WASHINGTON
U.S. says IRAN FEELING STRAIN OF SANCTIONS
A day after the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, President Barack Obama's national security adviser argued Tuesday that the administration's pressure campaign had left Iran's leaders economically strained, diplomatically isolated and rent by internal divisions. Thomas Donilon also predicted that the next blow to Iran would come with the fall of its major regional ally, President Bashar Assad of Syria.
Cambodia
Khmer defendant blames Vietnam
The highest-ranking surviving Khmer Rouge leader, accused in the deaths of 1.7 million people, defended himself Tuesday by casting his actions as part of a patriotic struggle to keep Vietnam from annexing Cambodia and exterminating ethnic Cambodians. Nuon Chea, 85, spoke of threats from Vietnamese agents as a justification for the purges that led to the torture and killings that defined the Khmer Rouge regime. Nuon Chea is one of three top Khmer Rouge leaders being tried on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity at the tribunal, which is backed by the United Nations.
SALT LAKE CITY
Utah sued over immigration law
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Utah's immigration enforcement law, arguing that it usurps federal authority and could potentially lead to the harassment and detention of American citizens and authorized visitors. The law requires people to prove their citizenship if they're arrested for serious crimes. It also gives police discretion to check citizenship on traffic infractions and other lesser offenses.
LOS ANGELES
Teen gets 21 years in gay shooting
The Ventura, Calif., teenager who shot a gay classmate he believed was flirting with him has agreed to spend the next 21 years in prison in a plea deal. Brandon McInerney, who was 14 when he pulled a gun out of his backpack and shot Larry King twice in the head in 2008, has already served nearly four years in jail and would be released by the time he is 38, under terms of the deal announced Monday.
Elsewhere
Afghanistan: The country will suffer a recession in 2014 after foreign troops leave and aid dwindles, and if the security situation gets worse, the country could face complete economic collapse, according to an report released in Kabul on Tuesday by the World Bank.
South Africa: Parliament overwhelmingly passed a contentious bill Tuesday that will severely restrict the ability of journalists to report any information deemed to be a government secret. Critics say it is meant to protect corrupt officials from scrutiny.
Pakistan: Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, resigned Tuesday after accusations that he had sought U.S. help to rein in the powerful Pakistani military.
Times wires
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