| Belgian minister says of Paris suspect Abdeslam: 'We got him' Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:25 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The number one fugitive from the Paris attacks was caught in a Brussels raid on Friday, a Belgian minister said on Twitter. "We got him" said Theo Francken, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, on Twitter. The Federal Prosecutor's office has also confirmed his arrest, public broadcaster RTBF said. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti, editing by Barbara Lewis) |
| EU, Turkey seal deal to return migrants, but is it legal? Or doable? Posted: 18 Mar 2016 12:22 PM PDT  By Humeyra Pamuk and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union sealed a controversial deal with Turkey on Friday intended to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara. The accord aims to close the main route by which a million migrants and refugees poured across the Aegean Sea to Greece in the last year before marching north to Germany and Sweden.
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| Exclusive: Ukraine's Yanukovich says assets seizure is attempt to hide Kiev's failings Posted: 18 Mar 2016 12:18 PM PDT  By Jack Stubbs MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich said on Friday Kiev's new government was trying to obscure its failings by pushing through a law to confiscate his alleged offshore assets. Yanukovich has been living in exile in Russia since he was ousted by mass street protests in Kiev in 2014. Ukraine's parliament provisionally approved on Thursday a law allowing the government to seize what it says are offshore assets of the Kremlin-backed former president without a court order.
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| Ex-official accuses United Nations of 'colossal mismanagement' Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:10 PM PDT  A former United Nations official with decades of experience in senior positions accused the world body of "colossal mismanagement," saying on Friday it had failed to uphold the principles for which it was established. Anthony Banbury, former head of the U.N. mission to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, made the remarks in an op-ed column on the New York Times website. "In terms of its overall mission, thanks to colossal mismanagement, the United Nations is failing," Banbury said.
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| Syrian rebels condemn Kurdish-led moves toward regional autonomy Posted: 18 Mar 2016 09:02 AM PDT  Syrian rebel factions on Friday condemned a declaration of federalism in Kurdish-controlled regions of northern Syria and vowed to resist it by force, a day after those areas voted to seek autonomy. A statement from a number of Syrian insurgent groups, some of whom are represented in the main opposition body that is participating in peace talks, said the federalism announcement was a "project to divide" Syria. Syria's Kurdish-controlled northern regions voted on Thursday to seek autonomy under a federal system, drawing rebukes from the main opposition's High Negotiations Committee, the Damascus government, Turkey and Washington.
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| Obama's Argentina trip raises questions about Macri rights record Posted: 18 Mar 2016 02:13 PM PDT  By Sarah Marsh and Maximiliano Rizzi BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Celeste Perosino was investigating possible crimes committed by Argentina's central bank during the "Dirty War" military dictatorship decades ago before her team was disbanded by the new conservative President Mauricio Macri. Days ahead of President Barack Obama's arrival in Argentina for a rare visit by a U.S. leader, Perosino scoffs at praise from the White House for Macri as a "strong voice" for human rights.
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| Duncan Smith quits over disability cuts plan Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:25 PM PDT  Welfare minister Iain Duncan Smith resigned over planned reductions in welfare payments for people with disabilities in a blow for Prime Minister David Cameron. Duncan Smith, one of six senior ministers who broke ranks to back Brexit in the upcoming EU membership referendum, blamed Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in a scathing letter. "Changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are a compromise too far," he wrote in a letter, following uproar against the plans announced by Osborne in parliament this week.
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| U.N. Security Council condemns North Korea missile launches Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:24 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday "strongly condemned" and "expressed grave concern" over North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, saying the action was unacceptable and clearly violated U.N. resolutions. North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile which flew about 800 km (500 miles) before hitting the sea, South Korea's military said on Friday, as the isolated state stepped up its defiance of tough new U.N. and U.S. sanctions. North Korea also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea earlier in March. ... |
| Judges knock down challenge to Brazil ex-president Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:22 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian appeals court on Friday slapped down a second attempt to block a Cabinet post for former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and tens of thousands of his supporters rallied to back an embattled government facing a host of crises.
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| UN Security Council condemns 'unacceptable' N. Korea missile tests Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:21 PM PDT  The UN Security Council strongly condemned North Korea after it test-fired ballistic missiles, and ordered Pyongyang to refrain from further actions that violate UN resolutions. The statement was adopted during a closed-door meeting called by the United States after North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles, the latest in a string of provocative acts from the reclusive regime. Council members "strongly condemned and expressed grave concern at the ballistic missile launches" and declared that North Korea "shall refrain from further actions in violation" of UN resolutions.
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| Top Asian News 12:15 a.m. GMT Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:16 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea ignored U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile fired from a site north of Pyongyang flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) before crashing off the North's east coast. It was the first medium-range missile launched by the North since it fired two in April 2014, said a South Korean defense official, requesting anonymity citing department rules. |
| Lula says Brazil needs to resume growth rapidly Posted: 18 Mar 2016 05:06 PM PDT Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former Brazilian president under investigation in a sweeping corruption investigation, said on Friday that Latin America's largest economy needs to resume growth rapidly to avert job losses. In a speech at a Sao Paulo rally organized by the ruling Workers' Party and unions in support of President Dilma Rousseff, Lula said democracy is the only way to ensure diversity and growth in Brazil. Supporters of Rousseff and Lula joined street rallies on Friday to back her beleaguered government, while Rousseff's opponents in Congress started the clock ticking on impeachment proceedings. |
| Day leads by two after two rounds of Arnold Palmer Invitational Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:58 PM PDT  Australia's Jason Day fired a bogey-free seven-under par 65 on Friday to take a two-shot lead over Henrik Stenson after two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Last year's PGA Championship winner has his eyes firmly set on back-to-back major titles with the Masters looming in three weeks at Augusta National.
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| Djokovic, Nadal set for semifinal showdown at Indian Wells Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:51 PM PDT  INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Novak Djokovic dominated both tiebreakers to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) Friday and reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open, where he will meet Rafael Nadal in a matchup of players who have won a combined seven titles in the California desert.
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| USA Cycling announces first 6 Olympic track cycling choices Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:30 PM PDT COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Two-time Olympic silver medalist Sarah hammer will anchor the U.S. team in track cycling at the Rio Games, contesting the omnium before joining the gold medal-contending women's pursuit squad. |
| Day builds 2-shot lead at Bay Hill; McIlroy 11 shots behind Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:23 PM PDT  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jason Day felt like he was bearing down on each shot. He made it look much easier Friday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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| Mexican drug lord reading self-help book in prison Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:13 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is reading a Christian-oriented self-help book in prison after being denied the small television he used to have before escaping last July, an official said Friday.
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| Rousseff backers take to streets as Brazil crisis rages Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:08 PM PDT  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's supporters took to the streets Friday to fight back at attempts to oust her, as a flurry of court battles raged over her controversial cabinet appointment of predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Waving red flags, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the country's largest city, Sao Paulo, greeting Lula with thunderous cheers when he was hoisted onto a stage to wave to the crowd. With Rousseff fighting a newly relaunched impeachment bid and financial markets apparently betting her government will collapse, thousands of defiant left-wing backers also turned out in the capital Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.
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| England pulls off record WT20 run chase vs South Africa Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:06 PM PDT  MUMBAI, India (AP) — England pulled off arguably its greatest World Twenty20 victory on Friday, beating South Africa by two wickets in the highest-ever successful run chase since the cricket tournament began in 2007.
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| Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam captured in Brussels Posted: 18 Mar 2016 04:05 PM PDT  Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, Europe's most wanted man, was wounded and captured in a dramatic raid by armed police in the Belgian capital on Friday. Abdeslam, 26, and four other suspects were arrested in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, where the Franco-Moroccan allegedly helped plan the November 13 attacks in which 130 people died and 350 were injured. Abdeslam was lightly wounded in the leg, prosecutors said.
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| Adele to headline Glastonbury music festival Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:58 PM PDT  Adele will headline this year's Glastonbury music festival on June 25, the bestselling British singer and organisers said on Friday. "She will headline Saturday night at this year's Glastonbury Festival!" read a message on the festival's official Twitter account. Adele has broken several records with her third and latest album, featuring the ballad "Hello".
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| Former Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard retires at 31 Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:57 PM PDT  After his second season in Europe, longtime NHL forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard sat back and wondered about calling it a career. Three concussions cost him years of hockey, so the 31-year-old thought about his future.
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| Syrian troops push toward Palmyra, with Russian support Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:51 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Backed by Russian aircraft, Syrian troops pushed Friday toward the historic central town of Palmyra in an offensive to recapture it from the Islamic State group whose fighters have damaged some of the world's most precious archaeological sites since they overran the town last May.
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| Paris attacks probe: what we know so far Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:38 PM PDT  Four months after Islamic extremists killed 130 people in Paris, armed police on Friday arrested suspect Salah Abdeslam, Europe's most wanted man, in a raid in the Belgian capital. Seven suicide bombers and gunmen blew themselves up or were killed by police in the November 13 attacks on the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France stadium and a string of bars and restaurants across eastern Paris. Five days later, the suspected ringleader, 28-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police raid on a flat in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis along with two other people.
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| Venezuelan leader flies to Cuba ahead of Obama visit Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:36 PM PDT  HAVANA (AP) — Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro flew to Cuba on Friday for a day of high-level meetings and ceremonies that appeared designed to send a message of socialist solidarity two days before Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit the island in nearly 90 years.
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| 3 Franciscan friars are arraigned in child endangerment case Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:33 PM PDT  HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) — Three Franciscan friars charged with allowing a suspected sexual predator to hold jobs where he molested more than 100 children surrendered Friday in Pennsylvania, where they were confronted by the mother of one of his victims.
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| Van Gaal: Champions League ambitions rest on winning derby Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:32 PM PDT  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has raised the stakes ahead of Sunday's derby against Manchester City by describing it as a must-win match if his team is to qualify for next season's Champions League.
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| Schalke beats 'Gladbach 2-1 to go 4th in Bundesliga Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:27 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Leon Goretzka scored late for Schalke to somehow beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 Friday and leapfrog the visitors into fourth place in the Bundesliga.
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| Senior UK minister resigns over planned welfare cuts Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:25 PM PDT  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - A senior British cabinet minister resigned on Friday citing concerns about the latest round of cuts to benefits announced earlier this week, in a surprise move that heaps pressure on finance minister George Osborne. Iain Duncan Smith, whose Work and Pensions department oversees the welfare system, said in his resignation letter to Prime Minister David Cameron that he had made the decision over cuts to disability payments. "I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self-imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest." Osborne faces a growing rebellion from within his own party over the plan which tightens eligibility criteria for a state benefit which supports the disabled or long-term sick.
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| Jailed community leader freed in Mexico Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:16 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — A woman who returned to Mexico from Seattle to lead a community police force was freed from prison on Friday after courts threw out charges of homicide and kidnapping.
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| Mansion where Obama to stay in Havana 'built to impress' Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:14 PM PDT  By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - The mansion in Havana where U.S. President Barack Obama and his family will spend two nights has survived war, revolution and an Albanian occupation. Now, with U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties restored and overall relations warming, the U.S. ambassadorial residence is re-emerging as a center of influence on the Communist-ruled island. Built from 1939 to 1942, the two-story building is more than half the size of the White House, according to U.S. State Department data, and was constructed with the finest materials and craftsmanship of the time.
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| Eibar grabs late equalizer against Getafe in Spain Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:11 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Borja Baston scored late to give Eibar a point in a 1-1 draw at Getafe in the Spanish league on Friday. |
| Canada issues warning as elderly 'black widow' freed Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:07 PM PDT  Police in the Canadian city of Halifax warned residents Friday about the release of an 80-year-old woman -- dubbed the "Internet Black Widow" -- who spent time behind bars for killing or bilking her husbands and lovers. Melissa Ann Shephard was freed under strict conditions after "completing a sentence for serious assaults against her intimate partners" -- and could try to commit more crimes, police said.
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| Russian rocket with US grandpa astronaut onboard lifts off for space station Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:05 PM PDT  A Russian rocket lifted off from the Baikonur space base Friday, carrying three crew to the International Space Station, including a US grandfather who is poised to enter the record books. The trio comprise Russians Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin, and US grandfather of three, Jeff Williams, a veteran of long-duration space missions. The craft is decorated with a portrait of the first man in space, Soviet hero Yuri Gagarin, whose pioneering orbital flight was made nearly 55 years ago, on April 12 1961.
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| Marseille's season gets worse after 5-2 home loss to Rennes Posted: 18 Mar 2016 03:01 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Marseille's chaotic season took another turn for the worse as its increasingly frustrated fans clashed with riot police during the first half of Friday's 5-2 home loss to Rennes in the French league. |
| US, Philippines agree on locations covered by defense pact Posted: 18 Mar 2016 02:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and the Philippines announced Friday five locations where American forces will have access under a new defense pact, including one facing disputed islands in the South China Sea.
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| Torture on the rise in Burundi: UN Posted: 18 Mar 2016 02:54 PM PDT  Reports of torture have increased in Burundi since the beginning of the year and many people there now "live in terror," the UN rights chief said Friday. "Continued human rights violations, and impunity for perpetrators, mean that many of Burundi's people live in terror," he told a special council session on the situation in Burundi. Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win.
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| Robert Morris' Buscaglia facing UConn before retirement Posted: 18 Mar 2016 02:52 PM PDT STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Robert Morris coach Sal Buscaglia is hoping for a less than symmetrical ending to his coaching career when his Colonials face top-ranked UConn on Saturday. |
| Journalist describes unwitting tour for PJ Harvey song Posted: 18 Mar 2016 02:51 PM PDT  The first track off British rocker PJ Harvey's new album delves into urban blight in Washington and it turns out she did her homework -- she took a tour with an unwitting reporter. Paul Schwartzman said they were joined by a photographer who had contacted him through a mutual friend. The result, he was surprised to discover, was "The Community of Hope," the first single on Harvey's latest album, "The Hope Six Demolition Project," which comes out on April 15.
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