| Fresh earthquake kills scores in Nepal and India Posted: 12 May 2015 11:13 AM PDT  By Krista Mahr and Ross Adkin CHAUTARA, Nepal (Reuters) - A second powerful earthquake in less than three weeks spread panic in Nepal on Tuesday, bringing down buildings weakened by the first disaster and killing at least 66 people, including 17 in neighbouring India and one in Chinese Tibet. Most of the reported fatalities were in villages and towns east of Kathmandu, only just beginning to pick up the pieces from the April 25 quake that left more than 8,000 dead. The U.S. military's Pacific Command said a Marine Corps helicopter involved in disaster relief had gone missing, with six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard. The new 7.3 magnitude quake was centred 76 km (47 miles) east of the capital in a hilly area close to the border with Tibet, according to coordinates provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, and unleashed landslides in Himalayan valleys near Mount Everest.
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| Pentagon mulls sending planes, ships near disputed South China Sea islands Posted: 12 May 2015 04:01 PM PDT  The Pentagon is considering sending U.S. military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around growing Chinese-made artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter requested options that include sending U.S. military ships and aircraft within 12 nautical miles of reefs that China has been building up in the disputed Spratly Islands, the official said. "We are considering how to demonstrate freedom of navigation in an area that is critical to world trade," the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding any options would need to be approved by the White House. The Pentagon did not immediately comment.
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| Yemen truce starts after shelling, Iran sends cargo ship Posted: 12 May 2015 03:01 PM PDT  By Mohammed Ghobari and Mohammed Mukhashaf CAIRO/ADEN (Reuters) - Saudi-led air strikes hit the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa hours before a five-day humanitarian truce took effect on Tuesday, and Washington cautioned against "provocative actions" after Iran dispatched a cargo ship to Yemen. The ceasefire began at 11 p.m. (2000 GMT), said Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for a Saudi-led coalition which has been striking the country's Houthi rebels since March 26. The Houthis shelled Saudi border areas in Jizan province until the last moments before the ceasefire started, Asseri said on al-Arabiya television, adding that this gave him no confidence the rebel group intended to keep to the truce. The United States said it was tracking Iranian warships accompanying the vessel bound for Hodaida port, and urged Iran instead to use a U.N. distribution hub in Djibouti to provide help to people in the war-damaged Arabian Peninsula country.
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| U.S., Russia speak of cooperation but no breakthroughs Posted: 12 May 2015 01:04 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Denis Dyomkin SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Top U.S. and Russian officials said they hoped to work together on contentious issues such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria but offered no sign of concrete progress after more than eight hours of talks on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met for more than four hours each with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss topics including the Iran nuclear talks as well as the civil strife in Yemen and Libya. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the two foreign ministers accentuated the positive despite the fact that U.S.-Russian relations have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War largely because of the Ukraine crisis. "We have an understanding that we need to avoid steps which are able to inflict a long-term harm to bilateral relations between Russia and the United States," Lavrov told reporters through an interpreter.
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| Greek PM says time for action from lenders, IMF payment scrapes by Posted: 12 May 2015 11:46 AM PDT  By Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday called on lenders to break an impasse in cash-for-reform talks after Athens had to resort to a temporary expedient to make a crucial payment to the IMF. Greek officials told Reuters they had emptied an International Monetary Fund holding account to repay 750 million euros to the global lender on Monday, avoiding default but underscoring the dire state of the country's finances. At his second cabinet meeting in three days, Tsipras told ministers Athens was sticking to its "red lines" and that it was time to see lenders meet Greece halfway, according to a government official. "The Greek side has so far fully met everything the Feb. 20 Eurogroup decision foresaw.
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| Iran stresses end-June deadline as nuclear talks press on Posted: 12 May 2015 05:48 AM PDT  Tehran's top nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday he hoped diplomacy resuming this week will yield results before a self-imposed deadline for a final deal to curtail Iran's atomic program expires at the end of June. "We hope we can pull together an agreement before July 1," Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by Iran's Mehr news agency as he met European officials in Vienna. Diplomats are trying to fill gaps in an April 2 framework pact that would curb Iran's nuclear program, allaying Western fears it may be geared to developing an atomic bomb capability, in return for relief from international sanctions. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has said sanctions must be rescinded as soon as any final deal is signed.
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| Debt relief campaigners call for more budget transparency in 2015 talks Posted: 12 May 2015 04:43 PM PDT By Leslie Gevirtz NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Debt relief campaigners called on world financial leaders on Tuesday to find a global plan to improve budget transparency in developing nations and drastically reduce poverty while in talks this week ahead of a July summit. Officials fromn the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and finance ministries are meeting in New York to try to reach an agreement on how to finance growth in the developing world ahead of a major summit to be held in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in July. The third international Financing for Development conference will take place ahead of United Nations negotiations in September to finalize a set of Sustainable Development Goals that will mark a new era in the global fight against poverty. Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, a faith-based group lobbying for debt relief in poor nations, said this was the time to shift the focus of financial growth onto the developing countries themselves. |
| President Rousseff says she'll get more involved in Olympics Posted: 12 May 2015 04:32 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says she will get more involved in preparations of the Rio's 2016 Olympics with the games set to open in less than 15 months.
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| Strong quake shakes northeast Japan, no tsunami risk Posted: 12 May 2015 04:30 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake hit Japan on Wednesday in the same region devastated by a major quake and tsunami in 2011. Authorities said there was no risk of tsunami. |
| Breakup fears for massive Antarctic ice shelf: study Posted: 12 May 2015 04:29 PM PDT  The largest ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula is being thinned by warmer seas and air and could catastrophically break up, scientists said on Wednesday. The loss of the Larsen C ice shelf could occur within a century but an earlier collapse cannot be ruled out, with major consequences for global sea levels, they said. "We now know that two different processes are causing Larsen C to thin and become less stable," said Paul Holland from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) who led the new research. Hundreds of metres (feet) thick in places, they are extensions of land ice sheets and are fed by glaciers.
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| Report: Rising share of Hispanics speak proficient English Posted: 12 May 2015 04:28 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A rising share of Hispanics in the United States speak proficient English and the percentage of those speaking Spanish at home has been declining, researchers said Tuesday.
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| Britain to announce new laws on Islamic extremism Posted: 12 May 2015 04:25 PM PDT  British Prime Minister David Cameron was to announce new laws to combat "poisonous Islamist ideology" Wednesday in his first major policy announcement since winning last week's general election. His centre-right Conservative government is to include a new law to "defeat extremism" in its legislative programme which will be announced to parliament by Queen Elizabeth II on May 27. Britain's strategy on Islamist extremism has been in the spotlight for months since Islamic State (IS) executioner "Jihadi John" was identified as Mohammed Emwazi from London and a string of young people left Britain to fight for the IS group in Syria. Cameron is to say Britain has been "passively tolerant" for too long and will vow to "turn the page on this failed approach," according to his office.
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| Soldier's friendly fire Iraq death a 'tragic' mistake: Canada Posted: 12 May 2015 04:18 PM PDT  Kurdish allies' friendly fire killing of a Canadian special forces soldier in Iraq in March was a "tragic case of mistaken identity," a Canadian military investigation concluded Tuesday. Sergeant Andrew Doiron was killed and three members of his unit were injured on March 6 when Kurdish troops mistakenly opened fire on them at a checkpoint near the frontlines of the fight against the Islamic State group.
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| U.S. Marine helicopter with eight aboard missing in Nepal quake zone Posted: 12 May 2015 04:18 PM PDT By David Alexander and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter was declared missing on Tuesday with six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard as it was ferrying rice and tarps to earthquake victims in rugged terrain in Nepal, near a town hard hit by the latest deadly aftershocks. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said reports from the field indicated the helicopter's crew was overheard talking about fuel problems before U.S. military officials lost contact with the light attack helicopter. A 90-minute search by three Marine Corps V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft failed to locate the aircraft before nightfall and the air search was suspended. "Essentially what we have right now is truly a missing helicopter. |
| Kevin Pietersen attacks 'deceitful' English cricket leaders Posted: 12 May 2015 04:18 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Banished by England's cricket leaders over their deep distrust of him, Kevin Pietersen opened up a new front in the rift late Tuesday as he faced up to life in the wilderness.
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| Skujins winner of mountain stage of Tour of California Posted: 12 May 2015 04:15 PM PDT SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Latvian Tom Skujins pedaled to a surprising mountain stage win by more than a minute and took the lead Tuesday in the Tour of California. |
| Obi-Wax Kenobi: 'Star Wars' stars join London wax museum Posted: 12 May 2015 04:15 PM PDT  Heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away have flown into Madame Tussauds wax museum in London for a new "Star Wars" exhibition, which opens Saturday. Darth Vader, Yoda, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are among the 16 characters recreated in scenes from the six films so far in the saga. "In the case of Princess Leia, obviously there's this famous bikini, it's one of the most famous costumes in film history," said principal sculptor Stephen Mansfield. "They've really tried to build a full swamp," said James Burns, editor of Jedi News, Europe's largest "Star Wars" fan site.
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| Obama to meet with Saudi leaders ahead of Gulf summit Posted: 12 May 2015 04:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will meet Wednesday with top Saudi leaders skeptical of his nuclear negotiations with Iran. |
| Burundi protests rage, regional leaders prepare to push for peace Posted: 12 May 2015 04:05 PM PDT  Burundi police opened fire on protesters Tuesday as President Pierre Nkurunziza defied international pressure to end a controversial third term bid, ahead of a regional summit to address the crisis. One protester died in fresh clashes with police on the streets of Burundi's capital Bujumbura, while two others were reported killed overnight in a grenade explosion. Leaders of the five-nation East African Community -- made up of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Burundi -- are due to meet in Dar es Salaam. Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and the US top diplomat for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield are also expected to attend.
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| UK's Cameron to set out new laws to tackle radicalism Posted: 12 May 2015 04:04 PM PDT  British Prime Minister David Cameron will on Wednesday set out new laws intended to curb organizations and individuals who promote militant ideologies at home and recruit young people to radical islamist groups abroad. Charities will be subject to greater scrutiny to stop funds being diverted to militant organizations, and the broadcast regulator will be given new powers to act against channels showing extremist content. Cameron, who won a surprise majority in national elections last week, is expected to tell a meeting of his top security advisers that new laws will be fast-tracked through parliament in the first year of his government.
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| Turkey says 'nothing justifies' Russia policy ahead of NATO talks Posted: 12 May 2015 04:03 PM PDT  Turkey on Tuesday said nothing can justify Russia's actions in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states, in a rare strong criticism of its increasingly close ally ahead of a NATO meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, whose country is a key member of NATO, said Ankara was prepared to play a "constructive role" in the disputes between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
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| Kerry holds 'frank' talks with Putin in bid to improve ties Posted: 12 May 2015 04:00 PM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State John Kerry held four hours of rare face-to-face talks on Tuesday as the two nations sought ways to cooperate after a sharp deterioration in relations. The highest level US visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis erupted in late 2013 did not result in any major agreements, but Kerry's trip in itself and a marked change in tone were seen as signs of the countries' willingness to improve ties. "Today's meetings allowed us to better understand each other," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after talks on Ukraine, Syria and Iran, among other issues, in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. "I express President Obama's gratitude for Russia's willingness to engage in this discussion at a time when the exchange of views could not be more important," Kerry said after his meeting with Putin and another four hours of talks with Lavrov.
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| Surfing event opens in Rio amid water pollution worries Posted: 12 May 2015 03:59 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Many of the world's top surfers were in Rio de Janeiro for a major surfing competition that kicked off Tuesday amid persistent worries about the city's polluted waters.
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| Canada keep perfect record, face Belarus at worlds Posted: 12 May 2015 03:59 PM PDT  Canada kept their perfect record at the ice hockey world championships as they swept Austria in the last group game on Tuesday to face Belarus in Thursday's quarter-finals in Prague. The United States won Group B and will play Switzerland in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava on Thursday, while defending champions Russia will take on Sweden in Ostrava and Finland will face the hosts Czech Republic in Prague.
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| Fans group accuses Glazers of 'draining' £1bn from United Posted: 12 May 2015 03:55 PM PDT  A supporters' group has accused the Glazers of taking £1 billion ($1.5 billion, 1.4 billion euros) out of Manchester United in the decade since the American family took over the English Premier League giants. The Manchester United Supporters Trust launched its latest attack on the Glazer's stewardship of the club on Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of their controversial £790 million leveraged buyout of the side. Now 10 years on, many fans are still unhappy with the way the Glazers borrowed against the club to finance the takeover. "Not investing a single penny might be considered an 'ownership crime' by fans at most clubs but far worse than that they (the Glazers) have actually extracted colossal sums from Manchester United," MUST said in a press release.
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| Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits off northeast Japan, no damage reported Posted: 12 May 2015 03:55 PM PDT By Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake struck the northeast of Japan early on Wednesday, the area devastated four years ago, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury and no tsunami alert. The quake off the Tohoku region had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and 6.6 according to public broadcaster NHK. The quake was centred 74 miles (119 km) southeast of Morioka, Japan, at a depth of 24 miles (39 km), it said. An NHK helicopter flying over the area showed no damage, and the network said it had received no reports of damage or injuries from the broad areas shaken by the quake. |
| Macedonia: 2 ministers quit amid government crisis Posted: 12 May 2015 03:51 PM PDT SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — The ministers of interior and transport, and a senior state security official have resigned from Macedonia's conservative government amid an escalating political crisis. |
| Australia to play USA in World Cup warm-up game Posted: 12 May 2015 03:47 PM PDT  Australia will play the United States in Chicago on September 5 in a warm-up for the Rugby World Cup in England, it was announced on Tuesday. The Wallabies' match at Soldier Field will be the highlight of a two-week Stateside tour. The match will be Australia's first Test in the USA in almost 40 years and just the fourth time the Wallabies have played on American soil. Australia have won all seven of the internationals between the two nations.
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| Former Panamanian economy minister arrested in corruption probe Posted: 12 May 2015 03:45 PM PDT  A former Panamanian finance minister has been placed under arrest as part of a probe into alleged corruption under former president Ricardo Martinelli, his lawyers said Tuesday. Panamanian prosecutors are investigating allegations that as much as $1.7 million were skimmed from grain purchases made by a government food assistance program, known as PAN by its Spanish acronym. Martinelli, who was president from 2009 to 2014, also is under investigation by Panama's Supreme Court in connection with alleged overbilling in a separate $45 million PAN contract for dehydrated foods distributed to public schools. As economy and finance minister, De Lima made budget allocations that funded the program, but Rey said his client was not responsible for awarding PAN contracts.
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| Yemen officials say some ground fighting after cease-fire Posted: 12 May 2015 03:39 PM PDT  SANAA, Yemen (AP) — With cargo ships poised to launch a desperately needed aid operation in embattled Yemen, a five-day humanitarian cease-fire began Tuesday night, just hours after Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck against Shiite rebels and their allies.
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| The bubble watch begins for summer Opens Posted: 12 May 2015 03:36 PM PDT  PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Open is a month before the British Open.
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| Dominican govt offers maids, other workers health insurance Posted: 12 May 2015 03:35 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican government says it will provide health insurance to some 50,000 maids and other informal workers in an unprecedented step for the Caribbean country. |
| Guyana opposition vote count shows victory over ruling party Posted: 12 May 2015 03:33 PM PDT  GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — An opposition coalition in Guyana is claiming victory over the long-dominant ruling party in the South American country.
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| Two Swedes, Somali plead guilty in NY over Shebab conspiracy Posted: 12 May 2015 03:32 PM PDT  Two Swedes and a Somali, handed to the FBI more than two years ago in Africa, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to aid the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab group in Somalia, US prosecutors said. Prosecutors say Madhi Hashi, 25, from Somalia, and Swedes Ali Yasin Ahmed, 30, and Mohamed Yusuf, 32, were members of the Shebab militant group in Somalia from December 2008 to August 2012.
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| Obama to meet with Saudi crown prince, deputy in Oval Office on Wednesday Posted: 12 May 2015 03:31 PM PDT  President Barack Obama will meet with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office on Wednesday, ahead of a summit with other Gulf Arab leaders, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama had planned to hold a separate meeting with Saudi King Salman, which the White House announced on Friday. The king instead decided to send his deputies to the summit, which begins Wednesday evening with dinner at the White House and continues on Thursday at the presidential retreat at Camp David.
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| Mexico City cites 'double human error' in metro train crash Posted: 12 May 2015 03:28 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — An investigation found that "double human error" was behind last week's two-train metro crash that injured 12 people, Mexico City officials said Tuesday. |
| After Nepal quakes, monsoon poses risk of more landslides, floods Posted: 12 May 2015 03:21 PM PDT  By Krista Mahr and Gopal Sharma JURE, Nepal (Reuters) - Areas of Nepal remain perilously unstable following last month's devastating earthquake, and, as Tuesday's tremor showed, landslides pose an ongoing menace that will only increase when seasonal monsoon rains begin to fall in the coming weeks. Diwakar Koirala, deputy administrator in Sindhupalchowk district, which reported the most deaths in last month's disaster, said Tuesday's quake caused three more big landslides. Beyond the immediate emergency, some families will have to move to safer areas, a slow, costly process which Nepal can ill afford. "There are some areas where it is very difficult to stay on a long-term basis, so we are looking at resettlement," said Iman Gurung, a home ministry adviser, declining to specify which areas.
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| Queen Elizabeth expresses delight at great-grandaughter Posted: 12 May 2015 03:15 PM PDT  Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has expressed her happiness at the arrival of a new great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, born to Prince William and his wife Kate this month. Guests at a garden party on the lawns of Buckingham Palace on Tuesday said that the queen had spoken of her delight at the new addition to the royal family, who is fourth in line to the throne. I said congratulations, and she said 'Yes, we love to have another girl', said garden party guest Susan Pollack, 84, a Holocaust survivor who works with a charity patronised by the queen. "She said how pleased she was to have another great-granddaughter in particular," said Pollack's daughter Sandra Gee, 53.
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