Syrian Town Braces for Possible Government Crackdown

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Syrian residents in a town near the Turkish border are bracing for possible violence on Tuesday after the government pledged a forceful response to what it called a massacre of security forces.

Government officials said Monday that armed gangs had killed 120 law enforcement officers during clashes over the past few days in Jisr al-Shughour.

However, opposition activists have disputed the casualty count and say the government’s accusations may serve as an excuse for a new military crackdown in the region. The killings could not be independently confirmed because foreign journalists are not allowed in Syria.

The region near the Turkish border has become a flash point in the anti-government uprising. Protesters have been calling for an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year authoritarian rule.

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

Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Posted in Middle East

Lagarde Seeks India’s Backing for Top IMF Job

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has failed to receive public support from India in her bid to become the next head of the International Monetary Fund.

Lagarde met Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi as part of a global tour that has included a stop in Brazil and expected trips to China and several African nations.

Despite ending the trip without assurances of India's support, Lagarde described her meetings with officials as “excellent.''

Mukherjee told reporters after the meeting that the selection of the managing director of the IMF or of the World Bank should be made on the basis of merit, competence, and in a transparent manner.

He said there should be a broad consensus on who leads the fund, adding that India would like to work with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to find a common candidate.

The head of Mexico's central bank, Agustin Carstens, is the only other declared candidate for the top IMF job. Carstens said last week during a visit to Brazil that Latin American countries deserve greater representation at the IMF.

The IMF is expected to announce the candidates for its top post by June 17 and the final selection will be made by June 30.

European nationals have served as the managing director of the IMF under an agreement reached with the United States after World War Two. The agreement stipulated that an American would head the World Bank.

Former IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn of France resigned last month following his arrest in New York on charges of sexual assault. He has said he is innocent.

Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Posted in South Asia

Taiwan Protesters Pelt US Mission with Fish

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Fishermen in Taiwan have pelted the de facto U..S. embassy in Taipei with dead fish, to protest the death of a Taiwanese fishing captain killed last month in a crossfire between the U.S. Navy and Somali pirates.

The protesters, members of the Taiwan Fishermen's Rights Association, demanded a public apology from the United States for the death of Wu Lai-yu, the captain of a fishing trawler hijacked in 2010 and used by pirates for more than a year to launch attacks on shipping in the Indian Ocean. Protesters also demanded a full investigation, and promised further demonstrations if their demands are not met.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Wu was aboard the captured vessel and died May 10 in a crossfire between pirates and the crew of the U.S. guided missile frigate the USS Stephen W. Groves. The trawler was sunk in the confrontation and three pirates were killed. Two Chinese sailors were rescued.

Wu's family had been negotiating with the pirates for his release.

The foreign affairs ministry said it is awaiting a U.S. report on its investigation of the incident.

A spokeswoman at the American Institute in Taiwan, which handles U.S. affairs, said Washington will inform the ministry as soon as it has more information on the case.

The AIT, where Tuesday's protest occurred, has handled civil exchanges with Taiwan since Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Posted in East Asia Pacific

UN: 100,000 Flee Tension in Sudan’s Abyei Region

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

The United Nations refugee agency says the number of people who have fled Sudan's disputed Abyei region has reached 100,000.

A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees told VOA most of them are seeking refuge in Warrap state, south of Abyei.

U.N. officials believe many displaced persons are still hiding in the bush and desperately need food, water and other basic aid.

Many of the refugees began fleeing the north-south border region last month, after northern troops seized control of Abyei.

The south is preparing to declare independence from the north on July 9, and the two sides have not agreed on the future of the oil-rich region.

Khartoum has rejected calls by the U.N. Security Council to withdraw its forces.

Officials fear the renewed tensions could plunge Sudan into a new civil war.

North and south Sudan fought for 21 years before the conflict ended with a 2005 peace agreement.

On Monday, U.N. Mission in Sudan called on the north's armed forces to bring the looting in Abyei to a halt, release civilians in its custody, and allow unrestricted and safe access to people in need of humanitarian aid.

Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Posted in Africa

Afghanistan Wants 50 Taliban Off UN Blacklist

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

The Afghan government is asking the United Nations to remove 50 Taliban members from a U.N. blacklist, in an effort to promote peace talks with insurgents and end the 10-year war.

Officials with the U.N. committee overseeing sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban say they are weighing the request and will make a decision in the coming weeks. The U.N. blacklist subjects Taliban members to an asset freeze and travel ban.

Peter Wittig, Germany's ambassador to the U.N. and chair of the U.N. sanctions committee, told reporters Tuesday in Kabul that any changes to the list would reflect the changing political developments in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has set up a council to seek peace talks with members of the Taliban who renounce violence, accept the Afghan constitution and sever ties with al-Qaida.

There are more than 450 people on the U.N. committee's sanctions list, including roughly 140 with direct links to the Taliban.

Separately, police say the head of the provincial council in central Bamiyan province was abducted and killed. Jawad Zhowka's body was found Tuesday near a main road running through neighboring Parwan province.

The relatively peaceful Bamiyan province is slated to be one of seven areas to transition from foreign to Afghan security control in July of this year.

Leave a comment
Tags:
Posted in South Asia

Fierce Fighting as Clashes in Southern Yemen Kill 19

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:30 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Clashes in Yemen's south have killed at least 19 people, as the violence and unrest that has engulfed the nation for months shows no signs of ending.

Yemeni forces clashed with Islamist militants in the southern city of Zinjibar Tuesday, leaving 15 people dead more than a week after the militants seized control of the city.

Fresh fighting also erupted in Yemen's second-largest city, Taiz. Witnesses heard several explosions and gunfire in the city as army tanks fired on gunmen. The violence killed at least four people.

The fighting comes amid increased calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to accept a peace deal put forward by the Gulf Cooperation Council that would end his 33 years in power.

Mr. Saleh is currently receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for wounds suffered during a rocket attack on his compound last week.

Yemen's acting leader, Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur Hadi, was quoted as saying Mr Saleh is “making a strong recovery” and will return to the country within days. But there have been suggestions the Saudi government may block his return.

At the Saudi-Yemeni border, a man trying to cross into Yemen killed two Saudi border guards Tuesday. Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry says the man trying to cross the border also was killed.

Nearly 400 people have been killed since the popular uprising against Mr. Saleh began in January.

Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Posted in Middle East

New Zealanders Mourn Death of Once-Fugitive Sheep

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

New Zealanders are mourning the loss of Shrek, a marino sheep who became a beloved national hero after it was discovered in 2004 that he had evaded the shearing sheds for six years.

Shrek's owner, John Perriam, says the 16-year-old sheep was euthanized Monday because of several age-related illnesses.

Shrek broke away from the herd on Perriam's South Island farm in 1998 and disappeared. When he was found six years later, he was sporting a massive fleece that weighed about 27 kilograms. Shrek captured the attention, and eventual affection, of New Zealanders when he was shorn of his fleece during a live national television event.

He went on to become the subject of three books and he toured the country raising money on behalf on charities benefiting children.

A memorial will be held for Shrek later this week. Perriam says the animal will be cremated and his ashes spread over Mt. Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain.

Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Posted in East Asia Pacific

European Stocks Higher in Midday Trading

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:40 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

European stock prices are higher in midday trading Tuesday.

London's Financial Times index is up about one-quarter of one percent. The CAC 40 in Paris is up about one-half of one percent, and trading on the DAX index in Frankfurt is up more than one-half of one percent.

In New York, the S&P futures contract is up five points, indicating a higher opening.

Tokyo's Nikkei index gained two-thirds of one percent to finish at 9,443. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost one-third of one percent to finish the day's trading at 22,869.

Gold is trading at $1,548.57 an ounce, up $4.

The dollar is mixed in trading against other major currencies.

Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Posted in Economy

Gates Says NATO Forces Ready for Decisive Blow in Afghanistan

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan are on track to deliver a “decisive blow” against the Taliban.

Gates spoke Tuesday in Kabul as he wrapped up a four-day trip to visit American troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan. The trip is his last to the country before he steps down as Pentagon chief on June 30.

Gates said he believes that if coalition forces continue their momentum, they can “turn the corner” on the conflict in Afghanistan. He also thanked the troops for their service.

His comments come as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to decide on the scope and pace of the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan set to begin in July.

The president is scheduled to hold a video conference with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on Wednesday.

Mr. Obama met with his national security team Monday to discuss situation in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The meeting was the first since U.S. special forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 in northern Pakistan.

Gates used a video link to be among the 26 participants in the meeting.

After the meeting, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president will make a decision on the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan relatively soon, after receiving a recommendation from military advisers. Carney said once that decision is made, Mr. Obama will report it to the American people.

Mr. Obama sent 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in December 2009 and vowed to begin a pullout by mid-2011. There are about 90,000 American troops in Afghanistan, forming the bulk of the International Security Assistance Force.

Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Posted in South Asia

Asia Markets Close Mixed

Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Major Asian stock markets closed mixed Tuesday.

Tokyo's Nikkei index gained two-thirds of one percent to finish at 9,443.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost one-third of one percent to finish the day's trading at 22,869.

Share prices were higher in Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei, but lower in Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Sydney and Wellington. The exchange in Kuala Lumpur closed virtually unchanged.

In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 80.20, a gain of one-tenth of a yen from Monday.

Gold is trading at $1,548.95 an ounce.

Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Posted in Economy

Calendar

April 2024
M T W T F S S
« Jan    
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  

Archives

Categories