| U.S., Russia stalemate on Syria frustrates European powers Posted: 16 May 2016 02:40 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols and John Irish UNITED NATIONS/VIENNA (Reuters) - The Obama administration's failure to convince Moscow that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go is fueling European frustration at being sidelined in efforts to end the country's five-year civil war, diplomats say.Some diplomats and analysts question whether the United States has misread Russia's desire to keep Assad in power. "Many have consistently underestimated Russia's determination to prevent this regime from falling," said Philip Gordon, a former National Security Council aide to U.S. President Barack Obama. "They've been pretty clear that they're not prepared to let this happen." Ahead of a meeting on Tuesday of the 17-nation group backing Syria peace talks in Vienna, a senior U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Europeans "tend to be pretty skeptical about the U.S.-Russia bilateralism." He said there were creative ways to provide for a transition away from Assad to give Syrian opposition groups a reason to stop fighting and start negotiating.
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| Cuba and United States draw up roadmap for talks to deepen detente Posted: 16 May 2016 04:58 PM PDT  Cuba and the United States aim to reach new agreements on cooperation in law enforcement, health and agriculture over the coming months, a senior Cuban official said on Monday, as part of the former Cold War foes' drive to normalize ties. The Communist-ruled island and its northern neighbor reestablished diplomatic relations a year ago after decades of hostility and have since signed deals on the environment, postal services and direct flights. A bilateral commission met on Monday in Havana to establish a roadmap for talks over the rest of this year, which would include more high-ranking official visits, said Josefina Vidal, head of the Cuban delegation.
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| Anger, fear sweeps Turkish border town under attack from Islamic State Posted: 16 May 2016 07:43 AM PDT  By Humeyra Pamuk KILIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish shopkeeper Mehmet Baykal knew he had less than 10 seconds to dive under his desk when he heard another rocket being fired from Islamic State-held territory across the border in Syria. The ground shakes with pressure and then it is dust everywhere," Baykal, 45, who has lived all his life in Kilis, said as he stood on its main shopping street, several of its stores shuttered. "Kilis never knew what terror was.
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| Pope criticizes West for trying to export own brand of democracy to Iraq, Libya Posted: 16 May 2016 01:45 PM PDT  Pope Francis criticized Western powers for trying to export their own brand of democracy to countries such as Iraq and Libya without respecting indigenous political cultures, according to an interview published on Monday. Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful. "Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.
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| Brazil's Temer wants proposal for pension reform within 30 days Posted: 16 May 2016 03:42 PM PDT  By Lisandra Paraguassu and Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian interim President Michel Temer agreed with union leaders on Monday to draft a blueprint for overhauling the creaking pension system within a month, as he seeks to restore confidence in Latin America's largest economy. Temer, who took power last week when the Senate voted to suspend leftist President Dilma Rousseff, has vowed to plug a fiscal gap equivalent to more than 10 percent of economic output last year. Doing so will require sweeping changes to the burdensome pension system, such as raising the minimum age of retirement.
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| Alberta wildfire near Enbridge crude oil tank farm: officials Posted: 16 May 2016 02:47 PM PDT  By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A massive wildfire burning around the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, is about 1 km (1,094 yards) away from Enbridge Inc's Cheecham crude oil tank farm, but is under control for now, emergency officials said on Monday. The blaze near the tank farm was stable because the wind was cooperating as Enbridge's industrial firefighters tackled the blaze, the officials said at a news conference.
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| Deadly attack on Haiti police headquarters as tensions escalate Posted: 16 May 2016 04:39 PM PDT By Joseph Guyler Delva PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a police headquarters in southern Haiti on Monday leaving at least six killed in a shootout and a related accident in an apparent uprising attempt days after the volatile country missed a deadline to sign in a new president. The police chief for Haiti's southern region, Luc Pierre, said gunmen in military fatigues attacked at night in the coastal city of Les Cayes. "Gunmen in military fatigue attacked police headquarters around 2:30 a.m., they beat several police officers and took away a number of weapons," Pierre said, adding that several policemen had been wounded, one seriously. |
| Peru presidential candidate denies money laundering Posted: 16 May 2016 04:25 PM PDT  LIMA, Peru (AP) — Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori denied a news report that raised questions about whether she was involved in money laundering.
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| Clinton woos blue-collar voters in Kentucky, hits Trump Posted: 16 May 2016 04:25 PM PDT  Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton campaigned across Kentucky on the eve of the state's Tuesday primary, desperate to improve her standing among working-class white men and painting sharp contrasts with her likely election adversary Donald Trump. Clinton's rival Bernie Sanders is gunning for victory in the Bluegrass State, building on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia as he battles to keep his long-shot nomination bid alive. Also on Tuesday the northwest state of Oregon holds its Democratic and Republican primaries, where limited polling has indicated Clinton is ahead.
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| Venezuela emergency decree boosts security powers Posted: 16 May 2016 04:24 PM PDT  Venezuela's army is to be backed by civilians grouped into ancillary security units, to tackle food shortages and public unrest, under a state of emergency decree published on Monday. The decree, published in the government gazette, brings into effect for at least 60 days sweeping powers President Nicolas Maduro announced on Friday. The measures give his government and security forces broad authorization to ignore most constitutional safeguards in a bid to keep order and supply basic food and services, and to counter a crippling energy shortage.
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| Andretti drivers sweep top 4 spots at 1st Indy 500 practice Posted: 16 May 2016 04:24 PM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — After Marco Andretti jumped atop the speed chart during Monday's first Indianapolis 500 practice, he tried to put the brakes on the expectations.
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| US, other powers want to arm Libyan government Posted: 16 May 2016 04:22 PM PDT  VIENNA (AP) — In a move fraught with risk, the United States and other world powers said Monday they would supply Libya's internationally recognized government with weapons to counter the Islamic State and other militant groups gaining footholds in the chaos-wracked country's lawless regions.
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| UN envoy calls for end to political infighting in Kosovo Posted: 16 May 2016 04:06 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The election of a new Kosovo president and the return to power of Serbia's government provide "an excellent opportunity" to end political infighting and focus instead on challenges facing the region, the U.N. envoy for Kosovo said Monday. |
| Azerbaijan and Armenia leaders agree Karabakh truce Posted: 16 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT  Azerbaijan and Armenia took a step back from the brink of open war on Monday as their presidents agreed to respect a ceasefire in the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh. In their first encounter since fierce fighting erupted last month, Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev and his Armenia's Serzh Sarkisian also agreed to renewed peace talks in June. The deal was also a rare joint diplomatic victory for the United States and Russia, one day before the rival great powers were to co-chair crisis talks on Syria.
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| Top Asian News 10:58 p.m. GMT Posted: 16 May 2016 03:58 PM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Presumptive Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he will reimpose the death penalty, offer Cabinet posts to communist rebels, and move to amend the constitution to give more power to the provinces, in some of his first policy pronouncements since winning last week's election based on an unofficial count. In his first nationally televised news conference since the May 9 vote, Duterte also said he will launch a major military offensive to destroy Abu Sayyaf extremists on southern Jolo Island. The announcements, a sharp departure from current government policy, reflect his brash campaign pledge to end crime and corruption in the impoverished nation in three to six months. |
| Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' wins Man Booker fiction prize Posted: 16 May 2016 03:58 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — South Korean author Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction Monday with "The Vegetarian," an unsettling novel in which a woman's decision to stop eating meat has devastating consequences.
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| Peru presidential candidate questions alleged laundering probe Posted: 16 May 2016 03:56 PM PDT  Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori said on Monday a report linking her and a senior aide to money laundering was "dirty" politics and an attempt to smear her three weeks before a closely-fought election. The report broadcast on America Television on Sunday night featured comments from a man who was identified as a pilot and informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who said the agency was investigating audio he recorded in 2013. In the audio, he said, the secretary general of Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party, Joaquin Ramirez, stated he had laundered $15 million for her during a previous political campaign.
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| Gunmen in green uniforms attack police station in Haiti Posted: 16 May 2016 03:55 PM PDT PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gunmen wearing green uniforms attacked a police station in Haiti's southern peninsula before dawn Monday, killing an officer and wounding two before fleeing. |
| Sen. Bernie Sanders visits Puerto Rico amid debt crisis Posted: 16 May 2016 03:51 PM PDT  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders warned Monday of a humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, calling on the U.S. government to support a debt restructure in the territory.
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| Canada announces ban on transgender discrimination Posted: 16 May 2016 03:50 PM PDT  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced legislation Monday to protect transgender people from hate speech and discrimination, as debate rages in the United States over laws restricting their rights. "Even today, despite all the obstacles we have overcome, the battles we have won, and the victories we have celebrated, we are still witnesses, and in some cases, victims of injustices," Trudeau said in a speech at a Montreal event hosted by gay rights group Fondation Emergence. The bill is to be officially unveiled by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould on Tuesday, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
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| Guatemala, Belize to hold talks on border dispute Posted: 16 May 2016 03:38 PM PDT  Guatemala and Belize will hold talks in Turkey this weekend on a border dispute that veered toward crisis last month after Belizean soldiers killed a Guatemalan boy. Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington will meet Saturday in Istanbul with his Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Raul Morales, the two sides said. The two Central American countries have a 150-year-old dispute centered on the Sarstoon River, which runs between them.
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| Estimated 240,000 people watch Leicester parade EPL trophy Posted: 16 May 2016 03:33 PM PDT  LEICESTER, England (AP) — An estimated 240,000 people turned out to watch Leicester's players parade the Premier League trophy in an open-top bus tour through the streets of the city in central England on Monday.
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| Olympics to give battered Brazil economy only limited boost: report Posted: 16 May 2016 03:31 PM PDT  The Rio Olympics in August will give Brazil's battered economy only a limited shot in the arm, Moody's ratings agency said Monday, as bad news mounted for the city's Olympic transportation network. "Rio de Janeiro's upcoming summer Olympic games will give the city some lasting infrastructure improvements, as well as a temporary boost in tax revenues, but once the events are over, the country will wake up once again to its deepening recession," Moody's Investors Service said in a report. Spending $7.1 billion on infrastructure around Rio will equal all spending for 12 cities during Brazil's hosting of the 2014 World Cup, the report added.
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| Top China official visit stirs anger in Hong Kong Posted: 16 May 2016 03:29 PM PDT  One of China's most powerful officials lands in Hong Kong Tuesday in an attempt to build bridges in the divided city, but the trip has already stirred anger among opponents. The three-day visit by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its grip. While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly febrile political climate which has fostered a fledgling independence movement, riling China.
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| Armenian, Azeri leaders reiterate commitment to Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire Posted: 16 May 2016 03:26 PM PDT  VIENNA (Reuters) - The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan reiterated their commitment to a ceasefire in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and to a peaceful settlement of the conflict during a meeting in Vienna on Monday, according to a joint statement by United States, France and Russia. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev also agreed on a next round of talks to be held in a mutually-agreed location, with the aim of resuming talks on a comprehensive settlement, the statement said. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chris Reese)
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| Acting Brazil leader rebuffed by 2 unions over impeachment Posted: 16 May 2016 03:18 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Two of Brazil's biggest unions refused an invitation to meet with acting President Michel Temer on Monday, underscoring the challenges facing the interim leader of Latin America's largest nation amid a divisive impeachment process. Four other unions sent representatives to meet with Temer in Brasilia.
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| UN proposal would ask EU ships to enforce Libya arms embargo Posted: 16 May 2016 03:17 PM PDT  France and Britain are preparing a UN resolution that would authorize EU ships in the Mediterranean to intercept vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Libya, diplomats said Monday. The European Union's Operation Sophia would be tasked with enforcing a UN arms embargo that was imposed on Libya in 2011, during the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi. European powers are also looking at building up Libya's coast guards to ramp up operations against migrant smugglers operating off the coast of the north African country.
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| Heathrow Airport plot central to terror case sentencing Posted: 16 May 2016 03:10 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A judge said Monday she's inclined to believe the U.S. government when it says a Vietnamese man plotted to carry out a suicide bombing of London's Heathrow Airport. |
| Sheffield Wednesday into 2nd-tier playoff final in England Posted: 16 May 2016 03:08 PM PDT BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Sheffield Wednesday is one win away from playing in the English Premier League for the first time since 2000 after reaching the playoff final in the second-tier League Championship on Monday. |
| Coast Guard rescues French sailor off New Jersey coast Posted: 16 May 2016 03:07 PM PDT ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A French sailor attempting to travel solo from New York to the United Kingdom has been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after his sailboat began sinking off the southern New Jersey coast. |
| Hodgson tells Rashford to grab England chance Posted: 16 May 2016 03:05 PM PDT  England manager Roy Hodgson said Marcus Rashford could follow the example of Dele Alli after naming the 18-year-old Manchester United striker in his provisional Euro 2016 squad on Monday. Rashford only made his senior United debut in February, but having scored seven goals in his first 16 appearances, he now has an outside chance of making Hodgson's final squad for the tournament in France. Alli, 20, was playing third-tier football for Milton Keynes Dons last season, but the Tottenham Hotspur starlet is now a potential England starter, convincing Hodgson of the value of selection gambles.
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| Texas attorney general backs Exxon in climate change fight Posted: 16 May 2016 03:04 PM PDT  By Ernest Scheyder HOUSTON (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a state judge on Monday to block U.S. Virgin Islands officials from subpoenaing 40 years of internal climate change documents from Exxon Mobil Corp, saying the probe is "a fishing expedition of the worst kind." The motion is the latest salvo in an ongoing disclosure fight that has engulfed Exxon in recent months, with critics charging the company misled investors and the public about the risks of climate change for years. Exxon has denied the allegations. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Earl Walker launched an investigation two months ago, seeking to build a case against Exxon.
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| Russia: Armenia, Azerbaijan agreed on need for full Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire - RIA Posted: 16 May 2016 02:51 PM PDT  The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in a meeting in Vienna on Monday on the need for a full ceasefire to be observed in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, the RIA news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. The two men also agreed they would fix the time and place of their next meeting in June and that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would draw up a plan to investigate ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov said. The Vienna meeting was the first between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev since a dramatic flare-up in violence between Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces last month which killed dozens of people and pushed relations to a multi-year low.
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| Protests cloud Brazil acting president's political honeymoon Posted: 16 May 2016 02:45 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Street protests and controversy over the absence of female ministers clouded Brazilian acting President Michel Temer's political honeymoon Monday as he began his first full week in power. Temer took over from president Dilma Rousseff last week after the Senate voted to open an impeachment trial on charges that she illegally manipulated the budget. The 75-year-old center-right leader has vowed to reverse Rousseff's leftist course in an attempt to haul Brazil back from its deepest recession in decades.
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| Appeals court delays action on Obama's carbon emissions plan Posted: 16 May 2016 02:39 PM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday delayed consideration of a challenge by 27 states to President Barack Obama's federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions mainly from coal-fired plants, meaning a decision will not come until after the November presidential election. President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, is a member of the court but the order indicated he will not participate. The plan was designed to lower carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2030 to 32 percent below 2005 levels.
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| How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Monday Posted: 16 May 2016 02:32 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A jump in oil prices and some deal news helped send stocks up broadly Monday, breaking a three-day losing streak. Apple jumped nearly 4 percent on news that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway had bought a stake in the tech giant. All ten industry sectors of the Standard and Poor's 500 index rose, led by energy companies. |
| Thousands turn out as Leicester parade trophy Posted: 16 May 2016 02:25 PM PDT  Leicester City's incredible Premier League fairytale reached a joyous crescendo as around 240,000 fans turned the city blue while revelling in the club's title parade on Monday. For two weeks since Claudio Ranieri's side were crowned one of the most unlikely champions in English football history, the city of Leicester hasn't stop celebrating and the party climaxed beneath sunny skies 24 hours after the Foxes finished their campaign with a draw at Chelsea. After starting the season as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title, Leicester defied the odds in stunning fashion and being hailed by a crowd estimated by the local council at nearly a quarter of a million was a fitting finale for Ranieri's squad and the club's Thai chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who soaked up the celebrations with his family.
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| Sheffield Wednesday sail through to play-off final Posted: 16 May 2016 02:17 PM PDT  Sheffield Wednesday cruised through to the Championship play-off final after drawing 1-1 at Brighton on Monday to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory. Carlos Carvalhal's side are one step away from a lucrative place in the Premier League thanks to a combative display in the semi-final second leg at the Amex Stadium. Leading 2-0 from Friday's first leg in Yorkshire, the visitors fell behind to Lewis Dunk's early goal but quickly equalised through a Ross Wallace cross that crept in at the far post.
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| Dominican incumbent Medina on track for landslide Posted: 16 May 2016 02:16 PM PDT  President Danilo Medina appeared set Monday to win re-election by a landslide in the Dominican Republic, capitalizing on an economic boom in the Caribbean tourist paradise despite the fact that millions still live in poverty. With 58 percent of the results in from Sunday's election, Medina had 62 percent of the vote, according to official figures -- putting him on track for the biggest-ever win in a Dominican presidential election. It seemed certain that Medina, a member of the Party of Dominican Liberation (PLD), would win a new four-year term outright, without having to face a runoff.
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