U.S.-Iran nuclear deal taking shape
GENEVA – Edging toward a historic compromise, the U.S. and Iran reported progress Monday on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least 10 years but then slowly ease restrictions on programs that could be used to make atomic arms.
Officials said there were still obstacles to overcome before a March 31 deadline, and any deal will face harsh opposition in both countries. It also would be sure to further strain already-tense U.S. relations with Israel, whose leaders oppose any agreement that doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to strongly criticize the deal in an address before Congress next week.
Still, a comprehensive pact could ease 35 years of U.S-Iranian enmity – and seems within reach for the first time in more than a decade of negotiations.
European malls raise security
PARIS – Heavily armed police and security forces were deployed at shopping malls in Paris and throughout London after a video by a terror group in Somalia threatened attacks.
Groups of police and soldiers, armed with assault rifles and wearing bullet-proof vests, were patrolling the Le Forum des Halles mall in the heart of Paris on Monday. Britain has been at the second-highest terrorist threat level since August, meaning an attack on domestic soil is highly likely.
The Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab released a video Saturday in which it called for attacks in Canada, the United States, Britain and France. Gunmen from al-Shabaab attacked a shopping mall in Kenya in September 2013. At least 67 people died during the attack, which lasted for days.
Nepal pledges Everest improvements
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Mountaineering officials say Nepal is improving weather forecasting systems, stepping up security and promises swift rescues if needed during the upcoming climbing season on Everest in attempt to recover from the worst mountaineering disaster on the world’s highest peak last year.
The chief of Nepal’s Mountaineering Department Puspa Raj Katuwal said Monday that the government will ensure that conditions will be safer for both international climbers and Nepalese guides, and that a camp with officials will be deployed at the base camp for the three-month climbing that begins in March.
An avalanche near the base camp last April killed 16 local guides that prompted climbers to abandon the 2014 climbing season.
N. Korea bars tourists over Ebola concerns
TOKYO – North Korean authorities are barring foreigners from this year’s Pyongyang marathon, a popular tourist event, because of ongoing Ebola travel restrictions.
Nick Bonner, co-founder of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, a tour agency that specializes in North Korea travel, said more than 400 foreign runners had signed up with his agency alone for the event, which is to be held April 12. He said he was informed by officials on Monday that the race would be open only to local runners.
Though no cases of Ebola have been reported anywhere near North Korea, the country shut its borders to foreign tourists in October with strict regulations to keep the virus out. North Korean media have suggested Ebola was created by the U.S. military as a biological weapon.
AP, Bloomberg
