| Malaysian PM says lost airliner was diverted deliberately Posted: 15 Mar 2014 11:45 AM PDT  By Anshuman Daga and Siva Govindasamy KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A missing Malaysian airliner appears to have been deliberately steered off course after someone on board shut down its communications, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Saturday. But the new satellite data gave no precise location, and the plane's altered course could have taken it anywhere from central Asia to the southern Indian Ocean, he said. The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in the early hours of March 8 with 239 passengers and crew aboard. "Despite media reports the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear, we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate." Search operations by navies and aircraft from more than a dozen nations were immediately called off in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea to the east of Malaysia, where the plane dropped off civilian air traffic control screens at 1:22 a.m. last Saturday (1722 GMT on Friday).
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| Crimea to vote on joining Russia, Moscow wields U.N. veto Posted: 15 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT  By Richard Balmforth and Mike Collett-White KIEV/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian leaders in Crimea made final preparations on Saturday for a referendum widely expected to transfer control of the Black Sea region from Ukraine to Moscow, despite an outcry and threat of sanctions from the West. Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that declared the referendum invalid, as Ukraine's defense ministry scrambled aircraft and paratroopers to confront what it said was a Russian encroachment just beyond Crimea's formal regional boundary. Ukraine's new rulers accused "Kremlin agents" of fomenting violence in the Russian-speaking east of the country. They urged people not to respond to provocations that Kiev fears Moscow may use to justify further incursions after its takeover of Crimea.
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| Libyan port rebels say ready for talks, demand Tripoli suspend offensive Posted: 15 Mar 2014 10:11 AM PDT  Libyan rebels controlling three oil export ports said on Saturday they were ready to negotiate with the government over ending their six-month blockade if Tripoli abandoned plans for a military offensive. Libyan officials on Wednesday gave the armed protesters two weeks to clear the ports they have seized, or face a military strike. Pro-government and rebel forces clashed briefly this week in central Sirte city linking western and eastern Libya. The rebels, who are calling for a greater share in the OPEC nation's oil wealth, managed last week to load oil on to a tanker, which escaped the Libyan navy.
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| Venezuela's Maduro gives ultimatum to Caracas protesters Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:11 PM PDT  By Deisy Buitrago and Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro warned protesters in Caracas on Saturday to clear a square they have made their stronghold, or face eviction by security forces. Plaza Altamira, in upscale east Caracas, has been a focus of anti-government protests and violence during six weeks of unrest around Venezuela that has killed 28 people. "If they don't retreat, I'm going to liberate those spaces with the security forces," Maduro added. "They have a few hours to go home ... Chuckys, get ready, we're coming for you." Students and other protesters have been using the square, in the pro-opposition Chacao district of Caracas, as a rallying point since a wave of protests started to gather steam in mid-February.
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| Syrian forces enter last rebel bastion near Lebanese border Posted: 15 Mar 2014 08:57 AM PDT  By Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army entered eastern districts of the town of Yabroud, the last rebel bastion near the Lebanese border north of Damascus, on Saturday and tightened its grip on the remaining rebels there from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Soldiers advanced inside Yabroud and "eliminated terrorist strongholds", said a reporter on Syrian state television SANA who was broadcasting live from the town's outskirts. He said the army had taken control of hills and mountaintops southeast of Yabroud, gaining a strategically advantageous position. A military source confirmed to Reuters that the army had taken a series of peaks and said it had "fastened pincers around Yabroud." Capturing the town would help President Bashar al-Assad cut off a cross-border rebel supply line from Lebanon.
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| U.S. 'deeply disturbed' by Chinese dissident's death Posted: 15 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT The United States is "deeply disturbed" by reports of the death of prominent Chinese human rights activist Cao Shunli, detained in September for staging sit-ins at the country's foreign ministry, the State Department said on Saturday. The news of her death came on Friday, soon after the start of a session in Geneva of the U.N. Human Rights Council, a body to which China was elected amid controversy last November. "The United States is deeply disturbed by reports that rights activist Cao Shunli has passed away at a hospital in Beijing. We offer our condolences to her family," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. |
| Ronaldo, Diego Costa give Madrid & Atletico wins Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:45 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo scored his Spanish league-leading 25th goal to give Real Madrid a lackluster 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, when the pacesetters extended their unbeaten run to 30 consecutive matches in all competitions.
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| British PM sets out priorities for EU reform Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:35 PM PDT  Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday outlined the EU reforms he thinks are needed to stop Britain being "sucked into a United States of Europe", ahead of a planned referendum on membership in 2017. The Conservative leader said he would campaign for Britain to stay in the European Union so long as he can secure changes to reduce the bloc's influence in British affairs. In an article in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Cameron outlined for the first time his seven priorities, ranging from cutting back red tape to limiting the rights of new EU citizens to work in Britain. He warned the changes would require "time and patience", an appeal to eurosceptic members of his party who are demanding an even tougher approach to Europe.
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| Bouteflika supporters, opponents rally in Algeria Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:32 PM PDT  Supporters and opponents of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision to seek a fourth term in April elections staged rival demonstrations in the capital Algiers on Saturday. They screened a documentary about Bouteflika's 15 years in power, and his former premier and election campaign manager Abdelmalek Sellal gave a speech. At the same time but on the other side of the city, hundreds of opponents of Bouteflika's re-election bid also held peaceful marches.
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| Obama national security aides meet to discuss Ukraine Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:27 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's national security team discussed the Ukraine crisis in a session at the White House on Saturday after a last-ditch bid to find a diplomatic solution to the Cold War-style standoff with Russia floundered. Secretary of State John Kerry, who just returned from talks with his Russian counterpart in London, was at the White House meeting along with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Obama did not attend the meeting but was being briefed about it and other developments involving Ukraine, said Laura Lucas Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.
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| Rallies in S.Africa to save the king of beasts Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:20 PM PDT  Wildlife campaigners joined rallies around South Africa Saturday in an international push to protect the lion and save the king of beasts from being raised in cages for "canned hunting". In Cape Town, South African archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu gave his support to the rally with a prayer read by his daughter Mpho, calling for success in "saving all wildlife, but especially in this instance white lions." "Save the lion" rallies are set to be held in cities around the world, but the focus is on South Africa, where the hunting of lions raised in captivity is lucrative business. Canned hunting involves releasing the lions into a confined area with no escape, and then allowing hunters to take home a lion head or skin as a memento from their kill.
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| Estoril beats Maritimo to stay in 4th in Portugal Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:17 PM PDT LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Estoril beat Maritimo 1-0 at home despite playing with 10 men for 50 minutes, increasing its hold on fourth place in the Portuguese league on Saturday. |
| In Crimea, uncertainty grips Ukraine's military Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PDT  PEREVALNYE, Ukraine (AP) — In the eastern reaches of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, witnesses report advanced Russian surface-to-air missiles being offloaded and readied for movement. At a base near the naval port of Sevastopol, an air force commander takes to YouTube to appeal for clear orders of engagement with the Russian forces who have occupied much of his base. In a naval base near regional capital Simferopol, a commander reports feeling like a hostage, and fearing what will come in the next few days.
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| Valenciennes keeps safety hopes alive Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Valenciennes and Sochaux kept their safety hopes alive by beating respectively Evian 1-0 and Lorient 2-0 in the French league on Saturday.
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| Prime minister leads in Slovak presidential race Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:13 PM PDT  BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Preliminary partial results from Slovakia's presidential election are indicating the favored prime minister and his major rival are leading the first round of the race.
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| England beats Italy 52-11, finishes 2nd in 6N Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:08 PM PDT  ROME (AP) — England cheered for France, to no avail. France couldn't do itself or England a favour by beating Ireland in the Six Nations finale, as Ireland won 22-20 to take the title and leave England runner-up for a third straight year on Saturday.
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| Slovak PM, philanthropist poised for presidential runoff Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:08 PM PDT  Bratislava (AFP) - Prime Minister Robert Fico and millionaire Andrej Kiska led round one of Slovakia's presidential election Saturday, paving the way for a March 29 runoff, partial results showed.
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| Serbia's centre-right to tighten grip on power, promising reform Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:05 PM PDT  By Matt Robinson BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's center-right Progressive Party, led by former ultra-nationalist Aleksandar Vucic, bids in an election on Sunday to cement its grip on power for the next four years as the ex-Yugoslav republic embarks on talks to join the European Union. The Progressive Party (SNS) forced the snap election after just 18 months in coalition government, saying it needed a stronger mandate to pursue a much-needed overhaul of the Serbian economy. Opinion polls suggest it may win more than 40 percent of the vote, a haul unprecedented in the almost 14 years since Serbia came in from the cold with the ouster of strongman Slobodan Milosevic. Critics, however, are unnerved at the power amassed by a man who up until five years ago was a virulent anti-Western disciple of the Greater Serbia ideology that fuelled the wars of Yugoslavia's bloody demise in the 1990s.
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| Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:02 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Someone deliberately diverted Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and shut down communications with the ground, and the jetliner continued flying for six hours, Malaysia's prime minister said Saturday. The announcement shifted the focus of the investigation to the crew and passengers on the plane, which has now been missing for more than a week. Prime Minister Najib Razak's statement also meant the flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to Beijing could have strayed as far as the southern Indian Ocean or northwest to Kazakhstan, complicating the work of search crews who already have been scouring vast stretches of ocean seeking the plane's 12-person crew and 227 passengers. |
| Crimea Secession Vote: How, Why and What Next? Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:02 PM PDT  SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian region of Crimea votes Sunday in a hastily organized referendum to break away and join Russia, in defiance of broad condemnation from the international community, which has described the process as illegitimate.
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| Pro-government rally in Venezuela, Maduro eyes talks Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT  Hundreds of supporters of President Nicolas Maduro's leftist government staged a colorful rally in the Venezuelan capital Saturday, as opponents called for more protests from their side. Maduro announced he would propose to the United States creating a high-level commission for bilateral talks -- after days of tenser than usual rhetoric between the old-time foes. Venezuela has seen almost daily anti-government demonstrations over violent crime, shortages of essential goods such as toilet paper, and inflation, in the most serious challenge yet for Maduro since succeeding the late socialist-populist Hugo Chavez last year. At least 28 people have died and 400 have been injured in the student-led protests launched February 4 in San Cristobal, in the west of Venezuela, and later spread to Caracas and several other cities.
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| Inter beats Verona 2-0 to boost European hopes Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:42 PM PDT  VERONA, Italy (AP) — Inter Milan boosted its chances of qualifying for Europe with a 2-0 win at direct rival Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday.
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| Georgia beat Romania; sort out World Cup berths Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:42 PM PDT Georgia beat Romania 22-9 in Tbilisi to win the European Nations Cup on Saturday and earn a first matchup with the defending champion All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup next year. |
| Brazil's WCup: Anger over waste, poor planning Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:35 PM PDT  CUIABA, Brazil (AP) — Pedestrians tiptoe across a road scarred with deep puddles, piles of gravel and a detour sign. Black oily slush leaves no room for missteps or steering mistakes.
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| Malaysian leader: Plane's disappearance deliberate Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:24 PM PDT  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Someone deliberately diverted Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and shut down communications with the ground, and the jetliner continued flying for six hours, Malaysia's prime minister said Saturday. The announcement shifted the focus of the investigation to the crew and passengers on the plane, which has now been missing for more than a week.
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| Salvadoran sea survivor meets companion's mother Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:11 PM PDT  EL FORTIN, Mexico (AP) — A Salvadoran fisherman who says he drifted at sea for more than a year met Saturday with the mother of his companion who died during the ordeal, an emotional gathering that he said helped him fulfill a promise he made to his friend.
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| Sharks, Chiefs stay unbeaten in Super Rugby Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:08 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — South Africa's Sharks and defending champions the Chiefs remained the only unbeaten teams in Super Rugby after a fifth round which featured a storm of yellow cards and cliff-hanger endings. |
| Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:02 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian jetliner missing for more than a week was deliberately diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after severing contact with the ground, meaning it could have gone as far northwest as Kazakhstan or into the Indian Ocean's southern reaches, Malaysia's leader said Saturday. Prime Minister Najib Razak's statement confirmed days of mounting speculation that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to Beijing was not accidental. It also refocused the investigation into the flight's 12-person crew and 227 passengers, and underlined the complicated task for searchers who already have been scouring vast areas of ocean. |
| Wales crushes 14-man Scotland 51-3 in 6 Nations Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:01 PM PDT  CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Wales cut loose after a first-half red card to Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg to cruise to a seven-try 51-3 win at Millennium Stadium, ending the deposed champions' patchy Six Nations campaign in style on Saturday.
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| Chelsea loss thrown open Premier League title race Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:01 PM PDT  Maybe it won't be a procession to the Premier League trophy for Chelsea, after all.
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| France to review military cooperation with Russia in future sanctions Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:58 PM PDT By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday Paris would review its military cooperation with Russia as part of a third level of sanctions if Moscow did not de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine. On Monday the United States and European Union are expected to unveil a list of Russian officials subject to asset freezes and visa bans as Western nations attempt to step up pressure on Moscow over its intervention in the Ukrainian region of Crimea. When asked whether France would suspend a 1.2 billion euro helicopter carrier contract with Russia, Hollande told a news conference: "As far as other sanctions, notably military cooperation, that is the third level of sanctions." Until now French officials have shied away from discussing whether the 2011 contract for two Mistral helicopter carriers with an option for two with Russia could be suspended, a potentially awkward sacrifice to show French resolve. |
| Ireland wins 6 Nations, loses favorite son Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:54 PM PDT  Ireland won the Six Nations and lost its favorite son in a thrilling end to a competition that leaves more questions than answers about where the balance of power lies in northern hemisphere rugby, 18 months out from the World Cup.
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| Ronaldo scores, Madrid wins 1-0 at Malaga Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:41 PM PDT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo scored his Spanish league-leading 25th goal to give Real Madrid a lackluster 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, when the pacesetters extended their unbeaten run to 30 consecutive matches in all competitions. |
| Thousands march in Western capitals to support Syrians Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:40 PM PDT  Thousands marched in Western capitals Saturday to support the people of Syria, who entered the fourth year of a conflict that has left at least 146,000 dead and spawned the world's largest displaced population. Around 1,000 people marched to Downing Street in London, waving Syrian flags and denouncing the international community's inaction. "Gassed to death, starved to death, frozen to death... You watched", "Your silence is killing us", "Revolution until victory, Syrians deserve life", read some of the banners. Hundreds also showed up in Madrid and in Paris, where messages of support to Syria were lit up on the Eiffel Tower.
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| Swede, Swiss win freestyle World Cup events Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:33 PM PDT  ARE, Sweden (AP) — Victor Oehling Norberg of Sweden won the freestyle skicross World Cup and Fanny Smith of Switzerland led the women's race on Saturday.
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| Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:32 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian jetliner missing for more than a week was deliberately diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after severing contact with the ground, meaning it could have gone as far northwest as Kazakhstan or into the Indian Ocean's southern reaches, Malaysia's leader said Saturday. Prime Minister Najib Razak's statement confirmed days of mounting speculation that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to Beijing was not accidental. It also refocused the investigation into the flight's 12-person crew and 227 passengers, and underlined the complicated task for searchers who already have been scouring vast areas of ocean. |
| US beats Russia in Sochi Paralympics hockey final Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT  SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Lining up on the Sochi ice to receive their gold medals, the American ice sledge hockey team anticipated abuse from the Russian crowd.
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