| NRA's quest to expand gun rights takes it to court Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:58 PM PDT  The San Diego County sheriff denied Edward Peruta a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Christopher Haga's gun collection was seized, and he was charged with crimes after he was mistakenly linked to a theft of assault weapons from a Fresno-area military base.
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| Chinese ship in MH370 search detects 'pulse signal' Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:55 PM PDT  A Chinese ship searching the Indian Ocean for flight MH370 detected a signal at a frequency used by the missing aircraft's black boxes on Saturday, but Australia warned there was no evidence yet that it was linked to the plane. Four weeks exactly after the jet, carrying 239 people, went missing during an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency reported that a black box detector on board the Chinese search ship picked up a signal at a frequency of 37.5kHz. The Underwater Acoustic Beacons on the MH370 flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder both operate at that frequency, a spokesman for Honeywell Aerospace, the manufacturers of the black boxes on board the missing plane, told AFP. The Chinese search ship Haixun 01 picked up the pulse signal at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said in a brief dispatch Saturday.
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| Wildcats' Fitzgerald urges 'no' vote on union Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:54 PM PDT EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald sided with his university against the formation of a players union in his first public comments Saturday, repeating what he already told his team: "I believe it's in their best interests to vote no." |
| Hungary's Fidesz tipped to win big in Sunday vote Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:52 PM PDT  BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's governing party is tipped to win parliamentary elections Sunday, while a far-right party is expected to make further gains, according to polls.
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| Kuchar takes 4-shot lead at Houston Open Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:52 PM PDT  HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Matt Kuchar overcame windy conditions to match the low round of the day and take a four-shot lead after three rounds of the Houston Open.
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| Maryland women try to ruin Irish's unbeaten season Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:49 PM PDT  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brenda Frese and her Maryland Terrapins feel like uninvited guests at the Final Four.
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| Afghans defy Taliban threat to vote in droves Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:45 PM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Millions of Afghans defied Taliban threats and rain Saturday, underscoring their enormous expectations from an election that comes as the country's wobbly government prepares to face down a ferocious insurgency largely on its own.
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| Soldiers occupy notorious Rio slum ahead of World Cup Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT  Thousands of soldiers in armored vehicles, trucks and on foot fanned out across Rio de Janeiro's most notorious slum on Saturday to shore up security before the World Cup. The move is the latest attempt to drive drug gangs out of the notorious Mare shanty town, a haven for organized crime and one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, located near Rio's international airport. The Mare complex, home to 130,000 people, is a potential through route for tens of thousands of football fans flying in and out of the metropolis, which will stage seven World Cup matches, including the July 13 final. Members of the feared Special Police Operations Battalion, with guns at the ready and backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, had stormed into the Mare favela on March 30.
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| NYC police: Car flips into Queens creek, killing 4 Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A car heading down a dead-end street in a desolate New York City industrial area flipped over a wooden curb into a creek, killing four young people returning from a birthday celebration, police and friends of the victims said Saturday.
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| 2 arrests made in Detroit mob attack on man Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:35 PM PDT  DETROIT (AP) — Two Detroit teenagers were arrested Saturday in an attack on a suburban man who was brutally beaten by a mob after accidentally striking a boy with his pickup truck.
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| Vivendi to sell SFR to Altice for up to $19.5B Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:32 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Vivendi said Saturday it will sell SFR, the No. 2 mobile phone operator in France, to media company Altice in a deal that could be worth up to $19.5 billion. |
| Israel's Livni calls for direct talks with Palestinians Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:27 PM PDT  Israel's chief negotiator called on Saturday for direct talks with the Palestinians, as attempts continue to prevent the collapse of peace negotiations. Tzipi Livni's remarks came on the eve of a three-way meeting with her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat and US envoy Martin Indyk, officials close to the talks said. The developments come as US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that there were "limits" to the time and energy Washington could devote to the process, adding it was time for a "reality check." He said Washington would review its push for a peace deal after a spiral of tit-for-tat moves by Israel and the Palestinians took the hard-won negotiations close to collapse.
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| Explosions, clashes kill 21 soldiers in Iraq Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:19 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — An explosion at a booby-trapped house, ensuing clashes with militants and roadside bombings killed 21 soldiers Saturday in Iraq, authorities said. |
| Atletico, Barca maintain title push with narrow wins Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:07 PM PDT  Barcelona remain just one point behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid as they overcame Real Betis 3-1 at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Atletico registered their sixth straight league win earlier in the day with a tense 1-0 victory over Villarreal. Lionel Messi put Barca in front from the penalty spot before Jordi Figueras' comical own goal doubled the hosts' advantage. Ruben Castro brought Betis back into the game moments later, but Messi killed the game off four minutes from time by slotting home the rebound after Antonio Adan had saved his second penalty of the day.
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| Thai 'Red Shirts' rally to support embattled PM Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:55 AM PDT  Thousands of Thai pro-government "Red Shirts" massed Saturday in a show of support for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, warning that they would resist attempts to oust her through the courts. The rally comes as Thailand's long-running political crisis looks set to enter a new and potentially turbulent phase with the expected indictment of Yingluck -- a move likely to infuriate her supporters. More than 3,000 police and troops were mobilised for the demonstration on the western outskirts of Bangkok, following months of political violence in which 24 people have been killed and hundreds wounded. Opposition protesters who have been camped out in Bangkok for months want to install an unelected premier to oversee reforms aimed at clamping down on corruption and reining in the Shinawatra family's political dominance.
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| Mormon leader outlines opposition to gay marriage Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:52 AM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A top Mormon leader reiterated the church's opposition to gay marriage Saturday during the church's biannual general conference.
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| China ship hears 'signal'; unclear if jet-related Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:49 AM PDT  PERTH, Australia (AP) — A Chinese ship involved in the hunt for the missing Malaysian jetliner reported hearing a "pulse signal" Saturday in southern Indian Ocean waters with the same frequency emitted by the plane's data recorders, as Malaysia vowed not to give up the search for the jet.
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| Ukraine PM says will stick to austerity despite Moscow pressure Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT  By Natalia Zinets, Richard Balmforth and Paul Ingrassia KIEV (Reuters) - The Kiev government will stick to unpopular austerity measures "as the price of independence" as Russia steps up pressure on Ukraine to destabilise it, including by raising the price of gas, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk told Reuters. Yatseniuk, 39, who stepped in as interim prime minister last month after Viktor Yanukovich and his ministers fled the "Euromaidan" protests, conceded that it would be very difficult "under the current Russian presence" to undo what he described as Russia's "international crime" in seizing Crimea. But he said Ukraine would never recognise the Russian takeover in exchange for re-establishing good relations. We will never recognise the annexation of Crimea ... The time will come when Ukraine will take over control of Crimea," he said, speaking in English, seated in his cavernous, Soviet-built government headquarters beneath the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag.
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| Raiffeisen Bank subsidiary to close Crimea branches Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT By Alissa de Carbonnel and Lidia Kelly SIMFEROPOL, Crimea/MOSCOW (Reuters) - A subsidiary of Raiffeisen Bank International will close all its branches in Crimea by mid-month, the bank said on Saturday, following Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula. Ukraine and the West do not recognize Russian of Crimea and companies that have been active in the region do not know how the change could affect their business. Raiffeisen Bank Aval, in which Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International holds 96.41 percent of shares, will close the last remaining six of 32 branches the bank had in Crimea by April 15, a spokeswoman told Reuters. The impact of Russia's annexation of Crimea on companies with assets in the peninsula is yet to be fully estimated, but many banks have closed and many worried businesses have switched to cash-only operations. |
| EU weighs new approach towards Russia in wake of Ukraine crisis Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT By Justyna Pawlak ATHENS (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers tried to map out a new strategy towards Russia at talks in Athens on Saturday, pledging to keep a tough stance over its tensions with Ukraine, while steering clear of provoking Moscow into further conflict. Since Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, the European Union has imposed sanctions against the closest allies of President Vladimir Putin, and Group of Seven governments have suspended top-level contacts with Russia. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said it was not in the European Union's interest to fuel confrontation with Russia, already at its highest since the Cold War. |
| Ukraine eyes arbitration if Russia doesn't cut gas price Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT By Pavel Polityuk and Thomas Grove KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine warned on Saturday it would take Russia to an arbitration court if talks with Moscow failed to roll back hikes in the price of natural gas that Kiev called an act of economic aggression. Russia nearly doubled the price Ukraine pays for its gas this week, forcing Kiev, whose economy is in chaos, to enter into emergency talks with European neighbors to boost cheaper imports from the West. Ukraine accuses Russia of using the price hikes as a tool of economic pressure after popular protests in Kiev ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich in February, souring relations between the two former Soviet republics. Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea region and formally annexed it last month widening the dispute into the biggest stand-off between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. |
| Ukraine detains 15 suspected of planning unrest in Russian-dominated east Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:45 AM PDT Ukraine's state security service said on Saturday it had detained 15 people suspected of planning to overthrow the authorities in a mostly Russian-speaking eastern region and had confiscated hundreds of rifles, grenades and petrol bombs. The service said those arrested were planning to stir up unrest in the region of Luhansk which, like most of Ukraine's eastern regions, has been tense since the ouster of pro-Russia former president Viktor Yanukovich in February. "The group of attackers planned to carry out an armed seizure of power on April 10 in the Luhansk region through the intimidation of the peaceful population and the use of weapons and explosives," the service, which has intelligence and policing functions, said in a statement. Eastern Ukraine's population is largely made up of Russian-speakers who are culturally close to Russia. |
| Bayern suffer first league defeat in 54 matches Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:43 AM PDT  Bayern Munich suffered their first Bundesliga defeat since October 2012 on Saturday as their record 53-match unbeaten league run was ended by a 1-0 defeat at Augsburg. Coach Pep Guardiola named a weakened team for the Bavarian derby and paid the price as Bayern were beaten for the first time in the German league since going down 2-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on October 28, 2012. With one eye on Wednesday's Champions League clash at home to Manchester United, Guardiola started with three teenagers, giving Bundesliga debuts to wing-backs Ylli Sallahi and Mitchell Weiser while Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg was named on the left wing.
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| Ukraine threatens to take Russia to court over gas Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:28 AM PDT  Ukraine on Saturday rejected Russia's latest gas price hike and threatened to take its energy-rich neighbour to arbitration court over a dispute that could imperil deliveries to western Europe. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Russia's two rate increases in three days were a form of "economic aggression" aimed at punishing Ukraine's new leaders for overthrowing a Moscow-backed regime last month. Russia's natural gas group Gazprom this week raised the price of Ukrainian gas by 81 percent -- to $485.50 (354.30 euros) from $268.50 for 1,000 cubic metres -- requiring the ex-Soviet state to pay the highest rate of any of its European clients.
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| Vivendi accepts Numericable bid for SFR mobile phone unit Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:12 AM PDT  Vivendi on Saturday accepted a bid by French cable and fibre-optic network operator Numericable worth 17 billion euros to buy its SFR mobile phone unit, rejecting a rival offer from telecoms group Bouyges. "The supervisory board has unanimously decided to accept the Altice/Numericable bid," Vivendi said in a statement, saying it was the more likely to favour "growth (and) create value for customers, employees and shareholders". SFR and Numericable are not in the same segments of the market and their activities are complementary," Vivendi added. The deal with Altice/Numericable, which Vivendi called "a better balance", would involve an initial payment of 13.5 billion euros, followed by another payment of 750 million euros and eventually the ability to own and then sell its 20 percent stake in the new enterprise.
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| Panama's president unveiling subway ahead of vote Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:05 AM PDT  PANAMA CITY (AP) — Counting down his final weeks in office, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli on Saturday is inaugurating the most-emblematic project of a five-year term marked by fast economic growth and more than a hint of hubris — Central America's first subway system.
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| Chinese ship hunting for missing Malaysia jet detects 'ping' Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT  By Siva Govindasamy and Swati Pandey KUALA LUMPUR/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - A Chinese patrol ship hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner detected a pulse signal in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, in a possible indicator of the underwater beacon from a plane's "black box". Australian search authorities said such a signal would be "consistent" with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking the "ping" to Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the "ping" signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as emitted by flight recorders - at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said. Dozens of ships and planes from 26 countries are racing to find the black box recorders before their batteries run out.
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| EU working with Russia, Ukraine to defuse crisis Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:51 AM PDT  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — EU foreign ministers stressed the need Saturday for Russia to defuse tensions with Ukraine following a two-day informal meeting that ended with leaders insisting that all options remain on the table — including further sanctions.
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| Issues dominating Afghanistan's elections Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:45 AM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Several issues are at the top of Afghans' minds as they go to the polls Saturday. High among them is deteriorating security as the country undergoes its first democratic transition of power in history. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term in office. The most often mentioned issues include:
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| Candidates for Afghanistan's presidential election Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:38 AM PDT  Eight candidates are vying to succeed President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan's election on Saturday. A look at the field:
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| Afghans hail peaceful election, high turnout predicted Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT  Afghans celebrated a largely peaceful election on Saturday, as turnout exceeded predictions despite Taliban threats to disrupt the vote to choose President Hamid Karzai's successor. Whoever emerges victorious must lead the fight against the Taliban without the help of US-led combat troops, and also strengthen an economy that currently relies on declining aid money. The country faces a testing few months as it undergoes its first democratic transfer of power, and many Afghans fear a repeat of the fraud scandals that marred the last presidential election in 2009. "Today's election and massive participation of the people have taken Afghanistan a few steps forward to peace, stability and development," Karzai said in an address to the nation.
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| Pope says he's happy to have a job Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says he's happy because he has a job and the "inner peace" that comes with age. |
| Two priests, nun seized in latest Cameroon kidnapping Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:29 AM PDT  Yaoundé (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have seized two Italian priests and a Canadian nun in northern Cameroon in the latest kidnapping of Westerners in the remote, insurgency-wracked corner of west Africa. The attack occurred overnight Friday in the small parish of Tchere, in the far north of Cameroon across the border from an area of northeastern Nigeria that serves as a base for the Islamist Boko Haram group. A group of armed men pulled up at the parish shortly before midnight, according to Henri Djonyang, the region's head cleric, which was confirmed by police. Boko Haram militants kidnapped a priest and seven members of a French family in the same region last year, and both Djonyang and a Cameroonian police officer said they suspected the sect in the new abduction.
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| Murray, Fleming give Britain 2-1 Davis Cup lead Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:23 AM PDT  Naples (Italy) (AFP) - Andy Murray and Colin Fleming edged Britain a step closer to ending their 33-year wait for a place in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup with a hard-fought doubles win over Italy on Saturday. Earlier in Naples, Murray accounted for Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to level the tie, which had been halted due to poor light on Friday when the Wimbledon champion was a set up and 5-5 in the second frame. Murray then teamed up with Fleming as the all-Scottish duo surged into a two-set lead before spurning several breaks in the third set to allow Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini to seize one of their two break chances and pull a set back.
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| Australia: Electronic signals detected by Chinese ship consistent with aircraft black box Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:17 AM PDT PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia: Electronic signals detected by Chinese ship consistent with aircraft black box. |
| Man City sink Saints to maintain title charge Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:10 AM PDT  Manchester City kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 4-1 win at home to Southampton in Saturday's early kick-off match. Victory saw City close to within a point of Liverpool with a game in hand and leapfrog Chelsea into second place. But Chelsea, who've also played one game more than City, will go a point clear at the top if they beat Stoke at Stamford Bridge in Saturday's late kick-off. Liverpool are away to West Ham on Sunday.
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| UN chief Ban Ki-moon visits C. African Republic Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:59 PM PDT  BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon vowed Saturday that the world would not forget Central African Republic, as he visited the country wracked by sectarian violence that has left thousands dead and forced most of the nation's Muslims to flee.
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| Britain wins doubles to lead Italy in Davis Cup Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT  NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Britain held off a comeback attempt from Italy to win the doubles match and take a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
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| Atletico maintain title push with narrow Villarreal win Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:58 AM PDT  Atletico Madrid strengthened their position at the top of La Liga with a tense 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday. Raul Garcia headed home the only goal of the game after just 14 minutes from Koke's corner. However, without top scorer Diego Costa through injury, Atletico were forced to hold for long periods and were lucky to see Toby Alderweireld's sliced clearance fly just wide of his own goal a minute from time. Diego Simeone's men now lead Barcelona by four points with third-placed Real Madrid two points further back.
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| Mormon leader calls on missionaries to stay strong Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:57 AM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Mormon church leader encouraged missionaries on Saturday to stay strong amid the inevitable personal abuse they will encounter. |
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