WorldNews

[attach=full]17762[/attach] FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank's governing council members wrestled with fears that falling prices could become ingrained in the eurozone economy before a "large majority" decided last month to launch a 1 trillion euro monetary boost. Continue reading...

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — South Korea's Ilhee Lee took advantage of calm morning conditions at Royal Melbourne to shoot a 5-under 68 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Women's Australian Open. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17755[/attach] TOKYO (AP) — European shares were mostly lower early Thursday as investors waited to see the outcome of negotiations between Greece and its eurozone creditors. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17754[/attach] Greece is due to make a formal request for a loan extension from eurozone finance ministers on Thursday, saying it is "optimistic" about a compromise with EU and ECB to avoid a looming "Grexit". Athens was expected to send a letter to Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of the Eurogroup, to request an extension of up to six months on its European loan agreement that would sidestep the restrictions of a full-blown bailout. Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis insisted a deal was still possible even after a firm preemptive "nein" from EU paymaster Germany to its planned offer. Europe and Greece are racing to reach a deal to avoid a Greek exit from the eurozone -- dubbed a "Grexit" -- after talks in Brussels ended in acrimony on Monday with both sides digging in their heels. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17753[/attach] KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian military spokesman says more than 90 percent of its forces have been withdrawn from the fiercely contested town of Debaltseve and its surroundings, but left unclear when the retreat might be completed. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17752[/attach] On Lake Tanganyika, a century-old relic of World War I that became the stuff of Hollywood legend still plies the slate-grey waters -- but it is not clear for how much longer. Once a feared gunship defending the African lake for Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the legendary vessel -- which inspired the 1951 classic "The African Queen" -- has been sunk and refloated twice, renamed and repurposed as a ferry. As it marks 100 years of service, the MV Liemba, originally a symbol of colonial power, is now an essential lifeline for the people who live along the lakeshore. "Liemba is the only safe means of transport along the lake," said Mathew Mathia Mwanjisi, the ship's captain. Continue reading...

By James Regan SYDNEY (Reuters) - A pair of tropical cyclones was bearing down on northeastern Australia on Thursday and emergency officials warned residents to take shelter ahead of torrential rain and flooding, destructive winds and massive seas. Cyclone Marcia off the northeast coast of Queensland state is forecast to dump 300 mm of rain in the next 24 hours, with wind gusts up to 90 kph (55 mph), making it possibly the most destructive cyclone to hit Queensland since 2013. "Our message to Queenslanders is start getting ready now," said state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. The Port of Gladstone, Queensland's biggest multi-commodity port handling much of the state's coal, alumina, bauxite and natural gas shipments, said it was monitoring Marcia's movement and following procedures in place to deal with storms. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17746[/attach] US President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Western and Muslim leaders to unite to defeat the "false promises of extremism" and reject jihadists' claims to represent Islam. "The terrorists do not speak for a billion Muslims," Obama told delegates from 60 countries at a White House summit on countering radicalism. "They try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors," he said. In the wake of brutal jihadist attacks in Europe and the Middle East, Obama said more must be done to prevent groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda from recruiting and radicalizing. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17745[/attach] ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) — The city, making good on its vow to seek new non-gambling attractions, has approved redevelopment plans including a giant Ferris wheel and a zip line on the beachfront next to the Steel Pier and restaurants, a rebuilt Boardwalk and an elevated walkway in its Inlet neighborhood. Continue reading...

Indiana utilities are pressing state lawmakers to let them charge a monthly fee to customers who sell excess power from solar panels under a bill that has become a focal point in a battle between traditional and renewable energy companies. An Indiana state House committee on Wednesday voted 9-4 to advance the bill, which would also give utilities some flexibility over what they pay for energy sold back to them. The bill, opposed by clean energy advocates, goes next to the full state House of Representatives. Utilities say they were losing money in Indiana by paying higher-than-market rates to solar power generators under net metering rules introduced in 2011. Continue reading...

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California’s public drinking water systems violated safety levels for contaminants more than 1,000 times during the 2012-2013 fiscal year says a report that cites high levels in some water systems of arsenic, nitrates and other pollutants. The report, ordered by the state Senate's Environmental Quality committee, is part of a broader effort to improve compliance with drinking water regulations, prompted by criticism of the state's oversight and a court settlement. "Although the vast majority of Californians who receive drinking water from a public water system receive water that met quality standards in recent years, there are still many who may have consumed unsafe water," Senate researchers said in the report, which was released on Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17744[/attach] CAIRO (AP) — Libya, virtually a failed state in recent years, has succeeded in one way: It's providing a perfect opportunity for the Islamic State group to expand from Syria and Iraq to establish a strategic foothold closer to European shores. Continue reading...

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has temporarily reduced the hourly charge for using state-run Internet cafes in the country's first small but substantive public move to increase online access since the declaration of detente with the U.S. Continue reading...

LONDON (AP) — West Ham says that is has signed Brazilian forward Nene until the end of the season, subject to the Premier League club securing his international clearance. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has screened about 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels who could participate in a new training program so they eventually can return to the fight against Islamic State insurgents who have taken control of large portions of Syria, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17743[/attach] CHICAGO (AP) — Republican presidential prospect Jeb Bush said Wednesday that "there were mistakes made in Iraq" during his brother's administration, offering the critique during a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy that comes as part of his run-up to a likely campaign for the White House. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17733[/attach] MIAMI (AP) — An Australian once held at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, won a challenge Wednesday to his terrorism conviction before a military court. Continue reading...

French prosecutors called Wednesday for five teenagers suspected of vandalising hundreds of Jewish graves to be charged, arguing there was a clear "anti-Semitic motive" behind their alleged act. Some 250 tombs were vandalised last week at a Jewish cemetery in the northeastern town of Sarre-Union. The youngest came forward earlier this week after being taken aback by the scale of the reaction across the country to the vandalism. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17732[/attach] CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — One year has passed since Venezuela's streets were rocked by anti-government protests that left 43 people dead and neighborhoods choked by flaming barricades. Continue reading...

[attach=full]17731[/attach] Greece's parliament on Wednesday elected pro-European conservative Prokopis Pavlopoulos as the country's new president, a move calculated to bolster the hard-left government in its critical EU bailout talks. The former minister and expert in public law was put forward for the post in a bid to draw much-needed cross-party support as debt-laden Greece races to negotiate a new loan deal with its international creditors. Pavlopoulos, 64, who takes up a largely honorary post, was elected to a five-year term with 233 yes votes in the 300-seat chamber. He was considered a safe choice, being largely untainted by the controversy surrounding the country's loathed bailout obligations, agreed to by the former conservative government. Continue reading...

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Second-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania reached the quarterfinals of the Rio Open on Wednesday, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States 6-2, 6-4. Continue reading...