| Kerry aims to extend truce to Syria's Aleppo as ceasefire unravels Posted: 02 May 2016 10:31 AM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Lesley Wroughton AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - Washington and Moscow said on Monday they were working hard to extend a truce in Syria to Aleppo, the divided northern city where a sharp escalation of violence in recent weeks has left a ceasefire in tatters and torpedoed peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Geneva for meetings with other dignitaries to try to revive the two-month-old U.S. and Russia-sponsored cessation of hostilities, which quieted guns for the first time during the five-year Syrian war but which has unraveled in recent days. Syria announced temporary local truces in two areas last week.
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| NATO weighs four battalions in Eastern states to deter Russia: U.S. Posted: 02 May 2016 03:20 PM PDT  The NATO alliance is weighing rotating four battalions of troops through Eastern member states, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday, in the latest proposal by allies to guard against aggressive behavior by Russia. The Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - which joined NATO in 2004, have requested greater presence of the alliance, fearing a threat from Russia after it annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Carter acknowledged NATO deliberations included the deployment of the four battalions to the Baltic states and Poland.
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| Emotional return as first U.S. cruise in decades reaches Cuba Posted: 02 May 2016 04:21 PM PDT  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - Hundreds of tourists and a handful of emotional Cuban-Americans arrived on the first U.S. cruise ship to sail to Havana in decades on Monday, spilling onto the cobbled streets of the old city where they were warmly greeted by residents. It was another first for the two countries since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a historic rapprochement in December 2014, and comes weeks after Obama's visit to the Caribbean island. Carnival Corp's Adonia, a small ship carrying 700 passengers, slipped through the channel into Havana Bay in the morning under picture-perfect skies, then docked alongside the colonial quarter recently visited by Obama. "I'm nervous and excited at the same time, I left Cuba 48 years ago, when I was six years old.
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| Brazil prosecutor asks for probe of opposition leader Neves Posted: 02 May 2016 04:51 PM PDT  Brazil's top prosecutor asked the Supreme Court to open an investigation on opposition Senator Aecio Neves on Monday as a vast corruption probe ensnares more politicians. Neves, who narrowly lost the 2014 election to President Dilma Rousseff, was previously included in a list of some 50 politicians thought to have taken bribes originating from state-run companies. Brazil's Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot had stopped the investigation of Neves last year but is now asking to reopen it based on plea bargain testimony from another senator, Delcidio do Amaral.
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| U.S. says Iraq's PM in 'strong position' amid political unrest Posted: 02 May 2016 03:29 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in a strong position despite political unrest in Iraq, thanks in part to battlefield successes and his commitment to a multi-sectarian state, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday. Obviously we support him strongly because of what he stands for," Carter told reporters traveling with him shortly before landing in Germany. Carter's full-throated backing of Abadi, one of his most forceful to date, follows months of intense Iraqi political wrangling that has put the country on edge.
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| Venezuela opposition submits 1.85 million signatures in recall effort Posted: 02 May 2016 12:05 PM PDT  Venezuela's opposition said it delivered 1.85 million signatures to the country's elections authority on Monday as part of the process of seeking a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro. Food and medicine shortages, triple-digit inflation, rampant violent crime and increasingly frequent water and power cuts have stoked anger against Maduro. The Democratic Unity coalition (MUD) gathered far more than the required 1 percent of voters' signatures, or nearly 200,000, needed to trigger the next phase of a recall referendum.
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| Joy as Hazard brings Leicester historic title Posted: 02 May 2016 04:56 PM PDT  Leicester City completed their fairytale Premier League title quest on Monday after Tottenham Hotspur could only manage a 2-2 draw in a pulsating game with outgoing champions Chelsea. With Leicester's players gathered at the home of striker Jamie Vardy to watch the match on television, Spurs went 2-0 up, only for goals from Gary Cahill and substitute Eden Hazard to bring Chelsea level and complete one of the most astonishing stories in professional sport.
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| Australia to host its first Basketball without Borders camp Posted: 02 May 2016 04:50 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Australia will host a Basketball without Borders camp for the first time next month. |
| 4 arrested in slaying of Honduran environmental activist Posted: 02 May 2016 04:49 PM PDT  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduran authorities arrested four people Monday in the killing of environmental activist Berta Caceres, including an active duty army officer and at least one man who worked for a hydroelectric project she opposed.
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| Spring rains could spur more U.S. rangeland fires this summer Posted: 02 May 2016 04:35 PM PDT By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wet winter and spring in the American West has set the stage for a wildfire season likely to see more fast-spreading rangeland blazes fueled by thicker growth in grass and brush than last year, government fire forecasters said on Monday. Winter and spring storms that hit the West in recent months, largely associated with a now-fading El Nino weather pattern, should offset some of the lingering effects of a prolonged drought that helped make 2015 a record wildfire season. The added moisture, especially from snow melt at higher elevations, will probably delay the onset of large timber fires in the months ahead, forecasters said. |
| ANZ Bank profit slumps, repositions for future Posted: 02 May 2016 04:08 PM PDT  ANZ Bank Tuesday posted an interim net profit slump of 22 percent on the back of impairment and restructuring charges that the lender said would reposition it for the future. The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's result for the six months to March 31 came in at Aus$2.73 billion (2.0 billion US), while cash profit, which strips out one-off and other items, was Aus$2.78 billion. In a surprise move, ANZ slashed its interim dividend seven percent to 80 cents.
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| Leicester wins English title for 1st time in its 132 years Posted: 02 May 2016 04:07 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Leicester City completed one of the greatest-ever sporting achievements Monday when the 5,000-1 underdogs won the Premier League for the first time.
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| Australian treasurer to unveil pre-election budget plans Posted: 02 May 2016 04:05 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's treasury said on Tuesday his budget plans for the next fiscal year will focus on growing and diversifying the economy as it transitions from a mining boom that has now passed. |
| UN Security Council to make Somalia visit ahead of vote Posted: 02 May 2016 04:04 PM PDT  The UN Security Council will travel to Somalia this month to show support for elections scheduled in August, Egypt's UN Ambassador and this month's council president, Amr Aboulatta, said Monday. "The council will be going to Somalia to push for the elections," he said. The vote will be Somalia's second since 1991, when warlords ousted president Mohamed Siad Barre, plunging the country into years of war and chaos.
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| Jamaica police seek motive in killing of 2 US missionaries Posted: 02 May 2016 03:49 PM PDT KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaican police said Monday they are trying to determine the motive in the weekend slayings of two American missionaries in the north coast area where they lived and worked. |
| Ranieri thanks Chelsea for title-clinching draw Posted: 02 May 2016 03:48 PM PDT  Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri called his Chelsea counterpart Guus Hiddink on Monday to thank him for the draw with Tottenham Hotspur that gave his team the Premier League title. Spurs' 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge brought Leicester the first top-flight title in their 132-year history and Ranieri, who was sacked by Chelsea in 2004, was quickly on the phone to express his gratitude.
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| UN humanitarian summit expects 80 governments and 45 leaders Posted: 02 May 2016 03:45 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief said Monday that 80 governments and 45 world leaders will be coming to the first U.N. humanitarian summit in Istanbul later this month to tackle the growing gap between the 125 million people in dire need of assistance and the money available to help them. |
| Sleepy Leicester awoken by a king and the gods of football Posted: 02 May 2016 03:24 PM PDT  Off the tourist trail and loved by few but its residents, Leicester was a sleepy place until a king who died over 500 years ago and footballing triumph roused it from its torpor. Some people even believe that the discovery of the skeleton of Richard III and Leicester City's astonishing Premier League win are linked. One thing is for sure -- since Richard's bones were discovered under a Leicester car park in 2012, things have never been the same in the city, whose population is 330,000.
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| Euphoria in streets of Leicester as outsiders take title Posted: 02 May 2016 03:13 PM PDT  Ecstatic fans rushed into the streets of Leicester on Monday as the outsiders won the Premier League in a victory seen as the most astonishing in the history of English football. Dancing crowds dressed in the team's blue jerseys hugged each other and chanted songs honouring the team heroes like boss Claudio Ranieri and striker Jamie Vardy, linchpins of the team's first victory in its 132 years. "There is only one Ranieri," chanted the crowds in celebration of the Italian manager.
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| Judge investigating drug traffickers arrested in Argentina Posted: 02 May 2016 03:12 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine judge who had investigated thousands of drug trafficking cases has been arrested on accusations he helped drug dealers in exchange for money. |
| UK's Hammond says new initiative needed for Syria talks Posted: 02 May 2016 03:10 PM PDT  British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Monday he was deeply concerned about the state of the ceasefire in Syria and that a new initiative was needed to keep dialogue alive, after a sharp escalation of violence in the city of Aleppo. Washington and Moscow said on Monday they were working hard to extend the truce to Aleppo, the divided city where fighting, including a missile attack on a hospital, has caused international outrage and put peace talks in doubt. "There is a need for a new initiative in the Syria dialogue to keep it alive, the Syrian moderate opposition is finding it increasingly difficult to justify their participation in a political process," Hammond told reporters during a visit to Mexico City.
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| Venezuela opposition delivers petitions to remove president Posted: 02 May 2016 03:09 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The opposition turned in petitions to Venezuelan electoral authorities Monday that it said carried signatures of 1.8 million voters seeking President Nicolas Maduro's removal in a nationwide referendum.
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| Spain misses deadline for new government, June election set Posted: 02 May 2016 03:08 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Spain has missed the deadline for its politicians to form a new government following inconclusive elections held Dec. 20 so King Felipe VI must now dissolve parliament before a new election on June 26.
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| Guatemala arrests dozens of gang members in raids Posted: 02 May 2016 03:06 PM PDT  Security forces on Monday launched raids on one of the biggest gangs in Guatemala, arresting 72 suspected members of a cell specializing in extortion, officials said. More than 120 raids were carried out by nearly 300 law enforcement officers and prosecutors in the south, center and northeast of the country. "The operation is focused on fighting the scourge of extortion," the chief state prosecutor, Thelma Aldana, told a news conference.
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| Ultimate underdog: Leicester triumph will inspire for years Posted: 02 May 2016 03:03 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Whenever sporting fans say they dare to dream in future, Leicester City shows they really can. Sometimes it just takes a long, long time.
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| Leicester toasts world snooker champion Selby Posted: 02 May 2016 02:59 PM PDT  SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — The city of Leicester wasn't just toasting its soccer team on Monday: One of its natives won the snooker World Championship on the same night.
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| Argentine court probes ex-president Fernandez over new case: media Posted: 02 May 2016 02:57 PM PDT  An Argentine court has asked a judge to look into accusations of illicit enrichment against leftist former President Cristina Fernandez, state press agency Telam reported on Monday. Fernandez, who left office in December after eight years and was replaced by center-right Mauricio Macri, has already been accused of money laundering and overseeing irregularities at the central bank while she served. Fernandez is a divisive figure, revered by many for generous welfare programs and reviled by others for her economic policies.
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| NZ's Helen Clark starts UN campaign tour in Paris Posted: 02 May 2016 02:50 PM PDT  New Zealand's former prime minister Helen Clark was in Paris on Monday at the start of a tour of key world capitals in her campaign to head the United Nations. "It holds generally true that women carry a broad range of family responsibilities" and give priority to health and education, said Clark, 66. Clark has headed the largest UN agency, the UN Development Programme, which implements the body's worldwide economic development operations, since 2009.
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| New Mexico City smog alert orders 40 pct of cars off streets Posted: 02 May 2016 02:48 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City authorities have declared a new pollution alert and will require 40 percent of cars to keep off the streets Tuesday.
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| Nearly 2 million sign on for Maduro recall: opposition Posted: 02 May 2016 02:44 PM PDT  Venezuela's opposition presented reams of signatures to election authorities Monday calling for a referendum to remove President Nicolas Maduro, whom it blames for the country's crushing economic crisis. Venezuelans fed up with food shortages, soaring inflation and now a paralyzing electricity crunch have flocked to sign a petition for a recall referendum, according to the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). It said it had presented 1.85 million signatures -- more than nine times the number needed to launch the referendum process -- to the National Electoral Board.
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| Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams apologises for racial slur Posted: 02 May 2016 02:38 PM PDT  Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams apologised Monday for using a racial slur on Twitter while seeking to compare the treatment of African Americans with Catholics in Northern Ireland. Adams, an avid Twitter user who has more than 100,000 followers, spent most of Monday backpedalling furiously over the issue after initially claiming his tweets the previous evening had merely been "ironic".
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| Bremen defeats Stuttgart 6-2 to leave Bundesliga drop zone Posted: 02 May 2016 02:38 PM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Werder Bremen routed Stuttgart 6-2 to leave the Bundesliga relegation zone at the visitors' expense in the German league's first Monday night game for 16 years. |
| US stocks rise as some tech companies recover Posted: 02 May 2016 02:37 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes moved solidly higher Monday afternoon, recovering some of last week's steep declines. Recently battered technology stocks such as Amazon.com and Microsoft all posted gains, helping end a seven-day losing streak in the Nasdaq composite.
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| Levante relegated from Spanish league after losing to Malaga Posted: 02 May 2016 02:27 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Levante is the first team to be relegated from the Spanish top tier after a 3-1 loss at Malaga on Monday. |
| Trump's rise is driving immigrants to become citizens Posted: 02 May 2016 02:21 PM PDT  MIAMI (AP) — On a recent Saturday morning in South Florida, 50-year-old Edgar Ospina stood in a long line of immigrants to take the first step to become an American.
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| Azarenka beats Cornet to advance to 3rd round in Madrid Posted: 02 May 2016 02:18 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka continued her fine form, beating Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-2 to win her 16th straight match and advance to the third round of the Madrid Masters on Monday. |
| Brazil attorney general requests probes into top politicians Posted: 02 May 2016 02:11 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Brazilian attorney general's office said Monday that it has asked the country's highest court to authorize corruption investigations into a prominent opposition figure and other top politicians.
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