| Egypt finds human remains and belongings from plane crash at sea Posted: 20 May 2016 03:52 PM PDT  By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt said on Friday that its navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers floating in the Mediterranean, confirmation that an EgyptAir jet had plunged into the sea with 66 people on board. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered condolences for those on board, amounting to Egypt's official acknowledgement of their deaths, although there was still no explanation of why the Airbus had crashed. "The Egyptian navy was able to retrieve more debris from the plane, some of the passengers' belongings, human remains, and plane seats," the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.
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| Six killed in suspected Boko Haram raid on Niger village Posted: 20 May 2016 01:29 PM PDT  Six people were killed on Friday in a village in southern Niger in an attack thought to have been carried out by Boko Haram militants, the Defence Ministry said. The militants torched about 10 homes, the market and some cattle and stole two vehicles, the ministry said. Mamadou Bako, Bosso's mayor, said the death toll could rise because security forces were searching through the rubble of burned homes.
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| Protesters storm Baghdad's Green Zone again, dozens hurt Posted: 20 May 2016 02:50 PM PDT  By Kareem Raheem and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces opened fire on protesters who stormed into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Friday and entered the cabinet building, drawing calls for revolt from a powerful Shi'ite Muslim cleric. The thousands of protesters included supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and people from other groups upset with the government's failure to approve anti-corruption reforms and provide security. The government briefly imposed a curfew on Baghdad and authorities later said order had returned after what they called rioting at the Green Zone, which houses parliament, government buildings and many foreign embassies.
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| Mexico to extradite drug boss Guzman to U.S., won't face death penalty Posted: 20 May 2016 02:58 PM PDT  Mexico approved the extradition of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States on Friday after receiving guarantees he would not face the death penalty, and the kinkgpin's lawyers vowed to block the move. Juan Pablo Badillo, one of Guzman's lawyers, told Reuters he would file "many" legal challenges in the coming days, which could delay the drug lord's eventual extradition for weeks. Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was the world's most wanted drug kingpin until his capture in January, six months after he broke out of a high-security penitentiary in central Mexico through a mile-long tunnel burrowed right up into his cell.
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| Russia urges joint strikes on Syria rebels but U.S. reacts coolly Posted: 20 May 2016 02:49 PM PDT  Russia has proposed to the U.S.-led coalition that they stage joint air strikes on Syrian rebels, including militant Islamist group Nusra Front, who are not observing a ceasefire, but the United States responded coolly on Friday. Such action would begin as of May 25 and be coordinated with the Syrian government, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told a Defence Ministry meeting broadcast on state television, adding Moscow reserved the right to stage strikes unilaterally. "We believe the adoption of these measures will allow a transition to a peaceful process to be achieved in the entire territory of Syria," he said.
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| Tunisian Islamists Ennahda move to separate politics, religion Posted: 20 May 2016 01:50 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahda will separate its political and religious work, its chief said on Friday, moving away from its tradition of political Islam. Ennahda was the first Islamist party to come to power in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions and it took part in the first government coalition after the overthrow of Tunisia's autocratic leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. It won the first post-uprising election by appealing to many Tunisians who saw its Islamist identity as an antidote to the years of corruption and repression under the Ben Ali government in one of the region's most secular nations.
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| Intense firefight sows panic in massive Rio de Janeiro slum Posted: 20 May 2016 04:57 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A heavy firefight between law enforcement and drug trafficking gangs raged for hours in Rio de Janeiro's largest slum, sowing panic among residents.
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| Five classic FA Cup finals Posted: 20 May 2016 04:56 PM PDT  London (AFP) - Ahead of Crystal Palace's meeting with Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley, AFP Sport selects five of the best finals from the world's oldest domestic cup tournament:
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| Crane leads after 2 rounds at Nelson, Spieth a stroke back Posted: 20 May 2016 04:55 PM PDT  IRVING, Texas (AP) — For Jordan Spieth, it only seems as if it has been a while since he topped a leaderboard. For Ben Crane, it actually had been.
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| Chevrolet drivers take top 2 spots at Indy 500 practice Posted: 20 May 2016 04:47 PM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Will Power and Josef Newgarden finally got Chevrolet to the top of the speed chart Friday.
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| Brazil deficit much worse than thought: minister Posted: 20 May 2016 04:41 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's projected budget deficit for this year will be nearly twice as big as forecast when Dilma Rousseff was president, the new finance minister said Friday. Rousseff's government vastly overestimated tax revenues from an economy in deep recession, minister Henrique Meirelles told a press conference. Rousseff's government had calculated the primary deficit -- the government's deficit excluding debt payments -- at 96 billion reais ($27 billion).
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| Searchers find body parts, seats, luggage from Egyptian jet Posted: 20 May 2016 04:40 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — Search crews found floating human remains, luggage and seats from the doomed EgyptAir jetliner Friday but face a potentially more complex task in locating bigger pieces of wreckage and the black boxes vital to determining why the plane plunged into the Mediterranean.
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| Afghan who faced charges at Guantanamo can now be released Posted: 20 May 2016 04:38 PM PDT MIAMI (AP) — An Afghan who once faced war crimes charges at Guantanamo has now been cleared for release from the U.S. base in Cuba, the government announced Friday. |
| South Korea's Ryu shoots 64 for one-shot LPGA lead Posted: 20 May 2016 04:31 PM PDT  South Korean Ryu So-Yeon shot a seven-under par 64 Friday to seize a one-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA Kingsmill Championship. Ryu stood on seven-under 135 after 36 holes at Williamsburg, Virginia, with Japan's Mika Miyazato, South Korean Amy Yang and American Stacy Lewis sharing second on 136. "I haven't really consistently shot low scores in like five or six tournaments," Ryu said.
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| Mexico lowers 2016 GDP forecast, sees 2.2 to 3.2 pct growth Posted: 20 May 2016 04:18 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is lowering its economic growth forecast for 2016, citing what it calls "adverse" international conditions including sluggish industrial production in the United States.
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| USOC leader: Flawed anti-doping system needs attention Posted: 20 May 2016 04:11 PM PDT  The leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee says the latest anti-doping headlines make it "increasingly difficult to defend the current system."
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| Chile says it has struck deal with fishermen to end protests Posted: 20 May 2016 03:50 PM PDT  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The Chilean government says it has reached a deal with small-scale fishermen who had blocked access to the Chiloe archipelago after a toxic algal bloom put their livelihoods at risk.
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| So Yeon Ryu shoots 64 to take Kingsmill Championship lead Posted: 20 May 2016 03:45 PM PDT  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — So Yeon Ryu had six birdies in an eight-hole stretch and shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship.
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| Flight data showed smoke alerts on EgyptAir plane before crash: CNN Posted: 20 May 2016 03:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flight data suggested there were smoke alerts aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 minutes before it crashed in the Mediterranean Sea early on Thursday, CNN reported on Friday. However, a U.S. official characterized the report as an unconfirmed rumor. CNN said it obtained the data through a screen grab from an Egyptian source, and said the data came from an automatic system aboard the plane called the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). ACARS routinely downloads flight data to the airline operating the aircraft. ... |
| Rio Olympics to top London in supply of condoms Posted: 20 May 2016 03:36 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — About 450,000 condoms will be distributed during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, three times more than for the London Games four years ago, the International Olympic Committee says.
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| Canada's aboriginals tell Trudeau they can block pipelines Posted: 20 May 2016 03:34 PM PDT  By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canadian aboriginal groups and their allies said on Friday they have the power to block proposed oil pipelines on land where they have proven title, dismissing comments by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who said no community has a veto. Trudeau told Reuters on Thursday that unanimous consent is not needed for the government to approve pipeline projects to bring Canadian oil to market, even as he pledged consultation with aboriginals and environmentalists who oppose projects. At the heart of the conflict are the rights of aboriginal people, particularly in British Columbia, where many groups never signed treaties and a 2014 Supreme court decision made clear that in cases where aboriginal title is proven, "consent" is required before major projects can go ahead.
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| Protesters break into Green Zone, enter Iraq PM's office Posted: 20 May 2016 03:23 PM PDT  Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed the premier's office Friday after breaking into the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks, further escalating a long-running political crisis.
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| Dorticos beats Kalenga for WBA cruiserweight title Posted: 20 May 2016 03:16 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Yunier Dorticos of Cuba used unrelenting uppercuts and impressive accuracy to stop Youri Kalenga in the 10th round and take the vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title in Paris on Friday. |
| Iraqi protesters storm Baghdad's Green Zone, shooting erupts Posted: 20 May 2016 02:55 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and gunshots in the air as hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed Baghdad's heavily secured Green Zone on Friday. Several demonstrators, mostly supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were wounded as the crowd rushed the prime minister's office and the parliament building.
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| Post-Brexit EU trade deals 'extremely difficult': Osborne Posted: 20 May 2016 02:50 PM PDT  British finance minister George Osborne warned Saturday that the UK would find it "extremely difficult" to conclude trade deals with European Union countries if it quit the bloc. Speaking to the BBC at a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Sendai, Japan, Osborne said it would be tough to strike those deals while also trying to reach new trade agreements with non-EU countries. "It's absolutely clear if you speak to the finance ministers here from France, Germany and other European countries â that if Britain left the EU, and wanted access to the single market, the access that we need for jobs and investment at home, then we would need to pay into the EU budget and we'd have to accept free movement of people but we'd have no say over those policies at all," Osborne said.
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| Mexico OKs extradition of drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman to US Posted: 20 May 2016 02:47 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled Friday that the extradition of convicted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States can go forward.
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| Armed man shot outside White House Posted: 20 May 2016 02:45 PM PDT  The White House was placed on lockdown for more than an hour Friday and heavily armed Secret Service agents deployed around the building after a man brandished a weapon nearby and was shot. President Barack Obama was not on the premises when the incident took place at around 3:06 pm (1906 GMT). The Secret Service reported an "adult male subject, carrying a firearm, approached an outer perimeter checkpoint accessible to the general public," according to spokesman Robert Hoback.
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| Airports EgyptAir traveled through before crash Posted: 20 May 2016 02:38 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The EgyptAir plane that crashed in the Mediterranean had flown through five airports in the 48 hours before it disappeared off radar screens. As authorities try to determine what went wrong, here's a look at airport security and safety at those five sites:
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| 'Flop Friday' part of routine for US women's water polo team Posted: 20 May 2016 02:29 PM PDT  LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) — Under a cloudy, gray sky, the players line up along the pool, waiting for their cue from Sami Hill. Then, one by one, they belly-flop into the water, with some showing more impressive form than a few timid teammates.
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| Alberta court ruling may trigger rise in orphaned wells: lawyers Posted: 20 May 2016 02:20 PM PDT  By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Lawyers in Canada's energy capital Calgary warned on Friday that a judge's decision to grant lenders priority over environmental clean-up costs in oil and gas bankruptcies could lead to a surge in orphaned wells in Alberta. An Alberta chief justice ruled this week that proceeds from the sale of assets belonging to junior producer Redwater Energy Corp will go first to secured creditors, rather than towards cleaning up the company's inactive oil and gas wells. Redwater became insolvent last May and receiver Grant Thornton wanted to carve out and sell off the company's 19 producing wells and renounce ownership of 70 non-producing wells.
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| Costa Rican president: Sovereign borders turn complex Posted: 20 May 2016 02:07 PM PDT MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Massive migrations due to terrorism and organized crime are making national security and border control for countries complex, the president of Central America's Costa Rica said during a speech at Kansas State University. |
| Brazil police investigate former president's nephew Posted: 20 May 2016 02:05 PM PDT SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian authorities are investigating a nephew of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in connection with a money-laundering and influence-trafficking scheme. |
| Anheuser-Busch faces fine in Seattle 'pay-to-play' probe Posted: 20 May 2016 02:02 PM PDT SEATTLE (AP) — The company that produces Budweiser is facing a $150,000 fine and a three-day suspension after an investigation showed it violated Washington State's "pay-to-play" rules. |
| Pedersen defends 200m title as Efimova has ban lifted Posted: 20 May 2016 01:49 PM PDT  Rikke Pedersen successfully defended her 200m breaststroke title at the European Championships on Friday just hours after it emerged that Russian rival Yuliya Efimova's temporary doping ban had been lifted and that the pair might meet again at the Olympics. Efimova was banned by governing body FINA after testing positive for meldonium in March and the case will now go straight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Competing at the Olympics in Rio is a real possibility, four years after she won bronze in London, Pedersen locked out by one place in fourth.
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