| Venezuela president declares emergency, cites U.S., domestic 'threats' Posted: 14 May 2016 11:55 AM PDT  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a 60-day state of emergency on Friday due to what he called plots from within the OPEC country and the United States to topple his leftist government.
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| Syrian forces retake Deir al-Zor hospital after 'major' Islamic State offensive Posted: 14 May 2016 12:40 PM PDT  Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital. The fighting in and around the hospital also killed at least 24 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said.
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| Brazil rebuffs Latin American leftists over Rousseff suspension Posted: 14 May 2016 01:46 PM PDT  Brazil's interim government dismissed criticism by leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia, over the impeachment process of Dilma Rousseff, who was suspended as president by the senate. The leftist president of El Salvador on Saturday added to the regional pressure on Brazil, saying that he would not recognize the interim government and recalled his ambassador, claiming there had been "political manipulation" in Latin America's biggest country.
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| Brexit leader Johnson says EU on same doomed path as Hitler Posted: 14 May 2016 02:43 PM PDT  Boris Johnson, who is leading the "Out" campaign ahead of Britain's European Union membership referendum, said in an interview that the bloc was following the path of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon by trying to create a European superstate. "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically," Johnson was quoted as saying in an interview.
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| Australia charges five men over sailing plot to join Islamic State Posted: 14 May 2016 11:50 AM PDT  By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police have charged five men held earlier this week on suspicion of planning to travel in a small motor boat to Indonesia and the Philippines en route to join Islamic State in Syria. The five were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-meter motor boat almost 3,000 km (1,865 miles) from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said. Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of potential attacks, while there have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead.
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| Hezbollah blames rebel shelling for death of top commander in Syria Posted: 14 May 2016 04:30 AM PDT  By Lisa Barrington BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Saturday its top military commander, whose death it announced on Friday, was killed in Syria by Sunni Islamist artillery fire and not by an Israeli air strike as one member of the Lebanese Shi'ite movement had said. "Investigations have showed that the explosion, which targeted one of our bases near Damascus International Airport, and which led to the martyrdom of commander Mustafa Badreddine, was the result of artillery bombardment carried out by takfiri (hardline Sunni) groups in the area," Hezbollah said in a statement. The Shi'ite Muslim group is fighting in Syria, backing President Bashar al-Assad against a range of Sunni groups including Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.
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| Mexico court absolves soldiers in army killing of suspects Posted: 14 May 2016 05:05 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican civilian court has freed the last three soldiers accused of homicide in a 2014 incident in which at least a dozen suspects were allegedly executed after they surrendered.
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| Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil set to leave hospital Posted: 14 May 2016 05:04 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil is set to be released from a Sao Paulo hospital where he has been treated for the last four days for renal insufficiency.
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| Ukraine's Jamala wins 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Posted: 14 May 2016 04:46 PM PDT  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Ukraine's Jamala was crowned the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday for a melancholic tune about the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet authorities.
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| Haskins beats Morales with confident title defense Posted: 14 May 2016 04:34 PM PDT CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Britain's Lee Haskins successfully defended his IBF world bantamweight title with a unanimous points victory over Mexico's Ivan Morales on Saturday. |
| Fast greens leave players shocked, grumbling at Sawgrass Posted: 14 May 2016 04:20 PM PDT  PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — So much for that soft, gentle TPC Sawgrass.
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| 3 slain near beach in troubled Mexican resort of Acapulco Posted: 14 May 2016 04:17 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say three men were gunned down in a tourist-hotel quarter of the Pacific Coast resort city of Acapulco.
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| Maduro in crackdown under Venezuela emergency decree Posted: 14 May 2016 04:14 PM PDT  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a sweeping crackdown Saturday under a new emergency decree, ordering the seizure of paralyzed factories, the arrest of their owners and military exercises to counter alleged foreign threats. The embattled leftist is struggling to contain a raging economic crisis that has led to food shortages, soaring prices, riots, looting and vigilante justice, pushing Venezuela to the brink of collapse. Addressing his supporters at a rally in central Caracas on Saturday, Maduro announced some of the actions to be taken under the decree, which has not yet been published.
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| No treble for Morales clan as Haskins defends bantamweight crown Posted: 14 May 2016 04:05 PM PDT  Ivan Morales's hopes of joining his two brothers as a world champion were dashed on Saturday when the Mexican suffered a unanimous points defeat by title-holder Lee Haskins in their International Boxing Federation bantamweight clash in Cardiff. Erik Morales was a four-time world champion, while Diego Morales won the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super flyweight crown.
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| Protest in Haiti capital demands departure of interim leader Posted: 14 May 2016 04:03 PM PDT  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Protesters have marched in Haiti's capital demanding the departure of an interim president who was supposed to leave office this weekend.
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| Injured British sailor abandons yacht, rescued by cargo ship Posted: 14 May 2016 03:51 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Officials with the Transat bakerly trans-Atlantic race say an injured British sailor abandoned his yacht and was rescued by a cargo ship. |
| Super Rugby: Stormers only draw at Sunwolves, Beale injured Posted: 14 May 2016 03:45 PM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's Stormers had to scrape a draw against Japanese newcomers the Sunwolves in one of the surprises of the Super Rugby season, and England-bound center Kurtley Beale left on a stretcher in the first minute of New South Wales' win over the Bulls on Saturday.
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| Climate activists in New York, Washington state protest fossil fuels Posted: 14 May 2016 03:36 PM PDT (Reuters) - Hundreds of climate change activists in Washington state and New York mobilized on Saturday as part of a global protest against fossil fuels, event organizers said. The so-called Break Free 2016 is a 12-day protest event seeking to call attention to climate change and demanding a transition to clean energy, according to the organization's website. Hundreds of activists were holding a protest in Anacortes, Washington, after about 150 demonstrators spent Friday night occupying railroad tracks leading to Tesoro Corp and Royal Dutch Shell refineries some 70 miles (113 km)north of Seattle. |
| German police find pig's head outside Merkel's constituency office Posted: 14 May 2016 03:33 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Police found a pig's head bearing a written insult against German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the entrance to her constituency office in the northeastern town of Stralsund on Saturday, state police said. Police declined to provide further details about the insult when contacted by Reuters, saying an investigation had been launched. Merkel's popularity has waned due to her liberal migrant policy. ...
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| Ibrahimovic sets PSG goal record in final French league game Posted: 14 May 2016 03:29 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic set a record for league goals in a single season by a Paris Saint-Germain player, saying farewell on Saturday with a brace in a 4-0 win over Nantes in the French league.
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| Higuain breaks 66-year-old scoring record, Napoli comes 2nd Posted: 14 May 2016 03:19 PM PDT  MILAN (AP) — Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat trick to break a 66-year-old record and help Napoli secure second spot in Serie A with a 4-0 win over 10-man Frosinone on Saturday.
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| U.S. concern grows over possible Venezuela meltdown: officials Posted: 14 May 2016 03:19 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday. In a bleak assessment of Venezuela's worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office. ... |
| Ferrari disappointed at performance in Spanish GP qualifying Posted: 14 May 2016 03:08 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Ferrari started Spanish Grand Prix qualifying by daring to believe it could end Mercedes' run of four straight pole positions. It ended qualifying by wondering why it couldn't even make it to the second row.
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| EU trying to do same as Hitler, says UK's Boris Johnson Posted: 14 May 2016 03:07 PM PDT  Former London mayor Boris Johnson claimed the European Union was behaving like German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler by trying to create a superstate, in a Sunday newspaper interview. Johnson is one of the leading figures campaigning for Britain to leave the EU in a June 23 referendum. "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically.
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| Pep Guardiola leaves Munich showered in beer and praise Posted: 14 May 2016 02:53 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — Pep Guardiola was showered with beer and praise during Bundesliga title celebrations following his last home game as Bayern Munich coach on Saturday.
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| The Latest: Timberlake performs at Eurovision Song Contest Posted: 14 May 2016 02:34 PM PDT  STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest (all times local):
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| Mexico convicts 10 officials in deadly day care fire Posted: 14 May 2016 02:33 PM PDT  Mexico convicted and sentenced 10 government officials to prison for up to 29 years over a 2009 day care fire that killed 49 children, court sources said Saturday. The convictions ranged from 20-29 years for negligent homicide and negligent personal harm against 38 of the 49 children plus five adults, a Sonora state court said. The preschool was under the authority of the Mexican Social Security Institute.
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| Cyprus leaders say still on track for 2016 deal Posted: 14 May 2016 02:24 PM PDT  To mark one year since UN-backed Cyprus peace talks resumed, Cypriot leaders said on Sunday they remain as committed as ever to reunifying the Mediterranean island in 2016. Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci, in a joint statement, said their common goal was a "win-win solution" after four decades of division. UN-brokered Cyprus peace talks are at a critical juncture.
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| Britain's opposing camps intensify EU referendum campaigns Posted: 14 May 2016 02:11 PM PDT  Campaigning for Britain's tight referendum on leaving the European Union stepped up Saturday as Prime Minister David Cameron hammered home the economic impact of Brexit. Cameron, fighting for his political future in the June 23 referendum which polls suggest is neck-and-neck, said Britain could slip into recession if it votes to withdraw from the European bloc. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, made one of his highest-profile appearances of the campaign at a rally in London.
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| Swiss town in shock after soccer coach held over 4 killings Posted: 14 May 2016 02:04 PM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — The small Swiss town of Rupperswil is in shock after learning that a long-time local youth soccer coach is suspected of being behind the brutal killings of four people last December.
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| Rival Cyprus leaders aim for end-of-year peace deal Posted: 14 May 2016 02:02 PM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus say they are committed to stepping up talks in hopes of reaching a reunification deal by the end the year. |
| More help needed to defeat Boko Haram, rebuild, summit told Posted: 14 May 2016 02:00 PM PDT  Regional and Western powers were on Saturday urged to do more to stop the threat from Boko Haram, as the UN voiced concern about the militants' ties to the Islamic State group and threat to African security. Nigeria invited leaders of its neighbours Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to Abuja, whose troops will be deployed as part of a much-delayed 8,500-member regional force to combat the Islamists. "We must sustain this fight until evil is defeated and good prevails," he told the gathering, calling for countries affected to win the "hearts and minds of those terrorised by Boko Haram".
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| Mexico: 11 sentenced to prison for deadly day care fire Posted: 14 May 2016 01:44 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced nine former officials and two other people to 20 or more years in prison for a fire at a day care center in which 49 children died. |
| Barcelona leaves it late to win 2nd straight title in Spain Posted: 14 May 2016 01:41 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona left it late — very late — but finally rescued its season by pulling off five straight victories to clinch its second straight Spanish league title on Saturday.
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| Mexico court clears three soldiers in 2014 gang suspect massacre Posted: 14 May 2016 01:38 PM PDT  Three Mexican soldiers accused of taking part in a massacre of 22 gang suspects in 2014 have been freed by a judge for lack of evidence, officials said. The soldiers -- the last of seven initially charged -- were accused of killing eight of the suspected gang members in cold blood in a warehouse in the central municipality of Tlatlaya on June 30, 2014. The army initially said the 22 suspects were killed in a shootout.
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| Canada rout Slovaks to extend winning ways at hockey worlds Posted: 14 May 2016 01:31 PM PDT  Defending champions Canada prevailed over 2002 title-winners Slovakia 5-0 in their world championship Group B encounter to record their fifth win in as many matches in Saint Petersburg on Saturday. Derick Brassard of New York Rangers collected a goal and an assist, while Cam Talbot produced 18 saves for a shutout setting Canada on their way to a 15th consecutive win at the worlds. Toronto rear guard Morgan Rielly put Canada into the lead with a shot from the blue line, while Colorado center Matt Duchene scored off Brad Marchand's pass from behind the goal to give Canada a 2-0 lead at the first break.
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| Kitsch, glitz and politics as Russia slated to win Eurovision Posted: 14 May 2016 01:27 PM PDT  Belgium's Laura Tesoro brought a dash of silver sparkle to Stockholm on Saturday as she kicked off the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the continent's annual music extravaganza, with Russia the hot favourite to win. The upbeat performance of "What's the Pressure" by 19-year-old Tesoro, who bounced on stage in a shiny silver jacket with matching shorts, was followed by the Czech Republic's first-ever appearance in the final with Gabriela Guncikova performing the emotional ballad "I Stand". Bookies were tipping Russia as the winner, the country's hopes pinned on a former child celebrity who has spoken out against homophobia in his home country.
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| Cocktail was 'religious event' trial told as cardinals stay away Posted: 14 May 2016 01:05 PM PDT  Top cardinal Pietro Parolin and two close associates of Pope Francis have sidestepped giving evidence in the controversial and increasingly embarrassing Vatican trial of five people accused of leaking classified Holy See documents. Vatican number two Parolin, fellow cardinal Santo Abril y Castello and Archbishop Konrad Krajewski had all been asked to give evidence on behalf of one of the accused, PR consultant Francesca Chaouqui. The three clerics invoked an article of the Vatican's penal code which allows them to decline to testify for professional reasons.
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| Hezbollah says Islamist extremists killed military chief in Syria Posted: 14 May 2016 12:52 PM PDT  Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah on Saturday blamed Sunni extremists for killing its top military commander in Syria and vowed to keep fighting to defend President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Islamist State (IS) jihadist group, meanwhile, briefly overran a government-controlled hospital in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, triggering a battle with pro-regime forces in which 59 fighters were killed, a monitor said. Hezbollah has deployed thousands of fighters in Syria where Mustafa Badreddine had led its intervention in support of Assad's forces, which are also backed by Russia and Iran.
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