| Heavy clashes in Aden airport, alliance accused of cluster bomb use Posted: 03 May 2015 07:40 AM PDT  By Mohammed Mukhashef ADEN (Reuters) - Local fighters battling the rebel Houthi militia in Yemen's port of Aden stormed areas around the airport on Sunday in an operation supervised by the Saudi-led coalition, which also provided air support, the group's spokesman said. "Special forces from the southern fighters have been prepared and trained for an operation to attack Aden airport," said Ali al-Ahmadi, spokesman for the Southern Popular Resistance. Ahmadi retracted an earlier statement that 40-50 coalition special forces fighters had deployed alongside his militia and Saudi Arabia denied that a major ground operation was under way or that it had put non-Yemeni forces on the ground in Aden. ANTI-HOUTHI HOTBED Aden, a hotbed of anti-Houthi sentiment, has been a flashpoint since the war began on March 26, when the coalition began attacking Houthi forces opposed to Saudi-backed Hadi, who was based in Aden for several weeks before fleeing to Riyadh.
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| Italy says 10 migrants die, 5,800 rescued in ongoing mission Posted: 03 May 2015 04:36 PM PDT  By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Nearly 5,800 migrants were plucked from boats off the coast of Libya and 10 bodies were recovered in less than 48 hours, Italy's coast guard said, in one of the biggest rescue operations this year. Two weeks after nearly 900 boat people drowned in the worst Mediterranean shipwreck in living memory, the flow of people desperate to reach a better life in Europe has accelerated as people smugglers take advantage of calmer seas. Seven bodies were found on two large rubber boats packed with migrants and rescuers plucked from the sea the corpses of three others who had jumped into the water when they saw a merchant ship approaching, the coast guard said. Italy's coast guard has coordinated the rescues by its own navy and coast guard, a French ship acting on behalf of the European border control agency, merchant ships, and one vessel run by the privately funded Migrant Offshore Aid Station.
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| Three rescued eight days after Nepal quake as U.S. Marines arrive Posted: 03 May 2015 10:25 AM PDT By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Three people were pulled alive from the rubble of their home eight days after Nepal's devastating earthquake, as a supply logjam threatened to hamper disaster relief efforts bolstered by the arrival of U.S. aircraft and troops. The small-scale rescue, announced on Sunday by a home ministry official, brought fresh hope to a badly-hit district northeast of the capital Kathmandu, but about 50 bodies were also discovered on a northern trekking route obliterated by an avalanche that the April 25 quake triggered. U.S. military aircraft and personnel were due to begin helping ferry relief supplies to stricken areas outside the capital, a U.S. Marines spokeswoman said, after arriving in Nepal on Sunday, a day later than expected. Meanwhile United Nations Resident Representative Jamie McGoldrick said the government needed to loosen its normal customs restrictions, as criticism mounted over a pile-up of aid at Kathmandu airport, Nepal's only international gateway. |
| Freed Nigerian women tell of horror of Boko Haram captivity Posted: 03 May 2015 11:53 AM PDT  By Isaac Abrak and Emma Ande YOLA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Boko Haram fighters killed older boys and men in front of their families before taking women and children into the forest where many died of hunger and disease, freed captives said on Sunday after they were brought to a government refugee camp. The Nigerian army rescued hundreds of women and children last week from the Islamist fighters in northern Nigeria's Sambisa Forest in a major operation that has turned international attention to the plight of hostages. "They didn't allow us to move an inch," said one of the freed women, Asabe Umaru, describing her captivity. We thank the Nigerian army for saving our lives," she added.
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| Taliban, Afghan figures talk ceasefire but fail to agree Posted: 03 May 2015 01:01 PM PDT  By Amena Bakr and Jibran Ahmad AL-KHOR, Qatar/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban representatives met with Afghan political figures for a second day in Qatar on Sunday, and one participant said the two sides discussed a possible ceasefire but ultimately disagreed over the continued presence of U.S. troops in the country. The closed-door talks hosted by Qatar's foreign ministry represent a tentative sign of life in the effort to end the devastating 13-year-old war in Afghanistan. The Taliban recently launched an offensive in northern Afghanistan that brought its fighters to the outskirts of Kunduz city, a provincial capital. The Afghan government has made no official statement on the meetings, though a member of the country's High Peace Council confirmed a delegation would attend meetings in Qatar with the Taliban.
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| Britain's new princess meets royal family members Posted: 03 May 2015 10:36 AM PDT  The newest member of Britain's royal family, a daughter born to Prince William and his wife Kate, met her grandparents and other family members at the couple's Kensington Palace home in London on Sunday. A statement from Kensington Palace said grandfather Prince Charles, next in line to the throne, and his wife Camilla had visited the newborn. Kate Middleton's parents and sister also traveled to meet the baby. Prince Harry, the baby's uncle, was in Australia and not among the visitors, but he sent a message in the Kensington Palace statement: "She is absolutely beautiful.
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| McIlroy top of the world at Match Play Championship Posted: 03 May 2015 05:10 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rory McIlroy had to work harder than ever to win the Match Play Championship.
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| Puerto Rico governor signs order legalizing medical pot Posted: 03 May 2015 05:10 PM PDT  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor on Sunday signed an executive order authorizing the use of medical marijuana in the U.S. territory in an unexpected move following a lengthy public debate.
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| Boca beats River 2-0 in Superclasico to top Argentine table Posted: 03 May 2015 05:09 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Substitutes Cristian Pavon and Pablo Perez scored in the last six minutes to lift Boca Juniors to a 2-0 victory over bitter rival River Plate on Sunday in the "Superclasico," a victory that pushed Boca three points clear of River and San Lorenzo in the Argentine first division.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 03 May 2015 05:03 PM PDT KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Four days after the earthquake ripped apart the supporting wall attaching her ancient brick house to the tilting seven-story building next door, Parbati Gautam moved back in. As the aftershocks keep coming, she can't stop thinking about the wretched state of the four-story structure where she and her husband operate a narrow, soot-streaked bakery on the first floor — and the closet-sized room behind that where they sleep with their two little girls. |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. cruises to 1st Talladega win since 2004 Posted: 03 May 2015 05:01 PM PDT  TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — There's something about Talladega Superspeedway — its ardent Earnhardt fans, the success his family has had at the track — that makes Dale Earnhardt Jr. feel a responsibility to put on a show.
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| Vasco da Gama beats Botafogo 2-1 to win Rio state title Posted: 03 May 2015 04:57 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Striker Gilberto scored in second-half injury time to help Vasco da Gama defeat Botafogo 2-1 to win its first Rio de Janeiro state title in 12 years on Sunday.
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| World kept guessing over name of Britain's baby princess Posted: 03 May 2015 04:56 PM PDT  Royal watchers around the world waited to discover the name of the two-day-old British princess born to Prince William and his wife Kate, which could be announced on Monday. The couple left hospital with their newborn daughter on Sunday -- and when their toddler son George was born in 2013 his name was announced the day after they left hospital.
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| Death moments from freedom: Boko Haram hostages recount ordeal Posted: 03 May 2015 04:45 PM PDT  At least three women were killed in a landmine explosion and others crushed to death by tanks as Nigeria's military moved in to rescue them from Boko Haram, one freed hostage said on Sunday. The deaths happened in the Islamists' Sambisa Forest stronghold, from where soldiers have freed hundreds of women and children seized during the bloody insurgency in Nigeria's northeast. The military said on Sunday that 275 women and children had been taken to a relief camp in the Adamawa state capital, Yola. More than 700 women and children have been found in the dense forest over the past week, raising hopes the 219 girls snatched from their school in Chibok, Borno state, in April 2014 were among them.
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| Welsh rugby player dies after suspected cardiac arrest Posted: 03 May 2015 04:40 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — A Welsh international rugby league player has died after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest during a club game. |
| A blast and gunfire: Mexico's chopper battle Posted: 03 May 2015 04:31 PM PDT  A blast and gunfire rattled the hamlet in western Mexico where a drug cartel brought down a military helicopter in an intense battle that left three troops dead and three more missing. Witnesses say around a dozen sport-utility vehicles were driving down a dirt road with their lights off early Friday while the helicopter followed closely behind in a rural area of Jalisco state. The war-like scene was the most intense fight in a spasm of violence launched by the Jalisco New Generation Drug Cartel against a military and police operation that was launched against the gang the same day.
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| PSG moves 3 points clear of Lyon after 2-0 win at Nantes Posted: 03 May 2015 04:12 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to spearhead Paris Saint-Germain's attack, but it was Edinson Cavani who set the tone with his fourth goal in four games as PSG won 2-0 at Nantes to move three points clear of Lyon in the French title race on Sunday. |
| Barcelona faces Bayern, old coach Guardiola in CL semifinal Posted: 03 May 2015 04:11 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Pep Guardiola, the former player who coached Barcelona to 14 titles including two European Cups, makes his highly anticipated return to Camp Nou on Wednesday at the helm of new club Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals. |
| Chelsea wins Premier League; PSG closes on French title Posted: 03 May 2015 04:11 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Chelsea clinched the Premier League title with three games to spare thanks to a hard-fought win against fellow London side Crystal Palace, while Paris Saint-Germain took a step closer to a third straight title with a 2-0 victory at Nantes in the French league.
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| Earthquake strikes near Papua New Guinea: USGS Posted: 03 May 2015 04:06 PM PDT An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 struck in the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, the latest in a series of tremors in the area. The latest quake was centered 155 km (96 miles) south of the city of Rabual at a depth of 68 km (42 miles), the USGS said, revising down its initial 6.1 magnitude estimate. |
| West Indies beats England by 5 wickets in 3rd test Posted: 03 May 2015 03:44 PM PDT  BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — The West Indies completed a tense, hard-fought victory over England by five wickets in the extended final session of the third day of the third and final test at Kensington Oval on Sunday.
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| Montoya fastest on opening day of Indy tests Posted: 03 May 2015 03:39 PM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Juan Pablo Montoya topped the speed chart at 226.772 mph Sunday in the first day of testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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| Inbee Park wins North Texas Shootout for 2nd time Posted: 03 May 2015 03:35 PM PDT  IRVING, Texas (AP) — Inbee Park loves coming to Texas. For the second time in three years, she's leaving the Lone Star State with a trophy.
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| 5-year drought ends as Chelsea is champion of England again Posted: 03 May 2015 03:31 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — The five-year drought is over. Chelsea is Premier League champion again — with three games to spare.
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| Battling Windies win third Test by five wickets Posted: 03 May 2015 03:29 PM PDT  West Indies defied the odds and a wearing pitch to complete a series-levelling five-wicket victory over England on the third day of the third and final Test on Sunday. Set a daunting target of 192 after the tourists were dismissed for 123 in their second innings, a 108-run fifth-wicket partnership between Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood tilted the match decisively the Caribbean side's way. Bravo's controlled knock of 82, his 11th Test half-century, ended when he attempted to make the victory hit off Ben Stokes as Stuart Broad pulled down the catch at mid-off. It was left to Blackwood to finish off the match in the next over, hoisting Moeen Ali's off-spin over long-on to finish unbeaten on 47 and complete a team and personal triumph following his first innings top score of 85 out of a total of 189.
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| Community leaders: Nigerian troops kill dozens of civilians Posted: 03 May 2015 03:27 PM PDT JOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian troops have killed dozens of civilians and razed scores of homes to avenge the deaths of six soldiers, community leaders and residents of central Plateau state charged on Sunday. |
| Burundi army chief of staff pledge loyalty to embattled authorities Posted: 03 May 2015 03:20 PM PDT  The chief of staff of Burundi's army pledged the military's loyalty to the country's authorities on Sunday after the defence minister had declared the army's neutrality following a week of violent political protests. A statement by Defence Minister General Pontien Gaciyubwenge on Saturday declaring the army's neutrality and calling for an end to attacks on citizens' rights appeared to flag up possible divisions in the army. The small central African nation has been rocked by a week of demonstrations against a bid by President Pierre Nkurunziza to serve a third term in office.
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| Saudi-led coalition using cluster bombs in Yemen: HRW Posted: 03 May 2015 03:15 PM PDT  The Saudi-led coalition bombing rebels in Yemen has been using US-supplied cluster munitions in its air campaign, Human Rights Watch said Sunday, warning of the long-term dangers to civilians. Washington defended its transfers of cluster munitions, saying they were subjected to stringent requirements. "Recipients of such transfers must commit that cluster munitions will only be used against clearly defined military targets and will not be used where civilians are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilians," a US Defense Department official told AFP. HRW said it had gathered photographs, video and other evidence indicating that cluster munitions had been used in coalition air strikes against the Huthi rebel stronghold of Saada province in Yemen's northern mountains in recent weeks.
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| Police fire stun grenades at Tel Aviv rally by Ethiopian Israelis Posted: 03 May 2015 03:14 PM PDT  Police fired stun grenades to disperse a rally by Ethiopian Israelis demonstrating in central Tel Aviv on Sunday against alleged police brutality and widespread discrimination. Some of the demonstrators hurled stones, bottles and chairs from nearby restaurants after attempting to storm the Tel Aviv municipality building. Mounted police used riot stun grenades and water cannon as well as pepper spray to disperse the crowd and clear nearby streets, but an AFP correspondent said the protesters kept returning. Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said dispersing the "riot" was difficult since it had no clear leadership.
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| Arab coalition 'reconnaissance' troops land in Yemen Posted: 03 May 2015 02:57 PM PDT  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — With helicopter gunships hovering overhead, at least 20 troops from a Saudi-led Arab coalition came ashore Sunday in the southern port city of Aden on what military officials called a "reconnaissance" mission, as fighting raged between Iranian-backed Shiite rebels and forces loyal to the nation's exiled president.
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| Dominican government probes hotel collapse in capital Posted: 03 May 2015 02:53 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Part of a small boutique hotel has collapsed in the colonial district of the Dominican Republic's capital. There have been no fatalities or injuries. |
| West England beats England by 5 wickets in 3rd test Posted: 03 May 2015 02:43 PM PDT BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — The West Indies defeated England by five wickets in the third and final test with two days to spare to level the three-match series 1-1. |
| Baltimore lifts curfew, National Guard begins pullout Posted: 03 May 2015 02:32 PM PDT  Baltimore's mayor on Sunday lifted a curfew that was imposed across the East Coast city following widespread riots, as thousands of National Guard troops began to pull out. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had faced growing calls for the curfew to be scrapped, particularly from store and restaurant owners who said the 10:00 pm to 5:00 am nightly restriction was wrecking business. Baltimore took the unusual step of a citywide curfew after rioters torched cars, pelted police with stones and ransacked stores on April 27. The riots stemmed from protests over the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who suffered a serious spinal injury while in the back of a police van on April 12.
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| Porto wins 2-0 at Setubal to stay on Benfica's tail Posted: 03 May 2015 02:31 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — FC Porto won 2-0 at Setubal on Sunday to keep alive its chances of catching Benfica with the Portuguese league reaching its finale. |
| Ten Russian bikers reach German border ahead of WWII rally Posted: 03 May 2015 02:26 PM PDT  Ten pro-Kremlin Russian bikers, part of a larger group on a controversial World War II victory ride through Europe, reached the German border late Sunday, the Bavarian authorities said. Having been turned back at the Polish and Lithuanian borders the members of the Night Wolves, a fiercely nationalistic motorcycle club backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, still hope to ride into the German capital Berlin on Saturday to celebrate the Soviet Union's role in the victory over Nazi Germany. The ten bikers, the first of the Night Wolves to reach Germany, left Moscow on April 25 and crossed into the southern Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall from Austria, a local police spokesman told the DPA news agency. Ahead of the rally in Berlin, they plan on Monday to visit the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, near Munich, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel commemorated its liberation on Sunday, Night Wolves spokesman Alexander Shapovalov was quoted as saying.
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| Halep, Venus lose in Madrid Open 1st round, Serena advances Posted: 03 May 2015 02:15 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Second-seeded Simona Halep and Venus Williams both lost in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Sunday, while top-seeded Serena Williams had a trouble-free debut. |
| With rescue near, Boko Haram stoned Nigerian girls to death Posted: 03 May 2015 02:13 PM PDT  YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Even with the crackle of gunfire signaling rescuers were near, the horrors did not end: Boko Haram fighters stoned captives to death, some girls and women were crushed by an armored car and three died when a land mine exploded as they walked to freedom.
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| Rebels kill 8 Indian paramilitary soldiers Posted: 03 May 2015 02:08 PM PDT GAUHATI, India (AP) — Suspected rebels on Sunday ambushed and killed eight Indian paramilitary soldiers in the remote, troubled northeast, police said. |
| Valencia keeps hold on 4th in Spain, Granada grabs lifeline Posted: 03 May 2015 02:05 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Valencia eased to a 3-1 win at home over Eibar on Sunday to strengthen its hold on Spain's last Champions League berth. |
