A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan's northeastern coast, triggering a 10 meter tsunami that swept away boats, homes and cars along the coastline. At least five people were reported dead but officials warn the toll is expected to rise.
Video footage showed widespread inundation as mud waves carried tons of debris over farmland in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi prefecture. Large-scale damage could be seen in various locations along the coast. In Chiba prefecture, a massive oil refinery fire has broken out.
Addressing the nation, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do anything it can to minimize the effects of the disaster.
The powerful quake struck Friday about 125 kilometers off the eastern coast, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami warning was in effect for Russia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia. The warning has been extended across the Pacific to the U.S. state of Hawaii and includes Central and South American countries on the Pacific.
Authorities in many of the areas bracing for the tsunami have issued evacuation orders for residents in coastal areas.
The massive quake was felt in Tokyo, where it shook buildings and caused several fires. The Tokyo metro system says all train and subway traffic in the city has been stopped. Tokyo's Haneda airport has reopened its four runways to accommodate traffic from other airports, including Narita. Aftershocks have also been reported in Tokyo.
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Libya's opposition had success on the international stage Thursday, but setbacks in fighting against forces loyal to the country's leader, Moammar Gadhafi.
The opposition lost territory in both the east and west of the country, though the rebels here in Benghazi were buoyed by the recognition by France of the opposition administration.
Hundreds of supporters took to the streets in the opposition's stronghold. They carried signs praising and thanking France for recognizing their new interim governing council as the representative of the Libyan people.
For 19-year-old Zarah this puts France in good standing in her heart and her favor. "They are good to us from the start, they stand with us since the beginning… So they good… We like France… We like them more… We like the government France."
For the rebel leadership, it means more than good tidings that France has recognized them. As opposition spokesman Mustaffa Geliani put it, it means some tangible steps forward for what he hopes will be the new government of Libya…
"At least as a legal government of this country we can request to purchase weapons if we have to," said Geliani… "We could address United Nations, formally, as a country, trying to protect ourself, which we couldn't do that before… Once you have recognition and you are member of world community you can ask for things. Before we were doing it, in a sense, illegally, right? It's a revolution. But today we have a voice. So we are quite optimistic… Time is on our side."
Time may not be on the side, however, for the fighters on the front lines. Counter-offensives by government troops are using overwhelming force and regaining territory with a bloody cost.
Even the rebel leadership now acknowledges the western town of Zawiya, near Tripoli, is back in the hands of forces loyal to Gadhafi after holding out for days.
In the east, the oil refinery town of Ras Lanuf is under intense pressure from airstrikes, artillery and naval bombardment. Rebel fighters were seen leaving. Reports from the town and refinery are that they were on the verge of falling into the hands of pro-Gadhafi forces.
If that happens, there are only a handful of small towns to slow down a government push across the desert. Just a bit more than 200 kilometers lie between Ras Lanuf and the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.
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The rebels say, though, that they will make Gadhafi pay for every bit of that ground… They have moved up units that defected from the Libyan army to try to give order to what is primarily a force of enthusiastic but amateur fighters. In addition, they are throwing into the fight the heavier weapons they captured at the beginning of the uprising more than three weeks ago.
So Thursday, the opposition supporters were happy to see a win on the diplomatic front. With government forces headed their way, though, they still are pleading with the international community to stop debating and start acting by imposing the no-fly zone the rebels have been asking for.
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White House officials denied Thursday that they are responding too slowly to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's crackdown on rebels in his country. Obama administration officials say they are moving quickly to address a fluid and dynamic situation.
President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser, Tom Donilon, told reporters that the United States and its allies are steadily increasing pressure on Mr. Gadhafi through military and non-military means.
"We have isolated Gadhafi, denied him resources, ensuring accountability, building and maintaining international support, building capabilities to assist the Libyan people," said Donilon. "It is a fluid situation, and it is not going to be resolved overnight."
Donilon announced that the United States will send disaster relief teams to eastern Libya through non-governmental organizations. He said the aid "can in no way, shape or form be seen as military intervention."
The national security adviser said the United States is considering numerous military options, including imposing a no-fly zone on the Libyan military.
He said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has agreed to send more ships to the Mediterranean Sea near Libya, and that it is considering further action.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that she would meet with Libyan opposition representatives next week on her trip to the Middle East.
U.S. officials have suspended Libya's embassy in Washington, no longer recognizing representatives of the Gadhafi government.
National Security Adviser Donilon said the pressure applied during the past three weeks has isolated Mr. Gadhafi, and has emboldened people throughout the Middle East who are pushing for democracy.
"People, especially young people, and it varies from country to country, have confronted regimes that are not performing for them or that have been repressing them, and the fear dynamic has been lost," he said.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers Thursday that he believes the Libyan government will prevail over time. The chief of the U.S. intelligence community told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Mr. Gadhafi's forces have superior weapons and logistical capabilities.
Clapper's comments led Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to twice call for his resignation.
National Security Adviser Donilon said Clapper's comments were based strictly on Mr. Gadhafi's resources, and that they did not take into consideration the increasing pressure on the Libyan government.
"The loss of legitimacy matters," said Donilon. "The isolation of the regime matters. Denying the regime resources matters, and this can affect the sustainability of their efforts over time. Motivation matters and incentive matters. The people of Libya are determined to affect their future."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney rejected the calls for Clapper's resignation, saying the Obama administration retains full faith and confidence in its intelligence director.
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The NATO alliance has agreed to send ships closer to the Libyan coast to monitor compliance with the U.N. arms embargo against the government of Moammar Gadhafi. But key alliance leaders, including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, say they do not have the authorization or regional support that would be needed for direct military action.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the decision to move the ships closer to Libya to improve what he called "situational awareness," and to help with humanitarian relief efforts. He says the alliance will also develop urgent and detailed plans for relief missions and for what he called "more active measures." He said that includes planning on how to create and enforce a No-Fly Zone over Libya.
But Rasmussen said there is no U.N. authorization for the use of force, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates agreed.
"The key factor here is first of all the limitations of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970, which even when it comes to the embargo does not provide the authority for enforcement," Gates said. "So if there were to be a need for enforcement there would need to be a new U.N. Security Council resolution, even for that purpose."
Both Gates and Rasmussen said NATO will take further military action only if there is a clear need, a new U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force and support from North African and Middle Eastern countries. Gates said the alliance is "very mindful" of concerns in the region about the possibility of Western military activity in Libya.
"I think that a number of ministers made clear that we wanted to put ourselves in a position to assist the Arab League, the African Union or the U.N. in this endeavor, and very sensitive to NATO being responsive to those organizations, rather than taking an initiative on its own," he added.
Gates has said a No-Fly Zone would be a significant and potentially difficult military operation, and he has expressed concern about the regional reaction to any presence in Libya of Western ground troops.
Rasmussen stressed that no decision for additional military action was made during Thursday's meeting, but he said he can not imagine the international community standing "idly by" if Colonel Gadhafi continues attacking his own people. The NATO secretary-general also said if the current divide in Libya continues, it could become a "failed state" and "a breeding ground for extremism and terrorism."
He called the situation a matter of great concern and urged the Libyan government to stop the violence and "allow a peaceful transition to democracy."
Rasmussen said NATO is united, vigilant and ready to act, but for now is taking only limited action, while planning for possible stronger action in the future.
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France became the first Western country to recognize Libya's opposition as the country's legitimate representative. The move comes as the European Union agreed to toughen sanctions against the North African country and its leader, Moammar Gadhafi.
The French presidency announced Thursday it is exchanging ambassadors with Libya's opposition Interim Governing Council in Benghazi following a meeting between President Nicolas Sarkozy and two council members. While the move is significant, the French government described it as a political, rather than a legal, recognition.
Meanwhile, the European Union has agreed to new sanctions against Libya, as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels. Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado spoke to reporters ahead of the talks. "In our view, the Gadhafi regime is over. In Tripoli, we need to begin working on a cease-fire, on a national dialogue and on a political programme of reforms that can preserve the unity of Libya and give to Libya conditions of peace and stability - the sooner the possible," Arnado said.
European leaders are expected to discuss imposing a no-fly zone against Libya during an emergency summit on Friday. Britain and France have been pushing for a no-fly zone, but British Foreign Secretary William Hague described the conditions needed to realize one. "It's very important that a no-fly zone has a demonstrable need that the world can see, and that it has a clear legal base and that it has broad support within the region itself - within North Africa and the Middle East itself," he stated.
NATO defense ministers are also discussing a no-fly zone against Libya during a separate meeting in Brussels.
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After a month of protests across Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has pledged to draft a new constitution, which he says will be voted on by the nation before the end of the year. An opposition spokesperson says the move is too little, too late.
The Yemeni president announced his plan in a nationally televised speech in the capital Sana'a.
He said a committee will be formed to prepare the new constitution, which he said will be based on the separation of powers.
He said a referendum on the new constitution will be held before the end of 2011.
It is the latest in a string of concessions made by Saleh in an attempt to quell protests in his country.
Yemen is a presidential republic and Saleh, who has been in power since a military coup in 1978, wields considerable power.
But the country is suffering: water wells are drying out, oil resources are diminishing, unemployment is soaring and the population is growing – almost half the nation is under the age of 15.
Since a revolt in Egypt toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak last month, people in Yemen have taken to the streets hoping to oust Saleh in the same way.
After the leader's speech on Thursday, an opposition spokesperson said the president's pledge to draw up a constitution was too little, too late.
In London, a spokesman for Human Rights Watch, Tom Porteous, says the move by Saleh, if genuine, is a positive step. But he says the facts on the ground undermine the president's pledges for political reform.
"The problem we have in Yemen is that at the same time as offering political reform, which is a part of what the protesters are asking for, the government continues to crack down very hard on the protesters and we get deaths and injuries, and that's not a productive way to go about reform," Porteous said.
According to information collected by Amnesty International, about 30 people have been killed since protests began.
Human Rights Watch on Thursday reported that two people were killed during demonstrations in northern Yemen this month. Based on interviews with witnesses and medical staff, the group says soldiers fired on demonstrators who were protesting peacefully in the town of Harf Sufyan on March 4.
Clashes have taken place repeatedly in the north in recent years between security forces and a Shi'ite rebel movement. Yemen's Defense Ministry blamed the March 4 incident on the rebels, who it said, attacked a military post.
Porteous says security forces have been cracking down on protesters throughout Yemen.
"We've been documenting violence used by the security forces in Sana'a, where there have been demonstrations; also in the south where there have been protests, which are related in part to the secessionist movement there and organized by the secessionist movement but have become part of the nationwide protests against the president, and now this incident in the north," Porteous added.
Saleh is a longtime ally of the United States. He says he will not step down until 2013 when his term is due to end.
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Activists are using the Internet to urge Saudis to take to the streets on Friday for an anti-government "Day of Rage" rally.
The call comes after a Saudi ban on protests that was announced earlier this month. The government enacted the ban after several small groups of demonstrators gathered to demand change in the conservative kingdom.
Large opposition rallies are very unusual in Saudi Arabia, but several thousand people have joined Internet groups calling for Friday's protest in the capital, Riyadh. Organizers say they will use the rally to call for major political and social change.
In February, Saudi King Abdullah announced a number of reforms, in an apparent effort to appease citizens in the wake of anti-government protests elsewhere in the Middle East.
The incentives included pay raises, increased spending on social programs and interest-free loans.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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Emotions ran high at a congressional hearing Thursday on the extent of radicalization in the U.S. Muslim community. The hearing has reignited a national debate on how best to fight domestic terrorism while respecting Americans' civil liberties and religious diversity in the country.
Peter King, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, defended the hearing and its focus on the radicalization of the American Muslim community.
King, a Republican from New York, said there is nothing discriminatory about his approach, contrary to the objections of its many opponents.
"This committee cannot live in denial, which is what some of us would do when they suggest that this hearing dilute its focus by investigating threats unrelated to al-Qaida," said King. "The Department of Homeland Security and this committee were formed in response to the al-Qaida attacks of September 11th. There is no equivalency of threat between al-Qaida and neo-Nazis, environmental extremists or other isolated madmen." Related video report by Carolyn Presutti
Civil rights and Muslim advocacy groups as well as a coalition of Christian and Jewish leaders have strongly criticized the hearing for focusing on the community of some seven million American Muslims, instead of looking at the broad spectrum of domestic terrorist groups that would include violent anti-government activists and white supremacists.
Democratic Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Congress, was a witness at the hearing and an opponent of its format.
"As leaders, we need to be rigorous about our analysis of violent extremism," said Ellison. "Our responsibility includes doing no harm. I am concerned that the focus of today's hearing may increase suspicion of the Muslim American community, ultimately making us all a little less safe."
Ellison sobbed when he related the story of a young Muslim American who gave his life as a first responder after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Untied States, saying there were hateful and false rumors after his death that he might have been involved in the attacks because he was Muslim.
Two of the witnesses at the hearing had family members who were radicalized by Islamist extremists. Melvin Bledsoe of Tennessee told the story of his son, Carlos Bledsoe, who converted to Islam at age 19 and was radicalized in the United States. The young man traveled to Yemen and was trained in a terrorist training camp. He later shot and killed a U.S. Army private and wounded another outside an army recruiting station. Bledsoe is in jail, facing murder charges. His father said he wants to warn other American parents that radicalization is a gradual process.
"If I can save one other child from going through what my family has gone through or the victim's family went through, then I think my trip here to this committee was worthwhile," said Bledsoe.
The subject of Islamic radicalization and terrorism divided the House committee largely along party lines. Most Democratic members objected to the hearing's focus on one religious group.
Democratic Representative Laura Richardson of California was blunt in her assessment of Republican committee Chairman Peter King.
"It believe the narrow scope of this hearing is discriminatory and it is an abuse of power," said Richardson.
Most Republican members commended King for being steadfast in the face of opposition to the hearing.
Los Angeles Sheriff Leroy Baca, who testified before the committee, appeared at some points to be caught in the middle, with lawmakers from both major parties seeking his agreement with their position.
Baca spoke from a law enforcement perspective, saying it is his job to protect Americans of all faiths and from all walks of life, and that police need public participation from everyone.
"The Muslim community is no less or no more important than others as no one can predict with complete accuracy who and what will pose the next threat against our nation," said Baca.
Baca said his experience has been that American Muslims increasingly are gaining confidence in cooperating with law enforcement officials.
Senior Obama administration officials say that the threat of domestic terrorism is real, but they stress that the answer is to reach out to the Muslim American community and not to stigmatize an entire group because of the actions of a few.
Representative King vows to hold more hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims, saying he is driven by the desire to prevent another al-Qaida attack on the United States.
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Representatives of Ivory Coast's incumbent leader, Laurent Gbagbo, have rejected an African Union proposal to resolve his country's leadership dispute. A second day of negotiations is underway in Addis Ababa as a panel of five African presidents tries to mediate the dispute. The panel appears divided over how to settle a feud that threatens to push the world's top cocoa exporter back toward civil war.
Members of the AU high-level panel on Ivory Coast brushed aside reporters' questions as they arrived for day two of difficult talks. When cornered, the usually vocal AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping pleaded that only the presidents on the panel could speak.
"They will tell you. No, they will tell you for sure because you have presidents there and they like to speak and they will speak. Me, I am not allowed to speak too much," said Ping.
The African Union acted forcefully last December, suspending Ivory Coast's membership when it became clear that Gbagbo was refusing to step down after losing a runoff election to challenger Alassane Ouattara.
Since then, however, the continental organization has wavered in its support for the internationally accepted election result.
The high-level panel meeting in Addis Ababa is said to be split between those insisting Ouattara is the legally-elected president, and others - including South African President Jacob Zuma - who reportedly favors a power-sharing deal similar to those negotiated in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Gbagbo rejected the efforts of an early AU mediator, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, refusing to see him after he made it clear results of the election would have to be recognized. Odinga later was fired after he told reporters Gbagbo was trying to overturn the people's will.
Cote d'Ivoire symbolizes the great tragedy that seems to have befallen Africa, whereby some incumbents are not willing to give up power if they lose. This refusal is particularly egregious in Cote d'Ivoire's case, since never has there been such internal, regional and international unanimity among independent institutions about the outcome of a disputed election in Africa.
Odinga was widely regarded as the winner of Kenya's disputed 2007 election, but became prime minister after a power-sharing deal was struck with President Mwai Kibaki.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, also kept power through an agreement negotiated by South Africa after an apparent electoral defeat. Mugabe arrived in Addis Ababa Thursday for a specially-called heads of state level meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council on Ivory Coast and Libya. That meeting begins after the mediation panel completes its debate.
Before he was fired in January, Kenya's Odinga called power sharing negotiations damaging to democracy.
"Africa will never have a stable political base unless we internalize the democratic culture of ceding power after losing in a competitive electoral process," said Odinga. "If one's vote does not count in determining who will lead a nation, which is the most elemental dimension of democracy, elections will become meaningless, democracy will lose its luster, and the future will be riddled with widespread unrest and instability."
Prospects for a positive outcome of the latest mediation effort dimmed when Gbagbo decided not to attend. He sent a delegation instead, led by former prime minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan, who heads Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front. N'Guessan Thursday described as 'unacceptable' an AU proposal calling for an orderly transfer of power to Ouattara.
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The government of Madagascar's de facto president Andry Rajoelina has resigned, in line with a regional mediation proposal to lead the country out of a two-year political crisis. On Thursday, several opposition parties signed an agreement recognizing Mr. Rajoelina as president until elections are held. But two key parties did not sign the document, while the party of ousted president Marc Ravalomanana may sign next week after submitting a counter-proposal calling for Mr. Rajoelina to have less power.
Mediators said Thursday that interim president Andry Rajoelina can start to form a new transitional government, in consultation with political groups that approved a proposal aimed at lifting the country out of a two-year political impasse.
The proposal from a South African Development Community (SADC) international mediation team was initialed by eight political parties Wednesday. However, it lacks the crucial support of Madagascar's three main political parties.
The proposal essentially allows President Rajoelina to remain in power until free and fair elections are held and to appoint a new prime minister proposed by the signing parties.
Mozambique politician Leonardo Simao, leading the SADC mediation team, said that while the proposal has been sent to the SADC and the African Union for review, Mr. Rajoelina could start consulting with parties on the next prime minister and then choosing members of an enlarged and more inclusive parliament and electoral commission.
Simao confirmed that parties loyal to former presidents Albert Zafy and Didier Ratsiraka "had decided to go their own way" and said those loyal to Marc Ravalomanana, who Mr. Rajoelina ousted in a March 2009 military coup, would initial the document "in the coming days," having shown some support at the signing ceremony.
"What they told us is they want to participate, that's why there were there and they even signed the supporting document. They need time to consult their leader, to present their report, and then to go to Maputo to initial the document," Simao said.
After meeting with SADC Thursday, Mr. Ravalomanana's representative Mamy Rakotarivelo said the party planned to sign the document "in under a week"" However, they want to consult with their exiled leader.
Rakotarivelo says they fundamentally oppose the recognition of Mr. Rajoelina as president of the transition and his power to pick a prime minister and lawmakers until the parliamentary and presidential elections.
He says that above all they do not accept the inordinate amount of power that would be given to a president (Mr. Rajoelina) who has been nominated and not elected.
He suggested that Mr. Ravalomanana's party should pick the prime minister to assure a minimum power balance to the transition, and party members would fly to South Africa to meet the exiled Ravalomanana on Friday.
Under the mediation proposal, Mr. Ravalomanana is only allowed to return to Madagascar when the authorities deem it safe and politically stable enough.
But Simao said that while SADC and AU would review and try to accommodate the parties' wishes in their final decision, the original contents of the "roadmap out of the crisis" document would not change. He estimated elections could be held in 11 months and he said the U.N. is working on electoral reform in the country.
Simao said that if the country rushed into elections, it could be the start of a whole new crisis.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether a new prime minister and transitional government will represent Madagascar's opposition parties, and if they don't have their agreement, whether this is the end of the political crisis or a start of a new one.
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Defense attorneys for former Liberian president Charles Taylor say testimony from prosecution witnesses is tainted by cash payments from a special fund provided by the United States. Mr. Taylor's war crimes trial is drawing to a close after more than three years.
Defense attorney Terry Munyard says money "lavished" on prosecution witnesses has polluted "the pure waters of justice." He told the court that those payments went far beyond the simple reimbursement of expenses and were used in such a way "as to taint the testimony of some of the prosecution witnesses."
Mr. Taylor's lead attorney, Courtenay Griffiths, says what he calls this sometimes extravagant spending is further evidence of a politically-motivated prosecution.
"No similar fund was ever provided or requested by the defense," said Griffiths. "And despite repeated requests by a number of bodies, the prosecution have never come clean as to how these moneys were acquired and indeed how they were spent."
Griffiths says the prosecution fund to pay witnesses was provided by the United States government as part of what he calls a campaign to ensure that Mr. Taylor is imprisoned.
Prosecutors were not permitted to respond to those allegations Thursday as the defense concluded its closing argument. Prosecutors present their rebuttal Friday.
Mr. Taylor has pled not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged support of Sierra Leonean rebels from the Revolutionary United Front.
Speaking to the court at the start of closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutor Nicholas Kumjian says Mr. Taylor is responsible for those rebels and the atrocities they committed.
"The defense is still denying that the RUFF was on a campaign of terror despite all the evidence of hands being chopped off, heads being put on sticks, one child whose hands and feet were chopped off and thrown in the sewer, women being raped and gang raped, women having to hear their children killed and having to carry the heads of the children in bags," said Kumjian.
The defense says there were clearly many human-rights violations during Sierra Leone's civil war, but Mr. Taylor is not responsible. During the trial, defense attorneys argued that neither Mr. Taylor nor rebel leader Foday Sankoh would have engaged in a campaign of terror because they were both trained in Libya under Moammar Gadhafi.
Kumjian says the importance of that defense argument is best illustrated by their submission of a 27-page speech by Colonel Gadhafi.
"Even though the prosecution was willing to stipulate that it come into evidence, it was so important to the defense that they chose to read it word-for-word into the record," added Kumjian. "Well, perhaps there is one thing we can agree on with the defense. We agree that Charles Taylor is as likely to use terror against civilians as Moammar Gadhafi. That we believe is established."
In concluding his defense, Griffiths returns to what he calls the selective prosecution of these proceedings as Mr. Taylor is the first African leader to be tried in person.
"His trial has been trumpeted by the prosecution as demonstrating an end to impunity," said Griffiths. "We agree. Indeed, his trial is of importance to Africa and this evolving concept of international justice to which we are, as a defense, unswervingly committed. Yet we note that currently everyone being tried or awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court are from guess where? Africa. We are disturbed by this."
A judgment from the U.N. backed Special Court for Sierra Leone is expected later this year.
Defense attorneys for former Liberian president Charles Taylor say testimony from prosecution witnesses is tainted by cash payments from a special fund provided by the United States.VOA West Africa Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Taylor's war crimes trial is drawing to a close after more than three years.
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The president of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, says the conflict in Libya has descended into civil war.
He says he is alarmed by the intensification of the fighting and mounting casualties. He says there are reports as many as 2,000 people have been wounded.
While these figures are unconfirmed, he says local doctors have seen a sharp increase in the number of casualties arriving at hospitals in Ajdabiya and Misrata.
These opposition strongholds have come under attack by government forces in recent days. The ICRC president says civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Listen to VOA's Kate Woodsome's interview with ICRC spokesman Christian Cardon:
He says he believes many people in western Libya are more severely affected by the fighting than those in the east. But, he adds, the ICRC has no access to the areas controlled by the Libyan government. So, it cannot assess the humanitarian needs.
"I have been told that everything is under control, that all the hospitals are working perfectly and there is no need for any external humanitarian assistance," said Kellenberger. "That is what we are being told. And, we are worried. We would like to assess this ourselves, this situation."
Kellenberger says he is also very worried about persons deprived of their liberty. He says the ICRC is working to gain access to all people being detained by Libyan authorities and by the armed opposition which controls eastern Libya.
"We have now succeeded in having access to persons deprived of their liberty or detained people in the east," he said. "The authorities in the east have given us access so we could start with that. But, we have no possibility for the time being to do assistance nor protection work in the area controlled by Tripoli."
Kellenberger says ICRC workers have visited between 60 and 80 detainees.
As the conflict heats up, the ICRC president says it is becoming increasingly urgent for all parties to respect the rules of war and distinguish at all times between civilians and fighters. He says only military targets can be attacked.
The ICRC has 26 expatriate staff, mostly medical personnel in rebel-controlled Benghazi. Kellenberger says it is unacceptable that 24 days after the fighting started, western Libya remains effectively cut off from humanitarian aid.
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The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific warns economic recovery remains fragile because of uncertainties of rising food and oil prices. U.N. Regional Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer said governments need to pay attention to the needs of low-income groups, as rising costs push more people into poverty.
Heyzer is warning that rising inflation across Asia already has led to more than 40 million people falling into poverty this year.
Across Asia and the Pacific, more than 600 million people live below the poverty line of less than $1.25 a day.
Higher prices for food and oil, as well as other "external shocks" - such as volatile capital flows from the uncertainties in the Middle East - are undermining economic confidence in Asia Pacific.
"The recovery is fragile and it is uneven, and what we need to do is to make sure that we develop a strategy on how to sustain the recovery and to ensure that recovery is more inclusive," said Heyzer.
Heyzer's warnings come amid reports by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank of rising global food prices, with global cereal stocks expected to fall sharply in the current year. She said the region needs to prepare for the impact of new economic shocks.
"External shocks, multiple shocks from food, fuel and finance," said Heyzer. "Even when you look at what is happening in the Middle East - because of the uprising - many of the migrant workers are being sent back and most of them to joblessness, and families dependent on remittance income would fall into poverty."
The International Office of Migration said that since February 20, more than 210,000 migrants have fled the unrest in Libya, most of them natives of Bangladesh.
Heyzer said that along with inflation, capital asset "bubbles" have appeared because of the "money flight" from the Middle East. In markets such as China and Thailand, governments have moved to curb lending and raise interest rates, in a bid to dampen price inflation in areas such as the property market.
She said governments need to ensure recovery is as broad as possible, calling on governments to "rebalance" development strategies with projects designed to reduce poverty.
Heyzer said governments need to give more attention to the needs of lower-income groups and lift investment in social development projects, such as the health sector.
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Europe's worries over government spending and debts heightened on Thursday, with Spain's credit standing downgraded as the continent's leaders get set for a summit to deal with the crisis.
Moody's Investors Service cut Spain's credit rating one notch to Aa2 and warned of possible further downgrades. The ratings service said it believes Spain will have to spend more than double the $28 billion the government estimates it will cost to restructure the finances of Spanish savings banks.
European leaders are planning to meet Friday in Brussels to help shape a new plan to deal with the government debts of some of the continent's countries, particularly those on the geographic periphery in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Greece and Ireland reluctantly accepted bailouts last year to deal with their debt issues, and some European officials say they fear the Portugal could be next. The Lisbon government has staunchly rejected that view.
EU leaders could adopt some measures in an attempt to impose uniform spending practices in the 17 nations that use the euro currency. But there have been wide objections to an austerity plan proposed by Germany and France, the continent's two strongest economies. Countries with burgeoning government debts say they are worried about a loss of autonomy and prestige if a continent-wide plan emerges.
In Berlin this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged Europe to strike a balance between financial reforms and support for debt-burdened countries. Both Greece and Ireland are seeking to ease the interest rates and terms of the loans they agreed to last year, but so far their European counterparts have shown little support for doing so.
In his first day in office, new Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny lobbied other European officials for a cut in the 5.8 percent bailout interest rate that it considers to be punitive. He is planning to press his case on the issue at the Brussels summit.
Moody's downgraded Greece's credit rating three notches this week. On Thursday, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou called on other European countries to take urgent steps to regulate the credit rating companies.
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