WorldNews

[attach=full]20371[/attach] Egypt's highest civilian court on Tuesday upheld a seven-year jail term for an Islamist politician and ex-presidential candidate convicted of falsifying official documents, his lawyer and judicial sources said. Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a hardline Salafist Islamist, was one of many political figures arrested by the military after freely elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was toppled in 2013 following mass protests against his rule. Abu Ismail was disqualified from the 2012 election when it emerged that his mother held U.S. citizenship. The High Court refused his appeal, making the earlier verdict final and unchallengeable, judicial sources said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20365[/attach] Trowels in hand, on their haunches, masons in Timbuktu use traditional techniques to reconstruct precious mausoleums destroyed in an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012. Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents wrecked 16 of the fabled desert city's shrines to Muslim saints that date back to Timbuktu's 15th and 16th century golden age as an economic, intellectual and spiritual centre. After a 2013 French-led military operation drove the jihadists out of the city, the UN cultural body UNESCO began the rebuilding process with the Malian government and other international organisations. "What's nice is that UNESCO did not look for masons elsewhere," said one of the workers at the reconstruction site, around 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) northeast of Mali's capital Bamako. Continue reading...

Japan's greenhouse-gas emissions rose to the second-highest on record in the year ended March 2014, revised government figures showed on Tuesday, reflecting a rise in coal-fired power after the indefinite closure of nuclear power plants. Emissions rose 1.2 percent to 1.408 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent from a year earlier, according to the revised data published by the Ministry of Environment. All of Japan's 48 nuclear reactors have been shut down since September 2013, amid rigorous safety checks required after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima plant northeast of Tokyo. Nuclear power had accounted for 26 percent of Japan's electricity generation. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20364[/attach] Rights groups on Tuesday welcomed China's unusual release of five feminist activists whose detention for more than a month triggered an international diplomatic outcry, saying the move showed Beijing sometimes responds to outside pressure. The five, all aged 32 or younger, were taken into custody shortly before International Women's Day last month as they were preparing to hand out leaflets about sexual harassment on public transport. The European Union, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Hillary Clinton had all issued calls for their freedom, while Beijing said it was an internal issue. China's ruling Communist Party does not tolerate organised opposition, and often clamps down on small activist groups. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20363[/attach] By Jeffrey Dastin NEW YORK (Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp , the fifth biggest U.S. airline by passengers carried, consistently cancels flights sooner than rivals when storms pummel the U.S. Northeast, a tactic that may help its customers reach destinations more reliably, a Reuters analysis of flight data shows. Scrapping some flights hours ahead of a storm lets an airline re-allocate planes and crew earlier, meaning fewer flights and passengers canceled in total as a storm passes. Canceling early also spares travelers unnecessary trips to the airport and gives them more options to rebook, compared with cancellations that take place at the last minute. Early cancellations reduce requests for refunds, JetBlue's Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes told Reuters. The Reuters analysis found that 41 percent of cancellations by the five biggest U.S. carriers this winter occurred 12 or more hours before scheduled departures. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20362[/attach] A former Blackwater guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others received 30-year sentences Monday for their roles in a 2007 mass shooting in Iraq that left at least 14 civilians dead. The four ex-employees of the US private security firm were convicted last October on an array of charges ranging from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the incident in Baghdad's Nisour Square. During a two month-trial in US federal court in Washington, a jury heard how the four defendants opened fire with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers in the bustling square as they escorted a diplomatic convoy. US federal judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Nicholas Slatten, who was accused of firing the first shots, to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20359[/attach] NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — Ian Bell hit a polished 143 for his 22nd test century to help turn a precarious start for England into a powerful position on the opening day of the first test of the three-match series against West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Monday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20358[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge sentenced one former Blackwater security guard to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others. Continue reading...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon considers the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago "atrocity crimes," but he isn't supporting Pope Francis' description of the killings as "the first genocide of the 20th century," the U.N. spokesman said Monday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20357[/attach] BURNLEY, England (AP) — With chimneys rising from the former cotton mills which nestle between tightly-packed houses, Burnley provides a quintessentially English vista for fans at the town's soccer stadium. Continue reading...

The United States said on Monday it has expressed its concerns to Moscow over a Russian fighter jet's "sloppy" and unsafe intercept of a U.S. spy plane in international airspace, in the latest sign of tensions between the two countries. The incident took place on April 7 over the Baltic Sea, when a Russian SU-27 Flanker intercepted a U.S. RC-135U reconnaissance plane and performed what the Pentagon described as unsafe aerial maneuvers. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the Russian aircraft did a roll in front of the U.S. aircraft and showed its belly to the pilot to indicate it was armed. Relations between the West and Russia have soured as a result of Moscow's role in the conflict in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, while increased Russian military activity in the Baltics has added to tensions. Continue reading...

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Valencia beat crosstown rival Levante 3-0 at Mestalla Stadium on Monday to extend its unbeaten streak to 10 games and stay on track for a return to the Champions League. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20351[/attach] BEIRUT (AP) — A top leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group directed a barrage of criticism at Saudi Arabia on Monday, accusing the kingdom of committing genocide with its airstrike campaign targeting Yemen's Shiite rebels and warning it will "pay a heavy price" for its involvement. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20350[/attach] SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos is joining more than two dozen other ex-leaders in urging greater respect for human rights in Venezuela. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20349[/attach] NEW YORK (AP) — Investors sent stocks slightly lower Monday ahead of a busy week for company earnings. Continue reading...

The U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees said it had provided urgent supplies on Monday to around 500 civilians who have fled fighting in a Damascus camp that Islamic State has been battling to seize from rival insurgents. The mission to help the evacuees from the Yarmouk camp "was made possible following facilitation and dialogue with the Syrian government and local authorities", Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the head of the UNRWA agency, said in a statement. "UNRWA has shown that we can work with the parties on the ground and secure access," he said in Damascus while on a humanitarian mission to address the crisis in Yarmouk, where U.N. officials have warned of a potential massacre. Islamic State militants launched an attack to seize Yarmouk camp from rival insurgents earlier this month. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20340[/attach] The party of Nigeria's president-elect Muhammadu Buhari has won governorship elections in a majority of the country's 36 states, building its strength nationwide after a historic presidential win, official results on Monday showed. The All Progressives Congress (APC) held at least 21 governor's seats following Saturday's regional polls but could add to that tally with results from a handful of states still pending. President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) had controlled the federal and most state governments since the end of military rule in 1999 but has suffered sweeping losses in the ongoing election cycle. Jonathan's loss to Buhari in the presidential vote two weeks ago was the first ever democratic change of power at the federal level since Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20339[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration lobbied lawmakers Monday to persuade them not to pass any legislation that could hamper prospects for negotiating a final deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20338[/attach] NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya's athletics federation suspended the agents of marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto and other top stars on Monday while it investigates the spike in doping among the country's runners. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20337[/attach] LONDON (AP) — Even though the race hasn't officially started, the field for the 2024 Olympics is getting more crowded by the day. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20336[/attach] Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday insisted his country wants a "nuclear-free world," days after Tehran's leadership cast doubt on an outline deal to curb its nuclear programme. Zarif made the comment during a visit to ex-Soviet Kazakhstan as he praised the Central Asian nation for giving up its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the USSR. "Kazakhstan is an important player in this field, as a country firmly committed to a non-proliferation regime and which voluntarily refused nuclear weapons," Zarif said in a meeting with the head of Kazahstan's Senate. Tehran and international powers including Russia made a major breakthrough on April 2 in a 12-year standoff by agreeing an outline deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear drive. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20333[/attach] JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The leader of South Africa's largest opposition party announced her decision to step down just four weeks ahead of the party's elective meeting. Continue reading...

By Anna Ercanbrack HELSINKI (Reuters) - For voters bored by politicians spouting over-rehearsed platitudes on televised debates, Finland may have the answer: invite the candidates to take questions in your own home where you can look them in the eye. In the run-up to a national election on Sunday, dozens of Finns have hosted "living room debates", with parliamentary candidates from rival parties gathering at private homes to take questions from voters in the room, and sometimes many more connected live via Twitter. The idea was hatched by Riina Malhotra, a TV journalist in Helsinki who, at the last election four years ago, invited a handful of electoral contenders and a group of friends to her home to debate key issues over appetizers and a glass of wine. "I was familiar with the party slogans and party leaders' opinions but it was hard to find out about anybody else", Malhotra told Reuters. Continue reading...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister said Monday his country needs greater support from the international coalition so it can "finish" the Islamic State group. Continue reading...

[attach=full]20332[/attach] Guinean police opened fire on anti-government protesters wounding several during violent clashes in the capital Conakry on Monday, medical and opposition sources told AFP. The opposition had called for demonstrations in all parts of the capital against the ongoing lack of security for which it blames the regime of President Alpha Conde. "There were violent clashes between young protesters and police in Hamdallaye, where security forces shot three young protesters," a hospital doctor said on condition of anonymity. The medic told AFP two of the protesters sustained leg injuries while a third with a serious stomach wound was dragged several metres by police before being abandoned. Continue reading...