| Iran's pragmatic Rouhani cheers election wins, says government stronger Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:01 PM PST  By Samia Nakhoul TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earned an emphatic vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections that could accelerate the Islamic Republic's emergence from years of isolation. A loosening of control by the anti-Western hardliners who currently dominate the 290-seat parliament could strengthen his hand to open Iran further to foreign trade and investment following last year's breakthrough nuclear deal. "The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government," Rouhani said, adding he would work with anyone who won election to build a future for the industrialized, oil-exporting country.
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| Dozens killed, wounded in Afghanistan suicide attacks Posted: 27 Feb 2016 12:51 PM PST  By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near the Afghan defense ministry in Kabul on Saturday, causing heavy casualties just hours after an attack in the eastern province of Kunar killed 13 people and put prospects for new peace talks in doubt. The attack in Kabul killed 15 people and wounded 33, most of them defense ministry staff leaving their offices, according to ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which the movement's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said had killed 23 officers and wounded 29 others.
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| Thousands march in Moscow to honor slain Kremlin critic Nemtsov Posted: 27 Feb 2016 06:58 AM PST  By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of Russians marched through Moscow to honor slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov on Saturday, the first anniversary of his death, and to press their demand that the authorities find and punish the person who ordered his killing. The 55-year-old Nemtsov, an opposition leader and former deputy prime minister, was gunned down near the Kremlin walls late in the evening of Feb. 27, 2015, as he walked home with his girlfriend from a restaurant. "Nemtsov was killed because he had exposed Putin for what he was in various reports," one of the marchers, Irina Vorobyova, 60, told Reuters.
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| ASEAN says seriously concerned about rising South China Sea tensions Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:43 AM PST  By Simon Webb VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations expressed serious concern on Saturday about growing international tension over disputed waters in the South China Sea. China claims most of the sea but Southeast Asian countries Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam have rival claims. Friction has increased over China's recent deployment of missiles and fighter jets to the disputed Paracel island chain.
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| Islamic State attacks Kurdish-held town on Turkish border Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:03 PM PST  By Mariam Karouny and Seyhmus Cakan BEIRUT/DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Islamic State militants launched an assault on a Kurdish-controlled town on Syria's border with Turkey on Saturday, prompting air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition to try to drive them back. The hardline Sunni fighters attacked Tel Abyad, which is controlled by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, and the nearby town of Suluk in the early hours of Saturday, YPG spokesman Redur Xelil and Turkish security sources told Reuters. Coalition war planes carried out 10 air strikes to try to repel the assault, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
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| Irish leader rues 'merciless' election losses, seeks allies Posted: 27 Feb 2016 05:00 PM PST  DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland could be on course for a historic alliance between age-old foes — the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties — as partial election results Saturday revealed strong voter rejection of the existing coalition government of Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
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| Clinton wins South Carolina primary as 'Super Tuesday' looms Posted: 27 Feb 2016 04:52 PM PST  Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders by an overwhelming margin in Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, projections showed, seizing momentum ahead of the most important day of the nomination race: next week's "Super Tuesday" contests. After a series of single state contests, the former secretary of state was seeking a decisive win in the first southern state to vote for a 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, before the race goes national on Tuesday with contests in 11 different states. US networks called the race for Clinton moments after polls closed in the Palmetto State, where the majority of Democratic voters are African-American, a voting bloc that she has successfully courted for decades.
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| Bisping beats Silva in wild ending at UFC Fight Night Posted: 27 Feb 2016 04:34 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Michael Bisping survived a wild ending to the third round and beat Anderson Silva with a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 84 on Saturday night. |
| Frampton tops Quigg by split decision for super-bantam belts Posted: 27 Feb 2016 04:24 PM PST  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Carl Frampton added Scott Quigg's WBA super-bantamweight belt to his IBF one by winning their unification fight by split decision on Saturday.
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| The Latest: Irish confirm national popular vote in election Posted: 27 Feb 2016 04:19 PM PST  DUBLIN (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 Irish election (all times local):
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| Thousands stuck on Greek border as Balkans cap migrant arrivals Posted: 27 Feb 2016 04:13 PM PST  Some 6,500 people were stuck at the Idomeni camp on Greece's northern border with Macedonia on Saturday after four Balkan countries announced a daily cap on migrant arrivals. The build-up began in earnest last week after Macedonia started refusing entry to Afghans and imposed stricter document controls on Syrians and Iraqis, slowing the passage of migrants and refugees to a trickle. The situation looked set to worsen significantly after EU members Slovenia and Croatia, as well as Serbia and Macedonia, said they would limit the number of migrants entering each day to 580.
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| Scott, Garcia tied at Honda Classic after wild day Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:54 PM PST  PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Adam Scott hit two balls into the water on one hole and still shot 66. He still managed to share the lead Saturday with Sergio Garcia in the Honda Classic.
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| Pyper America on Scervino runway in white lace, pink hair Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:45 PM PST  MILAN (AP) — Designers are touting the "wear-ability" of their collections previewed for next winter during Milan Fashion Week.
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| Monarch butterflies rebounding but population still well off highs Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:15 PM PST  (In this Feb 26 story, corrects source of study to World Wildlife Fund in Mexico in second paragraph.) By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - North America's monarch butterflies are on a rebound and the number of the plucky orange and black creatures, which gather in Mexico before flying north to Canada, could soon stand at around 150 million, a new survey showed on Friday. The survey from the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico is the second this month to show the numbers on the mend, but the population is still well below a high in the 1 billion range two decades ago. "Today's news provides a hopeful indication that we are helping them head in the right direction and curbing the loss of this magnificent butterfly.
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| 2nd former Mexican president unloads on Donald Trump Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:14 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Saturday joined his predecessor in office in unloading on Donald Trump, calling the Republican front-runner's campaign racist and saying his discourse on immigration is fueling anti-American sentiment around the world.
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| Yoko Ono fine after brief hospitalization Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:03 PM PST  Yoko Ono, the Japanese-born singer, artist and widow of John Lennon, was feeling fine Saturday after a brief hospitalization for flu symptoms, her son said. Sean Lennon said that the 83-year-old had returned to her apartment in New York, a day after going to a nearby hospital on doctor's advice. "She's home and running about as usual," Lennon wrote on Twitter.
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| Authorities in Puerto Rico seize nearly half-ton of cocaine Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:59 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Federal authorities in Puerto Rico are investigating the origin of almost a half-ton of cocaine seized last week from a shipping container at San Juan port, officials said Saturday. |
| Newcomers have mixed results in Super Rugby round 1 Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:34 PM PST  Argentina's Jaguares made a winning debut in Super Rugby but the other newcomers, Japan's Sunwolves and South Africa's Kings, lost in the weekend's opening round as did both of last year's finalists.
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| Irish government concedes election defeat Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:29 PM PST  Irish prime minister Enda Kenny conceded defeat on Saturday following elections that saw the governing coalition punished by voters weary of austerity, leaving the eurozone country in political limbo with no clear winner. "Clearly the government of Fine Gael and Labour are not going to be returned to office," Kenny, the leader of the centre-right Fine Gael party, told RTE television. Early indications suggest that Fine Gael and its centre-left junior partner have been hard hit by continued public anger over years of austerity, despite Ireland recording the fastest growth in the European Union.
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| Leicester and Bayern stay ahead; Atletico beats Real Madrid Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:27 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Leicester and Bayern Munich won to maintain their league leads in England and Germany, while Atletico Madrid kept its title hopes alive in Spain by winning the derby against Real Madrid on Saturday.
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| AP Interview: Blatter free of FIFA 'burden,' backs Infantino Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:25 PM PST  ZURICH (AP) — At one minute past six on Friday evening in Zurich, Sepp Blatter had a glass of white wine and exhaled deeply.
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| Britain's Osborne wins U.S. backing in pushing Brexit onto G20's top risks Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:23 PM PST By Jan Strupczewski and Brenda Goh SHANGHAI (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne pushed financial leaders from the top 20 economies to include the risk of Britain leaving the European Union in their list of dangers to the world economy on Saturday, gaining explicit support from the United States. British Prime Minister David Cameron negotiated a special status for Britain in the bloc last week to help convince eurosceptics that continued membership was more beneficial than leaving. The risk of Britain exiting the EU, dubbed "Brexit", was not in the original draft of the communique of finance ministers and central bankers of the top 20 economies, but was added on the insistence of Britain, G20 officials said. |
| Ryanair pilot kicks rowdy bachelor party off plane Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:20 PM PST BERLIN (AP) — German police say the pilot of a Ryanair plane from London to Bratislava made an unscheduled landing to eject members of a bachelor party — including the groom. |
| Vladimir Guerrero teaches Angels, teases a Cooperstown halo Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:16 PM PST  TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Although Vladimir Guerrero is eager to provide coaching and tips to the Los Angeles Angels' young prospects, the retired slugger realizes his particular set of skills is tough to teach.
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| England stay on track for 6N title by ending Ireland's reign Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:11 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — England remained unbeaten and on course to a first Six Nations rugby title in five years by ending the reign of a feisty Ireland 21-10 at Twickenham on Saturday.
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| Roma beats Empoli 3-1 to move provisionally 3rd in Serie A Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:02 PM PST  MILAN (AP) — Roma won 3-1 at Empoli to move provisionally to third in Serie A on Saturday, and AC Milan kept alive its more distant chances of taking the final Champions League spot by beating Torino 1-0.
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| Rennes wins 2-1 away at Toulouse to move up to 4th spot Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:01 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Rennes scored twice in injury time to win at Toulouse 2-1 and provisionally climb to fourth place in the French league on Saturday, while this latest defeat left Toulouse 10 points away from safety with 10 games to go. |
| G20 nations pledge all tools to lift growth Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:53 PM PST  The world's 20 top economies will use all policy tools available to lift sluggish global growth, they said Saturday, despite German disquiet over fiscal and monetary stimulus. The global recovery was continuing but "remains uneven and falls short of our ambition for strong, sustainable and balanced growth", the G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs said in a communique in Shanghai. The G20 communique cited a list of specific risks the world faces, including volatile capital flows, falling commodity prices and rising geopolitical tensions, along with "the shock of a potential UK exit from the European Union and a large and increasing number of refugees in some regions".
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| Clinton eyes South Carolina win, as Republicans brawl Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:42 PM PST  Hillary Clinton is eyeing a decisive win in South Carolina's Democratic presidential nomination race, hoping to gain momentum against Bernie Sanders before the high-stakes "Super Tuesday" contest. One week after Donald Trump barreled to victory in the state's Republican vote, Democrats took center stage Saturday in South Carolina, where 55 percent of voters in the 2008 party primary were black. The Republican race churns along as well, with Trump exchanging heated barbs on the campaign trail with rival Marco Rubio, who has finally retorted by launching harsh broadsides against the billionaire real estate mogul.
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| Ronaldo: Madrid could be 1st if everyone was at his level Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:39 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo says Real Madrid could be leading the Spanish league if everyone on the team was at his level.
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| Russia, US hail Syrian ceasefire Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:35 PM PST  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry have hailed the ceasefire in Syria and discussed ways of supporting it through cooperation between their militaries, Russia's foreign ministry said on Saturday. In a phone call, they welcomed "the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria," the ministry said in a statement. "They also discussed the outlook for resuming the peace negotiation process in the framework of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG)," Moscow said, adding that both sides recognised the "particular importance" of working together as co-chairs of the 17-nation group.
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| Golfer Jason Bohn has stent inserted for major blockage Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:35 PM PST PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Golfer Jason Bohn tells NBC Sports that what was reported as a mild heart attack turned out to be much more. |
| Irish ruling coalition voted out: minister Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:34 PM PST  Dublin (AFP) - Ireland's health minister on Saturday conceded that the governing coalition had failed to win re-election, as early indications showed support for both Fine Gael and its junior partner Labour had slumped.
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| One year on, Russian marchers honour slain Kremlin critic Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:29 PM PST  Thousands of Russians marched through Moscow and Saint Petersburg on Saturday in memory of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov who was gunned down near the Kremlin a year ago in the highest-profile assassination of Vladimir Putin's rule. Some marchers carried Russian flags, placards, flowers and Nemtsov's portraits. Some 20,000 joined the march including Nemtsov's allies -- top opposition leader Alexei Navalny and former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, according to AFP journalists.
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| Leicester, Chelsea leave it late to win in Premier League Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:12 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Premier League leader Leicester and reigning champion Chelsea needed winning goals in the 89th minute Saturday to keep on track their respective campaigns for the English title and European football next season. |
| Algeria jails man suspected of links to Paris attacks ringleader Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:08 PM PST  Algerian authorities have jailed a man with dual Algerian and Belgian citizenship for links with the ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a court statement said on Saturday. The court in the Algerian city of Bejaia said 29-year-old Zahir Mehdaoui, a resident of Brussels, had been charged with belonging to a terrorist group active overseas. Islamist militants killed 130 people at a sports stadium, a string of cafes and a concert hall in and near Paris on Nov. 13.
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| Cuevas will defend Brazil title in final vs. Carreno Busta Posted: 27 Feb 2016 01:04 PM PST SAO PAULO (AP) — Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay will defend the Brazil Open title in the final against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain on Sunday. |
| American rider Evelyn Stevens sets cycling's hour record Posted: 27 Feb 2016 12:54 PM PST COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Gritting her teeth in pain, and wobbling ever so slightly aboard her sleek time trial bike, Evelyn Stevens kept churning her legs even as the clock hit one hour and she could finally let up. |
| Adelaide moves into 2nd place in A-League, extends streak Posted: 27 Feb 2016 12:54 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Adelaide United extended its unbeaten streak to 13 matches and moved into second place in the A-League with a 3-0 win over the Brisbane Roar. |
