Woman’s Body Found at Home of PNG Acting Leader

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 2:45 am (UTC-5)
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Authorities in Papua New Guinea are investigating the murder of a woman whose body was found at the home of acting Prime Minister Sam Abal in the capital of Port Moresby.

In a statement carried by local news outlets, Mr. Abal says “all family members living with me are immediate suspects” and pledges to cooperate with police.

Police Commissioner Anthony Wagambie says investigators are searching for Mr. Abal's son, who was seen entering the compound with a female companion early Monday morning.

The incident comes during a politically sensitive time for the small Pacific island nation. Mr. Abal recently took over while 75-year-old Prime Minister Michael Somare, Papua New Guinea's founding leader, recovers from heart surgery in Singapore.

Report Says Chinese Officials Ignore Lead Poisoning in Children

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 2:35 am (UTC-5)
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A leading human rights group says authorities in four Chinese provinces are hiding test results and denying care to children suffering the effects of industrial lead pollution.

In a 75-page report released Wednesday, Human Rights Watch says parents, journalists and others who speak out about the problem have been “detained, harassed and ultimately silenced.”

The U.S.-based group says central government officials have shown growing concern about the effects of lead, which can cause permanently impair physical and mental abilities when ingested by children.

But it says the study of contaminated villages in Henan, Yunnan, Shaanxi and Hunan provinces found local officials are largely ignoring the problem.

The report says officials have arbitrarily limited who will be tested for lead poisoning and, when tests are done, withheld the results from the victims and their parents. It says children in need of treatment have been sent back to their contaminated homes and merely advised to eat certain foods such as garlic and eggs.

The rights group urges the Chinese government to make sure that all affected children receive treatment and are not re-exposed to toxic levels of lead.

Japan’s Nikkei Makes Slight Gains

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 2:30 am (UTC-5)
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Japanese markets closed higher Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar is lower against the Japanese yen.

Tokyo's Nikkei index gained more than one-quarter of one percent to finish at 9,574.

In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 80.47 yen, virtually unchanged from Tuesday.

The Taipei market closed virtually unchanged at 8,831.

Thai Army Chief Issues Veiled Election Endorsement

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 2:15 am (UTC-5)
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Thailand's army chief is urging the public to elect “good people” and defend the king in next month's national elections in what is seen as a veiled endorsement of the ruling pro-monarchy Democrat party.

In a late Tuesday broadcast on military television stations, General Prayuth Chan-ocha said security services have found widespread evidence of disrespect for the country's revered monarchy. He urged voters to use their best judgment to defend the institution and elect people who will run the country “efficiently.”

The general also said that if people keep electing the same politicians they will not see any improvement. The opposition Puea Thai party, which is leading in opinion polls, received the most votes in the last four elections but has repeatedly been removed from power through judicial and parliamentary maneuvers.

Thailand's military has a long history of interfering in politics, having mounted 18 coups or attempted coups since 1932. Prayut said the military will remain neutral in this year's July 3 balloting.

The Puea Thai party is headed by political novice Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and is living in exile to avoid imprisonment on corruption charges that he says are politically motivated.

The Associated Press on Wednesday quoted from a U.S. diplomatic cable from November 2009 in which Eric John, the U.S. ambassador in Thailand at that time, identified Yingluck as a potential political star.

In the cable, John said Yingluck had become far more poised than in the past and had spoken with confidence about the party's strategy and goals. It said a Puea Thai official jokingly referred to her as Thailand's next prime minister.

The AP said the cable was among more than 2,000 diplomatic messages originally obtained by the WikiLeaks organization.

Reports: Pakistan Arrested CIA Informants After Bin Laden Raid

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 2:10 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistan has arrested five Pakistanis who acted as informants for the U.S. intelligence agency ahead of the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Western news agencies Wednesday confirmed a story in The New York Times that Pakistan's top military spy agency arrested the informants after the May 2 raid on bin Laden's hideout in the city of Abbotabad.

The detainees include a Pakistani army major who recorded the license plate numbers of cars visiting bin Laden's house. The fate of the detainees is not clear.

U.S. officials say the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, raised the issue of the detained informants with military and intelligence officials in Pakistan during a visit to the country last week. A CIA spokeswoman told The New York Times the agency has a strong relationship with its Pakistani counterparts and works through issues when they arise.

Relations between Washington and Islamabad have been tense since bin Laden's capture.

Libyan Olympic Committee Receives Tickets to 2012 Games

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 1:50 am (UTC-5)
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Organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London have given hundreds of tickets to the Libyan National Olympic Committee, despite Britain's involvement in a NATO military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi.

Olympic officials say they are required to give tickets to every member state recognized by the International Olympic Committee, and that the Libyan committee, not an individual, received the tickets for distribution to the country's sports organizations and athletes. The Libyan National Olympic committee is headed by Mr. Gadhafi's son Mohammad.

British officials told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which first reported the grant of the tickets to Libya, that they fear the embattled Libyan leader could try to disrupt the event and create a diplomatic spectacle, although Mr. Gadhafi is currently under an international travel ban and arrest warrant.

The newspaper says tickets were also allocated to Zimbabwe and Burma.

Thousands of Britons tried unsuccessfully last week to secure tickets to the event.

Chilean Volcano Causes More Flight Disruptions

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
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A cloud of ash from a volcano in Chile is disrupting air travel for a fourth day Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of flights in South America, Australia and New Zealand.

More than 60,000 passengers have already been stranded.

Virgin Australia said Wednesday the ash cloud would be too low to avoid on flights to and from Perth, the largest city in western Australia. Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar also cancelled flights to Perth.

The Australian carrier Qantas said all flights in and out of the southern island of Tasmania and to New Zealand remained grounded since Sunday, but it lifted a ban on flights to and from the southern Australian city of Melbourne. Air New Zealand and Virgin Air changed flight paths to continue service between Australia and New Zealand and Tasmania.

The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain in Chile has been erupting for several days. In addition to Argentina and Chile, flights have been disrupted in Brazil and Uruguay.

A flight carrying United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Buenos Aires, Argentina was diverted to the northern city of Cordoba late Sunday because of the ash, which can damage aircraft bodies and engines. Mr. Ban was forced to travel to Buenos Aires by bus overnight for a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Australia, China Nearing Agreement on Prisoner Exchange Treaty

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 1:00 am (UTC-5)
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A new prisoner exchange treaty between Australia and China could allow mining executive Stern Hu and dozens of other Australians imprisoned in China to serve out their sentences at home.

The Chinese-born Hu, an executive at Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, was sentenced last year for stealing commercial secrets and accepting bribes. A total of 25 Australians are imprisoned in China, while 16 more are awaiting trial or sentencing.

Under the exchange treaty, prisoners being held in either country will be able to apply for repatriation to their native country once all legal proceedings are complete.

A spokeswoman for Australian Justice Minister Brendan O'Connor says the prisoners must obtain the consent of both governments, plus the government of the state and territory where they want to serve their sentence.

The treaty will soon be submitted to the Australian parliament for ratification.

White House Vows Full Explanation for US Involvement in Libya

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 12:40 am (UTC-5)
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In Washington, the Obama administration is vowing to soon give a full explanation and justification for the continued U.S. military involvement in the Libyan conflict.

White House officials said late Tuesday they are preparing to “address a whole host of issues” about the U.S. role in NATO's mission to support Libyan rebels as they attempt to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The White House said its report would include a legal analysis showing it acted properly in complying with the country's 1973 law designed to curb presidential war-making authority.

The leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, sent a letter to President Barack Obama earlier Tuesday sharply criticizing the chief executive's actions in authorizing the U.S. role in Libya without seeking congressional authorization.

The 1973 War Powers Act calls for the president to notify congressional leaders within 48 hours of U.S. military actions. It also prohibits U.S. forces from being involved in military efforts for more than 60 days without congressional authorization, and includes an additional 30-day withdrawal period.

Boehner said that the 90 days expires on Sunday and that he wants an explanation by Friday.

Mr. Obama notified Congress in March of his decision to take military action in Libya, but did not seek congressional approval. The White House has regularly briefed congressional lawmakers about the U.S. role in Libya.

NATO is commanding the airstrikes against Mr. Gadhafi's troops and military installations. But the U.S. has had a key support role, including aerial refueling of warplanes, as well as provision of intelligence and surveillance for the operation.

Also Tuesday, Democratic Senator Carl Levin told reporters a proposed Senate resolution authorizing limited U.S. involvement in Libya could be considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee later this week.

Republican Senator John McCain said such a resolution should require the Obama administration to report to Congress on all aspects of the Libya mission.

Chilean Volcano Causes More Flight Disruptions

Posted June 15th, 2011 at 12:35 am (UTC-5)
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A cloud of ash from a volcano in Chile is disrupting air travel for a fourth day Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of flights in South America, Australia and New Zealand.

More than 60,000 passengers have been stranded have already been stranded.

Virgin Australia said Wednesday the ash cloud would be too low to avoid on flights to and from Perth, the largest city in western Australia. Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar also cancelled flights to Perth.

The Australian carrier Qantas said all flights in and out of the southern island of Tasmania and to New Zealand remained grounded since Sunday, but it lifted a ban on flights to and from the southern Australian city of Melbourne. Air New Zealand and Virgin Air changed flight paths to continue service between Australia and New Zealand and Tasmania.

The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain in Chile has been erupting for several days. In addition to Argentina and Chile, flights have been disrupted in Brazil and Uruguay.

A flight carrying United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Buenos Aires, Argentina was diverted to the northern city of Cordoba late Sunday because of the ash, which can damage aircraft bodies and engines. Mr. Ban was forced to travel to Buenos Aires by bus overnight for a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

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