| Russians to march in memory of murdered critic of Putin Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:22 PM PST  By Timothy Heritage and Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Opposition supporters will march through Moscow on Sunday in memory of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, whose murder has increased concern about Russia's future among opponents of President Vladimir Putin. National investigators who answer to Putin say they are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the possibility that Nemtsov, a Jew, was killed by radical Islamists or that the opposition killed him to blacken the president's name. Putin's opponents say such suggestions show the cynicism of Russia's leaders as they whip up nationalism, hatred and anti-Western hysteria to rally support for his policies on Ukraine and deflect blame for an economic crisis. "It is a blow to Russia.
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| British PM Cameron vows to hunt down 'Jihadi John' Posted: 28 Feb 2015 12:17 AM PST  By Michael Holden and Ahmed Aboulenein LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed on Friday to use all means at his disposal to hunt down militants such as "Jihadi John" after the killer was identified as a Kuwaiti-born computer programming graduate from London. The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in videos released by Islamic State (IS) apparently decapitating hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians. "When there are people anywhere in the world who commit appalling and heinous crimes against British citizens, we will do everything we can with the police, with the security services, with all that we have at our disposal to find these people and put them out of action," Cameron said. Cameron refused to comment on the identification of "Jihadi John" as 26-year-old British militant Mohammed Emwazi, but said that people should get behind the security services, which he praised as impressive and dedicated to defending Britain.
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| U.S.-led coalition launches air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq, Syria Posted: 28 Feb 2015 09:07 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S.-led coalition launched 11 air strikes in Iraq and nine in Syria since early Friday against Islamic State militants, the Combined Joint Task Force said. Four of the strikes in Syria hit Islamic State positions near the border town of Kobani, the task force said in a statement on Saturday. In Iraq, the coalition launched four strikes near the town of al Asad and three near Mosul. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing By Frances Kerry) |
| Greek PM accuses Spain, Portugal of anti-Athens 'axis' Posted: 28 Feb 2015 05:35 AM PST  By Costas Pitas and David Stamp ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused Spain and Portugal on Saturday of leading a conservative conspiracy to topple his anti-austerity government, saying they feared their own radical forces before elections this year. Tsipras also rejected criticism that Athens had staged a climbdown to secure an extension of its financial lifeline from the euro zone, saying anger among German conservatives showed that his government had won concessions. "We found opposing us an axis of powers ... led by the governments of Spain and Portugal which for obvious political reasons attempted to lead the entire negotiations to the brink," said Tsipras, who won an election on Jan. 25. "Their plan was and is to wear down, topple or bring our government to unconditional surrender before our work begins to bear fruit and before the Greek example affects other countries," he said, adding: "And mainly before the elections in Spain." Spain's new anti-establishment Podemos movement has topped some opinion polls, making it a serious threat to the conservative People's Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in an election which must be held by the end of this year.
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| Ukrainian journalist killed in shelling despite ceasefire Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:52 PM PST  A Ukrainian journalist was killed by shelling in east Ukraine on Saturday, his newspaper said, even as the Ukrainian military reported a significant drop in rebel attacks, boosting hopes for a two-week-old ceasefire. Photographer Serhiy Nikolayev died after artillery fire struck near the village of Pesky, northwest of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, daily newspaper Sevodnya reported in an online statement. Earlier, Ukraine's military said fighting had eased significantly in the east overnight but reported GRAD missile attacks on the government-held town of Avdiivka, next to Pesky, which is home to one of Europe's largest coke plants. On Friday, Ukraine reported the first deaths among its servicemen in three days, underscoring the fragility of the truce, as government troops and rebels pulled back heavy weapons from the frontline.
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| Maduro says Venezuela captures U.S. citizens linked to espionage Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:50 PM PST  By Diego Ore and Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday his government had captured Americans, including a pilot, involved in espionage activities and said U.S. citizens in the future will have to seek visas to come to the OPEC nation. Speaking during a rally, he said his government will prohibit some U.S. officials from entering Venezuela in retaliation for a similar measure by the government of President Barack Obama against a group of Venezuelan public officials. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Caracas said he was unable to comment, citing a lack of any official diplomatic communication with the Venezuelan government. Pereira said the group had been coming to Venezuela for 14 years and denied the missionaries were involved in espionage.
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| Maldives opposition to protest until ex-leader freed Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:56 PM PST  COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — An opposition lawmaker in the Maldives said her party will press on with street protests until the government frees a former president and current opposition leader.
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| Venezuela frees 4 detained North Dakota missionaries Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:50 PM PST DEVILS LAKE, North Dakota (AP) — Venezuelan authorities on Saturday released four North Dakota missionaries after they were detained and questioned for several days, a pastor at their church said. |
| Heat say Bosh has been released from hospital Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:39 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — All-Star forward Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat has been released from a South Florida hospital following a weeklong stay for treatment after blood clots were found on one of his lungs. |
| Brazil arrests US sect leader wanted on sex charges Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:35 PM PST  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian authorities said Saturday they arrested a self-professed minister put on a U.S. most-wanted list for allegedly molesting two girls in a "Maidens Group" at his religious fellowship in rural Minnesota.
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| Mexico drug lord captures change but don't lower trafficking Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:20 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — It's another big score for the Mexican government, which has been tearing through its list of most-wanted drug lords in recent years.
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| 'Jihadi John' contemplated suicide in 2010: report Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:19 PM PST  The London man believed to be Islamic State executioner "Jihadi John" told a journalist four years ago that surveillance by British security services had left him contemplating suicide, it emerged Saturday. Mohammed Emwazi, named by media and experts as the militant thought to have beheaded at least five Western hostages held by the IS group, told the Mail on Sunday reporter that he felt like a "dead man walking". Prime Minister David Cameron and a former head of foreign spy agency MI6 strongly rejected the idea, while London mayor Boris Johnson accused Cage of an "apology for terror".
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| Frampton stops Avalos to keep IBF super bantam title Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:13 PM PST BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Carl Frampton stopped American challenger Chris Avalos in the fifth round to win his first defense of the IBF super bantamweight belt on Saturday. |
| Rwanda urged to take action against BBC over genocide documentary Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:12 PM PST  Rwandan investigators on Saturday urged the government to take action against the BBC and ban its radio programmes from the country's airwaves over a controversial documentary questioning official versions of the 1994 genocide. The probe led by the country's former top prosecutor Martin Ngoga found the British broadcaster broke Rwandan law on genocide denial in its report on the massacres that left around 800,000 dead. Rwanda should "initiate criminal and civil process to deal with identified offences", he added. The focus of the probe was the programme "Rwanda, The Untold Story" which was broadcast on the BBC's second television channel, BBC2, in October 2014 and highlighted criticism over Rwandan president Paul Kagame's alleged role in events.
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| Lewis leads LPGA Thailand by a shot after 3rd-round 73 Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:09 PM PST CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — American Stacy Lewis shot a 1-over 73 on Saturday in hot and humid conditions in the Honda LPGA Thailand to take a one-stroke lead over South Korea's Amy Yang into the final round. |
| Sierra Leone vice president in Ebola quarantine Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:04 PM PST  Sierra Leone's Vice President Sam Sumana has placed himself in quarantine following the Ebola death of one of his guards, a government spokesman said Saturday, as the country reintroduced travel restrictions as the number of new cases rises again. Sumana "has decided to place himself in precautionary quarantine awaiting the results of tests by the health authorities", the spokesman said. Sumana's bodyguard, 42-year-old John Koroma, died from Ebola on Friday, medical sources said.
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| UK government rejects calls for higher diesel tax to cut pollution Posted: 28 Feb 2015 04:02 PM PST By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - The British government rejected calls on Sunday to raise taxes on diesel vehicles to reduce air pollution but said it will consider a national network of low-emission zones. Britain has consistently failed to meet European Union limits on nitrogen dioxide, which is produced by diesel engines and is harmful to respiratory systems, as well as another pollutant, known as diesel particular matter. In December, the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee published a report on air quality in which it called for a less favorable tax regime for diesel vehicles to discourage the emission of pollutants. It also urged the government to introduce without delay a national framework for low emission zones and a certification scheme for vehicles that meet particular air quality standards. |
| Rio Ruckus: IOC, Olympics targeted by environmental protest Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:52 PM PST  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach came to Rio de Janeiro to laud the city's progress in getting ready for the 2016 Olympics. On Saturday, he came up against another side of the games — activists bursting into his hotel lobby to protest what they call environmental destruction brought on by the games.
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| Venezuela to limit US diplomat number, require tourist visas Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolas Maduro announced Saturday that he will limit the number of U.S. diplomats allowed to work in Venezuela and also will require U.S. citizens to apply for visas if they want to visit.
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| Venezuela to demand mandatory visas for Americans Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:24 PM PST  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Saturday he was implementing a mandatory visa system for all American citizens visiting the country, as a way to "control" US interference. The leftist president also ordered a review and reduction of US diplomatic staff in Caracas. "In order to protect our country... I have decided to implement a system of compulsory visas for all Americans entering Venezuela," he told supporters. In his fiery speech outside the Miraflores presidential palace, Maduro noted that the Americans have 100 diplomatic staff in Caracas, compared to 17 Venezuelan diplomats in Washington.
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| Jeff Gordon takes a final spin at track that meant so much Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:22 PM PST  HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Jeff Gordon admired his latest retirement gift — a miniature race car for his two young children — and thanked the folks at Atlanta Motor Speedway for not going with the obvious choice.
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| Businessman charged with defrauding billionaire AS Monaco owner Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:17 PM PST  A prominent Swiss businessman was on Saturday charged in connection with an alleged art fraud targeting Russian oligarch and football club owner Dmitry Rybolovlev. Yves Bouvier, who faces charges of fraud and money laundering, is suspected of having sold Rybolovlev dozens of paintings by Picasso, Modigliani, Gauguin and other masters for inflated prices with the help of false documents. A Russian-speaking Swiss woman living in Monaco was also charged with money laundering.
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| Referee red card overshadows Rooney goals in EPL Posted: 28 Feb 2015 03:11 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Manchester United rode its luck as Wayne Rooney scored twice in a 2-0 win against struggling 10-man Sunderland, but his success was overshadowed by another refereeing controversy in the English Premier League on Saturday.
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| Suarez leads Barcelona to win, Bueno scores 4 for Rayo Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:59 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona's 3-1 win at Granada from goals by Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi was overshadowed by little-known Alberto Bueno netting four goals in 16 minutes in Rayo Vallecano's victory on Saturday.
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| Another Mexican drug lord caught, but victory elusive Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:54 PM PST  Mexico's government dealt a major blow to the Knights Templar drug cartel by capturing its last leader, but the proliferation of new armed groups shows the government is far from victory. The arrest of Servando "La Tuta" Gomez, whose gang has tormented the western state of Michoacan for years, was a much-needed victory for embattled President Enrique Pena Nieto. For months now, Pena Nieto has endured protests over his government's handling of the investigation into the presumed murder of 43 college students by a police-backed gang.
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| Benfica thrashes Estoril 6-0 to extend lead in Portugal Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Benfica thrashed Estoril 6-0 at home to increase its overnight lead of the Portuguese league on Saturday. |
| AC Milan fails again to win 2 in a row in Serie A Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:47 PM PST  VERONA, Italy (AP) — AC Milan was held to a goalless draw at relegation-threatened Chievo Verona in Serie A on Saturday as it once again failed to win consecutive matches.
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| UN-AU mission in Sudan's Darfur cuts 770 jobs Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:42 PM PST  The UN-AU mission in Sudan's Darfur (UNAMID) will cut 770 civilian jobs, it said on Saturday, as it faces pressure from Khartoum to withdraw from the war-torn western region. The decision was made after a strategic review of the mission, the statement said, and was unconnected to calls from Sudan's government for the mission to leave.
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| Burundi's government calls anti-opposition rally 'for peace' Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:39 PM PST  Thousands of Burundians took part in a government-backed rally "for peace" Saturday, where speakers took aim at the opposition, civil groups and the media, accusing them of leading the country towards war. The demonstration in the capital Bujumbura was mirrored at rallies organised by the authorities in other towns, underlining the growing tension in Burundi ahead of a presidential election in June. "We are here to denounce all those who seek to bring us to war, all those who want to organise popular uprisings," Bujumbura mayor Saidi Juma told the crowd, reading a text prepared by the government. Last month, vast crowds took part in one of the largest demonstrations in recent years after the release of a popular journalist and government critic from jail.
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| Chile's president meets with ailing teen who asked to die Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:34 PM PST  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile's president went to a hospital Saturday to meet with a 14-year-old girl who shocked the country by going on YouTube to plead for the leader to let doctors euthanize her because she is tired of her struggle with cystic fibrosis.
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| Savannah police investigating death of Colombian man Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:30 PM PST SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Police are still investigating the death of a politically connected Colombian man found in a Savannah hotel room. |
| Netanyahu takes Iran campaign to Jerusalem holy site Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:20 PM PST  By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu took his campaign against a nuclear deal with Iran to Jerusalem's sacred Western Wall on Saturday, on the eve of his departure to Washington to address Congress on the issue. His rare pilgrimage to one of Judaism's holiest sites was highly symbolic -- and political -- an apparent attempt by Netanyahu, two weeks before a national election, to portray a U.S. visit, that has brought relations with Washington to a new low, as crucial to Israel's survival. Using the perimeter wall of the destroyed Biblical Jewish temple as a backdrop and wearing a black skullcap, he said: "The agreement being formed between Iran and the powers, can endanger our existence. "In the face of such an agreement we must unite and explain the dangers it poses to Israel, to the region and to the entire world." Netanyahu has come under almost unprecedented criticism from the U.S. administration and in Israel for his planned speech to Congress on Tuesday, as international talks with Iran are under way to secure a deal on Teheran's nuclear program. Washington hopes a deal with Iran will ensure the Islamic Republic is unable to develop nuclear weapons.
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| Italian anti-euro, anti-immigrant party holds rally in Rome Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:18 PM PST  The rising star of the Italian right, Matteo Salvini, led a mass rally in support of his anti-immigration, anti-EU Northern League party in central Rome Saturday, as a counter-rally took place nearby. The rally's slogan was "Renzi go home", with Salvini, "the other Matteo", setting himself up as a challenger to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. According to Italian media reports 3,000 police were deployed to deal with the rally where organisers bused in supporters on special trains and buses. A few hundred metres (yards) from the Northern League rally, leftist groups, including anti-racism and gay rights organisations, demonstrated under the banner "Never with Salvini" with organisers saying 35,000 had gathered to protest.
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| Former top Colombian officials convicted in domestic spying scandal Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:16 PM PST  Colombia's Supreme Court has convicted the country's former intelligence boss and a presidential chief of staff of spying on judges, journalists and politicians during the presidency of Alvaro Uribe. The high court handed down its unanimous guilty verdicts on Friday against the former intelligence chief, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, and Uribe's former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno. Hurtado, as head of the now defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS), was found to have ordered illegal wiretaps of current Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro, other leftist politicians and Supreme Court judges.
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| Death threats and a late night dinner before Russia's Nemtsov was shot dead Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:07 PM PST By Thomas Grove MOSCOW (Reuters) - It was near closing time on Friday at the upscale Bosco restaurant that looks out onto the illuminated red-brick walls of Moscow's Kremlin. Boris Nemtsov and his young, dark-haired girlfriend were finishing dinner. A political reformer who had fallen foul of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov had been preoccupied for weeks with details of an opposition march planned for Sunday. Nemtsov also broke off for an interview with a Ukrainian radio station eager for the details of the rally. |
| England wins toss, bats against Sri Lanka in World Cup match Posted: 28 Feb 2015 02:01 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — England won the toss and chose to bat against Sri Lanka in a Pool A match Sunday which has become important for both teams' chances of making the quarterfinals of the Cricket World Cup. |
| FIFA resists video help for refs, then red-card issue in EPL Posted: 28 Feb 2015 01:59 PM PST  HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland (AP) — Faced with soccer's "biggest decision ever," FIFA said on Saturday it would not be rushed into approving — or even testing — video technology to improve the accuracy of referees' decisions.
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