Police in Mexico Seize Armored Drug Trucks

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 9:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Authorities in Mexico have seized two homemade armored freight trucks believed to be altered for local drug cartels during a raid and shootout in a warehouse in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

Two suspected drug traffickers were killed during the raid in the town of Camargo. Authorities say the tanks – dubbed “monster trucks” by security forces – were fitted with 2.5-centimeter thick armor and primitive gun turrets.

At least 23 other trucks were also found at the warehouse, some already partly modified. Mexican authorities say monster trucks are powerful – the welded Armour can resist fire from heavy caliber machine guns and can only be destroyed by anti-tank weapons.

Post-disaster Reconstruction Could Cost Japan Up to $225 Billion

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 9:00 pm (UTC-5)
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A top Japanese research institute says reconstruction efforts in Japan could cost the government between $175 billion and $225 billion during the next decade.

The Japan Research Institute said Monday the damages following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami would cost Japan more than $110 billion this year alone.

The private institute says the government should set aside another $60 billion toward the effort this fiscal year, in addition to some $50 billion allocated for an emergency reconstruction fund soon after the disaster.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reports the estimate does not include costs to address the nuclear crisis at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and recover the land submerged by the tsunami.

The institute based its estimate on government announcements of disaster-related damages. It assumes the state will support affected people at a level provided after the massive earthquake in Japan's Hyogo region in 1995.

German Chancellor Beginning Official Visit to US

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 8:55 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama formally welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House Tuesday for an official visit that will include both pomp and politics.

Ms. Merkel's one-day visit will start with a 19-gun salute on the White House South Lawn and end with an elaborate black-tie dinner. She is scheduled to attend a luncheon with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.

During their talks Tuesday, Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel are likely to discuss topics such as the Eurozone debt crisis, the wars in Afghanistan and Libya, as well as debates over who should replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the new IMF chief, a position traditionally held by Europeans.

Ms. Merkel's visit comes as Europe confronts an E. coli outbreak that has so far killed at least 22 people and sickened thousands. The visit also follows Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power plants by 2022.

Though ties between the two countries are amiable, Ms. Merkel and Mr. Obama got off to a rocky start back in 2008 when the German leader turned down a request from the then U.S.-presidential hopeful to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate. And although he has visited Germany twice since taking office, Mr. Obama has not yet made an official visit to Berlin.

Greek PM Willing to Hold Referendum on Spending Cuts

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou says he is willing to put the question of more spending cuts and other austerity measures before the voters.

Mr. Papandreou told his Cabinet Monday that he is seeking the widest possible consensus for his plans and is open to holding a referendum.

As of now, the prime minister is looking for support from members of his own government for billions of dollars in spending cuts and tax hikes as demanded by the European Union.

Some members of the ruling Socialists are lukewarm to the idea while tens of thousands of ordinary Greeks have been holding daily protests — livid that they are being asked to make more sacrifices.

The EU is considering another economic bailout for Greece after last year's joint rescue package with the International Monetary Fund did little to help Greece emerge from its massive debt.

Congressman Admits Lying About Lewd Photograph

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
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New York Democratic Representative Anthony Weiner has admitted he sent a lewd photograph to a female college student using his Twitter account after previously denying he had done so. Weiner apologized for lying but said he will not resign.

During a televised news conference Monday in New York, an emotional Weiner also admitted that he had what he said were “inappropriate” conversations on the Internet and telephone with about six women both before and after his recent marriage. But, he said he had not met any of the women and has not had a physical relationship outside his year-old marriage. Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, is a longtime aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Weiner said his wife learned the truth “this morning.”

The 46-year-old Weiner insisted he had not broken the law.

House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for an Ethics Committee investigation to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred.

Pressure had been building on the New York congressman after the lewd photo reached a woman in the state of Washington via his Twitter account. For several days, Weiner claimed to have been the victim of computer hackers.

Analysts say Weiner may come under pressure from Democratic colleagues to quickly resign because of the potential political fallout from an embarrassing sex scandal, complete with numerous Internet photos. Several photos surfaced Monday of Congressman Weiner shirtless, flexing his muscles.

There was speculation Weiner was planning to run for mayor of New York City in 2013. Now his political future is in doubt.

North Korea to Create New Economic Zone

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
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North Korea says it will set up an economic zone on two islands on the border with China.

The North Korean official news agency KCNA made the announcement Monday, a few days after the country's leader Kim Jong Il returned from a trip to China to study its economic development.

The news agency says the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly had issued a decree setting up the Hwanggumphyong and Wihwa Islands Economic Zone in order to boost friendship with China and expand and develop external economic relations. It says the zone will be under North Korean sovereignty.

The two islands lie in the estuary of the Yalu river, which runs along the Chinese-North Korean border. The islands have long been tapped as a joint economic development zone between North Korea and China, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Mr. Kim visited China last month, his third trip there in just over a year. China is North Korea's closest ally and its largest aid donor.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Mr. Kim was invited to learn from China's economic development.

North Korea is one of the world's most impoverished countries, mostly due to its mismanaged state-run economy. Droughts and floods in recent years have created food shortages that have made North Korea dependent on international food aid.

Egyptians Honor Activist Whose Death Sparked Revolution

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Hundreds of Egyptians have taken to the streets to honor activist Khaled Said, beaten to death in the northern city of Alexandria one year ago in a savage attack blamed on police. The incident helped inspire the uprising that brought down Egypt's president.

Pictures of the 28-year-old's badly disfigured and bloodied face quickly spread over the Internet, sparking public anger in Egyptian cities that grew into the revolt that eventually toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February.

On Monday's anniversary, crowds held protests in Cairo and Alexandria to remember him and draw attention to continued abuses by Egyptian police.

Hundreds gathered outside the Interior Ministry in Cairo, calling for the trial of those who killed protesters in the uprising. Another group stood on Cairo's Qasr El Nile Bridge passing out leaflets calling for a large demonstration Monday against police abuse. On a busy street in Alexandria, hundreds more held pictures of Said in their hands.

Last year, Said posted a video that he said showed two plainclothes policemen sharing the spoils of a drug bust. Witnesses say the officers later dragged Said out of an Internet cafe and beat him to death. Authorities said Said choked on illegal drugs he had swallowed.

The two policemen were put on trial, and a verdict is expected later this month.

In a separate development, Egypt's military rulers are lifting a nightly curfew imposed during the height of the uprising.

Military officials said Monday the curfew would end on June 15 in order to “encourage the return to normal life.”

The curfew – imposed January 28 when Mr. Mubarak was still in power – currently lasts three hours, from 2 AM until 5 AM local time.

US Official to Press Japan and South Korea on Iranian Sanctions

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
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A senior official from the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday begins a mission to Japan and South Korea to press for implementation of international sanctions against Iran.

According to a Treasury Department statement, Undersecretary David Cohen will consult with officials in the two countries on steps to increase pressure on what were described as “those entities facilitating Iran's illicit activities,” including Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

The United States, joined by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, has long accused Iran of seeking to acquire low-enriched uranium that can be used to make nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Suspected US Drone Strikes Kill 18 in Pakistan

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistani authorities said Monday three U.S. drone strikes killed at least 18 militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal region, including several Arab nationals and suspected militant leaders.

The authorities said all the strikes took place in South Waziristan and hit a compound, an Islamic seminary and a vehicle near the region's main town of Wana.

The attacks came three days after the reported death of senior al-Qaida operative Ilyas Kashmiri in another U.S. drone strike in the same area.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik both said Monday they were confident Kashmiri is dead, with Malik saying he was “100 percent sure.” However, independent confirmation is difficult because no body has been recovered.

Prime Minister Gilani also said intelligence gathering between Pakistan and the United States is returning to previous levels, following a breakdown after the May 2 U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in the northern city of Abbottabad.

In Washington Monday, the director of Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, Bruce Hoffman, told VOA Kashmiri's reported death is significant because it deprives al-Qaida of yet another person to whom it would have turned to implement a campaign of vengeance.

The United States has designated Kashmiri a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. The al-Qaida operative is accused of involvement in several attacks on Western targets, the 2008 terrorist siege on the Indian city of Mumbai, and the recent attack on a Pakistani naval base in Karachi.

This is the second time Kashmiri has been reported to have been killed. Pakistani officials had earlier said that Kashmiri was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in September 2009.

Obama to Decide on Afghanistan Troop Drawdown

Posted June 6th, 2011 at 7:20 pm (UTC-5)
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The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama will soon decide on the scope and pace of the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan set to begin in July.

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.

Among the meeting's 26 participants was outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who reported via video link on his just-completed farewell tour in Afghanistan, where he visited U.S. troops in several Afghan provinces.

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 around 90,000 American troops in Afghanistan, forming the bulk of the International Security Assistance Force.

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

In violence Monday, Afghan officials say unknown gunmen killed 11 people, including at least one Afghan soldier, in central Logar province.

In southwestern Nimroz province, insurgents attacked an Afghan checkpoint, killing two police officers and abducting five others.

And NATO said two of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan — one in a roadside bombing, the other in an insurgent attack.

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