| Russian markets plunge as Putin tightens Crimea grip Posted: 03 Mar 2014 01:47 PM PST  By Lidia Kelly and Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW/PEREVALNOYE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia paid a heavy financial price on Monday for its military intervention in neighboring Ukraine, with stocks, bonds and the rouble plunging as President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Russian-speaking Crimea region. The Moscow stock market fell 10.8 percent, wiping nearly $60 billion off the value of Russian companies - more than the $51 billion Russia spent on the Winter Olympics in Sochi last month. Putin declared at the weekend he had the right to invade Ukraine to protect Russian interests and citizens. U.S. President Barack Obama called Russia's actions a violation of international law and of Ukraine's sovereignty, saying Washington would look at sanctions to isolate Moscow.
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| Bahrain blast kills three policemen: Interior Ministry Posted: 03 Mar 2014 01:09 PM PST  By Farishta Saeed MANAMA (Reuters) - Three policemen were killed by a remotely detonated bomb in Bahrain on Monday during a protest in a village west of the capital Manama, the Interior Ministry said, in one of the worst incidents of violence in recent months. The United Arab Emirates said one of its police officers, serving in a Gulf Cooperation Council force operating in the island kingdom, was among the three dead officers, according to the UAE state news agency WAM. Bahrain's main opposition groups condemned the bombing as a criminal act and urged followers to ensure that protesters use only peaceful means to push their demands for reforms. Bahrain's Shi'ite majority has long complained of discrimination, a charge denied by the Sunni-led government.
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| As China looks on, Putin poses risky dilemma for the West Posted: 03 Mar 2014 01:34 PM PST  One senior Obama administration official called Vladimir Putin's actions in the Ukraine "outrageous." A second described them as an "outlaw act." A third said his brazen use of military force harked back to a past century. "What we see here are distinctly 19th and 20th century decisions made by President Putin," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to a group of reporters. "But what he needs to understand is that in terms of his economy, he lives in the 21st century world, an interdependent world." James Jeffrey, a retired career U.S. diplomat, said that view of Putin's mindset cripples the United States' response to the Russian leader. "All of us that have been in the last four administrations have drunk the Kool-Aid," Jeffrey said, referring to the belief that they could talk Putin into seeing the western system as beneficial.
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| From India's northern backwaters, a new business elite rises Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:36 PM PST  By Sanjeev Miglani PATNA, India (Reuters) - Ravindra Kishore Sinha built India's largest security business from a garage in the dirt-poor state of Bihar. He has just won a seat in the upper house of parliament, becoming its richest member, and his Security and Intelligence Services (SIS India) firm is growing at 40 percent a year. A few hundred miles to the west, but still in northern India, the Gupta family of Kanpur has transformed Dainik Jagran, which was born in the tumult of the independence movement, into a newspaper giant with the world's highest readership.
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| U.N. proposes Central African Republic peacekeeping force Posted: 03 Mar 2014 11:50 AM PST  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday proposed a nearly 12,000-strong peacekeeping force for conflict-ravaged Central African Republic that would have a "robust mandate" and initially focus on protecting civilians. The recommendation was included in a report from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the 15-nation Security Council. Ban has previously warned that he is gravely concerned the violence could spiral into genocide and that a "de facto partition" of the country was setting in. "The key focus of the United Nations mission in the initial stage must be the protection of civilians," Ban said in his report.
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| Scottish leader to take independence fight to London Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:05 PM PST  By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - An independent Scotland would be a prosperous country that would retain close ties with the United Kingdom if voters choose to go it alone in the September 18 referendum, Scottish leader Alex Salmond will say on Tuesday. Salmond will use his first speech in London this year to address arguments against independence by British Prime Minister David Cameron, opposition leaders and some business executives. Heading the campaign for secession, Salmond is battling a concerted effort by London to prevent a "yes" vote by undermining his Scottish National Party's central case that oil-producing Scotland could be a prosperous, independent nation. A vote for independence would not mean ending ties with the United Kingdom, he will say.
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| Russia says Yanukovych requested troops in Crimea Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:49 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine's fugitive president requested Russian soldiers in the strategic Crimea region "to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order," Russia's U.N. ambassador said Monday, contradicting the president's own comments last week, while Ukraine's ambassador said 16,000 troops are now deployed there.
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| Brazil has 100 days left to get World Cup ready Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:33 PM PST  SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil is running out of time.
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| Russia sets Ukraine agenda with diplomacy, threats Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:32 PM PST  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops said to be 16,000 strong tightened their stranglehold on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula Monday, openly defying the U.S. and the European Union and rattling world capitals and stock markets.
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| Cameron advisor quits after child porn arrest Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:31 PM PST  A senior aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned after being arrested on suspicion of child pornography offences, Downing Street confirmed Monday. Patrick Rock, 62, was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency last month. "On the evening of February 12, Downing Street was first made aware of a potential offence relating to child abuse imagery," said a Downing Street spokesman. "It was immediately referred to the National Crime Agency.
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| Deposed Ukraine leader asked Putin for troops: Russia Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:25 PM PST  United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Ukraine's deposed president asked Moscow to dispatch troops to re-establish law and order in his country, Russia told an acrimonious latest round of emergency UN Security Council talks Monday. Western powers promptly rubbished the claim at a turbulent session that saw the US ambassador lock horns with her Russian counterpart and the French envoy draw comparisons with the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia at the height of the Cold War. The Ukrainian mission to the UN said that Russia had deployed approximately 16,000 troops in the Crimea since February 24 and that 10 Russian Navy vessels had blocked access to the Black Sea. Russia's ambassador justified the military build-up by saying the ousted Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in the wake of deadly protests against his rule, had asked Moscow to act.
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| At White House, Israel's Netanyahu pushes back against Obama diplomacy Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:16 PM PST  By Jeffrey Heller and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told Barack Obama on Monday that he would never compromise on Israel's security even as the U.S. president sought to reassure him on Iran nuclear diplomacy and pressure him on Middle East peace talks. In a White House meeting overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, the two leaders avoided any direct clash during a brief press appearance but were unable to paper over differences on a pair of sensitive diplomatic drives that have stoked tensions between them. Obama assured Netanyahu of his "absolute commitment" to preventing Iran from developing atomic weapons, despite the Israeli leader's deep skepticism over U.S.-led efforts to reach a final international deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. But, warning that time was running out, Obama also urged Netanyahu to make "tough decisions" to help salvage a faltering U.S.-brokered peace process aimed at reaching a framework agreement with the Palestinians and extending talks beyond an April target date for an elusive final accord.
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| Powerful storm lashes eastern U.S. with snow, arctic cold Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PST  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deadly winter storm hit the U.S. East Coast with freezing rain, snow and near-record cold on Monday, cancelling about 2,900 flights, shutting down Washington and closing schools and local governments. The latest in a series of weather systems to pummel the winter-weary eastern United States, the storm dumped about 4 inches of snow on the U.S. capital by early afternoon as it swept from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, the National Weather Service said. Brian Hurley, a weather service meteorologist, said temperatures would be about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) below normal as a cold front settled in from Great Plains to the Atlantic coast. Icy roads in Virginia were blamed for at least one death on Monday morning when a 30-year-old man drove his pickup truck into an embankment, flipping the vehicle and striking a tree, Virginia State Police said.
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| Russia: Yanukovich asked Putin to use force to save Ukraine Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:09 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ukraine's ousted leader Viktor Yanukovich has sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting that he use Russia's military to restore law and order in Ukraine, Moscow's U.N. envoy told a stormy meeting of the Security Council on Monday. "The country has plunged into chaos and anarchy," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin read from an unofficial translation of the letter while speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. "In this context, I appeal to the President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to re-establish the rule of law, peace, order, stability and to protect the people of Ukraine." Churkin held up a copy of the letter for council members to see during a heated council session in which Western envoys and the Russian ambassador hurled allegations at each other for two and a half hours. After the Russian ambassador spoke, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power dismissed Russian claims that Russian-speaking Ukrainians were under threat in the eastern regions of the former Soviet republic. |
| Putin may pay dearly for Crimea gambit Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:58 PM PST  Russian military intervention in Ukraine is a gambit by President Vladimir Putin that has far-reaching global consequences and harbours risks for the Kremlin that may well outweigh the benefits, analysts said Monday. The shock request by Putin and rapid parliamentary approval to use military force in Ukraine at the weekend will rally domestic patriotism but may ultimately cripple Russia's economy and drive the country into isolation worse than during the Cold War, they said. "It's the most serious crisis in modern Russia since 1991, there has been no similar situation," said political analyst Alexei Makarkin, referring to the year the USSR collapsed. Unlike in Soviet times, when the country had a closed economy, Russia is now fully integrated into the global markets and likely sanctions will be "catastrophic," he said.
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| US, Europeans try to rally Western front vs Russia Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:56 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S and major allies strained on Monday to rally a strong Western front to persuade Russia to step back from a military takeover of Ukraine's strategic Crimea region. But several acknowledged there are few options beyond already-threatened economic and diplomatic penalties, and critics said administration efforts were too little, too late after years of pressing for friendlier relations with Moscow.
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| How a Russian Invasion of Eastern Ukraine Might Unfold Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PST Judging by reports of Russian troops pouring into the Crimean Peninsula, stories of tense standoffs, sweeping proclamations and alleged deadlines for surrender, the crisis in Crimea is flirting dangerously close to a full scale war. It is clear that Russia sees the crisis differently than much of the rest of the world. "The narrative about this in Russia is about protection of the ethnic Russians and the Russian-speaking population," says Olga Oliker, senior international policy analyst for the Rand Corporation. Under those pretenses, Russian troops set about occupying Crimea and now no one knows what will happen next. "If [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is going to occupy a chunk of Ukraine, Crimea would be easier than eastern Ukraine," Oliker says. |
| Obama meets national security team on Ukraine at White House Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is holding a high-level meeting at the White House about Ukraine with senior military and national security advisers, a White House official said on Monday. Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, national security adviser Susan Rice, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and General Martin Dempsey were among those in attendance, the official said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney) |
| Israel must make tough choices, Obama warns PM Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:38 PM PST  Israel needs to take tough decisions if peace talks with the Palestinians are to have a future, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Obama pushed for a decision on the peace process, while Netanyahu insisted Israel had done its part and said Iran is now the most urgent threat. Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in seven months of direct peace talks which are due to expire at the end of April.
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| Emirati among three police killed in Bahrain bomb Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:36 PM PST  A bomb explosion in Bahrain killed three police, including an Emirati, during confrontations with "rioters" near Manama, in the bloodiest attack on the security forces since they crushed the 2011 uprising. Clashes frequently erupt near Manama between security forces and Shiite protesters demanding the Sunni ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty surrender its grip on all key cabinet posts in favour of an elected government. On Monday, "three police personnel died in a terror blast in Daih while police were dispersing rioters," Bahrain's interior ministry said on Twitter. And the interior ministry in the United Arab Emirates said an officer from its police force was among the dead.
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| Crisis in Crimea sharply divides small town Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:26 PM PST  NOVO-OZERNE, Ukraine (AP) — For years, the little Crimean town was closed off from the rest of the world, a secretive community, at the edge of a key Soviet naval base, sealed by roadblocks and armed guards.
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| Russia's actions 'unacceptable', say top European leaders Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:20 PM PST  British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francoise Hollande on Monday warned of repercussions for Russia over its "completely unacceptable" actions in Ukraine. "In both calls, the leaders agreed that the international community should speak with one voice and send a clear message to Russia that its actions in Ukraine were completely unacceptable," said the statement. A special European Council has been called for Thursday, and the three leaders agreed "it would be important to be clear about the costs and consequences for the Russian government of continuing to violate Ukraine's sovereignty," said the spokesman.
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| Gates back on top of Forbes' billionaire rankings Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:14 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is back on top of the list of the world's richest people.
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| One year after Chavez, Venezuela gropes for way forward Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:02 PM PST  Hugo Chavez, the charismatic ex-paratrooper who for 14 years drove a socialist-inspired revolution in oil-rich Venezuela, died one year ago -- and his deeply divided country is in crisis. Violent street protests that have left 18 dead, worsening living conditions and a darkening national mood have piled pressure on Chavez's handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro, and raised ominous questions about where the country is headed.
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| Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 03 Mar 2014 03:02 PM PST BEIJING (AP) — Xi Jinping looks more powerful than any Chinese leader in recent decades as his government prepares to deliver its first one-year report card Wednesday, but a deadly weekend slashing spree by alleged separatists was a reminder of the serious challenges facing his administration. In recent weeks, Xi has put himself in charge of three policy-setting panels: a new top-level party committee focused on steering state security, a panel on driving sweeping economic reforms, and another on cybersecurity. Meanwhile, he has burnished his populist image with unannounced public strolls to mix with ordinary folks and provide photos ops. |
| One in five Mauritanians face hunger: UN food agency Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:55 PM PST  About one in five people face food insecurity in the west African desert country of Mauritania because of poor harvests and high prices, the World Food Programme said Monday. More than 650,000 people in the country of 3.5 million live in conditions similar to those of December 2008 at the height of the world food crisis, the UN agency said, releasing the results of a study. Mauritania suffers chronic food insecurity because its agricultural sector is "structurally deficient", normally capable of satisfying only around 30 percent of the population's food demand, the study said.
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| Obama: Tough choices nearing in Mideast talks Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:51 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to make the "tough decisions" needed to move forward on talks with the Palestinians, as he sought to salvage an elusive Middle East peace plan.
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| Canadian man dies while snorkeling in Cayman Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:51 PM PST GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — A 46-year-old Canadian tourist in the Cayman Islands has apparently drowned while snorkeling off a popular beach. |
| More winter misery as massive storm wallops Washington Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:49 PM PST  Another huge winter storm walloped Washington and surrounding areas on Monday, shutting schools and the federal government, snarling air traffic and blanketing roads in snow. As a precaution, federal government employees were told to stay home and schools in the city and surrounding counties gave their students yet another snow day off. Many colleges also closed shop for the day due to the conditions -- including Georgetown University, where only emergency employees were required to report to work on time. The National Weather Service (NWS) said a winter storm warning would remain in effect until 6 pm (2300 GMT) and that four to eight inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of snow were expected.
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| Rihanna at McCartney Paris show; Suzy Menkes quits Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:46 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — High fashion equals high drama, the latest installment of Paris Fashion Week proved Monday.
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| Israeli air strike kills 2 Palestinian in Gaza Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:46 PM PST  Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - An Israeli air strike on the northern Gaza Strip killed two Palestinians and wounded two others on Monday, the emergency services in the Hamas-run enclave said. Emergency services chief Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP that Musaad Alzaneen, a man in his early 20s, was killed in the raid on farmland near the town of Beit Hanoun. He later added that Sharif Nasser, 31, had died of injuries sustained in the attack. "Israel Air Force aircraft targeted terrorists preparing to launch rockets in the northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.
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| Brazil keeps up Carnival pace of parties, parades Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:46 PM PST  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's Carnival is maintaining its frenetic pace, with hundreds of roving parties taking over Rio de Janeiro's streets and famed samba school parades heading into their final night.
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| Turkey PM faces popularity slide as graft scandal closes in Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:37 PM PST  With local polls imminent, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan can still draw tens of thousands to rallies on the campaign trail, but a mounting corruption scandal is doing unprecedented damage to his image. Voice recordings published online last week -- allegedly of Erdogan and his son discussing how to hide large amounts of money -- have sparked mass protests and creating rifts within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Analysts say the tapes have the potential to hurt the prime minister at local polls on March 30, a key test of Erdogan's popularity ahead of a presidential election in August and parliamentary elections next year. "Even if their authenticity is still challenged, those tapes have definitively put the whole crisis in a different perspective by placing Erdogan personally in the middle of the storm," said Sinan Ulgen, chairman of the Istanbul Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.
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| England need to win Six Nations - Lancaster Posted: 03 Mar 2014 02:34 PM PST  England coach Stuart Lancaster has said anything less than winning the Six Nations would count as a failure for his side. Each of Lancaster's two previous Championships have seen England finish runners-up to Wales -- England's opponents at Twickenham on Sunday. They remain the only major European side Lancaster has yet to enjoy a victory over and this weekend's clash has been given added spice by the fact it will be the last time the two nations meet at Twickenham before a potentially key pool match in next year's World Cup. But it is the example of Wales that England hope to follow this season.
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