| Israel's Netanyahu draws rebuke from Obama over Iran speech to Congress Posted: 03 Mar 2015 02:36 PM PST  By Dan Williams and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Tuesday that it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that could spark a "nuclear nightmare," drawing a rebuke from President Barack Obama and exposing a deepening U.S.-Israeli rift. Netanyahu made his case against Obama's Iran diplomacy in a speech to Congress that aligned himself with the president's Republican foes. Obama responded in the Oval Office, declaring in a frustrated tone that Netanyahu offered "nothing new." In its response, the Iranian government denounced Netanyahu's 39-minute speech as "boring and repetitive," the state news agency IRNA said.
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| Iran calls Obama's 10-year nuclear demand 'unacceptable' Posted: 03 Mar 2015 01:42 PM PST  By Arshad Mohammed MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran rejected on Tuesday as "unacceptable" U.S. President Barack Obama's demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years but said it would continue talks on a deal, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iran laid out the position as the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers met for a second day of negotiations and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stinging critique of the agreement they are trying to hammer out. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met a day after Obama told Reuters that Iran must commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear work for a landmark atomic deal to be reached. "Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands," Zarif was quoted by Fars as saying.
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| U.S. military's Mosul briefing inaccurate, misguided, Carter says Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:46 PM PST  A U.S. military official who briefed news media about Iraq's upcoming offensive to retake Mosul provided inaccurate information but should never have publicly discussed war plans anyway, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday. Carter's criticism of the February news briefing by an official from the U.S. military's Central Command was accompanied by an assurance from the top U.S. military officer to Congress that the matter was subject to an internal inquiry. Two influential Republican senators on the committee, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, sent a letter to the White House on Feb. 20, complaining about the briefing, which predicted a Mosul offensive likely to start in April or May, involving 20,000 to 25,000 Iraqi and Kurdish forces. Mosul, which had a population of more than 1 million people, was captured by Islamic State fighters in June and is the largest city in the group's self-declared caliphate, a stretch of territory that straddles the border between northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
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| Iraqi forces try to seal off Islamic State around Tikrit Posted: 03 Mar 2015 12:51 PM PST  By Ahmed Rasheed and Dominic Evans BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shi'ite militiamen sought to seal off Islamic State fighters in Tikrit and nearby towns on Tuesday, the second day of Iraq's biggest offensive yet against a stronghold of the Sunni militants. Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who has helped coordinate Baghdad's counter-attacks against Islamic State since it seized much of northern Iraq in June, was overseeing at least part of the operation, witnesses told Reuters. His presence on the frontline highlights neighboring Iran's influence over the Shi'ite fighters who have been key to containing the militants in Iraq.
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| Western leaders hint at more Russian sanctions over Ukraine Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:08 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders on Tuesday warned Russia that they were ready to step up sanctions if there were further violations of a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, officials said. The virtual meeting took place amid continuing violence in Ukraine despite the two-week-old ceasefire accord reached in Minsk. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama used the call to condemn Russia for not following through on its agreements. "It was an opportunity ... for the president to condemn the continuing failure of Russia and the separatists it backs to abide by the commitments to which they agreed," Earnest said. |
| Australian drug smugglers being taken to Indonesian island for execution: media Posted: 03 Mar 2015 02:31 PM PST  By Jane Wardell and Beawiharta SYDNEY/DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - Two convicted Australian drug smugglers were removed from a prison in Bali on Wednesday to be taken to an Indonesian island where they will be shot by firing squad, Australian media reported. The planned executions of Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, have ratcheted up diplomatic tensions amid repeated pleas of mercy for the pair from Australia and thrown a spotlight on Indonesia's increasing use of the death penalty for foreigners. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was "revolted by the prospect of these executions", a harsh response after Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently told other countries to stay out of his country's sovereign affairs.
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| Mexico raided migrant train 153 times in last year Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:43 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Tuesday they staged 153 raids over the last year on a train known as "La Bestia" that rolled toward the U.S. border crowded with Central American migrants. |
| UK bans ad for implying Old Jerusalem part of Israel Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:42 PM PST  Britain's advertising watchdog banned an Israeli government tourism advert for suggesting that the Old City of Jerusalem was part of Israel on Wednesday. The newspaper brochure showed a panorama of the walled Old City with the text "Israel has it all", and was ruled misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which said it implied the UNESCO World Heritage Site was part of Israel. The international community regards the Old City as occupied Palestinian territory, while Israel has claimed it as part of its capital. Following a complaint, the ASA ruled the title of the brochure "Israel Land of Creation" and references to Old City attractions was misleading and banned the advert from appearing again in its current form.
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| Court upholds judge's removal from Eike Batista trial Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:40 PM PST  A Brazilian appeals court confirmed Tuesday the removal of a judge from an insider dealing case against Eike Batista, setting the stage for a likely retrial. The court system's inspector general, Nancy Andrighi, last week ordered that Flavio Roberto de Souza be removed from the trial after he was seen driving a Porsche that had been seized from the fallen tycoon, once Brazil's richest man with a $30 billion fortune. "He considered himself on a crusade against the person who was Brazil's richest man," Globo quoted Judge Marcello Granado as saying after the Rio federal court of justice said the case was being assigned to another judge. Granado reprimanded Souza for what he called "inappropriate" comments, while Batista's lawyers demanded his removal after he opened the trial in November by suggesting the businessman was a megalomaniac.
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| Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:32 PM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Wednesday transferred two Australians early Wednesday in preparation for the execution by firing squad of nine foreigners and an Indonesian condemned for drug smuggling, as diplomatic squabbles persist over the executions. The preparations at the execution site have been completed and four foreign convicts will be transferred to Nusakambangan Island's maximum-security prison facilities this week, said Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo. |
| Dempsey says Iranian hand in Iraq could turn out well Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:16 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran's direct support for an Iraqi push to dislodge the Islamic State group from the northern city of Tikrit could turn out to be "a positive thing" if it does not inflame sectarian tensions, the top U.S. general said Tuesday.
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| China plays down US concerns over anti-terror legislation Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:15 PM PST SHANGHAI (AP) — China played down U.S. concerns that proposed anti-terror legislation would give the Chinese government sweeping power to police electronic communications and marginalize foreign companies fighting for a share of China's $465 billion technology market, saying Tuesday that the law is purely designed to address domestic security issues. |
| Australian rugby star Hayne signs 3-year deal with 49ers Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:52 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne is getting his shot to play in the NFL.
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| Brazil: Investigation sought for 54 pols in kickback scandal Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:12 PM PST RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's attorney general on Tuesday asked the nation's Supreme Court for permission to investigate 54 top political figures for alleged involvement in what prosecutors say is the country's largest corruption scandal yet uncovered. |
| Citibank tells judge: Let Argentina pay bondholders interest Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:09 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — A Citibank lawyer warned a judge on Tuesday that its Argentina branch will be in "great danger" if he refuses to let the South American nation pay interest to bondholders. |
| Next job for Ryder Cup task force? Repair damage to tour Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:08 PM PST DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Now that players on the task force have solved their Ryder Cup problems, the next job is to repair damage to their own tour. |
| Obama, EU leaders agree to put more costs quickly on Russia if needed over Ukraine Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:08 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama and his European counterparts agreed on Tuesday to act quickly to impose additional costs on Russia if peace agreements in the Ukraine conflict were not implemented. "The leaders expressed their hope for the successful and complete implementation of the Minsk agreements and agreed that the easing of current sanctions would be linked to the full implementation of these agreements," the White House said in a statement. |
| Petraeus to plead guilty to spilling secrets to mistress Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:07 PM PST  Former American military commander and CIA chief David Petraeus will plead guilty to illegally providing classified secrets to his mistress, a dramatic fall from grace for a general once lauded as a war hero. Petraeus, feted in the US as the man who changed the course of the Iraq war, has signed a plea deal and statement "that indicate he will plead guilty" to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, the Justice Department said Tuesday. According to the Justice Department, Petraeus acknowledged giving eight "black books" he kept as the commander in Afghanistan to his lover and biographer, Paula Broadwell. The notebooks included his daily schedule, classified notes, the identities of covert officers, details about US intelligence capabilities, code words, summaries of National Security Council sessions, and accounts of his meetings with President Barack Obama, according to court documents.
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| France skeptical of fighting freeze in Syria's largest city Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:06 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — France says it's skeptical that a freeze in fighting in parts of Syria's largest city Aleppo will ever happen and is blaming President Bashar Assad's government. |
| Brazil AG seeks investigation into 54 politicians allegedly tied to Petrobras kickback scandal Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:57 PM PST RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil AG seeks investigation into 54 politicians allegedly tied to Petrobras kickback scandal. |
| Russian 'gulag' museum forced to change format Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PST  The rights group that ran Russia's only museum in a former gulag said Tuesday it has been ousted and the institution will cease as a memorial devoted to Soviet-era repression. The Perm-36 museum -- named after the notorious prison camp where it is housed -- has been open since 1996, but was increasingly threatened by a hostile relationship with Russian leaders. We could not reach an agreement with regional administrators," Tatiana Koursina, head of the Perm-36 association, told AFP. Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has increasingly taken on the mantle of the Soviet Union and prides itself on its victories while downplaying the millions of deaths under Stalin's forced industrialisation, collectivisation and prison camps.
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| Macena goal gives Buriram group lead in Asian league Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:52 PM PST  TOKYO (AP) — A late overhead kick from striker Gilberto Macena gave Thai champion Buriram United a 2-1 win at Guangzhou R&F on Tuesday and a lead in Group F in the Asian Champion League.
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| Australians on Indonesia death row leave for execution island Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:50 PM PST  Two Australian drug smugglers in Indonesia were taken from their Bali prison Wednesday to an island where they will executed, as the Australian leader said his country was "revolted" by their looming deaths after frantic diplomatic efforts to save them. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were taken in two armoured cars, surrounded by police and a scrum of journalists, from the island's Kerobokan jail to the airport. They are being transferred to Nusakambangan island, home to several high-security prisons. Speaking just before the transfer began, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has repeatedly called for Jakarta not to go ahead with the executions, said millions of Australians were sickened by the developments.
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| Agents target industry helping Chinese women have US babies Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:49 PM PST  IRVINE, California (AP) — Federal agents searched more than a dozen homes Tuesday in a crackdown on so-called maternity tourism operators who arrange for pregnant Chinese women to give birth in the U.S., where their babies automatically become American citizens.
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| Saint-Etienne reaches French Cup semifinals on penalty kicks Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:40 PM PST PARIS (AP) — First division Saint-Etienne squeezed through to the French Cup semifinals after beating third-tier Boulogne-sur-Mer 4-3 on penalties in a shootout on Tuesday after the match finished 1-1. |
| Mexican president's appointments to posts raise questions Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:40 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Enrique Pena faced new pressure Tuesday, this time for his choices for attorney general and to fill a vacant seat on Mexico's highest court.
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| Ivory Coast prosecutors seek decade jail term for Simone Gbagbo Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:37 PM PST  Prosecutors in Ivory Coast asked judges Tuesday to sentence former first lady Simone Gbagbo to a ten-year prison term on charges of "undermining state security" during post-election violence in 2010-2011 that left nearly 3,000 dead. The wife of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo is also accused of "disturbing public order" and "organising armed gangs" after her husband and his supporters rejected results of December 2010 presidential elections showing rival Alassane Ouattara had won the contest. Once referred to by admirers and opponents alike as Ivory Coast's "Iron Lady," Simone Gbagbo has been on trial since January with 82 co-defendants accused of varying degrees of involvement in the deadly unrest.
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| Brazil judge orders deportation of Italian extremist Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:33 PM PST  Brasília (AFP) - A Brazilian federal judge on Tuesday ordered the deportation of Italian extremist and writer Cesare Battisti, convicted of murder in his homeland, citing legislation providing for the removal of wanted foreign nationals. The judge added that Battisti, 60, should either be deported to Mexico or France, having spent time in both countries before seeking refuge in Brazil in 2004. Tamasauskas told AFP his client would appeal, noting Brazil had previously ruled he could enjoy permanent residency. Battisti spent three years from 2004 living clandestinely in Brazil before being arrested in Rio having spent some 30 years on the run in Mexico and France, where he turned his hand to writing detective stories.
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| Lawsuit seeks to stop agency from killing protected Washington state wolves Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:28 PM PST Conservation groups sued a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, accusing its agents of violating a federal environmental law when they killed a protected female breeding wolf in Washington state. Groups represented by the Western Law Environmental Center say the USDA's Wildlife Services agency indiscriminately shot, trapped and poisoned animals to benefit the agricultural industry, and failed to conduct in-depth analyses of its actions as required by U.S. law. Conservationists are asking a federal judge to stop Wildlife Services from conducting further missions like the one last year in Washington state in which its agents erroneously shot and killed the female leader of a wolf pack after mistaking it for another wolf marked for death for attacking livestock. The wolf that was killed in eastern Washington was one of just three breeding females in the state, where there are 13 confirmed packs, according to U.S. wildlife managers. |
| Pentagon calls Mosul briefing a mistake by CentCom Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:28 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military officer's media briefing about plans for an Iraqi-led ground offensive in Mosul, including its expected timing, amounted to a mistaken disclosure of "military secrets," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday. |
| All Erdogan's meals tested at home and abroad: doctor Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:24 PM PST  Every meal that goes before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is rigorously tested both at home and abroad for fear of possible assassination, his personal doctor said. Currently, samples of the president's food are analysed in laboratories in both Ankara and Istanbul and during his visits abroad, he said. Erdogan's opponents accuse him of increasing megalomania, and the authorities of setting up a cult of personality around the man who has ruled Turkey either as president or prime minister since 2003. Erdogan's 1,150-room palace, which opened last year on the outskirts of Ankara, has been condemned by critics as an absurd extravagance that shows he is slipping further towards authoritarian rule.
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| Late Benteke penalty earns Villa 2-1 win over West Brom Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:23 PM PST  BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Christian Benteke converted an injury-time penalty to earn Aston Villa a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday, ending the team's seven-match losing run in the Premier League and provisionally lifting it out of the relegation zone.
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| Southampton, Villa grab late winners in Premier League Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:23 PM PST  Southampton and Aston Villa scored late winners in matches affecting opposite ends of the Premier League on Tuesday, while a touchline spat between the managers marred Sunderland's 1-1 draw at Hull.
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| Mexican president vows to battle violence in London visit Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST  Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto vowed to strengthen the rule of law on Tuesday in a visit to Britain aimed at bolstering a national image battered by crime and corruption. The trip comes as Pena Nieto struggles with drug violence and falling approval ratings at home, after the disappearance and alleged slaughter of 43 college students by a police-backed gang sparked international outrage and protests. "Our democracy has not been without difficulties," Pena Nieto told the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament. Pena Nieto was welcomed with a banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, where he and his wife Angelica Rivera are staying until Thursday.
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| Yemeni leader proposes Riyadh as venue for talks with rebels Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's president on Tuesday proposed the Saudi capital of Riyadh as a possible venue for the resumption of U.N.-sponsored talks with Shiite rebels who have seized Yemen's own capital, Sanaa. |
| Afghanistan face Australia test as Pakistan aim to press on Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PST  Afghanistan are set for their biggest challenge of the World Cup so far when they play Australia in Perth on Wednesday, while Pakistan go in search of their second win of the tournament against UAE. The pace and bounce of the WACA pitch in Perth has proved the undoing of many a visiting batsman but Afghanistan will go into the match on the back of a win in their previous Pool A clash, a thrilling one-wicket success over fellow non-Test side Scotland. Defiant Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi insisted his side were not intimidated by the daunting task ahead of them. Australia captain Michael Clarke said it was vital for the development of cricket that teams such as Afghanistan took part in the World Cup.
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| Wife of arrested Caracas mayor seeks international support Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:15 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The wife of imprisoned Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma asked the Organization of American States on Tuesday to intervene on the opposition leader's behalf.
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| Winter's long grip on U.S. northeast takes a toll on ferries Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:14 PM PST  By Ross Kerber HINGHAM, Mass. (Reuters) - With its black hull rumbling against a field of broken ice, the Warren Jr. slowly eased away from a dock in the Boston suburb of Hingham on Tuesday, aiming to clear a path for some of the four ferries that carry commuters from here into the city each day. "We're just not getting any break from the weather," said Captain Leon "Tiger" Macdonald, standing on the Warren Jr.'s bridge a few decks above the waterline. He has overseen crews for a month in a mostly losing battle against the ice to keep running the boats that usually deliver 1,750 commuters a day to Boston's downtown financial district. The idled boats are one piece of the unprecedented collapse the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority suffered during a harsh winter that so far has brought 104.1 inches (2.64 meters) of snowfall.
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| AP source: South American confederation to support Blatter Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:14 PM PST  ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The countries which make up the South American football confederation have decided to support Sepp Blatter in FIFA's presidential elections, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
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| Indonesia nearly ready to execute 9 foreign drug smugglers Posted: 03 Mar 2015 03:13 PM PST  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Wednesday transferred two Australians early Wednesday in preparation for the execution by firing squad of nine foreigners and an Indonesian condemned for drug smuggling, as diplomatic squabbles persist over the executions.
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