Afghan official: Motorcycle bomb at market kills 3

May 13 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $5,849,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,388,064 3. Kevin Streelman $2,572,989 4. Billy Horschel $2,567,891 5. Matt Kuchar $2,493,387 6. Phil Mickelson $2,220,280 7. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,207,683 8. D.A. Points $2,019,702 9. Steve Stricker $1,977,140 10. Graeme McDowell $1,910,654 11. Jason Day $1,802,797 12. Webb Simpson $1,759,015 13. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 14. Hunter Mahan $1,682,939 15. Charles Howell III $1,561,988 16. Russell Henley $1,546,638 17. Martin Laird $1,531,950 18. ...

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China investigates top planning official for graft

BEIJING (AP) — China's top anti-graft committee is investigating the deputy chairman of the country's economic planning agency, the latest high-level official to be ensnared by the new leadership's anti-corruption drive.

The ruling Communist Party's disciplinary agency said in one-sentence statement on its website Sunday that Liu Tienan, deputy head of the Cabinet's National Development and Reform Commission, is being investigated for "suspected serious disciplinary violations."

The statement by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection did not provide further details.

The 58-year-old, who is also director of the National Energy Administration, is the latest high-level official to be investigated for corruption.

In December, a deputy party secretary of Sichuan province was removed from his post following state media reports that he was suspected in influence-peddling and questionable real estate deals.

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Brazil official: World Cup, Olympics will be safe

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian officials said Tuesday they were closely following the investigation into the explosions at the Boston Marathon as they consider whether to change security measures for next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

But a top official with FIFA, soccer's world governing body, said his organization was already planning tougher security for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in light of the Boston attack.

FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said during a visit to Haiti on Tuesday that the measures would include secret service agents, police officers, military and Interpol.

Valcke also said a perimeter adding a second layer of security protection would be set up around Brazil's stadiums, with inspections of everyone passing through. As during the last World Cup in South Africa, a satellite will provide surveillance over Brazil, he said.

"As you can imagine with what happened in Boston, (security) will be even ...  stronger," Valcke said at a news conference in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. "We will push the limit to make sure that we have the security, from the beach, to the airport, to the stadium."

Valke, who was in the Caribbean country as part of a delegation led by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, said the soccer organization will work with police departments from all 32 countries participating in the 2014 World Cup and will draw on security measures adopted during the 2010 event in South Africa.

While Brazil has never been a target of international terrorism, Monday's attack in Boston underscored how vulnerable big sporting events can be, and Brazil's foreign minister stressed that "all necessary measures" would be taken to make sure the upcoming mega-events are safe. Brazil is also two months away from hosting the Confederations Cup, the World Cup warm-up tournament.

"We are confident there will be measures which will guarantee the security of the events," Antonio Patriota told reporters in the capital, Brasilia, adding that authorities here were awaiting the conclusions of the investigation into the two Boston blasts.

Alexandre Castilho, a spokesman for the government department that oversees safety during major events, stressed that no changes to security plans had been made, but didn't rule out future changes.

"It would be too soon to change our strategy, especially because not even the American government has definite conclusions about what happened in Boston," Castilho said. "After hearing the first conclusions of the investigation in Boston we will start understanding if there is something that Brazil can learn from the case and incorporate it into our strategy ahead of the upcoming events. It could be something very useful for us, but it could be an isolated event, too, specific to the American scenario."

Castilho stressed that even before the Boston explosions, Brazilian officials had been preparing for a possible terrorist attack as part of its overall security strategy for upcoming events, including World Youth Day, a Roman Catholic pilgrimage to Rio de Janeiro that's expected to be attended by Pope Francis and as many as 2.5 million visitors in late July.

The 2016 Rio Olympic committee said security was a "top priority," while FIFA underscored its confidence in Brazilian authorities' ability to handle security for both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup.

"Safety and security is one of the most important matters in the preparation of any major event," the Lausanne, Switzerland-based FIFA said in a statement before Valke's news conference in Haiti. "FIFA has full confidence in the Brazilian authorities and their developed security concept for both the FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup which encapsulate any potential risks."

Although the federal government is in charge of providing security for both the June 15-30 Confederations Cup and the World Cup, Rio de Janeiro state personnel will also provide support, state officials said in a statement Tuesday. Rio state has already trained 833 officers to take part in the events, preparing them for situations such as terrorist attacks, bombings and chemical attacks. More than 4,500 are expected to be trained before the events.

Officials here have provided few concrete details about the mega-events security strategy, said Christopher Gaffney, a professor at Rio's Federal University. Not even the budget for security operations at the World Cup has been officially announced, though Brazilian news reports put it at around $900 million, mostly paid for by the federal government.

Gaffney said he anticipated the budget might be increased because of the Boston attack, to allow for police reinforcements at sensitive areas during the World Cup. An increase in the use of drones to provide surveillance might also result, he said. Brazil has already purchased four Israeli-made drones to help during the Confederations Cup.

Under current plans, armed military police officers would be responsible securing a perimeter around soccer stadiums, while FIFA would handle safety inside the venues, largely using private security guards equipped with non-lethal weapons.

"The main issue of concern up till now has been crowd control and also falsification of tickets," said Gaffney, who specializes in studying mega-events.

He said that would likely change in the wake of Boston. "I think the international federations might start asking questions about the concrete security plans here."

Ignacio Cano, a professor in the social sciences department at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said he doubted the Boston attack would have much of an effect on security planning in Brazil.

"Terrorism is always a factor in planning for any major event, but Brazil and the United States don't face the same level of risk. Brazil has never been a target of international terrorism, so I doubt that it will become a major factor here," Cano said.

He added that during the World Cup, security could be beefed up for qualifying teams from countries considered terrorist threat.

Officials in Rio de Janeiro have made major strides in reducing drug-related violence in recent years, largely thanks to the strategy of taking over hillside "favela" slums where criminal gangs long ruled. But last month's gang rape of an American student inside a public transit van has raised new questions about the city's preparedness to ensure the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people visiting for the World Cup and Olympics.

Last Sunday's shooting deaths of two fans on their way to an event at a World Cup stadium in northeastern Brazil has added to the jitters.

Rival supporters were suspected in the killings, which happened about three miles from the Arena Fonte Nova in the city of Fortaleza. The local organizing committee said that "work is being done by the police and the army in many areas of security," adding that "we are not concerned with that for the Confederations Cup."

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Associated Press writer Jenny Barchfield reported this story in Rio and Tales Azzoni reported from Sao Paulo. AP writers Trenton Daniel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Marco Sibaja in Brasilia, Brazil, contributed to this report.

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Somali official: 9 gunmen killed in court attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's interior minister says that nine militants attacked Mogadishu's Supreme Court complex and that all have been killed.

Abdikarim Hussein Guled said that six of the attackers detonated suicide vests and three others were shot and killed during Sunday's assault on the court complex in the Somali capital.

The attack — the most serious in Mogadishu since al-Shabab militants were forced out of the city in August 2011 — lasted several hours and involved running battles with security forces.

Guled said he couldn't immediately provide an overall death toll that included government officials and civilians.

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Cuba culture official demoted after NY Times op-ed

HAVANA (AP) — A leading Cuban cultural official said Friday that he has been demoted nearly two weeks after he published an opinion piece in the New York Times that criticized "blatant racism" on the island.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press in Havana, Roberto Zurbano refused to speculate on whether his demotion from publishing director at the influential, government-run Casa de las Americas cultural institute to a lesser role as an analyst was directly linked to the newspaper article, which was harshly criticized by official media.

Zurbano told AP he was angry over his interactions with the Times and accused the paper of "manipulations" of his copy, "inaccuracies in translation" and "ethical violations."

Specifically he complained about the title of the March 23 op-ed: "For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn't Begun." Zurbano said his proposed title suggested rather that the revolution "has not finished."

He said there were other problems with the editing of his piece, but did not give specific instances. And he nonetheless insisted that there was nothing in the article that he wished to retract.

"I continue to think the same ideas. There is still much to discuss about racism," Zurbano said. "That is and will continue to be my battle within and outside of the Casa de las Americas, but always within the revolution."

The last part of that statement echoed Fidel Castro's long-ago admonition on what constitutes acceptable criticism: "Within the Revolution, everything; outside the Revolution, nothing."

Contacted by AP, the Times stood by its handling of the article.

"As is the case with all essays we run, we worked very hard to ensure that the wording in the piece was translated properly and accurately reflected the writer's point of view," spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said in a statement. "There were numerous versions of the piece sent back and forth and in the end, Mr. Zurbano, and our contact for him (who speaks fluent English), signed off on the final version.

"We knew that Mr. Zurbano was in a sensitive situation and we are saddened if he has indeed been fired or otherwise faced persecution because of this essay, but we stand by our translation and editing, which was entirely along normal channels," it concluded.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the Times essay, Zurbano had harsh words for island authorities' record on race and said that since Afro-Cubans continue to occupy the lower strata of Cuban society, they are least likely to benefit from social and economic reforms being pushed by President Raul Castro.

That surely touched a nerve in the Communist-run government, for which eliminating racism has long been a central tenet. Suggestions of racial inequality are highly sensitive, even if officials up to the president himself have acknowledged that problems remain.

"Raul Castro has recognized the persistence of racism and has been successful in some areas (there are more black teachers and representatives in the National Assembly), but much remains to be done to address the structural inequality and racial prejudice that continue to exclude Afro-Cubans from the benefits of liberalization," Zurbano wrote in his article.

In February, the National Assembly, or parliament, elected an Afro-Cuban president for the first time ever in Esteban Lazo, and officials point to a significant increase in the number of women and Afro-Cubans in leadership positions.

Zurbano told AP that his essay had been attacked by many and touched off "a discussion" about racism in Cuba and the piece itself.

La Jiribilla, Cuba's leading online cultural publication, published a series of critical pieces including one in which historian Silvio Castro accused Zurbano of being misinformed about race relations before the 1959 Cuban Revolution and said his essay appeared "in the wrong publication and with the wrong language."

Others defended Zurbano.

Noted singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez for one, called for "an airing of ideas" without "ganging up" on the author.

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Follow Peter Orsi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

Follow Andrea Rodriguez on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP

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US criticizes Nigeria's pardon of corrupt official

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United States has criticized Nigeria for issuing a pardon to a former governor convicted of corruption who is a political confidant of the nation's president.

In messages Friday on Twitter, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said it was "deeply disappointed" over the pardon issued this week of former Bayelsa state Gov. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was impeached and later convicted in Nigeria. Investigators said he likely stole millions of dollars while in office.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan once served as Alamieyeseigha's deputy. His impeachment marked the start of Jonathan's rise in Nigerian politics.

The embassy said: "We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption." Embassy spokeswoman Deb MacLean said Friday that officials had no further immediate comment.

Nigeria is a top U.S. crude oil supplier.

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Nigeria summons US official over tweets on pardon

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's foreign ministry summoned a top U.S. diplomat Friday night over an issue of national importance — on Twitter.

At dispute are two messages sent Friday by the U.S. Embassy's Twitter account critical of an unconditional pardon given to a former governor convicted on corruption charges, a man who President Goodluck Jonathan only weeks earlier referred to as "my boss."

While the Twitter fight isn't likely to end the close relationship Nigeria shares with the U.S., one of its top customers for crude oil, it signals the sensitivity the government has over the pardon, which has enraged Nigerians tired of corruption's strangle-grip on the country. It also shows the growing power that social media have in Nigeria, and the rest of the world, to drive public debate.

The diplomatic spat began Friday morning with two short tweets published by the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. The first said the U.S. was "deeply disappointed" over the pardon issued this week to former Bayelsa state Gov. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha was impeached and later pleaded guilty to corruption charges in Nigeria. Investigators said he used government money to acquire property in Britain and Nigeria worth more than $10 million.

The second tweet from the embassy simply said: "We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption."

While sounding largely benign, the criticism from the U.S. Embassy was uniquely direct. While then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton roundly criticized the country during a visit to Abuja in 2009 over corruption and election fraud, local U.S. diplomats often strike a more conciliatory tone when speaking with the Nigerian government. The U.S. views Nigeria as a crucial ally in Africa, as it produces oil and provides peacekeeping troops for regional conflicts.

On Friday night, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying it was urgently calling James P. McAnulty, the U.S. deputy chief of mission, for a meeting. The statement called the U.S. remarks "undue interference and meddlesomeness," since the president had followed the provision of the Nigerian constitution granting him the power to issue pardons.

"The ministry finally expressed the hope that the embassy of the United States of America would henceforth desist from making unwarranted comments on Nigeria's internal affairs, which are capable of undermining the friendly relations that exist between them," the statement said.

Deb MacLean, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, declined to comment Friday night about Nigeria's remarks. The foreign affairs ministry singled MacLean out as the one responsible for making the comments on Twitter, though it was unclear who wrote the posts. Given the top-down structure of the U.S. Embassy, it is likely Ambassador Terence McCulley at least signed off on the message.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said earlier Friday that the "recent pardons of corrupt officials by the Nigerian government" are a setback for the U.S. support to strengthen the rule of law in Nigeria, "which is very important for the future of the country."

She hinted that the pardons could have repercussions on U.S. assistance programs.

"We have made clear to the Nigerians that this puts a question mark on the kinds of work that we've been trying to do with them," she said. No sanctions or punitive measures have been taken, she said, "but we're continuing to look at what's appropriate."

Alamieyeseigha served as governor of Bayelsa state, in the heart of Nigeria's oil-producing southern delta, from 1999, when the nation became a democracy, through 2005. He was arrested in London after more than $1 million in cash was found in his home there. Alamieyeseigha escaped British authorities — Nigerian officials say he disguised himself as a woman — and fled to Nigeria, where he ultimately stood trial.

Alamieyeseigha's impeachment brought Jonathan, a little-known marine biologist who served as his deputy, into power. Jonathan as recently as a few weeks ago referred to Alamieyeseigha as "my boss" during an event in Lagos.

Analysts and activists routinely refer to Nigeria as having one of the world's most corrupt governments. The continent's most populous nation, Nigeria likely lost more than $380 billion to graft between 1960 and 1999, authorities have said. Meanwhile, just more than 60 percent of Nigerians earn the equivalent of less than $1 a day, according to a study published by the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

Since the closed-door meeting Tuesday where Jonathan decided on the pardon, Nigerians have reacted with anger on Twitter and elsewhere over the decision. An editorial Friday in The Punch newspaper of Lagos simply said: "The situation is becoming hopeless."

It wrote: "Ours is a government being run by narrow minds and harder hearts."

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Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.

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Online:

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria's Twitter account: www.twitter.com/USEmbassyAbuja

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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .

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Myanmar mine protesters reject official report

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Opponents of a nearly $1 billion copper mine in northwestern Myanmar expressed outrage Tuesday over a government-ordered report that said the project should continue and that refrained from demanding punishment for police involved in a violent crackdown on protesters.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi chaired the investigation commission that produced the report, which was released Monday night. It could pose a problem for Suu Kyi by identifying her with the pro-growth policies of the government against the interests of grassroots people's movements.

President Thein Sein appointed the commission after police cracked down on protesters at the Letpadaung mine Nov. 29, leaving scores hospitalized with serious burns. Most of the people burned were Buddhist monks. Thwe Thwe Win, a protest leader, said Tuesday that demonstrations will resume.

"I am very dissatisfied, and it is unacceptable," she said. "There is no clause that will punish anyone who had ordered the violent crackdown. Action should be taken against the person who gave the order."

Suu Kyi is scheduled to travel to the mine area, in Monywa township, 760 kilometers (450 miles) north of Yangon, to talk with the protesting villagers Wednesday.

Protesters say the mine, a joint venture between China's Wan Bao mining company and a Myanmar military conglomerate, causes environmental, social and health problems and should be shut down.

The report said the operation should not be halted, even as it acknowledged that the mine lacked strong environmental protection measures and would not create more jobs for local people. The report said scrapping the mine could create tension with China and could discourage badly needed foreign investment.

Those seeking to stop the project contend that the $997 million joint venture deal, signed in May 2010, did not undergo parliamentary scrutiny because it was concluded under the previous military regime.

Many in Myanmar remain suspicious of the military and regard China as an aggressive and exploitative investor that helped support its rule.

"The commission should think about the welfare of their own people, poor local villagers, rather than good relations with China," Thwe Thwe said.

Aung Thein, an activist lawyer who works with the protesters, said the assertion that the contract should be honored to maintain good relations was "meaningless."

"Some people are afraid of China, but the people in general are not, and they don't feel any obligation toward China," he said.

The November crackdown was the biggest use of force against protesters in Myanmar since Thein Sein's reformist government took office in March 2011. The military junta that led Myanmar for the previous five decades frequently crushed political dissent.

The use of incendiary devices by the police in the middle of the night to break up the 11-day occupation of mine property had outraged many people, especially because most of the burned were Buddhist monks.

The authorities had said they used water cannon, tear gas and smoke grenades to break up the protest.

A separate, independent report released last month by a Myanmar lawyers network and an international human rights group said police dispersed the protesters by using white phosphorous, an incendiary agent generally used in war to create smokescreens.

The report released Monday acknowledged that smoke bombs containing phosphorous were used. It said the smoke bombs do not generally create a flame but the phosphorus in them can sometimes burn flammable materials within an 8-meter (8-yard) radius.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday the U.S. opposes the use of phosphorus to control crowds, and it has urged the government to ensure that its security forces exercise maximum restraint and protect the freedom of assembly in accordance with international standards.

Asked about how the incident reflects on the country's reforms, Nuland told reporters: "It's not secret that this is a work in progress in Burma." She said the U.S. would continue a "rigorous" dialogue on human rights with Myanmar, including on police conduct.

Senior police told the commission that they used the same smoke bombs during monk-led protests in 2007 — the demonstrations known as the Saffron Revolution — and they didn't cause any burns then. The commission faulted the police force for failing to understand how the smoke bombs worked and recommended that police receive riot-control training.

Aung Thein, who helped prepare the earlier independent report, said that police should have known the bombs could cause fires. "There is no excuse for ignorance," he said.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

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Kenya: Official who oversaw 2007 chaotic poll dies

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya's former electoral chief who oversaw a flawed electoral process in 2007 has died following a battle with cancer.

A family spokesman, John Musyoki, says the 74-year-old Samuel Kivuitu died Monday of cardiac arrest. The death comes one week before Kenya holds its next presidential elections, the first since a flawed 2007 vote triggered violence in which more than 1,000 people were killed and 600,000 were evicted from their homes.

A 2008 government report said the electoral commission overseeing the 2007 poll lacked independence, capacity and functionality. The report said results of that election were so perverted it was impossible to determine who won the presidency.

Kenyan leaders hope a new constitution, an improved judiciary and police reforms will help next week's election proceed without violence.

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