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Iverson agrees terms with the 76ers

Allen Iverson has agreed terms with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent the bulk of his career and won the league MVP award in 2001 after leading the team to the NBA Finals.

"He wants to come back here to play and to show people he can still play," Philadelphia\’s general manager Ed Stefanski told a new conference announcing the signing. "He said he knows he has to play well to get the minutes.

"He did not really have a lot of questions for us as opposed to he just really wanted to come back to Philadelphia."

The 34-year-old Iverson, a 10-times All-Star, had said he was intending to retire having left the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season after only three games.

The four-time NBA scoring champion played 10 seasons with the 76ers, was traded to Denver in Dec. 2006, and then dealt to Detroit early last season before joining Memphis.

An injury to Lou Williams, who is expected to miss about eight weeks due to a broken jaw, opened the door to talks about Iverson\’s possible return to Philadelphia.

"When Lou got hurt, Allen\’s name came into play," Stefanski said. "He (Iverson) … is the best person available for what we need right now."

Iverson, who has averaged 27 points a game over his 14-year career, is expected to make his 76ers debut on Monday against the Nuggets.

Nets matches NBA worst record of losing start
"Whoever takes over on Monday will have our support. We just have to find a way to win," Devin Harris, the New Jersey Nets point guard, said on Sunday as they flopped to 0-17, matching the worst start to a season in the NBA history.
The Nets will host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday as they try to avoid setting a new record for the NBA\’s worst ever start.
The Nets fired coach Lawrence Frank while assistant Tom Barrise assumed the head role early in the morning before the game started. However this adjustment failed to serve its purpose to end the Nets misery.
Following their 106-87 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nets became the league\’s worst team of the season, joining the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers on the list of futility.
Kobe Bryant initiated a shooting showcase with five 3-pointers and 30 points. With Pau Gasol added 20, Los Angeles put the game away before halftime when they took a 59-34 advantage.
New Jersey made its first two shots and led 8-5 before a ruthless 22-2 Lakers\’ run.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Harris showed good signs in his second game since being restored to the starting lineup after a groin injury.

Kobe, LeBron lead NBA All-Star vote
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are still in the leading positions of the NBA All-Star votes after four-round balloting.
Bryant of the LA Lakers and James of the Cleveland Cavaliers were the leading vote-getters in their respective Western and Eastern Conference according to the 2010 NBA All-Star Game balloting released by the league on Thursday.
Bryant, currently the league\’s top scorer, is the overall leader with 1,793,782 votes. James, the reigning league Most Valuable Player, is second with 1,769,287 tallies.
A three-time All-Star MVP, who shared the honours with Shaquille O\’Neal in last year\’s mid-season showpiece, Bryant is joined at guard by Houston Rockets\’ Tracy McGrady (746,625 votes).
McGrady leads Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns despite playing only 47 minutes this season and has taken a leave of absence from the team.
Denver Nuggets\’ Carmelo Anthony (1,568,259) and German Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (826,130) hold down the forward spots. The Phoenix Suns\’ Amar\’e Stoudemire (1,304,470) takes the West\’s center.
In the East, Boston Celtics\’ Kevin Garnett (1,467,365 votes), MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game, stands up as the forward. Miami Heat\’s Dwyane Wade (1,719,359) and Philadelphia 76ers\’ Allen Iverson (930,713) are the guards.
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic (1,681,897) plays at center.
The announcement for the All-Star starters will be released on Jan. 21.
Following the completion of the voting and the starting line-up announcement, the head coaches will vote in the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, which will be announced on January 28.
The 59th NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 14 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas before a crowd of more than 80,000.

Iverson to start for Sixers the season: coach

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson warms up before playing against the Denver Nuggets in their NBA basketball game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 7, 2009. Iverson has returned to the 76ers after being traded to the Nuggets in 2006.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Allen Iverson will start for the Philadelphia 76ers in their home game against Denver and also the whole season, said Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan on Monday.
Iverson will play his first game with Philadelphia since 2006 against Denver Nuggets, one of three teams he played for after leaving Philadelphia, on Monday night.
"I feel like I am home," Iverson said at shoot around. "Just seeing people I\’m accustomed to seeing, seeing the reporters, seeing some of the fans when I go out to eat. Just the smell of Philadelphia when I go outside."
Iverson\’s not sure how many minutes he can play because of his limited basketball activity over the past year. His stint in Detroit was cut short with a back injury and he played only three games for Memphis this season.
Iverson said he has some concerns about playing in game condition.
"If I can\’t get my scoring on like I want to, I just want to do other things on the basketball court that will help us win," Iverson said.
The Sixers have lost nine straight games and hope Iverson can lead them back into the win column. He\’ll play against Denver.
Iverson, traded to the Nuggets in December 2006, always considered Philly home and dreamed of a return to the team he led to the 2001 NBA finals.
"In your dreams, you always hope for the best," he said. "That\’s what I\’m doing. I love these people here. They know that. They love me back. Hopefully, it\’ll just be a great experience.
Iverson broke down in tears at his press conference after he signed a non-guaranteed deal with the 76ers last week.
Jordan said he\’ll likely play Iverson in short bursts.
Jordan said he envisioned eventually pairing Iverson with injured point guard Lou Williams in the backcourt.
Williams is out about six more weeks with a broken jaw. His injury sparked 76ers management to consider bringing back Iverson.
Rookie Jrue Holiday, who started for Williams, is out for Monday\’s game with a strained right rotator cuff.
Leading scorer Andre Iguodala will start after missing Sunday\’s practice with an ankle injury.

Bulls\’ Noah fined 15,000 dollars for throwing ball
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined 15,000 dollars for tossing a basketball into the stands, the NBA announced on Monday.
The incident took place 4:41 into the third quarter of Toronto\’s 110-78 victory at Chicago on Saturday.
Noah, the son of French tennis legend Yannck Noah, was ejected after picking up technical fouls in the first and third quarters.
The lack of emotional control by Noah upset Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.
"He has to control his emotions," Del Negro said. "We\’ve talked about this, not just with Joakim but with other players. He has to understand how important it is that he is on the floor with us."
The incident came one night after Noah complained to NBA superstar LeBron James after the NBA Most Valuable Player did a victory dance during Cleveland\’s 101-87 victory over the Bulls.
Noah was seated on the bench when James hit a free throw and began his dance, what has become a common victory move.

PYONGYANG, March 26 (Xinhua) — The Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea(DPRK) accused the United States and South Korea of plotting to bring down its socialist system, the official KCNA news agency reported Thursday.

Several institutes of South Korea would hold a conference under U.S. command to discuss how to topple the DPRK\’s socialist system, a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People\’s Army said in a statement.

This clearly proves that the United States and South Korea lacked the sincerity to improve their relationship with the DPRK, but instead sought to \”bring down its system\” and start a war, the spokesman said.

The People\’s Army and the people of the DPRK have a firm, unshakable faith, he added.

He stressed that the DPRK will bolster up its \”nuclear deterrent\” for self-defense capable of warding off any attack, and keep its arms ready for action all the times.

\”Those who seek to bring down the system in the DPRK … will fall victim to the unprecedented nuclear strikes of the invincible army and the just war to be waged by all the infuriated service personnel and people,\” he said.

The South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported that several institutes of South Korea would hold a conference presided over by the United States in mid-April to discuss the possibility of \”contingency\” in the DPRK and a \”proposal for cooperation.\”

http://www.gemuhope.com

ISLAMABAD, March 26 (Xinhua) — Taliban militants in a pre-dawn attack on a security checkpost in a Pakistani tribal region killed five soldiers and injured several others on Friday, security sources said.

A senior army officer Lt. Colonel Anwar Abbas was among those killed when the militants launched attack in Orakzai tribal region, where the security forces, backed by fighter planes, are engaged in major operation, they said.

Sources said that the security forces launched counter attacks and killed at least 25 militants at Kayala checkpost in Orazkai.

There had been no independent confirmation of the casualties.

The security forces have started limited air strikes in Orakzai, the stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Officials said that a large number of militants fled from South Waziristan have arrived in Orakzai agency.

Thousands of people have been shifted to safe places as the security forces stepped up operations in the area. Locals said that some 80 percent people have left the area and moved to nearby cities including Hangu and Kohat.

On Thursday, jet fighters bombed a militants-linked religious seminary and a school in Orakzai agency and killed at least 11 militants, bringing death toll of the militants to 60, officials said.

Officials said the jet planes hit a seminary where the militants were holding meeting inside the compound at Mamozai area, the stronghold of the militants in Orakzai region.

Locals said that a nearby private school also came under the attack. Both buildings were completely destroyed, they said.

Several locals said that the jet fighters also bombed a center of non-political Tablighi Jmaat, where people gather on Thursday night for Islamic lectures.

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BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thai authorities has been on alert and prepared tight security measures for the 122 Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings this weekend.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, acting government spokesman, told a press briefing following a security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday night.

He said the meeting discussed security arrangements for the IPU between March 27 and April 1 at the Centara Grand, in Bangkok, when over 1,200 delegates from 124 countries are due to attend.

The police authorities are already working closely with National Assembly of Thailand, the host of the meeting, to ensure that there is adequate security and traffic facilitation in place for the venue of the meeting, the delegates, and their places of accommodation.

In view of the ongoing demonstrations led by the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), the police are also instructed to coordinate with the UDD leaders to ensure that there is no misunderstanding and that the IPU meeting can proceed smoothly.

The spokesman expressed confidence that the Thai people, whatever their political differences, will display their traditional hospitality in welcoming the international delegates to the IPU meeting.

\”The government is determined to avoid any undue activity to disrupt such important international gathering, since it would negatively impact the image of Thailand and the Thai people as a whole,\” he said.

He added that the police authorities also reported to the meeting the enhanced security measures which have been put in place following several incidents in Bangkok over the last few days.

Another 13 checkpoints jointly manned by both police and military personnel have been set up in Bangkok and surrounding areas.

As for the police investigation into earlier incidents, there has been good progress and warrants have been issued for the questioning of suspects.

Panitan categorically denied that the government was behind the incidents, since it was the duty of the government to provide security, not undermine it, and the government will not gain anything from creating such incidents.

As for the planned large-scale demonstration by the UDD on Saturday, it is expected that most people, who will join this activity, will be from Bangkok and surrounding provinces.

As usual, the government and the authorities will coordinate with the UDD leadership about security and traffic facilitation.

http://www.lersus.com

NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) — A major fire triggered a blast at an ammunition depot early Friday morning in an Indian Army base in eastern West Bengal\’s Panagarh town, some 100 km north of state capital Kolkata, an Indian army official said.

\”The fire broke out in a store house of the depot at 1:30 a.m. Friday. Within five minutes, the entire fire fighting machinery of the Army was activated to battle the blaze,\” Wing Commander M. Upasani of Eastern Command told local media.

However, there were no reports of casualties. Army personnel tried to reign in the fire throughout the night and it was brought under control around 3:30 a.m., but the facility was totally destroyed, he said.

Though the Indian Army has ruled out any act of sabotage, a court of inquiry will be soon formed to ascertain the cause of the fire.

In Panagarh are located one of the largest ammunition depots of the Indian Army and an important Indian Air Force base. An airport is also built here, extensively used by Indian Air Force.

http://www.znnw.com

ALMATY, March 26 (Xinhua) — According to the preliminary results by Tajikistan\’s electoral commission on Friday, 25 members for the country\’s upper house have been chosen.

Tajikstan\’s politicians went to the polls Thursday to choose 25 members for the country\’s upper house of parliament, following elections for the lower chamber earlier this month.

Members of the local district parliaments will choose five Senate members for each of the five districts to sit in the 33-seat Senate, according to reports reaching here from Dushanbe.

The remaining eight seats will be appointed by President Emomali Rakhmon.

Since its independence in 1991, Tajikistan has held three parliamentary elections in 1995, 2000 and 2005.

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MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) — Philippine First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was still being monitored on Friday for possible complications due to the tearing of another section in the wall of his heart\’s main artery, doctors said.

Jose Miguel Arroyo was rushed to the St. Luke\’s Global City Hospital in Taguig City Thursday morning after complaining of back pains. His doctors tried to prevent a rupture in his artery by lowering his blood pressure.

The First Gentleman\’s aorta suffered a tear on April 9, 2007 and he underwent a heart bypass operation.

A medical bulletin released by the hospital Friday morning reported a \”marked improvement\” in his back pain so that his pain reliever would just be given on an \”as-needed basis.\”

Dr. Juliet Gopez Cervantes, Arroyo\’s attending physician who read the medical bulletin, said the First Gentleman\’s doctors are reducing the dosage of his anti-hypertension drugs following the lowering of his elevated blood pressure.

\”We are now gradually putting him on progressive diet. While his overall condition is remarkably improved, we still have to closely monitor him as he could still encounter some possible complications of his re-dissection of thoracic aorta,\” Cervantes said, adding the hospital will issue another medical bulletin on Saturday.

Philippine presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo called for prayers for Mr. Arroyo\’s recovery and for the comfort of the First Family, especially President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who has canceled all her schedules since Thursday.

Saludo urged cabinet members and other top government officials to \”lighten the burden of the President\” by \”redoubling efforts to address pressing concerns of our people, especially hardships brought by El Nino\” and finish her development agenda before she steps down in June.

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NEW DELHI, March 23 (Xinhua) — India\’s extreme left-wing Naxalite rebels have been on an offensive in eastern India since Monday night in the wake of a two-day strike in six states, killing at least one of the security personnel and disrupting train services by blowing up railway tracks.

\”At least one security man has been killed in overnight encounter in Jharkhand, eastern India, where some 50 armed Naxalites and more than 30 security men have been engaged in a fierce gunbattle at the Chowka police station near Saraikela since Monday night,\” a senior police official said.

In the neighboring state of Bihar, seven coaches, along with the engine of the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express train, got derailed near Gaya station after Naxalites blew up a section of a railway track in the area, the official said.

However, there were no casualties as the train was running at a slow speed and so it did not fall on its side after being derailed, he said.

The Naxalites also blew up railway tracks in Jharkhand\’s Ranchi district, between Jhargram and Gidhni in West Bengal and near Birsa railway station in Orissa, both in eastern India.

\”The attack on the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani late Monday night was part of a coordinated strike on railway tracks in four states – - Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and Orissa. This was a well-planned effort by the rebels to completely disrupt the Howrah-Mumbai and Howrah-Delhi trunk routes at three places,\” a railway spokesperson said.

The Naxalites have called the strike across West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh as well as three districts of Maharashtra beginning on Monday.

The bandh (strike) has been called in protest against the Operation Greenhunt, the Indian government\’s latest offensive against the rebels. The bandh also protests the Union Budget, which the rebels have labeled as \”anti-poor.\”

Naxalites are now considered the biggest internal security threat by the Indian government.

According to statistics, Naxalites are active across approximately 220 districts in 20 states of India, accounting for about 40 percent of India\’s geographical area.

According to intelligence reports, 20,000 armed Naxalites were operating apart from 50,000 regular cadres working in their various organizations.

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JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — Flood in West Java province of Indonesia has forced more than 24,900 people to take shelters as their houses have been submerged since earlier this week, the Disaster Management Agency reported here Friday.

The floods in Karawang of the province have submerged over 15, 000 houses since Tuesday, it occurred after the authorities opened the water gate at Jatiluhur dam at the province, as the dam could not hold water as its volume has exceeded the dam capacity, spokesman of the agency Priyadi Kardono said.

\”Heavy rains for days have led more waters from several areas flow into the Jatiluhur dam, so the dam could not hold the excessive water,\” he told Xinhua over phone.

The spokesman said that most of the evacuees lived in tents and got relief aids from the government.

The waters submerged the houses up to three meters high, he said.

But, the spokesman said that so far there was no casualties of the natural disaster.

Indonesia has been frequently hit by floods and landslide. The lack of forest-covered areas has been blamed for the natural disaster.

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HANOI, March 23 (Xinhua) — Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet said here on Tuesday that Vietnam expects to further strengthen cooperation with Russia in all fields, especially trade and investment, national defense and security.

Triet made the statement while welcoming Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov on his visit to Vietnam.

Expressing thanks to Russia\’s support to Vietnam\’s national course of national defense and construction, Triet said that Vietnam will always be a good friend of Russia. Vietnam and Russia have seen fine development in past years.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov briefed Triet on outcome of talks between national defense ministries of the two countries during his visit.

The two sides agreed to tighten military and technical cooperation for national defense and security, said Anatoly Serdyukov.

Anatoly Serdyukov said that Russia always sees Vietnam as a strategic partner, Vietnamese people as close friend. Therefore, Russia will continue to deepen and foster the comprehensive relation with Vietnam.

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BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has ordered involved authorities, including police, to ensure security for participants of the 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings, state media reported Friday.

Though the red-shirted protesters announced they would not march to the meetings\’ venue, the peace-keeping operation center has coordinated with the Parliament and police to ensure security for the meeting participants, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said late Thursday, the National News Bureau of Thailand reported.

Members and associated members from 153 countries will attend the 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly and Related Meetings from March 27 to April 1 at a hotel in the center of capital Bangkok.

The meetings coincide with the mass rally staged by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) which has mobilized tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the Lower House of parliament and call new election.

The main rally site of UDD is located at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

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BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — The Metropolitan Police are ready to deal with the red-shirted protesters\’ march around the capital Bangkok Saturday, spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Major General Piya Utayo said Friday. the National News Bureau of Thailand .

The march will coincide with the opening of the 122nd Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings in Bangkok.

The meetings will be held at Centara Grand Hotel at Ratchaprasong Intersection in central Bangkok drawing over 2,000 participants from 153 countries.

Piya said that security will be beefed up at Ratchaprasong Intersection.

Police Major General Wichai Sangprapai has been appointed to negotiate with the protesters to avoid marching nearby or to the meetings\’ venue.

Ten of thousands of protesters led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have held mass rally in Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the Lower House of parliament and call new election.

http://www.znnw.com

by Jamil Bhatti, Yangtze Yan

ISLAMABAD, March 26 (Xinhua) — \”We want a promotion of the Gandhara heritage of Pakistan under many steps that we have proposed to the government of Pakistan,\” a chief monk said Friday in Islamabad.

A group of 10 top monks from Thailand, led by Phallop Thaiarry, the secretary general of World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB), is on an official visit to Pakistan, a center of the ancient Gandhara civilization.

\”Pakistan can be a great Buddhist pilgrimage destination in the world,\” said the chief monk after visiting the historical museum and the archaeological site in Taxila, 32 km to the northwest of Islamabad.

The ruins of Taxila consist of many different parts of the city buildings and buddhist stupas which are located in a large area. In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site with multiple locations and recently it has been ranked as the top tourist destination with Gandhara heritage.

Gandhara is the name of an ancient kingdom, located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River. The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from early 1st millennium BC to the 11th century and attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century under the Buddhist Kushan Kings.

The WFB offered to promote Gandhara heritage including the establishment of Gandhara chair in any renowned university and association of WFB with some of Pakistani institutions and the translation of literature on Gandhara in Thai Language.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari assured the delegation to preserve and develop the ancient cultural heritage of Gandhara to promote the inter-faith harmony and the tourism in the country.

\”The existence of large number of Buddhist stupas and monasteries in Gandhara, is very sacred for Buddhists and an important part of our historic culture,\” Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti told Xinhua.

\”The government always takes care of these sacred religious sites and welcomes tourists to Pakistan,\” said Bhatti.

Besides Taxila, the neighboring districts of Mansehra, Swabi, Mardan, Swat, Peshawar and the Khyber Agency also possess many similar sites, including the edicts of Indian King Ashoka (304 BC – 232 BC) engraved on stones.

During 1990s, a large number of tourists, cultural enthusiasts, scholars and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world started to crowd in Pakistan. But tourism rate dropped drastically after 9/11 in America, as the war on terror spread to Pakistan.

The visiting monks told media at Taxila that they would love to come to Pakistan again for religious tourism and would also promote it in their own country.

\”We had a lucky chance to visit spiritual place Taxila, it was an amazing site. The people of Pakistan are friendly and kind, I shall try visit again,\” said Dr Anil Sakya, an anthropologist and a monk by birth.

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TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) — Japan\’s Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Friday that the possibility of Japan sticking to an existing accord with Washington to relocate a U.S. military facility within Okinawa would be close to impossible.

Kitazawa told the Okinawa Governor that the central government is considering a number of alternative scenarios that would involve relocating the functions of U.S. Marine Corps\’ Futemma Air Station to more than one place and as such the possibility of Japan sticking to the existing bilateral accord made by the two countries in 2006 has become \”extremely close to zero,\” local media sources reported.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada met with U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos in Tokyo to present the alternative scenarios and agreed with a plan to start working-level consultations over the issue soon.

\”Today, the government of Japan shared its current thinking with regard to the Futemma issue, which we will carefully consider, \” Roos said in a written statement after talks with Okada.

\”The United States and Japan will continue to work together as allies in a spirit of partnership as we move forward to resolve this issue,\” said Roos.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said earlier that his government had just begun the process of briefing local Okinawa officials and U.S. delegates involved on the options being considered and resolved to settle the issue by the self-imposed deadline of the end of May.

\”We will decide by the end of this month on a government plan for the relocation, which is intended to gain understanding of Okinawa, the public, and the United States. We have just started to give explanations as to what we\’ll do,\” said Hatoyama.

Ahead of Okada\’s possible visit to the U.S. in the next few days, Friday\’s developments will further test the patience of Washington whose stance on the matter has remained unequivocal — repeatedly calling for Tokyo abide by the existing agreement, as the U.S. for their part believe this represents the best way forward.

The existing agreement, which took years to reach, was for the heliport functions of the Futemma facility, located in a crowded residential area in Ginowan, to be transferred to a coastal area of the U.S. Marines\’ Camp Schwab in the city of Nago, Okinawa by 2014.

However the Democratic Party of Japan-led government has earmarked three alternative locations as possible sites for the relocation: the inland part of Camp Schwab, a marine area to be reclaimed off the coast around the U.S. Navy\’s White Beach facility in Uruma, Okinawa, and Tokunoshima Island located outside Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Currently being proffered by DPJ is the idea of transferring some of the training drills currently held at the Futemma facility outside Okinawa to reduce the burden on southern island prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — ASEAN member countries will sign a dispute settlement mechanism during the regional grouping\’s summit on April 9-11 in Hanoi, a paper reported here Friday.

Foreign Ministry\’s director for ASEAN political and security cooperation Ade Padno quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying that the mechanism is aimed at resolving disputes resulting from different interpretation on the ASEAN Charter and its instrument.

\”There are three options to settle dispute, namely: mediation, conciliation, good offices and arbitrary,\” he said, adding that third parties could be involved in the dispute settlement upon approval of the disputed parties.

The director said that some pending issues, including sanctions for non-compliance, would be negotiated further after the signing.

The summit will also inaugurate the guideline of Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), dubbed ASEAN peace treaty.

\”The guideline will allow countries with substantial relations with ASEAN to accede to TAC,\” he said.

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NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) — India\’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) top leader L.K. Advani Friday landed into trouble, after his former female security officer deposed against him in a 1992 mosque demolition case in the northern state Uttar Pradesh which triggered communal riots in India.

Sources said that Gupta told a special Central Bureau of Investigation court hearing the case that she accompanied Advani to Ram Katha, a place where the dais was located, near the disputed structure, on Dec. 6, 1992.

\”She said she recognized 80 to 100 people, who were on the dais, by face. Advani and others, she said were there on the dais till 19:55 p.m.,\” the sources said.

\”Gupta also told the court in Rae Bareilly that Advani gave an instigating speech which encouraged the crowd. Advani repeatedly told the crowd that a temple would be built at the disputed site. She also said that BJP hardliner, Vinay Katiyar, delivered a provocative speech and encouraged the crowd gathered, and as the dome of the mosque fell, sweets were distributed,\” the sources said.

The case dates back to 1992 when Babri Masjid or Mosque of Mughal ruler Babur in Ayodhya was destroyed during a political rally by Hindu outfits which developed into a riot involving 150, 000 people, despite a commitment to the country\’s Supreme Court by the rally organizers that the mosque would not be harmed.

More than 2,000 people were killed in ensuing riots across India, including Mumbai.

http://www.zokn.com

by Kim Junghyun

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — Tensions between South Korea and the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) intensified this week over suspended cross-border tour programs.

The DPRK has warned of \”extraordinary measures\” including seizure of South Korean assets in the tourist resorts unless Seoul agrees to resume the tour to a mountain resort and a border town in neighboring DPRK.

FRAGILE SYMBOL OF PEACE

The tour to a scenic mountain and a historic border town, flourished under a decade of liberal rule of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, have been a long-standing but fragile symbol of peace and cooperation on the Korean peninsula divided in half following the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Tour to Mount Kumgang, launched in 1998 and run by South Korea\’ s Hyundai Asan Corp., had attracted more than 1.95 million South Korean tourists until a fatal shooting incident put the tour on hold in 2008.

Tour to the border town of Keasong, home to an ancient capital of an early Korean dynasty, were also launched in December 2007. Several hundreds of tourists visited the town on a daily basis before the tour was suspended a year later due to tension between the two Koreas.

President Lee Myung-bak, whose hard-line policy strained the inter-Korean ties, halted Kumgang tours after a female South Korean tourist was shot dead by a DPRK soldier for allegedly entering military no-go area near the resort in July 2008.

CARROT-AND-STICK APPROACH

At Pyongyang\’s request, the two Koreas held working-level talks earlier this year on reviving the moribund tour projects, but only reaffirmed their differences.

Seoul reiterated its position that tour to Kumgang resort would not resume until safety measures was taken to prevent similar tragedy and the truth of the shooting incident was found, while Pyongyang claimed the preconditions have been met.

The row further deepened in early March after the DPRK threatened to revoke all inter-Korean business deals related to tour programs, denouncing South Korea for blocking the resumption of the tours.

\”As far as I understand, North Korea (DPRK)\’s internal law also stipulates protection of investment. So the unilateral abrogation of the inter-Korean contracts or agreements would contradict the internal law,\” South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.

The DPRK threatened last week to confiscate the South Korean real estate in the resort and seek new business partners, a move that experts believe is aimed at intimidating Seoul to resume the tour.

As a result, a group of South Korean businessmen, including Hyundai Asan and the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), took part in the meeting in DPRK on the survey of their real estate in the resort, estimated to be worth 360 billion won (31 million U.S. dollars) in total.

ISLAMABAD, March 26 (Xinhua) — Indian authorities Friday handed over 17 Pakistani prisoners at the Wagah border to Pakistani officials, local sources said.

The prisoners have already completed their term in different jails in India. They were arrested on various charges including illegally crossing the borders, visiting cities not mentioned in their visas and fishing in Indian waters.

Earlier this month, the Indian Supreme Court ordered its government to immediately release 16 prisoners against the wish of the authorities in New Delhi that desired Islamabad to release the similar number of Indian prisoners in exchange. However, the Indian Supreme Court refused to accept it.

A bench of the Indian Supreme Court on March 8 declared that \” Under the Constitution, detention even for a second beyond the permitted period of sentence is illegal.\”

The release and repatriation of Indian and Pakistani prisoners is governed by a bilateral agreement signed by the two countries on May 21, 2008. Earlier, it was being governed by a Protocol on Consular Access signed between India and Pakistan in 1982.

Pakistan released 100 Indian fishermen in December 2009. India handed over 31 Pakistani fishermen including three children at Wagah-Atari border in January 2010.

Pakistan has demanded the release of over 700 Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody.

http://www.chinacourse.com

TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) — Japan\’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) held a ceremony on Friday in Okinawa to mark the upgrading of a troop unit, said reports from the Japanese island in the west Pacific Ocean.

The GSDF\’s 1st combined brigade, which is based in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, has been upgraded to the 15th brigade with 2,100 troops, up from 1,800 troops, according to the reports.

The 15th brigade has increased the number of its patrol troops and is charged with patrolling Japan\’s southwestern waters and monitoring its borders.

Additionally, the new brigade has a dedicated unit on hand to deal with eventualities occurring from nuclear, biological or chemical attacks.

The brigade\’s infantry regiment will be provided with armored vehicles and artillery to be used in the event of attack.

Despite the intermittent upgrading of its troop units, Japan\’s Ground Self-Defense Force and de facto military in general has very limited capabilities to operate overseas under Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, and lacks long range offensive capabilities such as long-range surface-to-surface missiles, aerial refueling, marines, amphibious units, and large caches of ammunition.

http://www.lersus.com

NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) — India\’s paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) personnel killed two intruders at the India- Pakistan border in the northern Indian state of Punjab, the Indian official broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) reported Friday.

According to AIR, the intruders, identified as Pakistani nationals, tried to infiltrate into the Indian territory near the border village of Naushera-Dhalla late Thursday night.

\”In Punjab, two Pakistani intruders were shot dead by Border Security Force at Naushera Dhalla village near the border. BSF officials told AIR correspondent that fake Indian currency with a face value of 6.5 million rupees (150,000 U.S. dollars) was seized from them. When the troops asked them to surrender, they tried to flee, following which they were shot dead,\” AIR reported.

http://www.ceshq.com

SINGAPORE, March 24 (Xinhua) — More than two out of three Singaporeans view family as important when it comes to dealing with personal or financial crises, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to a survey by the National University of Singapore ( NUS) Business School, some 67 percent of the respondents said they will first consider another adult member of the household to help maintain the family budget if the breadwinner should die or become unable to work, local radio 938live reported.

During times of need, insurance is the second preferred option (47 percent) for Singaporeans, and 9.8 percent said they will consider sending at least one of their school-going children out to work.

The survey also showed that half of the Singaporeans think it is desirable to adopt to continue the family line if there are no descendants.

NUS conducted the survey for its AsiaBarometer Project, and interviewed 8,000 adults in eight Asian countries.

http://www.gtrip.net

KOLKATA, India, March 26 (Xinhua) — With another body found Friday on the 4th floor of the burnt Stephen Court building of the posh Park Street on Friday, the death toll in Tuesday\’s massive fire at the center of the eastern Indian metropolis has risen to 25.

\”The body has been sent to the SSKM hospital,\” a local police official said here. \”The body is in such a bad state that it cannot be ascertained immediately whether it is a male or female.\”

Police said about a dozen people were still missing by Friday and several seriously people were undergoing treatment.

Lack of security precautions and illegal construction inside Stephen Court, located in the heart of the city, were blamed for the high death toll.

http://www.zokn.com

NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) — At least six laborers were killed and a dozen injured Friday when a stone mine they were working in collapsed in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, reported the Press Trust of India.

The incident took place at the state\’s Pratapgarh district. Bodies of six persons have been pulled out while around 16 others were hospitalized in critical condition, said the report, quoting local officials.

Rescue operation was still underway in the mine which is about 200 feet (about six meters) deep, said the report.

http://www.cne.cc

SEOUL, March 25 (Xinhua) — South Korea is expanding the government-led program aimed at sharing its experiences in emerging from a war-torn country to a robust economic powerhouse, local media reported.

The government is now seeking to invite several developing countries that fought on the side of South Korea during the devastating 1950-1953 Korean War to join the so-called Knowledge Sharing Program, led by Seoul\’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

The program, which started in 2004 at the request of developing nations looking to tap into South Korea\’s know-how, include providing comprehensive economic policy consulting to rising economies.

The number of countries receiving three-year financial consulting has risen for the past years, from two when the program kicked off to up to 17 countries this year, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The ministry previously said the program is part of an effort to establish South Korea\’s own model of official development assistance (ODA) that can be distinguished from the Western models.

The country in 2010 increased the amount of ODA by 18 percent from the previously year to 419 billion won (362 million U.S. dollars), after Seoul last year joined the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a body comprised of donor nations, as the 24th member.

http://www.pq365.com

MUMABAI, March 25 (Xinhua) — The Indian Navy will induct the first homemade stealth frigate next month, India\’s media reported on Thursday.

The first indigenous stealth frigate Shivalik will be commissioned \”by the second week of April\”, the Indian newspaper Mint quoted Parvez Panthaky, spokesman of Shivalik\’s maker Mumbai- based Mazagon Dock Ltd, as saying.

Shivalik is the first ship of 12 Shivalik-class stealth frigates being built or planned to be built by the Indian Navy, and two more Shivalikclass frigates will be deployed within a few months of each other, said the spokesman.

The Indian Navy has three stealth frigates presently in its surface fleet, however, they were bought from Russia, while 12 shivalik frigates are the first stealth frigates designed by the Indian Navy and being made or to be made in India, and will become the mainstay frigates in the first half of new century.

Shivalik with the full load of 5,000 tons, was launched in April, 2003, incorporates structural, thermal and acoustic stealth features against the rival\’s radars and heat seekers, and will be equipped with the advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.

The Indian Navy will become one of a few countries\’ navies in the world which could design and build the stealth frigates as Shivalik is commissioned.

http://www.gtrip.net

PYONGYANG, March 26 (Xinhua) — Two political parties from the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea issued a joint statement Thursday to mark the 100th anniversary of patriotic martyr An Jung Gun\’s death,the official news agency KCNA reported.

The Korean Social Democratic Party of the DPRK and the Democratic Labor Party of South Korea jointly issued the statement, demanding that Japan apologize for the crimes it committed against the Korean nation during its colonial rule over Korea, the KCNA reported

An Jung Gun was hung in 1910 after he assassinated Hirobumi Ito,then Japanese Governor-General of the Korean peninsula.

Born in 1879, independence activist An fatally shot Hirobumi Ito at the Harbin Railway Station in northeast China on Oct. 26, 1909. The Japanese hanged him at the Lushun Prison in Dalian City of Liaoning Province in northeast China on March 26, 1910.

http://www.cne.cc

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with magnitude of 6. 2 rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday afternoon, but there was no reports of damages or casualty, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 17:39 p.m. Jakarta time (1039 GMT) with the epicenter at 205 km northwest Saumlaki of Maluku province and with a depth of 112 km under sea bed, official of the agency Subagio.S told Xinhua over phone.

Spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency Priyadi Kardono confirmed that there was no report of damages or casualty.

\”We have checked and got reports that there were no damages or casualty caused by the quake,\” he told Xinhua.

The intensity of the quake was only felt at 2 to 3 MMI ( Modified Mercally Intensity) at Saumlaki, said Subagio.

Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the \” Pacific ring of fire.\”

http://www.minamik.com

CANBERRA, March 25 (Xinhua) — Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has rejected calls to cut overseas migration as new figures revealed Australia\’s population passed 22 million.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday released an update on the nation\’s population, which reached 22,066,000 last September.

This was an increase of 451,900 people during the year, keeping the growth rate high at 2.1 percent.

The majority of the growth, 66 percent, was due to overseas migration, with the remainder, 34 percent, due to natural increase.

Rudd is under increasing scrutiny to explain how the nation can sustain an expected 35.9 million people by 2050.

The Australian Conservation Foundation this week nominated population growth to be listed in federal environmental laws as a threat to biodiversity, a move that would push the government into developing a strategy.

Former New South Wales Labor premier Bob Carr on Wednesday called for Australia\’s immigration intake to be slashed by half, while Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who has Australia\’s fastest growing region in the state\’s south-east, urged a national approach.

However, Rudd said he saw the problem of population growth in terms of planning for future demand.

\”The key challenge for us … is how do we as a nation prepare for that in terms of infrastructure, in terms of planning for our cities, and all those other practical things which need to be done, \” he told Fairfax Radio.

The intake of migrants had been scaled back as the economic crisis hit and would continue to be dictated by workforce needs, Rudd said.

http://www.minamik.com

NEW DELHI, March 25 (Xinhua) — The Indian customs has seized 1, 250 tons of \”toxic\” wheat imported from Australia at the port in the southern state of Tamil Nadu\’s capital Chennai, local daily The Times of India said Thursday.

The consignment, contained in 50 containers, was found to contain more than permissible levels of pesticide chloropyrifos, said the report, claiming that three clearing agents were arrested on charges of attempting to get clearance for the consignment using fake documents.

\”This is the first time that such a huge quantity of imported food grain has been found to have excessive pesticide content. The consignment will not be cleared for import. It will have to be sent back to Australia,\” Customs commissioner C. Rajan was quoted as saying.

Customs officials took samples of the wheat as soon as the consignment arrived 10 days ago from Melbourne and sent it to the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore in southern India.

\”It is the procedure. We take samples and send them to the laboratory for testing the pesticide content. The test revealed that the consignment contained high pesticide levels and hence was not fit for consumption,\” said Rajan.

http://www.chinacourse.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — A South Korean naval vessel with 104 crew members onboard is sinking into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause, local media reported, citing naval officials.

The 1,200-ton ship sank off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response, South Korea\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

No casualties or injuries have been reported, and 58 out of the 104 crew members have been rescued thus far, Yonhap said.

The South Korean government immediately convened an emergency meeting with security officials, and is not ruling out the possibility of an attack from a naval vessel from the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to Yonhap.

South Korea\’s Defense Ministry, while forming an emergency team to help rescue operations and find out the cause, cautioned against hastily linking the incident to a possible attack by the DPRK, according to Yonhap.

The incident occurred less than three months after tensions abruptly rose on the Korean peninsula following the DPRK\’s repeated firing of artillery shells earlier this year into waters near the de facto sea border, where the two Koreas had naval skirmishes before. Pyongyang refuses to acknowledge the maritime border, which was fixed unilaterally by the U.S.-led United Nations Command after the 1950- 1953 Korean War.

http://www.znnw.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — A South Korean navy patrol ship sank in western waters off the Korean Peninsula near the disputed maritime border Northern Limit Line (NLL) around 21:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) Friday, some people on broad were feared dead, according to local media YTN.

The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

http://www.tbogg.com

NEW DELHI, March 19 (Xinhua) — After U.S. terror suspect David Coleman Headley pleaded guilty to all the 12 terror-related charges against him before the U.S. District Court in Chicago Thursday, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday that India will continue to seek his extradition.

\”India needs more access to Headley for interrogation and to record his testimony in the Mumbai terror attack case,\” Chidambaram said addressing a press conference in New Delhi.

\”I have seen a copy of the plea agreement. In return, the prosecutors have agreed that they will not seek the death penalty and he will not be extradited to India or Denmark or Pakistan,\” said Chidambaram.

He pointed out that Headley has been charged with crimes that spanned across different countries.

\”If Headley had committed the crime only in India, extradition was easy. He has committed the crime in both the countries. We must remember there were six Americans who died in Mumbai attacks. The American authorities have the jurisdiction to prosecute him. Since he was apprehended in the U.S., I always knew there would be a problem in our extradition. We will continue to maintain our plea for the extradition,\” he said.

\”The U.S. sentence is on certain guidelines. It appears to me that the prosecutor will seek for life imprisonment. The life imprisonment means the natural life of the accused. The court is not bound by the plea agreement but by and large they are bound by plea agreement. We should wait and watch,\” he said.

He also said that India had already got enough information from the U.S. regarding Headley\’s involvement in terror related activities.

\”Access is one thing, information is another. We have been given a significant amount of information about their investigation. We want access to get more information. In any judicial proceedings in the U.S. the Indian authorities have the right to question either through a video conferencing or through the letters,\” the Minister said.

\”A significant amount of information has already been shared with India. Many of the questions that the Indian authorities wanted have been answered. I will continue to press for access to India,\” he stated.

The home minister ruled out any disruption in the Mumbai terror attack case involving Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab following Headley\’ s guilty plea.

\”The Nov. 11 case regarding Kasab is in its stage of final argument. There will be a judgement. Nothing that has happened in the U.S. will affect the Nov. 11 trial in Mumbai. We shouldn\’t mix Kasab with Headley,\” he said.

http://www.qb-china.com

JAKARTA, March 29 (Xinhua) — Indonesia and the United States inked a cooperation agreement on science and technology on Monday, enabling the two countries to exchange information, ideas, knowledge and skills, the Jakarta Post reported.

The agreement covers 23 fields, including science and technology, agriculture and biotechnology, medical and biomedical sciences, food security, marine research, energy, information and communication technology, aerospace, environment, forestry and biodiversity.

All Indonesian scientists will be able to continue existing cooperation and embark on new cooperation with their U.S. counterparts, said Suharna Surapranata, Indonesian Minister of Research and Technology, after signing the agreement with U.S. Ambassador.

He added that the agreement was based on the principles of equality and was aimed at supporting the development of national science and technology.

Before that, the science and technology cooperation between Indonesia and the United States was established in 1978, which was later extended until 2002. In 2008, the two countries got the thought of renewing their cooperation, said the Minister.

http://www.tbogg.com

BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s police have fully alerted after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and anti-government core leaders failed again to reach concrete agreement in their second day of political talks on Monday evening.

The second day of their peaceful talks started at about 18:20 p. m. and ended at about 20:20 p.m.

During the talks, the two sides could not agree on the time frame to dissolve the lower House of parliament.

The three red shirts\’ core leaders still insisted that the House be dissolved by the premier within 15 days and it will be the only solution to the country\’s ongoing political conflict.

Prior to the talks, Metropolitan Police Commander Lt-General Santhan Chayanon called on a meeting with chiefs of Metropolitan Police Division 1-9 and other involved police authorities to plan security measures to deal with the mass gathering of the red shirts.

Lt-General Santhan has urged the general public to help inform security authorities if they discover any irregularity, Thai News Agency reported.

Police Major General Piya Utayo, spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, disclosed that some 45 police companies, or 6,750 police officers, together with other police task forces, have been deployed to maintain law and order amid the ongoing mass rally.

The police forces have also been focusing on ensuring security at state places and important persons\’ residences, General Piya said.

Ten of thousands of the protesters led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group have converged in the Thai capital of Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.

The red-shirts or UDD group\’s main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of Bangkok.

http://www.znnw.com

Blast occurs at main gates of Thailand\’s Gov\’t House in Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) — Explosion occurred at the main gates of the Government House in the Thai capital of Bangkok late Monday night, Thai News Agency reported.

The blast occurred at Gate 5 and 7 of the Government House as security officers rushed to the scene to investigate.

According to a preliminary-investigation report, it is expected that the blast was caused by home-made bombs.

The security officers arrested a suspect who was carrying the home-made bombs.

The blast took place amid the ongoing mass anti-government rally in the center of Bangkok.

http://www.zokn.com

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met Monday with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada to discuss the relocation of Futenma military base on the Okinawa island. The Pentagon said the United States respects Japan\’s opinion, and is considering its proposition.

Gates and Okada met in the Pentagon. Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States respects \”Japan\’s request to explore alternatives,\” on the Futenma base issue.

The Futenma base issue has caused considerable controversy in recent months between the allies, with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) looking at other options other than a 2006 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Washington and the government of former governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Under that agreement, the U.S. Futenma air facility was to be moved to a coastal area in Okinawa and away from its current urban location. Locals and some inside Japan\’s governing coalition oppose the plan, saying they want the base moved out of the prefecture.

Whitman on Monday said Washington is carefully considering Japan\’s \”current thinking with regards to the Futenma issue,\” and discussions will be conducted \”through diplomatic channels.\”

Okada is scheduled to meet with National Security Adviser James Jones and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

http://www.pq365.com

TOKYO, March 30 (Xinhua) — A March survey released by the Labor Ministry in Japan on Tuesday showed that 269,790 nonpermanent workers are expected to lose their jobs from October of last year to June.

The survey shows the number of noncontracted workers, known as \”hakken\” in Japanese, has increased by 7,192 compared to the previous month.

Aichi Prefecture, where the head office of Toyota Motor Corp. is based, is expected to see 44,525 nonpermanent workers lose their jobs over the period, the highest among all the areas of the country. Tokyo expects to lose 15,932 noncontracted workers, and both Nagano and Shizuoka prefectures are also expect to see job losses of more than 10,000.

An official with the ministry expressed concern that a large number of noncontracted workers were expected to lose their jobs in March, the end of Japan\’s financial year when firms look to balance their books for 2010.

The plight of noncontracted workers has become a symbol of the recent economic downturn in Japan, after thousands were left in shelters for the New Year of 2008, when conditions worsened in the aftermath of the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) campaigned last summer on a pledge to \”stabilize the employment of temporary workers,\” and earlier in the month, the cabinet, led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, decided to put forward a bill banning the hiring of such employees at manufacturing companies.

The bill has been criticized by some analysts, but is in line with the party\’s objective of seeing a Japan in which more focus is given to social security than short-term profits.

Other employment data released Tuesday showed that the number of unemployed remained stable in February at 4.9 percent, while the ratio of job offers to job seekers stood at 0.47, its highest level since April last year.

Related:

Japan\’s jobless rate remains at 4.9% in February

TOKYO, March 30 (Xinhua) — The jobless rate in Japan remained at 4.9 percent in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the number of people employed in Japan fell by 800, 000, or 1.3 percent, compared to the same month of the previous year.?Full story

http://www.marconimedical.com

HONG KONG, March 30 (Xinhua) — An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale hits eastern Sea of Japan Tuesday, according to a release by the Hong Kong Observatory.

The quake, which occurred at 9:09 p.m. HK time (0109 GMT), was initially determined in eastern Sea of Japan, 43.3 degrees North latitude and 138.4 degrees East longitude, about 240 kilometers west of Sapporo, Japan.

Related:

Strong quake hits northeastern Japan

TOKYO, March 14 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 jolted northeastern Japan Sunday, said the Japan Meterological agency.

The focus of the quake, which occurred at 05:08 p.m. local time (0808 GMT), was located some 40 km under the sea east of Fukushima Prefecture, according to the agency.? Full story

Moderate quake hits Japan\’s Fukushima Prefecture

TOKYO, March 13 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 jolted Japan\’s Fukushima Prefecture late Saturday, said the Japan Meterological agency, which issued no tsunami warning.

The focus of the quake, which occurred at 9:46 p.m. (1246 GMT), was located around 80 km under the sea east of Fukushima Prefecture, according to the agency.? Full story

Earthquake jolts Honshu, Japan

HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) — An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale occurred near east coast of Honshu, Japan at 0814 GMT on Sunday, according to a release by the Hong Kong Observatory.

The epicenter was initially determined to be at 37.8 degrees north south latitude and 141.6 degrees east longitude, about 83 kilometers southeast of Sendai, Japan.? Full story

Several earthquakes hit Asia-Pacific countries

HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) — A series of earthquakes hit some countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the past couple of days.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 jolted northeastern Japan on Sunday. The focus of the quake, which occurred at 05:08 p.m. local time (0808 GMT), was located some 40 km under the sea east of Fukushima Prefecture, according to the Japan Meterological agency.? Full story

Indonesia, Japan team up in earthquake, volcano disaster mitigation researches

JAKARTA, March 22 (Xinhua) — A comprehensive research efforts carried out by Indonesian researchers who team up with their Japanese counterparts to overcome the impacts of earthquake and volcano eruptions across the country is underway at the moment, aimed at saving the lives of people living in the areas prone to those disasters, an Indonesian official said here on Monday.

TOKYO, March 30 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama indicated Tuesday that his government is unlikely to fulfill his pledge to come up with a proposal for the relocation of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa Prefecture by the end of this month, describing the deferment as not a \”big deal.\”

\”I thought the end of March was a rough target for the government to have a proposal to be accepted by the public, starting with the people of Okinawa and moreover by the United States,\” Hatoyama told the press. \”Putting it off by one, two or several days is no big deal.\”

Hatoyama went on to tell reporters that resolving the issue by offering and having the parties concerned accept a solid proposal on the issue, by his self-imposed deadline of the end-of-May, is his most important concern.

Tuesday\’s flippant \”no big deal\” comment by the prime minister, who also serves as the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President, was in stark contrast to his pledge on Friday for the government to come up with a proposal for relocating the Futemma Air Station by the end of March.

\”We will decide by the end of this month on a government plan for the relocation, which is intended to gain understanding of Okinawa, the public, and the United States,\” Hatoyama told reporters on Friday.

\”We are now striving to formulate such a proposal by the end of this month,\” the prime minister also said at a news conference the same day.

On Monday, however, Hatoyama told reporters that his government was not legally bound to come up with a plan to relocate a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa Prefecture by the end of this month, reneging on his recent promises.

\”There is no legal basis on which we must come up with a government plan this month,\” Hatoyama told the press.

Japan\’s ruling coalition has been considering alternative sites within the southernmost prefecture, as well as a plan that would see the U.S. military facility relocated to Tokunoshima Island located outside Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture, but has yet to present a single, cohesive plan to local government officials in Okinawa, or the United States.

For its part Washington\’s stance on the thorny issue has remained unequivocal and has persistently called for Tokyo to stick to an existing accord agreed in 2006 by both countries that would see the heliport functions of the Futemma facility, located in a crowded residential area in Ginowan city, transferred to a coastal area of the U.S. Marines\’ Camp Schwab in the city of Nago, and 8,000 Marines moved from Okinawa to Guam by 2014.

http://www.lersus.com

MUMBAI, March 30 (Xinhua) — The Indian Air Force (IAF) will deploy the new BrahMos air-to-ground supersonic cruise missile in the coming years, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Indian government has signed an acquisition contract with the cruise missile maker BrahMos Aerospace last week, and the air- to-ground cruise missile will be formally inducted into the IAF in the next few years, the Indian Express quoted a top defense source as saying.

The most advanced fighter Su-30 of the IAF will have the long- distance land precise striking capacity as one squadron of the fighters will be equipped with the BrahMos missiles with a range of nearly 290 kilometers, said the source.

In the BrahMos family, there are three members of land-based, ship-based and air-based missiles. Ship-launched version is in service with the Indian Navy, and land-launched version was inducted into the Army in June 2007, while air-launched BrahMos is being developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture by India\’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and a Russian company.

An IAF official said they have several types of advanced air-to- air missiles and the Prithvi air-to-land attack missile, but lacking the sophisticated long-range land cruise missiles.

This is the first time for the IAF to deploy the BrahMos cruise missile. The air-based version of BrahMos has a launching weight of 2.5 tons, including a 300 kg warhead, which could gain a speed of Mach 2.8 and attack the ground target as low as 10 meters in altitude to avoid the detection of the hostile radars, resulting in a surprise attack.

However, hanging a cruise missile beside the fuselage will affect Su-30\’s maneuverability in air-to-air combat, escaping the hostile anti-aircraft missiles attack.

In the next few years, all the three services will have their own versions of the BrahMos cruise missiles, which will become the important long-distance striking means of the Indian Armed Forces, according to the defense source.

http://www.lersus.com

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided to extend the Internal Security Act (ISA) for seven more days to April 6, Thai News Agency reported.

Actually, March 30 is the last day of the ISA enforcement in capital Bangkok and neighboring Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan, after it has been imposed from March 23.

The ISA will still be imposed for the whole area of Bangkok, while only two districts of Nonthaburi and five other districts of Samut Prakan will be under its enforcement.

The Thai cabinet\’s decision to extend the ISA law was made as the red-shirted protesters have announced that their mass anti- government rally will be prolonged.

Tens of thousands of protesters, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group, have converged in Bangkok since March 12 to press the Thai premier to dissolve the Lower House of parliament and call a new election.

Related:

Internal Security Act extended for 7 more days if talks fail

BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) — The government will call on a meeting with the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) to consider extending the Internal Security Act (ISA) if the talks with red-shirts fail, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thuagsuban said Monday.

Suthep\’s statement came ahead of the talks with anti-government red-shirts core leaders at 18:00 p.m. local time (11:00 GMT) at the King Prajadhipok\’s Institute in Bangkok, Thai News Agency reported.? Full story

Thai PM, red-shirt leaders fail to reach agreement

BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and three anti-government core leaders Monday evening failed again to reach concrete agreement, while a new round of their political talks is not yet set up.

The second day of their peaceful talks started at about 18:20 p. m. and ended at about 20:20 p.m.? Full story

Thailand\’s cabinet approves to enforce Internal Security Act until March 30

BANGKOK, March 23 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday resolved to extend the Internal Security Act (ISA) from March 23 until 30, or seven more days, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said after the cabinet meeting, Thailand\’s Channel 9 Television reported.

However, from March 23 until 30, the ISA law\’s extension will be enforced only in three provinces, including capital Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan, Abhisit said.? Full story

http://www.marconimedical.com

LIBREVILLE, March 30 (Xinhua) — Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People\’s Assembly of the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is in Gabon for a 36-hour visit as part of his diplomacy in Africa.

The DPRK speaker is scheduled to meet with Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba to discuss bilateral relations and the \”nuclear\” issue, according to the Gabonese news agency AGP.

Gabon is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

This is the first visit made by the DPRK\’s top legislator to Gabon since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pyongyang and Libreville.

Kim\’s African trip will also take him to Senegal and Gambia.

http://www.ceshq.comINDIAN GOVERNMENT IMPOSES CURFEW IN HYDERABAD – MEDIA http://www.kphy.com

SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) — South Korean President Lee Myung- bak paid a visit to the country\’s northernmost island of Baekryeong, near the disputed maritime border between South Korea and the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), to inspect the navy\’s search for 46 missing sailors following a naval disaster.

He became the first president to visit the island, not too far away from the DPRK\’s west coast where coastal artillery is deployed and where his moves can be observed from South Korea\’s northern neighbor, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

The controversial maritime border, called the Northern Limit Line, is a scene of two fatal naval clashes between the two sides during the past decade.

The visit follows one of the biggest disasters in the country\’s naval history on Friday night that left a 1,200-ton warship torn apart and submerged, while 46 out of 104 crew members are still missing despite continued search and rescue operations.

Faced with mounting public criticism over the government, which has failed to give a clear explanation as to the cause of the incident, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Sun-kyu said Lee\’s visit should not be interpreted as a political stunt.

Lee earlier in the day convened a Cabinet meeting, where he urged the authorities to conduct a scientific investigation into the naval incident to deter speculation.

\”Since the incident happened at the frontline, the government should be thoroughly prepared to cope with any movement on the part of North Korea (DPRK). The armed forces are urged to maintain full alert without the slightest breach,\” Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement, suggesting that it does not rule out the possibility of the DPRK\’s involvement in the tragedy.

http://www.qb-china.com

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday has decided to impose the Internal Security Act (ISA) in central resort town Cha Am and Hua Hin during the Mekong River Summit during April 2-6.

The ISA law will be imposed in four sub-districts of Hua Hin district in Prachuab Khiri Khan province and two other sub- districts of Cha Am district in Petchburi province, Thai News Agency reported.

The ISA law is needed in a bid to ensure security for foreign leaders, who will attend the meeting.

http://www.znnw.com

CANBERRA, March 30 (Xinhua) — Australia\’s defense chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston revealed on Tuesday the tide is starting to turn against insurgents in Afghanistan.

Houston said he did not want to overstate it too much as big challenges remained, establishing governance and delivering the right services including a robust police in former Taliban areas.

However, he said the right strategy was in place, the right leader in International Security Assistance Force head General Stanley McChrystal was in charge and the right amount of resources were now available.

Previously, the Afghanistan mission amounted to an \”economy of force\” operation, through which the west could never have prevailed, he said.

Houston said it was now \”mission possible\”.

\”Indeed I would submit that the tide is starting to turn,\” he told a parliamentary committee.

\”What we are starting to see is the coalition starting to get on top of the insurgents. Now I wouldn\’t overstate that. I think there is a long, long way to go.\”

Australia currently has some 1,550 troops in Afghanistan with most operating in Oruzgan province in south-central Afghanistan.

http://www.cne.cc

NEW DELHI, March 30 (Xinhua) — Situation remained tense on Tuesday in several areas of the southern Indian city of Hyderabad where a curfew was clamped following incidents of Hindu-Muslim communal violence, which left one dead and 80 injured since Saturday, reported the Press Trust of India.

The curfew, imposed Monday evening, has been extended till 18: 00 p.m. Tuesday, said the report quoting police sources as saying.

Some 1,800 paramilitary personnel were rushed to the scene to restore peace in sensitive areas, according to the report.

The incident also coincided with a Hindu festival called Hanuman Jayanti on Tuesday.

Fresh violence erupted Monday in several parts of the city after a group of miscreants pelted stones at passersby which increased tension, police said.

One person was stabbed to death Monday while 130 persons, suspected to be involved in the communal clashes, have been taken into custody so far, said the report.

http://www.ceshq.com

JAKARTA, March 30 (Xinhua) — The Indonesian government intends to make the quake-prone West Sumatra province as a pilot project for disaster mitigation model to be applied to the country, hopefully it will also become a model in Southeast Asian region, an Indonesian official said here on Tuesday.

\”With the help of foreign assistance we have been conducting orchestrated efforts, drafting the mitigation procedure to save lives in the disaster hit areas. We have decided to make West Sumatra as a model of disaster mitigation procedure,\” Bakrie Beck, an official at the national disaster management agency, told a press conference held here after a workshop session discussing earthquake mitigation in West Sumatra province.

Bakrie said that West Sumatra province is actually the \” supermarket\” of natural disasters that commonly occurred in the country. The province is prone to earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption and landslide.

\”Saving lives is the top priority in the mitigation efforts. That\’s why we set top priority in designing infrastructure that would act as shelters for refugees after the disaster takes place, \” Bakrie added.

Among the infrastructure construction designed as shelters for the people to seek refuge are the public market, schools, hospitals and mosques. Besides that, wider roads will also be built to allow people to run freely with their feet to save their lives from possible tsunami, he said.

To materialize the central government\’s aim, the provincial administrator is highly expected to set tighter requirements for those who want to build buildings in West Sumatra. Those buildings must comply with quake-proof design, and be able to make people evacuate quickly when the disaster strikes in.

The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit West Sumatra on Sept. 30 last year has killed thousands of people, and most of them were buried alive under the debris of buildings.

http://www.kphy.com

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — The red shirts\’ core leaders will not hold anymore talks with the government, red-shirted core leader Jatuporn Prompan reiterated Tuesday.

Jatuporn disclosed that the red-shirted core leaders would meet Tuesday afternoon to adjust a rally plan after the talks with the government on Monday evening failed, Thai News Agency reported.

\”The red shirts will not hold anymore talks with the government, neither open talk nor closed-door one,\” Jatuporn was quoted as saying by Thai News Agency.

During the second day of their political talks on Monday, the two sides could not agree on the time frame to dissolve the lower House of parliament.

The red shirts\’ core leaders still insisted that the House be dissolved by the Prime Minister within 15 days and it will be the only solution to the country\’s ongoing political conflict.

But, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has proposed that it could be possible to dissolve the lower House by the year-end.

http://www.gtrip.net

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Xinhua) — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday that ASEAN must continue to have a strong external orientation when other countries and regions increasingly wanted to expand their engagements with the region.

Speaking at the Seventh ASEAN Leadership Forum near here, Najib said that meaningful and constructive engagements with external partners would help the region maximize the benefits.

\”That is another reason for ASEAN connectivity to be inclusive, involving not just member states in the region but also dialogue partners.

\”Accordingly, ASEAN connectivity can boost trade, investment, tourism and development. It will narrow development gaps and facilitate people-to-people contacts, contributing to ASEAN community building,\” said Najib.

Najib noted that the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link passing through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and on the way to China is expected to be completed by 2015 and ASEAN is also working towards a single aviation market by 2015.

The prime minister believed that the community-building would allow governments, the private sector and ASEAN citizens to work closely together, hoping that everyone could work together and benefit from the smart power for mutual benefit and development.

\”We have already taken a big step forward in ASEAN community building when leaders adopted the ASEAN Charter and decided to focus on our core communities. I hope this forum will be productive and identify new and innovative strategies to move ASEAN forward,\” said Najib.

http://www.kphy.comU.S. COMMANDER MULLEN REACHES AFGHANISTAN – MEDIA http://www.lersus.comDIVER DIES WHEN SEARCHING FOR SURVIVORS IN SKOREAN SUNKEN SHIP – MEDIA http://www.chinacourse.com

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, March 30 (Xinhua) — Michael Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, paid a surprise visit to former Taliban bastion of Marja district in southern Afghanistan\’s Helmand province on Tuesday and expressed satisfaction with the improved security situation.

Addressing a gathering of tribal elders and provincial administration officials, Mullen said that the security situation has improved and reconstruction would soon begin in Marja.

Accompanied by Helmand provincial governor Gulab Mangal, Mullen called on locals to support Afghan government and not to provide sanctuary to Taliban insurgents.

Mullen later left Marja for a NATO-led forces base outside provincial capital Lashkar Gah.

Mullen\’s visit to Marja which was captured in a joint major offensive in February came ahead of a planned operation by Afghan and NATO-led troops to rid Taliban militants of the southern city of Kandahar, the birthplace of Taliban.

Mullen met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday and stressed that the military operation would not yield desired outcome without crackdown on corruption.

http://www.zokn.com

MANILA, March 30 (Xinhua) — An undetermined number of Filipino sailors were among the 24 crewmembers of a Panama-flagged vessel seized by pirates on Monday off Somalia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

The MV Iceberg1 was hijacked by ransom-seeking Somali pirates 10 miles outside the Gulf of Aden Port. Aside from Filipinos, the crew consists of nationals from Yemen, Pakistan, Ghana, India, and Sudan.

\” It cannot be confirmed as of this time how many Filipinos are onboard the ship,\” the DFA said in a statement.

Other than this incident, there are four Filipinos in two vessels, being held by pirates in Somalia.

The Iceberg 1, a roll on roll off vessel with deadweight of 4, 500 tons, was carrying a mixed cargo of general mechanical equipment and was bound for Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates when hijacked, according to the European Union Naval Force ( EUNAVFOR).

The last contact with the vessel was the master stating to his owner that pirates were onboard, it added.

The Philippines is the world\’s leading supplier of ship crew with over 350,000 sailors, or about a fifth of the world\’s seafarers, manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks.

Since late 2008, more than 200 Filipino seamen have been abducted by pirates off Somali waters.

As a policy, the Philippine government does not negotiate nor pay ransom to kidnappers, but gives ship owners the free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors.

http://www.zokn.com

By Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, March 30 (Xinhua) — The Bangladeshi government, as part of an \”emergency measure\” to boost power generation in a bid to cope with ongoing looming electricity crisis in the country, will freeze fertilizer production to divert gas to power plants, officials said Tuesday.

They said the decision was made at a high-level meeting of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on Monday as electricity scarcity has already plagued life all over the South Asian country with mercury rising to a boiling point in the recent days.

Secretary of the government\’s Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Mohammad Mesbah Uddin, told Xinhua Tuesday, \”As part of emergency measure we\’ve decided to supply adequate gas to power plants for boosting electricity generation by stopping gas supply to the fertilizer factories for a certain time.\”

According to the power ministry officials, it would take several days to stop gas supply to the fertilizer factories and divert the same to the power plants, most of which are failing to utilize their full capacity in generating power due to inadequate gas supply.

They said around 880 million cubic feet (mmcf) gas will be saved by stopping supply to the fertilizer factories that will help generate an additional 400-450 Megawatt (MW) of power, very much urgent to ease the ongoing electricity scarcity which created untold suffering.

Bangladesh\’s capital Dhaka dwellers, during the last few weeks, are experiencing at least nine to ten hours of electricity scarcity each day.

Apart from residents in Dhaka and other cities and towns and farmers in many parts of the country, business leaders, who are also bearing the burnt, have already urged the government to improve gas and power situation, shortage of which have already affected production in export oriented apparel sector.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who pledged before and after her December, 2008 elections to improve power situation, categorically says the ongoing electricity scarcity is the result of years of inaction by her predecessors, including the 2001-2006 government of Begum Khaleda Zia and a more recent two-year rule of interim caretaker government.

Addressing a grand rally on Monday, two-time former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, now main opposition leader in parliament and chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), rejected Hasina\’s allegation saying, \”her previous government had added 1,500 MW of electricity to the national grid during 2001 and 2006 tenure.\”

Officials, however, said shortfall of gas to a large extent has virtually triggered the ongoing utility crises, with hundreds of thousands of cooking burners in Dhaka becoming the first victim followed by power generation and water supply.

State-run Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation, known as Petrobangla, supplies more than 1,960 mmcf of natural gas a day against the demand of around 2,500 mmcf of gas, they said.

SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) — The South Korean government expressed regret Tuesday over Japan\’s renewed territorial claim over disputed islets lying halfway between the two neighbors.

The latest in a series of diplomatic rows over the islets comes after the Japanese government approved Tuesday elementary school textbooks that describe the islets as its territory and claim South Korea \”illegally occupies\” them.

\”The government strongly protests the passage of the elementary school textbooks that contain sovereignty claims over South Korean territory of Dokdo, and demands rectification (of inaccurate data), \” Seoul\’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

A set of rocky outcroppings in the East Sea, controlled by South Korea, are known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

In a similar move, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan summoned the Japanese Ambassador to Seoul, Toshinori Shigeie, to file an official complaint over Tokyo\’s latest sovereignty claim over the islets.

http://www.nmgmzbwg.com.cn

A South Korean Navy rescue vessel Gwangyang (back) and a naval patrol ship search for possible survivors and bodies from the sunken naval ship Cheonan, in the waters off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with?DPRK March 29, 2010.? (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) — A South Korean military diver, previously hospitalized due to unconsciousness after taking part in search and rescue operations for missing sailors believed to be confined in a sunken warship, died Tuesday, according to Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency.

Another rescue worker passed out while the search and rescue operations were still underway, Yonhap said.

So far, the search and rescue efforts for 46 crew members, who went missing after a navy warship sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula on late Friday night, have produced little result due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Related:

No signs of survivors yet from rear portion of sunken ship

SEOUL, March 29 (Xinhua) — South Korea\’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that there was no response from the rear portion of the sunken ship when divers knocked on the ship, suggesting that there is no sign yet of survivors confined there.

Earlier in the day, divers failed to detect any response from the front half of the split ship, which the authorities said is turned upside down. Full story

S Korea steps up efforts to rescue missing sailors

SEOUL, March 28 (Xinhua) — The South Korean military on Sunday stepped up its efforts to rescue 46 missing sailors from the warship that sank later Friday in waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, but the operation has not made any progress.

According to the state-run broadcaster KBS, a 86-member Navy rescue team has launched underwater operations earlier the day, trying to determine the exact location of the sunken ship and confirm whether there are some survivors.Full story

South Korea rules out DPRK\’s involvement in warship sinking

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Chances seem low that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea is involved in its warship sinking, said South Korean officials at the presidential office on Saturday.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on condition of anonymity.Full story

S Korean warship sinks, rescue efforts continue while 46 missing

South Korean Navy\’s Ship Salvage Unit members return from their search for possible survivors from sunken naval ship \’Cheonan\’ as a Marine (front) stands guard at the seashore on Baengnyeongdo March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ISLAMABAD, March 30 (Xinhua) — At least 31 militants were killed Tuesday during Pakistani security forces operation in the Orakzai tribal agency, according to local TV reports.

The private Geo quoted sources as saying that security forces operation is underway in different parts of Orakzai, the only tribal area which is not bordering Afghanistan.

The Orakzai offensive has become an intensive from the last six days that have killed over 150 militants.

Orakzai Agency has a large number of presence of local, al- Qaida and foreign militants. Militants fled to this area months ago before the military operation was started in South Waziristan.

Orakzai Agency is the second smallest in area after Bajaur Agency. It is bounded by Kurram agency in the west, Khyber in the north, Kohat District on the south and Peshawar in the east.

The whole of the territory of Orakzai agency is a mountainous and hilly region with a fertile valley. In this regard it is a paradise for al-Qaida and other militants to find sanctuaries and use it as the launching pad against Pakistani security forces and even for Afghanistan violence.

http://www.gemuhope.com

NEW DELHI, March 30 (Xinhua) — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) may explore entering into a collaboration with global aircraft maker Boeing after the latter showed interest in the field of communication satellites, a top official of the agency said Tuesday.

\”They (Boeing) said they are interested in having collaboration with us in the field of communication satellites. But we (ISRO) already have an alliance with Europeans (EADS Astrium). May be some new areas of business we (ISRO and Boeing have to explore. We need to do a lot of homework before we could arrive at collaborative level. Still, it\’s very preliminary type of exchange, \” K.R. Sridhara Murthi, the head of Antrix Corporation, ISRO\’s commercial arm, told the media in the southern city of Bangalore.

India, which started its space program in 1963, carrying out its first successful launch of a domestic satellite by an Indian- built rocket in 1980, launched Insat — the largest domestic communication satellite system in the Asia-Pacific region, providing services in telecommunications, television broadcasting and meteorology including disaster warning.

http://www.lersus.com

MANILA, March 30 (Xinhua) — Philippine Air Force (PAF) intelligence operatives have captured another Abu Sayaff terrorist in the country\’s capital Metro Manila, the military said on Tuesday.

Toto Sali, an Abu Sayaff terrorist involved in the June 2001 Golden Harvest Plantation kidnapping in the southern island province of Basilan, was captured shortly before 5 o\’clock in the Tuesday afternoon in his hideout in the densely populated Muslim community of Barangay Culiat in Quezon City.

PAF spokesman Lt. Colonel Gerardo M Zamudio Jr said that the arrested terrorist has a standing warrant of arrest issued by Judge Leo Jay Principe of the Regional Trial Court Branch 1, 9th Judicial Region based in Basilan in connection with criminal cases of kidnapping and illegal detention arising from said kidnapping incident.

Sali, who was positively identified by a victim who also witnessed the kidnapping, will be committed to a court by the military.

The Abu Sayyaf was founded in the 1990s and had since perpetrated a number of high-profile attacks, including kidnapping and bombing. The Philippine military estimates the Abu Sayyaf, which has links with internal terrorist organizations, has about 400 members at present.

http://www.chinacourse.com

ISLAMABAD, March 30 (Xinhua) — The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered to put behind bars heads of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) who refused to implement the court\’s verdict annulling the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), according to local private Geo TV Tuesday.

The Supreme Court said that NAB Chairman Naveed Ahsan and acting Chairman \”will stay in jail until the Supreme Court\’s verdict on National Reconciliation Ordinance is implemented\”, adding \”the NAB wasted over three months.\”

The seven-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry heard the court contempt notices against the NAB, Interior Ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and high-ups of the establishment division for not implementing the verdict.

The NRO issued by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Oct. 5, 2007 granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, embezzlement, money-laundering, murder and terrorism between Jan. 1, 1986 and Oct. 12, 1999.

Incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari is among the 252 NRO beneficiaries. But he is immune from prosecution while still in office.

http://www.znnw.com

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — If the red shirts stop the mass rally, the Phea Thai Party will on April 19 submit a request for a no-confidence motion against the coalition government, Puea Thai Party\’s MPs chairman Chalerm Yubamrung disclosed Tuesday.

Evidences against the targeted ministers have already been prepared, but Chalerm said, he could not disclose anything by this time, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported.

The Puea Thai Party is currently Thailand\’s leading opposition party.

Actually, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are handed in the request for the no- confidence debate from the opposition.

Ten of thousands of the protestors led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group have rallied in Bangkok since March 12 to press the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.

Related:

Thailand\’s red shirts to hold mass rally April 3

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government group announced Tuesday they are going to hold a mass rally in capital Bangkok this Saturday, Thai News Agency reported.

The mass rally comes after the second round of talks between red-shirts and government on Monday failed to agree on the time frame to dissolve the Lower House of parliament.Full story

Red shirts not to hold anymore talks with Thai gov\’t: core leader

BANGKOK, March 30 (Xinhua) — The red shirts\’ core leaders will not hold anymore talks with the government, red-shirted core leader Jatuporn Prompan reiterated Tuesday.

Jatuporn disclosed that the red-shirted core leaders would meet Tuesday afternoon to adjust a rally plan after the talks with the government on Monday evening failed, Thai News Agency reported.Full story

Thai police on full alert after PM-red shirts talks fail

BANGKOK, March 29 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s police have fully alerted after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and anti-government core leaders failed again to reach concrete agreement in their second day of political talks on Monday evening.

The second day of their peaceful talks started at about 18:20 p. m. and ended at about 20:20 p.m.Full story

Thai anti-government protesters surround Government House

? Thai soldiers stand guard at the Government House during a rally by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok March 27, 2010. Thai \”red shirt\” protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok\’s old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.(Xinhua/Reuters)

NEW DELHI, March 30 (Xinhua) — Situation remained tense on Tuesday in several areas of the southern Indian city of Hyderabad where a curfew was clamped following incidents of Hindu-Muslim communal violence, which left one dead and 80 injured since Saturday, reported the Press Trust of India.

The curfew, imposed Monday evening, has been extended till 18: 00 p.m. Tuesday, said the report quoting police sources as saying.

Some 1,800 paramilitary personnel were rushed to the scene to restore peace in sensitive areas, according to the report.

The incident also coincided with a Hindu festival called Hanuman Jayanti on Tuesday.

Fresh violence erupted Monday in several parts of the city after a group of miscreants pelted stones at passersby which increased tension, police said.

One person was stabbed to death Monday while 130 persons, suspected to be involved in the communal clashes, have been taken into custody so far, said the report.

http://www.ceshq.com

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) — The Group of Friends on Myanmar concluded on Thursday a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, with a call for the South Asian country to make its planned nationwide election, the first in two decades, \”inclusive, participatory and transparent.\”

\”The group stressed the need for elections to be inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Myanmar, \” UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told reporters after the meeting.

The United Nations is a member of the \”Group of Friends on Myanmar,\” which also includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

\”We encourage all parties to work in the national interest. The government must create conditions that give all stakeholders the opportunity to participate freely in elections,\” Ban said.

\”This includes the release of all political prisoners — including Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi — and respect for fundamental freedoms,\” the secretary-general said.

Noting that the meeting followed the recent announcement by the Myanmar authorities of electoral laws, Ban expressed concern that the laws and \”the overall electoral environment so far do not fully measure up to what is needed for an inclusive political process.\”

\”I have taken note of the continued engagement between the government and key parties to the national reconciliation process, including the ethnic ceasefire groups and several meetings with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,\” he said.

\”Despite these efforts it is disappointing that we have not seen the progress that we had expected,\” the secretary-general added.

http://www.gtrip.net

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) — The Group of Friends on Myanmar concluded on Thursday a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, with a call for the South Asian country to make its planned nationwide election, the first in two decades, \”inclusive, participatory and transparent.\”

\”The group stressed the need for elections to be inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Myanmar, \” UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told reporters after the meeting.

The United Nations is a member of the \”Group of Friends on Myanmar,\” which also includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

\”We encourage all parties to work in the national interest. The government must create conditions that give all stakeholders the opportunity to participate freely in elections,\” Ban said.

\”This includes the release of all political prisoners — including Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi — and respect for fundamental freedoms,\” the secretary-general said.

Noting that the meeting followed the recent announcement by the Myanmar authorities of electoral laws, Ban expressed concern that the laws and \”the overall electoral environment so far do not fully measure up to what is needed for an inclusive political process.\”

\”I have taken note of the continued engagement between the government and key parties to the national reconciliation process, including the ethnic ceasefire groups and several meetings with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,\” he said.

\”Despite these efforts it is disappointing that we have not seen the progress that we had expected,\” the secretary-general added.

http://www.gtrip.net