Netanyahu says deal will let Iran get nukes
WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Congress on Tuesday that an emerging agreement between Iran and the United States would all but guarantee that Tehran gets nuclear weapons and would be a very bad deal, drawing an extraordinarily blunt rebuttal from President Barack Obama.
“Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted,” no matter what it says about permitting verification of the terms of any accord designed to prevent it from getting a nuclear bomb, he said.
Obama said the Israeli leader offered no “viable alternatives” to the nuclear negotiations with Iran and that the prospect of an agreement had already resulted in a freeze and rolling back of Iran’s program.
India blocks airing of program on rape
NEW DELHI – Indian authorities ordered television stations Tuesday not to broadcast a documentary about a gang rape on a New Delhi bus in which one of the attackers blames the victim and says she could have avoided being killed if she had not fought back, a government official said.
The order followed an outcry over giving a convicted prisoner a nationwide platform to express repugnant views about a horrific crime that shocked Indians and prompted hundreds of thousands to take to the streets in protest. In response to the 2012 attack, India’s government rushed through legislation doubling prison terms for rapists to 20 years and criminalizing voyeurism, stalking and the trafficking of women.
The documentary, “India’s Daughter” by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin, was to be shown on Sunday, International Women’s Day, in India as well as in Britain, Denmark, Sweden and several other countries.
Attorney: Snowden ready to return to U.S.
MOSCOW – NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden wants to return to the United States from Russia if he’s guaranteed a fair trial, his Russian lawyer said Tuesday.
Anatoly Kucherena told a news conference Tuesday that he has teamed with U.S. and German lawyers to work on the issue but gave no details.
Snowden was stranded in a Moscow airport in 2013 on his way from Hong Kong to Cuba, shortly after he released extensive documentation about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. Russia has granted him asylum, attracting the ire of the United States.
Volcano threatens communities in Chile
PUCON, Chile – One of South America’s most active volcanoes erupted early Tuesday in southern Chile, spewing heavy smoke into the air as lava surged down its slopes, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people.
The Villarrica volcano erupted around 3 a.m. local time, according to the National Emergency Office, which issued a red alert and ordered evacuations. Authorities worried that mudslides caused by melting snow could endanger nearby communities.
The 9,000-foot volcano in Chile’s central valley, 400 miles south of Santiago, sits above the small city of Pucon, which has a population of about 22,000 people.
Associated Press
