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By Afp Published: 13:27 EST, 1 April 2015 | Updated: 13:27 EST, 1 April 2015 Iraq vowed Wednesday to reclaim the entire country from jihadists after retaking the city of Tikrit in its biggest success yet in the fight against the Islamic State group. Speaking from a newly-recaptured area of central Tikrit after a month-long operation, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the government was “determined to liberate every inch of…

In a historic move, California is ordering water use to be slashed by 25 percent across the state to deal with a drought that just won’t quit. With more than 98 percent of the state suffering from a drought that has stretched into its fourth year, Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order from the mostly…

Nigeria’s president-elect, former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, said, “Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our will and commitment to rid this nation of terror.”(Photo: Sunday Alamba, Associated Press) ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerians celebrated Muhammadu Buhari’s electrifying victory in presidential elections Wednesday but sobering challenges confront their next leader, from an Islamic uprising to widespread poverty and corruption. Buhari — a former military general who once led Nigeria following…

President Barack Obama on Wednesday authorized a new U.S. government approach to deterring cyberattacks: financial sanctions against malicious overseas hackers and companies that knowingly benefit from the fruits of cyberespionage. The latter category could include state-owned corporations in Russia, China and elsewhere, setting the stage for major diplomatic friction if the sanctions are employed in that way. “Cyberthreats pose one of the most serious economic and national security challenges to…

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence today admitted that he mishandled the passage of a religious freedom law and now wants a piece of legislation to clarify that it does not give anyone the right to discriminate in the state. “This law does not give anyone a license to deny services to gay and lesbian couples. I could have handled that better this week,” he said. His comments came hours before the…

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence today admitted that he mishandled the passage of a religious freedom law and now wants a piece of legislation to clarify that it does not give anyone the right to discriminate in the state. “This law does not give anyone a license to deny services to gay and lesbian couples. I could have handled that better this week,” he said. His comments came hours before the…

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence today admitted that he mishandled the passage of a religious freedom law and now wants a piece of legislation to clarify that it does not give anyone the right to discriminate in the state. “This law does not give anyone a license to deny services to gay and lesbian couples. I could have handled that better this week,” he said. His comments came hours before the…

Major powers and Iran were closer to a preliminary accord on reining in Tehran’s nuclear programme as marathon talks ran into Wednesday, but they hit an impasse over key details such as the lifting of UN sanctions and Iran’s future atomic research. The negotiators ended talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne in the early morning hours with an air of chaos, disunity and cacophony as delegations scrambled to get…

TOKYO— The world’s oldest person, a Japanese woman, died Wednesday, a few weeks after celebrating her 117th birthday.   Misao Okawa died of heart failure and stopped breathing as relatives and nursing home workers stood by her side and praised her for achieving a long, healthy life, said Tomohiro Okada, an official at her Osaka nursing home.   “She went so peacefully, as if she had just fallen asleep,”…

Andrew Getty, an heir to the Getty oil fortune, appears to have died of natural causes or an accident inside his Hollywood Hills estate, a coroner’s official said. A time of death has not been determined, but a preliminary investigation suggests that foul play was not involved, authorities said. A security hold — a directive from detectives to the coroner’s office not to publicly disclose details about a case — has…

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was hospitalized Tuesday, her official website confirmed. When asked for information regarding Mitchell, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said that about 2:30 p.m., a person in the 600 block of Funchal Road was taken to an area hospital in fair condition. He would not identify the person or provide further information. Mitchell has long lived in the Bel-Air neighborhood. Around 10 p.m., the verified Twitter account for Mitchell’s website…

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks question during a news conference, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Indianapolis. Pence said that he wants legislation on his desk by the end of the week to clarify that the state’s new religious-freedom law does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)The Associated Press Share Photo   Reddit ✉ Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks question during a news conference, Tuesday, March…

(Bloomberg) — Nigerian bonds rose to the highest in almost four months, while the country’s stocks were poised to extend gains, after former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in a largely peaceful vote. The African nation’s $500 million of Eurobonds due in July 2023 advanced for the 11th day, pushing the yield down 19 basis points to 6.01 percent by 8:46 a.m. in Lagos. The Nigerian Stock…

A police officer outside the home of Andrew Getty, an heir to Getty oil fortune, who was found dead Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) This post has been updated. The grandson of one of the most storied American industrialists has been found dead in Los Angeles. Andrew Getty, 47, grandson of oil baron J. Paul Getty and an heir to the family’s fortune, was found dead at his home on…

The video allegedly shows passengers on board the flight clearly aware of what is happening to them. They can be heard screaming, and there are cries of “My God” in several different languages. There are also three loud metallic bangs, which could be the sound of Captain Patrick Sondheimer trying to break down the locked cockpit door. The video shows what appears to be part of the aircraft hitting the…

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Dusseldorf, Germany (CNN)Years before he was at the controls of a Germanwings plane that plunged into the French Alps, Andreas Lubitz told the airline he worked for that he’d had a bout with depression. Lubitz, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 who authorities accuse of deliberately crashing the plane, told his Lufthansa flight training school in 2009 that he had a “previous episode of severe depression,” the airline said Tuesday….

In other times, maybe even fairly recently, the religious freedom law signed last week in Indiana could have allowed Republican lawmakers to appeal to their core conservative supporters without attracting much notice from the general public. But the blowback against it that has upended the state’s business and political culture offers a vivid example of the unprecedented speed with which public opinion over gay rights has shifted. The change, stunning…

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<!– Robert Kovacik / KNBC Los Angeles police investigate a death at the Hollywood Hills home of Andrew Getty. LOS ANGELES — Andrew Getty, 47, grandson of the oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, was found at his Hollywood Hills home, his family said Tuesday night….