WorldNews

[attach=full]18774[/attach] By Jared Ferrie YANGON (Reuters) - A student march through central Myanmar in protest against a new education law began as an unremarkable procession from the country's seat of learning and culture, Mandalay, to the commercial hub of Yangon. "I lived under military rule all my life and I never experienced such a crackdown," said Maung Moccy, a student leader and former political prisoner who said he saw police officers batter unarmed students with wooden batons. "Honestly, I'm afraid they have decided to backslide on democracy." The United States and the European Union, which have backed Myanmar's move towards democracy after half a century of military rule, have condemned the violence in the town of Letpadan, about 140 km (90) miles north of Yangon. The opposition National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel laureate and Myanmar's icon of political freedom, demanded an inquiry. Continue reading...

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — The port director in the northwest Mexico beach resort of Cabo San Lucas says a Canadian woman has died from injuries suffered when a surfacing gray whale crashed onto a tourist boat. Continue reading...

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — American wild-card Irina Falconi advanced to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, beating Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (6), 6-4. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18769[/attach] By Shihar Aneez and Sanjeev Miglani COLOMBO/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's suspension of a project to build a glittering skyline on land reclaimed from the Indian Ocean has prompted China to defend its investment, in a test of Beijing's ambitions to fund loans and major infrastructure ventures abroad. Recently elected President Maithripala Sirisena has vowed to look again at deals between China and his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying they were not transparent, while India has eyed China's involvement in Sri Lanka with increasing alarm. China's new ambassador to Colombo, Yi Xianliang, said the port city project off Colombo that President Xi Jinping inaugurated last year would create 83,000 jobs. Continue reading...

Eighty-three percent of all the lights in Syria have gone out since the start of the conflict four years ago, a research report based on satellite images said on Thursday. More than 200,000 people have been killed and nearly four million have fled the country according to the United Nations. The uprising started in 2011 with a pro-democracy movement and a government crackdown and has since spiraled into a civil war. A coalition of 130 humanitarian and human rights organizations, calling themselves WithSyria, in coordination with scientists based at Wuhan University in China, found that the worst hit area was Aleppo province. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18768[/attach] KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The International Monetary Fund agreed Wednesday to extend $17.5 billion in loans to Ukraine as part of a program designed to pull the country back from the verge of economic collapse. Continue reading...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The war in Syria has plunged 80 percent of its people into poverty, reduced life expectancy by 20 years, and led to massive economic losses estimated at over $200 billion since the conflict began in 2010, according to a U.N.-backed report circulated Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18761[/attach] A Swiss man of Syrian Christian origin who battled the Islamic State group faces charges after returning home, raising the issue of how Europe handles citizens fighting IS. European governments already face the headache of dealing with citizens who have gone to Syria to join the ultra-violent Islamist IS group. Police said that 33-year-old Johan Cosar, a native of the ancient Syriac Christian community, was arrested in the city of Basel but was released after questioning over his decision to join anti-IS fighters. He faces prosecution by Swiss military justice for joining a foreign army without official authorisation and risks up to three years behind bars if convicted. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18760[/attach] Egypt hosts a foreign investor conference Friday it hopes will jump-start its battered economy while showcasing international support for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as he battles increasingly radical Islamist opponents. Sisi, a former army chief voted into office after toppling his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi, has positioned himself as a frontline ally in the regional fight against Islamist militants, arguing that his country deserves more international support. "The international economic conference is a reflection of the determination of Egypt and the Egyptians," he told Fox News in an interview broadcast on Monday. "If Egypt is stable -- a country of 90 million people -- this will represent the strongest bedrock of stability in this region," he said, according to an English translation of his comments. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18759[/attach] NAPIER, New Zealand (AP) — West Indies batsman Chris Gayle is "struggling" with a back injury ahead of his team's World Cup match against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday which will determine whether it qualifies for the quarterfinals. Continue reading...

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that Ukraine's economy should return to growth in 2016 after a deep contraction this year. In a news release providing details of its $17.5 billion loan to Ukraine, the IMF said the economy would likely shrink by about 5.5 percent this year, before rebounding with growth of 2 percent in 2016 and 4 percent annually in the medium term. It said inflation should subside to around 27 percent by the end of this year after a spike led by a sharp drop in the value of Ukraine's currency and gas and heating tariff increases. Continue reading...

People in the crowd said the proposal, so far only signed by Mali's government, answered none of their demands, most importantly autonomy for the northern region they call Azawad. A meeting bringing together representatives from separatist groups including the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the Arab Movement for Azawad (MAA), had been due to begin on Tuesday but was postponed until Thursday. "We refuse the signature of this agreement which contains none of our demands," said Haza Ag Intohama, a protester who traveled to Kidal from an area on Mali's border with Algeria. "Just yesterday one of our armored vehicles hit a mine in northern Mali, seriously injuring two of our soldiers," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18749[/attach] BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi soldiers and allied Shiite militiamen swept into the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit on Wednesday, launching a two-front offensive to squeeze extremists out of Saddam Hussein's hometown in a major test of the troops' resolve. Continue reading...

The United Nations aviation body's governing council elected Fang Liu, a veteran of China's aviation authority, as its new secretary general on Wednesday, the first woman to hold the position in the agency's 70-year history. Liu, who has worked at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since 2007, is director of its Bureau of Administration and Services. She ran against candidates from Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates. Liu will start her three-year term on Aug. 1, replacing Raymond Benjamin of France. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18748[/attach] A former Chechen police officer was likely tortured into confessing to the murder of Russian opposition activist Boris Nemtsov, a member of the Kremlin's human rights council said Wednesday, prompting a spat with investigators. The statement from a body close to President Vladimir Putin and often criticised as window-dressing for authorities angered Russia's powerful Investigative Committee who accused it of meddling in their probe and threatened to investigate its motives. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18747[/attach] Nigeria said on Wednesday that 36 towns had been retaken from Boko Haram since the start of a four-nation military offensive, voicing hope that the operation could lead to the group's "total defeat". "It is hoped that the unfolding regional cooperation will hasten the total defeat and extermination of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the sub-region," he added. Speaking at the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington, the head of Nigeria's National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, said the militants still controlled four local government areas. He said he was optimistic that in a matter of weeks Boko Haram would no longer be in control of any territory, even if the government admits that bombings and gun attacks are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Continue reading...

SAINT-POURCAIN-SUR-SIOULE, France (AP) — Michael Matthews of Australia took charge of the week-long Paris-Nice race after sprinting to victory in the third stage on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18746[/attach] BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers have condemned the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and expressed increasing concern at worsening pressure from Moscow on opposition groups. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18745[/attach] A measles outbreak linked to a flareup of the virus in the United States has spiked in neighboring Canada's Quebec province to 119 cases, health officials said Wednesday. Infection disease specialist Johanne Desilets said the virus spread further among children and adults who have not been vaccinated and are members of large families. "You have to realize that measles are highly contagious. If one person has measles in a family of 10, everybody will be exposed and will probably get it," she said. Continue reading...

GAUHATI, India (AP) — A crude bomb exploded Wednesday in a crowded market in northeastern India, killing at least three people and injuring 15 others, police said. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18744[/attach] The United States and European Union have asked Zimbabwean authorities to investigate the disappearance of a journalist-turned activist who has been staging sit-ins in the capital demanding that President Robert Mugabe resigns. Itai Dzamara was on Monday forcibly taken by five unidentified men and bundled into an unmarked truck near his home in the capital Harare, according to his family. The EU and U.S. said in separate statements that they were concerned with Dzamara's abduction and disappearance. "If he is being held in state custody, it is vital that his fundamental human rights and freedoms as guaranteed by Zimbabwe's constitution be honored," the U.S. embassy said. Continue reading...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's central bank said Wednesday that the ringgit, which has plunged 14.4 percent against the U.S. dollar since September, was sharply undervalued but ruled out reintroducing capital controls. Continue reading...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government must pay compensation to widows and children of Indonesian men summarily executed in their country's war for independence, according to a court ruling Wednesday that could open the door to many more claims. Continue reading...

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriots from both sides of the east Mediterranean island's ethnic divide are banding together to oppose plans to build a nuclear power station on nearby Turkey's southern coast. Continue reading...

By Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - The wife of an American blogger and critic of religious extremism who was hacked to death in Dhaka last month said that police stood nearby when the couple were attacked on a university campus in the Bangladesh capital. Avijit Roy, an engineer of Bangladeshi origin, was killed by machete-wielding assailants when returning from a book fair. His wife, Rafida Bonya Ahmed, suffered head injuries and lost a finger. "While Avijit and I were being ruthlessly attacked, the local police stood close by and did not act," Rafida told Reuters. Continue reading...