A Libyan opposition commander says a deadly airstrike on rebel tank positions may be a case of friendly fire.
Rebel military commander Abdelfateh Yunis said four people died and 14 were wounded in Thursday's strike near the eastern town of Brega. Earlier, Libyan medical officials put the death toll at five.
Some opposition leaders blamed the strike on NATO, accusing the alliance of hitting the wrong targets. Others placed responsibility on pro-Gadhafi forces.
Yunis said if NATO was responsible, the strike was a mistake. But he also said it would be an even bigger mistake if the raid was carried out by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, because that would signal NATO's failure to enforce the no-fly zone.
NATO is investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Western media report a chaotic scene at a hospital in Ajdabiyah where several wounded were taken.
Opponents of Mr. Gadhafi have been asking for NATO planes to protect them in their fight to oust the long-time leader.
Also Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed a "roadmap" to end the Libyan war. Mr. Erdogan said the plan would include a cease-fire and the withdrawal of pro-Gadhafi forces from some cities.
Rebels have been battling forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi to retake control of the oil town of Brega, which has gone from rebel to government control and back again several times during the conflict.
Rebel leaders have recently criticized NATO for failing to protect civilians and for not striking pro-Gadhafi military forces quickly or forcefully enough.
The U.S. general who led the initial phase of the international Libya mission said fighting between rebels and pro-Gadhafi forces is turning into a stalemate.
Army General Carter Ham said a stalemate is "not the preferred solution," but is more likely now than when the international airstrike campaign began.
Officials say an international contact group including the United States, European and Middle East allies will meet in Qatar next week to discuss the military intervention in Libya. The French news agency reports that France also is trying to persuade the African Union to send representatives to the meeting on April 13.
The United Nations is working on tightening sanctions against Libya, including adding members of Mr. Gadhafi's family and ministers close to him on a travel ban list.
Human rights groups Thursday also raised new concern about the plight of journalists trying to cover the conflict in Libya.
Reporters Without Borders issued a statement expressing concern for four journalists -- two Americans, a South African and a Spaniard -- who disappeared earlier this week.
The U.S.-based international news website GlobalPost also issued a statement, saying it had been informed by another group, Human Rights Watch, that one of its contributors was taken by pro-Gadhafi forces.
GlobalPost said it appealed to the Libyan government to release American James Foley. It said Foley was traveling with three other journalists when they were detained on the outskirts of Brega.
The other American has been identified as Clare Morgana Gillis, who had been reporting for The Atlantic, a U.S. news magazine.
The news organizations said Foley and Gillis were traveling with Spanish photographer Manu Brabo and South African photographer Anton Hammerl. They said witnesses gave the information to the New York Times, which notified Human Rights Watch.
GlobalPost and The Atlantic said they are working with the U.S. State Department and other organizations to secure the journalists' release. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Officials say a powerful aftershock that rattled Japan late Thursday night killed at least two people and injured around 100.
The 7.1-magnitude quake knocked out several power plants and triggered a tsunami alert that was later lifted.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company says there is no sign the earthquake caused new problems at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. Workers at the station took shelter immediately after the aftershock, which hit just after 11:30 p.m.
An official from Japan's Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency says emergency nitrogen and water injections into the dangerously overheated nuclear reactors at Fukushima continued remotely while the workers evacuated.
Workers at the plant have been struggling for three weeks to bring the radiation-leaking nuclear power plant under control after its cooling systems were knocked out on March 11.
Power lines to three other nuclear plants were affected by the earthquake, but officials say at least one emergency source of power remained operational at all those plants.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday's aftershock registered a magnitude of 7.1 with an epicenter 40 kilometers under the seabed. Earlier estimates had described the tremor as 7.4 magnitude. A VOA reporter in the capital said the tremor had been "strongly felt" in Tokyo.
There were widespread power outages across the northeast. An official with Japan's meteorological agency warned there may be additional "intense" aftershocks, and said there was a high risk of houses collapsing and mudslides.
Japan is still reeling from a massive 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami that devastated large areas of the northeast on March 11.
Japanese officials earlier Thursday had said that efforts to pump nitrogen into the containment vessel of the Fukushima damaged nuclear reactor appeared to be succeeding, easing fears that a hydrogen build-up in the vessel could cause a dangerous explosion. They said the operation could last for several days and may be repeated at the number two and number three reactors.
Technicians with the Tokyo Electric Power Company also are pumping the last of 11,500 tons of contaminated water into the ocean in order to make room in a storage area for water from the basements of the damaged reactors that is 200,000 times more radioactive.
The nuclear accident, caused when the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the plant's six reactors, is considered the second worst in history.
Public anxiety over the nuclear situation has been high in several countries, with reports of panic purchases of iodine tablets in the western United States and of salt in China and South Korea. In South Korea Thursday, some schools were closed because of fears that a passing rainfall may be radioactive.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
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Israeli air and ground attacks continued into early Friday. It was a response to the firing by Palestinian militants in Gaza of an anti-tank missile that hit a school bus in southern Israel that had just dropped off most the children it was carrying.
Israeli officials say a second missile failed to hit Israel and landed in Gaza.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak called for a quick army response, and had a warning for Hamas. He says Israel holds Hamas responsible for any attack that comes from Gaza and expects Hamas to understand what is permitted and what is forbidden.
Hours later, Hamas leaders said they conferred with militant groups that have been firing missiles and had agreed to a ceasefire.
Gaza journalist Mohammed Dawas, reporting for VOA, says the Israeli assault continued into Friday morning.
"People are really quiet and people are fearful of what's going to happen. Nobody knows what's going to be the next Israeli step," he said. "People, the civilians, don't know really what's going to happen in the next hour, so people are trying to be home, safe. Now, I look from my window, nobody on the streets, no cars, nothing whatsoever."
Hours after Hamas announced a ceasefire, Israeli forces continued their assault, using helicopters, drones, and tank fire. Israeli army spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibowitz says the aim is to prevent further attacks from Gaza.
"The targets include tunnels and also different warehouses, storage for weapons of all sorts," he said. "We are not looking for any escalation. However, we will not tolerate any attempts of the terror organizations trying to target innocent Israeli civilians."
Israeli aircraft hit tunnels in the south of the Gaza Strip where Israel says hundreds of missiles and other weapons are being smuggled in through Egypt. Israeli officials believe the source of the weapons is Iran, which supports Hamas.
Israel says its new missile defense system, known as Iron Dome, on Thursday successfully intercepted a Grad rocket that militants in Gaza fired toward the southern Israeli port city of Ashkelon.
The last few weeks have seen an escalation of violence along the Israel-Gaza border, and the heaviest fighting since Israel's 17-day assault on the enclave more than two years ago.
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Libyan opposition forces fighting the government of Moammar Gadhafi say their forces were attacked by war planes Thursday near the oil town of Brega, 800 kilometers east of Tripoli. Some rebels have blamed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. But an opposition spokesperson says the attack may have been by pro-Gadhafi forces.
A spokesperson for the opposition's National Transitional Council, Imam Bugaighis, said the air strike near the Libyan oil-town of Brega is believed to have been by pro-Gadhafi forces and not by NATO war planes as was reported from the field.
"There is no evidence the strike was by NATO. The jet fighters were at low level and they bombed our Free Libyan forces," Bugaighis said. When asked who was behind the attack he said: "Gadhafi's regime, Colonel Gadhafi's regime""
But the military commander, Abdelfateh Yunis, later said planes struck rebel tanks killing four troops and wounding 14. He said it appeared to be another NATO error and demanded answers. But earlier, medical officials reported five troops have been killed in the attacks.
He says if the attack was by NATO then it was a mistake. But if the attack was by the Gadhafi forces then it was an even bigger mistake since the no-fly zone is meant to protect his troops from the Gadhafi air force.
The no-fly zone was set up by the United Nations primarily to protect civilians in the conflict.
An unidentified NATO official said it would investigate the latest charge.
NATO planes earlier this week struck rebel forces in the same area, killing 13 rebels, in what was acknowledged as an unfortunate accident.
NATO earlier denied responsibility for a Tuesday attack on oil fields near Sarir and Meslah, 600 kilometers south of Benghazi. The alliance blamed the attack on pro-Gadhafi forces.
That attack came as the first shipment of oil by the opposition left from near the eastern port of Tobruk. The oil mostly came from Sarir and Meslah.
Pro-Gadhafi forces have also continued their assault on the town of Ajdabiyah, 140 kilometers west of Benghazi, causing many residents to leave their homes.
Doctors at the local hospital said they had evacuated seriously wounded people to Benghazi but said their hospital continued to operate.
The rebels first seized control of Ajdabiyah in an offensive that took them to the outskirts of the Gadhafi stronghold of Sirte, 500 kilometers west of Tripoli.
But they have since been driven back and the fighting has centered around Brega.
Meanwhile, medical officials with the opposition warned that Libya's third largest city, Misrata, 200 kilometers east of Tripoli, remains under siege by pro-Gadhafi forces.
More than 200 people have reportedly been killed in Misrata. A Turkish ship ferried 270 wounded this week to Turkey for treatment. And France said it would begin humanitarian aid shipments to Misrata by sea.
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Suicide bombers and gunmen have stormed a police compound in southern Afghanistan, killing six members of the Afghan security forces.
Afghan officials say at least three insurgents attacked the complex in Kandahar province Thursday, waging a gun battle with security forces for several hours before being killed.
Witnesses say American Black Hawk Helicopters circled overhead and NATO armored vehicles responded to the assault, which killed members of the Afghan intelligence service, army and police. At least 12 people were wounded.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which took place near the main highway that connects Kandahar city with the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Also Thursday, NATO said coalition and Afghan troops killed an Afghan border policeman who shot and killed two American soldiers earlier this week in Maymana, the capital of northern Faryab province.
NATO says the joint operation in Faryab also led to the arrest of two insurgents.
A border policeman shot the two U.S. soldiers Monday, while U.S. military advisers were holding talks with an Afghan military commander.
In eastern Afghanistan, NATO said Thursday a joint force concluded operations in the Marawara district of Kunar province, after clearing out insurgents from several areas.
The coalition says NATO and Afghan troops moved into the area near the Pakistani border to disrupt insurgents and protect the local population. More than 80 militants were killed.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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A powerful 7.1 magnitude aftershock has rocked a large portion of eastern Japan, less than four weeks after an even stronger quake left thousands of people dead and caused a nuclear power disaster, but, this quake seems to have done limited damage.
The earthquake struck at 11:32 on Thursday evening and was centered under the Pacific Ocean off Japan's eastern coast in the same general area as last month's earthquake.
A warning of tsunami waves up to one meter in height was quickly issued, but withdrawn just over an hour later. The quake does not appear to have generated any high waves.
Video of 7.1 aftershock in Japan
Last month's magnitude 9.0 quake and the tsunami it generated killed more than 12,000 people and left more than 14,000 missing. More than 100,000 people are still living in evacuation shelters.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other senior government ministers rushed to an emergency cabinet meeting after Thursday's quake.
A major concern was further damage to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and other nuclear power stations in the area.
Speaking two hours after the earthquake, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said there had been no rise in radiation at monitoring posts near the three nuclear plants closest to the epicenter.
Fukuyama says two of three external power connections to Onagawa nuclear plant are down, but the plant is fine with the remaining connection. Onagawa's reactors were not operating when the quake occured.
The earthquake last month crippled the Fukushima plant, leading to leaks of radioactive steam and water. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company continues to struggle to prevent a meltdown of the nuclear fuel in the reactors. After Thursday's quake, TEPCO officials said there were no signs of new damage to the Fukushima plant.
NHK television reported a few light injuries stemming from the quake. The government says damage to the power grid had blacked out large parts of northern Japan.
The quake was felt far down the coast, and Tokyo, 300 kilometers from the epicenter, experienced strong shaking that lasted for at least a minute.
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U.S. President Barack Obama says he and top lawmakers from both political parties have made progress on negotiations to end a budget deadlock, but he says difficult issues remain just one day before government funding is due to run out.
Mr. Obama told reporters Thursday night he is not ready to express "wild optimism" that there will be a solution before the government is forced to shut down. He did not specify which issues are still not resolved. His remarks followed a meeting between between the president, Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
It was their fourth meeting in three days and part of around-the-clock negotiations aimed at creating a spending plan through the end of the government's fiscal year in September. If Congress fails to pass a budget by midnight Friday, most of the government will have to shut down.
Mr. Obama reiterated comments that a shutdown would hurt the country's economic recovery, and said it would be "unacceptable" for that to happen because, in his words, "Washington couldn't get itself together."
Republicans and Democrats disagree about how much and where to cut spending. They also are stuck on several policy issues backed by Tea Party supporters in the Republican Party, such as barring government payments to abortion providers and restricting administration efforts to regulation greenhouse gases.
Ahead of Thursday night's meeting, Democrat Reid said he was "not optimistic" there would be an agreement. Another Democrat, Senator Chuck Schumer, said earlier in the day that negotiators had reached a consensus on spending cuts, but the abortion and environment issues that, he said, "have nothing to do with the deficit" are the real problem.
Republican Boehner said there is disagreement on many issues, and that no deal had been reached yet on the size of the budget cuts.
Reid accused Tea Party supporters of trying to enact an "extreme agenda" in pushing for limits on abortion rights in the U.S., and a curb on enforcement of environmental laws. He said Democrats would willingly debate these issues in separate legislation, but that they do not belong in the budget plan.
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a Republican proposal for a one-week spending extension to keep the government running beyond Friday. Senate Majority Leader Reid said he opposes that bill, calling it a "non-starter." The White House says President Obama will veto it, if it makes it to his desk.
The White House said Mr. Obama would support a clean, short-term funding measure to allow for enactment of a final bill covering the remaining six months of the fiscal year.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country's new missile defense system has successfully shot down two rockets fired into Israel from Gaza.
The interception involving Israel's "Iron Dome" system took place Thursday, a day of heavy rocket and mortar fire from Hamas-ruled Gaza into southern Israel. Israeli defense officials say the interceptor missiles hit rockets that appeared to be aimed at the southern city of Ashkelon. They say the rockets were launched by suspected Gaza militants.
Mr. Netanyahu said Thursday Israel will take all necessary action, offensive and defensive, to protect its citizens.
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The interception took place after militants fired a rocket that hit a school bus in southern Israel, wounding two people.
Palestinians say after the bus strike, Israeli shelling into Gaza killed at least four people and wounded more than 30.
Israel's army says at least 45 rockets and mortars were fired Thursday into southern Israel from Gaza, including one projectile that hit a house.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner condemned strikes into southern Israel, calling attacks on innocent civilians "abhorrent."
In March, the Israeli government announced it had decided to deploy the "Iron Dome" system in response to an increase in mortar and rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. The system is believed capable of shooting down rockets fired from a range of five to 70 kilometers.
Meanwhile, the World Bank says the Palestinian Authority is well positioned to establish an independent state, but that Israeli restrictions are stifling prospects for sustained economic growth. In a report published Thursday, the bank praised Palestinians' progress in delivering public services and institution-building.
The World Bank also expressed concern about the staggering 37.4-percent unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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Rebels in Libya continue to battle forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi for control of the country. Many in the rebel hub of Benghazi have mixed emotions about the conflict.
Scott Bobb reports from the scene:
The people of Benghazi feel that they have obtained their freedom after about more than 40 years of oppression. Everyone I speak to from the highest public official down to the guy on the street say that they will never give this up and they would rather die.
Mixed with that, is apprehension about how it's going. The fighting has entered a sort of stalemate, ranging over a 50-100 kilometer stretch, 200 kilometers west of Benghazi. These mostly oil towns are pretty heavily damaged.
In the third largest city, Misrata, which is close to Tripoli, about 200 kilometers east, that has been under siege for a month with no water or electricity and severe problems with people wounded and dead.
So, it's a combination of jubilation from here, apprehension about the future, and worry about family and loved ones who are in some of the zones of conflict.
There is though, some criticism. The people here wish the United States and other Western nations would do more. They feel that NATO has not been very robust in enforcing the no-fly zone and eliminating the heavy weapons and artillery of the Gadhafi forces. So, there's a frustration there.
When I speak to people, they are always tell me, 'Tell your government to come and help us. This is a great opportunity to bring freedom, not just to Libya, but to the region."
Despite the military uncertainty, rebels in Benghazi are moving forward with plans for political change.
"They have set up a council that acts as something like a legislative body with 31 members: thirteen of whom have been appointed, but the others have not been appointed or announced because they are to come from the other regions of Libya, the western part that is still controlled by the government forces.
Underneath this is what they call the semi-legislative, policy-making oversight unit - what they are calling a crisis team which is assuming executive functions, such as trying to get policemen back on the streets, having the garbage picked up, administering the government. They have also appointed a head of the petroleum industry and the central bank just a few days ago. The idea is to try to get some revenue flowing from the petroleum industry, and they just exported their first 100,000 barrels of oil two days ago, and also to have a central bank to control the money and the liquidity. Many of the banks are not opening because they have no cash to distribute, and so this is a looming problem too.
So, we're not really in a transition yet, but the beginnings and the attempts to start some sort of authority and some sort of administration are under way."
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Fragile stability appears to be returning to Bahrain following anti-government protests that recently brought the Persian Gulf kingdom to a standstill. However, analysts say economic uncertainty is likely to linger on.
The streets of the capital Manama's business district are bustling once again, less than a month after opposition activists set up barricades in the area and Gulf military forces were brought in to help restore order.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa announced that life in the country was getting back to normal.
But while many Bahraini residents seem to be carrying on with their day-to-day activities, the general consensus among financial experts is that the nation's economy will have a much more difficult time shrugging off the effects of civil unrest.
The international rating agency Capital Intelligence lowered Bahrain's credit ratings on Wednesday, describing the outlook as "negative".
The nation is also widely expected to see slower growth than was previously predicted.
A British expatriate who works in the capital and wished to remain anonymous, said the economic effects of the unrest are clearly visible.
"There have been a lot of repercussions. I know a lot of people that have lost jobs. I know people that have had pay cuts unfortunately. The economy really suffered from this in such a short period of time and it's amazing because it's such a small country that the ripple effect of something like this can hit very, very quickly. But, Bahrain is a very strong country and I think it will get back together again," he said.
Bahrain's government is also remaining optimistic.
Jamal Fakhro, the vice chairman of the nation's parliament, the Shura Council, believes the financial impacts of the crisis will be short-term.
"I would say the coming few months will tell us really how quickly we'll be able to recover, but definitely, I don't see big issues," said Fakhro.
Bahrain has one of the most diversified economies in the Gulf region, with financial services contributing to about 20 percent of GDP, eclipsing the contribution of the oil sector.
Since Bahrain's recent troubles began, it has been reported that a number of banks have been discussing the possibility of permanently relocating their operations to nearby Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, but Farkho has played down the speculation.
"Nobody has spoken about shifting their headquarters," he said. "What we have heard, and this is normal, is that certain banks and financial institutions have moved few of their people out of Bahrain. And banks have started to bring back their people and institutions started to have business as normal. But there is absolutely no single financial institution that has announced that they want to withdraw their operations from Bahrain."
While existing companies may be staying put, many experts, like Jane Kinninmont from London-based Chatham House, say drawing new business to Bahrain is bound become much more difficult.
"Unfortunately, the recent events will have damaged Bahrain's ability to attract new investment and attract new talent to work in the financial services sector given that it does face stiff competition from Dubai, which hasn't faced anything like the unrest," said Kinninmont.
Anti-government demonstrations began in Bahrain in mid-February, with protesters, mostly the nation's majority Shi'ite Muslims, demanding more equalities and a more representative government from their Sunni rulers.
Human rights activists say an ensuing crackdown by authorities has left at least 27 people dead, on both sides, with nightly raids in Shi'ite neighborhoods still being reported.
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Bahrain has thanked its Gulf allies for sending in troops to help quell the protests and restore order. But despite a lull in opposition activity, Kinninmont says it is premature for the government to declare the country's crisis over.
"They would be keen to say that the country is going back to normal and that that's what the GCC troops are helping them to do, but unfortunately it's really a case where a lot of discontent is being suppressed, but not being resolved. I think there is a need to restart the process of dialogue with a view to meaningful, political reforms, which are going to require some painful compromises from both sides. I don't think the current security crackdown is a long-term solution in any way," said Kinninmont.
Last month, Gulf States agreed to provide Bahrain with $10 billion over the next ten years to help with the financial implications of the unrest.
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Showers on the Korean peninsula prompted some schools to close Thursday. Many parents were worried about exposing children to "radioactive rain." They were not reassured by South Korean authorities, who said there is no risk to children, even if some radioactive particles might be detected in rain water.
Fears about radiation in rain prompted classes to be canceled at some schools in South Korea.
In Gyeonggi province, 125 kindergartens and elementary schools gave students the day off.
A spokesman for the provincial education office, Cho Byung-lae, says all institutions there were asked to curtail outdoor activities, but it was left up to school principals to decide whether to cancel instruction.
Cho says they did not decide to close schools because of radiation, calling that a rather remote risk. But, he explains because there was such strong concern expressed by many parents, school authorities decided to relieve their anxiety.
In Seoul, educators refused to cancel classes and appealed for calm. However, some parents in the capital say they did not send their children to school because of the risk of radiation in the rain.
Other schools in the country dismissed class early or halted outdoor activities, including sporting events.
The South Korean prime minister's office and other government agencies said, even if the rainfall has traces of radiation, the amount would be too small to raise any health concerns.
Worry grew after South Korea's Institute of Nuclear Safety reported a small level of radioactive iodine and cesium was detected in rain off Jeju Cheju island, in the southern part of the country.
President Lee Myung-bak asked meanwhile for increased screening of imported food to check radiation levels. During a visit to the country's Food and Drug Administration, he said people here are bound to be worried because South Korea is so close to Japan. The crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is 1,000 kilometers east of the Korean peninsula.
South Korea, along with China, has expressed frustration that Japan did not give neighboring countries timely information before its release of radioactive water from the stricken nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Japan's top government spokesman has apologized for the failure.
The plant, on Japan's northeastern coast, was hit by the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami. The nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Thursday began pumping nitrogen into one of the most severely damaged reactors, hoping to prevent another explosion of hydrogen gas.
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Miral, a new film by acclaimed director Julian Schnabel, is based on a book by Palestinian author Rula Jebreal. It chronicles the lives of four Palestinian women - from 1948 when the state of Israel was created to the 1990s. Through the four women, and especially Miral, the youngest, the film tells the story of the ongoing Israeli - Palestinian conflict. Director Julian Schnabel, a Jewish American, looks at that conflict through Palestinian eyes and that has sparked controversy among Jews in America.
"We have children from every corner of Palestine," said Hind al-Husseini. "And every day there's more. My goal is to educate these kids. And give them hope."
Hind al-Husseini is an upper class Palestinian. In 1948, she establishes a school in Jerusalem to shelter Palestinian girls whose parents have been killed in the conflict raging across the land. Hind is one of the four women showcased in this story.
"Miral! How nice to see you," she said. "Don't worry about her. She'll be fine."
Miral is the most prominent of the four. She grows up in the school in the eighties and early nineties during the first Palestinian uprising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hind: "You might have heard that there is an uprising, what has been called the Intifada."
Miral: "It means stand up straight."
Miral joins the revolt and is arrested by Israeli police.
Police to Miral's father: "Miral Shahin. Does she live here?" Her father: "She is my daughter. There must be some mistake." Police: "Call her please." Father: "She is asleep. It's very late." Police: "Stay down. Stay down." Father: "I don't understand." Miral: "I am Miral Shahin."
Miral is taken away and tortured.
The story is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Rula Jebreal, who also wrote the screenplay. She says Miral is an accurate account of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians since 1948.
"It's not that it happened and it's over," said Rula Jebreal. "It's still happening till today. Miral is not me anymore because I left and I built a life. But it's the many girls that are still there. They are still going through the same violence, the same oppression, the same racism and if I had a moment of hope, it was the peace agreement [in 1993.] That hope was killed, broken."
Israel's government has not commented on the movie but it opposed the decision to hold the premiere at the United Nations General Assembly.
So did the American Jewish Committee, a major pro-Israel group.
Kenneth Bandler, Communications Director at the AJC, told VOA that the film is one-sided but that's not the major objection.
"It's one - sided which Julian Schnabel himself acknowledges it is a one-sided film," said Kenneth Bandler. "But again our objection was to its being screened at the General Assembly at the United Nations. We are not in the business of censoring films, and we've not spoken about it being shown in American theaters."
Julian Schnabel, the artist and award winning movie director who made the film, said the criticism is not his concern.
Sitting in a director's chair at the Voice of America, in his signature pajamas, he explained why.
"I understood at the beginning of this process that it would engender this kind of reaction because there's never been a movie made in the United States by certainly an American Jewish director about a Palestinian girl and her point of view," said Julian Schnabel.
"Obviously there's a dialogue that needs to take place between the Jewish community in the United States and also in Israel because we need to solve this problem."
Schnabel says although the film has sparked controversy among Jewish Americans, Palestinians and Israelis share a common fear.
"And that is, none of them are sure their kids are gonna come home from school at the end of the day, whether there is a terrorist that is going to blow some people up or whether it's a straight bullet that's gonna hit a kid from a scared soldier in the occupied territories," he said.
The characters that inhabit the story point to a diverse and complex Palestinian society. There are pacifists, militants, upright people and corrupt ones.
"We'll accept 22 percent of the land," said a Palestinian. "It's more than what we have now. We can't go on waiting forever."
The movie ends with the 1993 Oslo Accords that created a path to a Palestinian state.
In the film, Hind al Husseini, the founder of the school, tells Miral that she never thought she would see a Palestinian state. She didn't.
Schnabel says the ongoing conflict makes his film all the more relevant.
"We need to understand 'the other.' And that's the reason I made the movie about 'the other' from 'the other's' point of view," said Schnabel.
Peering through his glasses, he talks about how people in Egypt and Tunisia stood up peacefully for change. He hopes his film sparks a dialogue that helps bring peaceful co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis.
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Nigeria's president is urging voters to participate in parliamentary polls this Saturday, after elections were twice postponed.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says his government is committed to holding credible polls this month and called for Nigerians to cast their votes in Saturday's election, the first of three this month.
In a nationwide address, Jonathan said he shared voters' frustration and disappointment after polls were delayed twice in less than two days.
"My appeal to you this morning is to sustain that patriotic zeal that you visibly displayed last Saturday," he said. "I call on you all to come out again, en masse, on Saturday and all subsequent election days to cast your vote."
The Independent National Electoral Commission blamed the postponement on problems with ballot distribution, but the decision caused many voters to cast doubt on the polls' credibility. Earlier this week, Jonathan defended the head of the electoral commission whom he had appointed to the post last year to clean up the electoral system.
Nigeria's last elections in 2007 were widely criticized for fraud and violence, including voter intimidation. In his speech, Jonathan promised to provide "optimal security" for the elections and encouraged Nigerians to shun violence.
"Nigeria is bigger than any one of us," he said. "No one's political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian."
A program officer with the National Endowment for Democracy, Oge Onubogu, has been working with civil society groups in Nigeria. She says it appears everything is in order for Saturday's election.
"It seems as if INEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, is ready for Saturday because they went through the proper process of making sure that they sat down and had talks with all stakeholders before they came up with this new date."
Jonathan, the former vice president, took office following the May 2010 death of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, who won the 2007 election.
The president is running for a full term in polls scheduled for April 16, and state polls are to be held April 26.
Approximately 70 million Nigerians are eligible to vote at 120,000 polling stations across the country.
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Democratic President Barack Obama, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner have so far failed to reach an agreement on legislation to fund the federal government and to avert a partial government showdown after current funding expires Friday. The president has summoned the two congressional leaders to return to the White House Thursday evening in an effort to get them to agree to a last-minute compromise.
With still no agreement in sight on domestic government spending for the rest of the 2011 fiscal year, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has passed another stopgap measure to keep the federal govenment running for one more week. It would require $12 billion in domestic spending cuts and fund U.S. military operations for the rest of the fiscal year. The vote was 247 in favor and 181 against, but it is unlikely to be passed in the Senate.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner emerged from a meeting with Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and President Obama to say there is still no deal on a longer-term measure.
"I did ask the president to sign the stopgap measure that we passed to fund our troops and to keep our government open, and I did express to the president my disappointment that he suggested he would veto that bill," said Boehner.
Both the president and Democratic leaders in the Senate have rejected the House bill outright.
Senate Democrats say that Republican and Democratic lawmakers have essentially agreed on how much spending to cut and where the money should come from for the federal budget. But they say Republicans are holding up legislation that would avert a partial government shutdown because of ideological issues.
Reid said the reason there is still no agreement is because Republicans insist on not funding several programs that Democrats favor, such as Planned Parenthood - a national reproductive health care provider that offers abortion counseling.
"They have made a decision to shut down the government because they want to make it harder, for example, for a woman to get a cancer screening? Do they really want to shut down the government because the Tea Party [a conservative and libertarian wing of the Republican Party] does not want scientists to make sure the air we breathe is clean and pure," asked Reid.
Reid's fellow Democrat, Senator Dick Durbin agreed and called on Boehner to reign in the fiscally-conservative Tea Party members of his caucus who are calling for the policy directives on issues such as Planned Parenthood and the regulation of greenhouse gases.
"it is time for Speaker Boehner to acknowledge that we have an agreement - we are going to reduce the deficit for the remainder of this year," said Durbin. "And he has to tell his Tea Party 'roughriders' to put their horses in the barn. Save this argument for another day."
Republican House Speaker John Boehner defended the policy directives that his party is attaching to the budget resolution, saying that budget bills often come with directives that specify how the federal government can spend its money.
So for now, the budget drama continues to dominate news in Washington, with Friday looming as the deadline for a partial government shutdown that would affect services for millions of Americans and leave some 800,000 federal employees furloughed until funding is approved.
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Authorities in Brazil say a gunman has opened fire at an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 11 students before taking his own life.
Officials say the incident happened Thursday at the Tasso da Silveira Municipal School and that 10 girls and a boy were killed. At least 13 other people were injured. The shooter was identified as Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, a 23-year-old former student. Authorities say he used two guns to carry out the attack and that prior to the shooting, he told authorities at the school he had arrived to give a speech.
The school was holding an event involving former students to celebrate its anniversary.
Police who arrived at the school exchanged fire with the gunman before he shot himself.
The motive for the shooting was not known, but authorities say the man left a note at the school.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff lamented the deaths of what she called "defenseless children" and asked for a minute of silence to honor the youngsters.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Chinese authorities are investigating detained activist-artist Ai Weiwei for economic crimes. The government's admission comes as diplomats and activists step up their criticism of the Chinese government's widespread and growing crackdown on dissent.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said artist-activist Ai Weiwei is being investigated, under law.
Hong says Ai is being held on suspicion of economic crimes, but offered no further explanation.
Liu Xiaoyuan is a lawyer close to Ai's family. He says, despite the official public statements about the artist, the family has received no official information.
Liu says family members went to the Beijing Public Security bureau with a written request for a legal notification as to Ai Weiwei's status. They wanted to know why he was taken away, whether he was forcibly detained and what crimes he has committed.
Liu says they got no answer because they could not find the correct person in charge.
Ai has been completely out of contact with his family since being detained Sunday.
He is an internationally famous artist, who is best known for helping design the highlight of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Bird's Nest stadium.
That same year, Ai also began speaking out for the thousands of child victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, who he says died because of shoddy school construction.
His case has been taken up by the international community, including U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who said American envoys will continue to champion human rights as what he describes as a "bedrock" of the American world view.
"[U.S. envoys] will continue to speak up in defense of social activists like Liu Xiaobo, Chen Guangcheng and now Ai Weiwei, who challenge the Chinese government to serve the public in all cases and at all times," said Huntsman.
He made his comments Wednesday, during a speech in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, other Chinese activists are also speaking out against the latest crackdown on dissent, which began after online calls on the Internet urged people to hold protests similar to the Jasmine Revolutions demonstrations that brought down governments in the Middle East.
Zhao Lianhai, who spent time in jail last year for protesting a massive tainted milk scandal, released an emotional video on YouTube.
Zhao says that Chinese authorities have rounded up many people lately. He says that, although some of these people may have had sharp criticism of the government, they have good intentions. He adds that, if the government locks up everyone who has good intentions, then ordinary people will have nowhere to look for hope.
Zhao says the recent crackdown has left him "agonized." He says he was dismayed to hear that authorities were even able to get Ai Weiwei, whom he referred to familiarly as "Old Ai."
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Facing international pressures over his country's disputed nuclear program, Iran's envoy to the United Nations says that Israel's nuclear ambitions are endangering Middle East stability.
Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reports that Mohammad Khaza'ie told the U.N. Disarmament Commission in New York Wednesday that Israel's non-membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was adding uncertainty in the region.
He also said Iran had been advocating for a nuclear-free region since 1974, five years before the country's Islamic revolution.
Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons.
Iran is under United Nations sanctions because of its uranium-enrichment activities. Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.
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It is a busy time of year here in the U.S. capital, a time when visitors from around the world come to Washington to see the sights, visit the city's many national museums and attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival. But something ominous is hanging over Washington and the tourist trade.
Springtime in Washington. The flowers are blooming, leaves are coming out on trees and tourists are returning to museums around the National Mall.
But with a budget agreement stalled on Capitol Hill and a government shutdown looming, the nation's monuments and museums may have to close their doors after Friday. Tourists are scrambling to see the sights.
Leslee Samuelson and her son Keith from Atlanta, Georgia changed their schedule to make sure they get to see the popular National Air and Space Museum.
"We are going to get it done today and tomorrow, because hopefully everything will stay open tomorrow," said Samuelson. "And if it does shut down it won't shut down until tomorrow night."
Vendors and tour guides around the mall also are worried. Private tour guide Ken Rogoff brought a group of children from Buffalo, New York. He says the coming weeks traditionally are some of the busiest for the tourist industry each year.
"Well that is very bad," said Rogoff. "We will have to do things that are not government institution. But they came here to see the nation's capital because it is their parents' taxes that are paying for this. I mean it is so wonderful to have the Smithsonian Institution and have it free. You know if you go to Italy or France or Spain to the major museums they are very expensive."
Street musician Jentry McCombs has been playing for tourists on the mall for 30 years. He says the tips are usually good, but he worries about what will happen if there is a government shutdown.
"I will have to have some more private shows, a lot more private shows because right now in the summer most of my income comes from the tourists," said McCombs. "When the United States government shuts down, where is there to go. Oh, I go to the food bank."
If there is a government shutdown, many tourists say they will visit some of the private museums around Washington, and seek out other sights.
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Members of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission are meeting Thursday in Indonesia to again address a dispute over land surrounding a Hindu temple built 900 years ago.
Indonesia, in its role as head of the Association of South East Asia Nations, negotiated a cease-fire after clashes in February that killed killed 10 people and displaced thousands. But now the Thai military is rejecting a key element of the agreement calling for Indonesian observers to be placed along the border.
Missing in the peace talks between Thailand and Cambodia, in Indonesia, is the Thai military. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, says that is because of a disagreement between the foreign ministry and military leaders in Thailand about how to deal with the border dispute.
"I think there is a clash between the two state agencies about the control over foreign policy," Chachavalpongpun said. "And I think the military has disapproved of the foreign ministry policy towards Cambodia, which I think the military claim that it is a little bit too soft."
He says the dissension has prevented any further implementation of the cease-fire deal negotiated by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in his role as head of ASEAN in February.
The two armies clashed over a disputed area next to a Hindu Khmer temple, a historical landmark that both countries consider part of their heritage. The cease-fire called for Indonesian observers to act as monitors in the disputed region. But the Thai military has resisted allowing foreign military observers into the area, saying the matter should be resolved on a bilateral basis without third party intervention.
Chachavalpongpun says, if an agreement can be reached to send in Indonesian observers, there are still a number of logistical and support issues to be worked out. But he does not see any progress happening without the participation of the Thai military.
"I don't know how this can be compromised, sending in observers with the military continuing to reject the role of Indonesia," he said. "Because, at the end of the day, the officers say we have to work hand in hand, not with the foreign ministry, but with the army and especially those soldiers in the area. I still cannot foresee how that will happen."
Still, he says Indonesia's efforts to facilitate and maintain a cease-fire have kept pressure on both sides to keep the peace.
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Amnesty International is urging Serbia to halt forced evictions of Roma people and guarantee them the right to adequate housing.
The London-based rights group released a report Thursday saying Serbian authorities are driving a growing number of Roma, also known as Gypsies, from their settlements in the capital, Belgrade, and forcing them to live in inadequate housing.
Amnesty International says forced evictions since April 2009 have left some Roma living in metal containers in settlements segregated from the rest of the population.
The issue is part of what the rights group describes as the "widespread and systematic discrimination" that Roma suffer in Serbia.
The report comes on the eve of the International Day of the Roma on April 8, which is aimed at raising awareness of the issues faced by the ethnic group.
The European Union says Europe's 10 to 12 million Roma continue to encounter discrimination, exclusion and the denial of their rights.
On Tuesday, the EU called on its 27 member states to submit national strategies by the end of the year for better integrating Roma and improving their living conditions.
The EU says its member countries have a joint responsibility to end Roma exclusion from schools, jobs, heath care and housing.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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As the Indian government comes under pressure from a massive nationwide movement against corruption, it conceded to some demands of a veteran social activist who is on a hunger strike to demand a tough new anti-corruption law. But his campaign against graft continues as protestors say they will not settle for half-way measures by the government.
On the third day of a hunger strike by 72-year-old activist Anna Hazare, the government sounded a conciliatory note as his anti-corruption crusade snowballed into a nationwide movement.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal said that the government will agree to fifty per cent representation by citizens on a joint committee which will be established to draw up new anti-corruption legislation. This was one of the major demands put forth by Hazare.
"Our attempt is all of us are together. We want to deal with corruption, we want to get rid of corruption, we want civil society to participate in this effort, we have no problems with that, and we want Anna Hazare to give up his fast," said Sibal.
Despite the partial victory, the civil activist did not heed the government's call to end his campaign, as his supporters pressed the government to name him to head the committee which will draft the new bill. The government has not agreed to this demand.
The government has already drafted an anti-corruption law or Lokpal Bill. But Anna Hazare and his supporters say the proposed legislation is "toothless" and would be ineffective in tackling graft. They want the legislation redrafted to allow wider powers for prosecution and make it free from political influence.
Arvind Kejriwal, a civil activist who is involved in negotiations with the government, says corruption has reached unprecedented levels. He says if it has to be rooted out, an individual with credibility such as Hazare is needed to lead the fight.
Talks with the government will continue on Friday.
The popular anti-graft movement is putting pressure on the government as it reflects the growing anger against a political and administrative system where corruption is seen to be pervasive. The spotlight on graft follows a spate of corruption scandals. The biggest involved the selling of telecom licenses at below-market rates, allegedly causing a loss of $35 billion to the government.
On Thursday, hundreds of citizens, including school children, housewives and professionals continued to gather at the Central Delhi venue where Hazare is holding his protest fast. He is drinking water during the fast. Similar gatherings to express solidarity with the anti-corruption campaign were witnessed in other cities.
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Three leading Kenyans have appeared before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where they face charges of crimes against humanity for the post-election violence following the country's 2007 disputed presidential vote. They make up one-half of the so-called "Ocampo Six", named after the court's prosecutor who is bringing the charges.
The three suspects came to The Hague voluntarily and will leave as free men. They are MPs William Ruto and Henry Kosgey and broadcaster Joshua Sang, key party figures in Kenya's current coalition government.
They are all charged with crimes against humanity including murder, forcible transfer and persecution for the post-election violence at the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. More than 1,000 people were killed and some 500,000 were driven from their homes at that time.
The violence broke out after supporters of President Mwai Kibaki were accused of trying to rig the presidential election.
It ended when Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga agreed to share power, with Odinga becoming prime minister.
Thursday hearing was strictly to make sure the suspects understand their rights and the charges against them. While they all said they did, former higher education minister Ruto told judges that he has not been successful trying to get details of the allegations from prosecutors.
"To me these allegations sound like they can only be made in a movie," he said.
But judges cut him off, saying there will be time later to address those issues. They set September 1, some five months away, as the day when prosecutors will present the charges against the men and judges will then consider whether there is a case to answer to.
In the meantime, the Kenyan government has petitioned the court to drop the charges, saying it can investigate and prosecute the cases back home. Judges still have to rule on that request. In the meantime, three more prominent Kenyans, including Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, will appear before judges Friday to answer to similar charges.
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