Israel cancels Palestinian prisoner release

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said Palestinian actions had violated the terms of the release, which was part of a US-backed peace process.Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has applied to 15 UN conventions, accusing Israel of backtracking on its promises.Washington said Israel's latest move "creates challenges".But White House spokesman Jay Carney said it would not deter US Secretary of State John Kerry from keeping talks between both sides going.

"There has been progress in narrowing some of the questions that have arisen as a result of the events of the last few days," he said."Neither side has indicated that they want to walk away from the talks. They both indicated they want to find a way to move forward."'Critical moment'An Israeli spokesperson told the BBC the decision to cancel the release had been communicated to the Palestinians in an overnight meeting.Mrs Livni was quoted as saying "new conditions were established and Israel cannot release the fourth batch of prisoners". 

She urged the Palestinians to avoid unilateral measures and return to the negotiating table, her spokesperson said.In recent days, the US had reportedly been trying to broker a deal in which the Palestinians would agree to extend the peace talks beyond the end of April deadline in exchange for the releasing of prisoners by Israel, and the US would free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in return.

The previous three releases of Palestinian prisoners were deeply unpopular with the Israeli public because many of those freed had been convicted of murdering Israelis.

Protests have been held in Israel in recent weeks, urging the government not to release the Palestinians

Rallies have also held in the West Bank town of Ramallah, calling for the release of the prisoners

But the Palestinians - many of whom regard the prisoners as heroes - believed the final batch of prisoners would be freed under a US deal that got the talks started last year.

To signify their frustration, they abandoned their undertaking to refrain from applying for membership of various international organisations.

Each side blames the other for initiating that sequence of backward steps, says the BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem.In theory the steps could be reversed and a limited agreement reached to extend talks beyond the current 29 April deadline but the prospects are not improving, he adds.

Earlier, John Kerry said it was a "critical moment" for the leadership of both sides.

"You can push, you can nudge, but the parties themselves have to make fundamental decisions and compromises," he said."The leaders have to lead and they have to be able to see a moment when it's there."

Authorities Remove Cambodian Opposition Lawmaker from Park

A municipal police officer confronts Mu Sochua in Phnom Penh's Freedom Park, April 3, 2014.

Photo courtesy of the CNRP

Authorities in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on Thursday physically removed opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua from the city’s Freedom Park for the second time in two days after she visited the area to highlight the ongoing presence of riot police due to a ban on protests in the public space.

Municipal police confronted the elected member of parliament for the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) as she read from a legal text in the park, prompting her to accuse them of acting as “judicial police who can arrest and detain people at will.”She refused to leave the area and sat down on the ground, at which point the police officers lifted her up and forcefully removed her, causing her to demand to know, “What have I done wrong?”

Authorities told the CNRP last week that Freedom Park is off-limits for gatherings while they investigate violence linked to an early January crackdown on opposition supporters.Until the crackdown, the park had been a rallying point for mass anti-government protests following flawed elections last year.

The opposition had gathered there to call for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s resignation and a reelection of disputed July 28 polls that saw his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) named the victor by the country’s government-appointed electoral body.Following her forced removal from the park, Mu Sochua, who is also the CNRP’s director of public affairs, told RFA’s Khmer Service that she had visited Freedom Park over the last two days in order to “demand the people’s rights back.”

“I was protesting by myself. What I have done was as a citizen and a woman,” she said.

“I want to fight back for our freedom in Freedom Park.”

Mu Sochua said that she would return to the park every morning at 8:00 a.m. “until the guards understand the meaning of freedom and respect the park as a place to express people’s rights.”She said that she had launched the campaign as a “citizen of Cambodia,” and not in affiliation with any political party, she explained, though the CNRP has supported her individual efforts.

Earlier removal

Mu Sochua’s removal from the park follows an incident on Wednesday in which she posed for photos in front of a group of around 100 municipal police gathered in Freedom Park to conduct exercises.She was quickly surrounded by helmet-clad security guards employed by the Interior Ministry and removed to a nearby street.

The Cambodia Daily quoted Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Long Dymong as saying that Mu Sochua was required to apply in writing to the government before entering the park due to her tendency to begin protests.“As we know, under the demonstrations law, people need to ask or inform [the municipality] for permission first,” Long Dymong said.“When she arrived, she wanted to rally with people and express her views,” he said. “That is against the law.”

The Cambodia Daily also quoted General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, who acknowledged that Mu Sochua hadn’t violated any laws or edicts, adding that the district security guards simply didn’t like her.“She went alone to Freedom Park. This is not under the guidelines of the municipality, or any other law,” Khieu Sopheak said.“This was about her personal behavior. They don’t like her. She always just goes there to provoke and blame them.”

Government vows fight over 'neutral' PM

The government will raise legal challenges to any attempt to cite Section 7 of the charter to appoint a "neutral" prime minister should the Constitutional Court rule that Yingluck Shinawatra has to quit her caretaker prime minister post, key Pheu Thai Party figures say.

The Constitutional Court puts the politicial future of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at risk within two weeks, over charges of misuse of her office's powers. Caretaker Labour Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said Thursday even if the charter court rules that Ms Yingluck must leave office over the transfer order she issued against National Security Council (NSC) chief Thawil Pliensri, one of Ms Yingluck's caretaker deputy prime ministers will continue to act on her behalf until a new government takes office.

He also argued that anyone appointed to be prime minister must be an MP as stipulated by the constitution, and invoking Section 7 to appoint a prime minster is out of the question."There will be no power vacuum. This current cabinet will remain in a caretaker role until a new cabinet takes over," Mr Chalerm insisted.The ruling Pheu Thai Party believes Ms Yingluck's fate has already been sealed after the charter court on Wednesday agreed to accept a petition to rule on Ms Yingluck's prime ministerial status in the Thawil case.

In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the court accepted the case for consideration. The petition was submitted by a group of senators led by Paiboon Nititawan.The petition contends that Ms Yingluck violated Section 266 (2) and (3) and Section 286 of the constitution when she signed the order transferring Mr Thawil to be a prime ministerial adviser in 2011. It asks the court to rule if she must leave her post as stated in Section 182 According to the senators' petition, the transfer was not in the public's best interest, but was an attempt to find a position for ex-national police chief Wichean Potephosree so the government could appoint its own man as head of the police.

After Pol Gen Wichean replaced Mr Thawil as NSC secretary-general, the national police chief post was filled by Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong, the elder brother of Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, Thaksin Shinawatra's ex-wife.Mr Paiboon and his colleagues cited a Supreme Administrative Court ruling to back their request for the ruling on Ms Yingluck's status.In its ruling, the court said the prime minister's judgement was unlawful and ordered Mr Thawil reinstated as the transfer orders were not in line with government policies announced in parliament. Ms Yingluck was given 15 days to lodge her defence. 

Mr Paiboon said he believed if the court rules to disqualify Ms Yingluck as prime minister, the entire caretaker cabinet must also take collective responsibility and the whole cabinet's status must be voided.This would start the process of finding a new prime minister, Mr Paiboon said.

While the House is not yet in place to choose a new prime minister, the Senate will act on its behalf and Section 7 is likely to be invoked to find a new premier, Mr Paiboon said.Surasit Jiamwijak, former Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai, said he believed Ms Yingluck has "no chance of survival" given the charter court's previous rulings against the government. 

However, if the court rules that Ms Yingluck must quit office, questions could be raised over whether the court may be breaching the charter itself.That is because currently Ms Yingluck technically ceased being prime minister when she dissolved the House on Dec 9 and she has only remained in a caretaker role as required by law, Mr Surasit said.Pheu Thai deputy secretary-general Anuttama Amorwiwat urged the charter court to deliver a fair ruling. She warned that the country would risk further turmoil if the court employs double standards and unfair treatment in the case.

Former Pheu Thai list-MP and UDD co-leader Korkaew Pikulthong also warned of red-shirt opposition in the streets. "The UDD's position is that it will not accept a coup nor any moves to disqualify the government's status. In those cases, we will come out to rally," Mr Korkaew said.

The UDD has promised to mobilise about 500,000 supporters for its major rally planned for tomorrow, amid fears of a confrontation with the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee.

The red shirts will be based on Utthayan Road, formerly known as Aksa Road, in western Bangkok for two to three days.Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said the party agreed Ms Yingluck and the caretaker cabinet are required by Section 181 of the charter to remain in a caretaker role until a new cabinet is sworn into office.

PM advises Khanh Hoa to tap potential in multiple sectors

 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa to focus on socio-economic development, especially in tourism, services and seaports."Khanh Hoa should continue paying attention to reducing poverty, especially in remote and mountainous areas, in combination with building new-style rural areas, supporting production and improving the local people's material and spiritual lives," he said while meeting with the province's leaders in Nha Trang city yesterday as part of a working visit to the locality.

He also urged the province to invest more in infrastructure development, health care, culture and education while removing difficulties for businesses and accelerating administrative reforms.

Hailing the socio-economic development achievements the local authorities and people had already made, Dung also expressed his wish that Khanh Hoa would fix shortcomings such as unsustainable socio-economic development and slow administrative reform so as to become an industrialised province in the near future.The province recorded GDP growth of 6.6 per cent and its industrial production index increased 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Russia recalls ambassador to NATO amid Ukraine tensions

Russia recalled its ambassador to NATO for consultations Thursday, two days after NATO member countries suspended cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine crisis, Russian state media reported.

Col. Gen. Valery Yevnevich will return to Moscow in light of NATO's actions, official news agency ITAR-Tass said, citing Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov's remarks to journalists.

"The policy of (deliberately) whipping up tensions is not our choice. Nonetheless, we see no possibility to continue military cooperation with NATO in a routine regime," Antonov is quoted as saying.

He accused NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of making "confrontational statements" at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers early this week and questioned NATO steps to bolster its presence in Eastern Europe.Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow wanted answers from NATO regarding activities in Eastern Europe after the Western military alliance said it would step up defenses for its eastern members.

Russia's move to annex the Crimea region from Ukraine last month has sparked the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and raised fears among its Eastern European neighbors.At their meeting, NATO foreign ministers decided the alliance would draw up plans for reinforcing NATO's defenses following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region -- which the West deems illegal.

These would possibly include measures such as sending NATO soldiers and equipment to allies in Eastern Europe, holding more exercises and ensuring NATO's rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, a NATO official said. It could also include a possible review of NATO's military plans.

"We have posed these questions to the North Atlantic Alliance. We are expecting not just any answer but an answer fully respectful of the rules we have coordinated," Lavrov told a joint news briefing with his Kazakh counterpart.Responding to criticism from Kiev and the West over the presence of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, Lavrov said Russia had the right to move forces on its territory and said they would return to their permanent bases after completing military exercises.

"Russian troops in the Rostov region will return to their bases after completing military exercises," he said, referring to an area near the Ukrainian border.NATO's military chief warned Wednesday that Russian troops could begin moving on Ukraine within 12 hours of being given an order. Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, also said that with 40,000 troops massed near the border, Russia has all the components necessary to move on Ukraine.

Report: Yanukovych implicated in killings

In Ukraine, a newly released report said the killings of protesters in the Ukrainian capital during anti-government demonstrations in February took place under the order of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

The preliminary report by the Ukrainian government implicated pro-Moscow Yanukovych in the covert planning of a series of sniper attacks in Kiev, backed by Russia, during the rallies that eventually led him to flee across the border.Presenting the findings at a news conference, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said evidence showed Yanukovych had directly ordered snipers to open fire on protesters. Yanukovych, now in Russia, has denied personal responsibility for the bloodshed.

Twelve members of the feared Berkut special security forces have been detained as part of the investigation, Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnytsky announced.The inquiry looked into the shootings on Instytutska Street in Kiev, where dozens were killed on February 18-20. Around 100 people are now known to have died in Ukraine since the unrest began in November following Yanukovych's last-minute U-turn over a deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.The new government in Kiev has since signed the political part of the association agreement with the EU.

The report also said Russian Federal Security Service operatives had been involved in planning operations against the protesters. Ukrainian Security Service chief Valentyn Nalyvaychenko said the Russian agency had sent "tons" of explosives and weapons by plane to Ukraine.

Moscow has claimed far-right protesters were behind the shootings in an effort to stir up anger against Yanukovych.

Gas price hike

Meanwhile, the head of Russia's top natural gas producer, Gazprom, said it would further increase the gas price for Ukraine to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April, ITAR-Tass quoted him as saying.

Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said the price would increase during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who urged Ukraine to pay off its gas debts.The increase came two days after Gazprom announced a 44% hike in the gas price for Ukraine, starting April 1, to $385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters due to the unpaid bills.Ukraine also owes $2.2 billion in unpaid natural gas bills, Miller said during his meeting with Medvedev, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office.

"Hopefully, in the near future, Ukraine will start repaying its debts and will finance its ongoing supplies; however, we see that the situation is not improving, and is only getting worse," Miller is quoted as saying.Europe and the United States are working together to reduce Ukraine's reliance on Russian energy by developing alternative sources of natural gas, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said this week.

Blasts at Cairo University kill officer, wound 5

 An Egyptian police brigadier general was killed and five others were injured in bombings Wednesday outside Cairo University, the Interior Ministry said.Three blasts rocked the area outside the university campus -- the first two in quick succession near the faculty of engineering and a third a little later near the main gate.

Hundreds of police and security officials cordoned off the area, where forensic experts and sniffer dogs were brought in to investigate. Ambulances also arrived on the scene.

Attacks targeting security forces have become increasingly common in Egypt since the army deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, in July following mass protests against his rule.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry said Brig. Gen. Tariq al-Mirgawi, police chief of the criminal unit in West Giza, was killed in the blasts. Those injured were police officers.

"Experts determined that the two explosive devices were planted in one of the trees in the area," the ministry said, adding that an investigation was under way. A security source within the ministry told CNN the bombs appeared to be "homemade."

Al-Mirgawi's funeral, held at the police academy in Cairo, was broadcast live on state-run Nile TV.

The station had earlier reported security forces were dealing with a car loaded with TNT explosive material which was discovered outside the campus. State TV later said al Nahda square, which is in front of the campus, had been opened to traffic following police searches.

The blasts caused part of a building to collapse, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet's security committee.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Islamist militants have carried out similar operations in a fast-growing insurgency threatening Egypt, which will hold presidential elections on May 26-27. Egypt has faced unending turmoil since the uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Since Morsy's ouster, the country has suffered the worst internal strife in its modern history. Morsy and other Brotherhood leaders were rounded up soon after his removal from office.

Battleground

In recent weeks, the area around the university has become a battleground for clashes between police and Muslim Brotherhood supporters.Cairo's military-installed government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group. It accuses the movement of supporting attacks against the police and army -- an allegation the Brotherhood denies.

Since Morsy's ouster, more than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands of Brotherhood members have been detained in a crackdown by the interim authorities. The government says militants have killed almost 500 people in the same time period, most of them police and soldiers.Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the general who toppled Morsy, is expected to win the May presidential vote easily. 

He is popular among Egyptians who supported the army's decision to remove Morsy from power a year into his term and see el-Sisi as the kind of strongman needed to end the turmoil dogging the Arab world's most populous nation.But el-Sisi is reviled by the Islamist opposition, which sees him as the mastermind of a coup against an elected leader and the author of a fierce crackdown on dissent.