| Syrian peace talks in quagmire as rebels prepare for more war Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:54 PM PDT  By John Irish, Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Perry GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's fragile peace talks might not resume for at least a year if they are abandoned now, a senior Western diplomat warned on Wednesday, as the opposition urged more military support for rebels after declaring a truce was over. Intense fighting has left Syria's partial ceasefire in tatters. The truce was brokered by the United States and Russia to pave the way for the first peace talks attended by rebel factions since the crisis began five years ago.
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| At least 40 injured in blast at Mexico petrochemical facility Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:04 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 40 people were injured on Wednesday in an explosion that rocked a major petrochemical facility of Mexican national oil company Pemex, according to state emergency services. Arturo Bermudez, head of emergency services in eastern Veracruz state, reported the tally on local television. Pemex put the current number of injured at 30. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia) |
| Obama heads to London on mission to persuade UK voters to stay in EU Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:06 PM PDT  U.S. President Barack Obama flies to London on Thursday with a mission: to persuade wavering British voters not to ditch membership of the European Union in a June 23 referendum that Washington fears could weaken the West. Obama is likely to suggest Britons should vote to stay in the bloc to preserve Britain's wealth, its "special relationship" with the United States and the cohesion of the West. "As the president has said, we support a strong United Kingdom in the European Union," Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, told reporters in Washington ahead of the trip.
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| Venezuela opposition-backed Congress approves new referendum rules Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:21 PM PDT  Venezuela's opposition-dominated parliament on Wednesday approved a law to speed up the process of requesting recall referendums, as adversaries of President Nicolas Maduro seek to push him from office amid a deepening economic crisis. The country's constitution allows elected officials to be recalled via referendum once they have served half of their term in office. Maduro was elected in 2013 to six years in office.
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| Exclusive: Afghan drone war - data show unmanned flights dominate air campaign Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:18 PM PDT  By Josh Smith KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Drones fired more weapons than conventional warplanes for the first time in Afghanistan last year and the ratio is rising, previously unreported U.S. Air Force data show, underlining how reliant the military has become on unmanned aircraft. U.S. President Barack Obama said in 2013 that the Afghan drawdown after 2014 and progress against al Qaeda would "reduce the need for unmanned strikes", amid concerns from human rights groups and some foreign governments over civilian casualties.
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| Brazil's Rousseff going to U.N. over impeachment; cabinet in crisis Posted: 20 Apr 2016 02:36 PM PDT  By Lisandra Paraguassu and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Beleaguered Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will travel to New York in a bid to rally international support against her impeachment, leaving behind a Cabinet paralyzed by political crisis as another minister defected on Wednesday. Rousseff aides said the leftist leader will attend a United Nations event on Friday in New York where she will denounce as illegal the attempt to impeach her, a process that could see her forced from office within weeks in a process she calls a "coup d'état without weapons." Energy Minister Eduardo Braga said he was quitting her government following orders from his centrist PMDB party, Rousseff's main coalition partner until it abandoned her last month to back her ouster.
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| Explosion at Mexico oil plant injures 30 Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:40 PM PDT  A spectacular explosion at an oil facility in southeastern Mexico injured at least 30 workers Wednesday, state-run energy giant Pemex said. The cause of the explosion at the Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo (PMV) plant was not immediately known. The facility is run in partnership with Pemex.
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| Beacons and gun salutes as Britain's Queen Elizabeth turns 90 Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:35 PM PDT  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth turns 90 on Thursday with beacons and gun salutes heralding the birthday of the world's oldest monarch, who still performs hundreds of engagements a year and shows no signs of losing her appetite for the job. Usually her birthday passes with little ceremony but to mark Thursday's landmark Elizabeth will greet well-wishers near her Windsor Castle home, west of London, and later light a beacon, the first of 1,000 to be lit across the country and worldwide to mark the occasion. There will also be artillery gun salutes in the British capital at Hyde Park and the Tower of London, while parliament will be illuminated red, white and blue.
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| Panama inks $2.6B financing deal with Japan for metro line Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:32 PM PDT PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama has signed a deal with Japan to secure $2.6 billion in financing for the construction of a third metro line in the Central American nation's capital. |
| Top-ranked Ko looking for three-peat at Swinging Skirts Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:31 PM PDT DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) — Lydia Ko hopes to celebrate her 19th birthday Sunday with yet another victory in the Swinging Skirts Classic. |
| US congressman: Ohio fugitive arrested in her native Brazil Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:25 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. congressman says a woman suspected of killing her husband in Ohio and fleeing to Brazil has been arrested by authorities there. |
| Ecuador death toll tops 500, Correa ponders financing Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:23 PM PDT  By Ana Isabel Martinez and Julia Symmes Cobb PEDERNALES, Ecuador (Reuters) - The death toll from Ecuador's weekend earthquake surpassed 500 and rescue efforts ebbed on Wednesday as the traumatized Andean nation braced itself for long and costly rebuilding ahead. To help fund the multibillion-dollar reconstruction of homes, roads and buildings in the devastated Pacific coast region, Ecuador may issue new bonds on the international market, a somber President Rafael Correa said. 'Not again!,' I thought," said Maria Quinones in Pedernales town, which bore the brunt of Saturday's disaster.
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| In Vietnam, outrage and optimism as party thwarts democratic experiment Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:20 PM PDT  By Martin Petty HANOI (Reuters) - Schoolteacher Do Viet Khoa loves dogs, even though a puppy he once owned cost him his chance to run in Communist Vietnam's upcoming parliamentary election. Khoa was eliminated during the ruling Communist Party's tough vetting process for independent candidates. "It's ridiculous." Khoa, 48, actually gave away his mischievous puppy before applying to contest a seat in the legislature, which is tightly controlled by the Communist Party.
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| Islamic State in retreat around east Libyan city: military Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:13 PM PDT  By By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters retreated from long-held positions around the port city of Derna on Wednesday, military forces in eastern Libya said, as troops loyal to the government in the region pressed on with an offensive in Benghazi. If the retreat around Derna is confirmed, it could mark a significant shift in the alignment of forces in the area. Islamic State gained territory in Libya as two rival governments and a range of armed factions battled to control the country in the past two years.
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| Regional crises, not human rights, to dominate Obama-Gulf talks Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:11 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama aired his human rights concerns with Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday, but his talking points on that subject are expected to be get less attention when he meets Gulf Arab monarchs on Thursday. Activists have urged the American leader to push Saudi Arabia over its human rights record, but the region's many geopolitical crises are likely to dominate a summit already overshadowed by strained ties between Washington and the Gulf. The president, who arrived on Wednesday, hopes to allay Gulf countries' fears over Iranian influence and encourage them to try to douse sectarian tensions in the region in an effort to confront the threat posed by Islamic State. |
| 'Queengate' row photographer back for 90th birthday shots Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:11 PM PDT  Queen Elizabeth II's official 90th birthday portraits released Thursday were taken by the celebrity photographer at the centre of one of the fiercest recent controversies to hit Britain's monarchy. Annie Leibovitz has shot three relaxed images featuring the queen, her family and her dogs, which were released by Buckingham Palace to mark the big day. The new pictures were taken in recent weeks at Windsor Castle, the queen's residence west of London.
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| MPs urge British government to recognise IS 'genocide' Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:08 PM PDT  British lawmakers voted Wednesday to urge the government to recognise the Islamic State jihadist group's attacks on minorities in Iraq and Syria as genocide. Members of parliament unanimously approved the motion -- which is not binding on the government -- by 278 votes to zero. The vote in the 650-seat lower House of Commons calls on ministers to accept formally that IS actions against Christian, Yazidi and other religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq constitute genocide.
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| No end in sight to Haiti vote crisis Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:06 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haiti's tortuous election process looks set to drag on after the interim president said Wednesday the second round of presidential voting will not take place before his term ends in mid-May. Jocelerme Privert was elected interim president of the troubled country on February 14 for three months to oversee the run-off of presidential elections, as well as partial legislative and local elections. Haiti has been in deep political crisis since the December runoff between then-president Michel Martelly's favored candidate Jovenel Moise and opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin was called off.
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| UK's Cameron hails 'steadfast' queen on her 90th birthday Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:05 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron has called Queen Elizabeth II "a rock for our nation" as the monarch celebrates her 90th birthday.
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| Suarez scores 4 goals, Barcelona wins 8-0 to keep its lead Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:04 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Barcelona sent a strong message to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid on Wednesday, demolishing Deportivo La Coruna 8-0 to end a four-game winless streak and keep its lead in the Spanish league.
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| California communities beg for relief from drought restrictions Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California communities where a wet winter has filled reservoirs and begun ameliorating the state's catastrophic four-year drought begged water regulators on Wednesday to reduce or eliminate emergency conservation measures imposed last year. Facing pushback from aggravated consumers under the ongoing rules, water utilities say they will have little credibility asking for conservation when the next drought hits if they must continue to order residents to cut back water use by up to 36 percent. "By any measure, there isn't any emergency left," said Robert Roscoe, general manager of the Sacramento Suburban Water District.
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| Neymar to play for Brazil at Rio Olympics, not Copa America Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Neymar will play for Brazil at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics but will skip the Copa America, Barcelona said Wednesday.
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| Leicester's Vardy backed by Hodgson as he faces extended ban Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:56 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — England coach Roy Hodgson backed Jamie Vardy on Wednesday, saying the Leicester striker did not dive in the incident that led to him being sent off last weekend and sympathizing with his angry response to the referee.
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| Guatemala ex-president's port-contract bribe case postponed Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:54 PM PDT  GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former President Otto Perez Molina and his then vice president appeared at a court hearing Wednesday to determine whether they will face trial in a corruption case, but the proceeding was halted before it could move forward.
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| West Ham eases to victory over 2nd-string Watford Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:52 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Mark Noble scored two penalties to help West Ham beat a second-string Watford side 3-1 on Wednesday and maintain its bid for European football when the club moves to the Olympic Stadium next season.
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| Ecuador death toll keeps rising as new jolts cause jitters Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:51 PM PDT  MANTA, Ecuador (AP) — A magnitude-6.1 aftershock Wednesday set babies crying and sent nervous residents pouring into the streets, fearful of yet more damage following the deadly earthquake over the weekend.
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| Top Asian News 10:44 p.m. GMT Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:44 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal has stretched into one of the least Catholic countries: Japan, where former students at a prestigious all-boys parochial school allege they were molested or raped by religious brothers who taught there decades ago. Three former students at St. Mary's International School in Tokyo told The Associated Press they were sexually abused by brothers there. One described "health checkups" in which a brother touched boys' testicles. Another says he was raped in the chapel by two brothers at age 11. That former student received an in-person apology from one of the men, Brother Lawrence Lambert, in 2014. |
| Ethiopia troops cross into South Sudan in hunt for abducted children Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:44 PM PDT  Ethiopian troops have crossed into South Sudan in search of children abducted by armed men from across the border last week, a government spokesman said Wednesday. "The army has been conducting reconnaissance missions in South Sudan and they have a clear idea of where the children are," Ethiopia's Communications Minister Getachew Reda told AFP. "We have sought approval of the government of South Sudan to conduct these operations, he added.
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| Uncertain future for scenic village hit by Japan earthquakes Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:43 PM PDT  MINAMIASO, Japan (AP) — A picturesque mountain village that depended on tourists, university students and retirees faces an uncertain future after last week's devastating earthquakes in southern Japan: Will they come back?
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| Argentine foreign minister questioned on being next UN chief Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:43 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Argentina's Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra says whether she is nominated as a candidate to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations "is in the hands of my president." |
| New quake rattles jittery Ecuador Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:38 PM PDT  A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on Wednesday, sowing new panic four days after a powerful quake killed more than 500 people and injured more than 5,000. The latest quake caused no damage or casualties, but shook the ground forcefully in the middle of the night, sending terrified residents running into the street in the devastated resort town of Pedernales. President Rafael Correa said officials had now registered 525 people killed, 5,733 injured and 163 missing.
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| United's Champions League bid gathers pace with Palace win Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:26 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Manchester United's pursuit of Champions League qualification gathered pace on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace that put the team in a strong position to exploit any slip-ups by Arsenal or Manchester City.
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| Marseille beats Sochaux to reach French Cup final Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:16 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Crisis-ridden Marseille will get the chance to salvage its season against bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup final after beating Sochaux 1-0 on Wednesday. |
| Trump, Clinton re-energized after big New York wins Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:13 PM PDT  Fresh from resounding wins in New York's primaries, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump declared they were on the way to locking up their parties' nominations, and turned Wednesday to the next critical round of presidential campaign contests. Tuesday's election routs on their home turf re-set the presidential race, as Clinton halted rival Bernie Sanders' multi-state winning streak. Trump also righted his ship, after a series of losses to Ted Cruz that have raised the specter of a bruising nomination endgame playing out at the Republican convention in July.
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| Juventus nears title; Totti puts on a show for the ages Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:10 PM PDT  ROME (AP) — Juventus moved closer to a fifth straight title and 39-year-old Francesco Totti put on a show that belied his age in Serie A on Wednesday.
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| Deila to step down as Celtic manager Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:07 PM PDT  Ronny Deila will step down as manager of Scottish giants Celtic at the end of the season, the Norwegian announced on Wednesday. Celtic are currently eight points clear of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership and on course for a fifth successive title, but Deila's position has been under scrutiny for some time. Celtic have made little progress in Europe under the 40-year-old and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Old Firm rivals Rangers following a semi-final penalty shootout defeat on Sunday.
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