Serbia's prime minister lashed out today at the UN war crimes court that tried radical Serb leader Vojislav Seselj, accusing it of being "political" and failing to reconcile the Balkans.
	Ultranationalist Seselj was acquitted yesterday on nine charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising from the 1990s Balkan conflicts after "what was without a shadow of a doubt a political trial", Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said.
	He told reporters in Belgrade that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague had "acted mainly as a political court, not a legal institution".
	Many Serbs feel the court has unfairly targeted them in its quest to bring alleged Balkan war criminals to justice. Croats and Muslims, on the other hand, reacted angrily to Seselj's surprise acquittal.
	A week before the verdict, the tribunal's judges sentenced wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to 40 years in jail for genocide, war crimes and crimes against ...

'Political UN war crimes court failed to reconcile Balkans'

PTI Automatic

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi faced calls to resign today after one of his ministers was forced to quit over allegations she tweaked the country's 2015 budget to suit her businessman boyfriend.
	Economic Development Minister Federica Guidi stepped down yesterday, hours after it was announced that her partner, Gianluca Gemelli, is under criminal investigation for abusing his personal connection to the centre-left government in a suspected bid to help his engineering company win contracts with French oil group Total.
	At the centre of the scandal is a wiretap recording of Guidi telling her partner that an amendment to the budget law related to Tempa Rossa, an oilfield Total is developing in southern Italy, would be approved.
	"We should be able to put it to the Senate tomorrow," the minister is heard to say.
	Commentators were unanimous in saying the remark had left Guidi, 46, with no option but to quit while Renzi was widely reported to have been left fuming over the damage the ..

Italy's Renzi under fire as sleaze forces minister out

The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel has shut down its offices in Lebanon, it said today, in a new sign of tensions between the kingdom and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
	The Beirut offices of Al-Arabiya and its sister channel Al-Hadath, which offers extensive coverage of political news, have been closed and they no longer have any correspondents in Lebanon, a spokesman told AFP.
	In a statement, the Dubai-based channel said it has "restructured" its operations in Lebanon "due to the difficult circumstances and challenges on ground, and out of Al-Arabiya's concern for the safety of its own employees and those employed by its providers."
	It said it would nonetheless "continue to closely cover Lebanese affairs."
	The channel said it would help employees affected by the decision to find jobs elsewhere with Al-Arabiya or its providers.
	Those dismissed would be given "their full legitimate rights" and "other exceptional grants".
	Shiite militant group Hezbollah is the leading ...

Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television shuts Lebanon offices

Tribune Publishing announced today it won a bankruptcy auction for the Orange County Register, giving the Los Angeles Times owner a dominant position in newspapers for Southern California.
	The company, which owns a group of 11 metropolitan dailies which also includes the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun, said it would pay USD 56 million for the assets of Freedom Communications.
	That will give Tribune - the publishing unit broken off the larger Tribune Co conglomerate in 2014 - the Orange County Register and the Press-Enterprise, along with real estate assets.
	"The successful bid for the business of Freedom Communications will allow the Orange County Register and the Press-Enterprise to continue providing a distinct local voice in their communities and deliver premium news and information to consumers across Southern California," said Justin Dearborn, chief executive of Tribune Publishing.
	The bid must be approved at a bankruptcy court hearing scheduled for March 21.
	But the ...

Tribune Publishing wins bid for California newspaper

Syria's Kurds today declared a federal region in areas under their control in the north of the conflict-riven country, but both the government and an opposition coalition rejected the move.
	The announcement is likely to anger neighbouring Turkey and has complicated peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the five-year civil war.
	The United States, a key backer of Kurdish fighters in the battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, has also warned it would not recognise any self-ruled Kurdish region within Syria.
	More than 150 delegates from Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian and other parties meeting in Syria agreed to create a "federal system" unifying territory run by Kurds across several Syrian provinces.
	"We have given our blessing for the establishment of a federal system in Rojava (three Kurdish cantons) and northern Syria," said Aldar Khalil, a member of the conference's preparatory committee.
	Sihanuk Dibo from Syria's leading Kurdish faction, the Democratic Union Party, said ...

Kurds declare federal region in north Syria

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in today as chief of staff to his embattled successor Dilma Rousseff amid angry protests from opponents who accuse him of trying to dodge corruption charges.
	Lula took office in a tumultuous scene at the presidential palace, where a protester shouted "Shame!" and the ex-president's supporters chanted slogans accusing their opponents of seeking a "coup."
	"The putschists' shouting won't make me veer from my path or bring us to our knees," said Rousseff as she sealed her risky bet to team up again with her old mentor.
	Lula, the once wildly popular president who led Brazil from 2003 to 2011, is facing corruption charges and a request for his arrest in connection with an explosive scandal centered on state oil company Petrobras.
	He now escapes possible arrest thanks to his new ministerial immunity. Under Brazilian law, cabinet ministers can only be tried before the Supreme Court.
	The Sao Paulo stock market, meanwhile, shot .

Brazil's ex-prez Lula sworn in as Rousseff's chief of staff

Israel's standoff with Brazil over the naming of a controversial ex-settlement leader as ambassador to Brasilia was ended today but reignited hours later due to an "unfortunate bureaucratic mistake".
	The country initially announced it would be seeking a new candidate for ambassador, effectively ending the eight-month standoff, but later reversed its position.
	Brazil has refused to accept the nomination of Danny Dayan, selected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last August.
	Israel's government had dug in its heels, refusing to suggest an alternative candidate, but early today announced it had invited new applications for the post.
	"The foreign ministry human resources department has published today a tender which is addressed to the Israeli diplomats here at the foreign ministry, for the position of ambassador in Brasilia," foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP.
	An hour later, however, Nahshon said the statement was incorrect and confirmed that Dayan was still ...

Israel-Brazil row over 'settler' envoy back on after gaffe

President Vladimir Putin today warned Russia could ramp up its military presence in Syria within "several hours" if needed, as he urged all sides of the conflict to respect a ceasefire.
	Putin spoke during a ceremony in the Kremlin's sumptuous St George's Hall to bestow awards on servicemen who fought in Syria, with the military's top brass among some 700 personnel from the armed forces in attendance.
	"If there's a need, Russia literally within several hours can ramp up its presence in the region to the size required for the unfolding situation and use the whole arsenal of possibilities we have at our disposal."
	"We would not want to do that, a military escalation is not our choice," he added.
	"And that's why we put our hopes in the common sense of all parties, in the commitment to the peace process of both the Syrian authorities and the opposition."
	On Monday, Putin ordered the surprise withdrawal of most of armed forces from Syria, saying Moscow's task had been "on the whole" ...

Putin warns Russia can ramp up military presence in Syria

The US declared today that the Islamic State group's slaughter of Christians, Yazidis and Shiites amounts to a genocide and vowed to halt it.
	Secretary of State John Kerry made the proclamation after Congress demanded Washington recognise that the group seeks to exterminate religious minorities.
	"Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions, in what it says, what it believes and what it does," Kerry declared.
	"Daesh is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases also against Sunni Muslims, Kurds and other minorities," he added.
	The Islamic State group has regularly carried out mass killings of Shiite Muslims, Christians and Yazidis. In June 2014 it seized the formerly cosmopolitan city of Mosul in northern Iraq, placing whole communities under threat of murder, rape or enslavement.
	Already in March last year, UN investigators warned the self-proclaimed caliphate was trying to wipe out ...

US: Islamic State carrying out 'genocide'

He now seeks redemption for stealing from a Saudi prince in 1989, triggering an unresolved feud between Thailand, Saudi Arabia

Thai gardener behind $20 mn Saudi gem heist becomes monk

Press Trust of India

The number of people killed in air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition on a market in northern Yemen's Hajja province on Tuesday has risen to 119, a UN agency said.
	The strikes saw 119 killed, including up to 22 children, and 47 injured, the UNICEF children's agency said in a statement.
	Local health officials had previously reported 41 people killed.

Death toll from strikes on Yemen market rises to 119: UN

A Philippine banker shifted USD 81 million stolen from Bangladesh's central bank into various accounts because she feared for her life, her colleague told a parliamentary investigation today.
	Maia Deguito, manager of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) branch in Manila's financial district could only muster a blank stare when discussing the dirty money, said Romualdo Agarrado, a senior officer in the same branch.
	"She just looked at me with a blank stare and said: I would rather do this than get killed, or my family," Agarrado told the Senate inquiry.
	In a scam that shocked the financial world, unknown hackers tried to steal around USD 1 billion from Bangladesh's deposits with the US Federal Reserve in New York on February 5.
	They got away with USD 81 million -- sending it to the RCBC branch managed by Deguito -- before the scam was uncovered.
	Authorities have lost track of the money, with significant amounts believed to have been laundered through Philippine ...

Philippine bankers in Bangladesh heist feared for lives

Japan's Toshiba has sold its medical devices unit to camera and office equipment maker Canon for almost USD 6 billion, it said today, as it sheds businesses to recover from a major accounting scandal.
	The deal came as Toshiba's share price plunged nearly eight percent after a report it was under investigation by US authorities over allegations it hid losses in its nuclear business.
	News of the Canon deal comes as Toshiba expects a whopping loss of about $6.0 billion for the year to March due to sagging global demand and a profit-padding scandal, in which high-handed bosses for years systematically pushed their subordinates to cover-up weak financial figures.
	In the wake of the scandal, Toshiba -- a vast conglomerate that makes everything from rice cookers to nuclear plants -- has ushered in thousands of job cuts and plans to sell various business units in a bid to revive its fortunes.
	Under the deal Toshiba sold all its shares in Toshiba Medical Systems, a major producer of ...

Toshiba sells medical devices unit to Canon for USD 5.9 bn

The Islamic State jihadist group today released pictures of six men being executed on charges of "spying" for the Iraqi government in the city of Fallujah.
	   In a statement posted on social media, the IS jihadists use three different methods to execute their victims, all wearing orange jumpsuits.
	   "The judicial police carried out death sentences issued by an Islamic court in Fallujah against several apostates after they were convicted of spying," the statement said.
	   The statement was written like an official government release and described the circumstances that led to the capture of each of the six men.
	   The pictures showed masked IS fighters in full tactical gear, against the backdrop of a heavily damaged city.
	   Four of the victims were shot in the head, one was decapitated with a knife and another with an explosive rope.
	   Fallujah lies in Anbar province only 50 kilometres west of Baghdad and is the jihadist group's largest remaining stronghold in Iraq after the ..

IS says it executed six for spying in Iraq's Fallujah

Two Palestinians stabbed an Israeli soldier near a group of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank today before being shot dead, the army said, the latest in a months-long wave of violence.
	The incident occurred at the Ariel junction in the West Bank. The female soldier was being taken to hospital, while the two assailants were shot by forces at the scene, the Israeli army said.
	Medics described the victim's condition as "moderate to severe" and said she was around 20 years old.
	Since October 1, a wave of violence has killed 196 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to the Israeli authorities.
	Others were shot dead during protests and clashes.
	Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own ...

Two Palestinians stab soldier in West Bank, shot dead: army

Ex-Soviet Kazakhstan's parliament today passed an amendment to the criminal code to allow chemical castration of convicted paedophiles if there was a court order.
	Senator Byrganym Aitimova said that castration would be "temporary", consisting of a "one-time injection" based on "the necessity of preventing the man from (committing) sexual violence."
	Any such decision would be provided by a court in consultation with a medical authority, according to the amendment.
	The bill has been sent to the office of President Nursultan Nazarbayev for approval.
	Paedophilia-related crimes carry sentences of up to 20 years in Kazakhstan.
	Chemical castration is practised in many countries although nations that force sex offenders to accept the medication are in the minority.
	Unlike surgical castration, chemical castration does not prevent a person from experiencing sexual urges indefinitely, although sceptics argue it does not necessarily prevent future attacks. Some rights groups oppose the ...

Kazakhstan to chemically castrate paedophiles

Italian aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica has said it planned to change its name to Leonardo, after celebrated Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, as part of a major restructuring.
	   The announcement came as the company, which last month agreed to sell its rail and traffic signal businesses to Japan's Hitachi in a USD 2 billion deal, announced better-than-expected results for 2015.
	   Finmeccanica said the Hitachi deal would allow it to focus on the core aerospace, defence and security businesses, in line with massive restructuring efforts under a so-called "one company" plan.
	   "With the execution of the new organisational and operating model as 'One Company'... Finmeccanica has not only redefined its own structure to make it more consistent with customers and markets requirements... But it also aimed to redefine its identity," the group said in a statement, explaining the need for a new name.
	   Shareholders will be asked to approve the change at a meeting in April.
	 

Italy's Finmeccanica to go by new name of Leonardo

Shock revelations about a wealthy Indian family's interference in South African government affairs set embattled President Jacob Zuma up for a high-pressure appearance in parliament today.
	The admission by deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that he was offered the top job in the treasury by the Gupta family caused outrage in a country already alarmed by a series of corruption scandals.
	The Gupta brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh were smalltime businessmen back home but have built up a string of companies with interests in computers, mining, media and engineering since moving to South Africa in the 1990s.
	They have long been accused of wielding undue influence over Zuma, whose son Duduzane is a partner in some of their businesses. Zuma's third wife also used to work for them.
	Jonas said he received a threatening text message while he was preparing his statement exposing the job offer by the Guptas, the Business Day reported.
	The newspaper quoted the message from an unnamed ...

S Africa's Zuma under pressure in new graft scandal

Highlighting the fate of Iraq's Yazidi women who are raped and slain by Islamic State group jihadists, a French minister called on the United Nations to incorporate 'femicide' in international law.
	Young women of the Yazidi minority are often taken by IS fighters as sex slaves, then killed.
	"It is because they are women and they are Yazidis that they are sold and murdered" by the IS fighters, said Laurence Rossignol, France's minister for family, children and women's rights, speaking Wednesday at the 60th annual Commission on the Status of Women.
	"What they are experiencing is femicide," she emphasized.
	While genocide -- the killing of a large group of people of a nationality or ethnic group -- is part of the international legal vocabulary, femicide -- the deliberate and violent killing of women -- is not, Rossignol said.
	The international military coalition fighting in Iraq and Syria "should say that it is not only at war against the terrorism of the Islamic State group, but it .

French minister urges UN to use femicide in international law

Masked men threw eggs, flour and disinfectant at a prominent Russian rights activist in Chechnya in an attack that sparked widespread condemnation today.
	Igor Kalyapin, the head of the Committee to Prevent Torture rights group was ordered to leave his hotel on Wednesday evening and then targeted by a group of "young men in civilian clothes and black masks", a lawyer for the group said.
	"They threw eggs, cake, flour and green disinfectant," Dmitry Utukin said.
	Utukin posted a photograph on Facebook of Kalyapin standing with his face and jacket coated with flour and eggs and bright green disinfectant.
	Kalyapin, a veteran activist, has publicised abuses by the Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. His group, which oversees rights activists in Chechnya, is one of the few still active in the region.
	The Kremlin rights council, an advisory body to President Vladimir Putin of which Kalyapin is a member, said it was "outraged and concerned" at the attack, which it condemned as "a ...

Top Russian rights activist pelted with eggs in Chechnya

A Munich court today handed down an eight-year prison sentence to a German former intelligence agent who spied for both the CIA and the Russian secret service because he wanted to "experience something exciting".
	Markus Reichel had admitted to handing over "scores of documents and internal information" to the CIA, including names and addresses of agents for the Federal Intelligence Service or BND, in exchange for 95,000 euros (USD 107,000).
	Some 200 of those documents sent to the CIA were deemed very sensitive, and even included papers detailing the BND's counter-espionage strategies.
	The 32-year-old had also delivered three classified documents to the Russian secret service.
	Reichel's case had emerged during a furore over revelations of widespread US spying in documents released by former CIA intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, which had also plunged its partner service the BND into an unprecedented crisis.
	Partially disabled after a botched childhood vaccination, Reichel, ..

AFP

AFP

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