| U.N. to announce new round of Syria talks: envoy Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:36 AM PST  By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations will name a date on Friday for Syria's warring parties to return to the negotiating table for a second round of talks, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday. De Mistura abruptly aborted a first round of talks on Feb. 3, saying more preparatory work was needed from the "International Syria Support Group" (ISSG), led by the United States and Russia. Since then Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have continued a major offensive against rebels around the city of Aleppo, and President Bashar al-Assad's government and the opposition have both said they could support a U.S.-Russian proposal for a "cessation of hostilities".
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| U.S., backed by China, proposes tough North Korea sanctions at U.N. Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:50 PM PST  By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States presented a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Thursday it negotiated with China that would dramatically tighten existing restrictions on North Korea after its Jan. 6 nuclear test and create the toughest U.N. sanctions regime in over two decades. The draft, seen by Reuters, would require U.N. member states to conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo passing through their territory to or from North Korea to look for illicit goods. The United States used the nearly two months of bilateral negotiations that at one point involved President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, diplomats said, to win China's support for unusually tough measures intended to persuade its ally North Korea to abandon its atomic weapons program.
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| Obama: No illusions about Syria ceasefire, will work to make it succeed Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:08 PM PST  U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday the United States would do everything it could to make a ceasefire in Syria succeed despite significant question marks over whether the agreement will hold. The United States, Russia and other parties have agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria that is set to begin Saturday from midnight. After a meeting with his national security team at the State Department, Obama expressed U.S. resolve to try to make the deal work but cautioned there were reasons for skepticism.
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| U.S. government concludes cyber attack caused Ukraine power outage Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:52 PM PST By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A December power outage in Ukraine affecting 225,000 customers was the result of a cyber attack, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday, marking the first time the U.S. government officially recognized the blackout as caused by a malicious hack. Security experts had already widely concluded that the downing of utilities in western Ukraine on December 23 was due to an attack, which is believed to be the first known successful cyber intrusion to knock a power grid offline. The published alert from DHS's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team does not confirm attribution of the attack. |
| China cites concerns on U.S. missile defense system in South Korea Posted: 25 Feb 2016 12:49 PM PST  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday underscored his concerns about the long range of a powerful U.S. radar that could be deployed in South Korea along with an advanced missile defense system and said Washington should explain its plans. Wang told an event hosted by the Center for International and Strategic Studies think tank that China remained committed to working with the United States and other countries to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula.
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| UK's Osborne pushes G20 to warn against Brexit: FT Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:28 PM PST  (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne is pushing the Group of 20 leading economies to warn about the dangers of Britain leaving the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Osborne said he hoped G20 support for Britain staying in the EU would be an important outcome of a meeting on Friday and Saturday in Shanghai of finance ministers, the FT said, citing people close to the finance minister.
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| Obama warns Russia 'world will be watching' Syria ceasefire Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:51 PM PST  Hours before the Saturday cessation of hostilities comes into force, Obama huddled with his top national security advisors to plot the way forward and discuss the campaign against the Islamic State group. "Everybody knows what needs to happen," Obama said, welcoming a partial ceasefire that has ravaged Syria for five years, killing 270,000 people and displacing more than half of the population. "A lot of that is going to depend on whether the Syrian regime, Russia, and their allies live up to their commitments," he said in remarks at the State Department.
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| Irish vote may bring political uncertainty after economic recovery Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:37 PM PST  By William James DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland may vote its coalition government out of office in an election on Friday without backing any clear alternative, threatening a political impasse as it emerges from the euro zone debt crisis. Cast as a choice on how to distribute the profits of a strong economic recovery since accepting a 2010 sovereign bailout, the election could force the country's two biggest parties to consider an uneasy and potentially unstable alliance. The outcome will hinge on the extent to which Prime Minister Enda Kenny's pledge to "keep the recovery going", which opinion polls suggest has failed to inspire the electorate, sways undecided voters on polling day.
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| Republican debate: can anyone stop Trump? Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:24 PM PST  Can any of Donald Trump's rivals find the magic words to stop his triumphal march toward the Republican presidential nomination? By turns boastful, mocking or menacing, Trump has hit on a style that has seduced a growing and increasingly diverse share of Republican voters -- to the dismay of his rivals, who have struggled to find an effective angle of attack against the 69-year-old billionaire. Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, the only two candidates given any chance of beating Trump, know that the stakes on this Texas evening could not be higher.
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| Garcia, Thompson tied for lead at Honda Classic Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:14 PM PST  PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Sergio Garcia made an eagle, avoided an alligator and wound up in a share of the lead Thursday in the Honda Classic.
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| Obama says US to pursue campaign against IS 'on all fronts' Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama directed his national security team Thursday to press the U.S.-led international campaign to destroy the Islamic State group "on all fronts." He also expressed hope that a proposed cease-fire in Syria will lead to a political settlement to end the civil war and allow a more intense focus on IS.
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| WBC rips AIBA over Olympic boxing; some pros are intrigued Posted: 25 Feb 2016 04:04 PM PST The president of the World Boxing Council sharply criticized the International Boxing Association on Thursday for its intention to allow professional fighters to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. |
| Rashford to Man United's rescue in Europa League Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:43 PM PST  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It took an 18-year-old local academy graduate making his professional debut as a late injury replacement to spare Manchester United from potential humiliation in the Europa League on Thursday.
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| Top seeds Paire and Bellucci out of Brazil Open Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:36 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — The top-seeded Benoit Paire of France and No. 2 Thomaz Bellucci lost in the second round of the Brazil Open on Thursday. |
| US VP Biden, former Mexican leader slam Trump rhetoric Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:32 PM PST  Donald Trump's rhetoric about Mexico got a tongue-lashing Thursday, with US Vice President Joe Biden calling it "dangerous" and a Mexican ex-president dropping the F-bomb against his border wall plan. Speaking during a visit to Mexico City, Biden told President Enrique Pena Nieto that there has been "a lot of damaging and incredibly inaccurate rhetoric" in the US election, but that most Americans do not share those views.
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| Sri Lanka: Still open to foreign help in war crimes court Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:29 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Sri Lanka remains open to foreign participation in a special court to examine allegations of war crimes in the island nation's 26-year civil war, its foreign minister said Thursday. |
| China to secure 'de facto' control of S. China Sea: US admiral Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:27 PM PST  China is on its way to securing "de facto" control of the South China Sea, a top US admiral warned Thursday, amid growing unease over Beijing's continued military build up in the contested waterway. By building air bases and hardened bunkers on tiny islands, some of which are reclaimed from the sea, and by installing sophisticated radar and missile defense systems, China has shown it is determined to achieve military primacy in the region, Admiral Harry Harris said. Beijing's claims to almost all of the South China Sea are widely disputed and the body of water has long been viewed as a potential flashpoint.
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| Obama bans US imports of slave-produced goods Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:25 PM PST  Federal officials are preparing to enforce an 86-year-old ban on importing goods made by children or slaves under new provisions of a law signed by President Barack Obama.
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| Top Asian News 11:25 p.m. GMT Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:25 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Thursday introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that it said will significantly increase pressure on North Korea in response to its latest nuclear test and missile launch. Ambassador Samantha Power said the draft, which for the first time would subject cargo ships leaving and entering North Korea to mandatory inspections, goes farther than previous sanctions and is meant to ensure North Korea will be held accountable for its actions. "It is a major upgrade and there will be, provided it goes forward, pressure on more points, tougher, more comprehensive, more sectors. It's breaking new ground in a whole host of ways," Power said before heading into a closed-door meeting where the U.S. |
| Britain to urge G20 to warn of Brexit: FT Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:22 PM PST  Britain is to call on G20 finance ministers gathering in China from Friday to highlight the dangers posed if the country left the European Union, the Financial Times reported. British finance minister George Osborne hopes to include an endorsement for Britain's continued membership of the EU and a warning about the possible destabilising effects of a Brexit on the world economy on the communique issued by the ministers, who represent 85 percent of the world economy, according to the business publication. Meanwhile, Simon Walker, director general of business group Institute of Directors (IoD), warned Thursday that Britain could experience years of job losses, higher prices and slower economic growth if it voted to leave.
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| British finance minister pushes G20 to warn against Brexit: FT Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:21 PM PST (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne is pushing the Group of 20 leading economies to warn about the dangers of Britain leaving the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Osborne says he hopes G20 support for Britain staying in the EU will be an important outcome of a meeting on Friday and Saturday in Shanghai of finance ministers, the FT said, citing people close to the finance minister. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's backing for keeping Britain in the EU has the support of London's financial district, major companies, much of the Labour Party, major trade unions, international allies and Scottish nationalists. |
| Bangkok shrine bombers first targeted pier for Chinese tourists Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:12 PM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Andrew R.C. Marshall BANGKOK (Reuters) - The perpetrators of last year's deadly explosion at a Bangkok shrine originally chose a pier packed with Chinese tourists as their primary target and had amassed enough chemicals to make 10 equally powerful bombs, the chief of Thailand's police bomb squad told Reuters. A bomb planted at the Erawan Shrine on Aug. 17 killed 20 people and turned a popular tourist site into a scene of carnage. Another device, which was left at a crowded pier on Bangkok's Chao Phraya river but failed to explode, might have inflicted much greater casualties, said a leading security analyst.
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| 3 English sides and 4 Spanish reach last 16 of Europa League Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:05 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — English football discovered a new teen sensation as 18-year-old Marcus Rashford scored twice on his debut as Manchester United beat Danish club FC Midtjylland 5-1 to join Liverpool, Tottenham and four Spanish sides in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.
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| Puerto Rico's elite linked to $10M health care fraud case Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:04 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. authorities say a group of people in Puerto Rico who made more than $100,000 a year received Medicaid coverage as part of a $10 million health care fraud scheme. |
| US calls proposed sanctions on NKorea a 'major upgrade' Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:01 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Thursday introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that it said will significantly increase pressure on North Korea in response to its latest nuclear test and missile launch.
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| Lynx sign Czech guard Katerina Elhotova Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:56 PM PST MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Lynx have signed Czech guard Katerina Elhotova to add some depth to their backcourt. |
| DNA testing reunites Colombian sisters after 30 years Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:51 PM PST  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Two sisters separated as young children after an avalanche destroyed their hometown in Colombia have been reunited three decades later.
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| United, Liverpool and Tottenham sweep into Europa League last 16 Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:46 PM PST  Manchester United came from behind to beat Midtjylland 5-1 with a brace from debut striker Marcus Rashford while Tottenham beat Fiorentina 3-0 and Liverpool squeezed past Augsburg to make the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday. United had been trailing 2-1 from the first leg, and went 3-1 down on aggregate to the Danish champions before an own-goal, 18-year-old Rashford's brace, an emphatic Ander Herrera penalty and a late Memphis Depay strike saw United qualify 6-3 on aggregate.
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| Prada's vagabond sets off on the journey called life Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:43 PM PST  MILAN (AP) — A debate launched during New York and London fashion weeks on speeding the delivery of new fashions to sate an impatient public was on designers' minds as Milan Fashion Week went into its second day on Thursday.
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| Greece pulls Austria envoy as migrant crisis nears breaking point Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:43 PM PST  Greece furiously recalled its ambassador from Austria and Brussels warned the bloc's migration system could collapse within 10 days as Europe's refugee crisis neared breaking point on Thursday. Further chaos loomed as a French court approved the partial evacuation of the "Jungle" migrant camp near the port of Calais on the coast, a move that Belgium fears will send Britain-bound migrants coming its way. Attempts by EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels to agree a unified response to the biggest migration crisis in the bloc's history frayed over the fact that many states are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.
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| Canada lawmakers to present new assisted dying rules Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:36 PM PST  The government will "take an empathetic approach" toward the legislation, balancing the rights of individuals and medical professionals while protecting the vulnerable, Jody Wilson-Raybould told reporters. The Supreme Court a year ago quashed a section of the Criminal Code, clearing the way for consenting adults with serious health problems to seek help from a medical practitioner to end their life. A parliamentary special committee tasked with putting forward recommendations for the law said in a new report that assisted dying should be an option available to people with debilitating and irreversible illness, including competent minors and people with mental illness.
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| Quade Cooper named to Australia Sevens side for Las Vegas Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:27 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Wallaby Quade Cooper is in line for his rugby sevens debut after being named in the 12-man Australia squad for the Las Vegas Sevens next week. |
| U.S. proposes sharp ramping up of North Korea sanctions at U.N. Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:24 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States presented a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Thursday that would dramatically tighten existing restrictions on North Korea after its Jan. 6 nuclear test and create the toughest U.N. sanctions regime in over two decades. The draft, seen by Reuters, would require U.N. member states to conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo passing through their territory to or from North Korea to look for illicit goods. It would close a gap in the U.N. arms embargo on Pyongyang by banning all weapons imports and exports. |
| Seattle completes transfer of Martins to Shanghai Shenhua Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:21 PM PST SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Sounders have completed the transfer of forward Obafemi Martins to Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese Super League for an undisclosed sum. |
| Bristol Rovers and the Middle East connection Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:20 PM PST  Bristol Rovers, a fourth-tier English league club with no major honours in 133 years, may seem an unlikely place to underline the growing importance of the Middle East on world football. Rovers, originally known as Black Arabs FC, now share a bond of sorts with mega-rich UAE-owned Manchester City, Hull City, bought by the Egyptian Allam family, and Sheffield United, the club of Saudi prince, Abdullah Bin Mosaad Abdulaziz Al-Saud. All four clubs are mainstays of English league football with a combined history of more than 500 years behind them.
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| AP Interview: Syria's need for humanitarian help rises Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:19 PM PST DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross says the need for humanitarian assistance is increasing in Syria. |
| California Chrome, star of 2014, cruises to win in Dubai Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:10 PM PST  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — California Chrome has easily won a race in Dubai on Thursday, a second straight victory for the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner on the comeback trail.
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| California methane leak was biggest ever in U.S., scientists say Posted: 25 Feb 2016 02:10 PM PST  The months-long natural gas leak that forced thousands of Los Angeles residents from their homes ranks as the largest known accidental methane release in U.S. history, equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of nearly 600,000 cars, scientists reported on Thursday. At its peak, 60 tons per hour of natural gas was spewing from a ruptured underground pipeline at the Aliso Canyon storage field, effectively doubling the methane emissions of the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area, the researchers said.
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