A U.S. official says Pakistan will soon allow American investigators to question the three wives of Osama bin Laden who were with the al-Qaida leader when he was killed in Pakistan last week.
The women have been in Pakistani custody since the May 2 raid by U.S. commandos. U.S. officials say the interviews, as well as evidence taken from bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad, could provide important details about al-Qaida.
The White House and Pakistani officials have not publicly commented on any agreement.
U.S. officials also said Monday the Central Intelligence Agency does not intend to remove its undercover station chief in Islamabad, after Pakistani media reported last week what they said was the operative's name.
Officials have said the name was inaccurate, but they believe it was intentionally leaked following questions about how bin Laden lived in Pakistan for years without the knowledge of the country's military or intelligence service.
The officials say the chief played a key role in overseeing the efforts that led to the raid on bin Laden's compound. The previous CIA chief left Pakistan in December after being identified by Pakistani media.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said it was "disingenuous" for anyone to insinuate that Pakistani authorities, including the country's spy agency, were aligned with al-Qaida. In a speech to parliament, Gilani voiced support for the spy agency and the country's military, and said bin Laden's death was proper justice.
The Pakistani leader ordered an investigation into how bin Laden was able to live in Pakistan undetected, and he named a top army general to lead the probe.
Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday criticized the government's handling of the bin Laden case, saying "public dismay and despondency" has been aggravated by an "insufficient formal response." He called on Prime Minister Gilani to convene a joint session of parliament on security issues, which was later announced for Friday.
U.S officials said the military was prepared for a confrontation with Pakistani troops, and brought two extra helicopters into the country during the raid last week. There was no confrontation, but one of the backup helicopters did fly to bin Laden's compound after a helicopter initially involved in the raid was disabled following a hard landing.
U.S.-Pakistani relations were already strained following a series of drone attacks against militants in Pakistan's northwest and the detention of a CIA contractor who shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore in January.
Nearly 100 Japanese residents have been allowed to return to their homes near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to collect bankbooks, medicines and other personal belongings.
It was the first time anyone has been officially permitted back into the 20-kilometer evacuation zone since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami destroyed cooling systems at the plant, causing radiation leaks. A few residents sneaked back before the government imposed legal restraints in late April.
The residents who returned Tuesday were provided with protective clothing, radiation-measuring dosimeters and walkie talkies (two-way radios), and were screened for radiation exposure after the two-hour visits. Additional visits are planned for residents of nine communities inside the zone before the end of May.
Radiation leaking from the nuclear plant has made the surrounding area uninhabitable and has contaminated farm crops and fish stocks in much wider areas of northeastern Japan.
The plant's operators, Tokyo Electric Power Company, approached the government Tuesday for assistance in making what are expected to be massive compensation payments to businesses and individuals who suffered financial losses because of the nuclear accident.
Officials said they are prepared to take additional restructuring steps, including salary cuts and asset sales. The company has already cut salaries by 50 percent for board members, 25 percent for managers and 20 percent for ordinary staff.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
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At least five loud blasts from apparent NATO airstrikes were heard in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, early Tuesday.
The unusually heavy bombardment followed separate NATO air attacks Monday against government weapons depots near the western town of Zintan.
In the besieged port city of Misrata, rebel fighters said they have pushed back government troops from positions ringing the town. A ship chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in Misrata Monday, bringing 8,000 jars of baby food as well as urgently needed surgical instruments and medical dressings.
Earlier, the United Nations said a ship carrying 600 refugees from Libya sank off the country's coast Friday, with an unknown death toll.
Salah Kurdi, a legal adviser with the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, told VOA the boat was heading to Italy from the Libyan capital when it hit rocks and capsized. He said the Italian coast guard rescued many passengers, but that he had no details about casualties.
Kurdi also disclosed an earlier incident in which a smaller boat fleeing Libya ran into trouble soon after leaving Tripoli. The vessel floated helplessly on the open sea for 16 days and by the time it drifted ashore - back in Libya - most of the 72 people on board were dead or dying of hunger and thirst.
Those who survived the ill-fated voyage - all African nationals who had migrated to or were working in Libya - said NATO military units saw their plight but failed to provide any help. NATO denied the refugees' claim, but the British newspaper The Guardian investigated and reported that NATO units apparently ignored the Africans' pleas.
The Guardian reported that the ship carried 47 Ethiopians, seven Nigerians, seven Eritreans, six Ghanaians and five Sudanese. All but 11 were dead when the ship landed back in Libya last month, and two of those who survived the ordeal at sea died later in hospitals.
Passengers on the ship told reporters they drifted close to an aircraft carrier and were certain they had been spotted, but no help ever arrived. A military helicopter flew low over the refugees' ship on another occasion, but again no assistance was given.
U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos said more than 746,000 people have fled Libya since the fighting began in February, and about 5,000 remain stranded at border points in Egypt, Tunisia and Niger.
Amos told the U.N. Security Council Monday that the way international sanctions are implemented in Libya is delaying the delivery of supplies to the country's embattled population. She said one problem is Libya's centralized distribution system.
The U.N. humanitarian coordinator also asked all parties in the fighting to agree to a temporary pause in hostilities to enable the delivery of food, water, medical supplies and other aid to needy populations.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The White House says the United States expects a full and complete investigation by Pakistan into what the United States calls a presumed support network that allowed Osama bin Laden to live in Pakistan. The White House also reacted to remarks by Pakistan's prime minister.
Much of Monday's White House news briefing focused on the investigation Pakistan says is underway after the U.S. special operations raid that killed bin Laden, and remarks by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the state of U.S.-Pakistan relations.
In an address to Pakistan's parliament, Mr. Gilani rejected allegations that Pakistan's intelligence service or military were aware of Osama Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad or that they assisted him.
Mr. Gilani said Pakistan's relations with the United States remain strong, but he warned against a similar operation in the future, saying that Pakistan reserves the right to "retaliate with full force."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said consultations continue "at many levels" about access to Osama bin Laden's wives, and to material Pakistan might have collected after the U.S. commando team left bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad.
Carney had this response when asked whether President Barack Obama trusts the Pakistani leader's pledge to carry out a thorough investigation. "Well, we believe that they will investigate it and we hope that it will be a full and complete investigation. But we are also obviously investigating ourselves, and this is all part of a cooperative relationship that we need to have and we have had despite our differences in the past and we think we will continue to have going into the future," he said.
Carney said it is "simply beyond a doubt" in President Obama's mind that he had "the right and the imperative" to order the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.
In an interview with CBS television's "60 Minutes" program that aired on Sunday, President Obama said the United States believes there had to have been some sort of support network for bin Laden inside Pakistan.
Mr. Obama said Pakistan has told the United States that it has a "profound interest" in finding out what kind of support networks the al-Qaida leader had.
On Prime Minister Gilani's statements to Pakistan's parliament, Jay Carney said the United States understands Pakistan's concerns but makes no apology for the operation that killed bin Laden. "We obviously take the statements and concerns of the Pakistani government seriously. But we also do not apologize for the action that we took, that this president took," he said.
Carney made no comment when asked whether the United States believes that Pakistani authorities leaked the name of the CIA station chief in Islamabad or whether there was a pattern of Pakistani officials leaking the identities of CIA operatives.
Pakistani media last week reported what they said was the name of the CIA station chief, the second time in six months that has happened. In December, the United States removed a previous CIA station chief from Pakistan after his name was publicly disclosed.
Carney was asked whether the United states has new concerns about Pakistan's ability to protect its nuclear arsenal, given its inability to detect the presence of Osama bin Laden.
Carney said he was not aware of a "link" having been made in the administration between nuclear security and proliferation, and bin Laden's presence in Pakistan.
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Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Monday denied that his country's intelligence agencies helped hide Osama bin Laden, insisting that allegations of complicity or incompetence were "absurd".
Intelligence failure
In a speech to Islamabad's parliament, Gilani said it was "disingenuous" for anyone to insinuate that Pakistani authorities, including the country's spy agency, the ISI, were aligned with al-Qaida.
"We emphatically reject such accusations. Speculative narratives in the public domain are meant to create despondency," said Gilani. "We will not allow our detractors to succeed in offloading their own shortcomings and errors of omission and commission in a blame game that stigmatizes Pakistan."
Suspicion has deepened that ISI, which has a long history of contacts with militant groups, may have had ties with the al Qaida leader - or that some of its agents did.
US, Pakistani relations
The prime minister's comments came after Pakistan was hit by widespread criticism following the shooting of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid a week ago.
Gilani said that bin Laden's death in a U.S. raid was "indeed justice done" and insisted the relationship with the U.S. was still strong.
"Apprehensions are being voiced about our relations with the United States," he said. "Let me dispel any anxiety in this regard. Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with the US. We have a strategic partnership which we believe serves our mutual interests. It is based on mutual respect and mutual trust."
But, he warned Washington that future unilateral strikes could be met with "full force."
"Any attack against Pakistan's strategic assets whether overt or covert will find a matching response," he added. "Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate with full force. No one should underestimate the resolve and capability."
His comments were a bow to opponents angered by the U.S. raid deep inside Pakistan.
US raid criticized
Pakistan's main opposition party has called on Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to resign over the breach of sovereignty by U.S. special forces.
Prime Minister Gilani assigned blame on all nations for failing to detect the terrorist leader's lair, and ordered an investigation into how bin Laden was able to hide out in Pakistan. A top Pakistani general will lead the probe.
"This issue of the hideout needs a rational answer," said Gilani. "Recrimination and misplaced rhetoric is self defeating. Yes, there has been an intelligence failure. It is not only ours but of all the intelligence agencies of the world."
Past disputes
Pakistani-U.S. relations were already fragile after a string of diplomatic disputes over issues including U.S. drone attacks on suspected terrorist hideouts inside Pakistan and Pakistan's arrest of a CIA contractor who shot dead two Pakistanis in the city of Lahore in January. The contractor was eventually released but it further damaged the relationship between the two countries.
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At the start of two days of high-level talks between the United States and China, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both voiced concern to Chinese authorities about China's human rights record and an ongoing crackdown in the country.
Human rights is just one of a broad range of issues U.S. and Chinese officials will discuss at this year's round of Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington, as they try to work through areas where their interests diverge and areas of cooperation for the world's two largest economies.
Discussing differences
In opening remarks at the talks, both U.S. and Chinese officials stressed the importance of building cooperation and weathering disagreements when they arise.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the annual talks give the U.S. and China an opportunity to discuss their differences like any two friends would - honestly and directly.
"We have made very clear, publicly and privately, our concern about human rights. We worry about the impact on our domestic politics and on the politics and the stability in China and the region," Clinton said.
Watch a related report by Mil Arcega
Vice President Joe Biden says that while U.S. statements about human rights may, as he put it, "rankle" some in China, it is an issue that still needs to be discussed.
"We've noted our concerns about the recent crackdown in China, including attacks, arrests and the disappearance of journalists, lawyers, bloggers and artists," Biden said. "And again, no relationship that is real can be based on false foundation. Where we disagree, its important to state it."
Some in the U.S. do not believe the U.S.-China strategic and economic dialogue will yield successful results. One of them is Clyde Prestowitz, President of the Washington based Economic Strategy Institute. Prestowitz, who served in the Reagan Administration, tells VOA's Ira Mellman the United States is taking the wrong approach.
Crackdown
In recent months, China has launched its largest clampdown on dissent in years. The crackdown comes as a wave of protests in the Middle East led to the toppling of governments in Tunisia and Egypt and unrest in several other countries.
In his remarks Monday, China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo said that China was making progress on human rights and urged Americans to visit China to understand it better.
Dai says that by visiting China, Americans can experience first-hand the enormous progress China has made in various fields, including human rights, and get to know what he called the "real China."
Market access
At this year's meeting, the third such dialogue between the United States and China since President Obama came to office, the two countries are trying to tackle disagreements over market access, and make more progress on efforts to rebalance the global economy and stabilze economic growth.
China wants more access for its companies in the U.S. market and for Washington to relax restrictions on the export of American-made high-tech goods. U.S. officials say China's lax intellectual property enforcement and policies are making it increasingly difficult for American and other foreign companies to compete.
"Now more than ever, with two years of dialogue behind us, success depends on our ability to translate good words into concrete actions, on the issues that matter most to our people," Clinton said.
Export-driven economy
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says that in the wake of the global financial crisis, both the U.S. and Chinese economy have grown stronger as they have worked together to address their individual challenges.
In China he says, that challenge is moving from an export driven economy to one that focuses more on domestic demand and implementing a flexible, market-driven exchange rate and more open economy. For the U.S., he says, the challenge is addressing problems such as high unemployment and promoting education and innovation as it addresses long term fiscal reforms.
"The reforms that we must both pursue to meet these very different challenges are not in conflict and the strengths of our economies are still largely complementary," Geithner said. "And we each recognize that our ability to work together is important to the overall health and stability of the global economy."
Range of issues
The strategic track of the talks will focus on global issues such as cooperation in addressing the North Korea and Iran nuclear issue, efforts to cooperate on climate change as well as military to military ties.
For the first time, this year's dialogue will include a range of military officials from both sides. Following Monday's economic and strategic track talks, the co-chairs of the meeting, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai, will meet with President Obama this evening at the White House.
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Yemeni security forces have fired on a group of anti-government protesters and striking teachers, killing two and and wounding several others.
Witnesses and medics said security forces moved into Taiz early Monday to quell a rally blocking the city's main street. At least three people were seriously wounded. Teachers demanding better pay also participated in the rally.
More than 140 people have died in protest-related unrest since January.
Anti-government protesters are calling for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately step down, but the president has clung to power.
A Gulf Arab plan to end Yemen's political stalemate stalled in recent days. The plan called for President Saleh to hand over power to a deputy and resign within 30 days of signing the initiative. It would have established a unity government that would have included opposition members.
Both the opposition and Saleh said they agreed to the deal that was supposed to be signed earlier this month. But Saleh later said he would sign the deal only as leader of the ruling General People's Congress party and not in his capacity as president, as required by the plan.
Officials with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council are trying to revive the pact.
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The Syrian government is continuing its crackdown Monday against anti-government protesters. Witnesses say the government is moving tanks and security forces into a number of towns and cities that have been hotbeds for opposition protests.
Witnesses say Syrian security forces and pro-government militias broke down doors and shattered windows while rounding up opposition activists in several cities and some suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
Clouds of black smoke also hovered over the Damascus suburb of Maadamiyeh, where witnesses say a government crackdown began overnight. Electricity and telephone service were reported to have been cut, and government militias were reported to be making house-to-house searches.
Small crowds of opposition supporters chanted slogans overnight against the government in a suburb of the northwest city of Jisr Shughur, according to a Facebook group. The city was dark, except for generators, with electricity apparently cut off. It was not possible to independently verify the news, since foreign journalists are not allowed to cover events in Syria.
Opposition supporters waved candles during an overnight protest in a suburb of the flashpoint southern city of Daraa. They condemned numerous arrests of young activists by government militias. The group chanted slogans accusing government media of lying.
Syrian government television said that "outlaws" and "terrorists" attacked and killed a number of Syrian soldiers in recent days. It showed family members of the deceased, who said that "terrorists" had taken their loved ones from them.
The reports accused international media of "plotting" against the Syrian government and "broadcasting lies."
Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, said that the Syrian government is widening the scope of its crackdown, amid what he calls global indifference.
"The government is asserting its control. It's dealing with the protests from a security perspective. International condemnation is barely visible. So, the regime is solving the situation from a security perspective," said Khashan. "[The government] started in Daraa. They took their time to finish off positions there, and then they moved to Banias on the coast and a couple of days ago they moved into Homs, and today Syrian tanks are moving into a Damascus neighborhood."
Khashan added that the government seems to be succeeding in quelling the popular revolt, since residents of Syria's largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, appear reluctant to join demonstrations in large numbers. But in the long run, he said, the government tactics may backfire.
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A power company in central Japan says it is suspending operations at the country's fourth largest nuclear power station until it makes safety improvements.
Monday's announcement comes after Japan's Prime Minister asked the plant to halt operations because of concerns over the facility's vulnerability to earthquakes and tsunami.
The Hamaoka plant of Chubu Electric Power sits on the Pacific coast in an area that seismologists say is long-overdue for a massive earthquake. By one government estimate, there is an 87 percent chance that a quake of magnitude eight or higher will strike in the next 30 years.
The worry is that a huge quake could knock external power supplies offline and cause a tsunami that would inundate the plant, which is the same thing that happened at the Fukushima Daiichi power station.
The government has requested Hamaoka suspend operations until safety improvements can be made.
Chubu Electric President Akihisa Mizuno announced the decision at a news conference.
Mizuno says the company has decided to stop reactors 4 and 5 and postpone plans to restart reactor 3, which is currently stopped for maintenance.
On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked the company to stop Hamaoka, but he did not have legal authority to do so. Chubu Electric's board met Saturday and resisted the prime minister's call.
The Japanese government has said it will work with the privately-run company to cover the extra expense of halting the plant's operations.
The suspension could limit the electricity supply in central Japan. Hamaoka supplies one-tenth of the power used in the region, which is home to numerous factories including the headquarters of Toyota, the world's biggest car maker.
Companies are already voluntarily reducing power use. There are worries that a hot summer could bring mandatory power cuts and disrupt factories.
Chubu Electric can restart older coal and gas-fired plants that had been taken out of service, but that will only make up about half the shortfall of the Hamaoka plant.
The decision is a victory for anti-nuclear groups that have long labeled Hamaoka as the country's most dangerous nuclear power plant.
Calls for its closure have been made at rallies in Japanese cities almost every week since the nuclear emergency began unfolding in Fukushima.
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United Nations investigators say they have found mass graves in Ivory Coast containing the bodies of more than 50 people.
Officials with the U.N. human rights office said Monday that the graves were found in the Yopougon district of Abidjan, the country's commercial capital.
Local residents say the victims were killed April 12 when gunmen loyal to former president Laurent Gbagbo attacked supporters of the country's new president, Alassane Ouattara.
Pro-Ouattara forces had captured Mr. Gbagbo the day before, ending a political crisis sparked when Mr. Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in last November's presidential election.
The U.N. human rights office announced last week that it was investigating reports of mass graves in Yopougon and the possible killing of civilians by both sides.
Hundreds of people were killed during four months of political unrest in Ivory Coast. The U.N. says about 1 million were displaced from their homes.
President Ouattara has vowed to form a truth and reconciliation commission and hold accountable those responsible for criminal acts during the political crisis.
Mr. Ouattara's office says the president will have a formal inauguration in the political capital Yamoussoukro on May 21.
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The international representative for Bosnia says the country is facing its worst crisis since fighting stopped there in 1995.
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Valentin Inzko told the U.N. Security Council that more than seven months after the general elections in Bosnia, there is still no prospect of a new state government being formed.
Also, he said, the authorities in Republika Srpska, one of two semi-autonomous entities that make up the country, have taken actions that represent the most serious challenge of the 1995 Dayton peace agreement since it was signed. The Republika Srpska National Assembly decided last month to hold a referendum in June on the validity of the powers of the High Representative and many state institutions.
"The conclusions and the decision on the referendum, which were adopted by the Republika Srpska National Assembly in April, are not only a clear breach of the peace agreement, but also put into question all laws enacted by the respective high representatives, claiming they are in violation of the peace agreement," he said.
Inzko added these developments are the latest in what he called a downward trend in political stability in Bosnia for the past five years. He warned that if the referendum takes place, he will have no choice but to repeal the conclusions and referendum decision.
United States Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated full U.S. support for the authority of the High Representative.
"We agree that the recent conclusions adopted by the Republika Srpska National Assembly present a fundamental challenge to the Dayton Accords, and constitute the most serious of a disturbing pattern of actions by the Republika Srpska in violation of this agreement," said DiCarlo.
DiCarlo said the United States is in the process of considering its own measures in support of the Dayton agreement and Bosnian state institutions, should they become necessary.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin charged the statement to the Security Council by the Bosnia High Representative contained, as he put it, more emotion than an objective analysis of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Churkin said Russia does not view the Republika Srpska referendum as a violation of the Dayton peace agreement.
In contrast, the representative of the European Union, Pedro Serrano, told the Security Council the decision by the Republika Sprska to hold the referendum is a step in the wrong direction. He said the European Union has made clear in talks with Republika Sprska representatives the EU expectation is that the referendum will not be held.
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India's Supreme Court has suspended a ruling that divided a disputed religious site with a history of triggering violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims.
India's top court ruled that the "status quo" should be maintained at the site of the destroyed Babri mosque in the town of Ayodhya to prevent any groups from building on their allotted portions.
The religious site was ordered divided last year by a High Court following a lengthy legal dispute between Hindus and Muslims. It was to be partitioned into three sections: one for Hindus, one for Muslims and one for a Hindu Trust. But the Supreme Court questioned why the land was divided when none of those claiming the site had asked for such a partition.
Hindus believe the site on which the 16th century Babri mosque stood is the birthplace of their Lord Rama. A Hindu mob tore down the mosque in 1992, sparking deadly communal riots that killed about 2000 people.
The High Court judgment was seen by many as an effort to satisfy both communities. But both Hindu and Muslim groups had appealed against it.
A lawyer for Hindu groups that want to build a temple at the site, Ravi Shankar Prasad, says they want the entire plot of land. He says the High Court accepted their contention the site is the birthplace of Lord Rama.
"We had also challenged the High Court finding in the sense that when no party had sought any partition, no prayer was there for partition, how can the High court, after declaring the place to be a deity, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama, can further direct to be divided one-third, one-third and one-third," Prasad said.
Muslim litigants also appear to be satisfied that the legal case has been reopened. Lawyer Zafaryab Jilani represents the Muslim group that wants to rebuild the Babri mosque.
"The court order was very balanced order, very reasoned order, we are fully satisfied with the order," Jilani said.
The simmering decades-old dispute continues to be one of the most contentious between Hindus and Muslims in India, and there are concerns sectarian tensions may resurface if it is not settled.
Hindus make up about 80 percent of India's population, while Muslims constitute about 13 percent.
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Iranian state media reported on Monday that the nation's Russian-built nuclear power plant will start generating electricity in the next two months.
The Fars news agency said the Bushehr complex is in its final phases of testing. It is planned to be the first in a network of nuclear power stations in Iran.
Russia, which supplied the reactor, is training Iranians to operate the facility.
Iran is facing international sanctions over its disputed nuclear program.
Iran says the program is to be used for peaceful means, while Western nations fear Tehran is building the capability for a nuclear weapon.
The Bushehr project has been set back by technical problems and delays.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, of which Iran is a member, says it is monitoring the Bushehr developments.
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The head of the United Nations humanitarian aid program said Monday that Libya is facing widespread shortages and she called for a pause in the fighting in that country to allow international aid agencies to address humanitarian concerns.
The humanitarian aid chief at the United Nations, Valerie Amos, told the U.N. Security Council that the the breakdown of infrastructure, and shortages of cash and fuel are causing serious problems for the Libyan people. Amos said more than 746,000 people, most of them third-country nationals, have fled Libya. She said some 5,000 people are stranded at border points in Egypt, Tunisia and Niger. About 58,000 internally displaced people are living in settlements in eastern Libya.
Amos said widespread shortages are paralyzing Libya in ways that will seriously affect the general population in the months ahead, particularly the poorest and the most vulnerable. She said that despite repeated U.N. requests, civilians in Libya are still coming under fire. "This has to stop. The Security Council must continue to insist that all parties respect international humanitarian law and insure civilians are spared. The reported use of cluster bombs, sea and land mines as well as deaths and injuries caused by aerial bombing show a callous disregard for the physical and psychological well-being of civilians," she said.
Amos called on all sides in the fighting to agree to a temporary ceasefire in Misrata and other areas.
The U.N. humanitarian chief said that $144 million has been raised for relief work in Libya, less than half of what is needed, although she indicated that additional funds will be requested in the days ahead.
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For the first time mediators have reported progress toward agreement on a multi-party plan for elections in Zimbabwe. South African mediator Lindiwe Zulu said she hopes the Southern African Development Community will endorse this progress.
Ambassador Lindiwe Zulu, who is also South African President Jacob Zuma's international advisor, said the Southern African Development Community recognizes all is not well in Zimbabwe.
"What is happening in Zimbabwe should not be happening," she said. "It is ourselves as Africans who have recognized the fact that what is happening should not be happening."
The SADC recently condemned political violence in Zimbabwe that most observers blame on President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The rare SADC criticism provoked a strong rebuke from Mugabe, who said Zimbabwe would not accept any interference from abroad.
But Zulu said there have been robust negotiations between ZANU-PF, the Movement for Democratic Change party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and the small MDC party led by Welshman Ncube, on outstanding issues from the political agreement that is the foundation for the 26-month-old unity government.
Zulu said these negotiations have produced a "road map" toward free and fair elections.
She said some outstanding issues remain between the three political parties but that South African mediators will try to resolve them Tuesday in Harare.
Independent observers say the most difficult issues concern the mostly pro-ZANU-PF security forces and details in election laws. In addition, negotiators are concerned about the succession law should Mugabe die or retire before adoption of a new constitution.
Zulu said the Zimbabwe plan would be put to the region's leaders at a May 20 SADC summit. She said the proposed plan would call for SADC personnel to assist Zimbabwe's monitoring and implementation committee.
Zulu spoke in Johannesburg to media and diplomats from African and Western countries. She asked the world to respect decisions made by Africans to try to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis.
"All the decisions that were taken by SADC to assist the process need to be respected," said Zulu. "The issue of the respect of human rights, the issue development, the issue of holding free and fair elections - we are not being taught by anybody else, it is something that we ourselves believe in."
She said lifting Western travel and financial sanctions against the ZANU-PF leadership and several mostly state-owned companies is also a priority of Zimbabwe's political agreement.
"As a matter of principal the three parties have agreed sanctions must go, SADC has agreed the sanctions must go," she said. "But also at the same time there must be understanding, which we understand, the slower the pace goes, the more it becomes difficult to sell this idea."
Zulu said the mediators recently travelled to Europe to discuss the sanctions that were imposed following violent and disputed elections in 2002. She said she saw some progress from the European Union and the United States on the sanctions issue.
"The word we came back with from almost all was, 'We are not inflexible to the discussion about the lifting of sanctions.' What does that mean? They are not saying, 'We shall not lift sanctions.' They are now saying, 'Let us talk," added Zulu.
Zulu said there will not be elections in Zimbabwe this year because there is not time to fully implement the political agreement to ensure the next polls are free and fair.
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Ivory Coast is resuming cocoa exports that were stopped during the political crisis resulting from last year's disputed election. The country's new president is moving to revive an economy hurt by years of division.
The world's largest cocoa producer is back in business, as 1,700 tons of Ivorian beans are loaded onto a ship in Abidjan before picking up another 7,500 tons of beans at San Pedro.
Cocoa exports stopped in January when the internationally-recognized winner of the country's presidential vote called for a boycott to force the incumbent government to hand over power.
Then-president Laurent Gbagbo vowed to keep those exports going, but cocoa prices spiked to near 30-year highs when domestic traders and foreign buyers were near unanimous in abiding by the ban announced by former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.
With Gbagbo under house arrest, President Ouattara is moving quickly to try to restore Ivory Coast's economy, with cocoa exports as his top priority.
Resumption of the cocoa exports is eased by the fact the political crisis between the rival presidents did not affect the ports of Abidjan or San Pedro. Idrissa Dosso is the head of operations at Abidjan's port.
Dosso says Ivory Coast's infrastructure was not affected by the crisis, so the port is fully operational. They are able to receive cargo ships. The logistics and dockworkers are there. So there is no problem.
Shipping agent Saydou Traore says that is good news for everyone in the cocoa trade - from growers to dockhands.
Traore says one month ago, all the docks were empty. Today, there are ships coming in and more behind them. He says there is a real resumption of business and that it is a great relief.
Traders say there are nearly half a million tons of Ivorian cocoa waiting for export and that the quality of those beans is still good. ((
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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made his first court appearance at the Milan trial in which he is accused of bribing his lawyer to give false testimony about his business dealings.
Berlusconi, 74, was accused Monday of paying British lawyer David Mills $600,000 to lie under oath in two corruption trials in the late 1990's. During a break in the proceedings, Berlusconi described magistrates as being "a cancer of democracy." He also criticized prosecutors in Milan, accusing them of pursuing a politically-based vendetta against him.
The Italian prime minister is facing several other court cases - the most high-profile of which involves accusations that he had sex with an underage prostitute. Berlusconi has denied all of the charges.
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Chronic, non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are on the rise and are taking a significant toll on the economies of low- and middle-income countries. This is according to a new report from the World Health Organization.
The WHO's first Global Status Report on what it calls "the leading killer today" says that in 2008, more than 63 percent of those who died worldwide - more than 36 million people - were killed by non-communicable diseases. And it says 80 percent of those deaths were reported in developing countries.
The WHO says contagious afflictions - such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis - are not the ones that pose the greatest global threat to public health. Instead, it says, the major threat comes from non-communicable diseases, or NCDs - which are often the result of poor diet and lifestyle choices, environmental influence or genetics.
In many parts of the world, the numbers of NCD cases are soaring, and abuse of tobacco and alcohol have only compounded the problem.
The WHO says the billions of dollars being spent, year after year - on treating chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes - are pushing millions of people in the developing world below the poverty line.
Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general, said greater attention must be paid to the link between these killer diseases and the economic well-being of low- and middle-income countries.
"For some countries it is no exaggeration to describe the situation as an impending disaster," said Chan. "I mean a disaster for health, society and national economies. The challenge of combating non communicable diseases has some unprecedented dimensions."
Experts say changing demographics are at the root of the NCD problem. In many developing countries, the populations are growing quickly, ageing and also adopting more urban lifestyles.
Dr. James Hospedales, an expert on chronic diseases, said the problem of NCDs is much more widespread than many people realize. He said they are a major problem in big countries like the United States, India, China, and in nations across Latin America and the Mediterranean region.
While infectious diseases get most of the attention in Africa, the WHO estimates that chronic diseases will surpass them as the leading cause of death in many African nations by 2020.
Hospedales notes that in smaller countries such as Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados, the public health costs of treating hypertension and diabetes have climbed to between five and eight percent of those nations' gross domestic product:
"It's not sustainable. It will crush the health services in many countries if this continues. We cannot wait until we have dealt with HIV, dealt with malaria. No, it's upon us. As a matter of fact, one of the major contributors to tuberculosis going up in several countries is because diabetes is going up and obesity [too], so there is a link between diabetes and TB," said Hospedales.
Hospedales said leaders of some middle- and low-income countries are beginning to realize that national health policies must be focused more sharply on prevention. He said these leaders understand that even simple diet and lifestyle changes can significantly lower risk factors for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.
"We estimate in WHO that over 30 million lives can be saved in the next 10 years by simple measures - reducing the level of salt by 15 to 20 percent, reducing the amount of tobacco, and increasing the number of people who are at risk of a heart attack and stroke to be on simple preventive treatment. Those three measures can save about 30 million lives in next 10 years."
WHO officials say the U.N. agency's first Global Status Report on Non-Communicable Diseases, with its country-by-country assessments of the NCD epidemic, aims to educate policy makers, industry and civil society leaders, and the general public about the need for a coordinated response to these public health threats.
The U.N. General Assembly will convene its first-ever high-level meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases in New York this September.
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Thousands of people marched into the Mexican capital, Mexico City, Sunday to demand an end to the bloodshed that has claimed nearly 40, 000 lives since President Calderon launched a war against organized crime four years ago.
Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, wearing a T-shirt with the photo of his slain son, led the silent trek that began Thursday in the resort city of Cuernavaca in the central state of Morelos. Along the way, hundreds of people of all ages joined the 90-kilometer march chanting slogans to stop the violence between the government and warring drug gangs.
Despite the deployment of thousands of security forces to drug hotspots across the country in 2006, the level of violence has not decreased.
Last week, 11 more bodies were found at a series of mass graves in the town of Durango, bringing the number of bodies to 157. In the state of Tamaulipas, 183 bodies have been pulled from mass graves. Many of the victims are believed to have been taken from passenger buses.
Human rights leader Edgar Cortes, who participated in the march, called it the broadest to date, having brought together a wide sector of civil society that has been affected by the economic crisis and the increased level of violence.
Student Miriam Lopez said she came to Sunday's demonstration because she was tired of all the killings and wanted a better future for young people, like herself.
She says she felt if she did not act now, others would be killed. She says she wants to help bring about the change her country so desperately needs.
Relatives carried signs with photos of family members - victims of the wave of violence that has swept the country.
On Saturday at a rally at the national university, where marchers spent the night, the father of Adriana Morlet spoke about how his daughter, an architecture student at the university, disappeared eight months before. He says his daughter went to the university library to check out a book and never returned. He says her disappearance has "shattered our lives, like a dagger digging into our hearts."
In Sunday's address, Mexican poet Javier Sicilia called for the resignation of Public Security Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna as a response to the popular discontent with the war. He criticized political parties for what he claimed was their collusion with drug traffickers. He said if the political parties do not reform themselves, Mexican citizens will ultimately be left to choose which drug cartel or political faction to vote for in next year's presidential elections.
Sicilia, whose own son was tortured and murdered along with six others last March in Cuernavaca, called for a national pact for peace, justice and dignity. He said this pact, among other things, would stop young people from being the victims of war or becoming the reserve army of the cartels.
The pact is expected to be signed in Juárez City, where an estimated 3,000 people were killed by violence last year.
At the end of Sunday's demonstration, Sicilia called for five minutes of silence in memory of the thousands of victims of the drug war that most Mexicans believe the government is losing.
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