| North Korea leader Kim says will not use nuclear arms unless threatened: KCNA Posted: 07 May 2016 03:43 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed on by others with nuclear arms and it is willing to normalize ties with states that had been hostile towards it, state media reported on Sunday. The North will faithfully fulfill its obligation for nuclear non-proliferation and strive for ending nuclear buildup in the world, Kim said in a report to a congress of its ruling Workers' Party (WPK) which opened on Friday, KCNA news agency said. The first congress in 36 years began with much fanfare amid anticipation by the South Korean government and experts that the young leader will try to use it to further consolidate power in a state he took over in 2011 after his father's sudden death.
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| Canada wildfire explodes in size, fed by hot, dry weather Posted: 07 May 2016 09:26 AM PDT  A raging Canadian wildfire grew explosively on Saturday as hot, dry winds pushed the blaze across the energy heartland of Alberta and smoke forced the shut down of a major oil sands project. The fire that has already prompted the evacuation of 88,000 people from the city of Fort McMurray was on its way to doubling in size on Saturday, the seventh day of what is expected to be the costliest natural disaster in Canada's history. Police escorted another convoy of evacuees out of the oil sands region north of Fort McMurray, taking them on a harrowing journey through burned out parts of the city and billowing smoke.
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| Saudi shake-up rolls on with big reshuffle of economic posts Posted: 07 May 2016 11:11 AM PDT  By Angus McDowall and Katie Paul RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday replaced his veteran oil minister and restructured some big ministries in a major reshuffle apparently intended to support a wide-ranging economic reform programme unveiled last week. The most eye-catching move was the creation of a new Energy, Industry and Natural Resources Ministry under Khaled al-Falih, chairman of the state oil company Aramco.
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| Brazil meat packer JBS denies making undeclared payments for Rousseff campaign Posted: 07 May 2016 03:29 PM PDT  JBS SA, the world's largest beef producer, denied a Saturday newspaper report that it had made illegal payments for President Dilma Rousseff's 2014 reelection campaign. The O Globo newspaper, citing leaked testimony given to federal investigators by Monica Moura, the wife of Rousseff's campaign chief Joao Santana, earlier reported that JBS paid the Rousseff campaign's debt to Focal, a Sao Paulo-based visual communications firm. The report did not say how much money JBS allegedly paid to Focal, but said the payment was not declared to electoral authorities.
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| Turkey's Erdogan pours cold water on hopes of progress on EU deal Posted: 07 May 2016 08:20 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday poured more cold water on hopes for progress with Europe on a deal to curb migration, suggesting Ankara would not change its anti-terrorism laws just to meet European Union requirements. The EU has asked member states to grant visa-free travel to Turks in return for Ankara stopping migrants from reaching Europe, but said Turkey still had to change some legislation, including bringing its terrorism laws in line with EU standards. The migrant deal between Brussels and Ankara was negotiated by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who this week announced his decision to step down as premier, capping weeks of public tension with Erdogan.
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| Two more suspects detained in attempted shooting of Turkish journalist: Anadolu Posted: 07 May 2016 10:30 AM PDT  Turkish police detained two more suspects on Saturday over the attempted shooting of a prominent Turkish journalist as he waited outside an Istanbul courthouse for a verdict in his trial. A gunman attempted to shoot Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the secular Cumhuriyet newspaper, on Friday, hours before he was sentenced by the court to more than five years in jail for revealing state secrets. Dundar was unharmed but a journalist covering the trial, which has caused widespread alarm about freedom of the press in Turkey, was injured.
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| Excitable Lani settles down to run 9th in Kentucky Derby Posted: 07 May 2016 04:35 PM PDT  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Preparing Lani for Saturday's Kentucky Derby was the easy part. Getting him to follow directions on race day was a much tougher test for his handlers.
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| Belgium captain Vincent Kompany ruled out of Euro 2016 Posted: 07 May 2016 04:34 PM PDT  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Belgium captain Vincent Kompany says he has been ruled out of the European Championship.
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| London's new Muslim mayor condemns 'Trump-style' attacks Posted: 07 May 2016 04:33 PM PDT  London's new Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan accused Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday of using "Donald Trump playbook" tactics to try to divide communities in a bid to prevent his election. The day after being sworn in with a promise to be "mayor for all Londoners", the Labour lawmaker condemned Cameron's Conservatives for trying to link him to Islamic extremists during the election campaign. "They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other -- something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook," Khan wrote in The Observer newspaper.
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| Top Asian News 11:25 p.m. GMT Posted: 07 May 2016 04:25 PM PDT PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is invaded. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying he is also ready to improve ties with "hostile" nations in a diplomatic overture in the face of international pressure over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. The news agency said Sunday that Kim, during a critical ruling party congress, called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust between them and urged the U.S. to stay away from inter-Korean issues. |
| Kim Jong Un says Pyongyang won't use nukes first Posted: 07 May 2016 04:25 PM PDT  PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is invaded.
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| Japanese win provisional AC World Series race in New York Posted: 07 May 2016 04:21 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — With light wind affecting the schedule, SoftBank Team Japan won a provisional race Saturday at the America's Cup World Series regatta on the Hudson River. |
| Canada fire 'out of control,' expected to double in size Posted: 07 May 2016 04:19 PM PDT  "This remains a big, out of control, dangerous fire," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said of the raging inferno the size of London that forced the evacuation of the city of Fort McMurray. Some 1,570 square kilometers (600 square miles) had been devastated since the blaze began almost a week ago and the fire had grown by an additional 50 percent in less than 24 hours, Goodale told a televised news conference. Alberta's government crisis cell cautioned that fire conditions remained extreme in the province due to low humidity, high temperatures and gusty winds.
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| Nigerian leader, Kerry join UK anti-corruption summit Posted: 07 May 2016 04:17 PM PDT  The presidents of Afghanistan, Colombia and Nigeria will join US Secretary of State John Kerry at an anti-corruption summit in London next week, which British leader David Cameron said Sunday will make the issue a global priority. The prime minister wants those attending Thursday's day-long summit to sign the "first ever declaration against corruption" that would acknowledge the damage it causes and commit them to tackling it. Together we will push the fight against corruption to the top of the international agenda where it belongs," Cameron said.
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| Three Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria freed Posted: 07 May 2016 03:46 PM PDT  Three Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria some 10 months ago were freed on Saturday and are due to fly home from Turkey, the Spanish Press Federation and the government said. "All three have been released, Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre, and are on their way (to Spain)," said Elsa Gonzalez, president of the Spanish Press Federation (FAPE).
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| El Salvador court takes up case on ex-president's finances Posted: 07 May 2016 03:24 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — A court in El Salvador has agreed to consider a civil case against former President Mauricio Funes, his wife and one of his sons for possible illicit enrichment. |
| Rescue workers retrieving pets in aftermath of Canadian wildfire Posted: 07 May 2016 03:20 PM PDT By Liz Hampton WANDERING RIVER, Alberta (Reuters) - Emergency workers in Alberta are joining a grassroots effort to rescue pets trapped in homes after a massive wildfire forced their owners to leave without them. Kevin Wonitowy, a locksmith for 20 years, said he entered the city of Fort McMurray on Saturday to pick the locks of homes with pets, after a request from the local emergency management team. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which oversees Fort McMurray, said on its website that it was sending teams to rescue pets at their owners' request but noted the use of a locksmith would be a last resort. |
| Australians Edwards, Hackett take aim at Jets' punting job Posted: 07 May 2016 03:10 PM PDT  FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Lachlan Edwards and Tom Hackett are two laid-back guys from Down Under trying to get a leg up in the New York Jets' punting competition.
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| Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' transferred to jail near US border Posted: 07 May 2016 02:56 PM PDT  The Mexican authorities transferred the notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to a prison in Ciudad Juarez on the US border Saturday morning in a surprise move, officials said. Despite speculation, Guzman's transfer had "absolutely nothing" to do with his possible extradition or deportation to the United States -- where he faces extradition requests by courts in California and Texas for homicide and drug trafficking -- Eduardo Sanchez, spokesman for the president's office, told AFP. The authorities said they moved Guzman to prevent any escape attempt during construction to strengthen his maximum-security prison in Altiplano, 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital Mexico City.
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| Barker's Team Japan grab first America's Cup World Series NY win Posted: 07 May 2016 02:56 PM PDT  Softbank Team Japan, the AC45 catamaran skippered by New Zealand's Dean Barker, won Saturday's only race as light winds played havoc with the America's Cup World Series New York. Sweden's Artemis Racing, captained by Nathan Outteridge, finished second and France's Groupama Team France (Franck Cammas) were third despite two penalties.
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| 5,000-1 longshot Leicester collects Premier League trophy Posted: 07 May 2016 02:54 PM PDT  LEICESTER, England (AP) — In scenes that would have seemed absurd a year ago, Leicester captain Wes Morgan collected the English Premier League trophy on Saturday after one of the most improbable turnarounds by a sports team.
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| Djokovic downs Nishikori to set-up Murray Madrid Masters final Posted: 07 May 2016 02:50 PM PDT  World number one Novak Djokovic set-up a mouthwatering Madrid Masters final showdown against defending champion Andy Murray by seeing off Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday. Murray, the second seed, earlier registered just his second ever win over Rafael Nadal on clay to make the final with a 7-5, 6-4 victory. The Serb slowly began to find his rhythm and broke through in the eighth game as Nishikori pulled a forehand wide before serving out for the set.
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| Morales ex-partner seeks to deny him paternity rights Posted: 07 May 2016 02:49 PM PDT  A former partner of Bolivian President Evo Morales said Saturday that she will pursue legal action to deny him paternity rights over a child she claims is theirs. In a case that has plunged the 56-year-old leader into scandal, Morales had claimed he fathered a child with Gabriela Zapata who later died, before changing his story to say the child never existed. A court ordered the leftist president to undergo a test, and he has, but Zapata says its results can't be trusted.
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| Jutanugarn takes LPGA Tour lead in Alabama with birdie run Posted: 07 May 2016 02:45 PM PDT  PRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Ariya Jutanugarn knows the pain of losing a final-round lead, so she's sticking with the theme of "having fun" this time.
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| Germany's rider Jung on brink of Grand Slam Posted: 07 May 2016 02:44 PM PDT  Germany's Michael Jung was on the brink of landing the richest prize in three-day eventing after a superb cross-country round in the Badminton Horse Trials in south-west England on Saturday. Any rider who wins consecutive titles at Burghley in England, the United States' Kentucky event and Badminton completes the Grand Slam and with that claims a jackpot worth £240,000 ($347,000, 305,000 euros). The only rider to have completed this treble is Britain's Pippa Funnell and that was 13 years ago.
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| Sporting ensures Portuguese title will go down to last day Posted: 07 May 2016 02:43 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Sporting Lisbon ensured the Portuguese league will be decided in the final round after taking the overnight lead from Benfica on Saturday. |
| Inter Milan beats Empoli 2-1 to secure 4th spot in Serie A Posted: 07 May 2016 02:41 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan beat Empoli 2-1 in the penultimate round to mathematically secure fourth spot in Serie A on Saturday and a berth in the Europa League.
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| Lyon secures automatic qualification for Champions League Posted: 07 May 2016 02:37 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Lyon all but secured the second automatic spot for the Champions League after thrashing Monaco 6-1 in the French league on Saturday. |
| Brazil: Leftist deputy asks court to block impeachment vote Posted: 07 May 2016 02:36 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - A deputy from the ruling Workers' Party has appealed to Brazil's Supreme Court in an effort to block the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff ahead of Wednesday's Senate vote. Deputy Paulo Teixeira asked the court to annul a vote taken on April 17, saying political leaders had exercised illegal and improper pressure on their members, local news media reported Saturday. At a plenary session on that day, an overwhelming majority of parliament (367 to 146 members) voted to launch impeachment proceedings against the leftist president, whom the opposition accuses of illegally manipulating government budget numbers to help her re-election chances in 2014.
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| Townsend of Atlanta earns French Open wild card from USTA Posted: 07 May 2016 02:36 PM PDT WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — Taylor Townsend of Atlanta has clinched a French Open main-draw wild card from the U.S. Tennis Association. |
| Petition of 1.5 mn counted for Maduro's removal Posted: 07 May 2016 02:20 PM PDT  Venezuela's opposition forces on Saturday said electoral authorities have tallied 1.5 million signatures seeking to force President Nicolas Maduro from power with a recall referendum. Oil-dependent Venezuela has descended ever deeper into economic turmoil as global crude prices have collapsed, triggering food shortages, rampant inflation and now an electricity crisis. The center-right opposition, which won control of the legislature in elections last December, is seeking to organize a recall referendum to cut short Maduro's term.
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| Mexican drug boss 'Chapo' moved to jail on U.S. border Posted: 07 May 2016 02:20 PM PDT  Mexican drug boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was moved on Saturday from a jail in central Mexico to a prison in Ciudad Juarez, a northern city on the U.S. border, in a move that appears to bring him closer to extradition to the United States. Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was one of the world's most wanted drug kingpins until his capture in January, six months after he broke out of a high-security penitentiary in central Mexico through a mile-long tunnel.
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| Ranieri soaked in champagne as Leicester receives EPL trophy Posted: 07 May 2016 02:19 PM PDT  LEICESTER, England (AP) — With an English Premier League winner's' medal around his neck, Claudio Ranieri was preparing to reflect on the emotions of Saturday's trophy presentation ceremony away from the boisterous partying on the field.
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| Murray beats Nadal, will meet Djokovic in Madrid final Posted: 07 May 2016 02:12 PM PDT  MADRID (AP) — Continuing to impress on clay ahead of the French Open, Andy Murray defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 to reach his second straight Madrid Open final on Saturday.
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| Kenya building collapse toll stands at 49 as rescue efforts end Posted: 07 May 2016 02:08 PM PDT  A total of 49 people are confirmed to have died after an apartment building collapsed in the Kenyan capital last week, authorities said Saturday, as they announced the end of the rescue operations. The six-storey block went down on April 29 in an impoverished part of Nairobi following days of heavy rain, triggering a desperate search for survivors. Overall, 140 people were rescued, said Pius Masai, the head of Kenya's natural disaster management unit.
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| CSKA closes in on Russian title with win over Terek Posted: 07 May 2016 02:05 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — CSKA Moscow closed in on the Russian Premier League title by beating Terek Grozny 1-0 while Zenit St. Petersburg kept up its chance for a Champions League spot on Saturday. |
| Some residents stay behind in evacuated Fort McMurray Posted: 07 May 2016 02:03 PM PDT  Police were still working Saturday to evacuate residents left behind in the Canadian city at the epicenter of the country's ferocious wildfire, nearly a week into the disaster. Police going door to door are coming across isolated cases of those unwilling or unable to follow the mandatory order to evacuate the city that came shortly before midnight Tuesday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Kevin Kunetzki said.
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| Wildfire evacuees get supplies, support at evacuation center Posted: 07 May 2016 01:59 PM PDT  LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (AP) — A community recreation center has become a lifeline for thousands of evacuees from the massive wildfire raging north of this small city.
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| Fort McMurray foreign workers may have to leave Canada Posted: 07 May 2016 01:45 PM PDT  Jonathan Infante fled for his life from wildfires ravaging Canada's remote Athabasca oil-producing region, and now he and other migrant workers face the grim prospect of having to altogether leave Canada. Among the evacuees were almost two dozen distraught migrant workers who arrived late Friday at a government shelter in Edmonton, Alberta's capital. Marco Luciano of the migrant advocacy group Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights in Canada, who was on hand to greet them, said many showed up in their work uniforms.
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