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| China again urges calm and restraint in Ukraine Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 09:00 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong on Monday repeated Beijing's call for calm and restraint in Ukraine, after Crimea's Moscow-backed leaders declared a 96-percent vote in favor of quitting Ukraine and annexation by Russia. Li, speaking to reporters ahead of a visit to Europe by President Xi Jinping later this month, added that a political settlement was the only way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill) Full Story | Top |
| Defense at bin Laden son-in-law trial cites alleged 9/11 mastermind Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 08:52 PM PDT  By Bernard Vaughan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Suleiman Abu Ghaith, on trial in New York, had no role in al Qaeda military operations, said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, according to court documents filed late on Sunday. Abu Ghaith's lawyers submitted Mohammed's responses to their written questions along with a request to allow his testimony at the nearly two-week-old jury trial at which Abu Ghaith is charged with conspiring to kill Americans. The U.S. government contends that Abu Ghaith, 48, became a leader of al Qaeda militants after the September 11, 2001, attacks as a spokesman and recruiter of fighters, and that he knew of planned attacks against the United States. Abu Ghaith's lawyers argue there is no evidence that he knew of future attacks. Full Story | Top |
| Japan does not recognize Crimea vote: government spokesman Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 07:40 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government does not recognize a referendum in Crimea on seceding from Ukraine and calls upon Russia not to annex the Ukrainian region, its top government spokesman said on Monday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that Tokyo will respond on sanctions against Russia in coordination with the Group of Seven leading economies. Crimea's Moscow-backed leaders declared a 96-percent vote in favor of quitting Ukraine and annexation by Russia in a referendum Western powers said was illegal and will bring immediate sanctions. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea fires 25 short-range and obsolete rockets: South Korea Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 07:22 PM PDT North Korea fired 10 short-range missiles into the sea off the east of the Korean peninsula on Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing unidentified government officials in South Korea. North Korea is not banned from short-range missile launches under U.N. sanctions and frequently tests its arsenal. The U.S. State Department said it was closely monitoring the situation after the reports of the missile firing. "We once again call on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a brief statement. Full Story | Top |
| Moscow wins overwhelming Crimea vote, West readies sanctions Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 07:04 PM PDT  By Mike Collett-White and Alastair Macdonald SIMFEROPOL/KIEV (Reuters) - Crimea's Moscow-backed leaders declared a 96-percent vote in favour of quitting Ukraine and annexation by Russia in a referendum Western powers said was illegal and will bring immediate sanctions. As state media in Russia carried a startling reminder of its power to turn the United States to "radioactive ash", President Barack Obama spoke to Vladimir Putin, telling the Russian president that he and his European allies were ready to impose "additional costs" on Moscow for violating Ukraine's territory. But Obama said Russian forces must first end "incursions" into its ex-Soviet neighbor while Putin renewed his accusation that the new leadership in Kiev, brought to power by an uprising last month against his elected Ukrainian ally, were failing to protect Russian-speakers from violent Ukrainian nationalists. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry urges Abbas to make 'tough decisions' on peace Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 06:55 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday "to make the tough decisions that will be necessary" before an April 29 deadline for a peace deal with Israel, a U.S. official said. President Barack Obama meets Abbas on Monday, nearly two weeks after the U.S. leader sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he was prepared to make a "historic peace" with the Palestinians but offered no concessions in public. Kerry brought Israel and the Palestinians back into negotiations on July 29 after a three-year gap, and said at the time that "our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months." As the April 29 deadline approaches, U.S. officials have scaled back their ambitions, saying they are now trying to forge a "framework for negotiations" by then. Kerry himself suggested on February 26 a full peace deal could take a further nine months. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico's national security commissioner resigns Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 06:10 PM PDT Mexico's national security commissioner Manuel Mondragon has resigned, the interior minister said on Sunday, raising questions about the government's strategy to stamp out organized crime. "I accepted the request by (Mondragon) to retire from the field," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said on his Twitter account. It was not immediately clear why Mondragon, who is well over 70, was stepping down. Osorio Chong did not give an explanation, saying only that he would make the official announcement on Tuesday and that Mondragon will now work on security strategy. Full Story | Top |
| Strong quake jolts Chile's North, no major damage Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 06:08 PM PDT  A strong quake struck off northern Chile on Sunday evening, triggering a brief evacuation of part of the coastal area but not causing any injuries or significant damage. The magnitude 6.7 quake, originally measured as a 7.0, was centered 37 miles west-northwest of Iquique and hit at a depth of 12.4 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The ONEMI emergency office said there was no major damage stemming from the shake, which struck at 6:16 p.m. local time (2116 GMT), save for two small roadside rock falls in the Arica and Parinacota region. Chile's massive copper mines, clustered in the mineral-rich North, appeared to be fine. Full Story | Top |
| 'Good night': Haunting final contact from missing Malaysian jet Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 05:33 PM PDT  By Anshuman Daga, Niluksi Koswanage and Tim Hepher KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The last words from the cockpit of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 - "all right, good night" - were uttered after someone on board had already begun disabling one of the plane's automatic tracking systems, a senior Malaysian official said. Both the timing and informal nature of the phrase, spoken to air traffic controllers as the plane with 239 people aboard was leaving Malaysian-run airspace on a March 8 flight to Beijing, could further heighten suspicions of hijacking or sabotage. The sign-off came after one of the plane's data communication systems, which would have enabled it to be tracked beyond radar coverage, had been deliberately switched off, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Sunday. The pilot's informal hand-off went against standard radio procedures, which would have called for him to read back instructions for contacting the next control center and include the aircraft's call sign, said Hugh Dibley, a former British Airways pilot and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Full Story | Top |
| Soldiers storm Venezuelan protesters' stronghold Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 05:07 PM PDT  By Esteban Israel and Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan troops stormed a Caracas square on Sunday to evict protesters who turned it into a stronghold during six weeks of demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro. National Guard soldiers fired tear gas and turned water cannons on hundreds of demonstrators who hurled rocks and some petrol bombs before abandoning Plaza Altamira, in affluent east Caracas, which has been the scene of daily clashes. "We are going to carry on liberating spaces taken by the protesters," the 51-year-old successor to late leader Hugo Chavez said in a speech at a pro-government rally in a different part of Caracas on Sunday. Militant opposition leaders and students have been urging Venezuelans onto the streets to protest issues ranging from crime and shortages of goods to the presence of Cuban advisers in Venezuela's army and other state institutions. Full Story | Top |
| Obama warns Putin that U.S. ready to impose sanctions on Russia Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 05:02 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday the United States rejected the results of a secession referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region and warned that Washington was ready to impose sanctions on Moscow over the crisis. With Washington and its European allies expected to slap "targeted" punitive measures on Russian officials as early as Monday, the White House said Obama made clear to Putin that the dispute could still be resolved diplomatically but that Russia first must halt military incursions into Ukrainian territory. Full Story | Top |
| Strong quake hits off Chile's North coast, no damage Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 04:20 PM PDT A strong quake struck off northern Chile on Sunday evening, triggering a preventive evacuation of part of the coastal area but not causing any injuries or damage to the country's crucial copper mines. The magnitude 6.7 quake, originally measured as a 7.0, was centered 37 miles west-northwest of Iquique and hit at a depth of 12.4 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The ONEMI emergency office said that preliminarily no damage or injuries had been reported after the shake, which struck at 6:16 p.m. local time (2116 GMT). Chile's massive mines, clustered in the mineral-rich North, appeared to be fine. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine says forces control and secure gas network Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 04:02 PM PDT The Ukrainian interior ministry said on Sunday its forces had taken full control of the country's gas transport and distribution system and put it under special guard. Ukraine is in turmoil following last month's overthrow of the Moscow-backed president and the Russian takeover of the Crimea peninsula. With the Kremlin warning that it might send forces to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian nationalists, Ukrainian media have quoted one prominent far-right group saying it could punish a Russian invasion by attacking pipelines that carry Russia's gas exports through Ukraine to Western Europe. Full Story | Top |
| EU to adopt Russia sanctions as Crimea crisis deepens Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 04:02 PM PDT By Adrian Croft and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will raise the stakes in a confrontation with Russia over Ukraine on Monday by slapping sanctions on Russian officials, a day after voters in Ukraine's Crimea region opted to join Russia in a referendum the EU condemned as illegal. EU diplomats worked late into the night on Sunday, haggling over a list of people in Crimea and Russia who will be hit with travel bans and asset freezes for actions which "threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." The initial list of 120 to 130 names, including senior figures in Russia's military and political establishment, will be whittled down to perhaps "tens or scores" of people before EU foreign ministers take the final decision in Brussels on Monday, diplomats say. Full Story | Top |
| More clashes in Caracas after anti-Cuba protest Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 03:57 PM PDT By Deisy Buitrago and Esteban Israel CARACAS (Reuters) - Opponents of Venezuela's socialist government marched on Sunday to protest against alleged Cuban interference in the armed forces, with clashes breaking out afterwards in a Caracas square. Several thousand people marched towards the Carlota military air base in the latest of daily demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's government that began in early February. Security forces stopped them from reaching the base, however, and some student protesters went instead to Plaza Altamira, an opposition stronghold, where they threw stones at troops firing rounds of tear gas. Militant opposition leaders and students have been urging Venezuelans onto the streets to protest over issues ranging from crime and shortages of goods to the presence of Cuban advisers in Venezuela's army and other state institutions. Full Story | Top |
| Obama to Putin: U.S. ready to 'impose additional costs' for Ukraine Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 03:54 PM PDT President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Sunday that the United States rejected the results of a referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region and warned that Washington was ready to impose sanctions on Moscow over the crisis. "He (Obama) emphasized that Russia's actions were in violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in coordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its actions," the White House said in a statement. Obama told Putin the crisis could still be resolved diplomatically, but said the Russian military would need to first stop its "incursions" into Ukraine, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| Syrian forces fully control rebel stronghold near Lebanon Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 03:41 PM PDT  By Mariam Karouny and Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces backed by Hezbollah militants took full control of the town of Yabroud on Sunday after driving out rebels, helping President Bashar al-Assad secure the land route connecting the capital Damascus with Aleppo and the Mediterranean coast. The fall of Yabroud, the last rebel bastion near the Lebanese border, could sever a vital insurgent supply line from Lebanon and consolidate government control over a swathe of territory from Damascus to the central city of Homs. A suicide bomber killed three people in a strike on a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday. Radical Sunni groups have pledged to attack the Shi'ite Muslim militant group in Lebanon until it withdraws from Syria. Full Story | Top |
| Russia can turn U.S. to radioactive ash: Kremlin-backed journalist Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 03:36 PM PDT By Lidia Kelly MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Kremlin-backed journalist issued a stark warning to the United States about Moscow's nuclear capabilities on Sunday as the White House threatened sanctions over Crimea's referendum on union with Russia. "Russia is the only country in the world that is realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash," television presenter Dmitry Kiselyov said on his weekly current affairs show. Kiselyov was named by President Vladimir Putin in December as the head of a new state news agency whose task will be to portray Russia in the best possible light. His remarks took a propaganda war over events in Ukraine to a new level as tensions rise in the East-West standoff over Crimea, a southern Ukrainian region which is now in Russian forces' hands and voted on Sunday on union with Russia. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea fires 10 short-range missiles: Yonhap Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 03:22 PM PDT North Korea fired 10 short-range missiles into the sea off the east of the Korean peninsula on Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing unidentified government officials in South Korea. Yonhap said the missiles flew for 70 km (45 miles) before splashing into the sea. North Korea is not banned from short-range missile launches under U.N. sanctions and frequently tests its arsenal. The U.S. State Department said it was closely monitoring the situation after the reports of the missile firing. Full Story | Top |
| Crimea assembly speaker expects quick Moscow decision on union Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 02:49 PM PDT The speaker of Crimea's regional assembly said Moscow was likely to respond swiftly to Sunday's referendum on the southern Ukrainian region joining Russia. With more than half the votes counted, the head of the referendum commission said more than 95 percent of ballots had been cast in favor of union with the Russian Federation, which is widely expected to accept Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| Serbia's centre-right claims majority unseen since Milosevic Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 02:40 PM PDT  By Ivana Sekularac and Matt Robinson BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's centre-right Progressives, a party of former ultra-nationalists converted to the cause of European Union membership, won an outright majority in parliament on Sunday promising deep economic reform. The margin of victory, rivalling the results of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic during the war years of the 1990s, will see Progressive Party (SNS) leader Aleksandar Vucic become prime minister as Serbia embarks on talks to join the EU. Pollster Cesid said the Progressives had won 48.8 percent of ballots cast, which under Serbia's electoral system would translate into around 157 seats in the 250-seat parliament. "My goal is not to be rich, my goal is for the people of Serbia to live better," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Crimeans vote over 90 percent to quit Ukraine for Russia Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 02:25 PM PDT  By Mike Collett-White and Ronald Popeski SIMFEROPOL/KIEV (Reuters) - Russian state media said Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to break with Ukraine and join Russia on Sunday, as Kiev accused Moscow of pouring forces into the peninsula and warned separatist leaders "the ground will burn under their feet". With over half the votes counted, 95.5 percent had chosen the option of annexation by Moscow, the head of the referendum commission, Mikhail Malyshev, said two hours after polls closed. Western powers and leaders in Kiev denounced it as a sham. Underlining how Moscow's military takeover of the peninsula two weeks ago has driven Russia and the West into a crisis with echoes of the Cold War, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama spoke by telephone and, according to the Kremlin, the Russian and U.S. presidents agreed on a need to cooperate to stabilize Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges North Korea to refrain from provocative actions Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 02:20 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Sunday called on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions following reports Pyongyang had fired 10 short-range missiles into the sea off the east of the Korean peninsula. "We are closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a brief statement. "We once again call on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Putin expresses fears to Obama about Russian speakers in Ukraine Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 02:04 PM PDT President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday Crimea's referendum on union with Russia was legitimate and expressed concern about Kiev's failure to stamp out violence against Russian speakers in Ukraine. "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin drew attention to the inability and unwillingness of the present authorities in Kiev to curb rampant violence by ultra-nationalist and radical groups that destabilize the situation and terrorize civilians, including Russian speaking population," the Kremlin said. He suggested European monitors should be sent to all parts of Ukraine because of the violence, which the Ukrainian authorities blame on pro-Russian groups. Russian parliament has given Putin the authority to use the armed forces if needed to protect compatriots in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bomb kills three in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley: security source Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 01:55 PM PDT At least three people were killed and six wounded when a suicide car bomber struck a petrol station in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley near the border with Syria, a security source said. He said two of the dead were members of Hezbollah who had approached the vehicle in the town of Nabi Osmane, a bastion of the Shi'ite Muslim militant group, which has been the target of attacks over its involvement in Syria's civil war next door. What appeared to be the structure of the petrol station and an adjacent building were heavily damaged. Hezbollah is fighting alongside Syrian government forces against a Sunni Muslim-led insurgency seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. Full Story | Top |
| Partial results show 95 percent backing for Crimea joining Russia: RIA Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 01:54 PM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - More than 95 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region supported union with Russia in a referendum on Sunday, according to partial results quoted by Russian state news agency RIA. It said the figure was provided by Mikhail Malyshev, head of the referendum commission, after more than half the votes were counted on the Black Sea peninsula where Russian forces have seized control. (Reporting by Lidia kelly, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rejects Crimea referendum, warns Russia of imminent sanctions Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 01:43 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned Russia on Sunday that Western sanctions were imminent and Moscow would pay an increasing price for its military intervention in Ukraine as the White House rejected a referendum in the Crimea region that it was powerless to stop. With Washington and its European allies expected to unveil coordinated punitive measures against Moscow as early as Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russia must pull its forces in Crimea back to their bases. Full Story | Top |
| Tanker that loaded oil in Libyan rebel port still in Mediterranean Sea: minister Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 01:07 PM PDT A tanker that loaded oil at a Libyan port held by rebels is still sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, a government minister said on Sunday, contradicting claims by the rebels that it had reached its destination. The rebels, in the east of the country, who are calling for a greater share of oil wealth and autonomy, managed last week to load crude onto a 37,000 metric ton-tanker, which escaped the Libyan navy, embarrassing the weak central government and prompting parliament to vote the prime minister out of office. "The tanker is still in the Mediterranean Sea." He gave no more details, saying only that the tanker's movements were "being monitored internationally." On Saturday, the rebels said the tanker had reached its final port, without saying where. The Libyan navy lost contact with the tanker after firing on it on Monday or Tuesday, officials have said. Full Story | Top |
| Tense Crimea votes overwhelmingly to leave Ukraine for Russia Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 12:58 PM PDT By Aleksandar Vasovic and Mike Collett-White SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to break away from Ukraine and join Russia in a referendum on Sunday that has alarmed the former Soviet republic and triggered the worst crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War. According to results of an exit poll announced first on Russian media, 93 percent of voters backed a union with Moscow, 60 years after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, an ethnic Ukrainian, gifted Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on an apparent whim. Thousands of people filled Lenin Square in the centre of Simferopol, Crimea's capital, and waved Crimean and Russian flags in a festive celebration of what most locals wanted. "We cannot be any worse off than we are now," said Lyudmila Sergeyevna, a 64-year-old who was born in Simferopol and has lived on the peninsula all her life. Full Story | Top |
| Popularity of Peru's Humala tumbles as political crisis balloons Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 12:43 PM PDT  By Teresa Cespedes LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Peruvian President Ollanta Humala's approval rating in March dove back down to the lowest levels of his presidency, stung by a political crisis and amid discontent over income distribution, a poll showed on Sunday. Humala's popularity shed 8 percentage points to fall to 25 percent, according to the Ipsos Peru poll published in newspaper El Comercio. But the boost appears to have been short-lived, and Humala's slumping popularity comes at a particularly thorny moment for the leader who took power in 2011. Congress failed to ratify his new Cabinet on Friday as some lawmakers complained it reflected meddling by powerful first lady Nadine Heredia in the government, creating a major political crisis and effectively leaving the government in limbo. Full Story | Top |
| France demands Russia stops 'dangerous' escalation in Ukraine Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 12:35 PM PDT France on Sunday demanded Russia immediately take measures to reduce "pointless and dangerous" tensions in Ukraine, calling the secession referendum held in the Crimea region illegal. "(Russia) must recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. "France calls on the Russian Federation to immediately take measures that will avoid a pointless and dangerous escalation in Ukraine." He added that the referendum in Crimea was illegal and went against the Ukrainian constitution especially given that it took place with the threat of Russian military force. Full Story | Top |
| In China, Michelle Obama to stay firmly in 'mom in chief' mode Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 11:55 AM PDT  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is expected to steer clear of controversial issues such as human rights when she visits China this week but her trip could help advance a top item on her husband's foreign policy agenda: deepening Washington's ties with Beijing. The week-long trip marks only the third foreign solo trip for Obama, who has cultivated a self-described "mom in chief" image, putting her energy into raising her daughters Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, and signature domestic policy issues such as combating childhood obesity. She has joked that her motto during her husband's White House tenure has been to "do no harm." In keeping with that cautious approach, the White House said Obama's message on the trip will focus on cultural ties between the two countries and "the power and importance of education" for young people in both countries. But her trip, which will be front-page news in China and closely parsed by media, will carry important symbolic value. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. urges Russia to pull troops in Crimea back to barracks Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 11:52 AM PDT The United States told Russia on Sunday that it would not accept the results of Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine and urged Moscow to pull its forces in Crimea back to their bases, a senior U.S. State Department official said. The U.S. official was offering an account of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who, according to a Russian statement, "agreed to continue work to find a resolution on Ukraine through a speedy launch of constitutional reform." The U.S. official made clear Washington was pleased by Moscow's emphasis on constitutional reforms, describing this as "positive." The official stressed, however, that what troubled the United States most were Russian troop movements into Crimea. "It is Russia's military movements and escalatory steps that are raising the greatest concern," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after Kerry and Lavrov spoke on Sunday, the day of the referendum in Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| Frontrunner to lead India picks holy Hindu city for election race Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 11:45 AM PDT  By Frank Jack Daniel NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The frontrunner to become India's next prime minister has announced he will run for election in the holy city of Varanasi, a decision that could galvanize support among fellow Hindus but may focus attention on accusations of religious bias. As India heads towards a general election that will start next month, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Saturday the seat he will contest will be in Varanasi, where pilgrims come to wash away their sins in the sacred Ganges river. Running for election in the ancient city, sometimes called the heart of Hinduism, will help Modi brush up his Hindu nationalist credentials and also focus his campaign on a key swing area, India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh. "Grateful to the Party for giving me opportunity to contest the election from the holy city of Varanasi! An honor to contest from Varanasi," Modi wrote on Twitter. Full Story | Top |
| White House says Russia to face 'increasing costs' for Ukraine crisis Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 11:33 AM PDT The White House on Sunday rejected the referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region and said Russia will pay a price for its military intervention in the region through sanctions and increased instability. "As the United States and our allies have made clear, military intervention and violation of international law will bring increasing costs for Russia - not only due to measures imposed by the United States and our allies but also as a direct result of Russia's own destabilizing actions," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Pro-Russian demonstrators burn books, storm buildings in eastern Ukraine Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 11:22 AM PDT By Lina Kushch DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian demonstrators in eastern Ukraine smashed their way into public buildings and burned Ukrainian-language books on Sunday in further protests following two deadly clashes in the region last week. Protests, some several thousand strong, spread to Russian-speaking southern districts as Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, under the control of the Russian military for two weeks, voted in a referendum on joining Russia. Clashes have broken out when rival rallies take place in proximity - pro-Russian groups against others backing the call by Ukraine's leaders for closer ties with the European Union. The footage then showed young men seizing Ukrainian-language books, including a volume devoted to the 1932-1933 man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine, which killed from 7-10 million people. Full Story | Top |
| Peru's former president, Fujimori, discharged from hospital after stroke Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 10:32 AM PDT  Peru's jailed former president, Alberto Fujimori, has been discharged from hospital following a small stroke on Friday, his doctor said on Sunday. Fujimori, 75, returned on Saturday to the jail where he is serving 25 years on charges of human rights abuses and corruption committed during his 1990-2000 term. "We discharged him because he's doing much better, he's already moving the left side he wasn't moving before, his sensitivity has improved and he'll continue to receive medicine and treatment in prison," Dr Juan Barreto told Reuters. Fujimori, who has been imprisoned since 2007, often coordinates with members of his influential political party from his jail cell and criticizes President Ollanta Humala via Twitter and Facebook. Full Story | Top |
| Police hunt for motive as search for Malaysian jet spans hemispheres Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 10:25 AM PDT By Anshuman Daga, Niluksi Koswanage and Tim Hepher KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian investigators are trawling through the backgrounds of the pilots, crew and ground staff who worked on a missing jetliner for clues as to why someone on board flew it perhaps thousands of miles off course, the country's police chief said. Background checks of passengers on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 have drawn a blank, but not every country whose nationals were on board has responded to requests for information, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference on Sunday. No trace of the Boeing 777-200ER has been found since it vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, but investigators believe it was diverted by someone who knew how to switch off its communications and tracking systems. Malaysia briefed envoys from nearly two dozen nations and appealed for international help in the search for the plane along two arcs stretching from the shores of Caspian Sea to the far south of the Indian Ocean. Full Story | Top |
| Hindu temple set on fire in Pakistan over blasphemy Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 10:17 AM PDT  By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of angry Pakistanis attacked a Hindu temple and set it on fire in southern Pakistan overnight following a rumor that a member of the Hindu community had desecrated the Koran, police and community leaders said on Sunday. The incident took place just before midnight on Saturday after locals in Larkana district alleged that Sangeet Kumar, 42, had torn out pages of Islam's holy book and tossed them down on the street from the roof of his home. All the statues have been destroyed by the attackers," Kalpana Devi, chairperson of the local Hindu committee, told Reuters. They also set fire to the temple before ransacking it." Sindh province, where the attack took place, is home to most of Pakistan's small Hindu community which numbers about two million among a population of about 180 million. Full Story | Top |
| Mali detains commander of Islamist group MUJWA: military source Sunday, Mar 16, 2014 10:09 AM PDT Malian authorities are holding one of the country's most wanted Islamist fighters after he surrendered to French troops, a military source and French radio said on Sunday. France had been pursuing Abu Dar Dar, a leader of the al Qaeda-linked Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA), since Paris launched a military offensive in January 2013 to drive out Islamists who had seized control of northern Mali. "I confirm that Abu Dar Dar has handed himself into Serval troops," said a Malian military source in the northern city of Gao, using the name of the French military mission. "He was then turned over to our troops and transferred immediately to Bamako since yesterday evening." Several fighters in the region go by the name Abu Dar Dar and the source did not specify which one had been detained. Full Story | Top |
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