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| North Korea frees Australian Christian missionary Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 07:42 PM PST  By Choonsik Yoo SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea freed a Australian missionary who had been jailed for promoting Christianity on Monday, releasing a picture of a handwritten confession by the elderly man who was arrested last month. John Short was picked up at Beijing airport by an Australian embassy vehicle and did not speak, according to Reuters Television journalists at the airport. He was accused by Pyongyang of committing a crime by distributing tracts from the bible at a Buddhist temple in Pyongyang on Kim Jong Il's birthday, a national holiday in North Korea to mark the ruling dynasty's second leader. "I deeply apologize for what I have done by spreading my Bible tracts on February 16th the birthday of his Excellency Kim Jong Il," Short said in the confession released by KCNA and dated March 1. Full Story | Top |
| Karzai says Afghan war not fought in his country's interest: report Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 07:40 PM PST  Expressing "extreme anger" toward the U.S. government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview with the Washington Post that the war in Afghanistan was not fought with his country's interests in mind. "Afghans died in a war that's not ours,' Karzai said in the interview published on Sunday, just a month before an election to pick his successor. He was quoted as saying he was certain the 12-year-old war, America's longest and launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was "for the U.S. security and for the Western interest." Karzai's refusal to sign a security deal with Washington that would permit foreign troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond this year has frustrated the White House, and President Barack Obama has told the Pentagon to prepare for the possibility that no U.S. troops will be left in Afghanistan after 2014. The NATO-led force in Afghanistan has a current strength of more than 52,000 soldiers, including 33,600 U.S. troops. Full Story | Top |
| G7 finance ministers say ready to aid Ukraine Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 06:45 PM PST Finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich nations on Sunday pledged to throw a financial lifeline to Ukraine as long as the new government in Kiev agreed to pursue economic reforms sought by the International Monetary Fund. "We are united in our commitment to provide strong financial backing to Ukraine," the G7 ministers said in a joint statement. "The transition to a new government in Ukraine offers a unique opportunity to put in place urgently needed market-oriented reforms." The G7 said the IMF, which is sending a team to Kiev this week, needed to be in the forefront of efforts to help Ukraine with both policy advice and financing to help it through its most-pressing economic challenges. "We are also committed to mobilize rapid technical assistance to support Ukraine in addressing its macroeconomic, regulatory, and anti-corruption challenges," it added. Full Story | Top |
| Obama warns of 'fallout' for Israel if peace effort fails Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 06:22 PM PST  President Barack Obama, issuing a veiled warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of talks, said in an interview published on Sunday it would be harder for Washington to defend Israel against efforts to isolate it internationally if U.S.-led Middle East peace talks fail. Obama, speaking to Bloomberg View, also made clear that he would press Netanyahu to allow him the time needed to test Iran's willingness to curb its nuclear ambitions, despite the Israeli leader's deep skepticism of the West's diplomatic engagement with Tehran. Saying the "the window is closing" for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, Obama called on Netanyahu to "seize the moment" to help achieve a framework agreement that Secretary John Kerry is trying to forge to extend peace talks. Full Story | Top |
| G7 condemns Russia Ukraine move, halts G8 preparations: White House Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 05:10 PM PST The Group of Seven major industrialized nations on Sunday condemned Russia's intrusion into Ukraine and canceled for now preparations for the G8 summit that includes Russia and had been scheduled to take place in Sochi in June, the White House said. "We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the G7 said in a statement. The G7 urged Russia to hold talks with Ukraine directly or with international participation to address any human rights or security concerns it has. Full Story | Top |
| Winter storm closes federal, local offices in Washington D.C. area Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 05:04 PM PST (Reuters) - Federal offices in the Washington, D.C., area will be closed on Monday to the public and non-emergency workers due to a massive winter storm that was bearing down on the East Coast, officials said. Votes scheduled for Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have also been postponed due to the storm, which the National Weather Service predicts will bring up to 9 inches of snow to the metro area. "Federal offices in the Washington, DC, area are closed," the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said on its website on Sunday. Local government offices in Washington will be closed on Monday and Mayor Vincent Gray has rescheduled his state of the district address until March. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, allies say Russia's action in Ukraine threat to peace, security Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 04:12 PM PST President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Poland expressed "grave concern" on Sunday over Russia's intrusion into Ukraine, which they called a breach of international law and a threat to international peace and security. Obama spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski in a separate phone calls, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea fires two short-range missiles into sea: Seoul Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 04:10 PM PST North Korea fired two short-range missiles on Monday into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, South Korea's defense ministry said, days after launching similar rockets last week. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missiles likely flew about 500 km (300 miles) after being launched off the North's east coast, adding they were believed to be Scud-C models. South Korea's defense ministry has said the Scuds are normally fired using mobile launch pads which can be activated with minimal preparation. The distance would mean the weapon can hit targets in South Korea and Japan. Full Story | Top |
| Merkel, Obama say Russia has violated international law in Ukraine Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 04:00 PM PST Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed during a phone call late on Sunday night that Russia's "unacceptable intervention" in Crimea was "violation of international law" and urged a political solution, the German chancellor's office said. "Obama and Merkel were in agreement that it is particularly important for the international community to show unity in the face of this wrong," her office said in a statement. Merkel and Obama also agreed on the need to establish a "fact-finding mission" like a contact group, possibly under the leadership of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to start a political dialogue. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, allies say Russia's Ukraine threat to peace, security Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Poland expressed "grave concern" on Sunday over Russia's intrusion into Ukraine, which they called a breach of international law and a threat to international peace and security. Obama spoke to each leader in a separate phone call, the White House said. "The leaders stressed that dialogue between Ukraine and Russia should start immediately, with international facilitation as appropriate," the White House said in a statement. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine mobilizes after Putin's 'declaration of war' Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:54 PM PST  By Natalia Zinets and Alissa de Carbonnel KIEV/BALACLAVA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War. Yatsenuik heads a pro-Western government that took power in the former Soviet republic when its Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovich, was ousted last week. Putin secured permission from his parliament on Saturday to use military force to protect Russian citizens in Ukraine and told U.S. President Barack Obama he had the right to defend Russian interests and nationals, spurning Western pleas not to intervene. Russian forces have already bloodlessly seized Crimea, an isolated Black Sea peninsula where Moscow has a naval base. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says it and partners could give Kiev as much help as it needs Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:48 PM PST The United States signaled on Sunday that it and its partners could give as much financial support as Ukraine needs to get the crisis-hit country's economy back on track. U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who has urged Kiev to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund, said Washington could lend a hand either through bilateral programs or larger international institutions. "The United States is prepared to work with its bilateral and multilateral partners to provide as much support as Ukraine needs," Lew told a conference. He said Washington was monitoring the situation in Ukraine with "grave concern" after Russia's intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea fires two short-range missiles into sea: Yonhap Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:42 PM PST SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has fired two short-range missiles into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday. Yonhap did not give any more details about what kinds of missiles had been launched. The report comes after North Korea fired four short-range missiles over the sea off its eastern coast last week. (Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Se Young Lee; Editing by Paul Tait) Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to visit Ukraine, military options not U.S. focus Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:41 PM PST By Arshad Mohammed and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Sunday said it will send its top diplomat to Kiev in a show of support and threatened economic sanctions against Russia but made clear it is not seriously considering military action over Ukraine. The Obama administration sought to devise a diplomatic and economic strategy to reverse Russia's bloodless seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region and to dissuade Moscow from sending its forces further into the territory of its neighbor. In a series of public statements and private conversations with reporters, however, U.S. officials made it abundantly clear that their desire was to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back without themselves getting into an armed confrontation. Full Story | Top |
| EU not seen matching U.S. threat of sanctions against Russia Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:39 PM PST By Justyna Pawlak and Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is unlikely to match the United States in threatening sanctions against Russia when its foreign ministers meet to discuss Ukraine on Monday, instead pushing for mediation between Moscow and Kiev, officials say. The emergency talks, convened after Russian President Vladimir Putin secured parliamentary approval on Saturday to invade Ukraine, are expected to result in a strongly worded statement of condemnation, but no immediate punitive measures. That will leave the EU a step behind the United States, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatening visa bans, asset freezes and trade restrictions against Russia on Sunday, following the seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea to expel Australian Christian missionary Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:31 PM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has decided to expel an Australian man who was arrested last month while working as a Christian missionary, the North's official KCNA news agency reported on Monday. KCNA said 75-yer-old John Short had admitted to violating North Korean law and apologized. It said North Korea had decided to expel him partly in consideration of his age. (Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Se Young Lee; Editing by Paul Tait) Full Story | Top |
| Britain warns Russia of 'significant costs' over Ukraine Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 03:17 PM PST British Prime Minister David Cameron warned President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that Russia would pay significant costs unless the Kremlin changed course on Ukraine. Cameron said he had agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama that Russia's actions in Ukraine were completely unacceptable, a Downing Street spokesman said. "They agreed that Russia's actions were completely unacceptable. They agreed on the urgent need for de-escalation and for Russia to engage in a dialogue directly with Ukraine," the spokesman said. Full Story | Top |
| Washington could give 'as much support as Ukraine needs': Treasury's Lew Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 02:22 PM PST The United States signaled on Sunday it could give as much financial support as Ukraine needs to get the crisis-hit country's economy back on track. U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who has urged Kiev to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund, said Washington could lend a hand either through bilateral programs or larger international institutions. "The United States is prepared to work with its bilateral and multilateral partners to provide as much support as Ukraine needs," Lew told a conference, adding that Washington was monitoring the situation in Ukraine with "grave concern" after Russia's intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region. Full Story | Top |
| Members of Putin's rights council say no grounds for Ukraine invasion Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 02:18 PM PST By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Members of President Vladimir Putin's human rights council urged him on Sunday not to invade Ukraine, saying threats faced by Russians there were far from severe enough to warrant sending in troops. A statement signed by 27 members of the advisory body reflected deep concern among Russian liberals at the prospect of Kremlin aggression against Russia's neighbor. Putin stunned the world and sparked outrage in the West by securing parliament's consent on Saturday to send armed forces into Ukraine to protect Russian citizens who the Kremlin says are under threat from militant supporters of the government installed after the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich was toppled. Those concerns are overblown, members of the Presidential Council on the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights said in the statement. Full Story | Top |
| Loyal to Ukraine, Tatars lie low as Russia seizes Crimea Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 02:01 PM PST By Alissa de Carbonnel BAKHCHISARAY, Ukraine (Reuters) - Only five days ago, Tatars of Ukraine's Crimea came out in their thousands, chanting Allahu Akbar in a show of loyalty to the new authorities in Kiev and opposition to separatist demands by the region's Russian ethnic majority. "If there is a conflict, as the minority, we will be the first to suffer," said Usein Sarano, 57, as the midday call to prayer rung out from the 16th-century stone minarets of Bakhchisaray, once an ancient Tatar capital. This could be a new Yugoslavia." Back on Wednesday, thousands of Tatars turned out in the streets of Simferopol, the regional capital, marching in favor of Kiev's new government at a counter demonstration to one held by Russian separatists. The next morning before dawn, unidentified armed men seized the Crimean parliament in a mysterious raid, since revealed to have been the start of a military operation launched by Russia's President Vladimir Putin to take control of the region. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to visit Kiev, Ukraine on Tuesday in gesture of support Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:36 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday to stress U.S. political and economic support after Russian forces' bloodless seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| French government seeks pay cuts for CEOs of semi-public firms: paper Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:33 PM PST France's government has asked the chief executives of companies in which it owns a minority stake to accept pay cuts of up to 30 percent in upcoming pay rounds as the country tightens its belt, the daily Le Figaro reported on Sunday. Citing state and company sources, Le Figaro said the Socialist government wanted companies including Air France, carmaker Renault, Safran and GDF Suez to reduce their CEOs' salaries. President Francois Hollande, who is struggling with rock- bottom approval ratings, previously ordered the wages of CEOs of companies in which the state holds a majority stake to be limited to 450,000 euros ($621,500) per year. The government does not have the authority to impose salary limits in companies in which it holds a minority stake, but can apply pressure via a consultative vote. Full Story | Top |
| Obama in talk with Germany's Merkel cites 'illegitimacy' of Russia move in Crimea Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:32 PM PST President Barack Obama discussed the Ukraine crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call on Sunday and underscored the "complete illegitimacy" of Russian's incursion in Ukraine's Crimea, a senior U.S. official said. "(The primary point) in all of his calls has been to underscore the complete illegitimacy of Russia's intervention" in the Crimea region of Ukraine, the official told reporters in a conference call. Full Story | Top |
| Russian PM Medvedev warns Ukraine's new leaders they won't last Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:14 PM PST Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Facebook on Sunday that Ukraine's leaders had seized power illegally, and predicted their rule would end with "a new revolution" and new bloodshed. Medvedev said that, while Viktor Yanukovich had practically no authority, he remained the legitimate head of state according the constitution, adding: "If he is guilty before Ukraine - hold an impeachment procedure ... and try him." "Everything else is lawlessness. The seizure of power," Medvedev said on his Facebook page. He surfaced on Friday in Russia. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela opposition musters thousands for march despite Carnival holiday Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:10 PM PST  By Girish Gupta CARACAS (Reuters) - While many Venezuelans went to the beach to enjoy the Carnival holiday, thousands of anti-government demonstrators marched in the capital on Sunday, trying to keep up the momentum from weeks of protests demanding President Nicolas Maduro resign. The opposition repeatedly staged street protests later that year as well as in 2004, but they fizzled out as protesters grew weary of blocked streets and barricades made from smoldering trash. Full Story | Top |
| China's state planning body grows more assertive as revamp looms Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 01:03 PM PST  By Michael Martina and Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - China will present proposals to revamp its behemoth economic planning agency at an annual session of parliament this week, sources said, but the organization's role as an antitrust regulator could eventually be enhanced. Chinese and foreign companies, including U.S. technology firms Qualcomm Inc. and InterDigital Inc., have fallen afoul of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in recent months as its anti-monopoly arm has become more assertive. The crackdown on price-fixing and monopolistic practices should become more pronounced as the NDRC has said it is ramping up staffing in its antitrust division. Academics and senior officials have forecast a streamlining of the NDRC since President Xi Jinping vowed to make the economy more responsive to market forces and shift to consumer-focused investment from a state-led model. Full Story | Top |
| NATO deplores Russia's actions, offers no hard response Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 12:48 PM PST By Luke Baker and Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia's seizure of Crimea is a threat to peace in Europe and the situation must be "de-escalated", NATO's secretary-general said on Sunday, but the alliance failed to agree any major steps to rein in Russia during emergency talks in Brussels. Speaking before chairing a meeting of ambassadors from the 28 NATO member states, known as the North Atlantic Council, Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that Russia's actions were unacceptable and could destabilize the continent. "What Russia is doing now in Ukraine violates the principles of the United Nations charter," Rasmussen told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Magnitude 6.7 quake hits off Okinawa, Japan Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 12:42 PM PST (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.7 quake struck off Okinawa, Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Sunday, but no tsunami was expected. The USGS said the quake was centered 89 miles north-northwest of Naha, Okinawa, at a depth of almost 70 miles. A tsunami was not expected, the National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. (Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Merkel tells Putin Russia has broken international law in Ukraine Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 12:41 PM PST German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday of breaching international law with "unacceptable Russian intervention" in Ukraine, a German government spokesman said on Sunday. Russian forces have bloodlessly seized Crimea - an isolated Black Sea peninsula with a majority of Russian speakers and where Moscow has a naval base. "The chancellor called upon the Russian President again to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity," deputy government spokesman Georg Streiter said in a statement after a phone call between the two leaders. Putin accepted Merkel's proposal to establish a "fact-finding mission" like a contact group, possibly under the leadership of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to start a political dialogue, the spokesman said. Full Story | Top |
| Massive storm system takes aim at winter-weary Midwest, East Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 12:28 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - A massive winter storm system packing cold air, snow and freezing rain was pummeling the central United States on Sunday and headed for the East Coast, sending temperatures plummeting and causing major delays for weekend travelers. The storm "is going to be a real mess," said Bruce Sullivan, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland. "Ripple-effect flight delays and cancellations are likely to reach nationwide," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. SNOW EMERGENCY Boston and New York City should see only light snowfall, but lingering freezing rain could complicate Monday morning's rush hour for commuters. Full Story | Top |
| NATO urges Russia to bring troops back to bases Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 12:09 PM PST  NATO warned Russia on Sunday that military action against Ukraine was against international law, and expressed grave concern over the Russian parliament's authorization of the use of force. After an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels, the alliance called on Russia to bring its forces back to bases and refrain from interfering in Ukraine. "We urge both parties to immediately seek a peaceful solution through bilateral dialogue, with international facilitation ... and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe," NATO said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| German foreign minister against excluding Russia from G8 Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 11:59 AM PST German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged world leaders on Sunday to work to calm the crisis in Ukraine and defended Russia's membership of the Group of Eight leading economies, which enabled the West to talk directly with Moscow. "The format of the G8 is actually the only one in which we in the West can speak directly with Russia," he told the public broadcaster ARD. "Should we really give up this unique format?" U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry earlier said recent events had "put at question Russia's capacity to be within the G8", which Russia joined in 1998. He urged Ukraine and Russia to talk with one another, if necessary through intermediaries. Full Story | Top |
| Thousands pack the streets as Ivory Coast's Ouattara returns home Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 11:47 AM PST  By Joe Bavier ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Ivorians flooded the streets on Sunday to welcome back President Alassane Ouattara after a month of medical treatment in France that raised fears of a return to domestic political upheaval. Ouattara, who came to power after a brief post-election civil war in 2011, underwent a successful operation to alleviate pain caused by sciatica, his government said last month. Full Story | Top |
| Italy appeals to Russia to negotiate, not invade Ukraine Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 11:17 AM PST Italy appealed to Russia on Sunday not to launch a "totally unacceptable" invasion of Ukraine and said it was extremely worried by recent events in Crimea. "The Italian government supports the pressing requests of the international community for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected," Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's office said in a statement. "Any violation of these principles would be totally unacceptable for Italy," it added. Western countries are scrambling to respond to developments in Ukraine's Crimea region, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the authority to send Russian troops in the biggest standoff between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. Full Story | Top |
| Putin tells Merkel Russia's moves on Ukraine are fitting: Kremlin Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 11:16 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that Russian citizens and Russian-speakers in Ukraine faced an "unflagging" threat from ultranationalists, and that the measures Moscow has taken were completely fitting given the "extraordinary situation", the Kremlin said. In a telephone conversation during which Merkel expressed concern about developments in Ukraine, she and Putin agreed that Russia and Germany would continue consultations in bilateral and multilateral formats to seek the "normalization" of the situation, a Kremlin statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kill French national in Libya's Benghazi Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 10:55 AM PST By Ayman al-Warfalli and Feras Bosalum BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a Frenchman and wounded an Egyptian in separate attacks in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday, security sources said, as insecurity threatens to overwhelm the North African nation. In the capital, Tripoli, protesters stormed parliament to demand the dissolution of the General National Congress (GNC), shooting and wounding two lawmakers and beating others. Many Libyans blamed the GNC and the government for the chaos that persists three years after Muammar Gaddafi's overthrow. A security official named the Frenchman killed in Benghazi as Patrice Real, who worked for a company upgrading a large hospital. Full Story | Top |
| Suspected Islamists kill 85 in northeast Nigeria Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 10:54 AM PST  By Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants have killed at least 85 people in northeastern Nigeria, witnesses and officials said on Sunday, in a further setback to President Goodluck Jonathan's military campaign. Twin bomb blasts in the city of Maiduguri killed at least 46 people on Saturday evening while, around 50 km (30 miles) away, dozens of gunmen were razing a farming village, shooting dead another 39. The attacks will heap pressure on Jonathan, whose intensified military push to end the Islamist sect Boko Haram's four-and-a-half-year-old insurgency has been running for almost a year. While the bloodshed has not diminished, the army had at least had some success in confining it to remote rural areas in recent months, so that the attack on a densely populated market area in Maiduguri will be seen as a setback. Full Story | Top |
| Obama plans to speak to allies on Ukraine: White House Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 10:43 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to speak to allies about the Ukraine situation today, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Sunday. "The president's been working on this issue today," Earnest told reporters. "He has calls planned with our partners and allies in other countries." (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Phil Berlowitz) Full Story | Top |
| British ministers to shun Sochi Paralympics over Ukraine: Cameron Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 10:41 AM PST British government ministers will stay away from the Paralympics in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi due to the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday. Ukraine has mobilized for war and Washington has threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor, creating Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War. "Because of the serious situation in Ukraine, (Foreign Secretary) William Hague and I believe it would be wrong for UK Ministers to attend the Sochi Paralympics," Cameron said on Twitter. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine launches treason case against Navy chief who surrendered Sunday, Mar 02, 2014 10:22 AM PST Ukraine launched a treason case on Sunday against the head of the navy, who surrendered his headquarters on Sunday in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on only his second day on the job. Denis Berezovsky was shown on Russian television swearing allegiance to the pro-Russian regional leaders of Crimea. Russian forces have seized the Black Sea peninsula and told Ukrainian forces there to give up their weapons. "During the blockade by Russian forces of the central headquarters of the navy, he declined to offer resistance and laid down his weapons," said Viktoria Syumar, deputy secretary of Ukraine's Security Council. Full Story | Top |
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