Police in Northern Ireland arrested two teenagers Saturday in connection with the fatal shooting of a young journalist during rioting in the city of Londonderry and warned of a "new breed" of terrorists threatening the peace.
The men, aged 18 and 19, were detained under anti-terrorism legislation and taken to Belfast for questioning, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. The men have not been identified or charged.
Authorities believe one man pulled the trigger during the chaotic rioting that began Thursday night but had organizational support.
Lyra McKee, 29, a rising star of investigative journalism, was shot and killed, police say probably by a stray bullet aimed at police, during the rioting. Police said the New IRA dissident group was most likely responsible and called it a "terrorist act."
The use of a firearm apparently aimed at police marks a dangerous escalation in sporadic violence that continues to plague Northern Ireland 21 years after the Good Friday peace ...

Police: 'New breed' of terrorists in Northern Ireland

PTI Automatic

Yemeni officials say heavy fighting in Yemen's southern Dhale province between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels has killed more than 85 people.
The officials say the Houthi rebels recaptured the district of Damt and the surrounding area from forces allied with the internationally recognized government after more than a week of fighting. They say dozens have been wounded.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war pitting the Iran-backed Houthis against the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015.
The war has devastated impoverished Yemen, turning the Arab nation into the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The officials spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

New bout of heavy fighting in Yemen kills dozens

A prominent cancer center in Houston says it has ousted three scientists whom federal authorities suggested are involved in Chinese efforts to steal American research.
Peter Pisters, the president of MD Anderson Cancer Center, told the Houston Chronicle that the National Institutes of Health could withhold funding if the center didn't act. MD Anderson received $148 million in NIH grants last year.
The three scientists haven't been identified. The newspaper reports they're Chinese.
The agency wrote to the cancer center last year detailing conflicts of interest and unreported foreign income by five faculty members, and gave it 30 days to respond.
The dismissals come amid heightened concern in Washington, D.C., that foreign governments including China have been using students and visiting scholars to pilfer intellectual property from confidential grant applications.

Texas cancer center ousts 3 over Chinese data theft concerns

A suicide blast rocked Afghanistan's capital Saturday during a gun battle with security forces, officials said, killing at least seven people a day after hopes for all-encompassing peace talks collapsed.
At least eight people were wounded.
Police chief Gen. Sayed Mohammad Roshandil said the bomber blew himself up outside the Telecommunications Ministry, clearing the way for four gunmen to enter the building and the heavily guarded government compound in central Kabul.
Nasart Rahimi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said four civilians and three soldiers were killed during the attack.
Eight civilians were wounded, he said.
Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said the wounded people were evacuated to hospitals, three of them women.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan and have previously claimed attacks in Kabul.
The Taliban denied involvement.
Rahimi .

Afghan official: Blast rocks country's capital, kills 7

A suicide blast rocked Afghanistan's capital Saturday during a gun battle with security forces, officials said, killing at least two people a day after hopes for all-encompassing peace talks collapsed. At least six people were wounded.
Police chief Gen. Sayed Mohammad Roshandil said the bomber blew himself up outside the Telecommunications Ministry, clearing the way for the other attackers to enter the building and the heavily guarded government compound in central Kabul.
Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said at least two people were killed in the attack and at least six wounded people were evacuated to hospitals, three of them women.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan and have previously claimed attacks in Kabul.
The Taliban denied involvement in the attack.
Nasart Rahimi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the security operation ended at ...

Afghan official: Blast rocks country's capital, kills 2

A Congolese official says militia members have attacked an Ebola treatment center hours after another attack killed a staffer with the World Health Organisation.
Butembo city's deputy mayor, Patrick Kambale Tsiko, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the attackers armed with machetes tried to burn down the center in Katwa district overnight.
Tsiko says military and police guarding the center killed one militia member and detained five others.
An attack on Friday on a hospital in Butembo killed an epidemiologist from Cameroon who had been deployed to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo.
Tsiko cited witnesses as saying the attackers wrongly blamed foreigners for bringing the deadly virus to the region.
This Ebola outbreak is the second-deadliest in history. Rebel attacks and community resistance have greatly complicated containment efforts.

New attack on Ebola center in Congo; 1 militia member killed

A German army plane has evacuated 12 German tourists who survived this week's bus accident on the island of Madeira that claimed 29 lives, Portuguese authorities said Saturday.
The regional health authorities for Madeira said the patients were taken on board the German military plane at the Cristiano Ronaldo international airport.
One German survivor remains in the hospital in the island's capital, Funchal. Another German injured in the crash was flown out on Friday.
The bus plummeted down a slope in Wednesday's crash, killing 29 people, all German nationals, in the coastal town of Canico.
The bus driver and a tourist guide, both Portuguese, also remain in the hospital. Eleven other people hurt in the crash had been discharged by Friday.
The causes of the crash are being investigated.
Madeira, an important European tourist destination, is located 935 kilometers east of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean.

German plane evacuated Madeira bus crash survivors

A summit organised by Iraq is bringing together regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran to bridge relations and invest in Iraq.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi is heading the one-day summit between Iraq and its six neighbours: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The summit underlines a shift to Iraq's foreign policy, placing the country as a mediator between neighbours who are often at odds over weighty issues, such as the civil war in Syria, and US sanctions against Iran.
Iraqi leaders have emphasised Iraq's sovereignty since elections last year, and they say it is vital to Iraq's security and economy to develop good relations with the neighbours.
The country is seeking billions of dollars in aid and investment to help it rebuild after 15 years of war.

Iraq summit brings together rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran

The UN health agency says at least 15 more people died in fighting over control of Libya's capital in the past two days, bringing the total to 220 dead including civilians.
The World Health Organisation said late Friday that 1,066 others have been wounded since the self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive on April 5 to take Tripoli.
The fighting pits the LNA, led by Khalifa Hifter, against rival militias affiliated with a weak UN-supported government in the capital.
The clashes threaten to ignite civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Libya is split between rival governments in the east and west.
President Donald Trump phoned Hifter earlier this week, expressing US support for the leader's perceived stance against terrorism.

UN says 220 killed in fighting over Libya's capital

French yellow vest protesters marched a new Saturday to remind the government that rebuilding the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral isn't the only problem the nation needs to solve.
Security was extra-high in Paris as authorities braced for resurgent yellow vest anger, and Paris police said some 70 people were detained by mid-morning.
Multiple protest events are being held around Paris and other cities Saturday for the 23rd weekend of the yellow vest movement against wealth inequality and President Emmanuel Macron's leadership.
One group of about 200 people tried to march on the president's Elysee Palace in central Paris, but riot police blocked them at the neo-classical Madeleine Church.
Another group gathered around the Finance Ministry in eastern Paris to demand lower taxes on workers and pensioners and higher taxes on the rich.
Yet another group is trying to demonstrate yellow vest mourning over the Notre Dame blaze while also keeping up pressure on Macron.
The group wanted to ...

Paris: Yellow vest anger mixes with Notre Dame mourning

A new government for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority was sworn in Saturday, led by a veteran peace negotiator and harsh critic of Gaza's Hamas rulers.
Khartoum, Apr 13 (AFP) Sudan's second new military leader in as many days vowed Saturday to 'uproot' deposed president Omar al-Bashir's regime and release protesters, in a bid to placate demonstrators demanding civilian rule.
Karachi: The Islamic State Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed 21 people and wounded more than 50 others in Quetta, the provincial capital of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province.
Sunday
Helsinki: Early results in Finland's general election on Sunday showed a lead for the leftist Social Democrats, while the current prime minister said his Centre Party was the night's "biggest loser".
Khartoum: Sudanese protesters on Sunday demanded the country's military rulers "immediately" hand power over to a civilian government that should then bring ousted leader Omar al-Bashir to ...

Digest for international stories for week Apr 13 - Apr 19, 2019

North Korea has issued a relatively mild criticism of White House national security adviser John Bolton over a recent interview he gave.
State media on Saturday cited First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as criticising Bolton for telling Bloomberg News that the US would need more evidence of North Korea's disarmament commitment before a third leaders' summit.
Choe described Bolton's comments as having "no charm" and being "dim-sighted" Her criticism is much softer than the North's typical fiery rhetoric usually directed at the US and South Korea.
North Korea blames the US for deadlocked nuclear negotiations.
Some observers say the North is avoiding harsh rhetoric at the US to keep diplomacy alive.
On Thursday, the North demanded US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from nuclear negotiations.

NKorea issues mild criticism of Bolton over media interview

A strong storm system barreling through the South on Friday killed an 8-year-old girl in Florida and threatened to bring tornadoes to large parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
A tree fell onto a house in Woodville, Florida, south of Tallahassee, killing the girl and injuring a 12-year-old boy, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office.
The office said in a statement that the girl died at a hospital while the boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Their names weren't immediately released.
The same storm system was blamed for the deaths a day earlier of three people in Mississippi and a woman in Alabama.
The threat on Friday shifted farther east, where tornado warnings covered parts of northeast Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, where four suspected tornado touchdowns were reported Friday night. Twisters touched down in Reston, Fredericks Hall, Barham and Forksville.
Homes and small structures were damaged, but no injuries were immediately reported.
The national ...

Storms in South kill girl in Florida, bring tornado threat

By now, most Democratic presidential candidates have polished their stump speeches. But when they're in South Carolina, they may need to add in a sermon.
In a large and diverse primary field, White House hopefuls are angling to develop relationships with black churches. That's because success in South Carolina, home to the nation's first Southern presidential primary, could come down to connecting with politically influential churchgoing African Americans.
"Candidates recognize that black churches are the places to be seen and heard," said Bobby Donaldson, a professor of civil rights history at the University of South Carolina.
"If you're trying to find a captive and captivating audience, then the black church is the perfect place to get your message across." Some 2020 candidates are already working to build their relationships with this community. Sen. Kamala Harris of California will attend an Easter service on Sunday in Columbia at a church whose pastor is a lawmaker who recently ..

2020 campaign trail runs through churches in South Carolina

Without close friends in Asia, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be using every opportunity, even the emperor's accession, to court President Donald Trump.
Abe is scheduling a rushed visit to Washington to meet with Trump and celebrate first lady's birthday, and then is inviting him to be first foreign leader to meet the new emperor, the two countries announced Friday.
Tokyo and Washington said that Trump and first lady Melania Trump will make a state visit to Japan at the end of May, just weeks after Crown Prince Naruhito ascends Japan's Chrysanthemum throne. Naruhito's 85-year-old father, Emperor Akihito, is ending his three-decade reign on April 30 by abdicating.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said receiving Trump as the first state guest of the new imperial era would "symbolize the unshakable bond of the Japan-U.S. alliance."
Japanese officials are also arranging for Trump to watch the final day of a sumo wrestling tournament on May 26 so he can present a trophy 

Japan courts Trump using emperor, first lady's birthday

A global team of experts next week will begin reviewing how the Boeing 737 Max's flight control system was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA says experts from nine international civil aviation authorities have confirmed participation in a technical review promised by the agency.
Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Chris Hart will lead the group, which also will have experts from the FAA and NASA. They will look at the plane's automated system including the way it interacts with pilots. The group will meet Tuesday and is expected to finish in 90 days.
The Boeing jetliner has been grounded around the world since mid-March after two crashes killed 346 people. Investigators are focusing on anti-stall software that pushed the planes' noses down based on erroneous sensor readings.
In a statement Friday, the FAA said aviation authorities from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab ...

Panel to review approval of Boeing 737 Max flight controls

Malaysia's government said it will resurrect a multibillion-dollar property and transportation project in Kuala Lumpur involving a Chinese state company, calling it a contribution to China's global "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is traveling to China next week to attend the second Belt and Road forum, said Friday the Cabinet agreed to reinstate the Bandar Malaysia project, which is expected to cost 140 billion ringgit (USD 33.8 billion).
It comes a week after Malaysia resumed a China-backed rail link project after the Chinese contractor agreed to cut the construction cost by one third to 44 billion ringgit (USD 10.6 billion). Mahathir said that both projects will boost ties with China and add economic value.
He said that Bandar Malaysia, which is 40 per cent owned by the government, will be developed with the same consortium partners, Malaysian developer Iskandar Waterfront Holdings and China Railway Engineering Corp. The 500-acre ...

Malaysia to revive 2nd major China-linked project

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel Robert Mueller's full report as Democrats intensified their investigation of President Donald Trump, but leaders stopped short of liberal demands for impeachment proceedings.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted on a methodical, step-by-step approach to the House's oversight of the Trump administration, and she refuses to consider impeachment without public support, including from Republicans, which seems unlikely.
But in light of Mueller's findings, Democratic leaders are under mounting pressure from the party's rising stars, deep-pocketed donors and even a presidential contender to seize the moment as a jumping-off point for trying to remove Trump from office.
Speaking Friday in Belfast as Pelosi wrapped up a congressional visit to Ireland, she declined to signal action beyond Congress' role as a check and balance for the White House.
"Let me assure you that whatever the issue and challenge 

Democrats subpoena Mueller report amid calls for impeachment

Worldwide paranormal investigator and author Lorraine Warren, whose decades of ghost-hunting cases with her late husband inspired such frightening films as "The Conjuring" series and "The Amityville Horror," died. She was 92.
Warren's son-in-law Tony Spera and grandson Chris McKinnell posted Friday on Facebook that Warren died in her sleep Thursday night at her Connecticut home. Phone messages and emails were left with several of Warren's family members. Warren's attorney, Gary Barkin, confirmed his client's death via email to The Associated Press.
"She was a remarkable, loving, compassionate and giving soul," Spera wrote.
The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in Monroe, Connecticut, in 1952 to investigate suspected hauntings. The group also posted of her passing on Facebook.
During their 61 years of marriage, Lorraine and Ed Warren investigated more than 10,000 cases in the US and abroad, often writing about their experiences. Their unusual profession has ..

Paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren dies at 92

One of the most powerful leaders in the United Arab Emirates has found himself entangled in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian interference in America's 2016 election.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, believed to be the Emirates' day-to-day ruler, is the only world leader included in Mueller's cast-of-characters index near the end of the 448-page report. His inclusion, stemming from his mysterious role in a 2017 meeting between a Trump associate and a Russian middleman for Vladimir Putin in the Seychelles, stands out from otherwise glancing references to the wider Mideast.
But left unsaid  or possibly redacted  is what motivated the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, to insert itself as a middleman in contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia. However, the report's release comes as the UAE backs Trump's maximalist policies against Iran and as Emirati officials have been on a ...

Powerful Emirati crown prince entangled by Mueller report

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduling a rushed visit to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump and celebrate first lady Melania Trump's birthday, and then is inviting him to be first foreign leader to meet Japan's new emperor, the two countries announced Friday.
Without close friends in Asia, Abe is seen as using every opportunity, even the emperor's accession, to court Trump.
Tokyo and Washington said Friday that Trump and the first lady will make a state visit to Japan at the end of May, just weeks after Crown Prince Naruhito ascends Japan's Chrysanthemum throne. Naruhito's 85-year-old father, Emperor Akihito, is ending his three-decade reign on April 30 by abdicating.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said receiving Trump as the first state guest of the new imperial era would "symbolize the unshakable bond of the Japan-U.S. alliance."
Japanese officials are also arranging for Trump to watch the final day of a sumo wrestling tournament on May 26 so he can ...

AP

AP

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