WorldNews

[attach=full]21184[/attach] Jonny May gave England coach Stuart Lancaster a reminder of his skills after playing a key role in Gloucester's 19-13 European Challenge Cup final win over Edinburgh. May's pace set up a try for Gloucester captain Billy Twelvetrees, the England centre, and he almost managed one of his own, with only a desperate tap-tackle by Edinburgh No 8 Cornell du Preez denying him a score. May lost his England place to Jack Nowell during the Six Nations but Gloucester rugby director David Humphreys said he could still star for hosts England at this year's World Cup. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21183[/attach] ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah is ready to help Detroit's backfield. He's just not about to compare himself to the running back he is replacing. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21182[/attach] The party of President Thomas Boni Yayi has won Benin's parliamentary elections with 32 seats out of 83 but failed to secure an absolute majority, according to the first partial results. The small west African nation voted Sunday in polls seen as a key test for Boni Yayi, whom the opposition accuses of planning to try to cling to power after his second term ends next year. Boni Yayi's Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin party (FCBE) likely won 32 seats, independent electoral commission president Emmanuel Tiando told reporters. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21181[/attach] The London Eye was lit up Saturday in party political colours reflecting the amount of social media interactions about them on Facebook. The more a political party crops up in people's interaction on Facebook, the bigger a portion of the ring gets lit up in that party's colours. Between January 1 and May 1, the United Kingdom Independence Party (purple) was the most-discussed party, with 15.6 million interactions and three million people talking about UKIP. The Conservatives (blue) were the second most talked-about party with 12.2 million interactions from 2.5 million people. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21174[/attach] KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — After almost a week of heartbreaking news from earthquake-hit Nepal, there was a small but beautiful moment of joy. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21173[/attach] Louis van Gaal is hoping Wayne Rooney's quick recovery from a knee injury will provide the spark to revive spluttering Manchester United's bid to seal their place in the Champions League. Van Gaal's side crashed to a second successive defeat last weekend when they were routed 3-0 by Everton and it seemed that loss at Goodison Park might have further repercussions when United captain Rooney limped off in the closing stages. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21172[/attach] Manuel Pellegrini says Manchester City must make a strong finish to restore some optimism after the champions surrendered the Premier League title without a fight. By the time Pellegrini's side kick off at Tottenham on Sunday their reign will be over if leaders Chelsea get the win they need against Crystal Palace earlier in the day to guarantee top spot. Despite lagging 13 points behind Chelsea heading into this weekend, Pellegrini tried to make a case for his continued employment by insisting City's rather limp efforts this season, which included once again underachieving in Europe with a Champions League last 16 exit, should not be regarded as a failure. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21171[/attach] Brasília (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff took to social media Friday rather than make a formal May Day address to underscore her government's commitment to workers' rights, amid a foundering economy and graft scandal that threatens to derail her administration. Brazil has been beset by four straight years of low growth since leftist Rousseff took office and her government is reeling from the country's worst ever corruption scandal which has seen dozens of politicians, mainly close allies, accused of collusion in a kickbacks scheme involving fat contracts with state-owned oil firm Petrobras. Brazil's first female leader has reluctantly agreed to a slew of austerity measures to kickstart an economy hit by rising inflation, high interest rates, low growth and poor productivity, despite opposition from the traditional wing of her Workers Party (PT). Releasing a trio of social media videos Rousseff insisted her government would always champion workers' rights, despite both the central bank and the International Monetary Fund predicting a recession this year. Continue reading...

BENGHAZI (Reuters) - A rocket hit a medical center in Libya's eastern Benghazi on Friday, killing three people, medics said. Seven other people were wounded when the rocket hit a center for dispatching ambulances, medics said. It was unclear who had fired it. Forces of Libya's official government and Islamist groups are fighting for control of Benghazi, creating chaos that has gripped the oil-producing nation four years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi. ... Continue reading...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters in the Dominican Republic are trying to extinguish a blaze that has consumed part of a protected forest in the Caribbean country's central region. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21166[/attach] UNITED NATIONS (AP) — An emergency meeting on Yemen by the U.N. Security Council ended Friday with the 15 members unable to agree on an immediate statement on the growing crisis. The ambassador from Russia, which called the meeting, wondered why his colleagues talk about the need to help but can't take action. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21165[/attach] GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — At least seven people died as flames and gunfire erupted around the western Mexico state of Jalisco on Friday when a military operation targeting a violent drug cartel was launched at the start of a three-day holiday weekend. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21164[/attach] ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Some South Florida politicians say they've been ignored long enough by state leaders in North Florida. Now they want their own state. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21163[/attach] Reigning champions Celtic are on the verge of retaining the Scottish Premiership title after thrashing Dundee 5-0 at Parkhead on Friday. Leigh Griffiths opened the scoring in the 30th minute as he headed home his 19th goal of the season before captain Scott Brown netted in the 37th minute. Kris Commons added a third from the penalty spot in the 71st minute and substitute James Forrest fired home a fourth just six minutes later. Nir Bitton's superb long range strike in the 89th minute completed the scoring as the Glasgow giants moved 11 points clear at the top of the table and within touching distance of their fourth consecutive league title. Continue reading...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for hundreds of sex abuse victims in Los Angeles released the last batch of files Friday kept by the Roman Catholic church on priests accused of molesting children. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21157[/attach] PRAGUE (AP) — Canada showed its attacking power with a 6-1 victory over Latvia on Friday in the first game of the world hockey championship, while the United States beat last year's runner-up Finland 5-1. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21156[/attach] SEATTLE (AP) — Mount Everest is normally buzzing with activity this time of year, with hundreds of hopeful climbers gathering at base camp to attempt to summit the world's tallest peak during a narrow 10-day window in May before the monsoons arrive. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21155[/attach] Oil giant Saudi Aramco on Friday named an interim president and CEO after his veteran predecessor's appointment as minister of health. Amin Nasser was named "acting president and chief executive officer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company until further notice," Saudi Aramco said in a statement. The appointment followed Khalid al-Falih's assignment on Wednesday to the Saudi cabinet under a major government reorganisation. Saudi Aramco is the world's largest oil company in terms of crude production and exports. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21154[/attach] MILAN (AP) — The Expo 2015 world's fair showed potential as a backdrop for serious diplomacy as it opened Friday for a six-month run, even as it also served as a lightning rod for anti-globalization protests. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21148[/attach] ISTANBUL (AP) — Top-seeded Roger Federer overcame some sloppy serving to beat unseeded Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3 and reach the Istanbul Open semifinals on Friday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21147[/attach] The German intelligence service BND, which is accused of helping the United States spy on EU leaders and companies, had actually "deleted 12,000 requests" targeting European officials, according to Saturday's edition of the Der Spiegel weekly. The BND has come under fire after German media reported that it spied on officials from the French presidency, French foreign ministry and the European Commission from its Bavarian post Bad Aibling. The requests related to "a certain number of senior officials from the French foreign service", as well as members of "EU institutions and several European countries," said Spiegel. The daily Bild had reported Monday that the German secret service had helped the NSA to spy since 2005 on EADS -- which became Airbus -- and Eurocopter, known today as Airbus Helicopters. Continue reading...

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks headed higher in early trading as the market bounces back from a steep decline the day before. Most Asian and European markets are closed for May 1, known as Labour Day in most of the world. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21146[/attach] Britain's stock market edged ahead Friday in subdued deals with the majority of Europe shut for the May Day holiday long weekend. In afternoon trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 added 0.18 percent to 6,972.94 points. Both key eurozone markets will reopen on Monday, when London will have a holiday closure. "May Day bank holidays in mainland Europe leave the FTSE feeling lonely," said analyst Alastair McCaig at trading firm IG. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21145[/attach] TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Zohreh Etezadossaltaneh was born without arms, but that hasn't stopped her from excelling in many activities, ranging from painting to table tennis. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21144[/attach] TOKYO (AP) — Japan's conservative ruling party is gearing up for a new push to achieve its long-sought goal of revising the country's U.S.-drafted post-World War II constitution. Its first challenge: winning over a divided public. Continue reading...