WorldNews

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Local authorities have canceled a traditional May Day international cycling race around Frankfurt following the arrest of a couple and the discovery of bomb-making material in their home near the route. Continue reading...

By Herculano Coroado LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's government has banned nine church groups operating in central Huambo province, where the main opposition party said hundreds were killed this month in a police crackdown on a rebel Christian sect. The Huambo provincial government and the national police have declared the fringe Christian groups illegal under new rules that require denominations to have 100,000 registered members spread across at least a third of Angola's 18 provinces, the state-run Jornal de Angola said. Rights groups say the bans are an example of the increasing suppression of civil liberties and freedom of speech under President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled the mostly Catholic southern African country for 36 years. "Government has control over the main church movements and it understands what influence they have," said Elias Isaac, country director at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21101[/attach] Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson accused a journalist of being "an ostrich" during a peculiar tirade following his side's 3-1 Premier League loss at home to Chelsea. Ian Baker, who was covering Wednesday's match at the King Power Stadium for AFP, asked Pearson to elaborate after he told his post-match press conference that his players had had to deal with "criticism and negativity". Have you been away for six months?" responded Pearson, whose side are a point above the relegation zone with four matches of the season remaining. If you don't know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21100[/attach] MADRID (AP) — Spain and Egypt have agreed to study the feasibility of a bullet-train link between the Egyptian capital of Cairo and the ancient southern city of Luxor. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21099[/attach] European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday he expected Berlin to get to the bottom of a Brussels spy scandal after Germany reportedly snooped on the EU and France at Washington's behest. In a turnaround for Berlin which has long been portrayed as a victim of snooping by allies, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily said German intelligence services had carried out "political espionage" on the Commission and top French officials. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21098[/attach] Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists the English Premier League title has not been secured just yet despite moving to within one victory of mathematically clinching it. The West Londoners ensured they would be crowned champions if they beat Crystal Palace at home on Sunday after coming from behind to win 3-1 at Leicester on Wednesday. Goals from Didier Drogba, John Terry and Ramires ensured victory after Marc Albrighton had given Leicester a shock early lead on the stroke of half-time. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21096[/attach] When boxing hero Manny Pacquiao finally calls an end to his historic career in the ring, he will have his eyes on a much bigger prize -- president of the Philippines. The world champion, who will fight American Floyd Mayweather this weekend in boxing's richest fight, has used the fame and wealth generated by his remarkable sporting feats to launch a successful political career. Pacquiao confirmed his presidential ambitions to AFP in 2013, but has since been coy about his political plans. In the run-up to the Mayweather bout, Pacquiao's American promoter, Bob Arum, reignited Pac-the-politician talk when he said his client had a strategy laid-out for a presidential run. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21095[/attach] KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A long-absent noise — cheers — rang out in Nepal's capital Thursday as rescuers pulled a teenager alive from the earthquake rubble he had been trapped in for five days. The joy interrupted a dreary and still fearful day in which thousands worried about aftershocks lined up to board free buses to their rural hometowns. Continue reading...

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's political opposition has accused the government of failing to fully respect the country's rejection of the death penalty in its latest directive to federal police on how they should cooperate with police forces in other nations, including Indonesia. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21094[/attach] 3 p.m. (0915 GMT) Continue reading...

[attach=full]21093[/attach] CHANGSHA, China (AP) — A Chinese construction company is claiming to be the world's fastest builder after erecting a 57-story skyscraper in 19 working days in central China. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21087[/attach] Floyd Mayweather stood nose to nose with Manny Pacquiao for the first time at a news conference, then said he can't promise their mega showdown will live up to all the pre-fight hype. "I can't say," Mayweather said when asked if the richest fight in boxing history will live up to its blockbuster billing. Mayweather squares off against Filipino boxing icon Pacquiao in the richest fight in boxing history Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel that is expected to generate some $400 million in revenue. Mayweather spoke to a small group of reporters following Wednesday's news conference which finished with the two future Hall of Famers getting up close and personal for the cameras in a stare down at the front of the brightly-lit stage in the MGM's Ka Theatre. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21086[/attach] BALTIMORE (AP) — With tempers still smoldering in riot-torn Baltimore and nearby neighborhoods clearing out rubble and debris, the Orioles played a baseball game Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21085[/attach] Kathmandu (AFP) - The death toll in Nepal from a massive weekend earthquake has risen to nearly 5,500, according to a new tally by disaster management officials. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21084[/attach] Edinburgh will attempt to become the first Scottish club to win a major European rugby union trophy when they face Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final in London on Friday. No Scottish club has ever before reached the final of the European Cup (now the Champions Cup) or the second-tier Challenge Cup, so Edinburgh have already broken new ground by qualifying for the showpiece match against English Premiership side Gloucester at Harlequins' Twickenham Stoop ground. Edinburgh thrashed Welsh regional side Newport Gwent Dragons 45-16 in the semi-final and Edinburgh prop Alasdair Dickinson was in no doubt about the importance of what lay ahead for the Scottish capital club. Continue reading...

By Scott Malone, Ian Simpson and Warren Strobel BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Protesters marched against police violence in cities from New York to Denver on Wednesday, and a large demonstration in Baltimore ended peacefully two days after rioting over the death of a black man injured in police custody. New York City police arrested more than 60 people as protesters roved in separate groups through Manhattan, blocking traffic in a few areas. In Baltimore, 3,000 National Guard troops and police stood by to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew as thousands of peaceful marchers converged on city hall. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21077[/attach] LAS VEGAS (AP) — His middle name is Money, or at least it used to be before Floyd Mayweather Jr. stopped flashing $100,000 wads of cash every time he saw a camera. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21076[/attach] France is investigating allegations that its peacekeepers sexually abused children in the Central African Republic after a leaked UN report said victims as young as eight were raped in exchange for food and money. The French government "was made aware at the end of July 2014 by the UN's high commission for human rights of accusations by children that they had been sexually abused by French soldiers," the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21075[/attach] Britain's best-selling newspaper The Sun on Thursday urged readers to vote for the Conservative party of Prime Minister David Cameron in the election next week. In a front page that riffed on the arrival of the royal baby, The Sun put "It's a Tory" as its headline above an image of Cameron swaddled in a blanket. In a contrast that was widely mocked on social media, the Scottish edition of the Sun instead endorsed the Scottish National Party. "We believe the Nats will fight harder for Scotland's interests at Westminster, offering a new hope for our country," the front page of the Scottish Sun read. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21074[/attach] PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors and military authorities are investigating accusations that French soldiers in Central African Republic sexually abused children they were sent to protect. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21073[/attach] EL CLAVO, Venezuela (AP) — William Machado worked all winter harvesting palm-sized yellow cacao pods and drying the flavorful beans inside. He's part of a chocolate trade that is one of this South American county's most prized industries, but Machado increasingly fears his hard work may be in vain, squandered by a freeze on exports. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21067[/attach] By Charlie Zhu and Adam Rose HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese solar companies, some already heavily indebted, will need to raise many billions of dollars this year to fund a big expansion in capacity, a major test of investor confidence in a sector hit hard by the global financial crisis. Beijing last month announced a solar installation target of 17.8 gigawatts (GWs) for 2015, up 70 percent on the previous year, to boost the use of renewable energy and prop up China's solar panel industry, the world's largest. "We will only provide limited support to the sector," said a top executive of a northern provincial branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). There is, after all, huge potential, as Beijing is talking about boosting solar capacity to 100 GWs by 2020, up from 26.52 GW of grid-connected solar power at end-2014. Continue reading...

ESTORIL, Portugal (AP) — Dutchman Robin Haase saved two match points as he came from behind to beat top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the second round of the Estoril Open on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21066[/attach] National Guard troops patrolled the tense streets of Baltimore in large numbers in anticipation of a fresh large-scale protest Wednesday over the death of a young African-American man in police custody. Continue reading...

[attach=full]21065[/attach] FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Maxi Arnold scored two goals to help Wolfsburg beat third-division Arminia Bielefeld 4-0 on Wednesday and secure a place in the German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund. Continue reading...