Japan puts TEPCO under state control
The Japanese company that operated the nuclear power plant behind the last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster received a trillion-Yen ($12.8 billion) bailout on Tuesday. The move effectively puts the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) under government control. TEPCO apologized for the “inconvenience and anxiety” caused by the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, and for the subsequent hike in electricity rates. The company faces massive compensation demands from those forced to evacuate, and those whose land and products were contaminated by radiation, AP reports. TEPCO must also shoulder the cost of decommissioning the three reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi that went into meltdown.
Ahmadinejad mocks Romney's Israel trip
In a speech on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's visit to Israel “kissing the foot” of the Jewish state to boost his capmpaign. Ahmadinejad did not specifically mention Romney’s stop this week in Israel, but asked why the GOP nominee would make “concessions to get some pennies” for his presidential run, the AP reports. In Israel, Romney backed Tel Aviv’s threats to strike Iran's controversial nuclear program.
Arafat's widow asks France to investigate ‘assassination’ theory
The widow of Yasser Arafat formally requested on Tuesday that France investigate his death. Suha Arafat brought a complaint of assassination weeks after new suspicions were raised that the former Palestinian leader's 2004 death was caused by poisoning. A French judge will still have to decide whether to accept the complaint, which was also brought on behalf of Suha Arafat's daughter, AP reports. The family's French lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, said that Tuesday's request was intended to “establish the truth in honor” of Arafat.
Yemeni murder suspect behind kidnapping of Italian – officials
A Yemeni man wanted on charges of murder and robbery is behind the weekend kidnapping of an Italian embassy security agent in Sanaa, Yemen’s Interior Ministry said. Ali Naser Huraidkan, from the Al Jalal tribe in Yemen's eastern Marib province, was claimed to have kidnapped the Italian in order to pressure authorities to drop charges against him, and to offer him money. Alessandro Spadotto, 29, a member of Italy's military police force, was picked up while in civilian clothes in a shop near the embassy on Sunday, media reports say. He also reportedly managed to send a cellphone text to a member of his family after the kidnapping.
Iran 'won't allow enemy to advance' in Syria – military
The deputy chief of Iran’s armed forces said on Tuesday that Tehran “will not allow the enemy to advance” in Syria. But Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri said that “there is still no need for Syria’s circle of friends to fully enter the arena,” and that “there will be no need to do so,” AFP reports. Jazayeri also warned that Iran is “very sensitive when it comes to our friends.” Another senior commander, General Hamid Reza Moqadam-Far, said that Syrian civilians were now fighting the rebels alongside the regime's troops.
Pyongyang to allow S.Korean businessmen to visit troubled resort
North Korea will allow a group of South Korean businessmen to visit a troubled resort, a South Korean tour operator said on Tuesday. Hyundai Asan said that about 10 officials will travel to North Korea's Diamond Mountain on Friday for an annual ceremony commemorating the death of former Asan chairman Chung Mong-hun. Pyongyang approved the trip last week. Seoul suspended tours to the mountain in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot and killed a South Korean tourist, the AP said. Last year, Pyongyang reportedly seized South Korean properties, and kicked out South Korean workers from the resort after Seoul refused to resume the tours.
Beijing blasts US report on global religious freedom
China criticized Washington on Tuesday for its recent annual report by the State Department on global religious freedom. Xinhua news agency described the report as “continuing a notorious practice of blatantly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.” The report, released on Monday, highlighted a lack of religious freedom in China, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea, the AP said. The document criticized the “severe” repression of religious freedom in Tibet and the far western region of Xinjiang, home to a significant Muslim population.
Radical cleric imprisoned in UK launches new bid for release
Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada is launching a new legal bid in Britain's High Court for release from detention, the AP reports. Qatada has been described by Spanish and British courts as a “leading Al-Qaida figure in Europe,” and is currently being held in a high-security prison while he fights deportation to Jordan over terror charges. He argues that if deported, he will be tortured upon return to Jordan. His lawyers will ask the High Court’s judges for permission to challenge his detention on Tuesday.
Sudanese refugees in Beirut continue 50-day hunger strike against UN
Sudanese refugees camped outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Beirut, Lebanon, have been on hunger strike for more than 50 days. Some 20 men are refusing food to protest the lengthy process for determining refugee status. Their complaints against the Lebanese government include delayed resettlement for those granted refugee status, and the poor quality of assistance granted. The country generally affords no special rights to refugees and asylum-seekers, as many have entered the country illegally.
Mother of Vietnamese blogger dies of self-immolation
The mother of Ta Phong Tan, a Vietnamese blogger set to face trial next week for posting anti-government articles, has died after setting herself on fire near provincial offices, local police say. Dang Thi Kim Lieng, aged 64, passed away en route to hospital. Her daughter and two other bloggers who are set to face trial belong to the banned Free Journalists Club.
House and Senate agree on harsher Iran sanctions
The House and Senate have reached an agreement on a new batch of crippling sanctions targeting Iran's energy, shipping and insurance sectors. “The bill sends a clear message to the Iranian regime that the US is committed, through the use of sanctions, to preventing Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold,” said the chairperson of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The new legislation would sanction transactions relating to Iran’s energy sector. Any company shipping proliferation-sensitive goods to Iran would be subject to penalties under the bill. It also introduces sanctions on any company that provides insurance to a shipping service from Iran as well as anyone who helps Iran evade oil sanctions. The new bill extends penalties that came into effect earlier this year and targeted Iran’s financial sector. A vote on the final version of Monday’s bill is expected on Wednesday.
Ohio police arrest woman for attempted jail break-in
Ohio police have arrested a woman for trying to climb over the fence of Butler County Jail. The jail’s night shift staff spotted Tiffany R. Hurd reportedly lying next to the prison’s fence as they were going home. They repeatedly told Hurd to leave the premises, but she refused and asked them to arrest her. The woman then tried to climb over the fence. Police responded by arresting her and placing her in the same jail she was trying to get into. Deputies say Hurd appeared to be intoxicated. She now faces misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Her bond was set at $2,500 at Monday’s arraignment.
US and Turkey agree on efforts to "accelerate political transition" in Syria
President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have spoken by telephone “to coordinate efforts to accelerate a political transition in Syria,” which would include “the departure of Bashar al-Assad,” the White House said in a statement. The two leaders have expressed their concerns about “the Syrian regime’s ruthless attacks against its own people.” Obama also acknowledged Turkey’s generosity in hosting so many Syrians “who have fled their homes in search of safety.” The leaders have agreed that the countries would remain in close contact to promote a democratic transition in Syria.
Mexican police arrest drug cartel area leader
Mexican police have arrested Hilario Guadelupe Reyna Cuevas, nicknamed “El Vago” (Spanish for “The Slacker”), the suspectedleader of the Los Zetas drug cartel in Sabinas Hidalgo, a city in the north-western state of Nuevo Leon, the federal Public Security Secretariat said. He was detained along with four other people. Police also seized two rifles, one handgun, three magazines and 105 cartridges. Investigators say Reyna Cuevas was involved in drug trafficking and was implicated in the kidnappings and murders of at least six members of rival gangs. Police also report finding a clandestine grave containing human bones at an abandoned construction site in the town of Carboneras. Los Zetas was founded by a group of army deserters over a decade ago, and was originally a wing of the Gulf drug cartel. Several years later, Los Zetas broke away and started competing with the Gulf cartel. Over 2,000 people were killed in drug related violence in the state of Nueva Leon last year.
US bent on extraditing Wikileaks founder – Assange’s mother
Christine Assange, the mother of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, says she has handed evidence to the government of Ecuador indicating that the United States wants her son to be extradited to America. Christine Assange, who is currently visiting the country to plea for the Wikileaks founder to be granted political asylum in Ecuador, also said she was terrified of what could happen to her son if he is extradited to the US, noting that he could face torture or execution, and would not receive a fair trial. Christine Assange also said her son, who has been living in Ecuador’s embassy in London since June, was “under extreme psychological stress” as he has been forced to stay indoors and has been unable to exercise. A UK court ruled in favor of extraditing Assange to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning in a sexual misconduct case. Assange believes he would subsequently be extradited to the US, where he could face espionage charges related to Wikileak’s revelatory publication of classified data.
Anaheim victim’s family seek independent autopsy
The family of Manuel Diaz, who was shot and killed by Anaheim police, want an independent autopsy conducted to find out where exactly he was shot, the Orange County Register reports. “We want it for legal purposes and the family wants to know," said the family's attorney. Last week a $50-million lawsuit was filed on behalf of Manuel Diaz's family against Anaheim and the Anaheim Police Department. According to the Anaheim police union, an officer opened fire after Diaz pulled some “object” resembling a weapon from his waistband and turned toward the officers. Meanwhile, witnesses claim that Diaz was shot in the back. This month, police fatally shot two men in Anaheim: Manuel Diaz on July 21 and Joel Acevedo on July 22. The shootings sparked a wave of outrage and protests, with the latest taking place on Sunday.
Saudi Arabian judoka allowed to wear hijab at Olympics
Saudi Arabian judoka Wodjan Shaherkani has been granted permission to wear her hijab at the Olympic Games in London. "The parties have agreed on a specific design of the hijab in which the judoka will fight,” said the official representative of the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the International Judo Federation had ruled that Shaherkani would have to fight without a hijab in order to comply with “the principle and spirit of judo.” Shaherkani threatened to withdraw from the Olympics if she was not allowed to wear her hijab.
US would-be suicide bomber pleads guilty
Shaker Masri, a Chicago man accused of planning to join a training camp in Somalia in order to become a suicide bomber for terrorist groups, pleaded guilty on Monday. His sentencing is scheduled for October 16. Masri was born in Alabama but lived abroad before returning to the US aged 18. He was arrested in 2010 after the FBI exposed his alleged plot to become a suicide bomber. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a violent extremist group and trying to offer material support by use of a weapon of mass destruction outside the US.
Indonesian police arrest 62 over bar attack
Authorities in Indonesia have arrested 62 people, most of them minors, for taking part in an attack on a bar in the south of the country’s capital, Jakarta. A group of around 150 youths armed with Samurai swords, sickles and golf clubs participated in the raid on Saturday, Hermawan, a local chief detective said. The group, calling itself the Prophet’s Defenders Council, shattered windows, broke doors and smashed bottles, saying they wanted to ensure that all bars were shut during the month of Ramadan. Habib Bahar, the group’s leader also detained in the arrests, was quoted by local media as saying that he regularly raids “sinful places” during the month of Ramadan. Although Indonesian authorities have ordered bars and nightclubs to close during the month of Ramadan, the ban has not been strictly implemented.
Iran sentences four to death for bank fraud
The Iranian Revolutionary Court has sentenced four people to death and two to life in prison following their convictions related to a $2.6 billion bank fraud, the country’s state prosecutor was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying. Thirty-three other defendants linked to the scam also received sentences of up to 25 years in prison. Only general information has been released about the case, described as the country’s biggest financial scam, and the names of the defendants have not been released. The linchpin defendant, nicknamed Amir Mansour Aria, is described as the head of a company which prosecutors say paid bribes to bank staff and managers, and used “incorrect connections with executive and political elements” to accumulate wealth. Aria is also said to have forged documents to obtain credit from one of Iran’s top banks.
UN team to visit North Korea to assess flood damage
A United Nations inter-agency team will visit the two most affected counties of North Korea on Tuesday to assess the damage from the recent floods, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official has told Reuters. The team will then determine what measures need to be taken to mitigate the consequences of the flooding for the population. North Korea has been hit by massive floods caused by torrential rainfall since July 18. Eighty-eight people have died in the disaster and thousands made homeless, North Korean media report. Many rice paddies and other farmland have been destroyed, driving grain prices up, according to defectors in neighboring South Korea. The torrential rain came after a severe dry spell that also caused a poor harvest.
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