Japan Passes Emergency Budget

TOKYO -- Japan's parliament passed a ¥4 trillion ($49 billion) disaster relief budget Monday as ruling and opposition lawmakers put aside their differences and sought to quickly launch efforts to rebuild the country's quake-hit northeast.

But the passage of the budget is likely to clear the way for the opposition to step up their campaign to oust unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who has drawn criticism over the government's response to the magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, including its handling of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The extra budget, which totals ¥4.015 trillion and is the first of a planned series of spending packages to deal with the aftermath of the disaster, doesn't involve additional government borrowing as it will be financed by funds previously earmarked for other spending.

"We will work hard to swiftly implement the budget to help the disaster-hit area get back on its feet," Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda told a news conference following the budget's passage.

The budget will be used for measures such as removing debris, building temporary housing and repairing infrastructure, as well as providing financial support to businesses affected by the disaster, which has left more than 25,000 dead or missing and is expected to cause the economy to contract in the first half of this year.

Despite more than a year of political standoff, the opposition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, joined hands with Mr. Kan's Democratic Party of Japan, allowing the budget to pass the opposition-controlled upper chamber Monday after just two days of discussions in the chamber. The DPJ-dominated lower chamber endorsed the bills Saturday.

The move was in stark contrast to the fierce clash between the opposition and the ruling parties before the earthquake, when everything from campaign-financing scandals to differences over economic policy delayed the passage of the regular budget for the fiscal year that started in April and prevented the enactment of related legislation, including a crucial bill for issuing bonds, which has yet to clear parliament.

The government will now shift its focus to drafting a broad after-quake reconstruction plan as well as a long-term blueprint to overhaul Japan's tax and social security systems by the end of June.

The government will then compile a second extra budget to fund other quake-related measures, ministers have said.

"We need to present a source of financing in order to come up with a second supplementary budget," Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano told a separate news conference Monday.

While Mr. Noda has offered little hint on the potential size of the budget, other ministers have said it would likely be financed by new bond issuance.

The prospect of more deficit spending has led international investors to pay greater attention to the second extra budget, as such steps would further worsen Japan's battered finances, possibly making Japanese government bonds less attractive. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services last week lowered its outlook on Japan's sovereign rating to negative from stable, citing the risk of a downgrade if the earthquake causes the country's fiscal situation to deteriorate substantially more than expected.

Japan's public debt is already twice its annual economic output, the highest among industrialized countries, leading some DPJ officials to float the controversial idea of raising taxes to pay for quake relief measures.

The government has estimated direct damage from the earthquake and tsunami at ¥16 trillion to ¥25 trillion.

Faithful give thanks for John Paul beatification

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II's longtime secretary thanked Benedict XVI on Monday for responding to the call of the faithful for the speedy beatification of the much-loved late pontiff.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz spoke during a special Mass of thanksgiving Monday for Sunday's beatification of the Polish-born pope, which drew 1.5 million faithful from across the world, one of the largest Vatican Masses ever held.

The beatification, the fastest in modern history, came six years after calls of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Immediately" erupted during John Paul's 2005 funeral.

"We express gratitude to the Holy Father Benedict XVI for the gift of the beatification of his predecessor and for the fact that he keeps alive the memory of John Paul II," the Polish cardinal said, speaking beneath a large color photo of a vibrant John Paul.

The Mass, led by the Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, began with a procession in St. Peter's Square of bishops and cardinals in gold and white vestments. One cleric carried aloft a relic, a vial of blood taken from John Paul for medical tests shortly before his death. A key feature of beatification ceremonies, the relic will be available for the faithful to venerate.

Dziwisz also recalled that John Paul had "shed his blood for the cause of Christ" in the same square 30 years ago, when he was the victim of a 1981 assassination attempt.

In his homily, Bertone gave thanks for the man he called a saint, recalling how John Paul, suffering from Parkinson's disease at the end of his life, lost "his physical strength, his expressiveness, the ability to move, even his speech."

"We thank the Lord for having given us a saint like himself," Bertone said. "He knew that his physical weakness showed even more clearly the Christ who works in history."

Among the faithful in the square were thousands of Poles, including a priest, Jozef Maciag, who said he wanted to thank John Paul for his role in helping bring down communism, and for giving him the inspiration to devote his own life to God.

"I came here to thank God for the pope's ministry, which touched my own life," Maciag said.

After Sunday's beatification, about 250,000 faithful filed past John Paul's simple wooden coffin in St. Peter's Basilica. The pope had been buried in the grottoes underneath the church, but his closed casket was brought to the church's center aisle ahead of the beatification.

The faithful were allowed to pay their respects until 3 a.m. Monday, when the basilica closed.

After Monday's Mass, it was reopening for several hours before a private ceremony during which the casket will be taken to its new resting place in the basilica near Michelangelo's famed "Pieta" marble sculpture.

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Associated Press writer Daniela Petroff contributed to this report.

Gaddafi unleashes revenge attack on British embassy after NATO kill his youngest son in bombing raid

Colonel Gaddafi’s supporters torched the British embassy in Libya yesterday in revenge for the apparent killing of his son and three grandchildren in a Nato missile attack.

Foreign Secretary William Hague responded last night by expelling the Libyan ambassador to London.

Italy condemned a similar ‘vile’ attack on its diplomatic HQ, while the UN announced it was pulling its officials out of Tripoli because of mob rule. Ambassador Omar Jelban has been given 24 hours to leave the UK as punishment for the destruction of the British embassy – which has been empty for some weeks.

Amid signs of growing strain in the international community over the conflict, David Cameron defended Nato’s choice of targets after three missiles slammed into a heavily-guarded Gaddafi family compound in Tripoli late on Saturday, leaving the building in ruins.

He insisted that anyone who was directing operations against civilians could be targeted under international law.

Libyan officials claimed the attack killed the youngest of the despot’s six sons, 29-year-old Ferrari-driving playboy Saif al-Arab, and three of his grandchildren.

Gaddafi and his wife, who were reputedly inside the devastated building, were said to have escaped unharmed, having left a gathering of family and friends earlier in the evening. ‘The leader himself is in good health,’ said Moussa Ibrahim, the dictator’s spokesman. ‘What we have now is the law of the jungle. This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.

‘This is not permitted by international law. It is not permitted by any moral code or principle.’

US kills Osama bin Laden decade after 9/11 attacks

WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight with elite American forces Monday, then quickly buried at sea in a stunning finale to a furtive decade on the run.

Long believed to be hiding in caves, bin Laden was tracked down in a costly, custom-built hideout not far from a Pakistani military academy.

"Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a dramatic announcement at the White House while a crowd cheered outside and hundreds more gathered at ground zero in Manhattan to celebrate the news.

The military operation took mere minutes.

U.S. helicopters ferrying elite counter-terrorism troops into the compound identified by the CIA as bin Laden's hideout — and back out again in less than 40 minutes. Bin Laden was shot in the head, officials said, after he and his bodyguards resisted the assault.

Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.

The U.S. official who disclosed the burial at sea said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial.

"I heard a thundering sound, followed by heavy firing. Then firing suddenly stopped. Then more thundering, then a big blast," said Mohammad Haroon Rasheed, a resident of Abbottobad, Pakistan, after the choppers had swooped in and then out again.

Bin Laden's death marks a psychological triumph in a long struggle that began with the Sept. 11 attacks, and seems certain to give Obama a political lift. But its ultimate impact on al-Qaida is less clear.

The greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. is now considered to be the al-Qaida franchise in Yemen, far from al-Qaida's core in Pakistan. The Yemen branch almost took down a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas 2009 and nearly detonated explosives aboard two U.S. cargo planes last fall. Those operations were carried out without any direct involvement from bin Laden.

The few fiery minutes in Abbottobad followed years in which U.S. officials struggled to piece together clues that ultimately led to bin Laden, according to an account provided by senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operation.

Based on statements given by U.S. detainees since the 9/11 attacks, they said, intelligence officials have long known that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular, and they believed he might be living with him in hiding.

Four years ago, the United States learned the man's identity, which officials did not disclose, and then about two years later, they identified areas of Pakistan where he operated. Last August, the man's residence was found, officials said.

"Intelligence analysis concluded that this compound was custom built in 2005 to hide someone of significance," with walls as high as 18 feet and topped by barbed wire, according to one official. Despite the compound's estimated $1 million cost and two security gates, it had no phone or Internet running into the house.

By mid-February, intelligence from multiple sources was clear enough that Obama wanted to "pursue an aggressive course of action," a senior administration official said. Over the next two and a half months, the president led five meetings of the National Security Council focused solely on whether bin Laden was in that compound and, if so, how to get him, the official said.

Obama made a decision to launch the operation on Friday, shortly before flying to Alabama to inspect tornado damage, and aides set to work on the details.

The president spent part of his Sunday on the golf course, but cut his round short to return to the White House for a meeting where he and top national security aides reviewed final preparations for the raid.

Two hours later, Obama was told that bin Laden had been tentatively identified.

CIA director Leon Panetta was directly in charge of the military team during the operation, according to one official, and when he and his aides received word at agency headquarters that bin Laden had been killed, cheers broke out around the conference room table.

Administration aides said the operation was so secretive that no foreign officials were informed in advance, and only a small circle inside the U.S. government was aware of what was unfolding half a world away.

In his announcement, Obama said he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after the raid, and said it was "important to note that our counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding."

One senior administration told reporters, though, "we were very concerned ... that he was inside Pakistan, but this is something we're going to continue to work with the Pakistani government on."

The compound is about a half-mile from a Pakistani military academy, in a city that is home to three army regiments and thousands of military personnel. Abbottabad is surrounded by hills and with mountains in the distance.

Critics have long accused elements of Pakistan's security establishment of protecting bin Laden, though Islamabad has always denied it, and in a statement the foreign ministry said his death showed the country's resolve in the battle against terrorism.

Whatever the global repercussions, bin Laden's death marked the end to a manhunt that consumed most of a decade that began in the grim hours after bin Laden's hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center twin towers in Manhattan and the Pentagon across the Potomac River from Washington. A fourth plane was commandeered by passengers who overcame the hijackers and forced the plane to crash in the Pennsylvania countryside.

In all, nearly 3,000 were killed in the worst terror attacks on American soil.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing bin Laden's death as a momentous achievement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.

Nato 'Won't Apologise' For Libya Rebel Deaths

Nato has acknowledged its air strikes in "may have" resulted in the deaths of rebel forces on the ground in Libya yesterday - but will not apologise.

The military alliance did not know the rebels were using tanks, spokesman Rear Admiral Russell Harding said after the attack, which killed at least five people.

But a rebel commander earlier claimed Nato had been told the rebels were moving T55 and T72 heavy tanks from Benghazi to Brega.

General Abdul Fatah Younis said at a news conference in Benghazi that fighters and medics were among the dead after the bombing "carried out in error".

Saleh Faraj, a former soldier fighting with the rebels, said at least three rebel tanks were hit in the air strike.

"There was no fighting anywhere. (The warplanes) flew back and forth and then they struck our forces," said Faraj.

The incident came ater the rebels criticised Nato for failing to provide the assistance it requires.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Thursday it was now only a question of how Gaddafi's regime meets its downfall rather than whether the Libyan ruler can survive in power.

ut General Carter Ham, the head of US Africa Command, said in Washington it was unlikely the rebel forces could push Gaddafi out.

Asked at a Senate hearing about the chances that the opposition could "fight their way" to Tripoli and replace Gaddafi, Ham replied: "Sir, I would assess that as a low likelihood."

His comments underscored growing concern in Washington and European capitals that the conflict is heading toward a stalemate, with Gaddafi firmly in control in Tripoli and the poorly organised rebels unable to turn the tide even under the cover of Nato-led air power.

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "a real ceasefire should be settled immediately and military units of Gaddafi should remove the siege of some cities and withdraw back".

He also called for the creation of secure humanitarian corridors to allow the delivery of aid to the Libyan people.

Libya's deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim minister accused British fighter bombers of being responsible for an attack on the Sarir oil field which killed three guards and wounded other workers.

The allegations came as Scottish authorities revealed they had interviewed defected Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa over the Lockerbie bombing.

Nato has denied involvement in the attack on the Sarir oil field and there has been no comment from the Ministry of Defence.

However, an oil official in rebel-held east Libya said the attack was most likely the work of pro-Gaddafi forces.

Sky reporter Alistair Bunkall said: "You have got to wonder why British aeroplanes would come in from their bases in Italy and destroy an oil field. It would mark a change in tactics.

"Equally, you have the question of how the Libyan government know they were British aeroplanes, simply because they would be releasing their missiles from some distance.

"They do have different wing shapes from the French and other coalition aircraft but unless you have an eyewitness account it is very difficult to verify."

The British airstrike is said to have damaged the pipeline linking Al Sarir oil field - Libya's largest - and the rebel-held port of Tobruk.

The Sarir oilfield is located in Libya's Sirte basin, which contains around 80% of its proven reserves. The oilfield was discovered in 1961.

Meanwhile, the United States has dismissed a letter sent to President Barack Obama by Colonel Gaddafi, appealing for a ceasefire.

Scotland Interviews Former Libyan Foreign Minister

Scottish prosecutors and police have interviewed Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who last week defected to Britain, in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, a Crown Office spokeswoman said.

Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Mr. Koussa, won't be offered immunity from British and international justice.

Officers of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by the Crown prosecution service, Thursday met Mr. Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, a spokeswoman said in a statement.

The spokeswoman declined to comment further.

Scottish prosecutors have kept the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing open since former Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi became the only person convicted of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner as it flew over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Mr. Koussa has at times been alleged to have had a role in the bombing. The regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi always argued it had nothing to do with the attack, which killed 270 people, and that Mr. al-Megrahi was innocent. Mr. Koussa also played a role in negotiating the release of Mr. al-Megrahi on Aug. 20, 2009.

Japanese workers return to the fight at crippled nuclear plant

Tokyo (CNN) -- Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station returned to the plant Friday after a strong aftershock forced them to leave a day earlier, the plant's owner said. The quake forced crews at the plant to evacuate as it rattled northern Japan late Thursday night. They returned to the plant about eight and a half hours later, and no fresh damage to the facility had been reported Friday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said. Before the quake, engineers had been injecting non-flammable nitrogen into the No. 1 reactor containment shell to counter a buildup of hydrogen in the chamber. That process continued while the plant was evacuated, and so did the pumping of fresh water into that reactor and units 2 and 3, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Hydrogen buildup is a symptom of overheated fuel rods in the cores of the reactors, which plant workers have been struggling to keep under control since the earthquake and tsunami. The nitrogen injections are aimed at displacing oxygen in the reactor shell, reducing the possibility of an explosion -- a chance Tokyo Electric called "extremely low." Edano, the Japanese government's point man on the crisis, said the country may set standards for long-term radiation exposure that would effectively extend the evacuation zone around the damaged plant. "It is time for the government to consider setting another category for accumulated exposure," Edano told reporters. "The safety of the people is the first priority, and social needs come after that." There is no timetable for a decision, Edano said. Readings released Thursday by the country's science ministry from areas outside that zone indicated that long-term exposure could top the government's one-time standards for an evacuation within a few months. Some of those are in towns to the northwest, where prevailing winds have blown radioactive particles released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The recorded doses are far below those that would cause radiation sickness but could pose a long-term risk of cancer, according to medical experts. The anti-nuclear group Greenpeace and the International Atomic Energy Agency raised alarms about the spread of radioactivity beyond the 30-kilometer zone in late March.