Peru’s Ex-President Hospitalized

Posted June 10th, 2011 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
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The imprisoned ex-president of Peru has been hospitalized because of a relapse in his battle with tongue cancer.

Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year jail term for corruption and rights abuses, was transferred Thursday to a hospital where he is expected to stay for at least three days.

Fujimori underwent his fourth tongue cancer surgery earlier this year.

Fujimori's daughter, Keiko, lost Peru's presidential runoff election Sunday.

Fujimori held power from 1990 until 2000.

He fled to Japan – the birthplace of his parents – during a corruption scandal in 2000.

Fujimori was arrested five years later when he traveled to Chile in an attempt to stage a political comeback. The Chilean Supreme Court eventually ruled that he should be extradited to Peru to face charges. He was sent back to Peru in 2007.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Agency Rebukes Syria

Posted June 10th, 2011 at 12:20 am (UTC-5)
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The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has voted to report Syria's covert construction of a nuclear reactor to the Security Council for possible punitive action against the Arab nation.

The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency rebuked Syria on Thursday for three years of stonewalling investigators attempting to visit and collect information about Damascus' Dair Alzour complex that was destroyed by Israel in 2007. U.S. intelligence reports say it was a nascent, North Korea-designed reactor that was intended to produce plutonium for nuclear bombs.

White House spokesman Jay Carney applauded the IAEA's 17-to-6 vote referring the issue to the Security Council, saying it was a significant action “to uphold the nonproliferation rules of the road.” He said the Syrian facility had “no apaprent legitimate civilian purpose.”

What happens next is unclear. China and Russia were among countries voting against sending the issue to the Security Council, where both hold veto power. Russia, a long-time ally and arms supplier of Syria, said the evidence against it was hypothetical and based on “possible alleged insufficiencies.”

The U.N. has sanctioned both Iran and North Korea for their nuclear development programs. But U.N. diplomats say that unless there is new evidence that Syria has resumed nuclear weapons development, the country is unlikely to be sanctioned.

Britian’s Prince Philip Turns 90 Friday

Posted June 10th, 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC-5)
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Britain's Prince Philip celebrates his 90th birthday on Friday.

The husband of Queen Elizabeth is the longest serving spouse in British monarchy history.

He has taken a low key demeanor about becoming a nonagenarian and intends to spend part of the day hosting a charity event.

The official celebration of Prince Philip's birthday will include a church service of Thanksgiving followed by a reception.

Prince Philip was born on June 10, 1921 in Greece.

New Airstrikes Target Libyan Captial

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 9:25 pm (UTC-5)
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A new round of suspected NATO airstrikes shook the Libyan capital and its suburbs early Friday, a day after allied and Arab nations pledged more than $1.1 billion to help Libya's opposition council and civilians affected by the country's conflict.

The 22-member Libya Contact Group announced the series of financial measures Thursday as they met in the United Arab Emirates to plan for a Libya without its embattled leader, Moammar Gadhafi.

Among the donors, Italy – Libya's former colonial ruler – said it will commit nearly $600 million in assistance to Libyan rebels, including loans and fuel products. France pledged more than $420 million in support. Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey also promised funds.

The United States did not offer direct aid to the rebels. But it announced an additional $26.5 million in humanitarian relief to all Libyans.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the conference Mr. Gadhafi's “days are numbered.” She later described the rebel Transitional National Council as the “legitimate interlocutor” of the Libyan people .

Australia went a step further, joining a handful of countries – including France, Britain, Italy and Qatar – in formally recognizing the rebel council as the legitimate government of Libya.

Clinton said talks are under way with people close to Mr. Gadhafi that have raised the “potential” for a transition of power. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd also referred to what he called multiple “feelers” from the Tripoli government, saying the Libyan leader's end “may come sooner” than expected.

In Washington Thursday, CIA chief Leon Panetta said in Senate testimony that the NATO military operation and strong economic sanctions are putting tremendous pressure on Mr. Gadhafi's government. Panetta is U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee to replace Robert Gates as defense secretary.

Meanwhile, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade met with Libyan opposition leaders in the rebel stronghold, Benghazi. He told journalists Thursday the sooner Mr. Gadhafi leaves, the better.

Heavy NATO bombardments hit military and command targets across Tripoli Tuesday and Wednesday in some of the heaviest strikes since March. The assaults included air raids near Mr. Gadhafi's residential compound.

A Libyan government spokesman said NATO dropped more than 60 bombs on Tripoli Wednesday, killing 31 people and injuring dozens. Another Libyan official denied accusations that Mr. Gadhafi's regime has committed human rights violations.

Mustafa Shaban commented on Thursday, a day after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said investigators have evidence Mr. Gadhafi ordered mass rapes of women considered disloyal to his regime.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said his team is looking into whether the Libyan leader provided soldiers with Viagra-like medicines in order to promote the rape of women. He said he may present new charges of mass rape against Mr. Gadhafi.

Russian Spacecraft Docks at ISS

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 8:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Russia's Soyuz spacecraft with an international crew on board has arrived at the International Space Station.

The Russian mission control said the spacecraft docked early Friday Moscow time.

The spacecraft carrying American Mike Fossum, Russian Sergei Volkov and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan had lifted off Wednesday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

The three crew members join Russians Alexander Samokutyaev and Andrey Borisenko and American Ronald Garan.

They will spend the next five months aboard the station, which is being prepared for a final shuttle mission.

The crew will receive the last U.S. shuttle, Atlantis, which is scheduled to arrive in July, and make one space walk.

NASA is ending its 30-year old shuttle program and will have to depend on space vehicles owned by other countries to deliver supplies and crew to the International Space Station.

Obama Urges Gabon’s President to Root Out Corruption

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Gabon's President Ali Ben Bongo to root out corruption and protect human rights in the West African country.

Mr. Obama met with Mr. Bongo at the White House Thursday, despite questions about alleged corruption in Mr. Bongo's family and government.

The White House said Mr. Obama welcomed reforms that Gabon has taken under Mr. Bongo to bring more transparency and accountability to government.

Earlier, the White House again defended Mr. Obama's decision to meet with the Gabonese president. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Gabon has been a helpful partner in dealing with Ivory Coast, Libya, and Iran, and supported the United States on issues dealing with human rights.

Carney said it would be naive to expect Mr. Obama to avoid leaders with questionable human rights records.

The White House said the two leaders discussed a wide range of multilateral and regional issues, including security, environmental protection and the economy.

Gabon holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month.

President Obama met with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

A statement said Mr. Obama congratulated Mr. Jonathan on the success of Nigeria's recent elections, which came off more peacefully than the country's previous polls.

He also called on Mr. Jonathan to make fighting corruption a national priority.

Nigeria has a history of graft among top officials. The country's former speaker of parliament was arrested on charges of misappropriating government funds earlier this week.

US Delegation Meets with Contractor Jailed in Cuba

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
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A U.S. delegation has visited an American contractor jailed in Cuba for crimes against the communist state.

Political strategist Donna Brazile said Thursday the delegation spoke with Alan Gross for about two hours and found him “in good spirits.” Brazile said Gross, who is serving a 15-year sentence, “is not bitter” but eager to return home.

The group was in Cuba as part of a trip sponsored by the Center for Democracy in the Americas, which works to improve relations between the two longtime ideological foes, a process that has been hindered by Gross' incarceration.

Gross was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 for bringing communications equipment into Cuba. The contractor has said he was just trying to improve Internet access for the island's small Jewish community.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter met with Gross in March and called on authorities there to release him. Mr. Carter said he believed Gross was innocent of serious crimes, but also that Cuban officials had made it very clear to him that Gross's freedom would not be granted.

Gross's mother and daughter are both suffering from cancer, and there have been requests to release the contractor on humanitarian grounds.

The United States and Cuba do not have formal diplomatic relations, only interests sections that are technically part of the Swiss embassies in each other's capitals.

Family of Deceased Cuban Hunger Striker Emigrates to US

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Relatives of a jailed Cuban dissident who died during a hunger strike have emigrated to the United States.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo's mother arrived in Miami on Thursday along with a dozen other family members. She was carrying the ashes of her son.

Cuban authorities earlier this week had exhumed and cremated Zapata's remains at his family's request.

The family was met at the airport by supporters from the Cuban exile community.

Zapata died in 2009 following a nearly three-month hunger strike to protest Cuban prison conditions. Zapata's mother blamed Cuban authorities for his death, which prompted international criticism of the Cuban government.

British Lawmaker Arrested for Suspected Sexual Assault

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
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A British lawmaker from Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party has been arrested in London on suspicion of sexual assault involving a 29-year-old woman.

News reports say Andrew Bridgen, a lawmaker who holds the North West Leicestershire seat, was taken into custody in relation to the alleged assault early Thursday.

Police did not confirm the identity of the man taken into custody, but said he was bailed out to return on a date in mid-July.

Bridgen, a former Royal Marine, was elected last year. He is described as “Eurosceptic” for his criticism of European Union regulations. He is married and a father of two.

The Conservative party refused to comment on the incident, saying it was “a matter for the police.”

Syrians Continue Fleeing to Turkey, Fearing Crackdown

Posted June 9th, 2011 at 7:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Hundreds more Syrians have crossed the border into Turkey, fleeing an anticipated government assault on the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour as Syrian forces and tanks massed outside the city.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday more than 2,500 civilians have entered his country since the unrest in neighboring Syria began in March. The influx prompted Turkish authorities to set up three camps to handle the crisis.

Residents said thousands more people have escaped to nearby villages just inside the Syrian border and are prepared to cross into Turkey at any time.

The refugees are looking to escape Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's weeks-long crackdown against anti-government protesters. Some said black-clad gunmen opened fire on protesters without warning.

The Syrian government has accused “armed gangs” in the border region of “massacring” 120 security force members in recent days and vowed to take decisive action. But refugees and other residents have described a mutiny among soldiers who either defected or refused to fire on civilians after a pro-democracy rally in Jisr al-Shughour on Friday. They said loyalist military units then attacked the rebellious troops.

Despite the possible military retaliation, the French news agency says pro-democracy activists have again called Friday protests against President Assad.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are unfolding at the United Nations.

Russia announced Thursday that it opposes a U.N. Security Council draft resolution condemning Syria for its crackdown on anti-government protesters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevick says Syria's unrest does not pose a threat to world peace or security.

He commented a day after European members of the Security Council presented a revised resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence in Syria and for humanitarian access. It also urges Syria's government to enact genuine political reforms.

Separately, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused Syria of trying to “bludgeon its population into submission” with its crackdown on protesters. Navi Pillay said Thursday it is “utterly deplorable” for any government to deploy tanks, artillery and snipers against its people.

Rights groups say at least 1,100 people have been killed in the Syrian crackdown against anti-government protests that began in March. More than 10,000 people have been arrested.

Also Thursday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency increased its pressure on Damascus by voting to refer Syria to the United Nations Security Council for covert nuclear activity.

It was the first time the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency referred a country to the Security Council since it sent Iran file there five years ago.

The IAEA's 35-nation board adopted a resolution rebuking Syria for three years of obstructing an agency probe into the Dair Alzour complex bombed by Israel in 2007.

U.S. intelligence reports say the facility – then under construction – was a North Korean-designed reactor intended to produce plutonium for atomic weapons. Syria says it was a non-nuclear complex.

Russia and China voted against the IAEA referral, meaning it could face opposition in the Security Council, where those nations hold veto power.

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