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| Two killed by bomb inside Bahrain car: ministry Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 12:41 PM PDT  Two people were killed in a car that blew up in a mainly Shi'ite village in Bahrain on Saturday, and the interior ministry said the initial investigation showed that a homemade bomb had detonated inside the vehicle. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been hit by several small bombings in recent weeks as the kingdom struggles to end simmering unrest among its Shi'ite Muslim majority, which rose up unsuccessfully in an Arab Spring-inspired revolt in 2011. A third person was wounded and was being treated in hospital for second-degree burns, the statement said, citing the health ministry. Bahrain's Shi'ites want political reforms and an end to alleged discrimination against them, which the government denies. Full Story | Top |
| High stakes as restive Benghazi votes in Libyan local polls Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 12:32 PM PDT  Libyan voters went to the polls on Saturday to elect municipal council members in 15 cities, including Benghazi, the country's second city, which is seeking greater autonomy for the eastern seaboard region. Benghazi has until now had only an interim council with piecemeal funding from central government, but the election is meant to pave the way for fuller and more regular allocations, potentially improving the volatile city's relationship with Tripoli. Militias in Libya have become increasingly powerful and violent. In Libya's eastern cities, mainly Benghazi and Derna, around 200 people have been killed since early 2013, according to activists and local army officials. Full Story | Top |
| Man under evaluation for alleged gun threat at L.A. Times building Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 11:49 AM PDT By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - A man who allegedly threatened to open fire in the building that houses the Los Angeles Times' headquarters was being held in custody for a mental evaluation, police said on Saturday. Full Story | Top |
| Air strike kills 10 al Qaeda militants, three civilians in Yemen: Saba Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 11:48 AM PDT By Mohamed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - An air strike killed 10 al Qaeda militants in central Yemen on Saturday after an intelligence report said they were planning attacks on civil and military targets in al-Bayda province, the state news agency Saba said. Saba quoted an official source in the High Security Committee as saying that the strike hit the militants, described as "among the dangerous and leading elements of al Qaeda", in a car as they were on their way to the central province. Ten al Qaeda militants were killed and one was wounded, the source said, while three civilians were also killed and five were wounded because they happened to be in a nearby vehicle. "This happened after security bodies received confirmed intelligence information about the presence of a car with 11 terrorist elements on board who were planning to target vital civil and military institutions in al-Bayda province," Saba cited the source as saying. Full Story | Top |
| Mediator heads to east Ukraine, seeking surrenders Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 11:12 AM PDT  By Alastair Macdonald and Aleksandar Vasovic KIEV/DONETSK (Reuters) - A mediator from Europe's OSCE security body headed to eastern Ukraine on Saturday seeking the surrender of pro-Russian separatists as the Kiev government declared an Easter truce following a peace accord with Moscow. Gunmen occupying public buildings in Donetsk and other Russian-speaking border towns refuse to recognize an accord in Geneva on Thursday by which Russia, Ukraine and Kiev's U.S. and EU allies agreed that the OSCE should oversee the disarmament of militants and the evacuation of occupied facilities and streets. Full Story | Top |
| Eighty percent of Syrian chemical weapons shipped out: monitors Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 11:01 AM PDT Syria has shipped out or destroyed approximately 80 percent of its declared chemical weapons material, the head of the international team overseeing the disarmament process said on Saturday. Sigrid Kaag, special coordinator of the joint mission of the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said if the momentum was sustained, Syria should be able to meet its April 27 deadline to hand over all declared chemical agents. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed with the United States and Russia to dispose of the chemical weapons - an arsenal which Damascus had never formally acknowledged - after hundreds of people were killed in a sarin gas attack on the outskirts of the capital last August. The government blamed the rebel side in Syria's civil war, which is now in its fourth year. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian court jails Muslim Brotherhood leader for insulting judiciary Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 10:23 AM PDT An Egyptian court sentenced a leading figure of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed El-Beltagy, to one year in prison on Saturday for insulting the judiciary, the first sentence handed to a leader of the organization since it was outlawed last year, security and judicial sources said. Beltagy is standing trial along with former president Mohamed Mursi and 13 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders on charges of inciting the killing of protesters outside the presidential palace during unrest in late 2012. Saturday's sentence was for a separate charge of insulting the judiciary during the hearing after Beltagy accused the prosecution of colluding against Muslim Brotherhood leaders. "The court has decided to imprison the accused, Mohamed El-Beltagy, for one year on charges of insulting the judiciary," a senior court official said. Full Story | Top |
| Italy gives wife, daughter of wanted Kazakh banker refugee status Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 10:23 AM PDT  The wife and daughter of a Kazakh tycoon who is wanted in three countries for alleged fraud have been granted refugee status in Italy, their lawyer said on Friday. Lawyer Anton Giulio Lana said in a statement that an Interior Ministry committee had granted Alma Shalabayeva and daughter Alua a five-year, renewable permit of stay. Shalabayeva is the wife of oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, a political adversary of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev who has ruled for more than two decades and tolerates no dissent. Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have laid charges against Ablyazov. Full Story | Top |
| Rajaratnam's brother loses bid to dismiss insider trading charges Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 09:35 AM PDT  (This story from April 18 corrects the number of counts the judge called "inconsistent" from four to two in 3rd, 16th and 17th paragraphs) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rengan Rajaratnam, the younger brother of imprisoned hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, on Friday lost a bid to dismiss some of the insider trading charges leveled against him last year. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan ruled that the indictment adequately alleged the essential elements of the crimes charged. A lawyer for Rajaratnam did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara declined to comment. Full Story | Top |
| Greek Christians mark rare Good Friday in Turkish north Cyprus Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 08:09 AM PDT  By Michele Kambas FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus (Reuters) - Hundreds of Greek Orthodox pilgrims, some coming home after 40 years of forced exile, commemorated the crucifixion of Jesus in a rare Good Friday service in northern Cyprus on Friday. "This is one of the happiest days of my life," said Anna Marangou, a Greek Cypriot archaeologist and historian who lived in Famagusta until her family was forced to flee in 1974. "This is a grassroots movement with significance to people and what we are capable of achieving." George Anastasiou, a retired civil servant, had mixed feelings about being back in the once popular tourist town that four centuries ago inspired Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello". "I have mixed feelings - all my memories are locked up here." Some 45,000 Greek Cypriots fled Famagusta in the 1974 fighting, a conflict that uprooted tens of thousands from both communities across the island. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says plane at airport leased to Ghana after U.S.-flagged plane sighting Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 08:04 AM PDT Iran says that a plane which landed in Tehran airport flying the American flag was leased to Ghana's presidential office and carrying a business delegation from the West African nation. The New York Times reported on Thursday that a plane owned by the Bank of Utah was parked in Mehrabad Airport in Tehran on Tuesday. Its presence was noteworthy as the United States and Iran have been at loggerheads for decades and the Islamic Republic is subject to economic sanctions. A State Department spokeswoman said on Friday these sanctions "generally prohibit" U.S.-registered aircraft from flying to Iran. Full Story | Top |
| Two killed in Bahrain car explosion Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 07:48 AM PDT Two people were killed and one wounded when a car blew up in a mainly Shi'ite village in Bahrain on Saturday, and the interior ministry said there were signs the vehicle had been carrying explosives. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been hit by several small bombings in recent weeks as the kingdom struggles to end simmering unrest among its Shi'ite Muslim majority, which rose up unsuccessfully in an Arab Spring-inspired revolt in 2011. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says plane at airport leased to Ghana after US-flagged plane sighting Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 07:45 AM PDT Iran says that a plane which landed in Tehran airport flying the American flag was leased to Ghana's presidential office and carrying a business delegation from the West African nation. The New York Times reported on Thursday that a plane owned by the Bank of Utah was parked in Mehrabad Airport in Tehran on Tuesday. Its presence was noteworthy as the United States and Iran have been at loggerheads for decades and the Islamic Republic is subject to certain economic sanctions. State news agency IRNA on Friday night quoted Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying that the plane was transporting the brother of Ghana's president and a mining delegation. Full Story | Top |
| In Damascus, Christians briefly ignore war for Easter Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 06:30 AM PDT  The sound of battles echoes from the outskirts of the capital as Christians in Damascus celebrated the Easter weekend, briefly ignoring the conflict for the yearly ritual. At the gates of Saint George Syrian Orthodox Church - just a few minutes walk from a school where a mortar attack killed several children and injured dozens earlier this week - incense was burning as several uniformed and armed men stood patrol before Good Friday evening services. Inside the ancient city walls of the Old City where the church is located, the cobbled streets bustled with evening shoppers and diners, a rare sight reminiscent of pre-war Damascus. Christians, many belonging to ancient denominations found only in Syria, form about 10 percent of the country's population. Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-I'd have more recognition if I wasn't African, says Toure Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 06:24 AM PDT  Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, one of six nominees for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) player of the year award, says he would have more global recognition if he was not from Africa. The talismanic Ivory Coast international believes he and Africans like compatriot Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o (Chelsea) would be more appreciated around the world but for their heritage. City team mate Samir Nasri suggested last month that it would be a different story for Toure if he had been born in Europe or South America. "To be honest proper recognition has only come from the fans. Full Story | Top |
| Two killed in Bahrain car explosion: Interior Ministry Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 05:34 AM PDT An explosion in a car killed two people and wounded a third in a mostly Shi'ite village in Bahrain on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said. There were early signs the car contained explosive substances, it added. Bahrain's majority Shi'ite Muslim population wants political reforms and an end to perceived discrimination in the Sunni-Muslim ruled country. Bahrain denies any discrimination. Full Story | Top |
| Congo province poised to start certified 'conflict-free' tin exports Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 05:21 AM PDT  By Peter Jones GOMA Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's tin producing North Kivu province may begin exports of certified 'conflict-free' minerals as soon as next week after the roll-out of a new barcode tagging scheme, the head of the regional division of mines said. North Kivu is at the heart of Congo's production of tin and coltan - used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and video game consoles. In an effort to halt the violence, the United States included a provision in the 2010 Dodd-Frank act obliging U.S.-listed companies to ensure their supply chain was free from Congolese conflict minerals, specifically gold, coltan, tin and tungsten - a hard metal used in filaments, tools and weaponry. Congo imposed a six-month ban on mining in North Kivu in late 2010 and then, in early 2012, forbade mineral exports unless they could be proven to come from conflict-free zones. Full Story | Top |
| Death toll climbs to at least 13 in worst tragedy on Everest Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 05:11 AM PDT  By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Rescuers recovered the body of one mountain guide on Saturday after an ice avalanche swept the lower slopes of Mount Everest, bringing the death toll to at least 13 in the deadliest accident on the world's highest mountain. The avalanche struck a perilous passage called the Khumbu Icefall, which is riddled with crevasses and piled with serac - or huge chunks of ice - that can break free without warning. "We were tied on a rope and carrying gas to camp when there was a sudden hrrrr sound," said Ang Kami Sherpa, 25, one of at least three survivors flown by helicopter to Kathmandu. Some climbers are packing up and calling it quits, they want nothing to do with this," Tim Rippel of Peak Freaks Expeditions wrote in a blog. Full Story | Top |
| Northern Ireland police arrest man in Belfast shooting Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 05:03 AM PDT Northern Ireland police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting of a prominent former member of a hardline republican splinter group. Tommy Crossan, a leading opponent of a 1998 peace deal in the British province who had been a senior figure in the Continuity IRA, was shot on Friday afternoon in west Belfast and died at the scene. Northern Ireland has been largely peaceful since the "Good Friday" agreement largely ended more than three decades of sectarian violence but there have been sporadic outbreaks of violence, particularly in the last 18 months. More than 3,600 people died in sectarian strife between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists, seeking union with Ireland, and predominantly Protestant unionists who want to remain part of the United Kingdom. Full Story | Top |
| Japan expands army footprint for first time in 40 years, risks angering China Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 04:59 AM PDT  By Nobuhiro Kubo YONAGUNI, Japan (Reuters) - Japan began its first military expansion at the western end of its island chain in more than 40 years on Saturday, breaking ground on a radar station on a tropical island off Taiwan. The move risks angering China, locked in a dispute with Japan over nearby islands which they both claim. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, who attended a ceremony on Yonaguni island to mark the start of construction, suggested the military presence could be enlarged to other islands in the seas southwest of Japan's main islands. "I want to build an operation able to properly defend islands that are part of Japan's territory." The military radar station on Yonaguni, part of a longstanding plan to improve defense and surveillance, gives Japan a lookout just 150 km (93 miles) from the Japanese-held islands claimed by China. Full Story | Top |
| Special Report: How the U.S. made its Putin problem worse Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 04:07 AM PDT  By David Rohde and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK (Reuters) - In September 2001, as the U.S. reeled from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Vladimir Putin supported Washington's imminent invasion of Afghanistan in ways that would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. He agreed that U.S. planes carrying humanitarian aid could fly through Russian air space. He said the U.S. military could use airbases in former Soviet republics in Central Asia. And he ordered his generals to brief their U.S. counterparts on their own ill-fated 1980s occupation of Afghanistan. Full Story | Top |
| Sunken Korea ferry relatives give DNA swabs to help identify dead Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 04:06 AM PDT  By Ju-min Park and Jungmin Jang JINDO/MOKPO, South Korea (Reuters) - Some relatives of the more than 200 children missing in a sunken South Korean ferry offered DNA swabs on Saturday to help identify the dead as the rescue turned into a mission to recover the vessel and the bodies of those on board. The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew, capsized on Wednesday on a journey from the port of Incheon to the southern holiday island of Jeju. The 69-year-old captain, Lee Joon-seok, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday on charges of negligence along with two other crew members, including the third mate who was steering at the time of the capsize. Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Ronaldo back in training before Bayern clash Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 03:31 AM PDT  Real Madrid top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training with his team mates on Friday as he battles to regain fitness before Wednesday's Champions League semi-final, first leg at home to Bayern Munich. The Portugal captain has been suffering from knee and thigh muscle problems and missed Real's last four matches, including Wednesday's King's Cup final victory over Barcelona, since limping off during the Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago. Ronaldo is the leading marksman in La Liga and the Champions League this season and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti will be desperate to have him back to face holders Bayern as Real seek the 10th European crown that has eluded them since their last triumph in 2002. Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Atletico close on title with win over stubborn Elche Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 03:27 AM PDT  By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid stayed firmly on course for a surprise La Liga title triumph when a Miranda header and Diego Costa's late penalty secured an unconvincing 2-0 win for the leaders at home to Elche on Friday. David Villa had a penalty saved shortly after halftime at a raucous Calderon stadium, packed with fans enjoying their team's best season in nearly 20 years, and nerves were jangling when centre back Miranda rose at the back post to nod a Jose Sosa corner powerfully into the net 18 minutes from time. Costa was felled by Elche defender Cristian Sapunaru, who earned a second yellow card and was sent off, in the 90th minute and the Brazil-born forward stroked the ball into the net for his 27th La Liga goal of the campaign, one fewer than leading marksman Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid. Full Story | Top |
| Motor racing-Hamilton on pole for Mercedes in wet China Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 03:21 AM PDT  By Abhishek Takle SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton will line up on pole position for Sunday's Chinese Formula One Grand Prix after putting in a storming lap in treacherous conditions to maintain Mercedes' qualifying stranglehold. The Briton's best time of one minute 53.860 seconds through rain and spray was a hefty 0.595 of a second quicker than Red Bull's Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who joined him on the front row. "It is so slippery out there, the conditions - trying to find the grip, not making mistakes on your lap and really putting it together," said Hamilton, who will be chasing his third win in a row on Sunday. Red Bull's quadruple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, but more than a second slower than Hamilton and outqualified by team mate Ricciardo for the third time in four races. Full Story | Top |
| England appoint Moores as head coach Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 03:19 AM PDT (Reuters) - Peter Moores has been appointed as the head coach of the England team, the country's cricket board said on Saturday. The 51-year-old succeeded Andy Flower, who stepped down after five years in charge following the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia in January, for his second stint in the position. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian leftist politician submits bid to run for president Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 03:08 AM PDT  Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi officially submitted his bid on Saturday to run for Egypt's presidency, making him the second candidate for next month's election alongside former army-chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who is widely expected to win. Sabahi, who heads a political alliance called the Popular Current, was a member of parliament during ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak's years in office and came third in the 2012 election that was won by Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Sisi, who led the army overthrow of Mursi in July after mass protests against his rule, is widely expected to win the election as he is viewed by many in the country as the saviour of the people who can bring stability to Egypt. Full Story | Top |
| Madagascar names Razafindravonona as finance minister Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 02:43 AM PDT  Madagascar has named Jean Razafindravonona finance and budget minister, making him part of a 31-member cabinet crucial to ending a political crisis on the Indian Ocean island state. President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who took office in January, has pledged to woo foreign investors and tourists back to Madagascar, which is famed for its exotic wildlife and also boasts nickel, cobalt, coal, iron ore and uranium deposits. Analysts said Razafindravonona has a good grasp of the management of public finances, earned during a long stint as the director of the budget office in the finance ministry. "The question is whether he will be able to put in place good financial governance and stable institutions which investors can have confidence in," said Hugues Rajaonson, an economist. Full Story | Top |
| Algeria's ailing Bouteflika wins re-election Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 02:42 AM PDT  By Patrick Markey and Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the independence veteran in power for 15 years, won re-election on Friday with more than 80 percent of a vote opponents dismissed as fraud to keep an ailing leader in power. Bouteflika had cast his vote sitting in a wheelchair on Thursday in what was a rare public appearance since suffering a stroke last year that raised questions about stability in the North African OPEC oil-exporting state. The Algerian leader, 77, was already widely expected to win with the backing of the powerful ruling Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) party, which has dominated the political system since independence from France in 1962. Preliminary official results showed Bouteflika had won with 81.53 percent of the vote, Interior Minister Tayeb Belaiz told a news conference. Full Story | Top |
| Kidnapped French journalists found on Turkey's Syrian border Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 02:38 AM PDT  Four French journalists held hostage in Syria since June were found by Turkish soldiers on its border with Syria on Saturday, Turkish media reported, and French President Francois Hollande said the four were in good health. Nicolas Henin, Pierre Torres, Edouard Elias and Didier Francois were found in Sanliurfa province blindfolded with their hands bound, Dogan News Agency said. Dogan said the journalists had been kidnapped by the rebel group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) but that an unknown group brought the journalists to the Turkish border on Friday night. Full Story | Top |
| Besieged Muslims face murder, starvation in C.African Republic Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 02:35 AM PDT  By Emmanuel Braun BODA Central African Republic (Reuters) - In normal times, the rickety wooden bridges at each end of the red-dirt main street in Boda were gateways to shops and a bustling market in the diamond-mining town in Central African Republic. Today, they mark the fine line between life and death for hundreds of Muslims living under siege, encircled by Christian 'anti-balaka' militia fighters bent on chasing out the country's Islamic population. "We live in a prison," said Adou Kone, a tailor. It's very expensive to buy food ... Our life is at a critical stage." Boda illustrates the chaos that has gripped Central African Republic since late 2012 when a battle for political power degenerated into clashes between Muslims and Christians that have forced about 1 million people from their homes. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria Islamists still holding 85 schoolgirls after raid -state Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 02:35 AM PDT Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram is still holding 85 girls it abducted from a raid on a secondary school in northeastern Borno state this week, although the other 44 were free, the state government said on Saturday. Monday's mass abduction of schoolgirls aged 15 to 18 by Boko Haram, who are fighting for a breakaway Islamic state in northern Nigeria, shocked Africa's most populous country. The Islamists attacked Chibok school, in remote Borno state, which had 129 girls staying in it, on Monday. Borno state education commissioner Inuwa Kubo said in a statement late on Saturday that 16 students had managed to flee back home during the night of the attack, while another 28 had escaped after being abducted. Full Story | Top |
| France denies veto threat looms over Western Sahara negotiations Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 01:54 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France's U.N. envoy on Friday vehemently denied threatening to use its Security Council veto power to block any proposals to have U.N. peacekeepers in Western Sahara monitor the human rights situation in the disputed North African territory. The denial from French Ambassador Gerard Araud came after the United States circulated a draft resolution that would renew the U.N. mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, but without asking for sustained U.N. human rights monitoring as demanded by rights advocates. Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kidnap two Pakistani U.N. staff members from Karachi Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 01:08 AM PDT By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Gunmen have kidnapped two men working for the U.N. Children's Fund from Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, police said Saturday. A spokeswoman for the U.N. Children's Fund, also known as UNICEF, was not available to comment. The port city of Karachi is Pakistan's financial heart and home to 18 million people. Many neighborhoods are considered Taliban strongholds, including the area of Shorab Goth, which is near where the men were taken. Full Story | Top |
| Current underwater search for Malaysia plane could end within a week Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 01:03 AM PDT  By Matt Siegel and Byron Kaye SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - The current underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, focused on a tight 10 km (6.2 mile) circle of the sea floor, could be completed within a week, Australian search officials said on Saturday. Malaysia said the search was at a "very critical juncture" and asked for prayers for its success. A U.S. Navy deep-sea autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is scouring a remote stretch of the Indian Ocean floor for signs of the plane, which disappeared from radars on March 8 with 239 people on board. "Provided the weather is favorable for launch and recovery of the AUV and we have a good run with the serviceability of the AUV, we should complete the search of the focused underwater area in five to seven days," the Joint Agency Coordination Centre told Reuters in an email. Full Story | Top |
| Security threat reported on Detroit-Denver Delta flight Friday, Apr 18, 2014 09:53 PM PDT By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A Delta Airlines flight that landed at a Denver airport was directed to a remote taxiway after an unspecified "potential security threat" onboard and passengers were ushered off the plane, but authorities later saw the threat as unlikely to be credible. Flight 1500, a Boeing 737 with 151 passengers and six crew, landed roughly on time at Denver International Airport from Detroit Metropolitan Airport at about 4:40 p.m. Mountain Time, airline spokesman Russell Cason said. Flight 1500 was thought to have a "potential security threat onboard the aircraft," Denver airport spokeswoman Julie Smith said, adding that all other airport operations were normal. A local ABC News affiliate reported that a flight attendant found a note with a bomb threat. Full Story | Top |
| Suspect in Kansas City highway shootings faces 18 felony counts Friday, Apr 18, 2014 06:25 PM PDT  By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A man who went on a weeks-long shooting spree on Kansas City, Missouri, highways has been charged with 18 felony counts, including firing into vehicles and striking occupants, prosecutors said on Friday. Mohammed P. Whitaker, 27, arrested on Thursday at his home, is believed to have acted alone in the string of shootings, said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. In a series of seemingly random attacks that left the Kansas City area on edge, Whitaker is accused of opening fire at cars in a dozen incidents on highways in and around Kansas City, 11 of them from March 18 to April 6. Armed with a .380 caliber handgun, Whitaker appears to have opened fire from his own vehicle by positioning it in the blind spots of his targets, prosecutors said. Full Story | Top |
| AMR loses bid to terminate retiree benefits Friday, Apr 18, 2014 05:14 PM PDT  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy judge largely declined on Friday to rule that former American Airlines parent company AMR Corp had a unilateral right to terminate benefits for nearly 47,000 retirees. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane in New York rejected a motion AMR made in 2012 for a ruling holding that the health and welfare benefits it provided retirees had not vested and could be unilaterally modified. Lane did rule for AMR with regard to some employees, but his ruling was a setback in AMR's bid to shift the program's costs from the company to the retirees, which included both union and non-union employees. "American will review his ruling and consider next steps related to the retiree health and life insurance benefits," said Casey Norton, a spokesman for American Airlines. Full Story | Top |
| Dissident Irish republican shot dead in Belfast Friday, Apr 18, 2014 04:39 PM PDT A prominent dissident Irish republican was shot dead in Northern Ireland on Friday, the latest incident in some of the highest levels of violence since a 1998 peace deal in the British province. Northern Ireland has been largely peaceful since the "Good Friday" agreement largely ended more than three decades of sectarian violence but there are sporadic outbreaks of violence, particularly in the last 18 months. Tommy Crossan, a leading opponent of the peace deal, was shot on Friday afternoon in west Belfast and died at the scene. More than 3,600 people died in sectarian strife between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists, seeking union with Ireland, and predominantly Protestant unionists who want to remain part of the United Kingdom. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. further delays final decision on Keystone XL pipeline Friday, Apr 18, 2014 04:01 PM PDT  By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration further delayed its decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project on Friday, with no conclusion now likely until after the U.S. mid-term elections in November. President Barack Obama has said he will have the final say on whether to allow the pipeline connecting Canada's oil sands region to Texas refiners, and several government agencies had been given until May to weigh in. But the State Department said on Friday it was extending that agency comment period, citing a need to wait until the Nebraska Supreme Court settles a dispute over what path the $5.4 billion TransCanada Corp project should take. "That pipeline route is central to the environmental analysis for the project and if there are changes to the route it could have implications," a senior State Department official told reporters. Full Story | Top |
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