WorldNews

[attach=full]19172[/attach] KYOTO, Japan (AP) — U.S. first lady Michelle Obama was treated to a serene classical Noh performance and then tried taiko drums as she ended her visit to Japan on Friday with a taste of traditional culture in Kyoto, one of the country's ancient capitals. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19171[/attach] LONGYEARBYEN, Norway (AP) — For the best view of the solar spectacle of the year, Svalbard eclipsed the Faeroe Islands. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19170[/attach] VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A symphony of popping Champagne corks echoed across the Versailles Palace, as chefs from around the world celebrated the delights of French gastronomy in the first worldwide "Good France" event. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19169[/attach] German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and Canadian train maker Bombardier said Friday they have agreed to settle out of court two years of legal battles over allegedly defective trains. "Deutsche Bahn and Bombardier Transportation have agreed to an out-of-court settlement with regard to a number of projects, allowing both sides to settle the long-running disputes amicably," the companies said in a joint statement. In March 2013, Deutsche Bahn sued Bombardier over "serious defects" in trains used on the suburban S-Bahn rail network in Berlin. "In the past months, we've worked hard to reach a compromise solution to an extremely complex and difficult situation that is acceptable for both sides," said Deutsche Bahn board member Gerd Becht. Continue reading...

TOKYO (AP) — For hamburger aficionados who want the smell even when they can't get a bite, Burger King is putting the scent into a limited-edition fragrance. Continue reading...

By Stephen Coates PORT VILA (Reuters) - The sprinkling of fairy lights on the roadside was the only sign of life as darkness descended and a curfew began in Vanuatu's shattered capital, Port Vila, in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam this week. Ignoring calls to stay at home, men were gathering among the debris of blasted trees and twisted corrugated iron to swap news of the storm over a drink of kava, a mildly intoxicating brew that is deeply embedded in the social fabric of Pacific islanders. Vanuatu escaped the worst with only 11 people confirmed dead. The tourism sector will be affected ... Kava will also be affected," Prime Minister Joe Natuman told Reuters in Port Vila. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19165[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders are looking to back U.N.-brokered efforts to form a national unity government in conflict-torn Libya that may include a mission to help provide security. Continue reading...

Thailand on Friday jailed three brothers of a former princess for 5-1/2 years, in the latest court decision giving prison time to family members after her dramatic fall from grace last year. Srirasmi Suwadee, formerly known as Princess Srirasmi, is divorced from Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and relinquished her royal title last December. Her downfall and the imprisonment of many of her relatives come at a time of heightened anxiety over the health of Thailand's revered, but ailing, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, and nervousness about what a royal succession might bring. The brothers, Natthapol, Narong and Sitthisak Suwadee, were given 11 years in prison each, cut to 5-1/2 years because they confessed to the crimes of theft, insult to the monarchy and illegal detention, a judge said while delivering the sentence. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19164[/attach] Jaguar Land Rover is recalling more than 36,000 cars from China, it said, after it was criticised by state television over allegedly faulty gearboxes. The company, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, also apologised to Chinese consumers in the online statement, posted late Thursday, which followed it being targeted in a China Central Television (CCTV) programme at the weekend. The programme alleged owners of the Range Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicles had experienced problems with gearboxes. "We will carry out a recall initiative and give consumers a deep apology," the company said on its verified account on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, adding the recall applied to 36,451 vehicles. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19163[/attach] After years of false starts in nuclear talks with the West, most Iranians are beginning their New Year hopeful of a decisive deal to end over a decade of punishing sanctions. "All the nation is hopeful," said Azadeh Kajkolah, a 30-year-old housewife doing last minute shopping in the capital's fabled Grand Bazaar on Wednesday, the last official work day before Nowruz, (Persian New Year) on March 21. "I saw on TV that they have reached peace on 90 percent of the issues," she said, thanking Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who on Tuesday said "sooner or later we will see results". Nuclear talks, which took many by surprise when they officially restarted in 2013 after secret meetings between Iranian and US officials, could end Western sanctions on Iran and temper Tehran's long isolation. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19157[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — Top leaders of the European Union emerged from a meeting with the Greek prime minister early Friday telling him much what they have for weeks: Come up with a reform plan if you want more money to stay solvent. And do it fast. Continue reading...

BEIJING (AP) — A website that helps Chinese Internet users see censored pages says it is the target of a massive denial-of-service attack and is struggling to stay online. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19156[/attach] CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Malcolm Fraser, the former Australian prime minister who was notoriously catapulted to power by a constitutional crisis that left the nation bitterly divided, died on Friday his office said. He was 84. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19155[/attach] WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — West Indies captain Jason Holder says a decision on Chris Gayle's fitness for Saturday's Cricket World Cup quarterfinal against New Zealand will be left to the morning of the match. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19154[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels through Friday to talk about economic and energy policies, the crises in Ukraine and Libya, and the Greek debt problem. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19150[/attach] Police on Thursday discovered the bodies of five babies in a house in southwestern France, a source close to the case said, in what appears to be the country's worst incident of infanticide in five years. After the body of a newborn was found in a thermal bag earlier in the day, officers "discovered four more bodies of babies during their search" at the house in Louchats, near the city of Bordeaux, the source said, confirming a report by French television channel iTele. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19149[/attach] Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged Germany and France at a summit Thursday to help him tackle a looming cash crunch, despite warnings that Athens must commit to reforms first. The radical left-wing Greek leader sat down for emergency talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Francois Hollande and the EU's top officials on the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels. He said Greece faced a "humanitarian crisis" if its creditors do not unlock the remaining funds in its EU-IMF bailout, with Athens at risk of running out of money by the end of the week. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is telling Iranians another moment to pursue better relations between Iran and the U.S. may not come again soon. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, in a message to Iran's people and leaders on Thursday, said this year represented the "best opportunity in decades" to pursue a different relationship between their two countries. Obama said nuclear talks with Iran had made progress but that gaps remained. "This moment may not come again soon," Obama said in his message celebrating Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. "I believe that our nations have an historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully —an opportunity we should not miss" (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler) Continue reading...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev on Thursday urged the West to maintain strong sanctions against Russia over last year's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula to pressure the Russian "aggressors" to leave without using military force. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19141[/attach] Baghdad is sending a payment of $412 million to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, a sign that a budget deal between the two sides is still on track, the finance minister said Thursday. "A decision has been taken by the government and the finance ministry to send a payment worth... 490 billion Iraqi dinars ($412 million/389 million euros) to the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) to cover actual expenses for February," Hoshyar Zebari told AFP. The payment includes funding for the Kurdish peshmerga security forces, who are battling the Islamic State group that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last year, Zebari said. Baghdad and Kurdistan had reached a deal under which the three-province region would export 250,000 barrels of oil per day and 300,000 bpd from disputed Kirkuk province, while the federal government would release the region's share of national revenue. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19140[/attach] Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing business visas to Swedish citizens, the Swedish foreign ministry said Thursday amid a deepening diplomatic row between the Nordic country and the Gulf. Sweden "has been informed" by Riyadh of the development, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP. We don't want this situation with Saudi Arabia," Swedish news agency TT quoted Prime Minister Stefan Loefven as saying in Brussels. Sweden last week cut military ties with Saudi Arabia after Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem accused Riyadh of blocking her from making a speech about human rights to the Arab League. Continue reading...

About 290 U.S. Army paratroopers will travel to western Ukraine next month to train three battalions of Ukrainian national guard troops, the Pentagon said on Thursday, moving ahead with a long-planned mission that was delayed due to a peace deal. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said 290 members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade based at Vicenza, Italy, would carry out the training at the Yavoriv training center in western Ukraine, probably sometime in late April. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the head of U.S. Army troops in Europe, told reporters this week the training mission had been delayed in part to avoid giving Moscow a reason to back out of a peace deal agreed last month between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists. Continue reading...

NEW YORK (AP) — Watch out Apple: Swiss company Tag Heuer is developing its own smartwatch with tech rivals Google and Intel. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19139[/attach] AL-MARJ, Libya (AP) — Libya's army chief, Gen. Khalifa Hifter, warned in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday that Europe will face infiltration by Islamic State group militants from Libya if the West fails to support his forces with arms and ammunition. Continue reading...