Philippines' Maoists may form alliance with opposition

Philippine communist party leaders held talks with a senior opposition senator, Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison said Friday.

Opposition Senator Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal confirmed later that day that she had met with leaders of the CPP in the Netherlands.

The opposition and the CPP are looking to form a political alliance to bring down the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.


Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison, in a 1997 file photo. AFP/ANP photo via Yahoo News.

On Monday, opposition groups filed a new impeachment reqest against the president on grounds that she cheated in the last election and has committed numerous abuses. A similar move last year fell far from achieving the necessary votes.

If an alliance with the CPP is formed, it will be a first in the history of the communist party whose leadership fled the country after failed peace talks in the late 1980s.

Expatriate Filipinos want voice in Charter change

The huge population of Filipino overseas workers is clamoring for a say in proposals for a new national constitution.

Leaders from the United States, Saudi Arabia and other regions are calling for Manila to listen to expatriate workers and digest their views, a report from the Philippine Inquirer said.


Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (R) seen here with Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano at Quirinale palace on Rome June 26, 2006. Seh is pushing for a new constitution and a parliamentary system of government. REUTERS/Handout/Enrico Oliverio-Italian Presidency Press Office via Yahoo News.

Overseas Filipinos contribute billions of dollars in remittances to the natinoal coffers each year, and the Philippines has long been the world's leading exporter of workers.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is pushing for a new constitution that would switch the country to a parliamentary form of government.

Pakistan to send 10,000 more troops to Afghan border

Pakistan will deploy an extra 10,000 troops to guard the Afghan border, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said Tuesday.

A total of 90,000 troops will attempt to prevent the Taliban from using bases in Pakistan to attack targets in Afghanistan.


Pakistani troops guard the mountain region of Shawal along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. AFP/File/Aamir Qureshi photo via Yahoo News.

Kasuri said that Pakistan has the highest stakes in Afghanistan's future stability.

Taliban forces have conducted recent offensives in Afghanistan demonstrating their greatest resurgence since being ousted and since the establishment of the Karzai government.

Thousands protest in support of East Timor's Alkatiri

In a major show of support for such a tiny nation, thousands rallied for former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri Tuesday outside of the capital Dili.

The protests highlight the major divisions in East Timor that will not be solved by replacing Alkatiri with a pro-Gusmao candidate.


East Timorese shout 'Viva Alkatiri' as former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri makes a speech in Hera district, outside of Dili on June 27, 2006. Beawiharta/Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Gusmao is said to support a non-partisan replacement, but this will be hard to sell to the ruling Fretilin party which appeared to be behind Tuesday's rally.

A meeting between the State Council and Gusmao on Tuesday failed to resolve the issue, and there is talk that the president may dissolve parliament and call for new general elections.

East Timor prime minister resigns

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned Monday bowing to pressure from East Timor President Xanana Gusmao.

Protestors broke out in celebration on the streets of the capital Dili upon hearing the news.


East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned Monday after street protests and pressure from President Xanana Gusmao. AFP/Candido Alves photo from Yahoo News.

Gusmao called on Alkatiri to resign and accept responsibility for violence that has rocked the tiny nation since May.

The ruling Fretilin party did not name a successor to Alkatiri, but Gusmao has called a meeting Tuesday to address the emerging nation's political and economic crisis.

East Timor ruling party keeps Alkatiri as prime minister

In a blow to President Xanana Gusmao, East Timor's ruling party voted to keep Mari Alkatiri on as prime minister.

The move prompted the resignations of two government ministers including Nobel peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, who acted as both foreign and defense minister.


East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri speaks on a cellphone during a press conference in Dili. AFP/Candido Alves photo via Yahoo News.

Gusmano called for Alkatiri to resign last week after his failure to contain rampant violence that has troubled the country since last month. Gusmao threatened to resign himself if Alkatiri did not cede to his demands.

The ruling Fretilin party has asked both leaders to stay on at their posts.

Vietnam's leadership resigns

Vietnam's prime minister, president and assembly chief all resigned in an expected change of leadership, Assembly sources said on Saturday.

The Assembly approved the resignations of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, President Tran Duc Luong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An.


Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai addresses the National Assembly in Hanoi on June 16, 2006. AFP file photo via Yahoo News.

Khai's first deputy Nguyen Tan Dung, 56, is expected to take over as the new premier.

Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in economic growth with an 8.4 percent rise in 2005, and is moving toward membership in the World Trade Organization.

WHO nixes pandemic alert in Indonesia

World Health Organization (WHO) experts meeting in Indonesia said the recent cluster of bird flu cases that killed a whole family did not signal the start of a global pandemic.

The experts meeting to decide on whether the case merited issuing a pandemic alert said that although the avian flu virus H5N1 had mutated it still was not easily transmittable among humans.


Indonesian health officials and a chicken in south Jakarta, February 24, 2006. Crack Palinggi/Reuters via Yahoo News.

Indonesian and WHO officials closely monitored 50 people who had come in contact with the family but no new cases developed.

Family members though in the north Sumatra cluster did contract the virus from each other.

Seoul insists North Korean missile launch not imminent

South Korea's defense minister reiterated his country's position that North Korea was not ready to launch a ballistic missile test.

"It is our judgment that a launch is not imminent," Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung is quoted as saying.


Protesters in Seoul carry a model North Korean missile and shout slogans on June 22, 2006. AP/Lee Jin-man photo from Yahoo News.

Experts disagree on whether fueling of the missiles indicates that a missile test is imminent. Liquid rocket fuel tends to be highly corrosive and is not generally stored in the missile. However, it is possible that the country may be practicing fueling operations.

Japan has sent reconnaissance aircraft and naval ships to monitor the situation and is preparing for a "worse case scenario" including the possibility that missile parts might fall over the nation's territory.

China's Prime Minister seeks closer African ties

Premier Wen Jiabao landed in South Africa Wednesday in a campaign to strengthen ties within the African continent.

Wen will visit seven nations during his African tour in one of China's most energetic efforts to spur economic cooperation between the two regions.


Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao , center right, embraces a local chief during his visit in Accra, capital of Ghana, Monday, June 19, 2006 during his seven-nation African tour to boost economic and political bonds. AP/Xinhua, Li Xueren photo via Yahoo News.

Key areas of cooperation include expanding nuclear power generation and pushing the developing world's agenda in international forums.

China is also making cash contributions to the African Union and for humanitarian aid relief to show its goodwill.

For its part, China needs to keep Africa's rich resources flowing in to fuel its burgeoning economy.

World eyes North Korean missile test sites

North Korea said it had the right to test its ballistic missiles amidst warnings from other nations after reports the country was preparing launch sites.

The South Korean spy agency said that it didn't believe North Korea had completely fueled its test missile because there were only 40 fuel tanks around the launch site -- not enough for a weapon estimated at 65 tons.


Kim Jong-Il in a photo released on June 16, 2006 by the official North Korean news agency. AFP/KCNA photo from Yahoo News.

Stormy weather over the area on Tuesday may also delay any imminent test of the missile according to South Korean sources. The Meteorological Administration said that rain was expected into Wednesday morning.

The 116-foot long Taepodong-2 has an estimated range of 9,300 miles.

Aung San Suu Kyi turns 61 under house arrest

Pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 61st birthday on Monday under house arrest in Yangon, Myanmar.

Supporters protested her detention in front of Yangon's Town Hall, while others held rallies in more than 25 countries.


Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi demonstrate in front of party headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Police later dispersed the crowd. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Suu Kyi was placed under detention on May 30, 2003 after fighting broke out between her supporters and pro-government demonstrators.

Myanmar says that Suu Kyi's house arrest is a domestic issue and has resisted international pressure demanding her release.

Kazakhstan satellite launched

The Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan launched its first satellite into orbit Sunday in a major step forward for the country's fledgling space program.

Kazakhstan hosts the world's largest space center, the Baikonur cosmodrome built by the old Soviet Union and still used by Russia to launch spacecraft.


Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin watch the launch of Kazakhstan's first satellite at the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 18, 2006.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made building a space industry a major goal of his government and eventually wants Kazakhstan to construct a national space center of its own.

Using the country's rich oil assets, Kazakhstan has started training its native cosmonauts for future human space missions.

Sri Lanka, Tigers both claim victory in maritime battle

Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Nadu made conflicting claims of victory after a naval battle Saturday.

At least 40 people were dead or missing after Sri Lankan naval ships and Tiger patrol boats engaged each other in the waters off northeastern Mannar district.

Sri Lanka claimed to have sank eight Tiger patrol boats while sustaining damage to three of its own craft.


"Sri Lankan soldiers secure village after the land mine blast in Kabithigollewa northeast of Colombo, June 15, 2006. Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi/Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

The Tigers, however, denied losing any boats but instead claimed to have sank three Sri Lankan patrol craft.

There was no independent confirmation of either claim.

In a separate incident, three Tiger frogmen were captured just north of the capital Colombo. Two of the three fighters attempted suicide by taking cyanide pills and are were taken to a hospital.

Maoists will join interin Nepal government

Maoist leader Prachanda said that rebel leaders will form part of an interim government which will replace both the Nepal parliament and the Maoist "People's Government."

Prachanda met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and leaders of the other seven political parties in the ruling alliance on Friday.


Leader of Nepal's Maoist rebels Prachanda, second left, sits inside a car with his wife after their arrival at the Katmandu airport, Nepal, Friday, June 16, 2006 for a meeting with leaders of the ruling coalition. AP photo from Yahoo News.

The new government will create a new constitution and set the stage for a permanent government down the road.

Before that time, an interim constitution will be created and the United Nations will provide oversight of both Nepalese troops and Maoist fighters.

Sri Lanka attacks Tigers after bus blast

Claymore mines killed 64 people on a bus near the government-controlled town of Anuradhapura Thursday prompting raids on Tamil Tiger positions.

The Tigers, for their part, denied any involvement in the bus attack, but the government and media nonetheless believe the rebel group is involved.


Tamil rebels patrol in an armed truck on May 16, 2006 near Kilinochchi. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Sri Lankan jets and artillery pounded targets near Kilinochchi, the headquarters for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

"If they are attacking Kilinochchi, they are showing they are ready for war," Tiger peace secretariat S. Puleedevan told Reuters.

The situation in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate despite efforts by foreign peace negotiators.

Coalition forces fight Taliban

Afghan and coalition troops battled the Taliban as the largest offensive since the Taliban's fall prepares to launch on Thursday.

Operation Mountain Thrust will attempt to curb a resurgence in Taliban resistance, the first major escalation since the group was toppled in 2001.


A British soldier in southern Afghanistan on June 12, 2006. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Taliban attacks have been concentrated in the southern part of the country and consist of hit and run strikes in widely-alternating locations.

Many of the techniques used by the insurgents are similar to those employed by rebels fighting against the government in Iraq.

China, Russia refuse to endorse Iran sanctions statement

China and Russia have refused to join other major nations in a statement threatening sactions against Iran if it continues to enrich uranium.

A diplomat at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) talks said that the two nations did not want any reference "to sanctions or punitive actions."

In another blow to the U.S.-led effort against Iran's nuclear program, nations from the Non-Aligned Movement are preparing a statement for the IAEA affirming Iran's right to enrich uranium and opposing any military attack on nuclear facilities.

Iranian MP Kazem Jalali said in Tehran Tuesday that his country would not accept stopping uranium enrichment activities as a precondition to further talks on its nuclear program.

Royal celebration for Thai king

The world's royalty gathered together in an exceptional event to celebrate the diamond jubilee of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.


Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej (center) and his royal guests pose for a family photo at Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok June 12, 2006. Reuters/Roayl Palace photo from Yahoo News.

Monarchs or royal representatives from 25 countries came to the reception at the Ananda Samakhon Throne Room in honor of the world's longest reigning monarch who ascended to power 60 years ago.

The highlight of the event was the ancient and world-renowned royal water parade down the Chao Phraya river from the palace to the Temple of Dawn.

The ancient ritual held every few years featured 52 lavishly-decorated boats including the Royal Barge.

Parliament strips Gyanendra of veto power

Nepal's King Gyanendra, revered by some as a divine incarnation, lost his power to veto legislation after parliamentary sessions late Saturday.

Parliament had earlier removed the king's authority over the military, forced him to pay taxes, and made him answerable to both parliament and the courts.


King Gyanendra. AFP file photo from Yahoo News.

The use of the world "royal" for state-owned enterprise has also been halted. Thus, for example, Royal Nepal Airlines is now known as Nepal Airlines. What was formerly known as "His Majesty's Government" is now known as the "Nepal Government."

It is expected that parliament will also soon take control of succession to the throne, if in fact Nepal is not declared a republic and the monarchy rejected altogether.

"Political parties are not clear whether they want to keep the king or not," said Lok Raj Baral, executive chairman of the private research group Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies.



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Royal celebration of Thai king's 60th anniversary

Royalty from around the world began arriving Sunday in Thailand for the celebration of the 60th year of King Bhumibol Adulyade on the throne.

Among the royals expected to attend are Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Jordan's King Abdulllah II and Spain's Queen Sofia.

On Sunday, Buddhist monks blessed the king in an ancient ritual held at Bangkok's Grand Palace that was televised nationwide.


Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej along with Queen Sirikit wave from the balcony of Dusit Palace. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Celebrations honoring the 78-year-old king will last until Tuesday.

Other guests who have already arrived in the country are Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Britain's Prince Andrew and Morocco's Princess Lalla Salma.




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Japanese emperor visits Singapore on Southeast Asian tour

Japan's Emperor Akihito and wife, Empress Michiko met with Singpaore's President S.R. Nathan and Mrs. Nathan during a state welcome Friday.


Japan's Emperor Akihito, left and Empress Michiko, are welcomed by Singapore's President S.R. Nathan and his wife Urmila on June 9, 2006. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

The Japanese Emperor and Empress are on a tour of Southeast Asia in which they will also visit Malaysia and Thailand. They have visited Singapore twice before in 1970 and 1981.

Japan recently has made overtures towards the formation of a pan-Asian trade forum. Singapore was the first nation that Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with in 2002.


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Residents flee as Mount Merapi flares up again

About 15,000 people fled as Indonesia's Mount Merapi came to life again emitting bright hot gas and ash clouds down its southern slope Thursday.

The activity on Thursday was the most violent since the volcano began acting up weeks ago.


An Indonesian Air Force photo of Mount Merapi spewing hot ash and gas clouds. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Merapi's dome has swelled and it is feared that the recent earthquake in Bantul may have weaked the formation making the possibility of an eruption somewhat more likely.

Indonesian officials raised a red alert around the mountain three weeks ago but some residents have been reluctant to leave their farms and livestock.


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Asia Pacific nations practice bird flu response

Nation members of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conducted an avian flu response exercise on Tuesday.

Coordinated by Australia, the exercise tested communications, decision-making and response times across the Pacific Ocean.


Health officials vaccinate poultry in Medan, Indonesia. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Scientists fear that once the bird flu mutates to allow human-to-human transmission, it poses the threat of a massive pandemic similar to the Spanish Flu that struck during World War I.

Most people that have been infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu were citizens of APEC countries. Indonesia and Vietnam have the highest number of cases so far.


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Police drive out Phnom Penh squatters

Cambodian police evicted more than 1,000 families from their shantytown homes to make way for a commercial development project in Phnom Penh.

About 1,000 police descended on the slum before dawn in the operation to move residents to a new location 22 km from the city. Many refused to live at the new site claiming that it was too far from work or shopping areas, and that living conditions were intolerable.

"The relocation site is a plain rice field with a pond of water. Each family was given a few square meters of land," said a statement by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

"No development of the area was made so far, no electricity and clean water are available," it said.

Many residents were using simple plastic sheeting to shield themselves from the daily downpours of rain at the new location.



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East Timor parliament meets as violence continues

The East Timor parliament on Monday met for the first time since foreign troops arrived, as gang violence continued to plague the small nation.

Clashes were reported around the Comoro Bridge in the capital Dili, where houses were set on fire with petrol bombs.

Only 50 of East Timor's 87 Ministers of Parliament attended the meeting as many were unable to arrange secure transportation.

Parliament approved President Xanana Gusmao's declaration of emergency powers last week granting him full authority over the armed forces.

About 100,000 people have fled to makeshift refugee camps to escape violence that started after the sacking of army soldiers in a growing regional conflict between eastern and western parts of the country.


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India: Millions breathe deadly air

Millions of Indians breathe in cancer-causing air according to a study by the Independent Community Environmental Monitors (CEM).

One of the world's most polluted countries, India has regions with toxic levels for some pollutants 32,000 times higher than global safe air standards.

India still depends on coal for much of its energy production needed to fuel rapid economic growth.


Smokestacks in Calcutta, India belch dark smoke. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

The country has no standards or monitoring for many dangerous pollutants, according to the study.

In the first quarter of this year, the Indian economy grew by 9.3 percent.


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Epidemics, bird flu monitored in Indonesian quake zone

Signs of bacterial diarrhea have been detected in quake-hit zones in Indonesia and the World Health Organisation is monitoring the area for bird flu outbreaks.

Avian flu has exploded in Indonesia which is set to soon become the world's leader in bird flu deaths if things continue at the current pace.

WHO has increased monitoring activities in Central Java after the quake left many people homeless and possibly more susceptible to disease.

The Chinese relief team discovered a case of bacterial diarrhea in the Bantul regency, the region struck hardest by the 6.3 tremblor.


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Rice improvements will address global warming and drought

The Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will focus on problems of global warming and drought in the next 10 years of rice research.

IRRI is looking to breed new strains of higher-yielding rice that will need less water, handle higher temperatures, and fix nitogen in the soil as to require less fertilizer.


Rice field in Kolkata, India. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, reduces rice yields. The institute has plans to reduce requirements for nitrogen fertilizer significantly.

Lately though, the IRRI has needed to devote efforts to fundraising after large donors like Japan and the United States cut funding to the research institute.



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