Bomb kills 25 in Iraq as U.S. troops leave

(BAGHDAD, IRAQI, TUESDAY, TROOPS, SECURITY, GOVERNMENT)

By Tim Cocks and Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed at least 25 people on Tuesday, just after U.S. troops handed over full control of Iraq`s cities to the domestic security forces six years after the invasion.
The bomb, which wounded at least 40 people, struck a busy market in a largely Kurdish part of Kirkuk, a city viewed as a potential flashpoint between the Shi`ite Arab-led central government and Kurds. Police said the death toll could rise.
Many Iraqis fear the U.S. pullback from towns and cities and into rural bases, the first step toward a full U.S. withdrawal by the end of 2011, leaves them open to attack.
But the government declared Tuesday a holiday, "National Sovereignty Day," and held a parade to show off the military muscle it will use against a stubborn insurgency.
"This day, which we consider a national celebration, is an achievement made by all Iraqis," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a televised address.
"Our incomplete sovereignty and the presence of foreign troops is the most serious legacy we have inherited (from Saddam Hussein). Those who think that Iraqis are unable to defend their country are committing a fatal mistake."
Citizens and Iraqi soldiers drove around the streets of Baghdad in vehicles draped in flowers and Iraqi flags to celebrate.
In another bloody reminder of the war unleashed by the 2003 U.S. invasion, the U.S. military said four U.S. soldiers based in Baghdad had died of combat-related injuries on Monday. It gave no further details.
By midnight on Tuesday, all U.S. combat units must have left Iraq`s urban centers and redeployed to rural bases, according to a bilateral security pact that requires all U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.
(Additional reporting by Sherko Raouf; editing by Robert Woodward)
Original article

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U.N. monitors leave Georgia, OSCE mission shuts

(MONITORS, MISSION, RUSSIA, AFTER, ABKHAZIA, SOUTH)

By Matt Robinson
TBILISI (Reuters) - United Nations monitors began pulling out of Georgia on Tuesday and the OSCE officially closed its observer mission, testing security almost a year since the former Soviet republic`s war with Russia.
A deadline for the OSCE to withdraw passed on Tuesday after negotiations with Russia broke down in May. The mission conducted its last patrol on Friday, and has already left its hillside headquarters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
Russia rejected extending the mandates of some 130 U.N. monitors in breakaway Abkhazia and 20 monitors of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who operated in rebel South Ossetia until last August`s war.
Moscow recognized the territories as independent states after crushing a Georgian assault on South Ossetia in a five-day war. Russia demanded separate monitoring missions for the regions, which Georgia said would violate its sovereignty.
Greek Foreign Minister and OSCE chair Dora Bakoyanni lamented the lack of consensus.
"As a result, one of the largest on-the-ground missions of the OSCE in the region was led to an end -- despite the clear need, recognized by many states taking part in it, for the organization to be present in order to contribute toward security and stability in the region."
In Abkhazia on Monday, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet said U.N. military and police monitors would start leaving on Tuesday and complete the withdrawal by July 15, a month after Russia vetoed a new mandate, Abkhaz media reported.
OIL AND GAS TRANSIT
A U.N. official who declined to be named confirmed around 20 monitors were leaving on Tuesday. "We`re moving them out in batches," he said. Full closure and the departure of several hundred civilian staff will take several more months.
The U.N. and OSCE missions deployed after Abkhazia and South Ossetia threw off Georgia`s rule in wars in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Their departure leaves the European Union alone with some 225 unarmed monitors deployed after last year`s war to monitor a fragile ceasefire.
The EU mission, however, has been denied access to either South Ossetia or Abkhazia and currently conducts patrols only as far as the de facto borders.
Analysts warn the mission has neither the access nor the means to prevent frequent incidents -- gunfire and bomb blasts -- escalating into full-blown clashes in an important transit region for oil and gas to the West.
Russia has kept thousands of soldiers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the war. Departing OSCE mission head Terhi Hakala warned last week of the risk of fresh conflict.
Tensions are again running high, with Russia this week conducting annual large-scale military exercises across parts of its southern regions bordering Georgia, condemned by Tbilisi as "pure provocation."
(Additional reporting by Harry Papachristou in Athens, editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Original article

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Human Rights Watch accuses Israel over Gaza drones

(MISSILE, DRONES, HUMAN, RIGHTS, WATCH, WHICH)

By Dan Williams
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Missile-firing Israeli drones unlawfully killed at least 29 Palestinian civilians during the Gaza Strip war, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
Despite having advanced surveillance equipment, drone operators failed to exercise proper caution "as required by the laws of war" in verifying their targets were combatants, the New York-based monitoring group said, issuing a 39-page report that described six alleged strikes by remote-controlled aircraft.
Israel has a fleet of spy drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but refuses to confirm or deny widespread beliefs that some of the aircraft also carry weapons.
The military cast doubt on Human Rights Watch`s research methods -- a criticism echoed by some independent experts -- and, in a statement, asserted that all Israeli actions "conform to international law, as do the weapons and munitions used."
Israel launched its December-January offensive to counter rocket fire from Hamas-ruled Gaza, and has since weathered foreign censure over the killing of some 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, during the fighting.
Human Rights Watch based its findings primarily on debris from Israeli-made Spike missiles, which it said are fired from drones. The report also called on Israel to publish drone surveillance footage, to show how targets were identified.
Spike`s state-owned manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., says the missile, which has been sold widely abroad, can be fired by helicopters, infantry and naval craft.
Asked how it was possible to know that the Spikes in question had been fired by drones rather than these other means, Marc Garlasco, Human Rights Watch`s senior military analyst, cited the corroboration of Palestinians who said they had seen or heard the pilotless planes.
DISPUTED FORSENSICS
The value of such forensics was disputed by Robert Hewson, editor of Jane`s Air-Launched Weapons.
He said that while low-flying drones are often visible, the aircraft can reach operational heights of 12,000 feet, at which sightings would be much harder. The launch of a missile at that altitude would likely elude the naked eye.
Garlasco said he did not know at what height the drones described in the Human Rights Watch report were flying. He also said that two of the incidents cited in the report took place in the evening or night -- a further obstacle to witness sightings.
"Human Rights Watch makes a lot of claims and assumptions about weapons and drones, all of which is still fairly speculative, because we have so little evidence," Hewson said.
According to Garlasco, locals heard the buzz of drone propellers during the alleged air strikes rather than rotors that might have suggested the missiles were helicopter-fired.
Retired British army colonel Richard Kemp, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, questioned whether such distinctions could be made, not least as the Spike`s range is 8 km (5 miles) -- enough to put helicopters or naval boats out of earshot.  Continued...
Original article

U.N.`s Ban says to urge Myanmar to release Suu Kyi

(MYANMAR, POLITICAL, REPORTERS, HOUSE, ARREST, GOVERNMENT)

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will strongly urge Myanmar`s ruling generals to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, when he visits the country this week, he told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Speaking after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, he said he was aware of concerns about his July 3-4 visit coinciding with the trial of Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for years.
"It may be the case that the trial happens during my visit to Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that," Ban told reporters.
"I try to use this visit as an opportunity to raise in the strongest possible terms and convey the concerns of the international community of the United Nations to the highest authorities of the Myanmar government," he added.
Ban said he would press the Myanmar government to carry out a range of political reforms.
"I consider that three of the most important issues for Myanmar cannot be left unaddressed at this juncture," Ban told reporters. "The first, release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi."
The other two items were the resumption of dialogue between the government and opposition and the creation of conditions conducive to a credible election, he added.
Suu Kyi, 64, has been in prison or under house arrest on and off since 1989. The military junta that has ruled Myanmar since 1962 put her on trial again recently, accusing her of breaking the terms of her house arrest by allowing an unauthorised guest to stay at her lakeside home.
(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Original article

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Afghan-Pakistan border blast wounds several: police

(BORDER, CROSSING, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, SENIOR, TALIBAN)

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber attacked a border checkpoint at a crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Tuesday, a senior border policeman said, wounding at least four people.
The bomber attacked the crossing for women in the east Afghan town of Torkham, senior policeman Mohammad Zaman Mamozai told Reuters by telephone from the Afghan-Pakistan border. The checkpoint was ablaze, he said.
Private Afghan television station Tolo reported that at least four people were wounded in the blast.
Ambulances were rushing to the scene from the nearby city of Jalalabad, a former Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, a Reuters reporter in the city said.
The suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a room used by female security guards to check women crossing the border, Mamozai said.
Senior U.S. military commanders say violence in Afghanistan`s Taliban-led insurgency has reached its highest level since the Islamist militants were ousted after a U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
U.S. President Barack Obama has identified Afghanistan and Pakistan as his main foreign policy priority and Washington is pouring thousands of extra U.S. troops into Afghanistan in a bid to stabilize the war-racked nation.
The reinforcements are meant to help secure August 20 presidential elections in Afghanistan and to combat the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies.
(Reporting by Rafiq Sherzad and Hamid Shalizi; editing by Paul Tait)
Original article

Pakistan militant faction scraps pact, vows attacks

(PAKISTAN, GOVERNMENT, ATTACKS, OFFENSIVE, MEHSUD, WAZIRISTAN)

By Alamgir Bitani
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani militants in a northwestern region have scrapped a peace deal with the government and vowed to launch attacks, threatening to open a new front against the army already fighting in two areas.
The military says it is nearing the end of an offensive in the Swat region, northwest of Islamabad, and is set to launch an assault on Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan on the Afghan border.
The offensive in Swat was launched two months ago after Taliban fighters thrust toward the capital, raising alarm both at home and among allies who need nuclear-armed Pakistan`s help to fight al Qaeda and to tackle Afghanistan`s insurgency.
A militant faction allied with Mehsud in North Waziristan, another militant hotspot also on the Afghan border, said it was ending a pact with the government because of U.S. drone aircraft attacks and the presence of government forces in their area.
"Our leadership has decided that as long as U.S. drone attacks continue and security forces stay here, there will be no peace agreement," faction spokesman Ahmedullah Ahmedi said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
The United States has launched more than 40 attacks by pilotless drones in northwest Pakistan since the beginning of last year, many in North Waziristan.
Pakistan officially objects to the attacks, saying they drive the population into the arms of the militants. U.S. officials say the strikes ae carried out under an agreement that allows Pakistani leaders to decry them in public.
Meanwhile, the government has said Mehsud and his followers in South Waziristan will be attacked next and defeated.
Mehsud carries a U.S. reward of $5 million and a Pakistani reward of 50 million rupees ($615,000). Analysts say Mehsud has become increasingly close to al Qaeda and the military says he is behind 90 percent of "terrorist activity" in the country.
Mehsud was accused of the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
HEAVY SHELLING
Security forces have been closing in on his headquarters, using aircraft and artillery to attack his positions while soldiers secure main roads.
The military shelled Mehsud`s positions again on Monday evening and a stray shell hit the wall of the home of a Reuters reporter on the outskirts of the region`s main town of Wana. No one was hurt.
"There was heavy shelling for several hours and one shell hit my house. Thank God, everybody is safe," the reporter said.
North Waziristan has been relatively peaceful but Ahmedi, spokesman for the faction led by commander Gul Bahadur, said his men would go on the offensive.  Continued...
Original article

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North Korea trying to enrich uranium, South says

(NORTH, KOREA, URANIUM, NUCLEAR, SOUTH, PROGRAM)

By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be enriching uranium, potentially giving the state that tested a plutonium-based nuclear device in May another path for making atomic weapons, South Korea`s defense minister said on Tuesday.
"It is clear that they are moving forward with it," Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee told a parliamentary hearing, adding such a program is far easier to hide than the North`s current plutonium-based program.
North Korea earlier this month responded to U.N. punishment for its nuclear test by saying it would start enriching uranium for a light-water reactor.
Experts said destitute North Korea lacks the technology and resources to build such a costly civilian reactor but may use the program as a cover to enrich uranium for weapons.
North Korea, which has ample supplies of natural uranium, would be able to conduct an enrichment program in underground or undisclosed facilities and away from the prying eyes of U.S. spy satellites.
The North`s plutonium program uses an aging reactor and is centered at its Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear plant, which has been watched by U.S. aerial reconnaissance for years.
Proliferation experts said the North has purchased equipment needed for uranium enrichment including centrifuges and high-strength aluminum tubes but they doubt that Pyongyang has seriously pursued the project.
"It seems unlikely that North Korea will succeed in establishing a substantial enrichment capability ... in the near term," nuclear expert Hui Zhang wrote in an article this month in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, adding outside help from the likes of Pyongyang`s ally Iran could speed up the process.
South Korean officials said the North`s recent military moves that also included missile tests and threats to attack the South were likely aimed at building internal support for leader Kim Jong-il, 67, as he prepares for succession in Asia`s only communist dynasty.
Investors used to the North`s military rumblings said the developments have not had any major impact on trading but have raised concern among market players.
North Korea is also preparing to test a long-range missile that could hit U.S. territory and mid-range missiles that could hit all of South Korea, which could further rattle regional security, a South Korean presidential Blue House official said last week.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Christine Kim; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Original article

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Iraq steps into precarious but sovereign unknown

(TROOPS, FORCES, MILITANT, SECURITY, THEIR, IRAQI)

By Michael Christie
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq takes a major step toward reasserting its sovereignty on Tuesday when U.S. combat troops hand urban areas over to its relatively untested police and soldiers.
Will the end of one aspect of the "surge" strategy -- the ramped-up deployment of U.S. forces in militant strongholds that helped drive al Qaeda and other fighters underground -- lead to a collapse in security?
WILL VIOLENCE SOAR?
It is highly likely that insurgents will increase their attacks following the departure of U.S. combat troops from city centers, both U.S. and Iraqi officials say.
Some militant groups may want to create the impression that they deserve the credit for driving out the occupation forces.
The fact that the partial withdrawal has been dictated by a bilateral security pact agreed last year between the United States and Iraq is immaterial to them.
Some of the insurgents may also think Iraq and its population will be more vulnerable once the Americans pull back to their bases, and that they have a better chance of reigniting widespread sectarian bloodshed through massive bombings.
There have been indications, however, that insurgent and militant groups have lost the capacity to keep up the momentum.
While the past month saw two of the deadliest bombings in more than a year, the overall number of incidents has plunged, and major attacks are followed by weeks of relative calm.
WHAT IS AT STAKE POLITICALLY?
If Iraqi security forces fail to protect the Iraqi people from escalating attacks, Shi`ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is likely to suffer politically.
He is staking his hopes for a second term after a parliamentary poll next January on his ability to claim credit for a sharp fall in violence over the past 18 months.
Maliki has called the withdrawal a great victory as Iraq tries to shake off stigma of occupation, and he has declared June 30, "National Sovereignty Day," a public holiday.
Analysts say he has essentially backed himself into a corner by exalting the occasion -- if violence soars it will be politically unpalatable to call on the U.S. military for help.
The prime minister`s stance may also dictate commanders` behavior on the ground. They may be loathe to call on U.S. troops or air cover, no matter how much it is needed, out of fear of being punished by their superiors for apparent weakness.  Continued...
Original article

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Iran upholds Ahmadinejad victory, says matter closed

(ELECTION, COUNCIL, RECOUNT, PROTESTS, STATE, OPPOSITION)

By Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran confirmed hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president and said a row over his June 12 re-election was over, leaving opponents who cried foul with few options.
Iran`s top legislative body, the Guardian Council, said a partial recount on Monday had disproved complaints of irregularities by pro-reform opponents, who said the count was inadequate and that only annulling the election would do.
Riot police beefed up their presence in the capital Tehran but there were no signs of major unrest late on Monday, in contrast to protests by tens of thousands that erupted when Ahmadinejad was first declared victor of the June 12 vote.
State media say 20 people died in that violence which the government and opposition blamed on one another. Pro-government Basij militia and riot police broke up the protests.
"The secretary of the Guardian Council, in a letter to the interior minister, announced the final decision of the Council ... and declares the approval of the accuracy of the results of ... the presidential election," state broadcaster IRIB said.
The poll and its turbulent aftermath have exposed splits in Iran`s political establishment and plunged the country into its deepest crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
But options for the opposition look limited now the election result has been officially upheld, after the recount of what the council said was a random 10 percent of the vote.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled on June 19 that mass protests would no longer be tolerated. There is little scope for more legal fights, and hundreds of opposition supporters have been detained, leaving protesters leaderless.
After dark, some people are still chanting "Allahu Akbar (God is greatest)" from their rooftops, mimicking tactics used during the 1979 revolution, but the nightly cries are weakening.
There has been talk of other forms of civil disobedience, including strike action, but these have yet to materialize.
DOSSIER CLOSED
"The Guardian Council statement was issued when it became convinced about the accuracy of the election," a council spokesman said, adding that no irregularities were found.
"The dossier of the ... election has been closed today."
The recount system was not immediately clear, but state media said it had been spread over at least several provinces.
Opposition supporters say the vote was rigged to favor the hardline president over reformist rivals including Mirhossein Mousavi, who came second. Mousavi had rejected the idea of a recount and sent no representatives to watch it.  Continued...
Original article

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Malaysia PM sets big reforms to boost investment

(MALAYS, MALAYSIA, INVESTMENT, ECONOMY, NAJIB, PERCENT)

By David Chance and Soo Ai Peng
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia`s prime minister unveiled a raft of measures on Tuesday to boost investment in the slumping economy, coming close to ending an affirmative action program for ethnic Malays that critics say has stymied growth.
Najib Razak told a conference in Kuala Lumpur that his government would end rules on foreign investment in most sectors of the economy and would open up the investment management and brokerage industry, as well as property, ending requirements for 30 percent ownership by ethnic Malays.
He also promised reforms of Malaysia`s huge government companies such as plantations and property giant Sime Darby, and said they would be forced to sell non-core assets to boost domestic competition in the Southeast Asian nation.
"We have become a successful middle income economy, but we cannot and will not be caught in the middle income country trap," Najib told the conference.
"We need to make the shift to a high income economy or we risk losing growth momentum in our economies and vibrancy in our markets."
The reforms gave the ringgit a small boost and it traded at 3.521 to the dollar at 0500 GMT (1 a.m. EDT), up from 3.54 at the open, although data released later showed foreign investors had continued to pull money out of Malaysia this year.
Malaysia is Asia`s third most export-dependent nation, seeing shipment slump 26 percent from a year ago as demand for electronics and commodities has been hit by the global downturn. The economy has shrunk 5 percent this year.
Investment flows have dried up and the country has been overtaken by neighbouring Thailand in terms of direct investment since 2001 and portfolio flows turned negative to the tune of 92.3 billion Malaysian ringgit ($26.10 billion) in 2008.
In the first quarter of 2009 they remained negative to the tune of 12.2 billion ringgit, even as investment in other emerging Asian economies has recovered. Malaysia`s stock market has risen 20 percent this year, underperforming a 30 percent rise in Asian markets excluding Japan.
"This move will definitely encourage investors to rethink or reconsider Malaysia amid the many choices (in the region) such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia," said Wan Suhaimie Wan Saidie, economist at Malaysia`s Kenanga investment bank.
BALANCING INVESTMENT AND POLITICS
Najib who heads an unpopular government and himself has an approval rating of just 45 percent, according to a June poll, had to balance the need for reform to attract diminishing global investment flows against the risk of a political backlash.
That means that he could not formally end New Economic Policy (NEP), the system of economic and social privileges for ethnic Malays who are 55 percent of the population and which has been cornerstone of the country`s policies since 1971.
Instead Najib chose to emphasize that he would keep an overall aim of boosting Malays` ownership of the economy to 30 percent from 19.4 percent at present but he placed a new stress on helping competitive Malays, rather than a blanket guarantee.
"Pragmatism requires a focus on substance, not form. The government of Malaysia remains committed to pursue the spirit and substance of growth with equity," Najib said.  Continued...
Original article

Blast in Baghdad marketplace kills 72, injures over 100

(EXPLOSION, BAGHDAD, WEDNESDAY, LOCAL, CITIES, NUMBER)

Powerful explosion kills more than 70 in Baghdad
MOSCOW, June 25 (RIA Novosti) - Police have confirmed at least 72 people have died and more than 100 injured in a blast in a Baghdad marketplace, al Jazeera reported on Thursday.
The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle rickshaw loaded with fruit and vegetables which detonated on Wednesday evening at the Mraidi outdoor market in north Baghdad`s Sadr City. The bomber abandoned his vehicle and ran off prior to the detonation.
Many women and children are among the victims.
"I heard a boom and saw a ball of fire," Najim Ali, a 30-year-old local, who was shopping in the market, told al Jazeera. "I saw cars flying in the air because of the force of the explosion."
This latest attack comes as U.S. troops prepare to hand over control of several Iraqi cities to local authorities by June 30.
The number of explosions has dropped in recent months in Iraq with May having one of the lowest casualty figures since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country. However recent violence, including a blast in Kirkuk on Saturday which killed 73, has pushed the death toll this month to over 150.
Earlier on Wednesday, a U.S. military spokesman said only a small number of U.S. troops would remain in Iraqi cities after the June 30 deadline, but that the exact number was still being worked on.
Some U.S. soldiers will stay behind in urban centers at so-called Joint Security Stations to train and advise local security forces.
 
Original article

Yemeni plane crashes off Comoros with over 150 on board

(REUTERS, CRASHED, OCEAN, COMOROS, FRENCH, AIRPORT)

By Ahmed Ali Amir
MORONI (Reuters) - An Airbus A310-300 from Yemen with 153 people on board crashed into choppy seas as it tried to land in bad weather on the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros Tuesday, officials said.
Two French military planes and a French ship left the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte and Reunion to search for the Yemenia aircraft that was carrying nationals from France and Comoros.
An official from the Yemeni state carrier said the plane had 142 passengers, including three infants, and 11 crew on board. It was flying from Sanaa to Moroni, the capital of the main island of the Comoros archipelago.
"We still do not have information about the reason behind the crash or survivors," Mohammad al-Sumairi, deputy general manager for Yemenia operations told Reuters.
"The weather conditions were rough; strong wind and high seas. The wind speed recorded on land at the airport was 61 km (38 miles) an hour. There could be other factors," he said.
It is the second Airbus to plunge into the sea this month. An Air France Airbus A330-200 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing 228 people on board on June 1.
In 1996, a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 also crashed into the sea off the Comoros islands in 1996, killing 125 of 175 passengers and crew.
"Two French military aircraft have left from the islands of Mayotte and Reunion to search the identified zone, and a French vessel has left Mayotte," said Hadji Madi Ali, director General of Moroni International Airport.
COMING INTO LAND
"The plane has crashed and we still don`t know exactly where. We think it`s in the area of Mitsamiouli," Comoros Vice-President Idi Nadhoim told Reuters from the airport.
Ibrahim Kassim, a representative from regional air security body ASECNA, said the plane had probably come down 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) from the coast, and civilian and military boats had set off to search the rough waters.
"We think the crash is somewhere along its landing approach," Kassim told Reuters. "The weather is really not very favourable. The sea is very rough."
ASECNA -- the Agency for Aviation Security and Navigation in Africa and Madagascar -- covers Francophone Africa.
The town of Mitsamiouli is on the main island Grande Comore.
Interior Minister Hamid Bourhane told Reuters the army had sent small speedboats to an area between the village of Ntsaoueni and the airport.  Continued...
Original article

Honduras isolated over coup, protests turn violent

(HONDURAS, PRESIDENT, ZELAYA, AMERICAN, LEADERS, CHAVEZ)

By Mica Rosenberg
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras came under pressure on Monday to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya as many Latin American leaders agreed to withdraw envoys, Washington called his overthrow illegal and street protests turned violent.
Police in the Honduran capital fired tear gas at stone-throwing supporters of Zelaya, a leftist who was toppled in an army coup on Sunday and flown to exile in Costa Rica while a caretaker president was sworn in.
Some 1,500 protesters, some of them masked and carrying sticks, taunted solders and burned tires just outside the gates of the presidential palace in a face-off with security forces.
Zelaya was ousted over his push to extend presidential terms in Central America`s biggest political crisis since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Honduras had been stable since the end of military rule in the early 1980s.
Congress named Roberto Micheletti, a conservative-leaning veteran of Zelaya`s Liberal Party as interim president.
Honduras is a major coffee producer, expected to export some 3.22 million 60-kg bags in the 2008/09 season, but there were no immediate signs that output or exports were affected as ports and roads remained open.
Left-wing Latin American presidents led by Venezuela`s President Hugo Chavez said at a meeting in Managua, capital of neighboring Nicaragua, that they would withdraw their ambassadors from Honduras in protest at the coup.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon followed suit, as did leaders from Central America, also meeting in Managua, according to a diplomatic source. The Central American leaders also announced a two-day halt in trade.
Chavez said he would stop sales of cheap oil to Honduras, an impoverished coffee, textiles and banana exporter of 7 million people which joined his ALBA trade bloc of allies last year under Zelaya.
MICHELETTI SLIPS PAST PROTEST
Visibly bolstered by the sea of support for him, Zelaya said he would travel to Honduras on Thursday with Organization of American States (OAS) chief Jose Miguel Insulza.
"I am going to Tegucigalpa on Thursday. The president elected by the people is coming," Zelaya said. He said he had accepted an offer by Insulza to accompany him but gave no details of how he expected to pull the trip off.
Zelaya is due to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and travel to Washington on Wednesday.
Micheletti, who set himself up in the presidential palace despite the protests raging outside, told Reuters most Hondurans supported the coup, which had saved the country from swinging to a radical Chavez-style socialism.
"President Zelaya was moving the country toward `Chavismo`, he was following this model which is not accepted by Hondurans," he said in an interview, using a Spanish term for the style of socialism championed by Chavez.  Continued...
Original article

Israel intercepts Gaza aid boat: activists

(ISRAELI, ACTIVISTS, CYPRUS, WOULD, WHICH, GROUP)

NICOSIA (Reuters) - The Israeli navy intercepted activists sailing to Gaza with aid on Tuesday, surrounding their boat and telling them to turn back, activists said.
The vessel with 21 people on board was in international waters when it was told to turn back, members of the U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement on the boat and in Cyprus told Reuters.
The Israeli military declined to comment.
"There is a patrol boat around us and we were told that if we did not turn back they would open fire," said Derek Graham, an Irish activist.
"We are continuing our course to Gaza," he said.
He was speaking via satellite telephone from a small ferry boat which had departed from Cyprus on Monday. Among the activists were an Irish Nobel peace laureate and a former U.S. Congresswoman.
In Cyprus, the group also said it had communication from the boat that unless it turned back it would be fired upon.
Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamist group Hamas took control of the enclave, a tiny sliver of territory which is home to some 1.5 million people.
The Israeli navy patrols Gaza coastal waters. It had intercepted activists of the same group sailing into Gaza on two previous occasions.
(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Original article

Albania rivals neck-to-neck in parliamentary vote

(ELECTION, COALITION, IMPROVEMENTS, SOCIALIST, ALBANIA, ALBANIA`S, INTERNATIONAL)

By Benet Koleka
TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania`s ruling center-right coalition had just one more seat than the opposition Socialist coalition after more than half of the parliamentary election ballots were counted on Monday.
International monitors said Sunday`s election showed improvements over past polls but still saw marked violations and told Albania to stage future elections better.
The European Union and the United States view the ballot as a test of Albania`s readiness for integration with Europe. The EU`s Swedish presidency will review Albania`s application for candidate status in light of the monitors final poll report.
Results from 2,745 out of 4,753 voting centers showed the ruling Democratic Party coalition had 69 seats while the Socialist-led coalition had 68 seats. The Socialist Integration Movement coalition had three seats.
Under the regional proportional election system being implemented for the first time, the Socialist Integration Movement coalition might become a kingmaker should the current trend be confirmed when all votes are counted.
Final official results are expected late on Tuesday.
The main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama, 44, and the ruling Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, 64, traded accusations of intimidation at vote counting centers.
Releasing the findings of some 500 monitors, the International Election Observation Mission said the elections showed improvements over previous votes, but new NATO member Albania needed to do more to meet standards.
IMPROVEMENTS
Albania signed an association deal with the European Union in June 2006 and applied for EU candidate status in April this year. Unlike the U.S., which threw its weight behind Albania`s NATO entry, the EU feels Albania faces a series of reforms.
"The International Election Observation Mission concluded that Albania`s election process demonstrated improvements, but also noted that violations persist," the mission said.
"The country has matured, it has made progress, and many of the fears we had only some months ago have not materialized," said Wolfgang Grossruck, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly`s vice president who coordinated the OSCE short-term observer mission.
"These improvements were overshadowed by the politicization of technical aspects of the process and violations observed during the campaign which undermined public confidence in the electoral process," Grossruck said. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, the EU official in charge of accession talks with Albania, said on Monday the country must do better in staging future elections, citing campaign violence and procedural violations.
He noted that there had been progress in arrangements for the vote but added: "These improvements were overshadowed by the politicisation of technical aspects of the election process as well (as) by violence during the election campaign."
"These elections clearly underline the need for the Albanian political leadership ... to work hard in order to conduct elections in the future which fully meet international standards and have high public confidence of the Albanian voters."
Original article

Argentine leader defends policy after vote defeat

(KIRCHNER, ELECTION, POLITICAL, BUENOS, PRESIDENT, AIRES, FERNANDEZ)

By Helen Popper
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez faced a new political landscape on Monday after losing control of Congress in a mid-term election as voters rejected her combative style and economic policies.
Former President Nestor Kirchner, who is Fernandez`s powerful husband and predecessor, was defeated by a millionaire businessman from a rival faction within the ruling Peronist party in a high-profile congressional race.
Kirchner resigned as the head of the party on Monday and was replaced by Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli in fallout from the election.
The government`s electoral losses may lead to political gridlock and a power struggle in the Peronist party as rivals jostle for positions ahead of a 2011 presidential election.
Argentine stocks, bonds and the peso currency all rallied on the election result as investors bet the Kirchners would be forced to relax interventionist economic policies that are unpopular with markets. [nN29383705]
"We think that this change in political landscape will translate into a much more pragmatic approach for the conduct of economic policy," Bulltick Capital Markets said in a report on Monday.
A government source, who asked not to be named, said Fernandez could replace several ministers following the humiliating defeat.
The election was widely seen as a referendum on the Kirchners. The former president had hoped to shore up flagging support for his wife, whose popularity rankings have languished at about 30 percent for most of her 18 months in office.
Kirchner had been believed to be planning to run again for president in 2011, but he now cannot use a victory in Buenos Aires province as a springboard.
"The presidential race for 2011 will now dominate the local political scene and there is a risk of seeing earlier presidential elections next year," said Alberto Ramos, senior economist at Goldman Sachs, in a report.
Several political leaders, all of them Fernandez critics, were seen as being strengthened by Sunday`s vote as either they or congressional candidates allied with them fared well.
They include Vice President Julio Cobos, who has broken ranks with the Kirchners, Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri and Senator Carlos Reutemann, a Peronist.
A SHARP BLOW
In the most closely watched race on Sunday, a slate of candidates headed by businessman Francisco de Narvaez took 2.5 percentage points more votes than the slate headed by Kirchner in Argentina`s most populous province, Buenos Aires.
According to near-complete official results, De Narvaez`s slate won 34.6 percent of the vote compared to Kirchner`s list`s 32.1 percent.  Continued...
Original article

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Iraqis rejoice as U.S. troops leave Baghdad

(BAGHDAD, IRAQIS, SECURITY, IRAQI, TROOPS, FORCES, ATTACKS)

By Tim Cocks and Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a "victory."
One drove a motorcycle with party streamers on it; another, a Humvee with a garland of plastic roses on the grill.
U.S. combat troops must pull out of Iraq`s urban centers by midnight on Tuesday under a bilateral security pact that also requires all troops to leave the country by 2012.
All had left the capital by Monday afternoon, Major-General in Staff, Abboud Qanbar, head of Iraqi security forces in Baghdad, told Reuters.
Another Iraqi official who would not be named, said some units in cities outside Baghdad would leave at the last minute. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said 30 bases remained to be handed over. There are still some 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Addressing military leaders in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said: "Our sovereignty has started and ... we should move forward to build a modern state and enjoy security which has been achieved."
Many Iraqis were elated even though they feared militants might use the withdrawal as an opportunity to step up attacks.
"The American forces` withdrawal is something awaited by every Iraqi: male, female, young and old. I consider June 30 to be like a wedding," said Ahmed Hameed, 38, near an ice cream bar in Baghdad`s upmarket Karrada district.
"This is proof Iraqis are capable of controlling security inside Iraq," added the recent returnee from exile in Egypt.
The government has declared June 30 a national holiday, "National Sovereignty Day."
"BIG JOY"
A spate of bombings in recent days, including two of the deadliest for more than a year that killed 150 people between them, have raised fears militants will try to step up the pace of attacks.
Yet few Iraqis see that as reason for the Americans to stay.
"It is a big joy to see them leaving," said Abu Hassan, 60, a shop owner. "There might be some more attacks because of struggles between the different parties, but Iraqis are controlling security now. It`s up to our forces now."  Continued...
Original article

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Doctors to say soon whether Nazi guard fit for trial

(DEMJANJUK, TRIAL, GERMAN, SHOULD, WINKLER, WITHIN, WE`LL)

By Dave Graham
BERLIN (Reuters) - Doctors should rule this week whether accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk is fit to stand trial on charges of assisting in the killing of thousands of Jews in World War Two, German prosecutors said Monday.
The 89-year-old Demjanjuk arrived last month from the United States to face charges he aided the killing of 29,000 Jews in 1943, and has been held in a German jail since May 12, pending a medical examination of whether he is fit to appear in court.
His family have fought efforts to put him on trial, arguing he suffers from spinal problems, kidney failure and anemia.
Munich state prosecutor Anton Winkler said doctors were expected to deliver their report this week.
"We believe he should be fit to stand trial within limits at least," said Winkler. "Once the assessment is there, I think we`ll bring charges within two weeks -- so at the moment that should be by mid-July."
Though Demjanjuk would probably have to be examined in court for shorter periods than younger suspects, available evidence suggested a trial should be possible, Winkler added.
If it goes ahead, it would likely be Germany`s last major Nazi trial.
Born in Ukraine, Demjanjuk tops the Simon Wiesenthal Center`s list of its 10 most-wanted suspected war criminals. Munich prosecutors want him tried for assisting in murders at Sobibor extermination camp, in what is now Poland.
He denies any role in the Holocaust.
Guenther Maull, Demjanjuk`s German lawyer, declined to make an assessment of his health.
"We`ll have to see what `within limits` really means," he told Reuters in response to Winkler`s comment. "And we`ll have to look into that again if it should go to trial."
Both prosecutors in Munich and Maull say Demjanjuk could go on trial by the autumn if he is deemed fit to stand.
Demjanjuk has said he was drafted into the Russian army in 1941, became a German prisoner of war a year later and served at German prison camps until 1944. He immigrated to the United States in 1951 and became a naturalized citizen in 1958.
In 1981, he was stripped of his U.S. citizenship and extradited to Israel, where he was sentenced to death in 1988 after Holocaust survivors said he was the notorious guard "Ivan the Terrible" at the Treblinka camp, where 870,000 people died.
Israel`s Supreme Court later overturned his conviction when new evidence showed another man was likely the Treblinka guard.  Continued...
Original article

U.N.`s Ban to visit Myanmar to urge democratic reform

(VISIT, TRIAL, KYI`S, ARREST, MYANMAR, HOUSE, UN)

By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar this week to urge its military leaders to press ahead with democratic reforms and free all political prisoners, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Monday.
Ban will visit the country formerly known as Burma on July 3-4, spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters, adding that there were several pressing issues he would focus on in his discussions with the junta.
"These are the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the resumption of dialogue between the government and opposition ... and the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections," she said.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate and the country`s main opposition leader, has been in prison or under house arrest off and on since 1989.
The military junta that has ruled Myanmar since 1962 put Suu Kyi on trial again recently, accusing her of breaking the terms of her house arrest by allowing an unauthorized guest to stay at her lakeside home.
Her trial is expected to resume on July 3, the day Ban arrives in Myanmar. U.N. diplomats have said the secretary-general was concerned his visit could be used as propaganda to legitimize Suu Kyi`s trial.
"The timing of this visit is not ideal," said one Western diplomat on condition of anonymity. "But the (secretary-general) is one of our few ways of exerting pressure on the regime."
Western governments have dismissed Suu Kyi`s prosecution as a "show trial" intended to keep her out of multi-party elections planned next year, which critics say will entrench almost half a century of army rule in the former Burma.
Suu Kyi is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home last month, which prosecutors said was a breach of a security law protecting the state from "subversive elements."
American John Yettaw swam across the Inya lake to Suu Kyi`s home on May 4 to warn her "terrorists" were planning to assassinate her. He and two of Suu Kyi`s housemaids have also been charged with breaking the same security law.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Original article

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U.N.`s Ban to visit Myanmar to urge democratic reform

U.N.`s Ban to visit Myanmar to urge democratic reform

(VISIT, TRIAL, KYI`S, ARREST, MYANMAR, HOUSE, UN)

By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar this week to urge its military leaders to press ahead with democratic reforms and free all political prisoners, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Monday.
Ban will visit the country formerly known as Burma on July 3-4, spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters, adding that there were several pressing issues he would focus on in his discussions with the junta.
"These are the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the resumption of dialogue between the government and opposition ... and the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections," she said.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate and the country`s main opposition leader, has been in prison or under house arrest off and on since 1989.
The military junta that has ruled Myanmar since 1962 put Suu Kyi on trial again recently, accusing her of breaking the terms of her house arrest by allowing an unauthorized guest to stay at her lakeside home.
Her trial is expected to resume on July 3, the day Ban arrives in Myanmar. U.N. diplomats have said the secretary-general was concerned his visit could be used as propaganda to legitimize Suu Kyi`s trial.
"The timing of this visit is not ideal," said one Western diplomat on condition of anonymity. "But the (secretary-general) is one of our few ways of exerting pressure on the regime."
Western governments have dismissed Suu Kyi`s prosecution as a "show trial" intended to keep her out of multi-party elections planned next year, which critics say will entrench almost half a century of army rule in the former Burma.
Suu Kyi is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home last month, which prosecutors said was a breach of a security law protecting the state from "subversive elements."
American John Yettaw swam across the Inya lake to Suu Kyi`s home on May 4 to warn her "terrorists" were planning to assassinate her. He and two of Suu Kyi`s housemaids have also been charged with breaking the same security law.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Original article

Partial recount in Iran, reformers want annulment

(ELECTION, MOUSAVI, STATE, OUTCOME, TEHRAN, RECOUNT, POLICE)

By Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A partial recount of Iran`s disputed election won by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began on Monday, but one defeated reformist candidate said an annulment of the poll was "the only way to regain the people`s trust."
In a sign that the process would not put into question Ahmadinejad`s victory, IRNA news agency said recounting so far in one Tehran district gave him more votes than in the June 12 poll that unleashed the worst unrest since the 1979 revolution.
Witnesses reported an increased police presence in some Tehran squares ahead of the expected announcement of the recount outcome later on Monday.One witness said dozens of riot police vehicles were driving toward southern Tehran.
Pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, fourth in the official count, reiterated his call for the vote to be annulled in a letter to Iran`s top legislative body, the Guardian Council, which is recounting a random 10 percent of the votes.
"The election`s annulment is the only way to regain the people`s trust," said Karoubi, in a position shared with defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, who met on Sunday with a committee of the Council in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has exposed rifts in Iran`s ruling establishment.
The Council`s spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai told state radio that talks over Mousavi`s proposal had no clear outcome, but the moderate candidate was not available for comment. Mousavi has said a "national arbitration committee" should examine the vote.
RECOUNT RESULTS
"This recount is being done before (state broadcaster) IRIB cameras in various provinces and cities and we will subsequently announce the outcome for public information. ... We will try to release the outcome by the end of working hours (on Monday)," Kadkhodai said.
State media have said 20 people were killed in violence since the election won by the hardline president, and authorities have accused Mousavi of responsibility for the bloodshed. He says the government is to blame.
Mass protests, which had echoes of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah, were broken up by pro-government Basij militia and riot police driving the reformist demonstrators who said the poll was rigged off the streets.
The hardline leadership, locked in a row with the West over its nuclear programme and which says the poll was fair, has also blamed turmoil in the world`s fifth biggest oil exporter on foreign powers rather than popular anger. "Americans and the Zionists (Israel) wanted to destabilise Iran," Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said.
"Even months before the election they started to talk about the possibility of vote-rigging in Iran, and they continue this path after the election," the minister added.
Iranian authorities said on Monday five out of nine detained British embassy local staff had been released, while four others were being held for questioning. Britain has rejected accusations that the embassy helped to foment the mass rallies.
The United States and other major powers have questioned the election`s fairness and condemned the bloodshed in its turbulent aftermath. Britain and Iran have expelled two of each other`s diplomats since the election.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Sunday had demanded the release of all the staff held and said his European Union colleagues had agreed to a "strong, collective response" to any such "harassment and intimidation" against EU missions.  Continued...
Original article

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Israel to build 50 new homes at W.Bank settlement

(SETTLEMENT, CONSTRUCTION, ISRAEL, ISRAELI, WOULD, ABBAS, STATE)

By Ori Lewis
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel`s Defense Ministry said Monday it had approved construction of 50 new homes at a West Bank settlement as part of a plan for 1,450 housing units, an expansion that defies a U.S. call for a settlement freeze.
News of the planned building work emerged hours before Defense Minister Ehud Barak was due to travel to the United States for talks aimed at narrowing a rift with Washington over the settlement issue.
He will meet President Barack Obama`s Middle East envoy, George Mitchell.
An affidavit submitted by the Defense Ministry to the Supreme Court outlined plans to relocate settlers from Migron, an outpost built in the West Bank without Israeli government permission, to the settlement of Adam, north of Jerusalem.
According to the document, a response to a court case brought by the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, a master plan for Adam calls for construction of 1,450 homes there.
But the ministry said it had given the go-ahead for the construction of only 50 of the dwellings and any additional units would require its separate approval.
Peace Now said some 2,500 settlement homes are currently under construction in the West Bank. Obama has pressed Israel to halt settlement activity as part of a bid to revive peace talks under which the Palestinians would gain statehood.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war. Palestinians say settlements, deemed illegal by the World Court, could deny them a viable and contiguous state.
STATEHOOD
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his refusal to resume negotiations with Israel until it froze settlement.
"We won`t accept the continuation of settlements," Abbas said.
Abbas also urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop his conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state, which include international guarantees it would have no army and a demand Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
"Israel should accept the two-state vision and not put conditions that would render the issue meaningless," Abbas said, echoing comments he made through a spokesman after a Netanyahu policy address on June 14.
In a rare dispute between Israel and its main ally, the United States, Netanyahu has refused to declare a settlement freeze, saying that some construction should continue to match population growth within the enclaves.
Barak left open the possibility of a limited, temporary halt to construction in settlements, in remarks Sunday in response to an Israeli newspaper report that he would propose a three-month moratorium.
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah; Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
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Lebanon`s Hariri begins tough job to form government

(HARIRI, HEZBOLLAH, BETWEEN, POWER, LEBANON`S, DAMASCUS, ELECTION)

By Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri began parliamentary consultations Monday aiming to form a unity government with rivals including the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The main potential stumbling block facing U.S.-backed Hariri is a demand by pro-Syrian Shi`ite Hezbollah and its allies for veto power in cabinet, a senior political source close to the opposition told Reuters. Hariri has rejected the idea.
The Hariri-led "March 14" coalition rode to a surprise victory in the June 7 parliamentary election, winning 71 of 128 seats in the chamber, dealing a blow to an opposition which was hoping to gain the upper hand in Lebanon`s political landscape.
"The opposition interprets real participation as a third plus one (veto power) and this is the main obstacle against forming a government quickly and what may delay the formation," the senior source said.
Hezbollah and its allies have 11 of 30 seats in the outgoing cabinet, securing them effective veto power over its decisions.
Sunni Muslim Hariri, strongly backed by Saudi Arabia, has been keen on securing the backing of his powerful Shi`ite rivals, who are close allies of neighboring Syria, to ensure a smooth launch for his administration.
Immediately after the election, he called for the contentious issue of disarming Hezbollah to be shelved. The group, labeled a terrorist organization by the United States, fought Israel in a 34-day war in 2006.
Mohammad Raad, leader of Hezbollah`s parliamentary bloc, said after meeting Hariri the country desperately needed "a unity government and real participation."
In Damascus, the Syrian News Agency said President Bashar al-Assad met Saudi Prince Abdel Aziz bin Abdullah and discussed Lebanon. The statement did not give details on when the meeting took place, but sources in Damascus said it was Sunday.
Improved ties between Riyadh and Damascus are credited with helping calm the political arena in Lebanon, which was pushed to the brink of civil war last year when tensions erupted into fighting between supporters of rival politicians.
Continued cooperation between the two capitals is seen vital for Lebanon`s stability.
While a Qatari-sponsored deal in May, 2008 defused Lebanon`s worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, sectarian tensions rose again in the run-up to the election.
Underlining the country`s fragility, a clash in Beirut on Sunday between supporters of rival factions killed one person.
Lebanon`s sectarian power-sharing system allocates the premiership to a Sunni. Hariri, 39, is the son of slain statesman Rafik al-Hariri.
(Additional reporting by Khaled Oweis in Damascus)
(Writing by Yara Bayoumy)
Original article

Pol Pot paintings saved my life, S-21 survivor says

(PRISON, JUSTICE, PEOPLE, TRIBUNAL, ACCOUNT, GUARDS, CRIMES)

By Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A survivor of the Khmer Rouge`s notorious Tuol Sleng prison wept at the trial of his torturer Monday and called for justice for the 1.7 million Cambodians who died under Pol Pot`s tyrannical regime.
In a harrowing account of his detention at the S-21 interrogation center, where more than 14,000 people died, artist Vann Nath said his life was only spared because chief torturer Duch liked his paintings of "Brother Number One," Pol Pot.
"I survived because Duch felt good when he walked into my workshop," Nath said in his testimony against the ailing chief of the S-21 prison, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav.
"My suffering cannot be erased -- the memories keep haunting me," said Nath, who lost two children to Pol Pot`s 1975-1979 "killing fields" reign of terror.
With no death penalty in Cambodia, Duch faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted by the joint U.N.-Cambodian tribunal on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and homicide.
Duch has admitted his part in the deaths but maintains he was only following orders.
His trial is the first of five Pol Pot cadres indicted by the tribunal. The others are "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, former President Khieu Samphan, and ex-foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, all of whom have denied knowledge of the atrocities.
Pol Pot, the architect of the ultra-Maoist revolution, died in 1998 near the Thai-Cambodia border.
HARROWING ACCOUNT
Nath said he was beaten, electrocuted and left on the brink of starvation by Duch and his guards. He gave a graphic account of the barbaric acts of torture, which included the removal of fingernails and simulated drowning.
"Our legs were shackled, we were so hungry we ate any insects we could grab and were beaten by the guards," said Nath, who was one of only seven people to survive the prison.
"I heard prisoners scream, I heard sounds and voices of the mothers who cried when security guards tried to take their babies away. The suffering was so bad."
Nath, who was the first Khmer Rouge survivor to appear before the tribunal, said he wanted to tell the world about the horrors of the regime and sought justice for the people who died of execution, disease, starvation and exhaustion.
"Now I have the ability to testify before this chamber. This is my privilege, this is my honor," he told the court. "I do not want anything more than justice."
(Editing by Martin Petty and Sanjeev Miglani)
Original article

Bangladesh textile workers go on rampage

(TEXTILE, WORKERS, BANGLADESH, EXPORT, EXPORTERS, GARMENT, POLICE)

By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) - Textile workers set fire to a factory in Bangladesh on Monday in a third day of demonstrations for payment of wages, witnesses said, as the global economic crisis hits the South Asian country`s main export industry.
The workers were also protesting two colleagues` deaths blamed on police firing over the weekend at a similar demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
"The situation is now under control," a police official said after police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the workers. At least 30 people were injured in the clashes.
Abdus Salam Murshedy, the President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the global economic slowdown had hurt textile exporters and some of them could be facing financial difficulties.
A government survey released on Sunday reported 122 out of 825 factories had not paid workers on time between January and May.
Bangladesh earned $11 billion from textile exports last year, more than 75 percent of the impoverished country`s total export income and equivalent to 17 percent of the country`s GDP of around $65 billion.
Labor unrest in the textile industry has grown in recent years over unpaid wages and overtime. The minimum monthly wage of a textile worker is less than $25.
Exporters have ruled out any wage rise because of declining overseas sales.
The government would take strong action to prevent unrest in the garment sector, Labor Minister Mosharraf Hossain said.
"We will probe the incidents and punish those involved in the riots so that such incidents do not happen again," he said.
More than 100 people including several policemen have been injured since the protests began on Saturday.
Bangladesh has some 4,500 garment factories, employing more than 2.5 million workers.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Anis Ahmed and Jerry Norton)
Original article

Activists sail to Gaza with aid, defying Israel

(ISRAEL, US, ACTIVISTS, ISRAELI, AUTHORITIES, GROUP, MONDAY)

LARNACA, Cyprus (Reuters) - International activists sailed from Cyprus Monday in a bid to deliver aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, in defiance of a sea blockade by Israel.
A group of 21 activists from the U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement left the Cypriot port of Larnaca early Monday morning for a 30-hour journey on a small ferry bedecked with brightly coloured flags including a rainbow flag for peace.
The group planned to deliver three tonnes of medical supplies, some tool kits and copper wiring to Gaza. On two previous occasions, activists were intercepted by Israeli authorities.
"We have informed the Israelis of our intent to enter Gaza, and the last thing they communicated to us through the U.S. embassy in Nicosia and port authorities is that Israel is not going to let us enter," Huwaida Arraf, one of the organisers of the mission, told Reuters.
"We are unarmed civilians. It is up to our respective governments to ensure that Israel doesn`t attack us," said Arraf, a U.S. citizen.
Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamist group Hamas took control of the enclave, a tiny sliver of territory which is home to some 1.5 million people.
Activists say a humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by the Israeli offensive on Gaza in December and January which had the stated aim of rooting out militants firing rockets into Israel.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday said stringent import restrictions imposed by Israel were crippling reconstruction efforts by donors who have pledged $4.5 billion.
It urged Israel authorities to lift restrictions to allow spare parts, water pipes and building materials into the territory.
(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Sophie Hares)
Original article

Nigerian militants say attack Shell despite amnesty

(DELTA, NIGER, MEND, SHELL, AMNESTY, MILITANT, ATTACKS)

By Nick Tattersall
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria`s main militant group said its fighters had attacked an oil facility belonging to Royal Dutch Shell in the Niger Delta on Monday, in the face of an amnesty offer from President Umaru Yar`Adua.
Shell said it had shut in some production as a precautionary measure while it investigated reports of attacks on two well clusters in its Estuary Field in the western Niger Delta, which feeds into its Forcados oil export terminal.
"Hurricane Piper Alpha has struck at the Shell Forcados platform in Delta state today ... at about 0330 hours," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement emailed to media.
It said parts of the facility were on fire.
Forcados is one of Nigeria`s benchmark crude oil grades but production has been interrupted by militant attacks.
On June 17 Shell extended a force majeure on its Forcados oil shipments for the rest of June and all of July. The measure, which frees it from contractual obligations, was first imposed in March after an attack on its trans-Escravos pipeline.
Yar`Adua on Thursday offered a 60-day amnesty to gunmen in the Niger Delta who have been responsible for pipeline bombings, attacks on oil and gas installations and the kidnapping of industry workers over the past three years.
The unrest has prevented the world`s eighth biggest oil exporter from pumping much above two thirds of its installed capacity of 3 million barrels per day, costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue and pushing global energy prices higher.
MEND questioned the sincerity of the government and dismissed the amnesty offer as a program directed at "repentant criminals" rather than genuine "freedom fighters."
MILITANTS DIVIDED
Some militant leaders have said they want talks with Yar`Adua to work out the details of a deal, but MEND has publicly dismissed the amnesty offer, seeing it instead as an opportunity to distinguish itself from criminals.
"It will separate the wheat from the chaff and allow the government to focus on the root issues instead of tying militancy with criminality as an excuse for not addressing the grievances of the Niger Delta people," it said.
"MEND will negotiate as a group when the right time comes ... Only those who are willing to sell their birthright for a bowl of porridge will accept while the rest of us will continue the struggle until justice is achieved."
Representatives of Ateke Tom, Farah Dagogo, Soboma George and Boyloaf -- key leaders of armed gangs behind some of the most spectacular attacks -- issued a statement on Friday saying they wanted to meet with Yar`Adua.
MEND -- a loose coalition of various armed gangs in the delta -- denied Dagogo and Boyloaf would take part.  Continued...
Original article

Support for Pakistan`s anti-Taliban war seen solid

(THE, ON, TALIBAN, INVESTORS, PAKISTANI, OFFENSIVE, AMONG)

By Faisal Aziz
KARACHI (Reuters) - Two months into a Pakistani military offensive against Taliban militants, public opinion is firmly behind the civilian government and the military and it shows no sign of wavering.
The offensive was launched after defiant Taliban fighters thrust toward the capital, raising alarm both at home and among Western allies who need nuclear-armed Pakistan`s help to fight al Qaeda and to tackle a raging Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
Investors in Pakistani stocks have been unnerved by the violence, which has included a string of suicide bombs in cities and attacks on the military across the north.
But investors and the Pakistani people in general wanted to see the offensive prosecuted to the end, and only then would their confidence be restored, said a stock broker.
"It is absolutely necessary for the government to control and counter these terrorist elements and regain its writ to end the state of despondency among the people who had started to feel there was no one to protect them," said Asif Qureshi, director of Invisor Securities.
"Let alone foreign investors, the success of this operation is essential for the restoration of confidence among local investors as well," he said.
The KSE-100 index has gained 23 percent this year after losing 58.3 percent in 2008. But the index is trading about 10 percent lower than its peak of this year, partly because of security worries.
About 10,000 supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party rallied in Karachi on Sunday to protest against U.S. involvement in the region.
"ON THE BACK FOOT"
But their opposition to the offensive and sympathy for the Taliban was well known and their protest did not signal a strengthening of the argument that Pakistan should not be fighting "America`s war," an analyst said.
"They`re finding it difficult to dominate the discourse as they have been doing for some time. They`re on the back foot," said Rashid Rehman, a former newspaper editor and analyst.
"The other voices, the dissident voices, the voices who have been arguing for the last 30, 40 years that we`re heading down a suicide path, I think they`re getting stronger," he said.
Pakistani leaders have for decades flirted with the religious right when they needed support.
In the 1980s, Pakistan began used Islamist guerrillas for foreign policy aims, first in Afghanistan to fight Soviet invaders and later in the disputed Kashmir region where Pakistan- backed Muslim fighters battled Indian rule.
That engendered considerable sympathy for the "jihadis."  Continued...
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Iran spars with U.S. and Britain over election

(ELECTION, TEHRAN, WHICH, UNITED, FOREIGN, MINISTER, SINCE)

By Fredrik Dahl
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran accused the United States of trying to destabilize it and sparked a new row with Britain on Sunday, underscoring the hardline leadership`s efforts to blame post-election unrest on foreign powers rather than popular anger.
(Editors` note: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.)
Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei rejected allegations of vote-rigging in this month`s presidential election, which unleashed the biggest street protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"I am announcing that no organized rigging which could affect the result of the election took place," he said.
"Americans and the Zionists (Israel) wanted to destabilize Iran ... Even months before the election they started to talk about the possibility of vote-rigging in Iran, and they continue this path after the election," the minister said.
Mohseni-Ejei said the United States and Britain wanted to carry out a "velvet revolution" in Iran but declared that this was impossible. "People are wise and they are very close to their system," he said.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded the release of several local British embassy staff detained by Iran, and said his European Union colleagues had agreed to a "strong, collective response" to any such "harassment and intimidation" against EU missions.
He said Iranian accusations that embassy staff had helped foment unrest were "wholly without foundation."
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei again denounced "interfering statements" by Western officials since the June 12 election.
"If the (Iranian) nation and officials are unanimous and united, then the temptations of international ill-wishers and interfering and cruel politicians will no longer have an impact," state radio quoted him as saying.
The United States and Britain reject accusations by Tehran of interference in this month`s vote, which official results showed was won by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
His main challenger, moderate former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi, says the vote was rigged and that the election should be annulled.
The West is at odds with Iran over its nuclear program, as well as its handling of the unrest.
"EVERYBODY DEPRESSED"
The streets of Tehran have sunk back into a sullen calm since riot police and religious Basij militia crushed huge demonstrations in which at least 20 people were killed.  Continued...
Original article

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In China, parents mourn children abducted by traffickers

(CHILDREN, CHINA, CHILD, POLICE, TRAFFICKING, PARENTS, LOCAL)

By James Pomfret and Venus Wu
DONGGUAN (Reuters) - In the quiet village of Shang Di, wedged among factory towns in southern China, Deng Huidong wheels out a dusty two-seater tricycle that her 9-month-old son rode the day he was abducted outside her family house in 2007.
Little Ruicong, who was snatched by men in a white van as he played in an alleyway, hasn`t been seen since.
He is one of hundreds, perhaps thousands of children who go missing in China each year, victims of roving criminal gangs preying on vulnerable areas.
"My heart is bleeding," said Deng as she cried beside a framed photograph of her son splashing in a bath tub.
"I just want to find my son. Every time I see a child, it reminds me of my son and I wonder whether I will see him again."
While China has made giant economic and social strides over the past few decades, the number of abducted children remains alarmingly high in a nation whose wrenching one-child policy and yawning income disparities have fueled demand for children particularly male heirs, trafficked by underground syndicates.
Human trafficking is widespread across China with kidnapping cases reported in numerous provinces across the country, according to witnesses and postings on missing child websites. Some children are abducted to serve as props for beggars and women are also kidnapped and sold into prostitution or as forced labor in factories.
While many parents are aware of the problem and have bolstered supervision of their kids in known blackspots, elsewhere, particularly in rural areas, a lack of publicity and media exposure means parents are unaware of the problem and often let their children play outdoors unsupervised.
Estimates are difficult to come by, though the China Ministry of Public Security reported investigating 2,566 potential trafficking cases in 2008.
"Due to lack of information and the difficulty of tracing children in a vast country such as China, very few children have actually been found," Kirsten Di Martino, UNICEF`s Chief of Child Protection in China told Reuters in a written response to questions.
FIGHTING BACK
The plight of such torn families is often made worse by indifferent, sometimes callous treatment by local police, lax child trafficking laws and poor enforcement.
"In one case, the traffickers even dared to abduct a child right inside a police station ... this shows how rampant they are," Zheng Chunzhong, a bakery owner in Dongguan whose son was kidnapped in 2003, told Reuters.
Since then, the slim, softly-spoken Zheng has pressured Dongguan authorities to do more to fight the problem, forming a local alliance of some 200 parents who held a recent protest march outside local government offices.
"There are too many cases of missing children. They (the police) are too embarrassed to let higher-level officials know," he said during a lunch that was interrupted by a public security officer, a reminder of the police surveillance he says he`s long endured due to his outspokenness on the issue.  Continued...
Original article

Protests erupt, gunshots heard after Honduras coup

By Mica Rosenberg
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Honduran army ousted and exiled leftist President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday in Central America`s first military coup since the Cold War. Angry Zelaya supporters took to the streets and set up barricades.
The dawn coup was strongly condemned by Zelaya`s regional ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- who has long championed the left in Latin America. Chavez put his military on alert in case Honduran troops moved against his embassy or envoy there.
U.S. President Barack Obama`s administration, the European Union and a string of other foreign governments also voiced backing for Zelaya, who was snatched by troops from his residence and whisked away by plane to Costa Rica.
Zelaya, in office since 2006, had upset the judiciary, Congress and the army by seeking constitutional changes that would allow presidents to seek re-election beyond a four-year term.
Pro-Zelaya protesters, some of them masked and wielding sticks, set up barricades in the center of the capital, Tegucigalpa, and sealed off road access to the presidential palace.
Congress named an interim president, Roberto Micheletti, who announced a curfew for Sunday and Monday nights.
Honduras, an impoverished coffee, textile and banana exporter with a population of 7 million, had been politically stable since the end of military rule in the early 1980s.
But Zelaya has moved the country further left since taking power and struck up a close alliance with Chavez, upsetting the army and the traditionally conservative rich elite.
Zelaya tried to fire the armed forces chief, Gen. Romeo Vasquez, last week in a dispute over the president`s attempt to hold an unofficial referendum on Sunday about changing the constitution to allow presidential terms beyond a single, four-year term. Under the constitution as it stands, Zelaya would have been due to leave office in early 2010.
The country`s top court said on Sunday it had asked the army to remove Zelaya.
A former businessman who sports a cowboy hat and thick mustache, Zelaya, 56, told Venezuela-based Telesur television station that he was "kidnapped" by soldiers and barely given time to change out of his pajamas. He was later bundled onto a military plane to Costa Rica.
Zelaya was to fly on Sunday evening to the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, to meet Chavez and other regional leftist leaders.
The global economic crisis has curbed growth in Honduras, which is heavily dependent on remittances from Honduran workers abroad. Recent opinion polls indicate public support for Zelaya has fallen as low as 30 percent.
The army stood guard outside as Honduran deputies unanimously elected Congress head Micheletti, a member of Zelaya`s own Liberal Party, as interim president until after the elections in November.
Micheletti defied world pressure to reverse the coup, saying: "I don`t think anyone here, not Barack Obama and much less Hugo Chavez, has the right to come and threaten (Honduras)."  Continued...
Original article

Argentine president losing Congress: exit polls

By Kevin Gray
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez appeared to lose control of Congress in a mid-term election on Sunday, according to exit polls, and early official results showed her husband trailing in a key congressional race.
Exit polls commissioned by television stations and political parties showed Fernandez allies would lose enough seats in the lower house and the Senate to wipe out her majorities in both houses.
Nestor Kirchner, who was president before his wife took power, ran for Congress in populous Buenos Aires province to bolster her government in an election seen as a referendum on the couple`s economic policies and combative governing style.
With 27.19 percent of voting stations reporting in Buenos Aires province, millionaire businessman Francisco de Narvaez received 35.01 percent of the votes, compared with 31.88 percent for Kirchner.
But the trend could reverse as votes pour in from the province`s slums and working-class neighborhoods, where support for the Kirchners is high.
Buenos Aires province is home to more than a third of the population, making it the country`s biggest electoral prize. Kirchner, a Peronist, ran a tight race with de Narvaez, a dissident from the same political party.
Fernandez, a center-leftist who in 2007 succeeded Kirchner, has stagnated with a 30 percent approval rating as Latin America`s No. 3 economy hits turbulence after a six-year expansion.
The mid-terms are viewed as a springboard for the 2011 presidential race, but Kirchner`s chances of returning to power will fade if he doesn`t have a strong win in Sunday`s congressional contest.
"The close vote shows how worn out Kirchner`s leadership is," political analyst Sergio Berensztein said on Todo Noticias, a TV channel.
CRIME AND INFLATION
Argentines` biggest concerns are crime and inflation, according to opinion polls, and Fernandez`s failure to tame high prices is one reason her popularity has flagged.
Also, the Kirchners` confrontational style -- including frequent clashes with business leaders -- over their six years in power has worn thin with many Argentines.
"I don`t like their arrogance and I like the idea of changing things a bit, so I voted for De Narvaez," said Monica Vidal, 34, who runs a cab stand and voted in the Avellaneda suburb.
On the campaign trail, Kirchner warned the country would return to the chaos of the 2001-2002 economic and political meltdown if people did not back him and his wife.
Kirchner`s popularity rose during his 2003-2007 term in office as he presided over an economic rebound and surge in jobs. His wife was easily elected in late 2007 on promises to continue the economic good times.
Martin Diaz, 36, a postman, said he supported Kirchner. "This government got us out of a crisis and I think there`s a lot more left for them to do. The other side is an orthodox right-wing that ... doesn`t care if people lose their jobs," he said. (Additional reporting by Helen Popper and Lucas Bergman)
Original article