WorldNews

[attach=full]17776[/attach] Caroline Wozniacki overcame a persistent fever, a seed-beater, difficulties with her first serve, and a late night finish to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Open for the fifth successive time on Thursday. The former world number one from Denmark's 7-5, 6-0 win over the world number 14 from Italy, Flavia Pennetta, confirmed the feeling that she is gradually edging her way back towards the summit, even though her standard was not always all she wanted. Wozniacki twice conceded early breaks of serve before repairing the damage, and was unable to force her advantage home when she was twice within two points of taking the first set. Once she had a set in the bag Wozniacki accelerated her progress encouragingly against an opponent who had dismissed the seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber the previous day. Continue reading...

NEW YORK (AP) — The PLO and Palestinian Authority should not be blamed for terror attacks in Israel that killed or wounded Americans in the early 2000s, the groups' lawyer told a New York City jury Thursday, but the victims' attorney insisted the organizations sanctioned the bloodshed. Continue reading...

Colombia's Constitutional Court has put stringent limits on adoption by gay couples, saying it would be allowed only if one partner is already the child's biological parent. "Adoption will only be allowed when it deals with the biological child of the same sex partner," read Wednesday's decision, which disappointed gay rights groups hoping for more expansive adoption rights. The constitutional court ruled several months ago that a lesbian woman could adopt her long-time partner's daughter, presaging Wednesday's decision, which applies to all gay couples in Colombia. In the case last August, the court allowed a woman to adopt the biological daughter of her longtime female partner, overruling Colombia's Family Welfare bureau, which had denied her adoption petition. Continue reading...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A convicted drug trafficker and former captain of the Dominican Republic's army says he donated millions of dollars to former president Leonel Fernandez. Continue reading...

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Thursday that proposals put forward by the Greek government were a very encouraging sign that a solution could be found quickly in a standoff over an extension of Greece's bailout program. "I take the latest declarations and decisions of the Greek Prime Minister writing to Europe as a very encouraging sign that a solution is possible, and very quickly," Valls told parliament during a speech ahead of a no-confidence vote. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17767[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for a rabbi accused of videotaping women at a Jewish ritual bath says his client will plead guilty to more than 50 counts of voyeurism. Continue reading...

BEIRUT (AP) — Rebels in Syria have captured 32 soldiers and pro-government gunmen near the northern city of Aleppo, where fighting is raging as the two sides try to grab new territory ahead of a possible truce, activists said Thursday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17766[/attach] LONDON (AP) — Freed Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste says it is too soon to celebrate because his two colleagues still face retrial in Egypt. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17764[/attach] Something happened in prison to Omar El-Hussein, the 22-year-old identified by police as the gunman who killed two people in a weekend shooting spree in Copenhagen. When he came out of prison he was totally nuts," said a taxi driver from the housing estate where El-Hussein lived and played as a child. Copenhagen's longstanding problem with criminal gangs means the authorities are now concerned that El-Hussein's journey from joining a gang in the immigrant community where he grew up, via prison into extremism could mirror a wider trend. Continue reading...

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — A top EU official says the 28-member bloc will provide armored cars and satellite imagery to monitor a cease-fire in Ukraine but is undecided whether to commit troops to a proposed U.N.-mandated peacekeeping mission. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17763[/attach] MILAN (AP) — At the start of the year, Roma appeared certain to push Juventus all the way in the Serie A title chase. Continue reading...

LONDON (AP) — Britain's defense minister has said Russia poses a "real and present danger" to European security, as Royal Air Force jets were scrambled to escort Russian warplanes off the British coast. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17762[/attach] FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank's governing council members wrestled with fears that falling prices could become ingrained in the eurozone economy before a "large majority" decided last month to launch a 1 trillion euro monetary boost. Continue reading...

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — South Korea's Ilhee Lee took advantage of calm morning conditions at Royal Melbourne to shoot a 5-under 68 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Women's Australian Open. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17755[/attach] TOKYO (AP) — European shares were mostly lower early Thursday as investors waited to see the outcome of negotiations between Greece and its eurozone creditors. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17754[/attach] Greece is due to make a formal request for a loan extension from eurozone finance ministers on Thursday, saying it is "optimistic" about a compromise with EU and ECB to avoid a looming "Grexit". Athens was expected to send a letter to Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of the Eurogroup, to request an extension of up to six months on its European loan agreement that would sidestep the restrictions of a full-blown bailout. Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis insisted a deal was still possible even after a firm preemptive "nein" from EU paymaster Germany to its planned offer. Europe and Greece are racing to reach a deal to avoid a Greek exit from the eurozone -- dubbed a "Grexit" -- after talks in Brussels ended in acrimony on Monday with both sides digging in their heels. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17753[/attach] KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian military spokesman says more than 90 percent of its forces have been withdrawn from the fiercely contested town of Debaltseve and its surroundings, but left unclear when the retreat might be completed. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17752[/attach] On Lake Tanganyika, a century-old relic of World War I that became the stuff of Hollywood legend still plies the slate-grey waters -- but it is not clear for how much longer. Once a feared gunship defending the African lake for Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the legendary vessel -- which inspired the 1951 classic "The African Queen" -- has been sunk and refloated twice, renamed and repurposed as a ferry. As it marks 100 years of service, the MV Liemba, originally a symbol of colonial power, is now an essential lifeline for the people who live along the lakeshore. "Liemba is the only safe means of transport along the lake," said Mathew Mathia Mwanjisi, the ship's captain. Continue reading...

By James Regan SYDNEY (Reuters) - A pair of tropical cyclones was bearing down on northeastern Australia on Thursday and emergency officials warned residents to take shelter ahead of torrential rain and flooding, destructive winds and massive seas. Cyclone Marcia off the northeast coast of Queensland state is forecast to dump 300 mm of rain in the next 24 hours, with wind gusts up to 90 kph (55 mph), making it possibly the most destructive cyclone to hit Queensland since 2013. "Our message to Queenslanders is start getting ready now," said state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. The Port of Gladstone, Queensland's biggest multi-commodity port handling much of the state's coal, alumina, bauxite and natural gas shipments, said it was monitoring Marcia's movement and following procedures in place to deal with storms. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17746[/attach] US President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Western and Muslim leaders to unite to defeat the "false promises of extremism" and reject jihadists' claims to represent Islam. "The terrorists do not speak for a billion Muslims," Obama told delegates from 60 countries at a White House summit on countering radicalism. "They try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors," he said. In the wake of brutal jihadist attacks in Europe and the Middle East, Obama said more must be done to prevent groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda from recruiting and radicalizing. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17745[/attach] ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) — The city, making good on its vow to seek new non-gambling attractions, has approved redevelopment plans including a giant Ferris wheel and a zip line on the beachfront next to the Steel Pier and restaurants, a rebuilt Boardwalk and an elevated walkway in its Inlet neighborhood. Continue reading...

Indiana utilities are pressing state lawmakers to let them charge a monthly fee to customers who sell excess power from solar panels under a bill that has become a focal point in a battle between traditional and renewable energy companies. An Indiana state House committee on Wednesday voted 9-4 to advance the bill, which would also give utilities some flexibility over what they pay for energy sold back to them. The bill, opposed by clean energy advocates, goes next to the full state House of Representatives. Utilities say they were losing money in Indiana by paying higher-than-market rates to solar power generators under net metering rules introduced in 2011. Continue reading...

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California’s public drinking water systems violated safety levels for contaminants more than 1,000 times during the 2012-2013 fiscal year says a report that cites high levels in some water systems of arsenic, nitrates and other pollutants. The report, ordered by the state Senate's Environmental Quality committee, is part of a broader effort to improve compliance with drinking water regulations, prompted by criticism of the state's oversight and a court settlement. "Although the vast majority of Californians who receive drinking water from a public water system receive water that met quality standards in recent years, there are still many who may have consumed unsafe water," Senate researchers said in the report, which was released on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17744[/attach] CAIRO (AP) — Libya, virtually a failed state in recent years, has succeeded in one way: It's providing a perfect opportunity for the Islamic State group to expand from Syria and Iraq to establish a strategic foothold closer to European shores. Continue reading...

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has temporarily reduced the hourly charge for using state-run Internet cafes in the country's first small but substantive public move to increase online access since the declaration of detente with the U.S. Continue reading...