WorldNews

[attach=full]18661[/attach] Mexican police arrested four armed men on Monday accused of firing at the mayor's convoy in Matamoros, a northern city bordering Texas in the grips of drug cartel violence. Mayor Leticia Salazar escaped unscathed from Sunday night's shooting, which took place as she was arriving home in a sport utility vehicle protected by two other vehicles and eight bodyguards, said an official from the Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office. Continue reading...

By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Mali's foreign minister said on Monday Tuareg rebels were running out of time to seal a peace accord that would distance them from jihadi groups who are staging violent attacks in the West African country. Mali's government signed up to a preliminary peace proposal on March 1 meant to end fighting with the Tuarag-led northern separatists, but the rebels have demanded more time before agreeing to any accord. Following attacks over the weekend, including one targeting a restaurant in Mali's capital Bamako, Abdoulaye Diop said the government wanted the deal signed by the end of March to ensure unity in the face of the militant Islamist threat. A Sahara-based Islamist group called al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the restaurant attack, the first in Bamako for years, that killed five people, including two foreigners. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18660[/attach] WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers warned the leaders of Iran on Monday that any nuclear deal they reach with President Barack Obama could expire the day he leaves office. The White House denounced the Republicans' latest effort to undercut the international negotiations as a "rush to war."Monday's open letter from 47 Republican senators marked an unusually public and aggressive attempt to undermine Obama and five world powers as negotiators try to strike an initial deal by the end of March to limit Iran's nuclear programs. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18654[/attach] LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia's president needs to seek medical attention abroad, officials said Monday after the recently elected leader collapsed during a public ceremony over the weekend. Continue reading...

BERLIN (AP) — Local authorities in an eastern German state said Monday they are considering changing the rules on where demonstrations can be held after a village mayor resigned his post following threats from far-right protesters. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18653[/attach] DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Whether by choice or coercion, Dustin Johnson sat out for six months. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18652[/attach] Iran's Navy took delivery Monday of what a top admiral said was a "faster and more agile" domestically produced destroyer which will be used in the Caspian Sea. The ship, named Damavand after the country's highest mountain, is 90 metres (yards) long, weighs 1,300 tonnes and is armed with cruise missile systems, torpedos and electronic warfare equipment. As state television showed pictures of the ship, Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said it would be used to aid anti-drugs smuggling operations and counter-terrorism. The Caspian, the largest enclosed sea in the world, is bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan but there is as yet no definitive legal regime governing its waters. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18651[/attach] A widely-followed "whistle-blower" who tweeted about the Saudi royal family said Monday he has returned to Twitter after a brief suspension by the social media platform of his account. On Friday he told AFP that Twitter cited the posting in April 2014 of a "private document" related to the royal family as the reason his account could no longer be accessed. "I explained to Twitter administrators my high profile as a credible whistle-blower from within the circles of power in Saudi Arabia," he wrote from the email address that was listed with his suspended account. @mujtahidd added that he told Twitter it "constitutes giving in to pressure" if it merely accepted complaints regarding something he published last year. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18648[/attach] MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed a state award Monday on the leader of Chechnya, the North Caucasus strongman who hailed the suspected killer of an opposition politician as a "true patriot." Continue reading...

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia's war crimes court has marked a decade since its establishment with a public pledge to continue hunting down and prosecuting people suspected of crimes during the country's 1992-95 war. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18647[/attach] As the Syrian crisis ends its fourth year, here are some of the key events since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began: Continue reading...

LONDON (AP) — The co-owners of an Irish setter feared poisoned at Britain's leading dog show are devastated by his death — but they don't believe that one of the other competitors is responsible. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18646[/attach] US Republican Senators attempted to further undermine President Barack Obama's efforts to reach a nuclear accord with Iran on Monday, warning Tehran that any deal might not last. In an open letter to the Islamic republic signed by 47 lawmakers, they told Iran any deal signed by Obama must be ratified by Congress or it could be abandoned by any future president. The letter appeared to be another bid to derail the talks under way between Tehran and the P5+1 group of world powers to place Iran's nuclear program under international surveillance. Many Republican senators fear such a deal would loosen economic sanctions on Tehran while leaving it free to secretly attempt to develop nuclear weapons technology. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18640[/attach] By Siva Govindasamy SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Last year was by some measures the safest in the history of commercial aviation, despite two high-profile crashes involving Malaysia Airlines aircraft in which hundreds of people were killed, a leading industry body said on Monday. While more people died in air accidents in 2014 than the average in recent years, the number of fatal accidents compared with the total number of flights was a record low, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "While aviation safety was in the headlines in 2014, the data show that flying continues to improve its safety performance," said Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and chief executive officer, in a statement. IATA, which represents about 250 airlines, said in an annual safety report that there were 12 fatal accidents in 2014 with 641 fatalities, versus 19 fatal accidents and 517 fatalities per year in the five-year period between 2009 and 2013. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18639[/attach] The first attempt to fly around the world in a plane using only solar power launched from Abu Dhabi on Monday on a landmark journey that will test its pilots' endurance to the limit. "The adventure has started," Solar Impulse chairman Bertrand Piccard said emotionally, after pilot Andre Borschberg took off from Abu Dhabi's Al-Bateen airport at 7:12 am (0412 GMT) on the historic circumnavigation aimed at promoting green energy. After four hours' flying, Borschberg was on schedule, having already entered Omani air space and covered just over a third of the distance. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18638[/attach] London equities fell in early trade Monday after a strong US jobs report raised expectations that the Federal Reserve could soon hike interest rates. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index of top companies was down 23.33 points, or 0.34 percent, at 6,888.47 points, with developer Land Securities Group and DIY retailer Kingfisher the biggest fallers. US markets sank Friday after the Labor Department said 295,000 jobs were created in February, pushing the unemployment rate down to 5.5 percent, the lowest level since May 2008. Analysts said the latest strong jobs report -- which also follows a series of other positive indicators -- increased the likelihood the Fed will lift rates from near-zero as early as the summer. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18637[/attach] By Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani court upheld the death sentence on Monday for the killer of the governor of Pakistan's largest province after he had called for reform of a law against blasphemy, media said. Mumtaz Qadri was a bodyguard for Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and was convicted of shooting him dead in Islamabad in January 2011. Taseer was an outspoken critic of predominantly Muslim Pakistan's harsh blasphemy law - which carries the death penalty. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18636[/attach] JERUSALEM (AP) — Jay Leno is making a comeback — in Israel. Continue reading...

CASTRIES, St. Lucia (AP) — A team of independent investigators is alleging that St. Lucia's police force maintained "death lists" of people deemed to be criminals and planted guns at the scenes of police shootings to legitimize their unlawful actions, the Caribbean country's leader announced Sunday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18632[/attach] The first attempt to fly around the world in a plane using solar energy will be launched Monday in Abu Dhabi, its pilots said, in a landmark journey aimed at promoting green energy. The takeoff of Solar Impulse 2, which was delayed on Saturday due to high winds, would cap 13 years of research and testing by Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. "This project is a human project, it is a human challenge," Borschberg, co-founder and chief executive of Solar Impulse who will fly the plane on the first leg, told reporters on Sunday. It will take off from Abu Dhabi on Monday at 6:30 am (0230 GMT), landing first in Muscat, Oman. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18631[/attach] MILAN (AP) — After winning the English League Cup to end a trophy drought of nearly three years, Jose Mourinho now has his sights set on joining Carlo Ancelotti and Bob Paisley as the only managers to win the Champions League or European Cup three times. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18630[/attach] Afghanistan have exceeded expectations at their first World Cup but need to keep playing against top sides to maintain momentum and become a real force in the game, coach Andy Moles said Monday. Afghanistan proved competitive in their tournament debut, including posting a win against Scotland, even though the minnow nation only contested their first one-day international in 2009. Moles said his players, many of whom learned their cricket in refugee camps, were passionate about showing the world there was more to their country than war and unrest. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18629[/attach] HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Cricket World Cup squad might be forced to change its lineup for its final pool match this week after several players came down with a stomach illness on Monday. Continue reading...

[attach=full]18624[/attach] RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Alex Cejka won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, making a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a five-man playoff. Continue reading...

A low pressure system off northeastern Australia holds up to a 50 percent chance of intensifying to cyclone strength over the next two days and slamming into a region devastated two weeks ago by Cyclone Marcia, according to meteorologists. "This low is expected to deepen during the next few days and has a moderate potential to develop into a tropical cyclone on Tuesday or Wednesday," Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Monday. Insurance Australia Group is facing 3,500 claims totaling up to A$90 million ($70 million) from damage caused by Marcia. Continue reading...