| Nusra Front, Syrian rebels attack government forces near Aleppo, gain ground Posted: 02 Apr 2016 10:50 AM PDT  Syrian rebels and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front have mounted an offensive against Syrian government forces and on Saturday took a strategic hill south of Aleppo from government control, a monitoring group said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the offensive began on Friday, and Syrian government and allied forces were fighting to take back control of the territory and repel further attacks. A fragile "cessation of hostilities" truce has held in Syria for over a month as the various parties try to negotiate an end to Syria's five-year-old civil war.
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| Islamic State planted thousands of mines in Palmyra: Syrian army Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:06 PM PDT  By Firas Makdesi PALMYRA, Syria (Reuters) - Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters. The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg. More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces, backed by Russian jets, retook the city on Sunday, he said.
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| Guards killed in attack on Libyan oil field by suspected IS militants: spokesman Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:04 PM PDT Two guards were killed in an attempted attack on an oil field in eastern Libya by suspected Islamic State militants on Saturday, a guards spokesman said. Ali al-Hassi said guards had repelled the attack on Bayda field, about 250 km (155 miles) south of the major oil terminals of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf. A security official from the nearby town of Maradah said the militants were in a convoy of about 10 vehicles. |
| 'Out' leads by 4 percentage points ahead of Britain's EU referendum: poll Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:13 PM PDT  Support for Britain to leave the European Union stood at 43 percent, ahead of support to stay within the 28-member bloc, which stood at 39 percent, according to an online survey taken by pollster Opinium for the Observer newspaper. The poll of 1,966 adults, who were interviewed ahead of a referendum to stay in the European Union on June 23, found that 18 percent of respondents were undecided.
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| U.S. plans third patrol near disputed South China Sea islands: source Posted: 02 Apr 2016 11:19 AM PDT  (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to conduct another passage near disputed islands in the South China Sea in early April, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday, the third in a series of challenges that have drawn sharps rebukes from China. The United States has conducted what it calls "freedom of navigation" exercises in recent months, sailing near disputed islands to underscore its right to navigate the seas. U.S. Navy officials have said they plan to conduct more and increasingly complex exercises in the future.
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| Salah Abdeslam refused to blow himself up, brother says: BFM TV Posted: 02 Apr 2016 02:37 AM PDT  Salah Abdeslam, the Paris attacks suspect who was arrested in Brussels last month, refused to blow himself up on the day of the attacks, his brother Mohamed told French news channel BFM TV. Abdeslam, who will be extradited to France, has renewed an offer to cooperate with French authorities investigating the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people, his lawyer said this week. "There would have been more victims had I done it," Salah Abdeslam told his brother.
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| 'Leave' ahead in Britain's EU referendum campaign: poll Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:48 PM PDT  Young people could be the deciding factor in whether Britain stays in the EU, according to an opinion poll released Sunday, which put the Leave campaign in the lead. The online survey for The Observer newspaper found support for Britain to quit the 28-country bloc was at 43 percent, with the campaign to stay in the EU on 39 percent. There have been considerable fluctuations in the opinion polls ahead of the June 23 referendum.
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| Arsenal not giving up on title, says Wenger Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:47 PM PDT  Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger vowed that his side will not give up on the Premier League title after closing the gap on leaders Leicester City to eight points. Saturday's 4-0 victory over Watford came on the back of a win at Everton before the international break and maintained the pressure on Leicester, who host Southampton on Sunday. Victory also enabled Arsenal to close to within four points of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
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| Hiddink hails Pato's long-awaited impact Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:44 PM PDT  Guus Hiddink hailed the long-awaited arrival of Alexandre Pato after the Brazil forward played a major part in Chelsea's 4-0 demolition of woeful Aston Villa. Pato, on-loan from Corinthians, stepped off the bench to mark his debut with a penalty on the stroke of half-time and then had a hand in the second half double from Pedro which put the seal on Chelsea's dominant display at Villa Park on Saturday. Pato was clearly delighted to make such an immediate impact after a frustrating two-month wait for his first appearance and so too were his team-mates and Hiddink, who had put the 26-year-old through a gruelling fitness programme to get him ready for the demands of the Premier League.
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| Pochettino urges Spurs to believe after title setback Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:42 PM PDT  Mauricio Pochettino was disappointed at seeing his Tottenham Hotspur side squander two points in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Liverpool but insisted they must still believe they can overtake Premier League leaders Leicester. With Leicester not in action until 24 hours later, second-placed Spurs, bidding to be crowned champions of England for the first time since 1961, could have cut the deficit at the top of the table to two points had they won at Anfield on Saturday.
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| Canada's Duhamel, Radford defend pairs world title Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:22 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — The crowd was screaming — and so was Meagan Duhamel.
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| Puerto Rico fiscal crisis could impact disabled workers fund Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:12 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Management employees at Puerto Rico's disabled workers fund warned on Saturday that its $445 million investment in the financially-strapped Government Development Bank would be at risk if the bank is declared insolvent and pushed into receivership. |
| Britain announces moves to bolster faltering steel industry Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:02 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — The British government says public sector construction projects will be encouraged to use U.K.-made steel, a move designed to shore up an industry in crisis.
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| Turkey rejects Amnesty claims over 'forcibly returning' Syrians Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:46 PM PDT  Turkey on Saturday vehemently rejected accusations by Amnesty International that it was forcibly returning Syrian refugees to the conflict-torn country, as Ankara prepares to take back, under an EU deal, Syrians who travelled illegally to Greece. "The allegations do not reflect reality in any way," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. Amnesty International accused Turkey on Friday of illegally forcing groups of some one hundred Syrians a day to return home, saying the alleged expulsions showed the "fatal flaws" in the migrant deal agreed with the EU.
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| Hodgson wary of leaving Rooney out of Euro squad Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:27 PM PDT  England manager Roy Hodgson has said it would take an "awful lot" for Wayne Rooney to be left out of his squad for this year's European Championships. The 30-year-old Manchester United striker's England place is under scrutiny as rarely before. Promising performances by the likes of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane during last month's friendly internationals against Germany and the Netherlands have led to speculation that Hodgson could do without Rooney when Euro 2016 gets underway in France in June.
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| Ronaldo scores late to give Madrid 2-1 win at Barcelona Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:18 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo scored late for 10-man Real Madrid to snatch a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and revive its slim hopes for the Spanish league title on Saturday.
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| Juventus beats Empoli 1-0 to go provisionally 6 points clear Posted: 02 Apr 2016 03:01 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Juventus moved provisionally six points clear at the top of Serie A after beating Empoli 1-0 on Saturday.
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| Rebels free Colombian policeman held for 13 days Posted: 02 Apr 2016 02:41 PM PDT  Colombia's second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), freed a policeman on Saturday after holding him captive for 13 days, in a boost to peace efforts. The government launched peace negotiations on Wednesday with the ELN, setting its sights on a total end to a bloody half-century conflict. The ELN kidnapped police patrolman Hector German Perez on March 20, but on Saturday delivered him to the International Committee of the Red Cross in a rural area of Bolivar, in northern Colombia, the ICRC said in a statement.
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| Dozens dead in Nagorny Karabakh clashes as Putin urges ceasefire Posted: 02 Apr 2016 02:26 PM PDT  Fierce clashes left at least 30 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers dead Saturday as Russia and the West urged an immediate ceasefire after a major escalation in violence over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian said 18 Armenian troops were killed and some 35 wounded in the "largest-scale hostilities" since a 1994 truce ended a war in which Armenian-backed fighters seized the territory from Azerbaijan. Sarkisian did not specify if the troops were from the forces of unrecognised Karabakh -- which claims independence but is backed by Yerevan -- or Armenia's army.
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| Protests against migrants' presence in Greece and Turkey Posted: 02 Apr 2016 02:19 PM PDT  IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — A plan to send back migrants from Greece to Turkey sparked demonstrations by local residents in both countries Saturday, two days before the deal brokered by the European Union is set to be implemented.
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| Niger's president sworn in for a second term after disputed vote Posted: 02 Apr 2016 02:14 PM PDT  Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou was sworn in Saturday to a second five-year term after being re-elected in a run-off vote last month that was boycotted by the opposition. With his hand on the Koran, Issoufou took the oath of office at a ceremony in Niamey attended by thousands of people including nine African heads of state. "On March 20, the people made their choice in a calm vote and renewed their confidence in me for a second mandate," Issoufou said in his speech, referring to the poll results that gave him 92 percent of the votes cast.
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| Russia's best male gymnast fails drug test, meldonium found Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:54 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's best male gymnast could miss the Olympics after he became the latest to test positive for the banned substance meldonium. |
| Air France cabin crew told to wear headscarf in Tehran Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:52 PM PDT  A number of female Air France cabin crew are resisting an airline ruling that they should wear a headscarf while in Tehran, when flights to the Iranian capital resume on April 17, a union representative told AFP on Saturday. "Every day we have calls from worried female cabin crew who tell us that they do not want to wear the headscarf," said Christophe Pillet of the SNPNC union, which is asking Air France management to make it a voluntary measure. Air France told AFP that all air crew were "obliged like other foreign visitors to respect the laws of the countries to which they travelled".
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| Azerbaijan says 12 of its soldiers killed in fighting Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:48 PM PDT  BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — At least 30 soldiers and a boy were reported killed as heavy fighting erupted Saturday between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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| Italy opposition seeks to bring down govt over sleaze Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:33 PM PDT  Italy's main opposition parties threw down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government on Saturday, with a no-confidence motion over a sleaze scandal which has already seen a top minister resign. The centre-right Forza Italia party, led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, joined forces with the anti-immigrant Northern League to draw up the motion of no-confidence for both the upper and lower houses of parliament to consider. "Game over for Renzi," said Renato Brunetta, head of Forza Italia in the lower house.
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| Azarenka beats Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 to win Miami Open Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:25 PM PDT  KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Victoria Azarenka believes she's the best player in women's tennis, and recent results support her case.
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| Libyan oil firm NOC says it will work with new unity govt Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:23 PM PDT  By Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's National Oil Corporation said on Saturday it was working with the U.N.-backed unity government, which arrived in Tripoli this week, to coordinate future oil sales and "put a period of divisions and rivalry behind us". NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla also welcomed the U.N. Security Council's renewal on Thursday of measures to prevent illicit oil exports from Libya, a reference to efforts by Libya's eastern government to sell oil independently.
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| Trapped civilians slow Iraqi army's battle against IS in Hit Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:22 PM PDT  HIT, Iraq (AP) — As ground forces push west across Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State group, civilians are increasingly caught in the crossfire.
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| Thousands in Colombia protest president's approach to peace Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:20 PM PDT  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Thousands of people have been marching in more than 20 Colombian cities to protest President Juan Manuel Santos and his approach to ending the country's half-century guerrilla conflict.
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| Ibrahimovic scores hat trick as PSG beats Nice 4-1 Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:17 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat trick to take his tally to 30 French league goals as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for its Champions League match against Manchester City by dealing to Nice 4-1 on Saturday. |
| Iraq forces free prisoners from underground IS jail: officials Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:10 PM PDT  Iraqi forces freed a large number of prisoners from an underground Islamic State group jail during a battle to retake a western town from the jihadists, officials said on Saturday. Security forces have recaptured parts of Heet, which was one of the largest population centres in Anbar province still held by IS, but other areas remain under jihadist control. "During their advance to liberate and clear the town of Heet from the (IS) organisation, security forces were able to discover a large prison," police Colonel Fadhel al-Nimrawi.
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| Chiefs, Blues win in Super Rugby, Sunwolves fall short again Posted: 02 Apr 2016 01:09 PM PDT The Chiefs went atop the Super Rugby table and established themselves as title favorites by winning at the ACT Brumbies 48-23 with a bonus point on Saturday. |
| Record-breaking Hamilton scorches to Bahrain pole Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:59 PM PDT  World champion Lewis Hamilton secured the 51st pole position of his career and second of the season for Mercedes with the fastest lap ever at the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday. Having made a mistake on his penultimate lap, he found the speed he needed to outpace Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by just 0.077 seconds. Hamiltonâ s lap in one minute and 29.493 seconds was the fastest lap recorded at the Sakhir track and it rescued him after his error had marred his first fast lap in Q3.
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| Mass grave of victims of IS found in Syria's Palmyra Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:45 PM PDT  Syrian troops have found a mass grave containing the bodies of 42 people executed by Islamic State jihadists in Palmyra, as Washington warned the group's leader will eventually "taste justice". IS has in recent months claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Brussels and Paris, but has lost ground in Syria and Iraq. Days after Syrian troops backed by Russian forces recaptured Palmyra and its ancient ruins, the army "uncovered a mass grave of officers, soldiers, members of the popular committees (pro-regime militia) and their relatives," a military source told AFP on Saturday.
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| Kenya marks university attack anniversary that killed 148 Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:43 PM PDT  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyans on Saturday marked the first anniversary of the Garissa University attack, when four extremist gunmen massacred 148 people, with renewed criticism of the government's handling of the crisis.
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| Hungary's government website temporarily shut by cyberattack Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:38 PM PDT BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's government says its computer network came under attack from outside the country, temporarily blocking access to several websites. |
| Bomb-hit Brussels airport to reopen Sunday with security boost Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:37 PM PDT  Brussels Airport said it will partially reopen on Sunday, 12 days after it was hit by Islamic State suicide blasts, as Belgian prosecutors charged a third suspect with terrorism over a foiled plot to attack France. The first three "symbolic flights" will take off for Faro, Turin and Athens from Sunday afternoon, Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist told reporters, and travellers will have to undergo strict new security controls before check-in. "These flights are the first hopeful sign from an airport that is standing up straight after a cowardly attack," Feist said.
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| Spurs held 1-1 at Liverpool, drops points in title pursuit Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:36 PM PDT  LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Tottenham dropped two points in its pursuit of English Premier League leader Leicester by drawing at Liverpool 1-1, with England forward Harry Kane becoming a Spurs record-breaker in scoring the equalizer on Saturday.
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| Tottenham's Kane disappointed by Anfield draw Posted: 02 Apr 2016 12:32 PM PDT Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane said that his side's 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday felt like a missed opportunity in the context of the Premier League title race. Tottenham could have trimmed Leicester City's lead to two points with victory, but had to settle for a point after Kane cancelled out Philippe Coutinho's 51st-minute opener. Leicester, who have never won the title, can now open up a seven-point advantage if they beat Southampton at the King Power Stadium on Sunday. |
