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| Malaysian PM says lost airliner was diverted deliberately Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 09:02 PM 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). Full Story | Top |
| Crimea to vote on joining Russia, Moscow wields U.N. veto Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 07:40 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. Full Story | Top |
| Indian Ocean poses daunting challenge in search for missing Malaysia plane Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 08:12 PM PDT  By Jane Wardell SYDNEY (Reuters) - The southern Indian Ocean, where investigators suspect missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have come down, is one place where a commercial airliner can crash without a ship spotting it, a radar plotting it or even a satellite picking it up. Even Australia, which has island territories in the Indian Ocean and sends rescue planes to pluck stricken yachtsmen from the cold, mountainous seas in the south from time to time, has no radar coverage much beyond its Indian Ocean coast. "In most of Western Australia and almost all of the Indian Ocean, there is almost no radar coverage," an Australian civil aviation authority source said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the record. "If anything is more than 100 kilometers offshore, you don't see it." The Indian Ocean, the world's third largest, has an average depth of more than 12,000 feet, or two miles. Full Story | Top |
| Obama national security aides meet to discuss Ukraine Saturday, Mar 15, 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. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Maduro gives ultimatum to Caracas protesters Saturday, Mar 15, 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. Full Story | Top |
| Syrian forces enter last rebel bastion near Lebanese border Saturday, Mar 15, 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. Full Story | Top |
| Honda recalls nearly 900,000 Odyssey vans in U.S. for fire risk Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 11:17 AM PDT  Honda Motor Co is recalling nearly 900,000 Odyssey minivans that could catch fire, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recall notice posted on Friday. In a March 13 filing with NHTSA, Honda said 2005-2010 Odysseys built in Alabama have a fuel-pump part that could crack and cause a fuel leak, increasing the risk of fire. Because the recall involves 886,815 Odyssey vans, Honda said the proper repair parts won't be available until summer. Honda said it had investigated several potential causes of cracks in the fuel-pump strainer cover, including acid from chemicals found in car washes and low-PH materials used in fertilizer and dust control agents. Full Story | Top |
| Libyan port rebels say ready for talks, demand Tripoli suspend offensive Saturday, Mar 15, 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. Full Story | Top |
| NATO websites hit in cyber attack over Crimea stance Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 07:41 PM PDT By Adrian Croft and Peter Apps BRUSSELS/LONDON, March 15 - Unidentified hackers brought down several public NATO websites with cyber attacks on Saturday, the alliance said, in what appeared the latest escalation in cyberspace over growing tensions over Crimea. A group calling itself "cyber berkut" said the attack had been carried out by patriotic Ukrainians angry over what they saw as NATO interference in their country. Cyber berkut is a reference to the feared and since disbanded riot squads used by the government of ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. As well as the main NATO website www.NATO.int, the website of a NATO-affiliated cyber security center in Estonia was also affected. Full Story | Top |
| New York takes London's crown as top financial center: survey Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 10:42 AM PDT  New York has knocked London from its position as the world's leading global financial center after seven years, according to the Global Financial Centres Index compiled by London-based consultancy Z/Yen. London slipped from the top of the global rankings, scoring 784 against 786 for New York, because a series of own goals had tarnished its reputation, the report said. "London sees the largest fall in the top 50 centres," said Mark Yeandle, report author and associate director of Z/Yen, in a statement on the group's website. "This seems to be based on a number of factors including ... uncertainty over Europe, the perception that London might be becoming less welcoming to foreigners and perceived levels of market manipulation." Hong Kong and Singapore took third and fourth spots respectively, the same as a year ago, the survey showed. Full Story | Top |
| As hope withers, Palestinian president heads to Washington Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 09:02 AM PDT  By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - With pessimism growing by the day over the future of Middle East peace talks, U.S. President Barack Obama will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington on Monday to try to break the stalemate. The deadline for the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, aimed at ending their entrenched conflict, expires next month and Washington is eager to persuade the two sides to prolong their discussions within a new framework. After eight months of initial talks, and at least 10 trips to the region, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sounded unusually gloomy during a Congressional hearing on March 12, indicating that little progress had been made so far. Obama's direct involvement is aimed at providing much needed additional impetus: he saw Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, and is now meeting Abbas. Full Story | Top |
| Crimea to vote on joining Russia, Moscow wields U.N. veto Saturday, Mar 15, 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. Full Story | Top |
| NATO says its websites hit by cyber attacks Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 04:52 PM PDT Several NATO websites have been hit by cyber attacks, but they have had no impact on the military alliance's operations, a NATO spokeswoman said. The attacks, which affected NATO's main website, came amid rising tensions over Russian forces' occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region where a referendum is to be held on Sunday. NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Twitter that several NATO websites have been the target of a "significant DDoS (denial of service) attack." She said there had been no operational impact and NATO experts were working to restore normal function. Full Story | Top |
| Malaysian PM says lost airliner was diverted deliberately Saturday, Mar 15, 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). Full Story | Top |
| Erdogan links dead Turkish teenager to 'terrorist' groups Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 06:24 AM PDT  By Seda Sezer ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said a teenager who died this week after sustaining a head injury in anti-government protests last summer was linked to "terrorist organizations", in comments likely to fan political tensions. The death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan on Tuesday after nine months in a coma sparked Turkey's worst unrest since nationwide anti-government demonstrations last June, compounding Erdogan's woes as he battles a graft scandal that has become one of the biggest challenges of his decade in power. Erdogan made his remarks, his first about Elvan, late on Friday at a campaign rally in southeast Turkey ahead of nationwide municipal elections on March 30. Full Story | Top |
| China's Xi assumes new role overseeing military reform Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 03:13 AM PDT  Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken on a new role overseeing a group in charge of deepening military reform, state media said on Saturday, adding to the list of bodies Xi is taking charge of in his rapid consolidation of power. Xi is already head of the military in his role as chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission. The official news agency Xinhua said Xi had chaired the first meeting of the new leading group for deepening reform on national defense and the military, in the first mention of the group by state media. During the military meeting, Xi "stressed the country's military reform should be guided by the objective of building a strong army", Xinhua said. Full Story | Top |
| Dubai's Emaar plans $2.5 billion listing of shopping mall unit Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 08:36 AM PDT  By Andrew Torchia and David French DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai's Emaar Properties said it would sell up to 25 percent of its shopping mall and retailing unit in a public offer expected to raise 8 to 9 billion dirhams ($2.18-$2.45 billion), making it one of the region's largest equity offers since 2008. The proceeds "will be primarily distributed as dividend" to Emaar shareholders, Dubai's biggest listed real estate developer said in a statement on Saturday, without giving a timetable for the offer. Dubai-listed Emaar's flagship mall is the Dubai Mall, one of the largest in the world, which it says attracted more than 75 million visitors in 2013. The company also built the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building. Full Story | Top |
| China doubles yuan trading band, seen as sign of confidence Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 07:57 AM PDT  By Pete Sweeney and Lu Jianxin SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's central bank loosened its grip on the yuan on Saturday by doubling the daily trading range for the currency, adding teeth to a promise it would allow market forces to play a greater role in the economy and its markets. Analysts said the move was a sign of confidence that the central bank had successfully fought off a plague of currency speculators, and at the same time signaled that regulators believe the economy is stable enough to handle more promised reforms going forward. But as far as Beijing's project to encourage the international usage of the yuan is concerned, there is less consensus, with some warning that more volatility could discourage firms from using the yuan in the short run. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said the exchange rate will be allowed to rise or fall 2 percent from a daily midpoint rate it sets each morning. Full Story | Top |
| Court cuts jail term of Pakistan doctor who helped find bin Laden Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 04:19 AM PDT By Jibran Ahmed PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A court in Pakistan on Saturday reduced by 10 years the jail term handed down to a Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in a blow to his supporters who have been fighting for his release. Shakil Afridi, hailed as a hero by U.S. officials, was arrested after U.S. soldiers killed bin Laden in May 2011 in a raid in a northern Pakistani town that outraged Pakistan and plunged relations between the strategic partners to a new low. Pakistan arrested Afridi and sentenced him to 33 years in jail for being a member of a militant group, a charge he denies. On Saturday, a court in the city of Peshawar reduced his sentence to 23 years following repeated calls by the United States and his legal team for his release. Full Story | Top |
| Crimea prepares for referendum under heavy military presence Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 04:39 AM PDT By Aleksandar Vasovic and Mike Collett-White 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 peninsula from Ukraine to Moscow, despite the threat of sanctions and condemnation from Western governments. Sunday's vote, dismissed by Kiev as illegal, has triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, and ratcheted up tensions not only in Crimea but also eastern Ukraine, where two people were killed in clashes late on Friday. The streets of the Crimean capital of Simferopol were calm on Saturday, despite a heavy military presence incongruous with the normally sleepy town. Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, whose election in a closed session of the regional parliament is not recognized by Kiev, said there were enough security personnel to ensure that Sunday's vote would be safe. Full Story | Top |
| South Korea expresses relief over Abe's comments on Japan war apologies Friday, Mar 14, 2014 10:19 PM PDT  By Narae Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed relief on Saturday over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his government would adhere to apologies for wartime behavior made by past cabinets, in 1993 and 1995. Ties with South Korea and China, already strained after Abe's visit last December to the Yasukuni shrine, have deteriorated further, with Japanese nationalist politicians urging Abe's cabinet to rescind the apologies. The apologies were issued by then chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono in 1993 and then premier Tomiichi Murayama in 1995. "It is a relief that Prime Minister Abe announced his government will uphold the Murayama statement and the Kono statement," President Park was quoted as saying by Blue House spokesman Min Kyung-wook. Full Story | Top |
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