| British PM Cameron admits he held stake in father's offshore trust Posted: 07 Apr 2016 02:38 PM PDT  (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged in a TV interview on Thursday that he once had a stake in his late father's offshore trust, which was revealed in the "Panama Papers" leak from a law firm. Cameron told ITV News that he had owned shares in the Panamanian trust, Blairmore, but had sold them in 2010, before becoming prime minister. "We owned 5,000 units in Blairmore Investment Trust, which we sold in January 2010.
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| For NATO trainers, race against time to prepare Afghan troops to go it alone Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:18 PM PDT  By James Mackenzie SORAB, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Chung, leading a team of U.S. advisers in Helmand province to help train the Afghan army's embattled 215th Corps, knows he does not have much time. If Washington sticks to its schedule for withdrawing troops, by the time his tour ends in November, the NATO training mission in Afghanistan will be nearing its end, despite local forces struggling to fight the Taliban insurgency alone. "You have to adjust your expectations," he told Reuters during a recent visit to the base in the southern province, where Taliban militants, bent on overthrowing the government and driving out foreign forces, made major gains in recent months.
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| U.N. Syria envoy delays peace talks to ensure players are serious Posted: 07 Apr 2016 09:09 AM PDT  By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The start of a new round of peace talks on the Syrian war has been pushed back by two days so that U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura can travel to Damascus and Tehran to sound out their position on a political transition, the envoy said on Thursday. De Mistura told a news conference he wanted to verify the position of international and regional parties to the conflict to ensure there was a critical mass about "what could be a framework of a political transition". "The next round of the talks needs to be quite concrete in the direction of a political process leading to a real beginning of a political transition," he said.
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| Belgium launches appeal to find 'man in hat' bombing suspect Posted: 07 Apr 2016 06:29 AM PDT  Belgian prosecutors appealed for help in finding a man suspected of leaving a bomb at Brussels Airport on March 22, saying they were eager to find a coat he had discarded and to speak to people who saw him on his hour-long walk back into the city. Federal prosecutors released new pictures of the suspect, dubbed the "man in the hat", who appeared to arrive at the airport with two suicide bombers and left along with passengers after the first two bombs exploded. "It is especially the coat which interests us," prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt told a news conference, asking if anyone might have seen it along the suspect's route.
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| Video suggests aide to Iraq's Saddam may still be alive Posted: 07 Apr 2016 11:17 AM PDT  A video clip broadcast on Saudi-owned television on Thursday suggested that a former right-hand man to late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein who Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias said had been killed a year ago may still be alive. Ezzat al-Douri, ranked by Washington after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion as the sixth most-wanted Iraqi and later a leader of Iraq's Sunni insurgency, appeared in footage on al-Hadath TV wearing the green military uniform of Saddam's Baath Party. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video, but comments he made about the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been leading a military intervention since March 2015 against the Iranian-backed Houthis, provided a rough time-frame.
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| As Peru's Fujimori splits voters, race is on for runner-up Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:29 PM PDT  By Mitra Taj and Teresa Cespedes LIMA (Reuters) - With a surname that sparks fury among some Peruvians and inspires adoration among others, center-right presidential contender Keiko Fujimori has managed to stay atop a turbulent field of candidates ahead of Sunday's election. The daughter of former strongman Alberto Fujimori has had the unwavering support of about a third of Peruvians the past two years, thanks in part to his public investments in rural areas and crackdown on leftist insurgents in the 1990s. Out of Fujimori's nine rivals, two ideologically opposed candidates are in a virtual tie for second place, seeking the support of millions of undecided voters.
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| One more go-round: Watson stays in range of the Masters cut Posted: 07 Apr 2016 05:01 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tom Watson walked up to his tee shot on the 18th fairway, sized up his approach, reached into his bag and pulled the cover off his 3-wood.
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| Argentine prosecutor calls for Macri probe over 'Panama Papers' Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:59 PM PDT  By Maximiliano Rizzi BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Argentine prosecutor on Thursday asked a judge to open an investigation into President Mauricio Macri's connection with offshore companies as revealed by the "Panama Papers" leak which has shone a light on the financial schemes of the world's elite. A leak of four decades of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in setting up offshore companies, has triggered similar investigations across the world. Macri, who won last year's election partly on promises to root out corruption, has said he was not legally obliged to declare his connection with the offshore company named in the "Panama Papers" as he never had a stake in it.
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| Russia's Putin: Friend named in Panama Papers not corrupt Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:57 PM PDT By Vladimir Soldatkin ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said a friend of his named in the "Panama Papers" leaks had done nothing wrong and spent the money he earned from business on buying expensive musical instruments which he was donating to public institutions. Media reports based on the leaked documents from a Panama-based law firm alleged that Sergei Roldugin, a cellist and friend of Putin, had quietly built up a sprawling business empire involved in offshore transactions that might be linked to the Russian leader. Speaking to supporters in St Petersburg, Putin said the leaks were part of an orchestrated attempt to destabilize Russia by fabricating allegations of corruption. |
| Guatemalans sentenced to up to 53 years for killing Argentine singer Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:55 PM PDT  A Guatemalan court on Thursday sentenced five men to terms of up to 53 years in prison for the 2011 killing of popular Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral. The troubadour died when his vehicle came under fire as he headed to the airport in Guatemala after performing at a concert. Farina, a Nicaraguan businessman, was later sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking, organized crime and money laundering.
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| Danny Lee enjoys triumphant return to Masters Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:52 PM PDT  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Danny Lee made sure his return to the Masters was worth the wait.
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| UK watchdog asks banks to check for ties to Panama Papers Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:51 PM PDT  Britain's Financial Conduct Authority has asked 20 banks and other financial firms to check if they have any ties to Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, the regulator said on Thursday. "We have written to the firms earlier this week," an FCA spokeswoman said. Recipients of the letter have been given until April 15 to respond to the disclosure request.More than 500 banks, their subsidiaries and branches registered nearly 15,600 shell companies with Mossack Fonseca, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
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| Europe's banks under scrutiny as regulators look into Panama Papers Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:51 PM PDT  By Joshua Franklin and Stephanie Nebehay BERN/GENEVA (Reuters) - Banking watchdogs across Europe have begun checking whether lenders have ties to a massive document leak from Panama that showed how offshore companies are used to stash clients' wealth. Switzerland's financial watchdog FINMA said on Thursday that banks must clamp down on money laundering, as the Geneva prosecutor opened a criminal probe. Four decades of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in setting up offshore companies and has offices in Zurich and Geneva, showed widespread use of those instruments by global banks and triggered investigations across the world.
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| Venezuela's Maduro rejects law to free opposition activists Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:50 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has vetoed legislation that would give amnesty to activists the opposition considers political prisoners.
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| Brazil prosecutor opposes Lula cabinet appointment Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:43 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's chief prosecutor recommended Thursday the Supreme Court annul President Dilma Rousseff's appointment of her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as cabinet chief, concluding it was an attempt to avoid his arrest.
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| Maduro asks Venezuela high court to scrap opposition amnesty Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:36 PM PDT  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday he would ask the Supreme Court to strike down an amnesty law passed by opposition lawmakers to free those they describe as political prisoners. The leftist leader, who is fighting off the ascendant opposition's bid to force him from power, told a crowd of thousands of red-clad supporters he had decided to ask the court to invalidate the "criminal" amnesty bill. "If this law is approved, Venezuela will enter into a cycle of civil war.
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| Argentine prosecutors wants president probed in Panama leaks Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:35 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine President Mauricio Macri said Thursday that he will set up a blind trust to make his finances transparent, speaking hours after a prosecutor sought permission to investigate the leader's role in two offshore companies that emerged in the "Panama Papers" leak.
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| Brazils congressman said to have received $5.1 million. Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:25 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — More than $5 million in overseas bank deposits apparently were earmarked for the speaker of Brazil's lower house of congress, who's leading an effort to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, a black market money dealer said Thursday.
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| Brazil government denies illegal funding, says can defeat impeachment Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:22 PM PDT  By Silvio Cascione and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's government rejected new accusations on Thursday that her election was illegally funded with graft money and expressed confidence it can block an attempt to impeach her. Executives from Brazil's second-largest engineering company testified that Rousseff's 2014 re-election campaign was partly funded by kickbacks from large infrastructure projects, according to a report by the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. The testimony, part of a plea bargain with 11 executives of builder Andrade Gutierrez [AGIS.UL], would be the strongest link yet between Rousseff's campaign and a widening corruption investigation that has toppled her associates and dozens of other political and corporate officials.
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| Cameron, Argentina's Macri caught in Panama Papers swirl Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:16 PM PDT  The storm unleashed by the so-called Panama Papers continued to swirl Thursday as British Prime Minister David Cameron admitted benefiting from his father's offshore trust and prosecutors opened an investigation into Argentine President Mauricio Macri. A host of world leaders, celebrities and sports stars have been caught up in the tempest created by the worldwide media investigation of the 11.5 million documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. Cameron, who has been on the defensive over the revelations about the secret financial dealings of the rich and powerful, admitted he held a £30,000 stake in an offshore fund set up by his late father.
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| IS group doubles number of fighters in Libya: US Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:15 PM PDT  The number of Islamic State group fighters in Libya has doubled to up to 6,000 in as little as a year, the head of US forces in Africa warned Thursday. Despite the vast increase the IS group is not likely to settle and seize swathes of territory inside Libya, as it has done in Syria and Iraq, said General David Rodriguez, head of the US Africa Command. The Islamic State group has exploited the turmoil in Libya since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi five years ago, raising fears that it is establishing a new stronghold on Europe's doorstep.
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| SoCal Gas sees partial restart of crippled storage field this summer Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:12 PM PDT  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Southern California Gas Co aims to partially restore operations at its crippled Aliso Canyon storage field by late summer, but the facility, scene of the worst-ever U.S. methane leak, will probably take a year to reopen fully, utility officials said on Thursday. The time frame for bringing the facility back on line will unlikely be soon enough to avert natural gas shortages that could disrupt power generation across greater Los Angeles as warm-weather demand for electricity peaks, a top SoCal Gas executive said. "I'm very concerned about the summer, as far as trying to provide gas service to help on that electrical reliability side," Chief Operating Officer Brett Lane told Reuters in a telephone interview.
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| Patriots sign defensive lineman Markus Kuhn Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:07 PM PDT FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots signed unrestricted free-agent defensive lineman Markus Kuhn on Thursday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. |
| Colombia high courts paves way for gay marriage rights Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:06 PM PDT  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's highest court is paving the way for same-sex couples to marry in the conservative Roman Catholic nation.
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| Top Asian News 11:02 p.m. GMT Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:02 PM PDT BEIJING (AP) — For graft-busting Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, the Panama Papers revelations that show his brother-in-law and relatives of two other members of the party's elite inner circle owned offshore companies, often referred to as tax havens, might have been highly damaging. Instead, Xi will likely emerge unscathed as a result of his personal hold on political power, controls over free speech and the media, and a sense both among the public and potential rivals that all leading families are tainted to some degree, analysts say. With the latest reports still just days old, however, lingering impacts can't be ruled out entirely. |
| After Bangladesh slaying, US considers refuge for bloggers Posted: 07 Apr 2016 04:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States condemned as "barbaric" Thursday the latest killing in Bangladesh of an outspoken opponent of radical Islam and said it is considering granting refuge to a select number of bloggers who face imminent danger. |
| Els fires record quintuple-bogey nine to open Masters Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:59 PM PDT  Four-time major champion Ernie Els, nicknamed "The Big Easy," took it a bit too easy Thursday on the first hole of the Masters and paid for it in a record-setting humiliation. The 46-year-old South African fired a quintuple-bogey nine, the highest score ever made on the par-4 opening hole at Augusta National, six-putting the green to start his 22nd Masters appearance. A miscount was entirely possible as fast as Els was swatting the ball around the first hole, putts from inside two feet failing to fall time and again, becoming a humbling misery.
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| Argentine president denies 'malicious omission' after Panama leak Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:46 PM PDT  Argentine President Mauricio Macri said Thursday he made no "malicious omission" from his mandatory asset declarations as a public official, after the so-called Panama Papers revealed his offshore financial interests. "I did not receive any payment for acting as a director (of offshore companies). The conservative president's new denial of wrongdoing came after a federal prosecutor opened an investigation of his finances.
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| Kerry urges Iran to help end wars in Yemen, Syria Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:38 PM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged Iran to help end the wars raging in Yemen and Syria, criticising the Islamic republic's "destabilising actions" in the Middle East. On the first visit by a US chief diplomat to Bahrain since 2010, Kerry also told authorities in Manama accused of discriminating against the country's Shiite majority that respect for human rights was "essential". Kerry later held a meeting with his Gulf Arab counterparts, two weeks before President Barack Obama is scheduled to attend a summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh when Washington's Middle East policy is likely to come under the microscope.
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| Defending champion Jack Sock advances in Houston Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:37 PM PDT  HOUSTON (AP) — Defending champion Jack Sock beat Australia's Matthew Barton 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.
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| Venezuela leader threatens to cut opposition legislature's term Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:29 PM PDT  By Eyanir Chinea and Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro threatened on Thursday to seek a constitutional amendment to slash the opposition-led legislature's term and vowed to lead a "revolution" should his foes wrest him from the presidency. The socialist leader's strong words deepened the already bitter political standoff in the OPEC member nation since the opposition coalition won control of the National Assembly in a December vote and vowed to seek Maduro's exit this year. During a rally, pro-government constitutional lawyer Hermann Escarra proposed that Maduro seek a constitutional amendment to reduce the assembly's term from five years to 60 days.
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| EU threatens to put sanctions on Panama, other tax havens Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:28 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — A European Union official threatened Thursday to sanction Panama and other nations if they don't cooperate fully to fight money laundering and tax evasion, after a leak of data showed the small country remains a key destination for people who want to hide money.
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| Venezuela public sector workers to get Fridays off until drought ebbs Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:25 PM PDT  Venezuela specified on Thursday that public sector employees, save those in the food industry, would receive Fridays off until a drought stops hurting hydropower generation. With the OPEC country reeling from a power crunch, President Nicolas Maduro said this week that Fridays would be considered holidays for the next 60 days. Venezuela's grave economic crisis already has grains, meat, dairy and vegetables running short.
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| The Latest: Co-founder of 'Panama Papers' firm quits council Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:24 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the publication by a coalition of media outlets of an investigation into offshore financial dealings by the rich and famous (all times local):
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| Two arrested in Germany suspected of planning terror attack Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:07 PM PDT  The pair, an Iraqi, 46, and a Nigerian, 29, would be held until Friday when they will either go before a judge or be released, prosecutor's office spokesman Thomas Steinkraus-Koch said. Searches were carried out but no suspicious items were found, a police spokesman said.
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| Las Vegas Sands antes $9M to settle corruption case with SEC Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:05 PM PDT  Las Vegas Sands is paying a $9 million fine to settle a regulatory investigation that painted an unflattering picture of the casino owner's expansion into a gambling mecca in China.
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| Pope to issue eagerly-awaited document on family and marriage Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:03 PM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis issues one of the most eagerly awaited documents of his pontificate on Friday, a treatise on marriage and the family following two gatherings of Catholic bishops that exposed divisions in the Church. There is keen anticipation on what the 260-page document "Amoris Laetitia," (The Joy of Love), will say about the full re-integration into the Church of Catholics who divorce and remarry in civil ceremonies. The only way such Catholics can remarry is if they receive an annulment, a ruling that their first marriage never existed in the first place because of the lack of certain pre-requisites such as psychological maturity or free will.
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| Liverpool holds Dortmund to 1-1 in Europa on Klopp's return Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:02 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Juergen Klopp's Liverpool held Borussia Dortmund to 1-1 on his return to his former club for the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal, while two-time defending champion Sevilla and Shakhtar Donetsk won away on Thursday.
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| Five sentenced for murder of Argentine singer in Guatemala Posted: 07 Apr 2016 02:56 PM PDT  A Guatemalan court on Thursday convicted and sentenced five men to prison for the 2011 murder of Argentine musician Facundo Cabral, who was hugely popular across Latin America. The 74-year-old Cabral was killed because he was in a car being driven by his concert promoter, a shady Nicaraguan nightclub owner. Prosecutors said Henry Farinas was the real target of the hit, which was carried out by gunmen who raced up in vehicles to spray Farinas's car with bullets.
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