NATO members begin two days of talks on Libya Thursday to discuss the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone to stop air attacks by forces supporting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will attend the talks in Brussels. A senior U.S. official says Gates will tell the ministers about U.S. preparations for possible emergency response operations and humanitarian relief in Libya.
European Union ministers are also meeting in Brussels to discuss Libya.
Libyan deputy foreign minister Mohamed Tahir Siala is in Athens Thursday discussing Libya's crisis with his Greek counterpart Dimitris Dollis ahead of the EU meeting. The Greek foreign ministry says the meeting in Athens was approved by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Diplomats from Portugal have held similar talks with Libyan officials.
Western officials have expressed concern that a no-fly zone would have a limited impact on stopping the violence. But NATO diplomats say there is strong support for such a move if the Libyan government escalates attacks on civilians.
Britain and France are drafting a United Nations resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya. Top advisers to U.S. President Barack Obama met Wednesday to assess the situation in Libya and consider remaining options, including the option of working with international partners to impose a no-fly zone.
Gadhafi has warned against the imposition of a no-fly zone. In an interview that aired Wednesday on Turkey's state-run television, he said Libyans would take up arms against Western nations if they imposed such a zone.
In Geneva, the U.N. special investigator on torture said he had received allegations of abuses in Libya that include torture, arbitrary detentions and extra-judicial killings. Juan Mendez said Wednesday that so far, the torture allegations are only linked to Gadhafi's government.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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The Dalai Lama says he is about to give up his political role and turn over those responsibilities to the elected leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The revered spiritual leader made the announcement Thursday in a speech in Dharmsala, India, marking the anniversary of a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
The Nobel Peace laureate will retain his role as spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He said he is acting to benefit the Tibetan people and that he will introduce constitutional amendments when the exile parliament convenes its new session later this month.
In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman dismissed the Dalai Lama's talk of retirement "as tricks to deceive the international community." Spokeswoman Jiang Yu also denounced the parliament-in-exile as an illegal political organization.
The Tibetan exiles will also select a new prime minister from among three candidates, all of them secular. But the outgoing prime minister, Samdhong Rinpoche, said the parliament will be reluctant to see the Dalai Lama step down and that the transition will be "a long and difficult process."
Eric Harwit, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii says the Dalai Lama has been saying for months that he wishes to step aside as a political leader. He said the step will make the exile movement more democratic and add to its legitimacy.
Harwit said the move will also make it easier for the exile movement based in Dharmsala to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama, who has suffered health problems. China insisted this week that the successor must be chosen in Tibet according to longstanding tradition.
Harwit said he expects the Dalai Lama to continue to act as an international spokesman for the Tibetan cause, seeking greater autonomy. China considers him a dangerous separatist who seeks to end Chinese rule in the Himalayan territory.
<p><span class="article11"><i><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","";">Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.</span></i></span></p>
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The State Department went into damage-control modeThursday to repair a sudden rift with its long-time political and military ally, Japan.
The head of the department's Japan desk, Kevin Maher, has been jettisoned for remarks attributed to him during an off-the-record lecture.
Maher was reported to have termed Okinawa's politicians as masters of "manipulation" and "extortion" and said people there are too lazy to grow vegetables. The lecture to students at American University in Washington took place three months ago, but notes on Maher's comments - which he said were not accurate - only became public this week.
Okinawa hosts a large portion of the U.S. military facilities in Japan. Difficult negotiations are underway involving the relocation of a controversial U.S. Marine air base there.
At the start of a meeting Thursday in Tokyo with Japan's foreign minister, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell apologized for what he called the "alleged" comments.
"These [comments] in no way reflect the attitudes of warmth and gratitude and friendship that the United States has for the people of Okinawa. And, we are deeply apologetic for this controversy," said Campbell.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto told reporters that, if the comments were indeed made, they hurt not only Okinawans, but all Japanese.
However, Matsumoto says the United States took prompt and appropriate steps to minimize damage to the relationship, which he terms the core of Japan's diplomacy.
Following the meeting in Tokyo, the United States sent Ambassador John Roos to aplogize to the Okinawan people in person.
Maher, a career foreign service officer who was the consul general on Okinawa for three years, is being replaced by Rust Deming, a retired veteran diplomat who spent most of his career dealing with Japan issues. He held the number-two post in the embassy in Tokyo and was also U.S. ambassador to Tunisia.
The controversy has overshadowed Campbell's scheduled two days of talks with foreign and defense ministry officials in Tokyo.
Campbell says he hopes U.S.-Japan talks involving top officials responsible for diplomacy and security will be held within the next several months.
The assistant secretary arrives in Seoul on Saturday for ongoing consultations with senior South Korean officials. Issues involving North Korea are expected to dominate the agenda.
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Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has pledged to hold a referendum on a new constitution that would assure parliamentary rule.
Saleh's said in a televised address Thursday that the new constitution would guarantee the separation of legislative and executive powers. He added that the country would hold the referendum later this year.
The president's pledge fulfills a key demand of anti-government protesters, who are demanding greater participation in a government largely led by Saleh's closest allies. Activists say they are frustrated by rampant corruption and soaring unemployment, which is at 35 percent or higher.
Demonstrators, outraged by a government raid Tuesday that killed one person and wounded several others, camped out Wednesday around Sana'a University. They pledged to continue their sit-in until they topple the president's 32-year rule.
Protests in the Yemeni capital have remained relatively peaceful since Saleh said security forces would protect the demonstrators. Tuesday's episode was the first time uniformed officers have used live ammunition since the protests began nearly a month ago. Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators have assembled outside the university, and the number of protesters appears to increase each day.
The Sana'a demonstrations have become more diversified as they have grown in size. Students and unemployed young people initially dominated the rallies, but now people from all segments of Yemeni society have joined in. Tribesmen from Yemen's north have come to the capital to add their voices to those calling for Saleh to leave office.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Libyan rebels reinforced a key oil port Thursday following new airstrikes launched by leader Moammar Gadhafi while residents in the capital, Tripoli, reported constant surveillance, searches by armed militiamen and disappearances of those involved in protests.
Several people in the Tripoli neighborhoods of Feshloom and Tajoura say pro-Gadhafi militiamen have launched a wave of raids to snatch people who participated in anti-government demonstrations during the past week after identifying them in photos and video.
Residents in the areas, each a hotbed of resistance, say disappearances have continued all week as the security forces appear to be rounding up suspected protesters in anticipation of Friday prayer services, which has been a time for street protests across the Arab world.
One witness said dozens have been arrested from their homes in dawn raids in Tajoura. A number of residents said they feared the killings and disappearances had scared many away from demonstrating on Friday.
The developments came as rebel forces in the eastern oil-refinery town of Brega consolidated their westernmost positions Thursday, a day after they successfully repulsed an offensive by forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi, who had seized the city's oil refinery Wednesday morning.
Libyan warplanes launched new air strikes Thursday against Brega, which lies on the Gulf of Sirte about 800 kilometers east of the capital, Tripoli. But the son of the country's embattled leader said the bombs were only intended to "frighten" anti-regime forces there. Witnesses said the strikes by Gadhafi loyalists targeted the city's airport, near the oil terminal. Oil officials say Libyan production has been "halved" due to the nationwide unrest.
Meanwhile, rumors flew Thursday of government troops regrouping and being joined by hundreds of mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa. Officials in northern Mali said Mr. Gadhafi is actively recruiting young Tuareg men from Mali and Niger, including former rebels.
The French news agency, AFP, quoted a regional leader, Abdou Salam Ag Assalat, as saying young people "are going en masse [to Libya]." He said regional authorities "are trying to dissuade them" from leaving but that it is not easy as there are "dollars and weapons" waiting for them. Assalat reportedly said an entire network is in place to organize the trip to Libya.
Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, where nearly two-thirds of the population earns less than $1 a day.
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Members of President Barack Obama's national security team met Wednesday as the president considered future steps on the situation in Libya. Mr. Obama is not ready to take specific action, which aides says will require agreement among international partners.
As the United States and other nations prepare to advance a coordinated response on Libya, President Obama continues to receive regular briefings on the situation in the North African country.
The National Security Council "principals" committee that met on Wednesday includes officials from the Departments of State and Defense, the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney made clear that the session was not expected to produce decisions or recommendations requiring presidential action.
"We are not at a decision point. We are considering these options. We are actively considering a no-fly zone; we are very committed to pursuing a process by which the options that we do decide on that we work with our international partners to take them and implement them," he said.
On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is scheduled to attend a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, focusing on preparations for an emergency response and humanitarian relief in Libya.
In discussing what he called "dramatic" steps already taken by the United States and international community, including sanctions against Libya, Carney said there is no timetable for further decisions. But he stressed the importance of coordinated action.
"That is a powerful message to the people of Libya, to the Libyan regime, and to the people around the region [that] this is not about the U.S. It's not about Western powers, European powers; it is about the people of the region and in this case the people of Libya," he said.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has warned against any effort to impose a no-fly zone over his country, saying in a television interview that this would result in Libyans taking up arms against Western nations.
White House Press Secretary Carney differentiated between what he called a process of preparing for potential contingencies, evaluating options and preparing diplomatic language, and a decision by the international community to pursue a specific course of action.
Carney said it is the "strong preference" of the United States to work with the United Nations, NATO and other international partners on options being reviewed. He restated President Obama's position that Moammar Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to rule and must step down.
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With a military stalemate apparent on the front lines in Libya between pro-Gadhafi groups and the opposition, the war of words has taken center stage.
The two sides in Libya's conflict spent much of the day Wednesday exchanging not only bullets but also efforts to win international support and depict their enemies as the real aggressors.
For the opposition, reports that Mr. Gadhafi's air force conducted strikes against the oil fields in the east show just how little he cares about the economy and the well-being of the average Libyan.
In an interview with VOA, opposition leader and Provisional Transition Committee member Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga said the government attacks on the oil infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences. "The attacks on the oil fields and pipelines could lead to an environmental and humanitarian crisis, and will affect the financial capabilities of the Libyan people," he said.
Ghoga is a civil rights lawyer who now is one of the more prominent members of the 11-person national opposition committee. The interview with him took place following his group's second official meeting.
The opposition says the military strikes damaged the Ras Lanuf oil facility and a vital pipeline. Ghoga accused Mr. Gadhafi of trying to provoke and draw in Western forces, something Libyans have vocally and strongly opposed.
For his part, Moammar Gadhafi contends the rebels are acting on behalf of Western powers, and are planning to invite them in to take control of those very same oil resources. Mr. Gadhafi said that if the rebels were to gain control of Libya, it would throw the entire region, including Israel, into chaos.
Both sides Wednesday took the opportunity to court foreign powers to gain international support.
Representatives of the Gadhafi government flew to Cairo, Malta and Brussels for talks. The official who flew to Malta then went on to Portugal for meetings with that country's foreign minister.
An opposition spokesman said his group had talks with Italian authorities in Benghazi before they went back to Egypt carrying a message to the West calling for increased support and a no-fly zone to be imposed against Mr. Gadhafi's air force.
Also Wednesday, France's President Nicholas Sarkozy said he will meet with representatives of the Libyan opposition.
According to Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, the aim for the Provisional Transition Committee now is to be seen as the true voice of the Libyan people. "We seek to be recognized by the international community that we are the sole and legitimate representatives of the Libyan people," he said.
But in Tripoli, Moammar Gadhafi has branded the opposition as terrorists. State television called them agents and spies, and announced a $400,000 bounty on rebel leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
The mood within the opposition is still optimistic. They say Mr. Gadhafi has lost all legitimacy both internationally and within Libya.
But without the long-requested no-fly zone, the opposition says what is now the inevitable outcome of this conflict, the ouster of Mr. Gadhafi, will be a longer time coming and will cost many more lives.
The question for many of the rebels here is what is the West waiting for?
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Foreign nations and military alliances continue debating possible responses to the crisis in Libya.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the situation in Libya and the region will be at the top of the agenda when alliance defense ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will attend the meeting. A senior U.S. official says Gates will tell the ministers about U.S. preparations for possible emergency response operations and humanitarian relief in Libya.
Britain and France are drafting a United Nations resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi warned against the imposition of a no-fly zone. In an interview that aired Wednesday on Turkey's state-run television, he said Libyans would take up arms against Western nations if they imposed such a zone.
Italy says it wants to have a key role in any decisions made by the U.N., European Union or NATO regarding its former colony, Libya. The comment was made on Wednesday in a statement released by President Giorgio Napolitano's office.
In Geneva, the U.N. special investigator on torture said he had received allegations of abuses in Libya that include torture, arbitrary detentions and extra-judicial killings. Juan Mendez said Wednesday that so far, the torture allegations are only linked to Gadhafi's government.
On Tuesday, the EU moved to impose additional sanctions on Libya. Officials say the measures will target financial institutions linked to the Gadhafi government.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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More than 14,000 migrant workers and refugees who fled Libya's conflict are still waiting repatriation at a camp set up near the Tunisia-Libya border. Although the majority of Egyptians have been flown home, other nationalities are waiting for news from their governments and aid agencies.
Nigerian migrant workers who fled violence in Libya protested this week at a refugee camp set up on Tunisia's border with Libya, calling for help from their government to return home.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, there are about 200 Nigerians sheltering at the Choucha camp, 25 kilometers from the Libyan border.
Although the vast majority of Egyptians have now been repatriated, the camp is still housing 14,500 people who fled Libya.
<!--IMAGE--> The International Organization for Migration is heading an operation to evacuate 13,000 Bangladeshi workers to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This repatriation is expected to take between one and three weeks.
In the meantime, refugees from Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries are having a harder time getting home.
Many of them say they were assaulted by Libyan security forces while trying to leave Libya.
Gyan Kwaku left Tripoli on Tuesday for the Tunisian border.
"They took my phone in the road...my TV, CD deck, everything...the policemen took everything in the road," Kwaku said.
Thirty-year-old Patrick Yaw, from Ghana, worked as a plasterer in Libya. He said Libyan security forces threatened him with violence.
"When we got to the border, they attacked us and collected our plasma TV, home theater, mobile phone, handset, they collect everything in your bag," said Yaw. "They ask you to give out your money. If you don't give out, they will kill you. So, you don't want them to kill you, you give the money out. I don't have money at home but at least I have my life, so I can go back home to Ghana."
Other sub-Saharan Africans have reported being attacked by Libyan rebels who mistake them for mercenaries Libya's government is widely believed to have brought in to fight the uprising.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that only 15 to 20 percent of Libya's migrant worker population of 1.5 million has been able to leave Libya. Concern is growing that government forces are preventing the migrants from leaving.
Many people at the Choucha camp said they left friends behind in Libya. Some workers who want to leave are unable to pay the taxi fare to the border, which can be the equivalent of one month's salary for an economic migrant working as a manual laborer in Tripoli.
Others are afraid of the threat of violence at the checkpoints.
UNHCR is also urging countries to offer resettlement opportunities for migrant workers from Somalia, Palestine, Iraq and Eritrea who had refugee status in Libya.
Valerie Amos, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, has visited the border and the camp. She said aid agencies are being prevented from entering western Libya to assess the humanitarian situation.
"My biggest worry is what is happening inside Libya itself," Amos said. "We have not been able to get in over this western border. We need to get in, to see what the situation is like on the ground, to really have a feel for what the humanitarian needs are."
Although the flow of migrants into Tunisia has slowed, UNHCR is registering between 2,000 and 3,500 new arrivals every day.
The Choucha refugee camp, which is managed by the Tunisian army with the support of UNHCR, is rapidly expanding to prepare for a possible wave of new arrivals.
The site now has a hospital, football field and a dedicated family area. On Wednesday, clowns were brought in to entertain the migrants.
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Judges at the International Criminal Court have issued summonses for the six Kenyans suspected of organizing the country's post-election violence over three years ago. More than two months after the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, revealed the so-called "Ocampo Six" under investigation for crimes against humanity in Kenya, the court's pre-trial chamber has issued summonses for the suspects to appear at the court for an initial hearing on April 7.
Ocampo's list of suspects includes prominent politicians Henry Kosgey, William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as radio journalist Joshua Arap Sang, head of civil service Francis Muthaura and former police commissioner Hussein Ali.
More than 1,300 were killed and more than 300,000 were displaced in ethnic violence that engulfed Kenya in the wake of the disputed 2007 presidential election.
The six have been accused by the prosecutor of being indirect co-conspirators in the chaos by financing and organizing the violence. The court decided to bring all six to The Hague, but as ICC officer Fadi El Abdallah explained, the judges of the pre-trial chamber did not agree with Ocampo's assessment of Ali or Sang.
"The judges considered that they have reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Ali and Mr. Sang contributed to the commission the alleged crime, but their participation was not essential for the commission of the crimes and they did not have the authority to stop it from being committed or to order it or to solicit it," said Abdallah.
Both Ali and Sang could still face charges at the Court, but would not be considered among the most responsible perpetrators targeted by the prosecutor.
The court summonses come in the midst of a Kenyan charm offensive aimed at members of the United Nations Security council in a bid to defer the trial. Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is leading a team of government ministers lobbying a one-year deferral so Kenya can try the suspects locally. The Kenyan government argues that judicial reforms envisioned under the new constitution will help make such trials a reality.
In the months since the announcement of the "Ocampo Six", there also has been a very public backlash against the International Criminal Court. After the names were revealed, many Kenyan politicians accused the ICC of an anti-African bias and dismissed it as a colonial institution.
Civil society leaders in Kenya, however, are criticizing the about-face of Kenya's politicians, and many have initiated separate campaigns to support the ICC process. The new chairman of the National Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, Ken Wafula, said the attempt to defer Kenya's case goes against the wishes of the people.
"There is a wrong perception that has been created, that the Kenyan people are calling for a deferral of the ICC cases," said Wafula. "What we want to drive across is that is not true. The majority of the people want the trials at the ICC to continue. They do not want deferral."
Wafula is helping direct a petition against the Kenyan ministers' lobbying efforts. He told VOA that, with the support of several Kenyan NGOs, around 800,000 signatures in support of the ICC process had been collected. The group plans to submit the petition to the U.N. Security Council in around two weeks, when it hopes to have more than one million names.
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When the Gadhafi government lost control of eastern Libya, a vacuum formed in social and other basic services. Among those who have stepped forward to help are the Benghazi Boy Scouts.
The chaos that has engulfed Libya in the last few weeks has sent ripple effects throughout the society. One unexpected group has been called up to fill gaps that no one could have anticipated.
The Boy Scouts of Libya, around 3,500 in the town of Benghazi, are organized, and able. They find themselves called upon to take on tasks that many would expect of the state - or at least more professional, trained volunteers.
But the state is all but gone in rebel-controlled Libya. Its offices just burnt-out shells. For 42 years the Gadhafi government set things up so that it was the only game in town, when it came to social services and running the country. As opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani puts it, that left a troubling gap.
"The regime really did not invest any time or money in building these institutions," he said. "Basically, the regime ran this country like a company and he puts a head in each department and that particular head has one interest - line up his pockets. And when the revolution came, these guys disappeared and we found out that there is no system, just a big vacuum."
Also compounding the problem is that so many of those who should be doing these jobs came from neighboring countries. Libya's population is sparse and outside workers were needed. And they were first to flee when the fighting started.
So, whether it is working in the bloody mayhem of a hospital or directing traffic because no one trusts anyone in a government uniform, in many cases it is now scouts who are sorting out the international medical aid that has flooded in.
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These young boys and men - in uniforms recognizable around the world - are no longer just a youth organization. They are helping to keep order - a job perhaps well beyond their tender years.
The man who heads the Scouts in Benghazi, Abdul Rahman, now finds himself leading an organization which is no longer about keeping kids on the straight and narrow but instead about mobilizing them to help. The moment has filled him with pride over what his young charges can do.
"Because of God and for myself, it adds to my pride being enrolled at the Scout movement and as an international movement we offer a service to my country," he said. "With my experience and as a history of the movement we give activities that have a good response and they praise the scouts and give us self satisfaction."
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Every day the scouts, who range in age from 7 to 18, meet to learn vital skills that can be used to help the people of their city - including first aid and organizational skills. It's no longer just about getting a merit badge.
With the fighting showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon, it appears that what now seems like play time could soon be all too real for these young boys in uniform - the Boy Scouts of Benghazi.
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U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the new ambassador to China.
In remarks at the White House Wednesday, Obama said Locke is the right person to continue America's efforts to boost cooperation with China. He said he can think of no one who is more qualified than Locke.
If approved by the Senate, Locke will be the first Chinese-American to hold the top diplomatic post in China. Locke's grandfather and father were born in China.
Locke said he will perform his duties "as a devoted and passionate advocate for America, the country where I was born and raised."
Locke would replace Jon Huntsman, who is resigning next month and who is seen as a possible Republican challenger to Obama in the next presidential election.
Locke previously served two terms as the governor of the northwestern state of Washington. He visited China several times during his time in state office and is credited with boosting trade between the country and his state.
He also visited China last year on a trade mission to promote American clean energy business. As commerce secretary, Locke has pushed China to drop trade barriers and to do more to protect intellectual property rights.
Chinese media had mostly favorable reactions to news of Locke's appointment. China's former envoy to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong, was quoted in The Beijing News on Wednesday calling Locke knowledgeable and friendly toward China.
But scholar Yuan Peng warned in China's Global Times that Locke may try to use his heritage and "Chinese-looking face" to "swindle" the Chinese people.
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The U.S. space shuttle Discovery and its crew ended a 13-day mission and a journey of more than 8 million kilometers Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the end of a mission and the end of a storied career.
"And nose gear touchdown and the end of a historic journey," said the NASA announcer. "And to the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say, 'Farewell, Discovery.'" Discovery ended its 27-year career with a smooth touchdown under clear skies. Soon after landing, the six astronauts of Discovery's final mission greeted NASA officials on the runway at Kennedy Space Center.
The astronauts in blue flight suits shook hands and shared hugs with officials, including NASA administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, both former astronauts themselves.
Bolden thanked the crew for what he called "an absolutely incredible flight."
"If my numbers are correct, it's the 39th flight on Discovery," said Bolden. "Discovery has a very special place for me and for Bob Cabana over here because we both had an opportunity to fly on it twice, and so this is very bittersweet for all of us."
The commander of Discovery's ultimate mission, Steve Lindsey, said the fleet's longest-serving shuttle was back on the ground in the same condition after its final mission as it was after its first mission. That news was particularly welcome, considering that Discovery's blastoff into space was delayed for several months after engineers discovered cracks in support beams on the shuttle's fuel tank.
Lindsey said not a single system had any problem.
"If you think about a vehicle that's 26 or 27-years-old, been flying for that long, to come back perfect - I have never seen an airplane be able to do that," said Lindsey.
NASA is retiring its shuttle fleet this year and is encouraging the development of commercial human spaceflight vehicles.
As for Discovery, after a high-flying career that included logging 238 million kilometers in space, the shuttle will retire to a museum.
Commander Lindsey reflected on the end of the era.
"As Charlie mentioned, it's a pretty bittersweet moment for all of us," he said. "As the minutes pass, I'm actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight, and I know all the folks involved in the shuttle program feel the same way."
For its last mission, Discovery delivered Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space and now a permanent resident of the International Space Station. It also carried a pressurized module that can host experiments in fluid physics, biotechnology and other areas. During the mission, the space station crew and the shuttle crew worked together to reconfigure the spacelab so that even more research can be conducted there.
Speaking at a news conference after the landing, the space shuttle launch director, Mike Leinbach, said more than 100 percent of the mission's objectives were accomplished. He credited the crews on the ground and in orbit and the shuttle itself.
"We wanted to go out on a high note, and Discovery has done that," said Leinbach. "We couldn't ask for more."
Next up is the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is gearing up for its final mission. Endeavour is targeted to lift off April 19.
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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has praised the leadership of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a meeting between the two men in Moscow.
Biden told Mr. Medvedev that his personal leadership "proved the skeptics wrong" about improving U.S.-Russian ties over the past two years.
Mr. Medvedev said Russia would like U.S. help in joining the World Trade Organization within the next year. Biden said earlier in his visit that the U.S. supports Russia's WTO membership bid.
U.S. officials say Biden is expected to discuss Arab uprisings in the Middle East with the Russian leadership. He is scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. vice president met with Russian business leaders in the country's future technology hub Skolkovo, as part of two days of talks aimed at improving U.S.-Russian relations.
Biden said investors are looking for assurances that the legal system treats them fairly and acts on their concerns swiftly.
Also Wednesday, the U.S. vice president oversaw the signing of an agreement between U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing and Russia's Aeroloft for at least six B-777 airliners from Boeing.
Russia is Biden's second stop on a three-nation tour. He first visited Finland, and will depart Moscow Friday for a brief visit to the Moldovan capital of Chisinau before returning to Washington.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Defense attorneys for former Liberian president Charles Taylor say his war crimes trial is politically motivated and should include Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Taylor's defense has begun its closing arguments in a trial that has lasted more than three years.
Defense attorney Courtenay Griffiths says Taylor is the victim of "selective prosecution" for his alleged role in helping to arm rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone because Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was equally involved.
"This was a court, ostensibly and publicly set up, we are told, to try those who bear the greatest responsibility," said Griffiths. "So why is Colonel Moammar Gadhafi not in the dock?"
Griffiths says that selective prosecution shows that Taylor's trial is politically motivated.
"We submit that it is to the shame of this prosecution that it has besmirched the lofty ideals of international criminal law by turning this case into a 21st century form of neocolonialism," said Griffiths. "And I am not apologizing for saying that."
Taylor 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, or RUF.
Prosecutor Nicholas Kumjian says Taylor bears primary responsibility for those rebels.
"Charles Taylor created the RUF on his territory," Kumjian said. "Charles Taylor armed the RUF. His forces led the RUF into Sierra Leone in March 1991."
While the Libyan leader and the Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore helped support those rebels, Kumjian says their involvement is in no way comparable to Taylor's actions.
"The RUF, the evidence shows overwhelmingly in our view, was a proxy army of Charles Taylor. The RUF didn't fight for Blaise Compaore," he said. "It didn't fight, as far as we know, for Moammar Gadhafi. But the evidence is overwhelming that Charles Taylor used them not just in Sierra Leone. He used his proxy RUF army in Liberia to fight against his enemies there. He used them in Guinea to fight against his enemies and forces in Guinea to invade that country. He sent them to the Ivory Coast."
Griffiths says the prosecution case is based largely on hearsay and circumstantial evidence.
"The prosecution are making assumptions in the absence of proof that, in effect, put bluntly, where no proof is available, let's make it up," added Griffiths.
As evidence of what he calls the political nature of this prosecution, Griffiths cites the U.S. government's receipt of Taylor's indictment two months before it was released.
Prosecutor Kumjian says Griffiths assertion that this was unethical reflects an unfamiliarity with the workings of international criminal justice.
"All international tribunals, including this one, have no police powers," Griffiths said. "The tribunals do not have the ability to arrest individuals. In order to affect an arrest, they need the cooperation of governments."
Taylor's defense is scheduled to conclude its closing arguments Thursday, with prosecution rebuttal on Friday. A judgment from the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone is expected later this year.
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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is calling for international cooperation to address rising food prices in Asia. The FAO says the cost of some staples has reached an all-time high and that measures are needed to protect the poor and prevent prices from getting out of control.
United Nations data show the cost of food in February reached the highest ever recorded.
Wednesday in Bangkok, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said in Asia the retail price of rice, the major staple, rose in Bangladesh by 33 percent from last year and in China and Indonesia by 23 percent.
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Representatives from 20 Asian countries, international organizations, the United States, and Japan gathered in Bangkok Wednesday to address rising food prices.
The two-day conference is the first of a series the FAO is organizing around the world to address food security.
Rising costs
The delegates heard that rice costs are likely to stabilize this year because the region's major producers, Thailand and Vietnam, are having good harvests. But FAO officials warn that rising fuel prices could push costs up further.
Hiroyuki Konuma, the FAO's representative for Asia and the Pacific, says that Asia's poor, who spend up to 70 percent of their incomes on food, are the worst affected by inflation.
"You will recall that combination of food price and economic crisis of 2008, 2009 pushed an additional over 100 million into chronic hunger," he says. "We are experiencing a potential risk of similar setback at moment due to recent high and volatile food prices."
Stockpiling
Food price increases in 2007 and 2008 led some countries in the region to stockpile food and temporarily ban grain exports. The price of rice quickly doubled.
The United States ambassador to the U.N. agencies in Rome, Ertharin Cousin,says that crisis was caused almost entirely by export restrictions and panic buying, which governments must avoid.
"In the short term, countries can reduce the risks from food price spikes by increasing transparency and sharing information on stocks and production, abstaining from export bans and using quotas and taxes sparingly, avoiding panic buying and hoarding, reducing import taxes, and putting in place targeted safety nets for the most vulnerable," Cousin says.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, and South Korea this year are establishing a strategic rice reserve for emergencies.
And the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation says it has doubled its food reserves since last year and plans to open a regional seed bank.
Reaction in Asia
Javed Hussain Mir, a regional director at the Asian Development Bank, says so far only Asian countries have responded aggressively to rising food prices.
"But, as we are increasingly experiencing with these prices, arresting domestic food inflation with lasting solutions requires that, more than ever, that the collective efforts of everyone involved in the local and international food supply chains are brought to bear on the process," he says.
To prevent price spikes in the long-term, the FAO's Konuma says governments and multilateral organizations must increase investment in agriculture and food production, which, he points out, has been neglected.
Konuma says the proportion of development assistance spent on agriculture declined from 20 percent in the 1980s to five percent today, and that national budgets for rural development have followed a similar trend.
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The founding commander of the U.S. military's Africa Command has retired after a nearly 40-year military career, saying the role of militaries in the current North African unrest is evidence of the value of building the kind of relationships the command was established to promote.
It was an emotional ceremony for General William Ward as he completed more than three years at Africom. He told several-hundred people at the change-of-command ceremony that his operation has expanded military cooperation with many African countries, including new joint military exercises.
In recent weeks, Africom has been engaged in its first operational assignment, helping to evacuate foreigners from Libya and delivering humanitarian supplies to refugees in Tunisia. The command has also had a key role in preparing what officials call a "full range of options" in case President Barack Obama orders military intervention in Libya.
But General Ward said the routine work in Africa by U.S. troops - training and humanitarian assistance - has convinced many African skeptics the new command would not be a threat. He said what he called "sustained engagement" has proved its value dramatically in recent weeks.
"There is no greater evidence of that today than what's going on the northern tier of this continent. Where we have had those sustained relationships, we see militaries behaving in a way that contributes to the stability of a society as opposed to not," Ward said. "And where that has not been the case, militaries are contributing to that additional instability."
Ward was apparently referring to Egypt, where a military very close to the United States acted with restraint and facilitated a smooth transition, and Libya, where a military cut off from the United States has fractured, and some units are firing on their own people.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the gathering General Ward and his team demonstrated the creation of Africa Command would not result in more U.S. military action on the continent or cause the militarization of U.S. policy toward Africa. He also referred to the uprisings in the North.
"In North Africa, we see people fighting for political change from a revolution in Libya to Southern Sudan, a new nation coming into being. Throughout the region, nations are struggling to give their fast-growing populations liberty, basic necessities and greater opportunities while fighting the scourges of terrorism, corruption and piracy. Africom must continue its role in promoting this progress, preventing conflict and bolstering basic stability," Gates said.
The new commander of Africa Command, General Carter Ham, said he intends to maintain the approach General Ward established. "The longer I serve, the more I believe relationships with our partners are what really matters and really enables us to achieve our objectives. I believe we are most successful when we help find African solutions to African security challenges. And I know we will face many challenges. Some of those we can see very clearly today, while others will emerge in unexpected ways and in unexpected places," he said.
General Ham has been the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe for the past two-and-a-half years, and has had a variety of command and Pentagon assignments.
Most recently, he co-led the defense department's analysis of the potential impact of allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the U.S. military. That process led to the approval of a law that is expected to lift the ban this year, once the military services have conducted a planned training program.
Africa Command supervises all U.S. military engagement in Africa, except for Egypt, but it has no operational troops assigned to it, as other U.S. regional commands do. It borrows troops from other areas, particularly Europe, when it has training or other missions to perform. It is also responsible for the joint U.S. military task force in Djbouti.
The command has a unique military and civilian structure, designed to enable multi-disciplinary interaction with the continent's 53 countries. The command has about 2,000 people, half of them civilians, and only 100 stationed permanently at cooperation offices in African countries.
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The Philippines government lead negotiator says the core of the problem with Muslim separatists is not religion - it is identity.
Marvic Leonen, head of the peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, (MILF) says his team looks forward to hashing out several aspects of the "comprehensive compact".
"It's not a declaration of independence," noted Leonen. "I want to work on that. It is looking for Filipino citizenship with Bangsamoro identity. I want to work on that. It is not all of the territory that's part of the historical claim by many of their intellectuals. So I want to work on that."
Bangsamoro refers to 13 Muslim ethnic groups, concentrated in the southern Philippines, which is a predominately Roman Catholic nation. Several groups have fought for nearly 40 years for a separate homeland.
As part of efforts to revive peace talks, the MILF has given up claims to some territory in the south.
But during a forum with foreign journalists Wednesday, Leonen said that those land claims do not stem from religious differences.
"It's not Muslim versus Christian. It's the Bangsamoro problem," Lenonen stressed. "The Bangsa there is for nation and the Moro there is an identity that was created as a result of what happened in history, that, of course, they were part of the oppressed by (in) our colonial past."
The peace panel chief says this makes it more of a question of nationality. The Philippines was under Spanish rule for more than 300 years and the Spanish name Moro for Moors referred to Muslims. The country came under U.S. rule in 1898, before becoming independent in 1946.
"The challenge is are we willing to recognize Bangsamoro identity with Filipino citizenship?" he explained.
Leonen says he will seek clarification on how the MILF defines Bangsamoro at the next scheduled talks, on March 29. This will be the 21st such meeting in 40 years.
During talks last month, both sides agreed to retain an international peace monitoring team to uphold a ceasefire as negotiations continue. As part of the ceasefire, the MILF reiterated its commitment to the peace process and its desire "to boost confidence from international and local communities."
The Philippine government does have concerns about the risk of an MILF faction, led by Ameril Umbra Kato, breaking away.
Last month, the MILF confirmed that Kato's group remains part of the force and is subject to the rules of the ceasefire. Leonen says Kato's force remains a serious concern and that police and military are in a state of defensive readiness. However, Leonen says based on information from the military, he does not see the Kato faction as a disruption to the peace process.
More than 120,000 people have died in the fight for self-determination.
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U.S. immigration officials say a 20-year-old woman who received death threats after becoming police chief of a violent Mexican border town is seeking political asylum in the United States.
Authorities said Tuesday that Marisol Valles is in the U.S. and will be allowed to present her case to an immigration judge.
Valles is the former police chief of the town of Praxedis G. Guerrero. She had taken leave March 2 to attend to personal matters and was due to return to work last Monday. The town's mayor fired her when she failed to show up for work without giving notice.
When she accepted the job last year, Valles said she wanted people to live without fear.
Watch related video
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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China plans to spend nearly $200 billion this year to build 10 million low-cost homes and will regulate rents. A senior government official says the project and regulatory changes are part of a wider plan to temper surging housing prices and tackle growing inequality.
Chinese officials made a bold promise to spread prosperity to the country's poor majority and ease the burden of surging housing costs Wednesday.
Deputy Housing Minister Qi Ji says the government's five-year-plan to construct 36 million low-cost homes will kick off this year.
Rents will also be stabilized to rein in the booming property market.
Qi also issued a stern warning to government officials who fail to meet the ambitious targets. He says if home prices cannot be stabilized and the target of low-cost housing cannot be reached, social development and stability will be affected.
Qi says he wants to stop property speculators and offer the supply of public housing to poor Chinese seeking to become property owners. He says chief officials who fail to deliver on the plan will be investigated and summoned for official hearings to - as he says - seek their full responsibility.
Qi spoke at the National People's Congress in Beijing - China's annual parliament session. The main message this year has been social happiness. Part of that includes closing the widening wealth gap.
The majority of Chinese have yet to reap the full benefits of two decades of booming economic growth, especially in rural areas. Real estate prices have soared in the cities in the past few years, leaving millions of people unable to buy homes, or pushed out of older homes to make way for new developments.
A raft of measures - including higher wages and subsidies - have also been unveiled to tackle inequality and transform a nation of poor farmers and factory workers into a consumer society.
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A standoff continues between the two Koreas over the fate of 31 North Koreans, whose fishing boat drifted south last month. South Korea and the United Nations Command say four of the North Koreans want to stay. But North Korea insists all must be returned together.
South Korea's Red Cross on Wednesday again asked North Korea to accept 27 of its nationals who want to return home.
The North refuses to accept the 27, who were aboard a fishing boat that crossed into South Korean waters. Pyongyang says first, Seoul must bring four others who apparently asked to remain in the South to the border for meetings with their relatives from the North.
Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo says Seoul cannot agree to that and Pyongyang should accept the others who desire to return home.
Lee says the South Korean government's stance is that the repatriation of the 27 North Koreans should be handled with respect to their free will and from a humanitarian point of view. She adds that South Korea will continue to work with the North to immediately solve the issue.
Kim Soo-am, a researcher in Seoul at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, says there is no way the four others should be forcibly repatriated because of political repression in the North and the certain persecution they would face if returned.
Kim says even if both Koreas agree to hold Red Cross talks, it will not be easy to solve this problem. That is because, he says, the issue is inter-laced with various aspects of North Korea's own internal political situation and the tug of war between Seoul and Pyongyang.
North Korea, in media dispatches, has warned of serious consequences if all 31 are not returned together. It says South Korea's detention of the group for more than a month is inhumane."
South Korea described the group as a collective fishing for clams, whose wooden boat drifted south of the disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea in early February.
The four who do not want to return to North Korea are described as the 38-year-old boat captain, a 44-year-old unemployed man, a 22-year-old female statistician and a 21-year-old female nurse.
Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled hunger and repression by crossing into China over the past two decades, and about 20,000 have eventually made it to South Korea. However, defections by water directly to the south are rare.
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