WorldNews

By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The British government should make cuts to its 86 million pound aid budget for Nepal unless the country takes action to combat poor governance and "endemic" corruption, a parliamentary committee said on Friday. The Department for International Development (DFID)'s funding has seen Nepal make huge progress in health, water and sanitation, but this spending will only be justified if governance improves, the International Development Committee (IDC) said. DFID should also address the needs of women and girls in Nepal, who are at risk of trafficking, early marriage, domestic abuse and murder, by working to change social norms and ensure justice for victims, the IDC said in a report. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. resistance to a Chinese-led Asian regional bank has left it isolated among its Asian and European allies and given some heft to China's frequent complaints that Washington wants to contain its rise as a world power. Continue reading...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies presented powerful members of the U.N. Security Council with suggested elements for a resolution that would impose an arms embargo on the Shiite rebels who have thrown Yemen into turmoil and caused its Western-backed president to flee. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19456[/attach] COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (AP) — University of Maryland journalism students are raising money to launch a line of bracelets emblazoned with the names of journalists imprisoned around the world to raise money for the cause, and awareness of their plight. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19455[/attach] Incredulity, shock, disbelief and horror. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19454[/attach] BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out a case accusing President Cristina Fernandez and other top officials of a major cover-up deal with Iran, giving a victory of sorts to an administration that has been rocked by the mysterious death of the prosecutor who made the allegation. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19453[/attach] LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The United States is considering letting Tehran run hundreds of centrifuges at a once-secret, fortified underground bunker in exchange for limits on centrifuge work and research and development at other sites, officials have told The Associated Press. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19452[/attach] ST. POELTEN, Austria (AP) — Chile slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Iran on Thursday in its second-to-last warmup game before hosting the Copa America in June. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19443[/attach] Air Canada said on Thursday it is changing its policies to ensure that all flights have two people in the cockpit at all times after initial reports on the Germanwings flight that crashed on Tuesday. Canada's biggest airline is making the change "without delay," said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email. He said Air Canada was monitoring the investigation into the crash closely, noting that "at this point the cause is unknown." Fitzpatrick declined to describe Air Canada's previous policy, saying he could not discuss security measures. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19442[/attach] By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been invited to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on April 29, during a visit to Washington, becoming the first Japanese leader to make such an address. U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner said Abe's speech will provide an opportunity for Americans to hear from a close ally about ways to expand cooperation on economic and security priorities. Trade is an important component of President Barack Obama's diplomatic "pivot" to Asia, and progress toward a free trade deal has been touted as a key part of Abe's visit to Washington. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19441[/attach] There were 150 passengers and crew aboard the plane that crashed Tuesday in the French Alps. Germany's Foreign Ministry on Thursday came up with its first complete list of their nationalities, which was complicated to compile because some have dual nationality. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19440[/attach] The death toll in Chile rose to seven after rains battered the north and caused flooding, the government said on Thursday, while 19 others were unaccounted for as the military rushed to rescue stranded villagers. Rivers have burst their banks, flooding towns, making roads impassable and forcing miners in Chile, the world's top copper exporter, to suspend operations. Chile, a sliver of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains in one of the world's most seismic zones, is used to dealing with natural disasters. Military helicopters flew in supplies and evacuated residents from three villages in the Atacama region that were entirely cut off and only reachable by air, Mahmud Aleuy, the deputy interior minister, said on Thursday. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in the Middle East says he'd like his forces to protect the Syrian rebels the U.S. is training to fight the Islamic State group. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19432[/attach] SYDNEY (AP) — A bowling attack that had propelled 2011 champion India to a seven-game winning streak at the World Cup suddenly faltered for the first time in the tournament, but not for the first time on its long and arduous tour to Australia. Continue reading...

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on all sides in a widening conflict in Yemen to obey the rules of war, voicing concern at reports of civilian casualties following Saudi-led air strikes. Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck Shi'ite Muslim rebels fighting to oust Yemen's president on Thursday, a gamble by the world's top oil exporter to check Iranian influence in its backyard. In a statement, the ICRC urged all sides to protect civilians and medical facilities, ensure the wounded get medical attention, and treat detainees humanely, in line with the Geneva Conventions. "All parties involved in the current round of violence are bound by the rules governing the conduct of hostilities," said Cedric Schweizer, who heads an ICRC delegation of 300 aid workers in Yemen. Continue reading...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said a French prosecutor's suggestion that the co-pilot of a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the plane in the Alps, killing 150, was plausible. "The French prosecutors' assessment that the plane was deliberately put into descent is equally plausible according to our experts," he said on Thursday. "According to current knowledge we assume that the captain was actively barred from accessing the cockpit," he said. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Caroline Copley; Editing by Stephen Brown) Continue reading...

[attach=full]19431[/attach] HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam's prime minister on Thursday ordered a swift investigation into a scaffolding collapse that killed 13 workers and injured dozens, while a unit of South Korea's Samsung Group involved in the construction project offered initial assistance to victims' families. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19430[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — The tough military charges against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have revived the questions and controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's decision to swap five Taliban detainees to secure his release, as well as the wisdom of the White House fanfare that followed. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19429[/attach] LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran entered a critical phase on Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting his Iranian counterpart less than a week away from an end-of-month deadline to secure the outline of a deal. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19428[/attach] SYDNEY (AP) — International Cricket Council chief executive Dave Richardson has tempered sustained calls for the 2019 World Cup to be expanded from its planned 10 teams, saying the sport's governing body is prioritizing building competitiveness among the international teams rather than expansion. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19427[/attach] TOYOTA, Japan (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is ready to ramp up its growth again, emerging from an intentional soul-searching lull brought on by its massive global recall scandal that began in 2009. Continue reading...

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A leading human rights group says Nigeria-based Boko Haram has killed more than 1,000 civilians this year and forced hundreds of abducted girls and women to convert to Islam and marry fighters. Continue reading...

(Reuters) - A Booz Allen Hamilton Inc contractor, her daughter and a third U.S. citizen were among 150 people killed when a Germanwings Airbus crashed in a remote Alpine region in France, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Yvonne Selke and her daughter, Emily, were on the flight along with a third U.S. citizen whose name was being withheld "out of respect for the family." Booz Allen said Yvonne Selke was a contractor with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes imagery from spy planes and satellites. "Booz Allen and our employees are mourning the sudden and shocking death of Yvonne Selke, an employee of nearly 23 years, and her daughter, Emily," Betty Thompson, Booz Allen executive vice president, said in a statement. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19419[/attach] Asian stock markets mostly fell Thursday, battered by weak U.S. economic data and Wall Street's retreat from near record highs. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19418[/attach] SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's Olympic body said Thursday it is considering easing its eligibility rules for athletes entering international competitions, which would allow banned former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan a chance at qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Continue reading...