| Missing jet may have strayed to west, Malaysia military says Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:18 PM PDT By Eveline Danubrata and Nguyen Phuong Linh KUALA LUMPUR/PHU QUOC, Vietnam (Reuters) - Malaysia's military has traced what could have been the jetliner missing for almost five days to an area south of the Thai holiday island of Phuket, hundreds of miles to the west of its last known position, the country's air force chief said on Wednesday. His statement followed a series of conflicting accounts of the flight path of the Boeing 777-200ER with 239 people on board, which left authorities uncertain even which ocean to search in for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The last definitive sighting of the aircraft on civilian radar screens came shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, as it flew northeast across the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand bound for Beijing. In the latest potential lead, a Chinese government agency website on Wednesday said a Chinese satellite had photographed three "suspicious floating objects" on Sunday in waters northeast of Kuala Lumpur and south of Vietnam. |
| EU moves toward sanctions on Russians, Obama meets Ukraine PM Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:38 PM PDT  By Martin Santa and Aleksandar Vasovic BRUSSELS/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - The EU agreed on a framework on Wednesday for its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, a stronger response to the Ukraine crisis than many expected and a mark of solidarity with Washington in the drive to make Moscow pay for seizing Crimea. U.S. President Barack Obama warned Russia it faced costs from the West unless it changed course in Ukraine, and pledged to "stand with Ukraine" as he met with the country's new prime minister in Washington.
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| Three more die in Venezuela unrest, students battle troops Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:44 PM PDT  By Andrew Cawthorne and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - Protesters battled soldiers in the streets of Caracas again on Wednesday as three more fatal shootings raised to 25 the death toll from a month of demonstrations against Venezuela's socialist government. Thousands of supporters and foes of President Nicolas Maduro took to the capital's streets for rival rallies marking a month since the first bloodshed in the recent unrest around the South American OPEC nation. Trouble began when National Guard troops blocked opposition marchers from leaving Plaza Venezuela to head to the state ombudsman's office. Students threw stones and petrol bombs while security forces fired tear gas and turned water cannons on them.
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| Turkish protester, police officer die in day of clashes: media Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:35 PM PDT  A protester in Istanbul died from a head injury and a police officer suffered a fatal heart attack during Turkey's worst day of civil unrest since anti-government protests swept the nation last summer, local media said late on Wednesday. A defiant Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, already battling a damaging corruption scandal weeks ahead of elections, cast the latest unrest as part of a plot against the state. Police fired water cannon, tear gas and rubber pellets on a major Istanbul avenue to stop tens of thousands of protesters from reaching the central Taksim square. Officers in riot gear chased pockets of protesters into side streets late into the night.
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| Israel bombs Gaza militants after intensive rocket fire Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT  Israel bombed 29 targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, after Palestinian militants in the coastal territory fired 60 rockets into Israel in the heaviest such barrage since 2012. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military "to take any action necessary to restore calm" to Israel's south, and that "if there is no quiet in the south then it will be noisy in Gaza, and that's an understatement." The rocket fire, which police said resulted in no casualties, was claimed by the Islamic Jihad group and came a day after Israel killed three of its members in a Gaza air strike.
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| Italy presents sweeping tax cuts, plans to raise deficit goal Posted: 12 Mar 2014 02:01 PM PDT  By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Wednesday presented a sweeping package of tax cuts, saying they could help economic recovery in the euro zone's third largest economy without breaking EU budget deficit limits. Renzi, in his first full news conference since taking office last month, said income tax would be reduced by a total of 10 billion euros ($14 billion) annually for 10 million low and middle income workers from May 1. The cuts will be financed by reductions in central government spending, extra borrowing and by resources freed up thanks to the recent fall in Italy's borrowing costs, he said. "This is not what Italy needs," he said.
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| Report: Chinese site may show plane debris images Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:26 PM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — China's official Xinhua News Agency says a government website has images of suspected debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
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| Sire de Grugy claims popular win at Cheltenham Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:25 PM PDT  Bought with the cash from a surprise 50th birthday present for a first-time racehorse owner, Sire de Grugy provided one of the feel-good stories of the Cheltenham Festival by winning the high-profile Queen Mother Champion Chase by six lengths on Wednesday.
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| Messi guides Barca past City into Champs quarters Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:23 PM PDT  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi and Dani Alves scored second-half goals as Barcelona beat 10-man Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the seventh straight season.
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| Germany beats Japan 3-0 to win Algarve Cup Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:21 PM PDT  FARO, Portugal (AP) — A flurry of goals at the start the second half helped Germany to a 3-0 victory over world champion Japan in the final of the Algarve Cup on Wednesday.
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| Trailblazer Uruguay plans legal marijuana sales by year's end Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:13 PM PDT  Uruguay plans to begin legal marijuana sales of pot grown under government control by year's end, using cloned plants, President Jose Mujica said Wednesday. "We try to use what we have," Mujica told La Tercera daily, referring to land where the marijuana would be grown. Predicting that sales would begin in December or January, Mujica said the marijuana would be cloned to reproduce the same genetic code, which would give the plants a clear identifier for tracking.
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| Low-key PSG beats Leverkusen 2-1 to reach last 8 Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc was left feeling frustrated and let down by some of his players after a scrappy 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen sealed a Champions League quarterfinal slot for the second straight season.
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| Diplomats: UN is discussing Ukraine resolution Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is discussing a possible resolution that would reaffirm Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and address Sunday's referendum on whether its Crimean Peninsula should become part of Russia, a council diplomat said Wednesday. |
| Raonic downs Murray to reach Indian Wells quarters Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:04 PM PDT  Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) - Milos Raonic rallied in the third set to defeat out-of-sorts fifth seed Andy Murray on Wednesday and reach the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells ATP Masters. Raonic, seeded 10th, downed Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to line up a quarter-final clash with giant-killer Alexandr Dolgopolov. The 28th-seeded Ukrainian avoided any letdown in the wake of his third-round upset of world number one Rafael Nadal, powering past 13th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4. Second-seeded Novak Djokovic, four-time Indian Wells champion Roger Federer, seeded seventh, and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka were also vying for quarter-final berths on Wednesday.
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| 3 shot dead during unrest in central Venezuela Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:02 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A university student, a National Guard captain and a third man were shot to death in separate incidents Wednesday as anti-government protests roiled the central Venezuelan city of Valencia. Three National Guardsmen and several protesters were wounded.
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| White House told of CIA move against Senate aides Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:02 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA's director and its top lawyer told White House attorneys in advance about their plans to file an official criminal complaint accusing Senate Intelligence Committee aides of improperly obtaining secret agency documents, the White House confirmed Wednesday.
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| British man charged with Syria-related terror offences Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:55 PM PDT  British police on Wednesday announced they had charged a 29-year-old man with terror offences linked to Syria. Greater Manchester Police charged Jamshed Javeed with the intention of assisting others to commit acts of terrorism and engaging in conduct in preparation for giving effect to his intention, it said in a statement. Javeed, from Manchester in northern England, will appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday. At the time, police said the investigation "focuses on concerns over an individual travelling to Syria for purposes that are as yet unknown, but are believed to potentially involve terrorism".
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| Kerry says to meet Russia's Lavrov in London on Ukraine Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:53 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to London to meet with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday to discuss proposals for resolving the Ukrainian crisis days before a referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region on joining Russia. Kerry told lawmakers that he was traveling at the request of President Barack Obama, who met with Ukraine's interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk at the White House on Wednesday. Russia's bloodless seizure of the Crimea has brought U.S.-Russian relations to one of their lowest points since the Cold War, with no sign that tensions are easing. |
| Barcelona edge 10-man City to march into quarters Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:53 PM PDT  Second-half goals from Lionel Messi and Dani Alves booked Barcelona's place in the Champions League quarter-finals for a seventh consecutive year as they beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to progress 4-1 on aggregate. City were looking to become the first side to come back from losing the first leg 2-0 at home in the Champions League era and they had chances to reduce the deficit as Victor Valdes denied Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko either side of half-time. However, Messi killed the tie as a contest with 23 minutes remaining as he pounced on a loose ball inside the area to flick home his eighth Champions League goal of the season.
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| US to seek new indictment against Indian diplomat Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:52 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors suggest they plan to seek another indictment against an Indian diplomat who was arrested and strip-searched but had charges against her dismissed by a judge.
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| Israeli warplanes strike back over Gaza rocket salvo Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:52 PM PDT  Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli warplanes pounded 29 Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip Thursday night in response to heavy Palestinian rocket fire into the Jewish state earlier, the military said. Palestinian eyewitnesses, including an AFP photographer, said warplanes hit bases of the strip's Hamas rulers and the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, which had claimed responsiblity for firing dozens of rockets into Israel. "In response to the massive rocket attack that hit Israel earlier this evening, the Israel Air Force targeted 29 terror sites in the Gaza Strip.
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| Indian diplomat in U.S.-India row wins indictment's dismissal Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:51 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Indian diplomat charged in New York with visa fraud and making false statements about a domestic worker she employed has won dismissal of a federal indictment, ending a chapter in an dispute that frayed U.S.-Indian diplomatic relations. Devyani Khobragade, who was India's deputy consul-general in New York, had diplomatic immunity when she sought on January 9 to dismiss the indictment, and thus could not be prosecuted, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday. Prosecutors accused Khobragade of making Sangeeta Richard, her housekeeper and nanny, work 100-hour weeks at a salary of just over $1 an hour, far below the legal minimum U.S. wage of $7.25 an hour.
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| Haiti gov't defends plans to develop resort island Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:50 PM PDT PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A plan to transform a small Caribbean island off the southern coast of Haiti into a high-end resort will create more than 2,000 jobs and help change the image of this impoverished country, the prime minister said Wednesday. |
| PSG beats Leverkusen to advance in CL Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:49 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals for the second straight season after coming from behind for a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday and a 6-1 victory on aggregate. |
| Bollore to quadruple electric-car points in Britain Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT  French tycoon Vincent Bollore said Wednesday he aims to introduce a car version of the "Boris Bikes" hire scheme in London, and quadruple the number of electric car-charging points in Britain. IER, a subsidiary of the Bollore Group, has been selected by the Transport for London authority to take over the management of the existing Source London scheme from June this year. Furthermore, Bollore said he was aiming to launch an electric car hire project in the British capital. "We'll have Blue Cars in London within the next 12 months," Bollore said.
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| Turkish protester dies from injury in Istanbul clashes: official Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:48 PM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish protester died on Wednesday from a head injury sustained during a clash between rival groups of demonstrators in Istanbul, a local official from the ruling AK Party told CNN Turk television. "There were two groups attacking the police and one youth suffered a head injury ... and lost his life," Aziz Babuscu, the AK Party's Istanbul provincial head, told the broadcaster. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Leslie Adler) |
| Libyan PM flees country after tanker escapes rebel-held port Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT  By Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Former Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan sought refuge in Europe on Wednesday after parliament voted him out for failing to stop rebels independently exporting oil in a challenge to Libya's fragile unity. According to varying accounts by government officials, the navy or air force then fired on the vessel, although it was not clear if this happened in Libyan or international waters. He said Libya had asked Egypt and other countries to help stop the ship. The debacle underlines the impotence of the authorities in Tripoli, whose fledgling army and police force are no match for the militias and other armed groups who remain a law unto themselves three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
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| US teens to stand trial in Australian player death Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT DUNCAN, Oklahoma (AP) — A state judge ruled Wednesday that two teenagers charged with first-degree murder must face a trial in the shooting death of an Australian baseball player. Prosecutors say a third suspect will testify against them. |
| 5 things to know about Super Rugby Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:36 PM PDT WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Five things to know about the fifth round of Super Rugby: |
| US judge dismisses charges in Indian diplomat case Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:35 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — An Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-search spurred an international flap had charges against her dismissed by a federal judge on Wednesday. |
| Clashes in Turkey as protesters mourn teen death Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:31 PM PDT  Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Ankara and Istanbul on Wednesday as tens of thousands took to the streets to mourn a teenage boy who died from injuries suffered in last year's anti-government protests. In Istanbul, large crowds shouting anti-government slogans lit a huge fire as they made their way to a cemetery for the burial of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan. In the western city of Izmir, one woman was left with a broken leg and several others were hospitalised after police tried to stop crowds marching towards local government buildings, news channel NTV reported. Elvan, who died in an Istanbul hospital on Tuesday after 269 days in a coma, was hit on the head by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during the protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that gripped Turkey in June.
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| Puerto Rico man accused of exploiting girl, 13 Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. agents say they have arrested a 63-year-old Puerto Rico businessman on sex-trafficking charges involving a 13-year-old girl. |
| US stocks finish mostly higher after a weak start Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:27 PM PDT  A late rise saved the stock market from its third straight day of losses.
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| Obama calls for a 'rethinking' on Crimea vote Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:26 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Counting down to a high-stakes Crimean referendum, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that the U.S. would "completely reject" a vote opening the door for the strategic Ukrainian peninsula to join Russia if the election goes ahead on Sunday. Adding pressure on Russia, the Senate advanced a package of potentially tough economic sanctions against Moscow.
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| Russian lawmaker suggests Moscow has sent troops to Crimea Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:24 PM PDT A senior Russian lawmaker strongly suggested on Wednesday that Moscow has sent troops to Ukraine's Crimea region to protect against any "armed aggression" during a referendum on whether Crimea should secede and join Russia. The statement appeared to contradict assertions from President Vladimir Putin and Russian officials that the armed men who have taken control of facilities in Crimea were local "self-defense" forces. "There are some military units there that are occupying positions in case of armed aggression, armed expansion from Kiev ... This is not a large-scale military operation," pro-Kremlin lawmaker Leonid Slutsky told Ekho Moskvy radio. But he raised what he said was the possibility that "bandit units" could attack eastern Ukraine and Crimea. |
