Kan Resignation Battle Threatens Japanese Reconstruction Bills

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 12:45 am (UTC-5)
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Crucial legislation to finance Japan's post-earthquake reconstruction is at risk amid a political struggle over the timing of Prime Minister Naoto Kan's planned resignation.

Leaders of Mr. Kan's Democratic Party of Japan said after talks with the prime minister Sunday that Mr. Kan wants to remain in office long enough to try to push the bills through the current session of parliament.

However, leaders of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party want Mr. Kan to resign sooner, saying the bills should be introduced by a new government that will be in place to oversee their implementation. The LDP controls the upper house and has the power to block the bills.

Top officials of both parties said on national television Sunday they could support a grand coalition, which would remain in place long enough to deal with the effects of the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Mr. Kan announced Thursday that he will step down sometime in the coming months. The promise helped him to avoid defeat on a no-confidence motion in which dozens of ruling party members had said they would vote with the opposition.

A later remark by Mr. Kan was taken to mean he hoped to remain in office until early next year, sparking fresh criticism. But the prime minister made clear Sunday that was not the case.

Most Japanese media commentators believe the resignation will come sometime between June and September.

Numerous opinion polls have shown the public is deeply dissatisfied with Mr. Kan's handling of the earthquake aftermath and the long-running crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

6 Killed in US Drone Attack in Pakistan

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 12:15 am (UTC-5)
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Intelligence officials in northwest Pakistan say a U.S. drone strike in the country's restive tribal region near the Afghan border has killed at least six militants.

Authorities say the missile strike Monday occurred near Wana, the main town of the South Waziristan region, the country's main stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaida linked militants.

U.S. drone strikes against insurgents in northwest Pakistan have been a source of friction between the two countries.

U.S. officials have never publicly acknowledged the use of drones inside Pakistan, but privately they have confirmed the strikes to various news outlets, saying the operations have killed mostly militants.

The attack comes after the reported death of al-Qaida operative Ilyas Kashmiri in a U.S. drone strike in the tribal region Friday.

On Sunday, Pakistan officials said at least 24 people were killed and more than 45 were wounded in two separate explosions in the northwestern cities of Matani and Nowshera.

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Nation Marks 67th Anniversary of D-Day

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 11:45 pm (UTC-5)
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Monday, June 6, marks the 67th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two.

In the United States, two veterans of the Normandy invasion will share their experiences with visitors to the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans .

The National D-Day Memorial in the eastern state of Virginia will pay tribute to D-Day with a reunion of World War Two veterans and speakers, including one of the few living World War Two Medal of Honor Recipients, Hershel “Woody” Williams. The memorial is located in Bedford – the town that suffered the highest D-Day casualty rate for its population of any place in the United States.

More than 150,000 U.S., Canadian and British Commonwealth troops landed on the beaches of northern France on June 6, 1944 to liberate Europe from the Nazis. Thousands of allied troops were killed, with thousands of others wounded.

The D-Day invasion was one of the most carefully planned military operations in history and took Germany by complete surprise.

The anniversary will be marked in France with guided tours and lectures at the Normandy beaches.

Australia Eases Policy on Children in Refugee Swap Plan

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 11:30 pm (UTC-5)
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Australia is backing away from a plan to send unaccompanied children to Malaysia as part of a refugee swap arrangement with Malaysia.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said in a radio interview Monday the government will now assess children on an individual basis under the plan, which had drawn harsh criticism.

The United Nations refugee agency said Friday it could not support the proposed swap, which would send 800 undocumented asylum seekers to Malaysia for processing, as long as unaccompanied children were included. The agency Monday welcomed Mr. Bowen's statement, but said it will seek human rights guarantees before endorsing the final agreement.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has also criticized the plan, complaining that Malaysia has not ratified international treaties on torture and the treatment of refugees.

Officials announced the deal with Malaysia last month, but it has yet to be signed. In return for taking 800 refugees from Australia, Malaysia would send Australia 4,000 refugees whose status has already been certified.

Australian immigration officials have long been looking for ways to deter asylum seekers from entering the country illegally, especially those who come by sea in often rickety boats. It detains those who enter illegally until their asylum claims are processed.

Officials have been especially concerned about growing numbers of parents who are putting their children on boats and sending them on a dangerous sea journey from Indonesia and other Pacific islands.

Each year, Australia accepts more than 10,000 refugees who have gone through international asylum programs.

NATO Continues Air Assault on Libya

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 10:05 pm (UTC-5)
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NATO war planes on Sunday continued their assault on targets in and around Tripoli, hitting a military barracks in the Libyan capital and checkpoints near Brega.

The attacks are designed to keep up pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to bring to an end his 42 years in power.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who visited the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Saturday, said the campaign against pro-Gadhafi forces is intensifying. But he rejected suggestions that it has strayed from the U.N. mandate to protect civilians.

He told reporters in London Sunday, “This is not mission creep .”

Hague defended the use of British and French attack helicopters, which were employed for the first time on Saturday. But Russian Deputy Prime Minister Minister Sergei Ivanov warned that use of the helicopters puts NATO “one step” closer to a ground operation.

Russia abstained when the U.N. Security Council voted in March to establish a no-fly zone over Libya. It has repeatedly called for a negotiated solution to the conflict.

A special Russian envoy is due Monday in Benghazi, where he plans to meet with members of the rebel Transitional National Council.

Meanwhile, Iman al-Obeidi, a Libyan woman who claimed she was gang-raped by Mr. Gadhafi's troops, is said to be on her way to the United States. Marwa al-Obeidi said her sister was flown out of the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi early Sunday.

The Associated Press reported that Marwa al-Obeidi told reporters a human rights group aided by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arranged for Iman and their father to travel in a private plane to Washington by way of Malta and Austria.

Al-Obeidi was forcibly deported last week from Qatar to the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi. She burst into a Tripoli hotel in March to tell foreign journalists she had been raped by government troops, saying she was targeted because she is from Benghazi. Her rape claim could not be independently verified.

Greeks March Against More Spending Cuts

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 9:45 pm (UTC-5)
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As many as 80,000 furious protesters filled a square in central Athens Sunday in the largest protest in weeks against Greek government plans for more budget cuts.

Many in the crowd chanted “thieves” as they pointed their fingers at the parliament building.

The majority of the demonstrators were ordinary Greeks, livid that they are being asked to make more sacrifices as they accuse the government of failing to create more jobs and not doing enough to crack down on tax cheats.

Sunday's rally was the largest in nearly two weeks of non-stop nationwide protests against economic austerity measures.

Prime Minister George Papandreou and the European Union agreed Friday on the next installment of last year's $160 billion economic bailout.

Mr. Papandreou meets with his cabinet Monday to discuss EU plans for a new financial rescue plan for Greece, which would require even more spending cuts.

Australians Rally in Support of Carbon Tax

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 9:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Thousands of Australians have rallied in support of a government plan to impose a tax on carbon emissions, which have been blamed for global warming.

Demonstrators in major cities across the nation carried signs Sunday and shouted slogans saying yes to carbon tax. June fifth is United Nations – designated World Environment Day.

Environmental activists and some celebrities spoke of the duty to ensure future generations against climate change. Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett joined the rally in Sydney.

Australia relies heavily on coal-fired power and is one of the world's worst polluters. A carbon-emissions tax is the subject of heated debate in the country. Prime Minister Julia Gillard ruled out the tax during her election campaign, but earlier this year she proposed a fixed-price levy on major carbon polluters to start in July of 2012.

Big businesses, especially the country's powerful mining industry, have urged the government to set a low starting price of about $10 per ton for carbon emissions, saying that anything more than that would be harmful to Australia's economy.

The conservative opposition has criticized the government's proposal in parliament.

The government last week released a new report warning of the potentially harmful impact of rising sea levels on the ecosystem in Australia's beloved Kakadu wetlands on the northern coast. The World-heritage listed site has been the home of the indigenous Bininj people for some 60,000 years.

US, Europe Engage Yemeni Officials as Saleh Recovers

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 9:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Yemeni government and opposition officials met separately with U.S. and European diplomats Sunday as President Ali Abdullah Saleh recovered from a successful operation in Saudi Arabia to remove shrapnel from his chest.

Mr. Saleh was wounded in a rocket attack Friday on his presidential compound. He was later flown to a military hospital in Riyadh along with several high-ranking officials. The Yemeni leader is expected to remain in Saudi Arabia for two weeks.

Ruling party officials insist Mr. Saleh will return to Yemen, but analysts say it is not clear whether his Saudi hosts will allow him to come back as president. Before his departure, Mr. Saleh handed power to Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur Hadi.

Mr. Hadi met with U.S. ambassador Gerald Feierstein Sunday to discuss cooperation with Yemen's opposition coalition. Mr. Hadi also met separately with military commanders, including several of Mr. Saleh's sons.

The Washington Post reported that U.S. and European diplomats, including Feierstein, urged Yemen's opposition to refrain from setting up interim government committees before Mr. Saleh is formally out of power. The newspaper cited a U.S. embassy spokeswoman as saying Washington is continuing attempts to push its onetime ally out of power.

Late Sunday, a Saudi-brokered truce between government troops and forces loyal to opposition tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar appeared to hold, offering some peace to weary residents of the capital, Sana'a, where scores of people were killed in two weeks of fighting.

Mr. Hadi ordered his forces to vacate opposition-controlled areas of the capital, while al-Ahmar began to evacuate his militia from government buildings and called for an end to the fighting.

Joyful celebrations broke out in Yemen Sunday, after word spread that the embattled Mr. Saleh had left the country. In Sana'a, people danced, sang and slaughtered a few cows in what protesters renamed Change Square. But expressions of concern also emerged about whether Mr. Saleh's 33 years in power have really come to an end.

The president's departure did not stop the violence. In Taiz, gunmen attacked the presidential compound, killing four soldiers.

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

4 NATO Soldiers Die as Gates Bids Farewell to Troops in Afghanistan

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is retiring at the end of the month, visited southern Afghanistan Sunday to say goodbye to American troops fighting Taliban insurgents.

In his remarks during visits to bases in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, Gates said a soon-to-begin U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan should start with support troops, not combat soldiers.

The defense secretary also warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai that his country needs to increase security, and that failure to do so would put the smooth withdrawal of U.S. forces at risk.

Field commanders at both bases said they have seen significant security gains, but the violence rages on. On Sunday, four NATO service members were killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Two died in insurgent-related violence, while the other two were killed in a helicopter crash.

Secretary Gates is expected to visit more U.S. troops Monday.

Later in the week he travels to Brussels for a NATO security conference. One of the topics will be the situation in Afghanistan.

Saturday, the defense secretary hinted that he saw a possible end in sight to the nearly 10-year-old war, thanks to security gains in the past 18 months.

At a security conference in Singapore, Gates said there could be peace talks with the Taliban within a year. He cautioned, however, the talks would only occur if NATO's ground advances in Afghanistan continue to put pressure on the insurgents.

Partial Results: Humala Ahead in Peruvian Elections

Posted June 5th, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Partial results in Peru's presidential run-off elections Sunday show former army officer Ollanta Humala emerging as the winner over the daughter of imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori.

A count of selected ballots by Lima-based researcher Ipsos-Apoyo found Humala leading with 51.5 percent of the vote, over Fujimori's 48.5 percent.

Participating in elections is mandatory for Peru's nearly 20 million eligible voters.

In the first round of balloting in April, Humala won 32 percent of the vote, falling short of the 50 percent margin needed for an outright win. Keiko Fujimori, a conservative candidate, took 24 percent.

Some voters are concerned that as president, Keiko Fujimori would try to free her father, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for his role in death squad killings in the 1990s. Keiko Fujimori has apologized for mistakes and crimes committed while her father was president from 1990 to 2000.

Humala led an uprising against Alberto Fujimori in 2000, but lost a run-off election to current President Alan Garcia in 2006. Humala was outspoken during that campaign about his admiration for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but he has since distanced himself from the leftist leader.

Much of the current presidential campaign has focused on continuing Peru's rapid economic growth of recent years, while ensuring that the poor also see some of that increased prosperity.

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