The United States has put forth its contribution to a global climate treaty, relying entirely on a set of emission cuts ordered by President Barack Obama that may not survive beyond the end of his presidency.
	Environmental groups and like-minded governments hailed the US pledge as substantial and ambitious, and Obama's aides waxed hopeful that the US announcement would spur other countries to follow America's lead.
	Yet with Obama's actions at home facing serious legal challenges and intense political opposition, the Obama administration conceded that many foreign capitals are dubious the US will live up to its commitment.
	Todd Stern, the US special envoy for climate change, said the pollution rules Obama is counting on to achieve the US goal are on solid legal ground, pushing back on Republicans who have pledged to repeal them or stop them before they can take effect.
	"Undoing the kind of regulations we are putting in place is something that is very hard to do," said Stern. ...

US climate treaty pledge relies on uncertain Obama actions

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Iran nuclear negotiators resumed talks here today, just hours after abandoning a March 31 deadline to reach the outline of a deal and agreeing to press on.
	However, as the discussions dragged on, three of the six foreign ministers involved left the talks, and prospects for agreement remained uncertain.
	Claiming enough progress had been made to warrant an extension after six days of intense bartering and eager to avoid a collapse in the discussions, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his British and German counterparts huddled with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in the Swiss town of Lausanne to continue a marathon effort to bridge still significant gaps and hammer out details of a framework accord.
	The foreign ministers of China, France and Russia all departed Lausanne overnight, although the significance of their absence was not clear.
	The remaining ministers and the Chinese, French and Russian officials left behind are looking to reach understandings that would ..

A day after missing deal deadline, Iran nuclear talks resume

Thousands of Vietnamese workers at a major footwear factory were on strike for a sixth day Wednesday over a social insurance law in a rare challenge to government policy.
	Several thousand people at the Taiwanese-owned Pou Yuen factory in southern Ho Chi Minh City began the stoppage last Thursday. Pou Yuen Vietnam, which employs more than 80,000 workers, is a subsidiary of Pou Chen Group and makes footwear for companies such as Nike and Adidas.
	The workers continued the peaceful strike in the factory's compound today under a heavy police presence. They marched along Highway 1 with banners and beating drums on Monday and yesterday, blocking traffic on the main road artery.
	They were protesting a new law, which comes into effect next year and says that workers will get a social insurance monthly allowance when they retire instead of getting a one-time payment if they resign.
	The striking workers said that if they quit earlier, they would have to wait until their retirement age 60 for 

Thousands strike at Nike, Adidas shoe factory in Vietnam

Two surveys show China's manufacturing activity was anemic in February and industry faced more downward pressure on prices, adding to signs of economic weakness.
	HSBC Corp. Said today that its monthly purchasing managers' index fell to 49.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 show activity contracting. A separate index by an industry group, the Chinese Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, and the National Bureau of Statistics edged up 0.2 points from February to 50.1.
	Both surveys showed prices of industrial goods declined in February, a sign of weak demand.
	Beijing has cut interest rates twice since November to spur economic growth that declined to 7.3 per cent in the final quarter of last year, fueling fears of a politically dangerous spike in job losses.

Surveys show China manufacturing weak in February

Amid anger over an Islamic insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, Nigerians threw out the incumbent and elected a 72-year-old former military dictator in a historic transfer of power officially announced early today following the nation's most hotly contested election ever.
	President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to former Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, paving the way for an unprecedented peaceful transfer of power in Africa's most populous nation.
	"Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian," Jonathan said in a televised address to the nation. "I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word."
	It will be the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party considered a sign of the West African nation's maturing young democracy. Jonathan's party has governed since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999.
	Celebrations erupted throughout Buhari's strongholds in ...

Buhari wins in Nigeria, defeating Goodluck Jonathan

The State Department says it can find only four emails sent between former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and her staff concerning drone strikes and certain US surveillance programs, and those notes have little to do with either subject.
	Clinton has said she exchanged about 60,000 emails while secretary of state, about half of which were work-related. She said none contained classified information, and that her private email system did not suffer any security breaches.
	The highly unusual practice of a Cabinet-level official physically running her own email server gave Clinton complete control over access to her message archives. She deleted emails some 30,000 in total  she described as personal in nature, and has declined the request of Republicans that she turn over her server for an independent review.
	The four emails were obtained by The Associated Press under a 2013 Freedom of Information Act request and offer one of the first looks into Clinton's correspondence at the State .

State Department: Clinton sent only 4 emails about drones

President Barack Obama today released military aid to Egypt that was suspended after the 2013 overthrow of the government, in an effort to boost Cairo's ability to combat the extremist threat in the region.
	The White House said Obama notified Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in a phone call today that the US would be sending 12 F-16 fighter jets, 20 missiles and up to 125 tank kits, while continuing to request USD 1.3 billion in military assistance for Egypt.
	The White House said that would make Egypt will remain the second-largest recipient of US foreign military financing worldwide.
	The funds were suspended 21 months ago when el-Sissi, then military chief, overthrew Egypt's first democratically elected leader, Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. But Washington could not provide almost half of the annual aid package along with assistance held up from previous years until it certified advances by el-Sissi's government on democracy, human rights and rule of law or issued a ...

US releases military aid to Egypt, cites national security

Two members of a banned leftist group who had held a prosecutor hostage in his office inside a courthouse in Istanbul were killed today in a shootout with police that left their captive seriously wounded, police said.
	Istanbul's police chief, Selami Altunok said the prosecutor has been taken to hospital.
	Altunok said police had negotiated with the gunmen for six hours before the violent end of the hostage situation.
	Private news agency Dogan earlier today reported police special forces had entered the building, which was evacuated. It wasn't clear how the assailants sneaked the arms into the courthouse.
	The state-run Anadolu Agency and state television, TRT, identified the prosecutor as Mehmet Selim Kiraz. He is the prosecutor investigating the death of a teenager who was hit by a police gas canister fired during nationwide anti-government protests in 2013.
	A website close to the left-wing DHKP-C group said that militants from the banned organization had taken the prosecutor ...

Police: 2 hostage takers in Istanbul killed, hostage wounded

Yemeni civilians shuddered in fear and bristled with anger under an intense Saudi-led bombing campaign against Shiite rebels today, day six of fighting that prompted international aid organisations to express alarm over high civilian casualties from the strikes and violence roiling the country.
	Residents of the capital, Sanaa, sought shelter and got little sleep during the night, while some took to the rooftops in anger or frustration, firing automatic rifles skywards toward the roar of warplanes.
	Schools, universities and government offices were all closed, along with most shops. Few cars ventured onto the mostly deserted streets.
	"We haven't slept" one child screams and a second cries," said Mustafa al-Ahmadi, a father of eight who said the family seeks shelter in their basement when close explosions rock the house.
	"Once it's quiet, we return to our room but the minute we step in, a second explosion rocks the house so we return to the basement. This is how we spend the night, ..

Yemen civilians shudder, bristle under bombing campaign

Google is releasing its cheapest Chromebook laptops yet, two versions priced at USD 149 aimed at undercutting Microsoft's Windows franchise and gaining ground in even more classrooms.
	Various PC manufacturers have been working with Google to design lightweight laptops running on the Chrome operating system since 2011. The newest versions are made by Hisense and Haier. Hisense's Chromebook can be ordered beginning today at Walmart.Com and Haier's version can be bought at Amazon.Com.
	Their arrival coincides with Microsoft's rollout of a lower-priced Surface tablet in an effort to reach students and budget-conscious families. Pre-orders for that device began today, too.
	As the prices for tablets and smartphones have been declining, it has forced on PC makers to lower their prices, said International Data Corp. Analyst Jay Chou. The success of the Chromebook line is intensifying the PC pricing pressure.
	"It has been good news for consumers, but not so good for vendors," Chou ...

Google, Microsoft battle drives down prices for PCs, tablets

Nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers could be extended past today's deadline for the outline of an agreement if enough progress is made to justify it, the White House said.
	Today's statement by White House press secretary Josh Earnest suggested that talks meant to produce an outline that would allow the sides to continue negotiations until the June 30 final deadline had not bridged all gaps, but that the sides were working to produce a text with few specifics, accompanied by documents outlining areas where further talks were needed.
	"If it's necessary, and, when I say if it's necessary I mean if it's midnight and a deal has not been reached but the conversations continue to be productive, we'll be prepared to continue the talks into tomorrow," said Earnest.
	He said President Barack Obama had been updated on the latest status of the talks. He also said it was possible that Obama would be in touch with members of the negotiating team. "If we are making progress toward the .

White House: Iran nuke talks could continue beyond deadline

The latest adventure of Spider-Man, the American comic book fictional superhero, is taking him through the strange and mysterious world of US patent law.
	The Supreme Court was snarled in a web of legal arguments today over whether an inventor can keep collecting royalties on a Spider-Man toy even after his patent expired.
	The dispute involves a popular Web Blaster toy that lets children shoot foam string from a glove, much like the web-shooting super hero.
	Inventor Stephen Kimble sold his patent on the toy to Marvel Entertainment in 2001, but Marvel stopped making payments in 2010 when the patent expired.
	Kimble wants the high court to overrule a half-century-old case that says a licensing agreement cannot pay royalties after a patent ends. But most of the justices did not seem receptive to doing that.

US Supreme Court weighs patent fight over Spider-Man toy

Lufthansa knew six years ago that the co-pilot of the passenger plane that crashed in the French Alps last week had suffered from a "serious depressive episode," the German airline said today.
	The airline said that as part of its internal research it found emails that Andreas Lubitz sent to the Lufthansa flight school in Bremen when he resumed his training there after an interruption of several months.
	In them, he informed the school that he had suffered a "serious depressive episode," which had since subsided. The airline said Lubitz subsequently passed all medical checks and that it has provided the documents to prosecutors.
	It declined to make any further comment. Questions have been raised about what the airline knew about Lubitz's condition before last week's fatal crash.
	Authorities say the 27-year-old, who in the past had been treated for suicidal tendencies, locked his captain out of the cockpit before deliberately crashing the Airbus 320 into a mountain in the French ...

Lufthansa: Co-pilot told flight school of depressive episode

A day after Trevor Noah was declared the new host of "The Daily Show," complete with the blessing of the exiting Jon Stewart, graphic tweets targeting women, Jews and victims of the Ebola virus are causing a social media backlash.
	Trevor Noah was a trending topic on Twitter as he drew fire for jokes described as tasteless, hateful and unfunny.
	Rosanne Barr was among those calling out the 31-year-old South African comic, who has an international following and two million Twitter followers.
	"U should cease sexist & anti semitic 'humor' about jewish women & Israel," she tweeted late yesterday.
	Noah's controversial tweets were posted between 2009 and 2014.
	In 2009 he wrote, "Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn't look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car!"
	A 2012 post derides "jewish chicks." Another one from 2011 jokes about "a hot white woman."
	In a post from 2011, he writes, "Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & ...

Tasteless tweets by newly named 'Daily Show' host draw fire

Norway said today it intends to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a prospective founding member to promote closer ties to the Asia-Pacific region, a move that could help the country's frozen relations with China thaw.
	Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende said the Scandinavian country is a major contributor to global development efforts and wants to be among the countries in "further refining the structure and mission" of the Chinese-led bank.
	"We hope the launch of the (bank) will help address a widely acknowledged infrastructure funding gap in Asia," Brende said. "China's initiative highlights the increasing weight of the new and emerging powers."
	Beijing proposed the creation of the bank in 2013 to finance infrastructure investments in developing Asian countries and has pledged to put up most of its initial USD 50 billion in capital.
	The Asian bank has attracted interest from dozens of governments despite US objections it might undercut the World Bank and ...

Norway signals wish to join China-led Asian investment bank

A senior US official at nuclear talks with Iran says negotiations could go beyond Tuesday's deadline for the outline of an agreement.
	The official said work on the outline will go on "if we are continuing to make progress, including into tomorrow, if it's useful to do so."
	The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the talks by name.
	Six world powers and Iran faced a deadline today for a framework agreement on controlling Iran's nuclear ambitions. A final deadline is June 30.

US official: Iran nuke talks could continue beyond deadline

Israel's prime minister criticised the deal expected to emerge from nuclear talks in Switzerland today, saying it will "pave the way" for Iran to have the ability to build an atomic bomb in little time.
	Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his criticism at a ceremony welcoming the incoming members of Israel's new parliament. Netanyahu has been a vocal critic of the negotiations between Iran and six world powers, led by the US, saying the expected deal would fail to keep the Islamic Republic's suspect nuclear intentions in check.
	Accusing Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, Netanyahu said the emerging deal would leave intact much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, including underground research facilities, a plutonium reactor and advanced centrifuges capable of enriching uranium.
	"Iran's breakout time to have the tools to make a nuclear weapon won't be years, as was said in the beginning," he said.
	"In our estimate, it will be reduced to perhaps a year, most likely much less than 

Israeli premier: Nuclear deal will 'pave the way' for Iran

Police say two cross-dressing men who crashed into a guarded entrance to the US National Security Agency in a stolen car met the vehicle's owner in Baltimore before heading to a hotel to "party."
	Howard County police spokeswoman Mary Phelan says the SUV's owner picked up the two men, dressed as women, in Baltimore and then headed to the Terrace Motel in Elkridge, Maryland. Phelan says the vehicle owner told investigators they arrived at the hotel around 7:30 am to "party."
	Phelan says that after about an hour, while the SUV's owner was in the bathroom, the men stole his car and he called police.
	Just before 9 am, the two men ignored officers' orders at a gate at Fort Meade, where the NSA is based. Police fired on the SUV, which rammed into a police vehicle. One suspect was killed. The second was injured.

Police: Men in shooting at NSA had gone to hotel to 'party'

As Russian President Vladimir Putin marks 15 years in office, his former long-term allies are questioning his political course and warning of the economic consequences of his aggressive foreign policy.
	Putin's approval ratings peaked last year as the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and have stayed at record high levels as many Russians are basking in what state media present as the glory of the return of this former part of the Russian empire.
	Yet in a rare show of dissent several long-time former allies of the president on Tuesday warned about the cost of the foreign policy. They were speaking at a round table to mark Putin's 15 years in power and were moderated by the president's spokesman.
	The annexation of Crimea in March last year, which Putin has admitted was his personal decision, and Russia's ensuing role in the bloody conflict in eastern Ukraine caused international outrage and saw Russia slapped with economic sanctions.
	Alexei Kudrin, Russia's finance ...

Former Putin allies question his political course

Qatar returned its ambassador to Cairo today, almost a month after recalling him in response to an Egyptian official accusing the tiny Gulf nation of supporting terrorism.
	The ambassador was summoned home for consultation after Egypt carried out airstrikes in Libya in February in response to the beheading of 21 captive Egyptian Christians by an Islamic State affiliate there.
	Qatar protested Egypt's "unilateral" airstrikes, while Egypt's delegate to the Arab League accused Doha of supporting terrorism.
	Now, Egypt and Qatar both back the Saudi-led airstrikes against Shiite rebels in Yemen, which began last week.
	The ambassador resumed his work Tuesday, after returning to Egypt with the emir of Qatar to attend an Arab League summit last weekend that endorsed the Saudi-led strikes.
	Cairo and Doha have been at odds since the Egyptian military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against him. Qatar was a strong backer of Morsi and protested his ...

Qatar ambassador returns to Egypt after rift over Libya

The spokesman for Libya's militia-backed government says the head of the government has been dismissed after an investigation into reports he had presented misleading information about government revenues.
	Spokesman Omar Humeidan told reporters the decision by parliament today to dismiss Omar al-Hassi doesn't impact the rest of the government. He said the investigation followed requests by the Central Bank and other ministers to probe al-Hassi for making misleading comments, exaggerating government revenues amid complaints of its inability to pay salaries.
	The UN is sponsoring talks between the militia-backed Tripoli-based government and the elected, internationally recognised parliament which was forced out of Tripoli by militias and now operates out of the eastern city of Tobruk.
	Humeidan said the dismissal of al-Hassi won't impact ongoing talks to form a unity government.

AP

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