From the foriegn scene, USA, China, France and Namibia

KERRY BLASTS UN COUNCIL'S 'OBSESSION' WITH ISRAEL

Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council for what he calls its “obsession with Israel.”
In a Monday speech in Geneva before the U.N. intergovernmental body, Kerry said the group’s heavy focus of Israel’s human rights records “risks undermining the credibility of the entire organization.”
“We will oppose any effort by any group or participant in the U.N. system to arbitrarily and regularly delegitimize or isolate, Israel,” Kerry said. He said no country should be free from scrutiny on human rights, but no country should be subjected to “unfair or unfounded bias.”
Kerry commented a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to make a controversial speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in Washington.
Netanyahu is expected to denounce a potential agreement between world powers and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the deal would give Iran too many concessions and leave it with the ability to make a nuclear weapon.
Invitation causes rift

In a break of U.S. protocol, Netanyahu was invited by U.S. Republican House Speaker John Boehner to address Congress, instead of an invitation issued by the White House.
In spite of the tensions between the White House and Israel over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, the U.S. is continuing its efforts to back Israel in the Human Rights Council.
A senior State Department official said a “constant preoccupation and concern” for the U.S. is the “undue and biased focus on Israel” in the Human Rights Council.
Israel is the only country that “has a standing agenda item at the Human Rights Council,” the official said. “Our position is always very much in defense of Israel, in protection of Israel’s interests at the Human Rights Council."
The official also said that the biggest U.S. concern in the current UNHRC session is its upcoming release of the Commission of Inquiry on Gaza. The report, which is due to be released before March 23, will focus on Israel’s 50-day war against Gaza militants in July and August of 2014.
Gaza conflict
About 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis died during the conflict. Most of the Palestinians killed were civilians, while nearly all of the Israelis were military personnel.
Earlier this month, the man appointed by the Human Rights Council to lead the inquiry into potential war crimes committed during the Israel-Gaza conflict resigned.
William Schabas submitted his resignation after Israel accused him of bias because he has performed consultant work for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also called for the entire Human Rights Council probe into the conflict to be scrapped. He said the three-member commission that was charged with investigating whether Israel had committed war crimes during the conflict, was an “anti-Israel body.”
Kerry denounces North Korea
During his speech, Kerry also cited North Korea’s human rights record, saying tens of thousands of people in the country live as “virtual slaves” in 2015, with no freedom of expression. He also said the government “routinely” tortured and starved citizens.
Kerry also highlighted atrocities committed by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Earlier in the session, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif addressed the group. He said “Islamophobia” is “tolerated” in some countries as freedom of expression.
He also said some defenders of human rights were overly driven by political considerations.
Zarif noted that some of those Islamic State militants who have beheaded “innocent civilians” spoke “European languages with native accents.”
Israel's security
Speaking to reporters following his speech to the U.N. council, Kerry stressed that Israel’s security is at the forefront of all nuclear program negotiations. He said any agreement must close all pathways Iran would have toward acquiring fissile material.
“We will not accept a bad deal. We have said no deal is better than a bad deal, because a bad deal could actually make things less secure and more dangerous," he said. "Any deal that we would possibly agree to would make the international community, and especially Israel, safer than it is today. That is our standard.”
Kerry and Zarif are to hold a series of meetings in Switzerland to discuss the potential plan, which is being negotiated by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany.
Zarif told reporters in Geneva that a deal could be concluded this week if the negotiating sides have sufficient political will and agree to remove sanctions on Tehran.
"If they want an agreement, sanctions must go," he told Reuters. “Sanctions, they have to realize, are not an asset, have never been an asset, they are liability and this liability, the sooner they remove this liability from the table, the sooner we will get to an agreement."
Some members of the U.S. Congress are pushing for tougher sanctions on Iran as a way of getting Teheran to drop its nuclear weapons program, but Kerry has said he does not agree with that strategy.

CHINESE ART STOLEN FROM FRANCE'S FONTAINEBLEAU CASTLE

Thieves have broken into Fontainebleau castle and stolen 15 Chinese artefacts in a lightning raid, the French culture ministry has said.

The robbery, at the Empress' Chinese Museum housed by the castle, was over in seven minutes, the authorities said.
Among the items taken was a replica of a crown of the King of Siam, now Thailand, given to Emperor Napoleon III in 1861.
Officials at Fontainebleau castle called the objects "priceless".
"They were among the most beautiful pieces in the museum," said Jean-Francois Hebert, who runs Fontainebleau castle, about 50km (30 miles) south-east of Paris
"We think they (the thieves) were very determined, knew exactly what they were looking for and worked in a very professional manner," he added.
The castle has been used by French kings since the 12th Century. It is now a national museum and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Chinese Museum houses works once belonging to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III.
The French culture ministry described it as "one of the most secure parts of the castle, equipped with alarms and surveillance cameras".
An investigation is underway.

IRAQ 'SEIZES DISTRICTS FROM IS' IN TIKRIT ADVANCE

Iraqi government forces say they have retaken some districts around Tikrit in their fight to recapture the city from Islamic State (IS).

A force of about 30,000 troops and militia are said to be attacking on different fronts, backed by air strikes from Iraqi jets.
A commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards is taking part in the operation, a Shia militia commander told the BBC.
Tikrit, north of the capital Baghdad, fell to IS militants last June.
Security sources told the BBC that pro-government troops had seized control of the two districts of al-Tin, near Tikrit university north-east of the city, and the district of al-Abeid, in the west.
Earlier, fighting was also reported in al-Dour, south-east of Tikrit, as well as in al-Alam, north of the city, and nearby Qadisiya.
There were few details of the operation but army and medical sources were quoted as saying that five soldiers and 11 militia fighters had been killed.

The Pentagon said that the US was not providing any air power in support of the operation.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the start of the operation late on Sunday, as tens of thousands of troops and militia massed in the central town of Samarra.
Tikrit, in Salahuddin province, lies on the road to Mosul - Iraq's second city which was also seized by IS last year.
Correspondents say the current operation is crucial to any Iraqi plans to retake Mosul.
Iraqi forces are being helped by Iran's Gen Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, Iranian and Iraqi media reported.
Since the IS advance across Iraq last summer, Gen Soleimani has personally overseen the defence of Baghdad and helped to organise pro-Iranian Shia militia.
He has been pictured visiting the front lines north of the capital on several occasions.

Tikrit is the hometown of deposed leader Saddam Hussein and was seized last year by IS militants backed by anti-government Sunni allies loyal to Saddam's banned Baath party.
Iraq is split between a Sunni Muslim minority, many of whom supported Saddam Hussein, and the Shia Muslim majority.
Since Saddam was toppled, Sunnis have felt increasingly marginalised by the Shia-led government in Baghdad.
Shia militia have done much of the fighting against IS militants but have also been accused of killing scores of Sunni civilians in apparent revenge attacks.
On Sunday, Mr al-Abadi offered to pardon all Sunni tribal fighters "who have been misled or committed a mistake to lay down arms" and abandon IS.
He described it as a "last chance", saying that the city of Tikrit would soon be returned to its people.
IS militants hold several areas of Salahuddin, a predominantly Sunni Muslim province.

$5 MILLION LEADERSHIP PRIZE GOES TO NAMIBIAN PRESIDENT

The Mo Ibrahim foundation has awarded its multi-million-dollar African leadership prize to the outgoing president of Namibia. The prize, which aims to promote good governance, has also raised questions about whether African leaders need to be given cash incentives to do their jobs.
The 2014 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership has been awarded to Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who is completing his second and final term in office this year.
The chairperson of the prize committee, Salim Ahmed Salim, made the announcement at an event in Nairobi. “Through the decade of President Pohamba's presidency, Namibia's reputation has been cemented as a well-governed, stable and inclusive democracy with strong media freedom and respect for human rights,” said Salim.
The prize committee also recognized Pohamba's successful efforts to reduce the rates of HIV in his country, to extend free primary education to all of its citizens and to promote gender equality in government.
Pohamba has led Namibia since 2005; his successor is to be inaugurated later this month.
The Namibian president is only the fifth recipient of the African Leadership award and the first since former Cape Verde president Pedro Pires won in 2011. In the intervening years, the committee could find no other suitable candidates.
The prize is the work of Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese billionaire who made his money in mobile communications.
Asked about whether it is right to give such a large cash prize to African leaders, given their reputation for wealth, Ibrahim said the purpose of the award was to draw greater attention to those humbler heads of state who were too often overlooked.
“Even the winner today, how many of you heard about him before today? How many today - raise your hands. Look at you, six people ... Let us find our heroes and celebrate them. We have heroes in Africa; it is not only Mandela,” said Ibrahim.
The foundation is also responsible for the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which ranks countries based on factors including economic opportunity and human rights. The prize committee acknowledged Namibia, which ranks highly on the index, still faces challenges, including widening income inequality.
Committee member Graca Machel, the widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela, said these obstacles, shared by many countries in Africa, could also help distinguish good leadership.
“It is precisely because there are so many challenges that we have to recognize that despite the challenges they were able to make progress, and that is the message which is being sent to all African leaders,” said Machel.
Pohamba will receive a $5 million prize, plus $200,000 a year for the rest of his life.