| China foreign minister says wants to manage disputes with U.S. Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:47 PM PST  China wants dialogue with the new U.S. administration to manage disputes and promote bilateral relations, but only on the basis of respecting each other's core interests, like the "one China" principle, China's foreign minister said. U.S. President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated on Friday, upset Beijing before taking office by casting doubt on the "one China" principle, under which Washington acknowledges Beijing's position of sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan.
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| Israel plans more than 2,500 new settler homes to start Trump era Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:26 PM PST  By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced plans on Tuesday for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the second such declaration since U.S. President Donald Trump took office signaling he could be more accommodating toward such projects than his predecessor. A statement from the Israeli Defence Ministry, which administers lands Israel captured in a 1967 war, said the decision was meant to fulfil demand for new housing "to maintain regular daily life". Most of the construction, it said, would be in existing settlement blocs that Israel intends to keep under any future peace agreement with the Palestinians.
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| Foreign powers back Syria truce deal, war erupts among rebels Posted: 24 Jan 2017 10:13 AM PST  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi, John Irish and Olzhas Auyezov ASTANA (Reuters) - Russia and regional powers Turkey and Iran backed a shaky truce between Syria's warring parties on Tuesday and agreed to monitor its compliance, but on the ground rebels faced continued fighting on two fronts which could undermine the deal. After two days of deliberations in Astana, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said the powers had agreed in a final communique to establish a system "to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the ceasefire." While welcoming the text, the Syrian government's chief negotiator Bashar Ja'afari said an offensive against rebels west of Damascus would carry on.
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| South Korea Constitutional Court chief urges ruling on Park impeachment by March 13 Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:39 PM PST  The outgoing chief judge of South Korea's Constitutional Court urged the court on Wednesday to conclude the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye by March 13, when the retirement of another judge will reduce the nine-judge bench to seven. Chief Judge Park Han-chul, who himself will be retiring on Jan. 31, said at a hearing that the retirements of two judges may distort the impartiality of the court's ruling. Park was impeached in December by parliament for violating her constitutional duties over a corruption scandal involving a friend indicted for meddling in state affairs.
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| France's Fillon acts to head off scandal over wife's work Posted: 24 Jan 2017 01:32 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth PARIS (Reuters) - The frontrunner in France's presidential election race, conservative Francois Fillon, acknowledged on Tuesday that his wife had worked for him when he was a legislator, but denied a media report that she had been paid for fictitious employment. Fillon, 62, a former prime minister who is tipped to win the presidency in May, acted quickly to dampen possible scandal after a satirical weekly reported that Penelope Fillon had drawn about 500,000 euros ($536,300) in salary over eight years for working as an assistant to her husband when he was a lawmaker in the National Assembly and later to the man who replaced him.
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| U.N. 'racing' to prepare aid for civilians ahead of battle for west Mosul Posted: 24 Jan 2017 08:02 AM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Tuesday it is "racing against the clock" to prepare emergency aid for hundreds of thousands of endangered civilians in Mosul with an Iraqi army offensive looming to oust Islamic State from the western half of the city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed on Tuesday that government forces had taken complete control of eastern Mosul, 100 days after the start of the U.S.-backed campaign to retake Iraq's second largest city from Islamic State (IS) insurgents who seized it in 2014.
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| Trump administration seeks to muzzle U.S. agency employees Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:40 PM PST  By Valerie Volcovici and P.J. Huffstutter WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has moved since he took office last week to curb the flow of information from several government agencies involved in environmental issues, in actions that may have been designed to discourage dissenting views. Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have seen directives from the newly minted leadership seeking to limit how they communicate to the public, according to multiple sources. The moves have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change doubter, could seek to sideline scientific research showing that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, as well as the career staffers at the agencies that conduct much of this research.
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| Knights of Malta head resigns after dispute with Vatican Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:30 PM PST  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The head of the Knights of Malta, who has been locked in a bitter dispute with the Vatican, has resigned, a spokesperson for the Rome-based Catholic chivalric and charity institution said on Wednesday. The spokesperson said Grand Master Matthew Festing, 67, had resigned after Pope Francis asked him to step down at a meeting on Tuesday. "The pope asked him to resign and he agreed," the spokesperson said, adding that the next step was a formality in which the group's Sovereign Council would have to sign off on the highly unusual resignation.
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| Pliskova v Lucic-Baroni quarterfinal going to third set Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:30 PM PST  MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Open quarterfinal between U.S. Open finalist Karolina Pliskova and 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is going to a third set.
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| Germany, Iran, Scandinavia, Australia get foreign Oscar nods Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:28 PM PST  A father-daughter comedy from Germany, a psychological thriller from Iran, a Danish film about German prisoners of war, a dark Swedish comedy about a grumpy man, and an Australian film about tribal love on a remote South Pacific island are this year's Oscar nominees for best foreign film.
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| Nick Phipps re-signs with Australian Rugby Union Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:27 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Scrumhalf Nick Phipps has signed a two-year contract extension with the Australian Rugby Union which will see him remain with the Wallabies through to the 2019 World Cup and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. |
| Highlights: The Trump presidency on January 24 Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:25 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with auto executives on Tuesday and gave the energy industry a boost with action on pipelines. Highlights of the day follow: PIPELINES Trump signs orders smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, aiming to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. ... |
| Endangered Hawaiian monk seal population rises to 1,400 Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:15 PM PST  HONOLULU (AP) — The population of Hawaiian monk seals — one of the world's most critically endangered marine mammals — has been increasing 3 percent a year for the past three years, federal wildlife officials said Tuesday.
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| Luis Valbuena finalizes $15 million, 2-year deal with Angels Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:47 PM PST  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Luis Valbuena fills several needs and opens up several possibilities for the Los Angeles Angels while they wait for Albert Pujols to get healthy.
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| Lead levels fall below federal limits in Flint, Michigan: state Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:28 PM PST  (Reuters) - Lead levels in Flint, Michigan's drinking water, the focus of a public health crisis, have fallen below federal limits, state officials said on Tuesday, although they cautioned residents to keep using filtered water as the city's old lead pipes are replaced. Tests showed lead levels in the city's drinking water were 12 parts per billion (ppb) between July and December, below the federal limit of 15 ppb, Michigan officials said in a statement.
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| Serb, Kosovo leaders agree to ease tensions, pursue talks Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:24 PM PST  Kosovo's and Serbia's leaders agreed late Thursday to ease tensions that have risen in past weeks and pursue intensive high-level talks following EU-brokered efforts in Brussels to normalise their relations. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was encouraged by the talks involving Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Isa Mustafa with their Serb counterparts Tomislav Nikolic and Aleksandar Vucic.
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| UK women face high heels and make-up rules at work: report Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:23 PM PST  High heels, blonde hair and make-up are among dress codes for women in the British workplace, despite gender discrimination being illegal, a parliamentary report released on Wednesday has found. Nicola Thorp refused to wear two-to-four-inch (five-to-10-centimetre) heels, arguing men were not required to abide by the same rule. The incident in London prompted a petition which gained more than 150,000 signatures, leading to the report from the Petitions Committee and Women and Equalities Committee.
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| Trump clears way for controversial oil pipelines Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:19 PM PST  By Steve Holland and Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders on Tuesday smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines in a move to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. Oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners. Trump campaigned on promises to increase domestic energy production.
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| Pressured by Trump, Mexico ready to discuss NAFTA rules in U.S. talks Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:08 PM PST  By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Under pressure from President Donald Trump, Mexico is preparing to discuss changes to trade rules about a product's country of origin to try to avoid a disruptive fight with the United States over commerce. As the two countries begin a difficult new relationship, Mexico sees possible common ground with Trump on the "rules of origin" of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that binds the two countries and Canada, several sources said. Rules of origin are regulations setting out where trade products are sourced from.
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| Crews seek source of Saskatchewan oil spill on aboriginal land Posted: 24 Jan 2017 04:00 PM PST  By Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - An investigation into an oil spill on an aboriginal reserve in western Canada will include checks of leak-detection measures, Saskatchewan's energy minister said on Tuesday, as crews prepare to excavate the site to confirm the spill's source. "We need to obviously as part of that investigation make that determination of when exactly the leak did take place and whether the monitoring system that the company employs is adequate enough," Dustin Duncan told reporters in Regina, the provincial capital.
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| French presidential favourite under fire over wife's jobs Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:57 PM PST  The British-born wife of French presidential candidate Francois Fillon was paid around 500,000 euros ($538,000) over nearly a decade out of parliamentary funds, a satirical weekly reported Wednesday. The Canard Enchaine, which mixes satire with investigative reporting, detailed various periods during which Penelope Fillon was paid from money available to her husband as a longstanding MP for the central Sarthe region. Fillon's wife had "indeed" worked for him, said Fillon spokesman Thierry Solere, as well as at a literary magazine owned by a friend.
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| 52 inmates on run after Brazil jailbreak Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:56 PM PST  Brazilian police were hunting for 52 inmates who broke out of a jail on Tuesday in the latest unrest to hit the country's overcrowded prisons. Inmates set fire to one of the cellblocks before escaping from the Penitentiary Progression Center, a semi-open prison in the town of Bauru, northwest of Sao Paulo, the national prisons authority said. The revolt broke out in protest after a prison guard confiscated a mobile phone from an inmate, it said.
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| Council of Europe decries rising attacks against media Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:55 PM PST  The Council of Europe on Tuesday voiced concern at the rising levels of violence against journalists throughout the continent, notably in Turkey and Russia. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution decrying "the many cases of serious threats to media freedom in Europe," highlighting the deaths of 16 journalists since January 2015 in member states.
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| DeRozan faces two-game layoff Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:43 PM PST  Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan faces at least two games on the sidelines after spraining his right ankle against the Phoenix Suns, his team confirmed Tuesday. DeRozan, Toronto's leading scorer this season, was injured in the defeat to Phoenix when he stepped on another player's foot. "When it rains, it pours sometimes," said DeRozan, who is averaging 27.9 points per game for the Raptors this season.
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| Top Asian News 11:43 p.m. GMT Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:43 PM PST THA PYAY TAW, Myanmar (AP) — Every day before sunrise, dozens of fishermen, shivering against the cold, shove out onto the Bay of Bengal on makeshift rafts made out of plastic jugs, bamboo and twine, just steps away from the sturdy and much safer wooden boats they had used for years. They were barred from using their boats three months ago by Myanmar authorities who say they're trying to prevent insurgents from entering or leaving the country by sea. The ban is one small part of a sweeping and violent counter-insurgency campaign in Rakhine state, home to the long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, where authorities have been accused of widespread abuses. |
| Highlights: The Trump presidency on January 24 Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:38 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with auto executives on Tuesday and gave the energy industry a boost with action on pipelines. Highlights of the day follow: PIPELINES Trump signs orders smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, aiming to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. ... |
| Trump clears way for controversial oil pipelines Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:38 PM PST By Steve Holland and Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders on Tuesday smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines in a move to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. Oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners. Trump campaigned on promises to increase domestic energy production. |
| Australia quick Mennie suffers head injury during training Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:38 PM PST  SYDNEY (AP) — Australia fast bowler Joe Mennie has been admitted to hospital with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain after being struck on the head while bowling at a training session on Monday for his Big Bash League team the Sydney Sixers.
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| PSG thumps Bordeaux 4-1 to reach French Cup final Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:37 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain thumped a feeble Bordeaux 4-1 to reach the French Cup final on Tuesday.
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| Jonathan Spector joins Orlando from England's Birmingham Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:33 PM PST ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Defender Jonathan Spector is transferring to Major League Soccer's Orlando team from Birmingham in England's second-tier League Championship. |
| Panama suspends Panama Papers probe Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:30 PM PST  Panama is suspending its probe into the Panama Papers, the leak of a legal firm's files on clients who stored assets in opaque offshore companies, prosecutors said Tuesday. The records from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed the names of leaders, politicians, celebrities and wealthy individuals from around the world who used the firm to create offshore entities to hide their assets. A legal challenge on constitutional grounds required the suspension, the country's attorney general, Kenia Porcell, told a news conference.
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| Key Argentina soy area still coping with late 2016 floods Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:28 PM PST  By Maximilian Heath PERGAMINO, Argentina (Reuters) - Soy grower Carlos Zucarelli looks over his farm in Argentina's bread-basket province of Buenos Aires, watching ducks float around on a shallow lake covering much of what was meant to be this year's crop area. Of Zucarelli's 70 hectares, 40 percent is underwater. "It's irrecoverable because there's no time left to replant soy.
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| In Trump freeze, U.S. agencies delay rules affecting farm towns Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:15 PM PST By Chris Prentice and Tom Polansek NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. regulators under the new presidential administration have instituted a freeze on rules key to the country's farm belt, agricultural groups said on Tuesday, heightening uncertainty for some of the regions that helped propel Donald Trump into office. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will delay implementation of this year's biofuels requirements along with 29 other regulations finalized in the last weeks of Barack Obama's presidency, according to a government notice. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will pause rules affecting livestock, groups said. |
| Trump administration seeks to muzzle U.S. agency employees Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:14 PM PST By Valerie Volcovici and P.J. Huffstutter WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has moved to curb the flow of information from several government agencies whose mandate impacts environmental issues since last week, in actions that appeared designed to tighten control and discourage dissenting views. Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have seen directives from the newly minted leadership seeking to limit how they communicate to the public, according to multiple sources. The moves have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change doubter, could seek to sideline scientific research showing that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, as well as the career staffers at the agencies that conduct much of this research. |
| Protesters vow to battle Trump's 'poor decision' to revive pipeline Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:13 PM PST  By Terray Sylvester CANNON BALL, N.D. (Reuters) - Tribal leaders protesting the construction of a controversial North Dakota pipeline vowed on Tuesday to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's order to revive the $3.8 billion project, calling his decision a "bad move." Protesters have rallied for months against plans to route the Dakota Access pipeline under a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying it threatened water resources and sacred Native American sites. Trump's order instructed the Army and the Army Corps of Engineers to review the decision. The Republican president also signed an order reviving the C$8 billion ($6.1 billion) Keystone XL pipeline project, which was rejected in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama.
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| Trump revives controversial oil pipeline projects Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:03 PM PST  US President Donald Trump on Tuesday revived two pipeline projects blocked by his predecessor on environmental grounds, signalling his determination to undo Barack Obama's legacy. Trump gave a conditional go-ahead to the Keystone XL pipeline -- which would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US refineries on the Gulf Coast -- and an equally controversial pipeline crossing in North Dakota. Both had been put on hold by Obama's administration.
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| Appeals court denies full hearing in data surveillance case Posted: 24 Jan 2017 03:02 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court said Tuesday it won't rehear a panel's decision letting companies like Microsoft refuse to turn over to the government customer emails stored overseas. |
| Possible snag for 1st Guantanamo court session of Trump era Posted: 24 Jan 2017 02:58 PM PST  GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — The first session of the Guantanamo Bay war crimes tribunal under President Donald Trump may have hit a snag.
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