Around the World: April 3, 2015

Here's what's happening across the United States and around the world today.

Obama's pursuit of Iranian nuclear deal now subject to gauntlet of American politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — After securing a surprisingly broad and detailed framework agreement with Iran, President Barack Obama must now subject his signature foreign policy pursuit to the gauntlet of partisan American politics.

A blueprint finalized Thursday after marathon negotiations in Switzerland did little to ease the standoff between Obama and some lawmakers over Congress' role in a final accord. The president has vowed to veto legislation giving Congress the ability to approve or reject a deal, and he made a fresh appeal for lawmakers to give the U.S. and its international partners space to hammer out a comprehensive agreement ahead of a June 30 deadline.

"The issues at stake here are bigger than politics," Obama said. "These are matters of war and peace."

But Republican leaders reaffirmed their intent to vote on legislation giving Congress the last word. Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the panel will vote on such a measure when lawmakers return from a spring recess on April 14.

"The administration first should seek the input of the American people," Corker said.

Iran and 6 powers reach understanding on final nuclear agreement, but tough bargaining ahead

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — With one phase of nuclear talks over, Iran and six world powers now have an ambitious to-do list that — if implemented — will cut significantly into Iran's bomb-capable technology while giving Tehran quick access to bank accounts, oil markets and other financial assets blocked by international sanctions.

But the deal is far from done. The sides have been working on a substantive result for nearly two years. After a week of grueling negotiations, they managed on Thursday only to draw up a series of commitments that still must be worked out in detail before June 30. That is the deadline agreed on months before negotiators sat down in Lausanne for the final haggling.

If implemented, the undertakings will substantially pare back some Iranian nuclear assets for a decade and restrict others for an additional five years. It would be the first significant success for the United States and its partners in more than a decade of diplomatic efforts focusing on capping Tehran's nuclear advance.

Yet even before the talks culminated in the preliminary outline of what needs be done, both sides warned of the hard work ahead. And the bickering began just a few hours after the sides signed off on their preliminary understanding.

"There is no need to spin using 'fact sheets' so early on," tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a reference to a public document released by the United States listing both sides' commitments. He also questioned some of the assertions contained in the document, such as the speed of a U.S. sanctions drawdown.

Kenya attack survivor says gunmen early in attack went to room where Christians were praying

GARISSA, Kenya (AP) — The militants who slaughtered 147 people in a Kenyan school appeared to have planned extensively, even targeting a site where Christians had gone to pray.

Survivor Helen Titus told The Associated Press on Friday that "They investigated our area. They knew everything." Titus, a 21-year-old English literature student, was shot in the wrist and is being treated at a hospital in Garissa, where the attack by al-Shabab Islamic extremists happened.

One of the first things that the assailants did early Thursday, she said, was to head for a lecture hall where Christians were in early morning prayer. Also Friday, a few men walked down a road in Garissa with signs including one that read "We are against the killing of innocent Kenyans!!!! We are tired!!"

Indiana, Arkansas take different tacks in trying to stem uproar over religious objection laws

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Leaders in Indiana and Arkansas are looking to move forward after taking different approaches to tamp down concerns about discrimination over religious objections laws.

The two governors signed bills Thursday that lawmakers hoped would quiet the national uproar over whether the laws offered a legal defense for discrimination against gays.

For Arkansas, the changes requested by Gov. Asa Hutchinson amid mounting criticism from retail giant Wal-Mart and other businesses meant revising the language to closely align with that in the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Indiana's solution was an amendment that put the first references to sexual orientation and gender identity into state law.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says the law was never intended to allow discrimination and blamed the fallout on "mischaracterizations."

Russia's role in Ukraine seen as shifting from sending troops to training rebels

YENAKIEYEVE, Ukraine (AP) — On a recent spring morning, an important visitor watched Russian-backed rebels conduct infantry maneuvers in eastern Ukraine.

"The general is very pleased," rebel commander Ostap Cherny told his troops, referring to the figure in camouflage encircled by guards.

The man — almost certainly a Russian military officer — became alarmed when he saw two journalists approach. His entourage shielded him — forbidding photos — and the group sped off in a motorcade, the "general" safely inside a black Toyota SUV with no license plates.

Nearly a year into the Ukraine conflict, the extent of Moscow's direct involvement has become clear: They may wear camouflage, but the Russians' presence in eastern Ukraine is hardly invisible.

At the same time, there has been a tactical shift apparently aimed at minimizing Russia's military presence, part of an effort to persuade the West to lift economic sanctions.

Allies of Sen. Bob Menendez working to build support, raise funds after federal indictment

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Allies of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez have launched a coordinated public relations campaign to support him through what is likely to be a long and expensive legal fight over a litany of federal corruption charges.

Menendez pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he accepted nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.

His supporters have been working quietly behind the scenes since news reports emerged in March suggesting an indictment was imminent.

A spokesman for Menendez, Steven Sandberg, said that the efforts — including an outpouring of support from elected Democrats — were organic.

"A lot of people wanted to show their support and provide statements and we were happy to take them," he said.

French investigators: Co-pilot repeatedly accelerated plane as he drove it down into Alps

PARIS (AP) — The French air accident investigation agency says the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight repeatedly accelerated the plane as he used the automatic pilot to descend the A320 into the Alps.

The BEA agency said in a statement Friday that investigators have begun studying the black box data recorder from the plane, found at the crash site Thursday.

It says an initial reading of the recorder shows that the pilot used the automatic pilot to put the plane into a descent and then repeatedly during the descent adjusted the automatic pilot to speed up the plane.

Based on recordings from the black box voice recorder, investigators say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and intentionally crashed the plane. All 150 people aboard were killed.

Hundreds of fishermen rescued from Indonesian island as gov't probes slavery revealed by AP

BENJINA, Indonesia (AP) — Hundreds of fishermen raced to be rescued Friday from an isolated Indonesian island following an Associated Press investigation that revealed many of the men were enslaved aboard boats catching seafood that could end up in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Indonesian officials probing labor abuses told the migrant workers they were allowing them to leave for another island by boat out of concern for their safety. Some 350 fishermen hustled out from nearby trawlers, villages and even the jungle to be able to make the trip.

"I will go see my parents," said Win Win Ko, 42, smiling to reveal a mouth full of missing teeth. "They haven't heard from me, and I haven't heard from them since I left."

That was four years ago. He left impoverished Myanmar on the promise of getting a good job in neighboring Thailand, but like many others stranded in the island village of Benjina, he was instead duped into getting on a fishing boat that took him thousands of miles from home with no return. He said his four teeth were kicked out by a Thai boat captain's military boots because he was not moving fish fast enough from the deck to the hold below.

The men began getting news about the rescue as a downpour started, and some ran through the rain. They sprinted back to their boats, jumping over the rails and throwing themselves through windows. They stuffed their meager belongings into plastic bags and rushed back to the dock, not wanting to be left behind.

Prosecutor: US authorities committed to preventing 'attacks by homegrown violent extremists'

NEW YORK (AP) — The disturbing allegations were contained in court papers describing the latest homegrown terror plot thwarted by the FBI and the New York Police Department.

Noelle Velentzas and Asia Siddiqui were arrested at their Queens homes early Thursday following a sting operation using an undercover officer wearing a wire. Officer searching the homes recovered items including three gas tanks, a pressure cooker, fertilizer, handwritten notes on the recipes for bomb making and jihadist literature, court papers say.

Velentzas, had been "obsessed with pressure cookers since the Boston Marathon attacks in 2013" and made jokes alluding to explosives after receiving one as a gift, according to a criminal complaint citing one of the secret recordings made by the undercover who managed to befriend the pair.

The arrests show U.S. authorities "are committed to doing everything in our ability to detect, disrupt, and deter attacks by homegrown violent extremists," U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. "As alleged, the defendants in this case carefully studied how to construct an explosive device to launch an attack on the homeland."

The women were held without bail after a brief court appearance where they spoke only to say they understood the charges against them. Velentzas, 28, wore a hijab and a dark dress, and Siddiqui, 31, had on a green T-shirt with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath and a dark long skirt.