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N. Korea sentences US student to 15 years hard labour
 North Korea on Wednesday sentenced an American student who admitted stealing a propaganda banner from a hotel to 15 years' hard labour for subversive activities, state media said. The judgement was handed down on Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old student from the University of Virginia, by North Korea's Supreme Court, the North's official KCNA news agency said. In recent weeks Pyongyang has maintained a daily barrage of nuclear strike threats against both Seoul and Washington, ostensibly over ongoing large-scale South Korea-US military drills that the North sees as provocative rehearsals for invasion.
Belgian anti-terror operation ongoing: Prime Minister
 Brussels (AFP) - A Belgian anti-terror operation linked to the November Paris attacks is continuing, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Wednesday a day after a shootout in which one assailant was killed and four officers wounded.
Breivik refrains from Nazi salute as he arrives in court
 SKIEN PRISON (Norvège) (AFP) - Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik obeyed a judge's orders not to make a Nazi salute as he arrived in court Wednesday on the second day of his lawsuit against the Norwegian state. "I will try to take that into account," replied Breivik, after initially objecting that it was a Norse salute used by his ancestors a thousand years ago, a claim yet to be verified. In a 2014 letter to AFP, Breivik described himself as a "militant nationalist" and said he had pledged his "allegiance to National Socialism".
China's Premier Li says confident in economy, vows no hard landing
 By Jason Subler and Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Keqiang defended the government's economic policies on Wednesday, vowing there would be no mass layoffs and no hard landing for the world's second-largest economy even as the government presses ahead with painful reforms. While conceding that downward pressure is increasing, Li and other top officials at the annual meeting of parliament this month have repeatedly tried to reassure jittery financial markets and China's major trading partners that Beijing is able to manage the slowing economy. "We are confident that as long as we continue to reform and open up, China's economy will not suffer a hard landing," Li said at a news conference at the end of the parliament meeting.
DC region braces for unprecedented subway-free workday
 WASHINGTON (AP) — An unprecedented daylong shutdown of the Washington area's Metro subway system will force commuters to spend a day without their most reliable form of transportation — and the source of their constant complaints.
Questions, answers on new rules for Americans visiting Cuba
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Cuba is bracing for an influx of American visitors in the years following the Obama administration's move to do away with the last meaningful restrictions on U.S. travel. After half a century of estrangement from a country just 90 miles south of Florida, Americans are eager for a taste of the communist island that in many ways has seemed stuck in time since revolutionaries kicked out a U.S.-backed government in 1959.
Iran sees Russia's withdrawal from Syria as 'positive sign'
Iran's foreign minister has called Russia's decision to withdraw its forces from Syria "a positive sign", while a senior security official said the move was pre-planned and not a surprise to Tehran. President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly announced on Monday that most Russian forces would be withdrawn from Syria after deploying in September to bolster President Bashar al-Assad. "The fact that Russia announced they are withdrawing part of its forces indicates that they don't see an imminent need for resort to force in maintaining the ceasefire," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Iran's Press TV during a visit to Australia on Tuesday.
China's Li pledges more reform, tries to reassure on growth
 BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday promised more market-opening reforms and said Beijing can keep slowing growth on track, seeking to reassure jittery global markets about the outlook for the world's No. 2 economy.
North Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor
 By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's supreme court sentenced American student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labor on Wednesday for crimes against the state. Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student, was detained in January for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel in Pyongyang, North Korean media said previously. "The accused confessed to the serious offense against the DPRK he had committed, pursuant to the U.S. government's hostile policy toward it, in a bid to impair the unity of its people after entering it as a tourist," the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
AP News Guide: Trump drives Rubio from race; 4 Clinton wins
 WASHINGTON (AP) — It's looking ever more like Trump vs. Clinton in the fall.
Viewer Guide: How do Republicans sort this all out now?
WASHINGTON (AP) — For anti-Trump Republicans, and there are plenty of them, the pressing question a day after the latest round of primaries is: What do we do now?
Danes, once again, take top spot in world happiness report
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark, perhaps better known for its fictional, suicide-agonizing prince Hamlet and fierce marauding Vikings than being a nation of the happiest people, has just won that very accolade. Again.
Donald Trump: Is he the quintessential Florida Man?
 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump drew thousands to his rallies around the Sunshine State, basking in their adoration, his face glowing like a Florida orange as he anticipated victory.
Nasa to test fire in space by burning unmanned orbiting craft
 NASA said it will test the effects of a large fire in space by setting off a blaze inside an orbiting unmanned space craft. NASA has set off tiny controlled fires in space in the past, but never tested how large flames react inside a space capsule in space. This research "is crucial for the safety of current and future space missions," Gary Ruff, one of the engineers heading the experiment at the US space agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, said Tuesday.
Exit poll: Clinton wins 4 with strong black support
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump claimed Florida, the biggest delegate haul of Tuesday night's five Republican primary elections, by sweeping nearly all categories of voters— men and women, rich and poor, the highly educated and those without college degrees.
Niger to fly jailed opposition leader abroad for medical help
Jailed Nigerien opposition leader Hama Amadou must be flown abroad to seek specialised medical attention, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, just days before he faces a run-off election against President Mahamadou Issoufou. Amadou, a former president of parliament speaker, was jailed in November in connection with a baby-trafficking scandal but finished second to Issoufou in the first round of polling last month. In the government's first acknowledgement that Amadou is ill, Dr. Idrissa Maiga Mahamadou, spokesman for the health ministry, said late on Monday that four specialists were sent to Filingue on Monday.
Morocco says to cut UN Western Sahara mission after Ban remarks
By Aziz El Yaakoubi RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's government said on Tuesday it would cut staff at the United Nations' Western Sahara mission and threatened to pull out of United Nations peacekeeping missions after "unacceptable" comments by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the disputed region. The statement came on Tuesday after Ban met with Morocco's foreign minister to express his anger over remarks by the Moroccan government and a demonstration in Rabat which he said was a personal attack following his Western Sahara comments.
China renews vow to avoid 'hard landing' as congress ends
 China's economy will not suffer a "hard landing", Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday, stepping up Beijing's charm offensive to reassure investors that the government can manage slowing growth. "We have long-term confidence in the Chinese economy and this confidence isn't without a foundation," Li told his once-a-year press conference at the end of the National People's Congress (NPC), the Communist-controlled legislature. Beijing has been looking to send positive messages in recent weeks after expansion in the world's second-largest economy fell to a 25-year low of 6.9 percent in 2015, raising concerns on global markets and sending commodity prices plunging.
Deutsche Boerse, LSE agree to go ahead with planned merger
 Frankfurt stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse said Wednesday it has agreed with the London Stock Exchange to go ahead with their planned merger to create a pan-European trading titan. "Following approval of the supervisory board of Deutsche Boerse, the management board of Deutsche Boerse today concluded an agreement on the implementation of a business combination with (the London Stock Exchange Group) LSEG under a UK holding company," the German company said in a statement. "Moreover, the management board and the supervisory board of Deutsche Boerse consented to certain measures serving the implementation of the merger," it added.
European travel agents defy Internet threat
 The doomsayers were 100 percent certain that the Internet would be the death of travel agents. In France, the number of travel agents has held steady for the past five years. In Britain, business is also "buoyant", said Sean Tipton, spokesman for the ABTA travel association.
More Russian warplanes leave Syria as Kerry plans Moscow visit
 A second group of Russian warplanes flew out of Syria Wednesday in line with Moscow's decision to withdraw most of its forces, as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepared a rare trip to Moscow to discuss the conflict. SU-25 combat aircraft and IL-76 transport planes pulled out of Russia's Hmeimim base in Syria, the defence ministry said in a statement. The departure follows that of a first group of aircraft which arrived back in Russia on Tuesday to a hero's welcome.
North Korea sentences US tourist to 15 years in prison
 PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea's highest court sentenced an American tourist to 15 years in prison with hard labor on Wednesday for subversion.
Another group of Russian planes leaves Syria, returns home
 MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense ministry says another group of its aircraft has left the Russian air base in Syria and is returning home.
Mind the gap - Uganda, Ethiopia show good laws don't always work in practice
By Paola Totaro WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Uganda's constitution of 1995 is known worldwide for pioneering and gender-sensitive provisions to protect women and their rights. A yawning gap exists between official legal frameworks to protect property rights and their implementation and cultural acceptance on a practical level in Uganda, where some 80 percent of the population holds land under customary tenure without formal recognition, said researcher Francis Birungi. According to Birungi’s research project, led by Uganda Community Based Association for Women and Children’s Welfare (UCOBAC), land is by far the most productive asset in the country.
Asian markets mixed ahead of Fed decision, China meeting
 TOKYO (AP) — Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as investors watched for news from a U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting and from China's annual legislative session.
South African police may take legal action against finance minister
 By Stella Mapenzauswa JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police said on Tuesday finance minister Pravin Gordhan may face legal action for not cooperating with an investigation of surveillance by the revenue service, escalating a public row and rattling the rand and bonds. In a tussle that has raised concern about the direction of policy in Africa's most industrialised but ailing economy, Gordhan hit back, accusing police of threatening him. The elite Hawks police unit said it would exercise its "constitutional powers" after Gordhan missed a second deadline to answer questions about a suspected spy unit established while he was head of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
PlayStation virtual reality gear to launch in October
 Sony plans to make virtual reality -- long the stuff of films cast off into a distant future -- mainstream with the October release of PlayStation VR headgear priced at $399. "Virtual reality represents a new frontier for gaming, one that will forever change the way users interact with games," Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive Andrew House said during a press event in San Francisco on Tuesday. Sony chose October for the launch of PlayStation VR to allow time for making enough units to meet anticipated demand and to let developers get games ready for the headsets, according to House.
Congo police arrest 18 pro-democracy activists: U.N
 Police arrested 18 protesters on Tuesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma during a peaceful demonstration over the jailing of two fellow activists, the United Nations said. Arrests of critics of President Joseph Kabila have become common in Congo amid heightened political tensions. Kabila is required by the constitution to step down in December after 15 years in office but the opposition accuses him of trying to cling to power by delaying a presidential poll set for November.
Japan ruling party considers international arbitration over China dispute
 Japan's ruling party urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government on Wednesday to consider seeking international arbitration over Beijing's drilling activities in the disputed East China Sea, mirroring similar action by the Philippines. Sino-Japanese ties have long been plagued by conflicting claims over a group of uninhabited East China Sea islets. Last year, Japan called on China to halt construction of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea.
Al Qaeda says Ivory Coast attack was revenge against France
 By Ange Aboa ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's North African branch said its attack on a beach resort in Ivory Coast on Sunday that killed 18 people was revenge for a French offensive against Islamist militants in the Sahel region and called for its forces to withdraw. The raid in Grand Bassam claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was the first of its kind in Ivory Coast but the third in the region since November. It was also a setback for France, who lost four of its nationals when gunmen opened fire on people eating lunch at restaurants and sunning themselves on the sand.
US bars Atlantic drilling; Obama builds environmental legacy
 WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major reversal, the Obama administration said Tuesday it will bar oil drilling off America's Atlantic Coast, a move cheered by environmentalists and consistent with the president's aggressive steps to combat climate change.
Entire DC subway system to shut down for inspections
 WASHINGTON (AP) — It's already being branded #Metromageddon.
Nadal takes revenge, Serena cruises at ATP/WTA Indian Wells
 Rafael Nadal avenged a fresh loss to a fellow Spaniard and Serena Williams set up a showdown with the reigning Indian Wells champion at the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament. Nadal on Tuesday saved five set points to finish off a two-set victory over Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 7-6 (11-9) in the third round on the main stadium court. World number one Williams routed 70th ranked Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar outside of the four Grand Slams.
Clinton defeats Sanders in Florida, Ohio and 2 other states
 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Hillary Clinton rolled up primary victories in four states — Florida, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina — and dealt a severe blow Tuesday to Bernie Sanders' hopes of denying her the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton, Trump move closer to White House nominations
 Hillary Clinton took a monumental step toward clinching the Democratic party's White House nomination Tuesday, while Donald Trump's seemingly unstoppable rush to victory hit a bump in Ohio. Trump won key Republican primaries in Illinois, North Carolina and Florida -- where he thumped home state Senator Marco Rubio, who immediately announced he was suspending his presidential campaign.
Film academy diversifies leadership, apologizes to Asians
 LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has added three new governors to its 51-member board and appointed six minority members to other leadership positions. The academy also apologized for a racially insensitive skit during last month's Oscar show.
Djokovic, Williams roll in straight sets at Indian Wells
 INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Defending champion Novak Djokovic continued his dominance of Philipp Kohlschreiber, winning 7-5, 7-5 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday.
Russia says another group of its warplanes flies back from Syria
 MOSCOW (Reuters) - Another group of Russian warplanes has taken off from the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, flying back to their permanent bases in Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The warplanes included an Il-76 transport plane as well as Su-25 jets, it added. (Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Trump knocks Rubio out of Republican race, party in chaos
 By Steve Holland PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. Republican front-runner Donald Trump swept three states and drove rival Marco Rubio out of the White House race, but the New York billionaire's loss in the crucial state of Ohio wrought more chaos for a party deeply fractured by his candidacy. While the Republican race remained in turmoil on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton's victories in Florida, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina cast doubt on U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders's ability to overtake her for the Democratic Party's nomination. Trump's wins in Florida, Illinois and North Carolina brought him closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination and left those in the party trying to stop him with a dilemma.
LEADING OFF: Prized youngsters on mound, Zimmerman at first
 A look at what's happening all around spring training in Florida and Arizona on Wednesday:
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