BEIJING – Japan urged China to remain calm and not inflame their diplomatic spat further Monday after Beijing severed high-level contacts over the detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain near disputed islands.
China's rare move late Sunday pushed already-tense relations to a new low, and showed Beijing's willingness to play hardball with its Asian rival on issues of territorial integrity, which include sparring with Japan over natural gas fields in the East China Sea.
The severing of high-level government contacts came after anti-Japanese protests were held across China on the anniversary of the start of a Japanese invasion of China in 1931, which has historically cast a shadow over ties between the world's second- and third-largest economies.
The latest dispute was sparked when a Chinese fishing vessel collided with two Japanese coast guard ships on Sept. 7 near islands in the East China Sea — called Senkaku by Japan and known as Diaoyu or Diaoyutai in Chinese and claimed by both countries.
The 14 Chinese crew were released last week, but the captain's detention for further questioning — pending a decision about whether to press charges — has inflamed ever-present anti-Japanese sentiment in China.
In Tokyo, a Japanese spokesman said the government was assessing the situation but it had not yet been officially informed of the severing of ties. Noriyuki Shikata, spokesman for Prime Minister Naoto Kan, told The Associated Press if China did make such a decision, "it is truly regrettable."
"We call for calm and prudent action by China in order not to further escalate the situation," Shikata said.
The investigation into the Chinese captain's case is based on Japan's domestic law and is "not based on any political intent," he said.
China's Foreign Ministry said Japan's refusal to release the boat captain had caused "severe damage" to relations.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Indian lawmakers visit Kashmir to address unrest
SRINAGAR, India – A delegation of Indian lawmakers seeking to defuse months of deadly civil unrest in Kashmir arrived in the Himalayan region Monday, a day after four more anti-India protesters died after being hurt during increasingly violent demonstrations.
Lawmakers from all major Indian national parties were expected to meet Kashmiri leaders in Srinagar and find ways to address long-standing demands for self-rule or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Srinagar is the largest city in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
But it was unclear how useful the delegation's mission would be after Kashmiri separatists said they would not meet the lawmakers, and dismissed the trip as a public relations stunt by the Indian government.
Kashmir has been rocked by widespread protests against Indian rule since June, with at least 106 people killed in clashes with security forces. Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Indian authorities to investigate the killings and order government forces to stop the use of lethal force against demonstrators.
On Monday, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a top separatist leader, described the Indian lawmakers' visit as "a facade, a joke."
"They have converted the entire Kashmir region into a prison and now a delegation has been sent to meet the besieged people," Farooq told The Associated Press.
Thousands of armed troops patrolled the deserted streets of Srinagar and other major towns Monday and enforced a curfew for the eighth day.
Three men hurt during street battles with government forces last week died in hospitals in Srinagar on Sunday, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Also Sunday, a 22-year-old woman was killed by Indian security forces in the town of Sopore after a group of protesters attacked them with stones, said the officer.
Lawmakers from all major Indian national parties were expected to meet Kashmiri leaders in Srinagar and find ways to address long-standing demands for self-rule or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Srinagar is the largest city in the Indian portion of Kashmir.
But it was unclear how useful the delegation's mission would be after Kashmiri separatists said they would not meet the lawmakers, and dismissed the trip as a public relations stunt by the Indian government.
Kashmir has been rocked by widespread protests against Indian rule since June, with at least 106 people killed in clashes with security forces. Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Indian authorities to investigate the killings and order government forces to stop the use of lethal force against demonstrators.
On Monday, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a top separatist leader, described the Indian lawmakers' visit as "a facade, a joke."
"They have converted the entire Kashmir region into a prison and now a delegation has been sent to meet the besieged people," Farooq told The Associated Press.
Thousands of armed troops patrolled the deserted streets of Srinagar and other major towns Monday and enforced a curfew for the eighth day.
Three men hurt during street battles with government forces last week died in hospitals in Srinagar on Sunday, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Also Sunday, a 22-year-old woman was killed by Indian security forces in the town of Sopore after a group of protesters attacked them with stones, said the officer.
Amazing New Designs For The Dollar Bill
The American dollar is in bad need of a makeover. Thanks to the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, we may now have some options.
Organized by creative strategy consultant Richard Smith, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project is soliciting ideas for the dollar bill of the future. "Our great 'rival', the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign," the project notes on its website.
Fisher started the project in with the intent of "trying to find a catalyst to restart our economy" he told Fox News. The recent competition is now closed, and voting ends on September 30. "This has touched people's hearts," Fisher said, and "people feel the dollar touches their lives."
The leading vote-getter for this year's competition (pictured below) was submitted by British duo Dowling Duncan, which features a unique vertical design.
Why a vertical format? "When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally," they note on the Dollar ReDe$ign Project's website. "You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense."
Mark Gartland submitted the entry below, entitled "America Today." The $50 bill features (pictured below) Sacagawea, the native American Indian who acted as Lewis and Clark's interepreter and guide. Noting the "cosmetic drabness" of the current dollar bill, Gartland selected various historical icons from including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and President Obama to represent the "diverse fabric" of the U.S.
If these money makeovers weren't enough, The Dollar ReDe$ign Project has even circulated a petition to get the U.S. government to seriously consider their ideas. Which of these designs is your favorite?
Organized by creative strategy consultant Richard Smith, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project is soliciting ideas for the dollar bill of the future. "Our great 'rival', the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign," the project notes on its website.
Fisher started the project in with the intent of "trying to find a catalyst to restart our economy" he told Fox News. The recent competition is now closed, and voting ends on September 30. "This has touched people's hearts," Fisher said, and "people feel the dollar touches their lives."
The leading vote-getter for this year's competition (pictured below) was submitted by British duo Dowling Duncan, which features a unique vertical design.
Why a vertical format? "When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally," they note on the Dollar ReDe$ign Project's website. "You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense."
Mark Gartland submitted the entry below, entitled "America Today." The $50 bill features (pictured below) Sacagawea, the native American Indian who acted as Lewis and Clark's interepreter and guide. Noting the "cosmetic drabness" of the current dollar bill, Gartland selected various historical icons from including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and President Obama to represent the "diverse fabric" of the U.S.
If these money makeovers weren't enough, The Dollar ReDe$ign Project has even circulated a petition to get the U.S. government to seriously consider their ideas. Which of these designs is your favorite?
NASA discovers brand new force of nature
NASA scientists say they may have discovered a new force of nature, after research showed two of their deep space probes were being inexplicably pulled off course.
Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which have been in space for over 40 years, are being steadily pulled towards the sun by an unknown power, according to London’s Telegraph newspaper
The scientists said it could not be gravity or solar radiation, as they decreased over distance.
They have also discounted gas leaks and nuclear heat leaks from the satellites.
Although the force is relatively weak — around 10 billion times weaker than gravity — the satellites are travelling at around 43,000km/h on a journey expected to last several million years.
Two other satellites in the solar system, Galileo and Ulysses, are also being affected by a similar force.
The Pioneer satellites have photographed planets Jupiter and Saturn, and Pioneer 10 is so far into space it passed Pluto in 1983.
Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which have been in space for over 40 years, are being steadily pulled towards the sun by an unknown power, according to London’s Telegraph newspaper
The scientists said it could not be gravity or solar radiation, as they decreased over distance.
They have also discounted gas leaks and nuclear heat leaks from the satellites.
Although the force is relatively weak — around 10 billion times weaker than gravity — the satellites are travelling at around 43,000km/h on a journey expected to last several million years.
Two other satellites in the solar system, Galileo and Ulysses, are also being affected by a similar force.
The Pioneer satellites have photographed planets Jupiter and Saturn, and Pioneer 10 is so far into space it passed Pluto in 1983.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
India BlackBerry users hold breath over ban
NEW DELHI (AFP) - – India's BlackBerry users are holding their breath as they wait to see if the government carries out a threat this week to ban encrypted messages sent on the phones due to fears of misuse by militants.
The government, worried that militants could use BlackBerry's heavily encrypted services to plan attacks, warned earlier this month it would start blocking emails and instant messages sent on the smartphones unless the company comes up with a way for security agencies to decode the traffic by August 31.
There were indications late last week the deadline might be pushed back beyond Tuesday's deadline as BlackBerry's Canadian makers, Research in Motion (RIM), scrambled to satisfy the authorities.
Minister of state for communications Sachin Pilot said he was "hopeful" a plan could be worked out with RIM.
The government -- keen to project India as a fast-growing, investor-friendly economy -- is "not in the business of shutting down services", Pilot said, but stressed New Delhi was also not ready to sacrifice its security interests.
"These concerns have been addressed in other parts of the world. I see no reason why the government and (security) agencies should take any risk at all as far as technology (is concerned)."
Analysts have noted other security-conscious nations such as China and Russia appear to be satisfied over their intelligence agencies' level of access to BlackBerry communications.
G.K. Pillai, the top bureaucrat in the home ministry, was due to hold a department meeting Monday to take a call on India's next step. Officials have suggested RIM might be given a one or two-month extension of the deadline.
BlackBerry users said they hoped a shutdown could be averted.
"Its as essential as food, water and shelter. A BlackBerry is a necessity for all the corporate guys, and the government can't afford to do that (a ban), thats for sure," said marketing manager Amit Deshmukh.
But the government has already told cellular operators to be prepared to shut off BlackBerry's corporate messaging services. Non-corporate emails are less heavily encrypted and can already be accessed by Indian security agencies.
For RIM, whose shares closed at a 52-week low on Friday of 45.99 dollars in New York, striking a deal with India is crucial and would help ensure the company is not shut out of the world's fastest-growing cellular market.
India, which has 1.1 million BlackBerry users, would be the first country to curb its services. But RIM is also facing a threatened ban by the United Arab Emirates and is negotiating with Saudi Arabia on security issues.
In a bid to head off a showdown, RIM offered Thursday to set up an "industry forum" to look at how to prevent misuse of the encrypted service while safeguarding corporate privacy.
RIM and analysts insist the company is unable to comply with demands to hand over codes allowing interception by security agencies. RIM says it has no "master key" to unlock encryption codes of clients which are set at the user level and argues the issue is an industry-wide concern.
"The industry forum would work closely with the Indian government and focus on developing recommendations for policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of strong encryption technologies," RIM said.
"Banning one solution, such as the BlackBerry solution, would be ineffective" and also "severely limit the effectiveness and productivity of Indias corporations," RIM added.
"They are essentially trying to educate the government so it can stay ahead of the technology -- militants are not going to be going around using corporate emails, there are more sophisticated methods," Kunal Bajaj, director India of telecom consulting firm Analysys Mason, told AFP.
"I honestly do not think India will shut BlackBerry services down, it's just taking a bit of time to see what are the options and how to get what they're looking for," he added.
Nareshchandra Singh, principal research analyst at Gartner global consultancy, said there "could be some extension, but ultimately if the government doesn't get what it wants it could come to a ban."
The government, worried that militants could use BlackBerry's heavily encrypted services to plan attacks, warned earlier this month it would start blocking emails and instant messages sent on the smartphones unless the company comes up with a way for security agencies to decode the traffic by August 31.
There were indications late last week the deadline might be pushed back beyond Tuesday's deadline as BlackBerry's Canadian makers, Research in Motion (RIM), scrambled to satisfy the authorities.
Minister of state for communications Sachin Pilot said he was "hopeful" a plan could be worked out with RIM.
The government -- keen to project India as a fast-growing, investor-friendly economy -- is "not in the business of shutting down services", Pilot said, but stressed New Delhi was also not ready to sacrifice its security interests.
"These concerns have been addressed in other parts of the world. I see no reason why the government and (security) agencies should take any risk at all as far as technology (is concerned)."
Analysts have noted other security-conscious nations such as China and Russia appear to be satisfied over their intelligence agencies' level of access to BlackBerry communications.
G.K. Pillai, the top bureaucrat in the home ministry, was due to hold a department meeting Monday to take a call on India's next step. Officials have suggested RIM might be given a one or two-month extension of the deadline.
BlackBerry users said they hoped a shutdown could be averted.
"Its as essential as food, water and shelter. A BlackBerry is a necessity for all the corporate guys, and the government can't afford to do that (a ban), thats for sure," said marketing manager Amit Deshmukh.
But the government has already told cellular operators to be prepared to shut off BlackBerry's corporate messaging services. Non-corporate emails are less heavily encrypted and can already be accessed by Indian security agencies.
For RIM, whose shares closed at a 52-week low on Friday of 45.99 dollars in New York, striking a deal with India is crucial and would help ensure the company is not shut out of the world's fastest-growing cellular market.
India, which has 1.1 million BlackBerry users, would be the first country to curb its services. But RIM is also facing a threatened ban by the United Arab Emirates and is negotiating with Saudi Arabia on security issues.
In a bid to head off a showdown, RIM offered Thursday to set up an "industry forum" to look at how to prevent misuse of the encrypted service while safeguarding corporate privacy.
RIM and analysts insist the company is unable to comply with demands to hand over codes allowing interception by security agencies. RIM says it has no "master key" to unlock encryption codes of clients which are set at the user level and argues the issue is an industry-wide concern.
"The industry forum would work closely with the Indian government and focus on developing recommendations for policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of strong encryption technologies," RIM said.
"Banning one solution, such as the BlackBerry solution, would be ineffective" and also "severely limit the effectiveness and productivity of Indias corporations," RIM added.
"They are essentially trying to educate the government so it can stay ahead of the technology -- militants are not going to be going around using corporate emails, there are more sophisticated methods," Kunal Bajaj, director India of telecom consulting firm Analysys Mason, told AFP.
"I honestly do not think India will shut BlackBerry services down, it's just taking a bit of time to see what are the options and how to get what they're looking for," he added.
Nareshchandra Singh, principal research analyst at Gartner global consultancy, said there "could be some extension, but ultimately if the government doesn't get what it wants it could come to a ban."
North Korean leader prolongs China visit: report
SEOUL (AFP) - – North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il appears headed for a third destination in China rather than returning home from a surprise trip believed linked to his country's succession process, a report said Sunday.
Kim's special train left the northeastern city of Changchun late Saturday in what was believed to be a departure for home, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
But as of Sunday morning there were no signs the train had returned to the North via the Chinese border cities of Dandong or Jian, the agency quoted a diplomatic source in Beijing as saying.
A source in the Chinese city of Yanji told Yonhap the local government was preparing to receive a special guest. "It is highly likely that it would be Chairman Kim," the source said.
Kim has not previously visited Yanji, capital of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture which is part of China's economic development plan for its northeastern provinces.
Yonhap said Kim's other likely destinations in Yanbian include the towns of Tumen and Hunchun near the border with the North.
The South's cable news channel YTN reported that work to clean up main streets and control traffic in Tumen began Sunday morning. It said some 10 large sedans have been waiting at a train station in Namyang, a North Korean town bordering Tumen, since early Saturday afternoon.
South Korean media has reported that Kim, 68, is believed to have met President Hu Jintao in Changchun, during an apparent mission to seek China's support for an eventual handover of power to his youngest son Jong-Un.
The leader suffered a stroke in August 2008 and since then has speeded up plans for a power transfer in the hardline communist state.
China is the impoverished North's sole major ally and its economic lifeline. It chairs six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament and has been pressing Pyongyang to return to the forum which it quit in April 2009.
The current visit is Kim's second to China in about three months, even though he rarely travels abroad. He met Hu during his previous visit in May.
The trip went ahead despite last week's visit to Pyongyang by former US President Jimmy Carter to secure the release of a jailed American. It was not known whether Jong-Un, believed to be aged about 27, accompanied his father.
On the first day on Thursday, Kim paid a visit to Jilin's Yuwen Middle School which his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung, attended from 1927 to 1930.
Yonhap said a visit by Kim to the Yanbian region may be related to economic cooperation plans.
Beijing is reportedly seeking permission to extend its lease of the North's northeastern port of Rajin which provides access to the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
China currently has a 10-year lease on Rajin, which also borders Russia, Li Longxi, governor of the Yanbian prefecture, said during China's annual legislative meeting in March.
He said the use of the port would make it easier to ship coal from northeast China to southern China and Japan.
Official media in Beijing and Pyongyang have said nothing about Kim's visit, which may also be aimed at securing much-needed food and construction aid following recent severe floods.
Seoul officials said they would seek information from China as soon as Kim returns home.
"Customarily, China has briefed related countries about the result of Kim's visit (to China) once he returns home, and South Korea is certainly the number one priority in this matter," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
"We expect the same process to take place very soon, possibly this week."
Kim's special train left the northeastern city of Changchun late Saturday in what was believed to be a departure for home, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.But as of Sunday morning there were no signs the train had returned to the North via the Chinese border cities of Dandong or Jian, the agency quoted a diplomatic source in Beijing as saying.
A source in the Chinese city of Yanji told Yonhap the local government was preparing to receive a special guest. "It is highly likely that it would be Chairman Kim," the source said.
Kim has not previously visited Yanji, capital of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture which is part of China's economic development plan for its northeastern provinces.
Yonhap said Kim's other likely destinations in Yanbian include the towns of Tumen and Hunchun near the border with the North.
The South's cable news channel YTN reported that work to clean up main streets and control traffic in Tumen began Sunday morning. It said some 10 large sedans have been waiting at a train station in Namyang, a North Korean town bordering Tumen, since early Saturday afternoon.
South Korean media has reported that Kim, 68, is believed to have met President Hu Jintao in Changchun, during an apparent mission to seek China's support for an eventual handover of power to his youngest son Jong-Un.
The leader suffered a stroke in August 2008 and since then has speeded up plans for a power transfer in the hardline communist state.
China is the impoverished North's sole major ally and its economic lifeline. It chairs six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament and has been pressing Pyongyang to return to the forum which it quit in April 2009.
The current visit is Kim's second to China in about three months, even though he rarely travels abroad. He met Hu during his previous visit in May.
The trip went ahead despite last week's visit to Pyongyang by former US President Jimmy Carter to secure the release of a jailed American. It was not known whether Jong-Un, believed to be aged about 27, accompanied his father.
On the first day on Thursday, Kim paid a visit to Jilin's Yuwen Middle School which his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung, attended from 1927 to 1930.
Yonhap said a visit by Kim to the Yanbian region may be related to economic cooperation plans.
Beijing is reportedly seeking permission to extend its lease of the North's northeastern port of Rajin which provides access to the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
China currently has a 10-year lease on Rajin, which also borders Russia, Li Longxi, governor of the Yanbian prefecture, said during China's annual legislative meeting in March.
He said the use of the port would make it easier to ship coal from northeast China to southern China and Japan.
Official media in Beijing and Pyongyang have said nothing about Kim's visit, which may also be aimed at securing much-needed food and construction aid following recent severe floods.
Seoul officials said they would seek information from China as soon as Kim returns home.
"Customarily, China has briefed related countries about the result of Kim's visit (to China) once he returns home, and South Korea is certainly the number one priority in this matter," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
"We expect the same process to take place very soon, possibly this week."
5 kidnapped Afghan campaign workers found dead
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan officials said they found the bodies Sunday of five kidnapped campaign workers for a female parliamentary candidate in the western province of Herat.
The five were snatched Wednesday by armed men who stopped their two-vehicle convoy as it was traveling through remote countryside. Five others traveling in the vehicles had earlier been set free, according to a man who answered the phone at the home of candidate Fawzya Galani and declined to give his name.
Residents of Herat's Adraskan district reported finding the bodies early Sunday and they were later transported to the local morgue, district chief Nasar Ahmad Popul said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, although Taliban insurgents have been waging a campaign of murder and intimidation in hopes of sabotaging the Sept. 18 polls.
Galani may be a particular target of insurgents because she is one of only a few female candidates for the 249 seats in the lower house of parliament.
Also in Herat, parliamentary candidate Abdul Manan was shot and killed Saturday on his way to a mosque by an attacker traveling by motorbike.
A number of other candidates and their assistants have been killed, injured or threatened around the country.
Many Afghans say they don't plan to take part in the voting, either because of safety concerns or cynicism with ineffective government and disgust over widespread corruption.
Electoral officials plan to open 5,897 polling sites for the parliamentary elections, having discarded more than 900 proposed venues because army and police could not guarantee security. Last year, 6,167 voting centers nominally operated during presidential polls.
The five were snatched Wednesday by armed men who stopped their two-vehicle convoy as it was traveling through remote countryside. Five others traveling in the vehicles had earlier been set free, according to a man who answered the phone at the home of candidate Fawzya Galani and declined to give his name.
Residents of Herat's Adraskan district reported finding the bodies early Sunday and they were later transported to the local morgue, district chief Nasar Ahmad Popul said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, although Taliban insurgents have been waging a campaign of murder and intimidation in hopes of sabotaging the Sept. 18 polls.
Galani may be a particular target of insurgents because she is one of only a few female candidates for the 249 seats in the lower house of parliament.
Also in Herat, parliamentary candidate Abdul Manan was shot and killed Saturday on his way to a mosque by an attacker traveling by motorbike.
A number of other candidates and their assistants have been killed, injured or threatened around the country.
Many Afghans say they don't plan to take part in the voting, either because of safety concerns or cynicism with ineffective government and disgust over widespread corruption.
Electoral officials plan to open 5,897 polling sites for the parliamentary elections, having discarded more than 900 proposed venues because army and police could not guarantee security. Last year, 6,167 voting centers nominally operated during presidential polls.
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