MILAN (Reuters) - A trial defendant shot dead a judge and two others on Thursday on a rampage through a Milan courthouse, casting a harsh spotlight on public security measures that Italy tightened earlier this year. Police said Claudio Giardiello shot the judge, Fernando Ciampi, in his office, having earlier opened fire in a courtroom killing a lawyer and his co-defendant in a bankruptcy trial. In all, Giardiello fired 13 shots inside the Palace of Justice in central Milan before fleeing, police said. They arrested him in Vimercate, a town north of Italy's financial center, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on his twitter feed. |
| Obama says concerned China uses size to bully others in region Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:46 PM PDT  President Barack Obama said on Thursday the United States is concerned China uses its "sheer size and muscle" to push around smaller countries in the South China Sea. His comments come after China defended its construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, saying it is needed to safeguard its sovereignty in the mineral-rich waters where China's territorial claims overlap those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. "Where we get concerned with China is where it is not necessarily abiding by international norms and rules and is using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions," Obama told town-hall event in Jamaica ahead of a Caribbean summit in Panama, where he hopes to reassert U.S. leadership in Latin America.
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| U.S., allies conduct 7 air strikes in Syria, 12 in Iraq: military Posted: 09 Apr 2015 12:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with seven air strikes from Wednesday to Thursday morning, with Canada taking part in the strikes for the first time, the U.S. military said on Thursday. Forces hit Islamic State vehicles, a garrison, and fighting positions near Al Hasakah, Ar Raqqah and Kobani, according to a statement. In Iraq 12 air strikes over the same period hit Islamic Sate tactical units, a tunnel system, buildings and other targets near Bayji, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, the statement said. ... |
| Obama says review complete of Cuba's removal from terror list Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:22 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the U.S. State Department had completed its review of whether to remove Cuba from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism but that he was waiting for a recommendation from his advisers. Speaking in Jamaica, where he is on a short visit, Obama said he would not announce a Cuba decision on Thursday. Removing Cuba from the list would clear a major obstacle in the effort to restore diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, paving the way for the reopening of embassies that have been shut for 54 years, and signal momentum in ending America's isolation from the Communist island nation. "That review has been completed at the State Department.
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| Historic encounter with Cuba's Castro awaits Obama in Panama Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:53 PM PDT  PANAMA CITY (AP) — Turning the page on a half-century of hostility, President Barack Obama signaled Thursday he will soon remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, boosting hopes for improved ties as he prepared for a historic encounter with Cuban President Raul Castro.
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| Spieth back on top at the Masters; Can he finish the job? Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:53 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — 7:37 p.m.
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| Obama turns to diplomacy at Americas summit Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:52 PM PDT  PANAMA CITY (AP) — President Barack Obama is in Panama City for a summit of Western Hemisphere nations and a potentially historic encounter with Cuban President Raul Castro.
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| Tsarnaev's lawyer faces perhaps her biggest challenge yet Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:50 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorney is renowned for keeping her high-profile clients off death row, but Judy Clarke could face her most daunting challenge yet in trying to save the Boston Marathon bomber from execution.
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| IndyCar forcing manufacturers to strengthen body components Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:39 PM PDT AVONDALE, La. (AP) — IndyCar officials are requiring engine manufacturers Honda and Chevrolet to make structural upgrades before this weekend's Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. |
| Obama advised to take Cuba off terror list Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:37 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama has been advised by aides to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a major hurdle in his diplomatic thaw with Havana. With Obama due to arrive in Panama on Thursday for a historic gathering with Cuban President Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas, it emerged that the State Department has advised Obama to take Cuba off the blacklist. "The State Department's recommendation to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the result of a months-long technical review, is an important step forward in our efforts to forge a more fruitful relationship with Cuba," Senator Ben Cardin.
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| Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:32 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The public will have its first chance to see, touch and buy the Apple Watch on Friday, as Apple stores in the U.S. and eight markets abroad start previews and online orders commence. Prices start at $349, but can go as high as $17,000 for a luxury edition in gold. Apple store employees will show you the range of options, including different watch cases, bands and sizes. Reservations are recommended. |
| Former Australia cricket captain, commentator Benaud dies Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:30 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — Former Australia cricket captain and television commentator Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84, his employer Channel Nine network said Friday. |
| Flooding, ice close highway to Alaska's North Slope oilfields Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:27 PM PDT By Steve Quinn JUNEAU (Reuters) - Alaska's lone road to North Slope oilfield operations has been shut for days while emergency crews divert flood waters from an adjacent river and oil companies fly provisions to the Arctic region, state and company officials said on Thursday. The road closure, however, has not affected oil production on the North Slope. Alaska Governor Bill Walker declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, opening up state funds for some emergency response costs and repair work. There was no projection for when the highway would reopen, said Meadow Bailey, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokeswoman. |
| Obama administration says global economy needs more support Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:21 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Thursday that Germany, China, Japan and South Korea are four countries running large trade surpluses that need to do more to combat weak global growth. |
| 21 dead, dozen missing in Haiti shipwreck: official Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:09 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Twenty-one migrants died and around a dozen more were missing after their boat sank off the north coast of Haiti, a senior official said Thursday. Haiti's civil protection directorate chief Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste said those on board the ship, around 50 people, had been trying to reach Providenciales Island in the neighboring Turks and Caicos. Twelve people managed to swim to safety after the accident, Jean-Baptiste said. Authorities helped by local fisherman were searching for around a dozen people unaccounted for, Jean-Baptiste added.
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| Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha hurt in arrest, to miss playoffs Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:08 PM PDT  ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta forward Thabo Sefolosha will miss the Hawks' final four regular-season games and the postseason because of a fractured right fibula and ligament damage suffered when he and teammate Pero Antic were arrested early Wednesday in New York.
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| Spieth shoots 64 for another lead on Day 1 of Masters Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:07 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jordan Spieth was already the hottest player on the PGA Tour.
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| Pele, in Chile, says he has recovered after his health scare Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:04 PM PDT  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Brazilian soccer legend Pele said Thursday that he has "happily recovered" from a recent health scare.
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| Andrea Petkovic improves to 10-0 at Family Circle Posted: 09 Apr 2015 04:01 PM PDT  CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Defending champion Andrea Petkovic kept up her perfect run at the Family Circle, improving to 10-0 and advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Madison Brengle on Thursday.
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| Illegal migrants arriving by sea in Greece triple in 2015 Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:59 PM PDT  The number of illegal migrants arriving in Greece by sea has tripled in the first three months of 2015, the Greek coast guard said Thursday. People smugglers use many routes to carry their paying customers, mainly from north Africa, to reach EU countries where the migrants seek asylum or try to travel further into the European Union. Visiting Athens on Wednesday, the EU commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said the European Union was "worried" by the current asylum system. During a visit to Malta on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that Europe must look to the chaos of the civil war in Libya if it wants to bring order to its own shores.
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| Ukraine says 39 pro-Russian 'saboteurs' arrested in Odessa Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:58 PM PDT  Ukrainian authorities on Thursday said 39 people had been arrested for planning a pro-Russian rebellion in the southern port city of Odessa which has been rocked by mysterious explosions in past months. The announcement came on the eve of President Petro Poroshenko's visit to the city to mark the 71st anniversary of its liberation by Soviet troops from the Nazis. Ukraine's SBU security service said 29 people had been arrested and a large cache of arms and explosives was seized. They were taking orders from pro-Russian separatist leaders in Ukraine's rebel-controlled east and were planning the murder of a lawmaker and several pro-Western activists, SBU chief Valentin Nalivaichenko said.
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| Pele says he has recovered after his health scare Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:56 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Brazilian soccer legend Pele said Wednesday that he has "happily recovered" from a recent health scare. |
| Protester releases rodents at Brazil graft hearing Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:54 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - A hearing into a massive graft scandal at Brazil's state oil firm Petrobras was interrupted Thursday when a protester unleashed several rodents including mice, hamsters and gerbils on proceedings, sparking chaos at Congress. The small brown creatures were released by an unknown suspect in the middle of the hearing, interrupting a statement by ruling Workers Party (PT) treasurer Joao Vaccari Neto and briefly creating chaos among journalists and politicians as the rodents scampered across the floor. "What happened must not go unpunished," said Jorge Sola, accusing opposition lawmaker Waldir Soares de Oliveira of the Social Democracy Party. De Oliveira denied any involvement in the prank.
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| Civil society forum overheats at Americas summit Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:52 PM PDT  Jeering and insults marred a civil society forum ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama, pitting supporters of the Cuban and Venezuelan governments against opposition figures. Activists from North America to the Amazon, the Andes and the Southern Cone congregated in a humid Panama City to make recommendations on civil society participation in the region ahead of the Friday-Saturday summit. Some wore guayaberas, the four-pocket button-down shirts typical of Caribbean nations, colorful Andean dresses or casual street clothes in a mostly friendly atmosphere at El Panama Hotel. They say they are civil society but they act like a civil militia," Cuban dissident Manuel Cuesta Morua told AFP.
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| Pacers' Copeland issues apology, listed in stable condition Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:51 PM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland apologized Thursday for making a "bad choice" by staying out too late before a game and promised to work hard to make a full recovery after he was stabbed outside a New York nightclub.
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| Suspect charged with assault in NBA player's stabbing Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:45 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A 22-year-old man has been charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon in the stabbing of Indianapolis Pacers player Chris Copeland outside a New York City nightclub.
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| Ibrahimovic suspended 4 matches Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:40 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was suspended four matches on Thursday by the French league's disciplinary commission following his criticism of a referee last month.
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| Sudan vote set to extend Bashir rule as opposition boycotts Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:31 PM PDT  Sudan heads to the polls next week in elections widely expected to extend President Omar al-Bashir's quarter-century rule, despite his indictment for alleged war crimes, continued unrest and a faltering economy. Bashir is facing 15 little-known challengers in the vote -- which takes place over three days starting Monday -- but main opposition parties are boycotting. Rights groups have accused the 71-year-old Bashir, twice indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), of crushing dissent with a crackdown on the media and civil society. In the capital, there are few signs presidential and parliamentary elections are days away, despite official figures showing the participation of 44 parties.
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| Climate change seen bringing more fires, less snow to Yellowstone Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:29 PM PDT Predicted climate changes bringing warmer and drier conditions to Yellowstone National Park will likely fuel catastrophic wildfires, cause declines in mountain snows and threaten the survival of animals and plants, scientists said on Thursday. Such dry condition have not been seen in the area for the past 10,000 years, said the report, "Ecological Implications of Climate Change on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," compiled by more than 20 university and government scientists. |
| Sitting duck: Flightless goose named for Britain's Kate shot Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:29 PM PDT  The goose may be cooked for two Canadian teens who were arrested and face multiple charges for allegedly shooting a waterbird named after Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge. Kate, a brown-and-white Asiatic goose, and her lifemate William were fixtures in a pond at a cemetery in the town of Picton, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario. Dozens of ducks fled but William and Kate could not escape because their wings had been clipped.
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| Marches held across Colombia to support peace efforts Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:21 PM PDT  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's president on Thursday extended a suspension of air attacks on the country's main rebel movement amid a day of marches in support of peace.
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| Amnesty condemns 'summary killing' of Ukraine troops by rebels Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:18 PM PDT  Amnesty International on Thursday said it had new proof of the "summary killings" of Ukrainian soldiers captured by pro-Russian separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine, and demanded a quick impartial probe. The rights group notably cited the case of Ukrainian soldier Igor Branovytsky, who was taken prisoner during fighting at Donetsk airport, saying he was tortured and killed while in captivity. Amnesty said it had also seen videos with pictures of the dead bodies of at least three other members of the Ukrainian armed forces, with signs of bullet wounds to the head and upper parts of their bodies, apparently the result of execution-style killings. They were captured by pro-Russian forces in Debaltseve between February 12 and 18 when the Ukrainian army was encircled there.
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| French envoy Vedrine pushes new UN veto rules Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:11 PM PDT  France dispatched ex-foreign minister Hubert Vedrine this week on a fact-finding mission to push for new rules limiting veto use by the UN's five powers. France launched an initiative in September to persuade the other four Security Council permanent members -- Britain, China, Russia and the United States -- to refrain from using their veto power when action is required to address a mass atrocity. The idea was welcomed by some 70 non-veto-wielding countries at the United Nations, but discussions on limiting use of the veto have entered complicated terrain with members of the so-called P5. Russia and China have bristled at the idea of restricting their veto power, but Britain and the United States have shown more openness to the idea.
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| Puerto Rico joins FBI's criminal background check system Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:06 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico has joined a federal background check system to prevent the sale of weapons to those with a criminal history in the U.S. territory. |
| How far does Iran's backing of Yemen rebels go? Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:05 PM PDT  Iran's backing of Shiite Huthi rebels came under fire from Washington on Thursday, but while there can be no doubt of Tehran's support for the movement, the full extent is unclear. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday the United States would not "stand by" as the region is "destabilised" by Iran backing the Huthis. Washington has already backed the Saudi-led air campaign launched by Riyadh after the Huthis took control of the capital Sanaa and then moved on the southern city of Aden, where President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had taken refuge. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran -- the main Shiite power -- of backing the Huthis in a bid to instal a Tehran-friendly regime.
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| Hoffman seizes moment in 1st trip back to Masters since '11 Posted: 09 Apr 2015 03:05 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Charley Hoffman considers himself quite the veteran of the Masters. Whenever he's not playing, this storied tournament is must-see TV for him.
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