WorldNews

By Wiktor Szary and Kacper Pempel WARSAW (Reuters) - Spurred by the war in Ukraine, growing numbers of Poles are joining volunteer paramilitary groups to get basic military training and prepare to defend their homeland from what some see as a looming Russian invasion. The Polish government has kept its distance from the unofficial civilian militias but, with anxieties about Moscow's intentions growing, the professional military is now looking for ways to harness the volunteer groups. There are an estimated 120 such groups in Poland, with total membership around 10,000. Eight hundred members gathered on Friday in Warsaw at a meeting organized by the Defense Ministry, the first time they have been given official recognition. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19188[/attach] UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon urged rival Libyan lawmakers to try to nail down a political agreement by the weekend as they began three days of "decisive" talks Friday. As the talks got under way in Morocco, the Libyan government said loyalist forces had launched an offensive to "liberate" Tripoli, seized by Islamist-backed militia seized last summer. The announcement came as the Fajr Libya militia that controls Tripoli said it had clashed with a group of gunmen who infiltrated Aziziya, 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of Tripoli, and captured a number of them. Fajr Libya is an alliance of militias, including Islamists, who have installed a government in Tripoli opposed to the internationally recognised legislature and cabinet based in the east. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19187[/attach] Michael Carrick has signed a one-year extension with Manchester United, ending speculation over whether the England midfielder would remain at Old Trafford when his current deal expired in the close-season. Carrick had a clause in his deal that gave the Premier League team an option to activate a one-year extension at any point, a move United boss Louis van Gaal has now approved after several impressive performances from the 33-year-old in recent weeks. "He is important," said van Gaal of Carrick on Friday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19186[/attach] A British judge on Friday barred five teenage girls from travelling abroad amid concerns they would go to Syria to join Islamist fighters, in the second such ruling this week. High Court judge Anthony Hayden made the girls from east London -- two aged 15 and three aged 16 -- "wards of court", a legal move that prevents them leaving England and Wales. In a ruling prompted by an application by the local authority, Tower Hamlets in east London, Hayden said that despite signs the teens were becoming more radical, their relatives were not cooperating with social services. Earlier this week, Hayden imposed a similar ruling on a 16-year-old boy amid fears he would follow his three brothers in joining Al-Qaeda linked fighters in Syria. Continue reading...

MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — A patient has tested positive for Ebola in Liberia's capital, officials said Friday, deflating hopes that the country had beaten the disease after weeks with no new cases. Continue reading...

By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army is sending a field artillery battalion of about 400 soldiers and multiple-launch rocket systems to South Korea, a move the Pentagon said on Friday was part of a reorganization of the service and unrelated to any tensions on the peninsula. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said a battalion from the 20th Field Artillery would deploy from Fort Hood, Texas, in June for a nine-month rotation at Camp Casey in South Korea as part of the 210th Field Artillery Brigade. ... Continue reading...

[attach=full]19175[/attach] Multiple suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 142 people Friday at Shiite mosques in Yemen's capital -- one of the strife-torn country's deadliest ever jihadist attacks. The killings were the first claimed by IS in Yemen and represent a strong show of force by the group in a country where rival Al-Qaeda is the most prominent jihadist organisation. Charred bodies and pools of blood were seen at the scene of the blasts, which targeted supporters of the Huthi Shiite militia that has seized control of the capital Sanaa. One suicide bomber struck inside Badr mosque in southern Sanaa while another targeted worshippers as they fled outside, witnesses said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19174[/attach] Shyrokyne (Ukraine) (AFP) - Three pro-Russian separatists have been killed in fresh clashes near the strategic Ukrainian-held port of Mariupol despite a shaky truce aimed at ending nearly a year of fighting, rebels said on Friday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19173[/attach] SVALBARD, Norway (AP) — A solar eclipse briefly darkened the sky over northern Europe on Friday, and millions used sun viewers ranging from a welder's mask to a dental X-ray to watch the cosmic phenomenon. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19172[/attach] KYOTO, Japan (AP) — U.S. first lady Michelle Obama was treated to a serene classical Noh performance and then tried taiko drums as she ended her visit to Japan on Friday with a taste of traditional culture in Kyoto, one of the country's ancient capitals. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19171[/attach] LONGYEARBYEN, Norway (AP) — For the best view of the solar spectacle of the year, Svalbard eclipsed the Faeroe Islands. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19170[/attach] VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A symphony of popping Champagne corks echoed across the Versailles Palace, as chefs from around the world celebrated the delights of French gastronomy in the first worldwide "Good France" event. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19169[/attach] German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and Canadian train maker Bombardier said Friday they have agreed to settle out of court two years of legal battles over allegedly defective trains. "Deutsche Bahn and Bombardier Transportation have agreed to an out-of-court settlement with regard to a number of projects, allowing both sides to settle the long-running disputes amicably," the companies said in a joint statement. In March 2013, Deutsche Bahn sued Bombardier over "serious defects" in trains used on the suburban S-Bahn rail network in Berlin. "In the past months, we've worked hard to reach a compromise solution to an extremely complex and difficult situation that is acceptable for both sides," said Deutsche Bahn board member Gerd Becht. Continue reading...

TOKYO (AP) — For hamburger aficionados who want the smell even when they can't get a bite, Burger King is putting the scent into a limited-edition fragrance. Continue reading...

By Stephen Coates PORT VILA (Reuters) - The sprinkling of fairy lights on the roadside was the only sign of life as darkness descended and a curfew began in Vanuatu's shattered capital, Port Vila, in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam this week. Ignoring calls to stay at home, men were gathering among the debris of blasted trees and twisted corrugated iron to swap news of the storm over a drink of kava, a mildly intoxicating brew that is deeply embedded in the social fabric of Pacific islanders. Vanuatu escaped the worst with only 11 people confirmed dead. The tourism sector will be affected ... Kava will also be affected," Prime Minister Joe Natuman told Reuters in Port Vila. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19165[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders are looking to back U.N.-brokered efforts to form a national unity government in conflict-torn Libya that may include a mission to help provide security. Continue reading...

Thailand on Friday jailed three brothers of a former princess for 5-1/2 years, in the latest court decision giving prison time to family members after her dramatic fall from grace last year. Srirasmi Suwadee, formerly known as Princess Srirasmi, is divorced from Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and relinquished her royal title last December. Her downfall and the imprisonment of many of her relatives come at a time of heightened anxiety over the health of Thailand's revered, but ailing, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, and nervousness about what a royal succession might bring. The brothers, Natthapol, Narong and Sitthisak Suwadee, were given 11 years in prison each, cut to 5-1/2 years because they confessed to the crimes of theft, insult to the monarchy and illegal detention, a judge said while delivering the sentence. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19164[/attach] Jaguar Land Rover is recalling more than 36,000 cars from China, it said, after it was criticised by state television over allegedly faulty gearboxes. The company, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, also apologised to Chinese consumers in the online statement, posted late Thursday, which followed it being targeted in a China Central Television (CCTV) programme at the weekend. The programme alleged owners of the Range Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicles had experienced problems with gearboxes. "We will carry out a recall initiative and give consumers a deep apology," the company said on its verified account on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, adding the recall applied to 36,451 vehicles. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19163[/attach] After years of false starts in nuclear talks with the West, most Iranians are beginning their New Year hopeful of a decisive deal to end over a decade of punishing sanctions. "All the nation is hopeful," said Azadeh Kajkolah, a 30-year-old housewife doing last minute shopping in the capital's fabled Grand Bazaar on Wednesday, the last official work day before Nowruz, (Persian New Year) on March 21. "I saw on TV that they have reached peace on 90 percent of the issues," she said, thanking Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who on Tuesday said "sooner or later we will see results". Nuclear talks, which took many by surprise when they officially restarted in 2013 after secret meetings between Iranian and US officials, could end Western sanctions on Iran and temper Tehran's long isolation. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19157[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — Top leaders of the European Union emerged from a meeting with the Greek prime minister early Friday telling him much what they have for weeks: Come up with a reform plan if you want more money to stay solvent. And do it fast. Continue reading...

BEIJING (AP) — A website that helps Chinese Internet users see censored pages says it is the target of a massive denial-of-service attack and is struggling to stay online. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19156[/attach] CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Malcolm Fraser, the former Australian prime minister who was notoriously catapulted to power by a constitutional crisis that left the nation bitterly divided, died on Friday his office said. He was 84. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19155[/attach] WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — West Indies captain Jason Holder says a decision on Chris Gayle's fitness for Saturday's Cricket World Cup quarterfinal against New Zealand will be left to the morning of the match. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19154[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels through Friday to talk about economic and energy policies, the crises in Ukraine and Libya, and the Greek debt problem. Continue reading...

[attach=full]19150[/attach] Police on Thursday discovered the bodies of five babies in a house in southwestern France, a source close to the case said, in what appears to be the country's worst incident of infanticide in five years. After the body of a newborn was found in a thermal bag earlier in the day, officers "discovered four more bodies of babies during their search" at the house in Louchats, near the city of Bordeaux, the source said, confirming a report by French television channel iTele. Continue reading...