| Images show North Korea may be preparing fifth nuclear test: think tank Posted: 06 May 2016 04:17 PM PDT  North Korea may be preparing to carry out a fifth nuclear test in the near future judging by commercial satellite images of the country's nuclear test site taken on May 5, a U.S. think tank said on Friday. The 38 North website, run by Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, said the images showed vehicle movement at the site "not often seen there except during preparations for a test." There has been intense speculation that communist North Korea may conduct its fifth test of a nuclear device during a congress of the ruling Workers' Party now underway. The analysis from 38 North said the imagery of the Punggye-ri test site "suggests that Pyongyang may be preparing for a nuclear test in the near future." It said that while the images continued to show low levels of activity, the vehicles had been spotted at what was believed to be the Command Center, some 6 km (almost four miles) south of the main site.
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| Convoy leads Canada fire evacuees through burning city to safety Posted: 06 May 2016 04:04 PM PDT  By Rod Nickel and Liz Hampton WANDERING RIVER, Alberta (Reuters) - Convoys of evacuees stranded by a wildfire raging unchecked in and around the Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray made their way on Friday through the heart of the devastation on the only highway out of the region, passing through the city's charred ruins. Wind-whipped flames roaring through heavy timber and brush parched by a spring heat wave have engulfed nearly 250,000 acres (101,000 hectares) in western Canada's energy heartland since erupting on Sunday. The blaze, the largest of 40 wildfires burning across the province of Alberta, has forced some 88,000 residents, virtually the entire population of Fort McMurray, to flee for safety, and has threatened two oil sands production sites south of the city.
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| Turkish journalists jailed for five years, hours after courthouse attack Posted: 06 May 2016 01:15 PM PDT  By Ayla Jean Yackley and Melih Aslan ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Two prominent journalists were sentenced to at least five years in jail for revealing state secrets on Friday, just hours after a gunman tried to shoot one of them outside the Istanbul courthouse. Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, who was unscathed in the shooting, was given five years and 10 months. Erdem Gul, the newspaper's Ankara bureau chief, was sentenced to five years.
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| Labour's Khan becomes first Muslim mayor of London after bitter campaign Posted: 06 May 2016 11:13 AM PDT  By William James and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Sadiq Khan, the son of a bus driver, became London's first Muslim mayor on Friday, seeing off a Conservative challenger who attempted to link him to extremism and securing a much-needed victory for his opposition Labour Party. As New York mayor Bill de Blasio sent his congratulations, Khan had yet to receive official notification of his victory, which would go some way to soothing the wounds of Labour which suffered losses in Thursday's other local elections. Dealt a crushing blow in Scotland, where it came third behind the Scottish National Party and Britain's ruling Conservatives, Labour did better than expected in England, saving its left-leaning leader from an early challenge.
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| Panama Papers source breaks silence, denies being a spy: Sueddeutsche Zeitung Posted: 06 May 2016 11:35 AM PDT  Sueddeutsche Zeitung said on Friday that the source of millions of documents leaked to the German newspaper from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca had sent them a manifesto, saying his motivation was the "scale of injustices" the papers revealed. The source had never before publicly stated why he leaked the documents, now known as the Panama Papers, said Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), one of Germany's most reputable newspapers. In an 1,800 word manifesto published on the SZ website on Friday, the source, calling himself "John Doe", praised others who have leaked secret and sensitive documents, such as Edward Snowden, who revealed details of the U.S. government's mass surveillance program.
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| U.S. says it killed 10 al Qaeda militants in Yemen April air strikes Posted: 06 May 2016 04:05 PM PDT The United States killed 10 al Qaeda militants and wounded one in four air strikes in late April, targeting the group's branch in Yemen, a U.S. military statement said on Friday. It said the strikes targeted militants of the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in various parts of Yemen between April 23 and 28. "We remain committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe haven regardless of its location," the statement said. |
| Syrian regime holds patriotic concert in retaken Palmyra Posted: 06 May 2016 04:34 PM PDT  The Syrian regime on Friday put on a patriotic celebration at the ancient city of Palmyra, with flag-waving and military music in a place where just last year jihadists carried out mass executions. President Bashar al-Assad's regime was able to display its control over the world heritage site six weeks after the army, with Russian help, recaptured it from Islamic State fighters. The event marked the centenary of Martyrs' Day, when Syrian nationalists were executed in Damascus by the Ottoman occupiers in 1916.
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| Muslim Londoners jubilant as son of Pakistani immigrant elected mayor Posted: 06 May 2016 04:34 PM PDT  A favourite haunt of the Khan family, the restaurant in the south London district of Tooting -- where the 45-year-old son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver is the local MP -- buzzed with excitement. "We are happy now but he has to fulfil the promises he made," said waiter Shehzad Azhar, 30. "He will do good things," added fellow employee Malik Ahmed, 32.
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| Food crisis as fishermen block access to island in Chile Posted: 06 May 2016 04:32 PM PDT  CHILOE ISLAND, Chile (AP) — Food and gasoline were running dangerously low Friday on this Chilean island that has been blocked from the mainland by desperate fishermen demanding compensation for losing their livelihood to a toxic algae bloom.
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| City at epicenter of Canada fires 'virtually intact' Posted: 06 May 2016 04:31 PM PDT  The center of the city at the heart of the forest fires raging through Alberta's oil sands region remains "largely intact" even though outlying neighborhoods have suffered serious damage, the authorities said Friday. Fort McMurray's downtown area "is largely intact, the hospital is still standing, the telephone center is intact and the water treatment center is back up and running," Alberta's Premier Rachel Notley told reporters during a news conference, adding that municipal buildings and the airport also remain intact. Firefighters have been working to save as many residential areas as possible, Notley said.
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| Labour's Sadiq Khan elected 1st Muslim London mayor Posted: 06 May 2016 04:27 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — Labour Party politician Sadiq Khan has been elected London mayor — the first Muslim to lead Europe's largest city.
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| Security, traffic cameras record chilling advance of Canada wildfire Posted: 06 May 2016 04:04 PM PDT By Liz Hampton GREGOIRE LAKE, Alberta (Reuters) - An indoor security camera gave the world a haunting five-minute glimpse of one of the worst wildfires in Canadian history as it roared through a living room in Fort McMurray and the homeowner watched it burn on his mobile phone. The video from a fixed camera in James O'Reilly's home began with a seemingly serene shot of red walls, a brown couch and a glowing fish tank before the view turned to heavy smoke, ash and flames outside the window, the slow breaking of glass and smoke filling the room. |
| Russia says truce in Aleppo extended for 72 hours Posted: 06 May 2016 04:03 PM PDT  Russia's defence ministry on Friday said that a temporary truce in the Syrian battleground city of Aleppo has been extended for 72 hours "in order to prevent the situation from worsening". At Moscow's initiative "the regime of silence in the province of Latakia and in the city of Aleppo has been extended from 00:01 (local time) on May 7 for 72 hours," the defence ministry said in a statement. The truce had been due to end early Saturday after giving residents some respite from two weeks of fighting that killed more than 280 civilians, even as clashes raged south of the city.
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| Baseball scraps Puerto Rico series amid Zika concerns Posted: 06 May 2016 04:03 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Zika virus concerns have forced the Pirates-Marlins series out of Puerto Rico, with the two games instead shifted to Miami this month.
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| '60 Minutes' report: Russian gold medalists took steroids Posted: 06 May 2016 03:55 PM PDT Four Russian gold-medal winners at the Sochi Olympics used performance-enhancing drugs, the whistleblowers who exposed systemic cheating in that country's track program tell "60 Minutes" in an interview to air Sunday. |
| Colombia to extradite Panama drug-money suspect to US Posted: 06 May 2016 03:49 PM PDT  Colombia will extradite a leader of a prominent Panamanian business family to the United States, where he is charged with laundering money for ruthless drug gangs, authorities said Friday. Police branded the suspect, Nidal Ahmed Waked Hatum, the most-wanted money launderer in the world. "Procedures have been launched via the state prosecution service to carry out the protocol to extradite him to the United States," the vice head of the Colombian police's drug squad, Ricardo Alarcon, told a news conference.
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| Kerry: Diverse graduating class is 'Trump's worst nightmare' Posted: 06 May 2016 03:46 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told college graduates on Friday their diversity is "Donald Trump's worst nightmare" and it's their job to confront global issues ranging from terrorism to climate change.
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| Kazakhstan calls for nuclear free world by 2045 Posted: 06 May 2016 03:44 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Kazakhstan is seeking to encourage a wide ranging discussion of the role of religion in fighting extremism and terrorism and it is calling for a nuclear free world by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations, as the Central Asian nation makes its first bid for a seat on the Security Council. |
| Cameroon's Ekeng dies during Romanian league football game Posted: 06 May 2016 03:41 PM PDT  Cameroon international Patrick Ekeng has died after collapsing on the pitch playing a first division match on Friday with his Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest. Ekeng, who joined the Romanian club in January, was rushed to hospital where staff were unable to resuscitate him. "Resuscitation attempts were made for an hour and half without success," Dinamo team doctor Liviu Batineanu told journalists.
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| Obama blasts Trump: presidency 'not a reality show' Posted: 06 May 2016 03:40 PM PDT  President Barack Obama warned Friday the White House race was not a "reality show" and called for Donald Trump's record to be held to close scrutiny as the billionaire seeks to rally divided Republicans behind him. With Trump seizing the mantle of presumptive Republican nominee this week after his rivals exited the race, debate has turned to whether he will be able to rally party faithful behind him between now and November. Asked about Trump's candidacy, and the resulting chaos on the Republican side, Obama offered some of his most pointed comments yet about the celebrity real estate mogul and long-time star of TV show "The Apprentice," whose political rise has stunned the world.
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| Canelo tries to put Triple G talk aside in fight with Khan Posted: 06 May 2016 03:28 PM PDT  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Canelo Alvarez is fighting Amir Khan, though the chatter this week has mostly been about Gennady Golovkin.
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| Canadians drive through burning city seeking safety from wildfire Posted: 06 May 2016 03:14 PM PDT  Canadian police led convoys of cars through the burning ghost town of Fort McMurray Friday in a risky operation to get thousands of people to safety on the other side. In the latest harrowing chapter of the drama triggered by monster forest fires in Alberta's oil sands region, the convoys of 50 cars at a time made their way through the city at about 50-60 kilometers per hour (30-40 miles per hour), TV footage showed.
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| Japan's Kentucky Derby hopes rest with headstrong Lani Posted: 06 May 2016 03:10 PM PDT  Lani punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with a UAE Derby victory in March, but even the Japan-based colt's connections admit they can't predict what he'll produce in the first leg of US racing's Triple Crown. "If he wants to run, we have a big chance," veteran jockey Yutaka Take says of Lani, who will become just the second Japanese-trained horse to run in the Kentucky Derby -- 21 years after Take himself guided Ski Captain to a 14th-place finish in 1995. Trainer Mikio Matsunaga acknowledged that the Kentucky Derby is a "tough task" for the much-travelled Lani, who departed Japan for Dubai on March 15.
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| Brazil Senate committee recommends Rousseff impeachment Posted: 06 May 2016 03:05 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - A Brazilian Senate committee voted Friday to recommend starting an impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff, who now faces being suspended from office in less than a week. The special committee's decision was non-binding but marked the last formal stage before the full Senate votes Wednesday on whether to put the leftist leader on trial. "The case now goes to the full federal Senate," announced opposition Senator Raimundo Lira following the one-sided vote, which passed 15 to five.
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| Leicester stars warned to behave on Thailand return Posted: 06 May 2016 03:05 PM PDT  Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has urged the Premier League champions to behave as he plans a Thailand return. The Foxes were rocked last year when young players Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson were sacked following an ugly incident during the club's tour of Thailand. Aiyawatt, the son of Leicester owner Vichai, wants the team to return to Thailand following their remarkable Premier League title winning campaign.
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| Bucharest Dinamo player Ekeng dies after collapse at match Posted: 06 May 2016 03:04 PM PDT  BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Dinamo Bucharest player Patrick Ekeng died after he collapsed during a match in the Romanian capital on Friday, doctors said. He was 26.
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| Meth found inside traditional Mexican wooden toys Posted: 06 May 2016 03:04 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — Federal police in western Mexico have found a shipment of about 3 ½ pounds (1.6 kilograms) of methamphetamines hidden inside traditional Mexican cup-and-ball toys known as "baleros." |
| U.S. rights official travels to Vietnam ahead of Obama visit Posted: 06 May 2016 03:01 PM PDT  The State Department's most senior human rights diplomat, Tom Malinowski, will visit Vietnam next week to urge it to make more progress on human rights, the department said on Friday. Meetings by Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, on May 9 and 10 will pave the way for a visit to Vietnam by President Barack Obama later this month, the third U.S. president to travel to the southeast Asian nation since Bill Clinton in 2000.
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| Murray and Nadal to meet in Madrid Open semifinals Posted: 06 May 2016 03:00 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will meet again in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday, a rematch of last year's final won by the British player.
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| Nadal, Murray, Djokovic into Madrid Masters semi-finals Posted: 06 May 2016 03:00 PM PDT  Rafael Nadal will face defending champion Andy Murray in the Madrid Masters semi-finals after extending his perfect start to the European clay-court season to 13 matches with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win over Joao Sousa on Friday. Murray continued his serene passage into the last four by sweeping past eighth seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2. World number one Novak Djokovic also eased into the semi-finals with a 6-3 6-4 over 11th seed Milos Raonic.
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| Former East German first lady Margot Honecker dies in Chile Posted: 06 May 2016 02:55 PM PDT  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Former East German first lady Margot Honecker, who defended the now-vanished Communist country to the end, died Friday in Chile at age 89, a family friend confirmed.
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| UN envoy warns that Iraq's political crisis helps extremists Posted: 06 May 2016 02:54 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. envoy in Iraq strongly urged the country's political leaders and civil society on Friday to work together to resolve the current political deadlock, warning that the ongoing crisis and chaos are only serving the interests of Islamic State extremists. |
| US sends troops to Yemen, steps up anti-Qaeda strikes Posted: 06 May 2016 02:48 PM PDT  The Pentagon acknowledged for the first time Friday it has deployed US troops to Yemen since the country's collapse last year, in a push to bolster Arab and local government forces battling Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the US military has also stepped up air strikes against AQAP fighters in the war-torn country. A "very small number" of American military personnel has been working from a "fixed location" with Yemeni and Arab coalition forces -- especially the Emiratis -- in recent weeks around Mukalla, a port city seized by AQAP a year ago, Davis said.
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| Traumatized, Canada wildfire evacuees reach safety Posted: 06 May 2016 02:45 PM PDT  Wandering River (Canada) (AFP) - Visibly shaken, Margarita Carnicero recalled fearing for her life Friday as she sped to safety through the massive wildfire engulfing the Canadian town of Fort McMurray.
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| Turkish journalist sentenced for revealing state secrets Posted: 06 May 2016 02:45 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Friday sentenced a prominent journalist to more than five years in prison hours after he escaped an attack by a gunman in a trial sharply criticized by international observers.
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| Nadim's path: From Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to Portland Posted: 06 May 2016 02:44 PM PDT  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Soccer is the one constant in Nadia Nadim's life since fleeing the Taliban as a young girl.
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| Quebec City drops plans for 2026 Winter Olympics bid Posted: 06 May 2016 02:39 PM PDT QUEBEC CITY (AP) — Quebec City has dropped plans to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. |
| Former East German first lady Margot Honecker dies in Chile at age 89 Posted: 06 May 2016 02:34 PM PDT SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Former East German first lady Margot Honecker dies in Chile at age 89. |
| EPA chief says carbon rule not killing coal country Posted: 06 May 2016 02:18 PM PDT  By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. environmental regulator said Friday that federal rules to curb power plant pollution are not the cause of the economic decline of coal country after presidential candidates confronted anger on the campaign trail this week from laid-off West Virginia miners. It is saying it louder and clearer everyday," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a Climate Action summit in Washington. McCarthy spoke at the end of a week that saw the three remaining U.S. presidential candidates campaign in coal mining state West Virginia, where mining job losses and mine closures were a central theme.
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