WorldNews

[attach=full]19252[/attach] INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 6-3 to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, handing Murray his worst hard-court loss against the world's top-ranked player since 2007. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19246[/attach] ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's Shiite rebels issued a call to arms Saturday to battle forces loyal to the country's embattled president, as U.S. troops were evacuating a southern air base crucial to America's drone strike program after al-Qaida militants seized a nearby city. Continue reading...

ROSTOCK, Germany (AP) — Juergen Braehmer of Germany defeated compatriot Robin Krasniqi by technical knockout to retain his WBA light heavyweight belt on Saturday. Continue reading...

SYDNEY (AP) — Western Sydney defender Matthew Spiranovic has been ruled out of Australia's upcoming friendlies against world champion Germany and Macedonia due to a hamstring injury. Continue reading...

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Midfielder Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion set up two goals to help Atletico Madrid ease to a 2-0 win over crosstown rival Getafe and keep in touch with the top three teams in the Spanish league on Saturday. Continue reading...

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese leader Benfica lost 2-1 at Rio Ave before nearest chaser FC Porto also stumbled with a 1-1 draw at Nacional on Saturday. Continue reading...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — As the Afghan president heads to the United States on his first trip to Washington as head of state, the landmark visit offers a chance for both sides to start afresh and wipe the slate clean on the legacy of troubled U.S-Afghan relations. Ashraf Ghani faces a daunting task — long-term, the visit could set the tone for years to come. More pressingly, Ghani needs firm commitment of American military support in his fight against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, including an Islamic State affiliate, which he and U.S. military leaders fear is finding a foothold in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19238[/attach] MADRID (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators from across Spain gathered at one of Madrid's main squares Saturday to protest against the way the government has tackled the financial crisis by implementing harsh austerity measures. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19237[/attach] The UN's Libya envoy has warned an agreement between the strife-torn country's rival political factions is still a way off, as fighting for control of the capital raged for a second day. Libya has been wracked by violence since the NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival militias and administrations battling for power. Three days of UN-mediated talks that began on Friday are aimed at reaching an agreement to form a national unity government. "An agreement is going to be difficult, we are still a long way off," UN special envoy Bernardino Leon told Spanish daily newspaper El Pais from Morocco. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19236[/attach] Western powers on Saturday played down reports of discord in their ranks and affirmed their "unity of purpose" in the Iran nuclear talks, urging the Islamic Republic to take "difficult decisions". "We will all continue to work together with unity of purpose," read a joint statement following the talks in London, adding: "Now is the time for Iran, in particular, to take difficult decisions". Iran and six world powers are in negotiations to clinch a landmark deal that would have the country scale back its controversial nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions. The foreign ministers' gathering in London comes a day after the latest talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- ended without a breakthrough. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19235[/attach] MERIBEL, France (AP) — Marcel Hirscher of Austria became the first skier to win the men's World Cup overall title for a fourth straight year on Saturday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19226[/attach] NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. must release photographs showing abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, a federal judge has ruled in a long-running clash over letting the world see potentially disturbing images of how the military treated prisoners. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19225[/attach] ROME (AP) — Wales unleashed a breathtaking seven-try burst in the second half to crush Italy 61-20 at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday for a Six Nations win that ultimately proved in vain in its bid for a third title in four years. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19224[/attach] EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Ireland dispatched Scotland by a record-equalling 40-10 at sunny Murrayfield to stay in the running for consecutive Six Nations championships on Saturday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19223[/attach] BERLIN (AP) — Japan star Shinji Kagawa scored one goal and set up another as Borussia Dortmund edged 10-man Hannover 3-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19222[/attach] By Hortense de Roffignac MONT SAINT MICHEL, France (Reuters) - France's North Atlantic coast was experiencing its first giant tide of the millennium on Saturday as the full moon and this week's solar eclipse combined to help create an ocean surge not seen there since 1997. At the picturesque Mont Saint Michel island where some of the biggest tides in the world occur, visitors gathered to watch the sea disappear from sight, exposing areas visible only every 18 years, before returning at pace. France's National Hydrographic Service was expecting to measure more than 14 meters (15.3 yards) between low water on Saturday afternoon and high water in the evening around the famous Abbey-topped rock off France's northwest coast. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19221[/attach] SINGAPORE (AP) — The health of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's 91-year-old founding father, has further deteriorated, the government said Saturday. Continue reading...

KHANTY-MANSIYSK, Russia (AP) — Martin Fourcade of France secured the overall biathlon World Cup title for a record fourth season in a row Saturday, while Canada's Nathan Smith earned his first career race win. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19220[/attach] CAIRO (AP) — At least 12 workers were killed when their bus plunged into a canal west of Cairo on Saturday morning, according to a health official. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19219[/attach] Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan on Saturday called for Kurds to hold a historic congress to end a decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish authorities that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. In an eagerly-anticipated message for the traditional Kurdish New Year, Ocalan however stopped short of setting out a clear road map for disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels as had been anticipated in some quarters. In the message read out by a pro-Kurdish lawmaker to hundreds of thousands of supporters in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Ocalan said that the armed struggle had been "painful" and could no longer be maintained. "A congress should be organised to bring an end to the 40-year struggle against the Turkish Republic," Ocalan said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19218[/attach] SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AP) — Michelle Obama on Saturday urged Cambodian students to finish their education, follow their dreams and speak up to demand greater freedoms and more equality in their Southeast Asian country. Continue reading...

MERIBEL, France (AP) — Swedish racer Frida Hansdotter posted the fastest time Saturday in the first run of a women's slalom race at the season-ending World Cup finals. Continue reading...

The Crusaders scored four tries in six minutes to beat South African side Cheetahs 57-14 in a Super Rugby match Friday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19212[/attach] Daniel, Alejandro and Adrian had never had a real job before, but a few days before an election in their Andalusian home region one landed in each of their laps as if by magic. The region has the highest unemployment rate in Spain, nearly 60 percent among the under 25s. Almost one in three pupils here leave school at 16, according to official data -- among the highest rates in Spain. Eight years ago, Spanish youths were abandoning school to work on the building sites that sprouted in Spain's ill-fated building boom. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19211[/attach] WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Martin Guptill became the latest batsman to make Cricket World Cup history with an innings of 237 not out in a total of 393-6 which led unbeaten New Zealand to a 143-run win over the West Indies in Saturday's lop-sided quarterfinal. Continue reading...