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| Mozambique extends registration deadline for election Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:58 AM PDT Mozambique has extended voter registration for elections due in October by 10 days, after a request by the main opposition party, Renamo, the government said on Tuesday. Renamo has conducted an insurgency over the past year in parts of central and southern Mozambique and its leader Afonso Dhlakama is holed up in the remote Gorongosa area, preventing him from registering as a presidential candidate. The government agreed to push the deadline for voter registration to May 9 from April 29 after the election commission (CNE) found that bad weather, logistics and political reasons had hampered the process, the deputy justice minister said. "As a way to overcome this situation, the CNE proposed the extension of the voter registration period for another 10 days so that more voters can be reached," Alberto Nkutumula said. Full Story | Top |
| Gertler group loaned Congo's Gecamine $196 mln for mine buyout Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:57 AM PDT By Peter Jones KINSHASA (Reuters) - Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler's Fleurette Group loaned Congo's state miner Gecamines $196 million last year to purchase two mines containing some of the country's most promising copper reserves, Fleurette said on Tuesday. Gertler, an influential figure in Democratic Republic of Congo's mining and oil sectors with close links to the Kinshasa government, has been the target of transparency campaigners in the past for a series of large-scale transactions. Fleurette denies any secrecy in its Congo dealings. ... Full Story | Top |
| "We are One!', Clippers ride wave of emotion to victory Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:56 AM PDT  By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Preaching the mantra of unity, the Los Angeles Clippers got back to winning ways against the Golden State Warriors just hours after disgraced team owner Donald Sterling had been banned from the game for life on Tuesday. With the National Basketball Association having also fined Sterling $2.5 million for racist comments that drew outrage from players, fans and commercial sponsors, the Clippers rocked their home Staples Center venue as they beat the Warriors 113-103. Two days after being pounded 97-118 in Oakland, where they were clearly distracted by the first reports of Sterling's divisive comments, the Los Angeles players were energized as they seized a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series. Chants of "We Are One! We Are One!" echoed around the arena during the fourth quarter as impassioned Clippers fans roared their team on to victory, center DeAndre Jordan pouring in 25 points, a playoff career high, along with 18 rebounds. Full Story | Top |
| Oklahoma botches execution, raising questions on death penalty in U.S. Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:33 AM PDT  By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett died during a botched execution on Tuesday, minutes after a doctor had called a halt to the procedure, raising more questions about new death penalty cocktails used by the state and others. Thirteen minutes after a doctor administered a lethal injection at the state's death chamber in McAlester, Lockett lifted his head and started mumbling. The troubled execution was expected to have national implications, with lawyers for death row inmates having argued that new lethal injection cocktails used in Oklahoma and other states could cause undue suffering and violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. "This could be a real turning point in the whole debate as people get disgusted by this sort of thing," said Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which monitors capital punishment. Full Story | Top |
| UK's anti-EU party leader says won't stand as MP at special vote Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:29 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's anti-European Union party UKIP, on Wednesday ruled out standing for a parliamentary seat freed up by a recent lawmaker resignation. "I would look like an opportunistic and I don't think it would work," Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, told the BBC. (Reporting by William James, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith) Full Story | Top |
| Germany's Eurofighter jet costs to double to 60 billion euros: auditors Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:23 AM PDT  The German defense ministry has no overview of the costs it is incurring for Airbus Group's Eurofighter jets and will spend twice as much as it originally planned on the country's most expensive defense project, federal auditors said. The German Federal Court of Auditors, which oversees the government's financial management, said in a report the costs for the Eurofighter jets over their life cycle would climb to around 60 billion euros ($83 billion) from an originally planned 30 billion, despite the number of jets having been reduced. They also said the budget of 11.8 billion euros the defense ministry had calculated in 1997 for the purchase of 180 Eurofighter jets would only be enough to buy 140 of the planes. Full Story | Top |
| Kenya inflation creeps up to 6.41 pct in year to April Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:22 AM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - KenyaN inflation edged up to 6.41 percent in the year to April compared with 6.27 percent in March, the statistics office reported on Wednesday. Consumer prices rose 1.09 percent month-on-month, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said. Inflation was largely driven higher by rising prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks. Full Story | Top |
| Co-op Bank review blames downfall on Britannia takeover Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:20 AM PDT An independent review of the problems which led to a 1.5 billion pound ($2.5 billion) funding gap at Britain's Co-operative Bank has concluded the roots of its problems lay in its 2009 takeover of the Britannia Building Society. The report by Christopher Kelly, which was commissioned by the Co-op last year, said the bank's demise reflected a "sorry story of failings in management and governance on many levels". "The roots of the shortfall lie in a merger between the bank and the Britannia Building Society which should probably never have happened. The report said Co-op Bank's board had failed in its oversight of management and to properly manage capital and risk. Full Story | Top |
| Separatists seize buildings in east Ukraine's Horlivka Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:19 AM PDT Pro-Russian separatists seized control of state buildings in the town of Horlivka on Wednesday, tightening their grip on swathes of Ukraine's industrial east almost unopposed by police. The separatists blockaded the region's police headquarters earlier in April, but took over the police division in town and the government administration on Wednesday, a police official told Reuters. The town of almost 300,000 people sits just north of Donetsk, where mainly Russian-speaking separatists have declared a 'People's Republic' and plan a referendum on secession on May 11. Towns and cities across Ukraine's Donbass coalfield - where giant steel smelters and heavy plants produce around a third of the country's industrial output - have slipped from the control of the pro-Western central government since April 6. Full Story | Top |
| Hawaii lawmakers vote to increase hourly minimum wage to $10.10 Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:18 AM PDT By Malia Mattoch HONOLULU (Reuters) - Hawaii lawmakers voted late on Tuesday to raise the U.S. state's hourly minimum wage to $10.10 from the federal minimum $7.25 at a time of heated national debate over wages and rising income inequality. The new rate brings the Pacific state into line with the hourly wage U.S. President Barack Obama has pushed at a federal level, where the current rate stands at $7.25. Legislation to raise the national minimum wage has stalled in Congress. In Hawaii, as at the national level, proposed increases have drawn strong opposition from some business owners, lobby groups, and economists, who say it will raise costs and kill jobs. Full Story | Top |
| Afghan and foreign forces kill 60 near Pakistan border: spy agency Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:12 AM PDT Afghan troops backed by Western air power killed at least 60 militants in a battle near in southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said on Wednesday. Fighting began when about 300 insurgents from the Haqqani militant network and other foreign fighters tried to storm Afghan forces' bases in Ziruk district of Paktika province, the intelligence service of the country, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement. Paktika shares a long and porous border with lawless areas in Pakistan where foreign fighters and the Haqqani network, allies of the Afghan Taliban, is believed to be based. Full Story | Top |
| Iraqis begin voting as violence grips a divided country Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:11 AM PDT  By Ned Parker and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis headed to the polls on Wednesday in their first national election since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seeking a third term amid rising violence. Iraq's western province of Anbar is torn by fighting as Sunni Muslim militants battle the Iraqi military. Its economy is struggling and Maliki faces criticism that he is aggravating sectarian splits and trying to consolidate power. Voters will choose from among 9,012 candidates and the parliamentary election will effectively serve as a referendum on Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim who has governed for eight years. Full Story | Top |
| GE says talks with France on Alstom productive, to boost jobs Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:11 AM PDT By Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) - The head of General Electric said on Wednesday talks with the French government on its offer for Alstom's energy assets had been "productive" and expressed confidence that the deal would go through despite a potential rival offer from Germany's Siemens. "We think we've got a good deal and it's going to be executed," Chief Executive Jeff Immelt told reporters. Immelt was speaking from Paris where he held talks earlier this week with French President Francois Hollande, who has said the government will focus on preserving jobs in any deal to prop up the struggling train and turbine maker. "We have had good, productive two-way dialogue this week" with the French government, Immelt said. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. renews Western Sahara mission, but without rights monitors Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:07 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council renewed a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed North African territory of Western Sahara for another year on Tuesday, and urged all sides to respect human rights, but it did not call for the United Nations to monitor abuses as rights groups have advocated. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, like the rights advocacy groups, has called for the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, to monitor and report on human rights abuses in the territory, traditionally backed by France, Morocco has long rejected the idea. Full Story | Top |
| Korea ferry disaster exposes cozy industry ties, soft penalties Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:56 PM PDT  By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - A culture of cozy personal ties that can blur the lines between businesses and those regulating them, of profit over safety, and soft courts is in focus as South Korea demands answers over the sinking of a ferry with the loss of more than 300 lives, mainly high school students. Prosecutors are investigating two shipping trade organizations responsible for vessel safety checks and for certifying ships that operate in domestic waters. Two officials at the Korea Shipping Association (KSA) have been arrested on charges of obstructing justice for destroying documents related to a probe into lobbying government officials. Prosecutors are also investigating Korean Register (KR), which tests and certifies ships. Full Story | Top |
| Seeking deals, France rolls out red carpet for Angolan leader Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:55 PM PDT  By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - French officials welcomed Angola's president on Tuesday for the first time in 20 years, hailing his economic reforms in the clearest sign yet that Paris is turning its diplomatic focus to winning overseas contracts. Relations were strained in the past decade after the "Angolagate" trial over arms sales to Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos's MPLA party during the civil war in the 1990s, which a Paris court said broke a United Nations arms embargo. Dos Santos, in power since 1979, made clear from the start he was displeased about old arms deals being exposed in court, prompting former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to fly to Luanda in May 2008 to mend fences with the African leader. After several convictions in 2009, Angola signalled the court ruling would have a negative impact on ties with Paris. Full Story | Top |
| Two aides to Guinea-Bissau ex-navy chief plead guilty in U.S Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:52 PM PDT By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - In one of the most high-profile international drug cases in the United States, two aides to Guinea Bissau's former navy chief, Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, have pleaded guilty in New York to their roles in a major cocaine trafficking enterprise. Tchamy Yala and Papis Djeme entered their pleas in Manhattan federal court on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, telling a U.S. judge they conspired to import cocaine to Guinea Bissau in West Africa for eventual distribution to Europe and the United States. The former navy chief, Na Tchuto, was arrested in a dramatic sting operation last year by U.S. authorities, who claim the Guinea-Bissau war hero is a kingpin of West Africa's illicit drug trade. United Nations officials say poverty-stricken Guinea Bissau, a former Portuguese colony that borders Senegal, is a major waypoint for Latin American cocaine on its way to Europe. Full Story | Top |
| UN chief urges South Sudan's Kiir help end violence, anti-UN campaign Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:51 PM PDT  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday to publicly call for an end to a "negative campaign" against U.N. peacekeepers and to bring to justice those responsible for attacks there on civilians and the United Nations. In a phone call with Kiir, the U.N. chief called for "an immediate halt to the vicious fighting and the appalling killing of South Sudanese civilians," according to a statement from Ban's press office. More than 1 million people have fled their homes since fighting erupted in December between troops backing Kiir and soldiers loyal to his sacked deputy, Riek Machar. Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands have sought refuge at U.N. bases around South Sudan, the world's youngest country, after the violence spread. Full Story | Top |
| NBA bans Los Angeles Clippers owner for life over racist comments Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:51 PM PDT  By Scott Malone and Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - The NBA banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling from professional basketball for life on Tuesday and fined him $2.5 million in an unprecedented rebuke for racist comments that drew outrage from players, fans, commercial sponsors and even President Barack Obama. Sterling, 80, the longest-tenured owner of any of the 30 National Basketball Association teams, will be barred from any role in the operations of his franchise or from serving as one of the league's governors, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told a news conference in New York. Silver also urged the other owners to vote to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, a first-time use of such a sanction that would require approval of three-quarters of the current owners. Asked whether Sterling could end up as essentially an absentee owner if the league fails to force a sale of the team, Silver replied: "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him." The drama unfolded as the Clippers, long an NBA doormat overshadowed by the Los Angeles Lakers, were capping off their best season ever in a first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors of Oakland, California. Full Story | Top |
| Alstom to review GE offer for energy business Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:45 PM PDT  By James Regan PARIS (Reuters) - France's Alstom said on Wednesday it would review a binding offer from General Electric for its energy business by the end of May but left the door open for a competing bid from Germany's Siemens. The decision to give Siemens more time came after President Francois Hollande's government balked at GE's initial overtures last week and insisted any outcome must safeguard jobs at the cash-strapped group, once a champion of French industry, while ensuring France's energy independence. GE said its offer for Alstom's thermal power, renewable power and grid businesses totaled $16.9 billion, including enterprise value of $13.5 billion and $3.4 billion of net cash. "Alstom would use the sale proceeds to strengthen its transport business and give it the means of an ambitious development, pay down its debt and return cash to its shareholders," Alstom said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Industry stocks becalm platinum price as strike grinds on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:42 PM PDT  By Jan Harvey LONDON (Reuters) - Platinum's price stability in the face of the longest miners' strike in South Africa since the end of apartheid is testament to the industry's success in using stocks built up in advance to hold the market steady. That's good news for consumers, but bad news for investors looking for a payday. Miners in the world's biggest platinum producer have been on strike at Anglo Platinum, Lonmin and Impala Platinum since Jan. 23, shuttering 40 percent of global production. Analysts put it partly down to the availability of above-ground stocks of the metal, which Citigroup estimated at 9 million ounces ahead of the strike, nearly a year's demand. Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's credit growth quickens to 8.8 pct in March Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:38 PM PDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Growth in credit demand from South Africa's private sector quickened to 8.84 percent in March, from 8.67 percent in February, data from the Reserve Bank showed on Wednesday. Expansion in the broadly defined M3 measure of money supply accelerated to 7.86 percent, from 5.93 percent the previous month. Full Story | Top |
| Fire kills 10 at Russian arms depot, briefly halts Transsiberian railway Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:20 PM PDT Explosions caused by a fire killed at least 10 people at a munitions depot in eastern Siberia and temporarily closed a section of the Transsiberian railway, Russia's Defense Ministry said. Engineers found a truck with 10 corpses in the early hours of Wednesday, a Defense Ministry spokesman told Rossiya-24 television, which carried pictures of flames swirling high in the night sky and turning it red. More than 1,000 residents were evacuated, the local Emergencies Ministry said. As the wildfire spread, a logistics officer decided to evacuate those guarding the depot but the group were hit by another explosion as they tried to escape and died within minutes, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Full Story | Top |
| Philippines troops exchange mortar fire with militants, 15 dead Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 11:04 PM PDT At least 15 people were killed when security forces and Islamist militants exchanged mortar fire for three hours on Tuesday in a remote southern Philippine island, a marine general said on Wednesday, claiming the rebels were trying to retake their base. Brigadier-General Martin Pinto said a soldier was killed and 19 others were wounded as sporadic fighting continued early on Wednesday in Patikul, Sulu, a known hotbed of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group. "The wounded marines, most of them are caused by mortar shelling from the Abu Sayyaf, were evacuated to an army hospital for treatment." Pinto said about 300 rebels launched an offensive to retake their base in Patikul after soldiers captured them on Monday. Early this month, security forces killed 18 Abu Sayyaf in nearby Basilan island as the Philippines stepped up an offensive against armed groups opposed to the peace pact with a larger Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Full Story | Top |
| BNP Paribas warns of bigger-than-expected U.S. fine Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:57 PM PDT  BNP Paribas , France's biggest bank, warned it might be hit with a U.S. fine "far in excess" of the $1.1 billion it set aside last year to cover litigation costs linked to a potential breach of U.S. sanctions on countries including Iran. "There is uncertainty with respect to the amount and the nature of penalties the U.S. will impose," BNP Chief Financial Officer Lars Machenil told Reuters Insider television. "It's not impossible that the fine is far in excess of the ($1.1 billion) provision." When asked if the fine could reach $2 billion or $3 billion, BNP's Machenil said: "There is nothing more to say." Past U.S. settlements have ensnared rivals such as Standard Chartered - which agreed in 2012 to pay $327 million to resolve allegations that it violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, Sudan, Burma and Libya - and JPMorgan Chase , which agreed to pay $13 billion in 2013 over mortgage-related charges. BNP otherwise reported a better-than-expected 5.2 percent rise in first-quarter net income on Wednesday, with the effects of its full takeover of Belgian subsidiary Fortis last year helping to counterbalance writedowns on assets exposed to the Ukraine crisis and rising loan losses in Italy. Full Story | Top |
| Clippers start healing process after Sterling ban Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:49 PM PDT By Jahmal Corner LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The NBA's decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the game for life marks the start of a "healing process," said coach Doc Rivers, as his players got back to the business of playing basketball on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed out a life ban to Sterling and fined him $2.5 million for racist comments that stunned the league and the nation. It was a strong statement warmly applauded by the NBA as a whole, and the Clippers in particular. While questions remain concerning Sterling's future ownership of the team, and the impact of his comments on the players, the NBA's stern decision has unquestionably lightened the Clippers load. Full Story | Top |
| Commissioner Silver passes test with decisive Clippers action Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:49 PM PDT By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Less than three months into his job as the new commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Adam Silver has already left an indelible impression on the game. In his first big test since taking over from David Stern, who had served for three decades before stepping down earlier this year, Silver emerged as a strong leader prepared to take a firm stance against racial intolerance. The former lawyer's decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and fine him $2.5 million and initiate plans to force him to sell the team won Silver instant, widespread approval. Michael Jordan, the game's most celebrated global figure, led the accolades. Full Story | Top |
| Beijing targets kebab vendors' grills in war on pollution Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:29 PM PDT  Alarmed by pollution in the Chinese capital, authorities in Beijing will crack down on smoky outdoor grills from May 1, in a move that will hit the city's popular kebab stalls, state media reported on Wednesday. During Beijing's sweltering summers, many residents gather round sidewalk tables, drinking beer and eating food cooked in the street, and the ban is bound to make an impact coming into effect on a labor day holiday. The new rules, which also target eateries serving popular cold dishes, are intended to help preserve food safety and control smog, state-owned China News Service reported on its website. Popular snacks like garlic cucumber salad and cold tofu skin will likely no longer be sold outdoors, the news report said. Full Story | Top |
| Fed expected to take further step toward ending bond buying Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:13 PM PDT  By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is expected to cut its bond-buying program by a further $10 billion on Wednesday as signs mount that the U.S. economy is starting to pull away from its winter slowdown. Janet Yellen's second policy-setting session as Fed chair should confirm the central bank's plan to wind down its purchases of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities by year-end - a sign of its confidence the economy is gaining traction. The reduction likely to be announced at the end of the Fed's two-day meeting would bring the total monthly purchases down to $45 billion, split between $25 billion of Treasuries and $20 billion of mortgage-backed securities. But analysts expect little more out of the session as the Fed enters what may be a sort of holding pattern as it transitions from an era of crisis response to one of more normal monetary policy. Full Story | Top |
| Cold weather seen temporarily slowing U.S. economy Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:11 PM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth likely braked sharply in the first quarter due partly to an unusually cold and disruptive winter, but activity already appears to be bouncing back. Gross domestic product probably grew at a 1.2 percent annual rate, according to a Reuters survey of economists, pulling back from the fourth quarter's 2.6 percent pace. "We have effectively written off first-quarter growth performance in part due to the adverse weather conditions," said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. Full Story | Top |
| Colorado symphony strikes high note in cannabis-friendly concert Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 10:03 PM PDT The Colorado Symphony is giving new meaning to hitting a high note, announcing on Tuesday a bring-your-own marijuana concert series, the first of which features its chamber ensemble and South-of-the-border food and booze. The U.S. states of Colorado and Washington became the first to legalize the possession and use of recreational cannabis in 2012, and the first retail pot shops opened in Colorado in January. The orchestra's "Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series" seeks to tap the blossoming market in a series of summer fundraising concerts, at a time when more than half of Colorado voters believe legalizing recreational marijuana has been good for the state, a recent poll showed. The Denver Post newspaper reported the events are aimed at boosting attendance, including drawing younger concert-goers, at a time when the Colorado Symphony has struggled financially. Full Story | Top |
| Philippines says U.S. obligated to help in case of attack Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 09:58 PM PDT  Washington has a treaty obligation to come to the assistance of the Philippines in case of an attack on its territory or its armed forces in the South China Sea, Manila's foreign minister said on Wednesday, disputing criticism of a new security pact. The United States and the Philippines on Monday signed a new 10-year Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement allowing U.S. forces wider access to local bases and to preposition ships, aircraft, equipment and troops for maritime security. The new military deal is a testimony to America's "ironclad" commitment to defend its oldest Southeast Asian ally, U.S. President Barack Obama told Filipino and American troops taking part in military exercises next week at an Army base in Manila. "Under the Mutual Defense Treaty, the U.S. will come to the assistance of the Philippines if our metropolitan territory is attacked or if our armed forces are attacked in the Pacific area," Albert del Rosario said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tornadoes kill 34, threaten more damage in South Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 09:39 PM PDT  By Emily Le Coz TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - At least 34 people were killed in tornadoes unleashed by a ferocious storm system that razed neighborhoods in the southern United States over the last three days and threatened more destruction in heavily populated parts of the South on Tuesday. In Arkansas and Mississippi, the hardest hit of six states struck by the storm, there have been 27 confirmed storm-related deaths and more than 200 people injured as tornadoes reduced homes to splinters, snapped trees like twigs and sent trucks flying through the air like toys. Deaths were also reported in Oklahoma and Iowa on Sunday, and Alabama and Tennessee on Monday. The White House said President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in Arkansas and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to resume Mideast peace talks after a pause Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 09:09 PM PDT  By David Rohde NEW YORK (Reuters) - To both critics and supporters, it was "classic" John Kerry. A day before the formal end of Kerry's quixotic, nine-month effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, the Secretary of State was surreptitiously taped making a comment that provoked a political firestorm in Washington. In a closed meeting with foreign policy experts, Kerry said that if there is no two-state solution soon, Israel risked becoming "an apartheid state." Kerry was apparently referring to an argument made by liberal Israelis and European critics that if two states are not created and current demographic trends continue, Palestinians will outnumber Israelis. "A unitary state winds up either being an apartheid state with second-class citizens," Kerry said on Friday, according to the Daily Beast. Full Story | Top |
| Shootouts claim 14 lives in northern Mexican border city Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 08:42 PM PDT At least 14 people were killed in a series of shootouts in the northern Mexican border city of Reynosa on Tuesday as gunmen battled police in a region racked by violence between warring drug gangs. Assailants in armored vehicles opened fire on federal police and military officers in three shootouts in Tamaulipas, an unruly state on the U.S. border where the brutal Zetas drug gang has fought the Gulf Cartel for control. The death toll in Reynosa, which is directly across the border from Hidalgo, Texas, included 10 gunmen, two federal police officers as well two young adults who were caught in the crossfire while driving in separate vehicles. It was not immediately clear if the gunmen were affiliated with any drug cartels, which vie for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the United States. Full Story | Top |
| Muslims, Sikhs object to headscarf ban at California go-kart parks Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 08:29 PM PDT By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Three Muslim families have filed complaints against an amusement park chain in California that they say barred them from riding go-karts wearing headscarves, family advocates said Tuesday. The families claim that Boomers! Parks in two locations in the state violated their civil rights with an unfair safety policy that bans all headgear on the rides, said Sammar Miqbel, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the complaints on behalf of the families. The United Sikh's organisation said it was preparing to file a similar complaint on behalf of a Sikh family. CAIR's Miqbel said the families visiting Boomers' in the San Francisco suburb of Livermore and the Los Angeles suburb of Irvine had been allowed to wait in line for go karts, but were barred when they reached the front of the queque. Full Story | Top |
| NBA-Clippers start healing process after Sterling ban Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 08:20 PM PDT By Jahmal Corner LOS ANGELES, April 29 (Reuters) - The NBA's decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the game for life marks the start of a "healing process," said coach Doc Rivers, as his players got back to the business of playing basketball on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed out a life ban to Sterling and fined him $2.5 million for racist comments that stunned the league and the nation. It was a strong statement warmly applauded by the NBA as a whole, and the Clippers in particular. While questions remain concerning Sterling's future ownership of the team, and the impact of his comments on the players, the NBA's stern decision has unquestionably lightened the Clippers load. Full Story | Top |
| Santos holds lead in Colombia election opinion poll but rival gains Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 07:45 PM PDT  Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos maintained his clear lead in voting intentions ahead of May 25 elections, a Gallup poll published on Tuesday showed, but his nearest rival, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, continued to gain support. Santos would win 32 percent of the vote, down half a point from the pollster's March survey, while Zuluaga, the anointed candidate of still-popular former President Alvaro Uribe, jumped 5 percentage points to 20.5 percent. Santos would beat Zuluaga in a second round of voting by 46 percent of votes versus 34 percent for his rival. Santos initiated talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia at the end of 2012 and the negotiations have made slow but promising progress. Full Story | Top |
| SeaWorld says San Diego killer whale is pregnant Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 07:37 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - A killer whale at SeaWorld is pregnant, the San Diego theme park said Tuesday, a development welcomed by the company but decried by animal rights activists trying to outlaw the breeding of captive orcas and "Shamu" shows that feature them doing tricks. The news of the pregnancy comes weeks after California lawmakers effectively killed a closely watched bill that would have banned SeaWorld from continuing its breeding program and from using killer whales to perform tricks at its California park. "The calf's birth is expected in December," said spokesman Dave Koontz. Killer whales have a 17 1/2 month gestation period. Full Story | Top |
| Russia's Lavrov scolds U.S., EU for imposing sanctions Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 07:36 PM PDT Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed the United States and European Union on Tuesday for imposing sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, saying they were the work of weak politicians in the West "attempting to blame others." The European Union on Tuesday announced asset freezes and travel bans on 15 Russians and Ukrainians over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, one day after the United States imposed sanctions on seven Russians and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We reject sanctions in any of our relationships, in particular those sanctions that were sponsored by the United States and the European Union, which defy all common sense, regarding the events in Ukraine," Lavrov said during a visit to Cuba. Full Story | Top |
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