WorldNews

[attach=full]20732[/attach] LONDON (AP) — Don the Sheepdog might want to learn a new trick: applying the brakes. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20731[/attach] NEW YORK (AP) — Wladimir Klitschko looks around the boxing landscape and sees young heavyweights, lots of young heavyweights. At his age, 39, that's hardly unnatural. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20730[/attach] Ronnie O'Sullivan completed a routine 10-3 victory over debutant Craig Steadman at the World Championship on Wednesday, having played part of the first-round match in his socks. O'Sullivan took off his shoes during play on Tuesday after complaining that they were uncomfortable, briefly playing in his socks before being loaned new footwear by tournament director Mike Ganley. The five-time world champion could face a £250 ($377, 350 euros) fine for contravening the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's dress code, but he laughed off the matter after sinking Steadman. "I've got no fashion sense at all," O'Sullivan told the BBC. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20729[/attach] LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says that Ukraine state President Petro Poroshenko does not support boycotts of sports events. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with seven air strikes from Tuesday to Wednesday morning and conducted 11 strikes against the group in Iraq, the U.S. military said. Six of the strikes in Syria hit targets near Kobani, destroying Islamic State fighting positions and a vehicle and damaging tactical units, according to a military statement released on Wednesday. In Iraq, the strikes were concentrated near Bayji, where they hit a tactical unit and a command-and-control facility and destroyed a dump truck, motorcycle and armored vehicle. ... Continue reading...

[attach=full]20724[/attach] A British trader accused of contributing to a US stock market crash and fraudulently making $40 million in high-frequency trading from his modest London home was due to appear in court on Wednesday. Navinder Singh Sarao, 36, was arrested by British police on Tuesday on an extradition warrant issued by the US authorities, which accuse him of an elaborate scheme using automated software on the futures market. US justice officials allege that his trades contributed to the May 2010 "Flash Crash", when US stocks plunged 600 points in five minutes. His company, Nav Sarao Futures Ltd, is headquartered in a suburban house in Hounslow, west London, which is reportedly also his family's home. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20723[/attach] Army chiefs from Arab League nations on Wednesday began work on building a region-wide military force aimed at combatting jihadists including the Islamic State group. The regional bloc agreed in March to set up the force, with member states given four months to decide on its composition, precise rules of engagement and required budget. The meeting to discuss such details was overseen by the Egyptian Armed Forces' Chief of Staff Mahmud Hegazy at the League's Cairo headquarters. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pushed for the creation of the regional force after the Islamic State (IS) organisation executed a group of Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya in February, prompting retaliatory air strikes by Cairo. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20722[/attach] JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — South Korea expressed deep regret Wednesday that Japan's leader did not repeat his predecessors' apologies for the country's aggression during World War II. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20721[/attach] By Isla Binnie and Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - The European Union must take a collective stand to tackle migrant trafficking at its source in African countries, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday ahead of an emergency summit of the bloc's leaders to discuss the crisis. Up to 900 people were feared dead after their boat sank on its way to Europe from Libya at the weekend including many women and children locked below deck, prompting calls for joint action to stop the flow of migrants fleeing war and hardship in Africa. The deaths caused shock in Europe where a decision to scale back naval operations last year seems to have increased the risks for migrants without reducing their numbers. EU officials, worried about encouraging people to make the crossing just as economic troubles in some European countries fan concerns over immigration, have struggled to come up with a response but proposed doubling rescue operations on Monday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20720[/attach] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he did not wish for or expect U.S. President Barack Obama to use the word "genocide" in reference to the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 during World War One. "I would not want Obama to use the word 'genocide' and I would not expect such a thing," Erdogan told a joint press conference with Iraqi President Fuad Masum. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20718[/attach] The Afghan Taliban said their annual "spring offensive" will begin on Friday, vowing nationwide attacks in what is expected to be the bloodiest fighting season in a decade as NATO forces pull back from the frontlines. This year's offensive marks the first fighting season in which Afghan security forces will battle the insurgents without the full support of US-led foreign combat forces. The militants have already stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in recent weeks, taking a heavy toll on civilians and Afghan security forces. "The Islamic Emirate is going to launch the spring operations under the inspirational name of 'Azm' (determination) at 5 am on 24th April 2015," the Taliban said in a statement on Wednesday, using their official name. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20717[/attach] KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban said Wednesday they will start their spring offensive this week, an annual campaign in their war against the Afghan government. Continue reading...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Wednesday that it will likely support a proposed walk across the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas by prominent women including Gloria Steinem in what is planned as a call for the reunification of the two countries. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20716[/attach] LUENEBURG, Germany (AP) — A former Auschwitz guard is taking the stand for a second day Wednesday to answer judges' questions about his role at the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20715[/attach] HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's government unveiled election reform proposals Wednesday, setting the stage for possible renewed confrontation with pro-democracy activists and lawmakers opposed to Beijing-mandated restrictions on candidates for the city's top job. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20709[/attach] By Jane Wardell SYDNEY (Reuters) - A cyclonic storm lashing Australia's east coast for a third day was declared a catastrophe on Wednesday after destroying houses, cutting power to more than 200,000 homes and causing millions of dollars of damage in Sydney and other cities. The Bureau of Meteorology warned that a second storm cell was gathering off the coast north of Sydney, with gale force winds of up to 100 km per hour (62 miles per hour) and heavy winds hitting the coast. "We still have some difficult hours ahead of us as this weather pattern continues to move through," New South Wales state premier Mike Baird told reporters. "We're seeing a continuation of the wind, rain, flash flooding." Three people, two men and a woman, were found dead on Wednesday in the town of Dungog, about 200 km (125 miles) north of Sydney. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20708[/attach] Labour urged Prime Minister David Cameron to address low pay on Wednesday after a charity revealed more than one million people were reliant on food banks in the past year. The increasing numbers receiving free food handouts, low pay, and a squeeze on living standards have emerged as central themes in the election campaign ahead of the vote on May 7. The largest food bank network in Britain, The Trussell Trust, said those relying on their food bank supplies rose to one million last year -- almost half of them children. "Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today," said Trussell Trust UK food bank director Adrian Curtis. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20707[/attach] Britain's opposition centre-left Labour urged Prime Minister David Cameron to address low pay on Wednesday after a charity revealed more than one million people were reliant on food banks in the past year. The increasing numbers receiving free food handouts, low pay, and a squeeze on living standards have emerged as central themes in the election campaign ahead of the vote on May 7. The largest food bank network in Britain, The Trussell Trust, said those relying on their food bank supplies rose to one million last year -- almost half of them children. "Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today," said Trussell Trust UK food bank director Adrian Curtis. Continue reading...

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — President Juan Manuel Santos lashed out on Tuesday at opponents he accuses of fueling a wave of booing that has greeted him in the days since a deadly attack by leftist guerrillas dealt a major setback to negotiations with Colombia's biggest rebel movement. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20706[/attach] TOKYO (AP) — More than 100 Japanese lawmakers paid respects Wednesday at a Tokyo shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including World War II leaders, but Cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not participate in the spring ritual. Continue reading...

SYDNEY (AP) — Defending champion Western Sydney is on the brink of Asian Champions League elimination after conceding two second-half goals Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to Kashima Antlers, including Mu Kanazaki's stoppage-time winner. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20698[/attach] The UN Security Council is set to push for more intensive negotiations to settle the decades-old dispute over Western Sahara, at the center of tensions between Morocco and African countries. A draft resolution under discussion this week extends the mandate of the MINURSO peace mission for a year and calls for a political solution, diplomats said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20697[/attach] BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Neymar scored two goals as Barcelona beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on Tuesday to seal its return to the Champions League semifinals, joining Europe's elite four teams for the seventh time in eight seasons. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20696[/attach] By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - In a country notorious for a lack of electricity, many North Koreans are taking power into their hands by installing cheap household solar panels to charge mobile phones and light up their homes. Apartment blocks in Pyongyang and other cities are increasingly adorned with the panels, hung from balconies and windows, according to recent visitors to the isolated country and photographs obtained by Reuters. "There must be at least a threefold increase in solar panels compared to last year," Simon Cockerell, who visits North Korea regularly as general manager of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, told Reuters from Pyongyang. "Some are domestically made, so that may have driven prices down." North Korea has long suffered from electricity shortages which plunge large parts of the country into darkness, providing a stark contrast in night-time photos taken from space to prosperous and power-thirsty South Korea. Continue reading...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Please be advised that the alert and story slugged YEMEN-SECURITY/HOUTHIS is withdrawn. There will not be a replacement. (Americas Desk) Continue reading...