Taiwan ruling party suspends veteran speaker

September 11, 2013

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The disciplinary panel of Taiwan's ruling party suspended the speaker of the legislature Wednesday, a move that could fracture the party and threaten its efforts to develop closer ties with China.

Wang Jin-pyng was suspended for allegedly pressuring prosecutors not to appeal the acquittal of an opposition lawmaker. That removes him from the party for a year, after which he can apply for reinstatement.

Wang contends he did nothing improper. He has held the legislative speakership, one of Taiwan's most powerful positions, since 1999, and is known for having relatively good relations with the opposition. Though he and President Ma Ying-jeou both belong to the Nationalist Party, the two have been bitter rivals.

The fast-moving political drama could threaten the unity of the party, which under Ma has lowered tensions between Taiwan and China to their lowest level since the two sides split amid civil war 64 years ago.

Ma pressed hard for Wang's ouster, calling his alleged action "the most serious infringement in the history of Taiwan's judiciary." But in doing so, he has drawn criticism not only from the opposition, but also from many Nationalists who see his pursuit of Wang as a personal vendetta.

A Nationalist split would improve the prospects of the China-wary opposition in the 2016 elections. Ma is currently among the most unpopular presidents in Taiwan history, with an approval rating of just 15 percent.

The drama began Friday, when the Special Investigation Division of the Prosecutor's Office announced it had evidence that Wang and former Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu had colluded to pressure prosecutors not to appeal the acquittal of opposition lawmaker Ker Chien-ming, a friend of Wang's, on breach of trust charges. Tseng resigned later that same day under heavy pressure from Ma, but insists he did nothing wrong.

The SID's evidence was gathered from a wiretap on Ker's cell phone, leading to opposition charges — echoed by some Nationalists — that the agency abused its power. The SID says its wiretap was legal. Ma then unleashed a barrage of criticism at Wang. The two have a long history of animosity, dating back at least to 2008, when they competed for the Nationalist presidential nomination. Wang recently upbraided Ma for his handling of government and the economy.

Wang's suspension by the Nationalist committee on Wednesday effectively strips him of the legislative speakership and even his legislative seat, because he was selected in the last legislative election not by popular vote, but as an at-large Nationalist candidate.

At 72, the diminutive Wang still maintains a number of credible political options, including establishing a breakoff party of his own, though Wang said Tuesday he was not interested in such a move. With Wang removed from the legislative speakership, Taiwan's often fractious legislature can be expected to become more fractious still, largely because of his strong channels of communication with the opposition.

It was not clear who the next speaker will be. One of that lawmaker's first big tests will be to try to win legislative approval of a bilateral services agreement in China. The opposition says the legislation would give China too much control of the Taiwanese economy.

Despite Wang's own Nationalist pedigree, and the heavy Nationalist majority in the legislature, Wang did little as speaker to press for the approval the pact needs to enter into force.

Japan on high alert for disputed islands anniversary

Tokyo (AFP)
Sept 11, 2013

Japan's coastguard said it was "on high alert" Wednesday, a year to the day since Tokyo nationalized islands that China says it has owned for centuries.

Often-testy ties have soured dramatically over the last 12 months, with frequent confrontations between official ships from Asia's two largest powers.

On Tuesday, Tokyo said it had not ruled out stationing officials there, provoking an ominous warning from Beijing that Japan "must be prepared to bear the consequences of this provocation".

"We are on high alert as today marks the first anniversary of the nationalization of the Senkaku islands," coastguard official Yuma Miyako told AFP, referring to the Tokyo-controlled islands claimed by China as the Diaoyus.

Since last September, official Chinese vessels have regularly traversed the waters -- China said Tuesday it had carried out 59 such "patrols" -- each time being warned off by Japanese ships, and the two nations' militaries have shadow-boxed in international waters and international skies.

Tokyo says it nationalized the islands as a way to take the sting out of a potentially explosive attempt to buy them by nationalists, who talked of developing them for tourism.

It was somewhat wrong-footed by the vehemence of Beijing's response, which saw violent protests erupt across China and diplomatic ties frozen, badly affecting a huge trade relationship on which both countries depend.

A change of government in Tokyo that made hawkish nationalist Shinzo Abe prime minister did little to soothe matters.

Xinhua Tuesday accused him of turning a blind eye to the nation's "beautifying of atrocious wartime crime", the latest in a long line of tongue-lashings Chinese state media has delivered.

Eight Chinese ships spent several hours in the islands' territorial waters on Tuesday and four remained in the contiguous zone on Wednesday, Japanese officials said.

Contiguous waters are maritime areas adjacent to territorial sea where a coastal state has certain limited rights.

"We are preventing Chinese official ships from entering our territorial waters, with our ships sailing very close to the Chinese ships," coastguard official Miyako said.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nation can evict foreign military ships that enter its territorial waters. However, Miyako said, the rules regarding official ships, such as coastguards, are unclear.

"Therefore we are working in line with the Japanese government's policy of demanding they stay out of our territory," he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday repeated Tokyo's mantra that the islands "are an integral part of Japanese territory", but stressed Japan cherishes ties with China as "one of its most important bilateral relations" and was keeping the "door open" for dialogue.

Analysts say the row is unlikely to fade given China's rising power and an uncompromising approach from both sides.

"I suspect the dispute won't ever be resolved as long as they keep their current positions," said Yoshinobu Yamamoto, professor of international politics at the University of Niigata.

"It is wise and practical for the two countries to put it aside and shift their focus to other areas such as economic and regional issues," Yamamoto said.

On Tuesday, Suga said the government was "considering it as an option", when asked if Japan would station officials on the islands, but did not elaborate.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "gravely concerned" by the remarks.

"China's resolve to defend the sovereignty of the Diaoyu islands is firm, and we will not tolerate the Japanese side taking action to infringe China's sovereignty," he said.

"The Japanese side must be prepared to bear the consequences of this provocation."

Japan annexed what it says were unclaimed islands in 1895. It says China's assertion of ownership only came after the discovery of resources in the seabed at the close of the 1960s.

Beijing maintains that the islands have been its territory for hundreds of years and were illegally snatched by Tokyo at the start of an acquisitive romp across Asia that culminated in World War II.

Analysts have warned the presence of so many vessels and airplanes increases the likelihood that a slip by one side could lead to a military confrontation, with serious regional, and possibly global, ramifications.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Japan_on_high_alert_for_disputed_islands_anniversary_999.html.

Japan getting ready for war?

20.08.2013

Tokyo has been taking active steps to strengthen the naval forces of Japan. Not so long ago, Japanese military held an official ceremony to launch the new helicopter carrier Izumo. Next year, the country plans to acquire amphibian vehicles for self-defense forces. The vehicles will be used for landing operations on islands.

The moves events have caused mixed reactions among Japan's neighbors, especially China. The further expansion of the Japanese naval power could break the fragile balance of forces in the region. The completion of the construction of the helicopter carrier coincided with another aggravation of the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands.

The Japanese authorities said that the vessel would not be used for attacks. The development of Izumo began in 2009. The ambitious project was worth a total of $1.5 billion. The length of Izumo is 248 meters, the displacement is 24,000 tons. The vessel is capable of carrying 14 helicopters on board, which will be designed primarily for rescue operations.

However, the Japanese military are not being honest, when they say that the ship can be used only for defensive purposes. Experts believe that the vessel can easily be transformed into an aircraft carrier. In addition, in July, The Japan Times wrote that the Department of Defense was planning to purchase two destroyers in 2015-2015. The Japanese Navy already has six of such ships, equipped with Aigis military information and control systems.

The Navy of Japan is one of the strongest in the region. In terms of the level of technical equipment, the Japanese Navy is almost no way inferior to the navy of China. The main advantage of China is the powerful submarine fleet.

Beijing does not hide its concerns about the military build-up of Tokyo. Interestingly, the Chinese media saw clear signs of militarism in the ceremony of launching the Izumo. "The helicopter carrier was called Izumo - the name was used for the flagship of the Japanese Navy squadron in the Chinese direction during the aggressive war against China," The People's Daily newspaper said.

In addition, the Japanese military are going to purchase American combat amphibious vehicles AAV-7 in 2014. Additional funds from the budget will be allocated for these purposes. These amphibians on crawlers are able to move by sea and land commandoes on islands. U.S. Marines already use them for military operations in different parts of the world.

As  the actions of Japan, the Information Office of the Ministry of Defense of China stated that China was paying special attention to Japan's continuous military expansion. The neighboring countries and the international community should be vigilant in relation to the actions of Japan, Chinese officials said. The Japanese side should draw lessons from history, stick to defensive strategy and strictly follow the promise of peaceful development, the newspaper said.

Tensions started rising between the two countries over the dispute about the Dioyuydao Islands (the Japanese name for the islands is Senkaku). The diplomatic conflict between Japan and China began in September 2012, following the announcement of the nationalization of the archipelago by the Japanese government. The move came after the Senkaku Islands were purchased from private owners. Beijing sent a note of protest to Tokyo at that time. It is an open secret that the territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over the Senkaku Islands has been lasting for many years already. According to the Chinese side, the islands were under the jurisdiction of China many centuries ago. Local historical sources speak of the early development of this area during the time of the Ming Dynasty. In 1895, Japan annexed the Senkaku Islands. China lost all of Taiwan.

After the Second World War, the Senkaku Islands were placed under temporary control of the United States. The new agreement, signed in 1971, provided for the transfer of the archipelago to Japan (China refused to recognize the legitimacy of the decision). One should not forget about another important document that gives China extra arguments in this dispute. The Potsdam Declaration, recognized by Japan after the surrender, stipulates all occupied territories, including the Diaoyu Islands, be returned to China. Most experts do not believe in the possibility of launching a full-scale war over tiny islands, at least in the coming years. However, tensions between the two countries can last for a long time. The territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, directly or indirectly, may trigger a new arms race in the region.

Today, Japan and China declare their readiness to engage in a dialogue on the issue of the disputed islands. In practice, no progress has been reached over the past year in the diplomatic settlement of the conflict over the Senkaku Islands. On the contrary, the two sides continue to test each other's determination. Chinese and Japanese patrol boats regularly visit the waters of the disputed islands. Last week, China once again reminded of itself by sending several Coast Guard ships to Dioyuydao. News agency reported then that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo to explain the move.

Just recently, four Chinese warships performed another maneuver in the waters of the disputed islands. As it should be done in such cases, the Japanese Foreign Ministry lodged a protest in connection with yet another incident near the Senkaku Islands.

Yuri Sosinski-Semikhat

Source: Pravda.
Link: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/20-08-2013/125439-japan_war-0/.

China buys into giant oilfield in Kazakhstan for $6.4 billion

Reuters
Saturday, Sep 07, 2013
ASTANA - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday will oversee China's entry into Kashagan, a vast oilfield in Kazakhstan, as he tours post-Soviet Central Asia to secure hydrocarbons for the world's largest energy consumer.

The US$5 billion (S$6.4 billion) deal further increases China's rising clout in Central Asia, once Russia's imperial backyard, and blocks an attempt by global rival India to get a stake in the oilfield, the world's largest oil discovery in five decades.

Kazakhstan will sell 8.33 per cent of the offshore oilfield to China for about US$5 billion in a deal to be signed during Mr Xi's visit to Kazakh capital Astana later on Saturday, Kazakh government sources told Reuters.

The sale and purchase agreement will be signed by the heads of Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunaiGas and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), said the officials, who requested anonymity.

"We suppose that the transaction will be closed by late September or late October," one of the officials said.

One of the clauses of the agreement stipulates that China will help arrange a loan of up to US$3 billion for KazMunaiGas to help it finance the second stage of Kashagan's development, due to begin after 2020, he said.

China is already involved in a number of oil projects in the vast resource-rich neighbor, which is five times the size of France but has a population of just 17 million.

This week, Mr Xi visited Kazakhstan's neighbor Turkmenistan, which holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves, and oversaw deals aiming to boost gas supplies and build a pipeline to China.

The Kazakh deal comes after Astana decided in July to use its pre-emptive right to buy an 8.4 per cent stake in Kashagan that US oil major ConocoPhillips was selling for US$5 billion.

Houston-based ConocoPhillips, whittling down its worldwide portfolio of assets, announced last year it had agreed to sell the stake to ONGC, the overseas arms of the Indian state-run company.

The sale to CNPC blocks India's plan to enter the Kashagan project.

Kazakhstan, home to 3 per cent of the world's recoverable oil reserves, has moved in recent years to exert greater management control and secure bigger revenues from foreign-owned oil and gas projects.

KazMunaiGas entered the Kashagan consortium as a shareholder in 2005 and has since then doubled its stake to 16.81 per cent.

Kashagan and the neighboring fields in the North Caspian Sea hold estimated reserves of 35 billion barrels of oil in place, with from nine billion to 13 billion barrels being recoverable.

Kazakh officials have said they expect the giant reservoir off western Kazakhstan to produce first oil later this month.

A multinational consortium developing the field has invested some US$50 billion in about 13 years, making it the costliest oil project in the world.

During Kashagan's development, production will be gradually increased to 370,000 barrels per day in the second stage from 180,000 bpd in the first stage in 2013-2014, according to North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which is developing the field.

Italy's ENI, US major ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and France's Total currently all hold 16.81 per cent stakes in Kashagan. Japan's Inpex owns 7.56 per cent.

Source: AsiaOne.
Link: http://business.asiaone.com/news/china-buys-giant-oilfield-kazakhstan-64-billion.

Pope says empty convents and monasteries should house refugees

ROME | Tue Sep 10, 2013

(Reuters) - Disused church buildings should be used to house refugees, who must be embraced rather than feared, Pope Francis told asylum seekers in Rome on Tuesday, underlining his papacy's emphasis on the poor and the plight of immigrants.

Turning convents and monasteries that have emptied due to a drop in vocations into hotels has raised funds for the Church, but also attracted criticism.

"Empty convents and monasteries should not be turned into hotels by the Church to earn money ... (the buildings) are not ours, they are for the flesh of Christ, which is what the refugees are," Francis told a private audience in the Jesuit Astalli Center for refugees, in a speech released to the press.

He met several asylum seekers, including some from Syria, after making an impassioned appeal for peace in the war-torn country at the weekend.

Francis said looking after the poor should not be the work of only "specialists", but engaged in by all members of the Church. It should also be part of the training of priests.

"The word solidarity frightens people in the developed world," the leader of the Catholic Church said.

Since expressing his wish for a "poor Church, and for the poor" shortly after his election in March, Francis' papacy has been marked by his humble style and the prominence given to the destitute.

In July he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, where tens of thousands of illegal migrants arrive yearly, and condemned indifference to many who die making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean seeking a better life.

(Reporting by Naomi O'Leary; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/us-pope-refugees-idUSBRE98918N20130910.

8 die, hundreds evacuated in Romania flooding

September 12, 2013

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Eight people have died and hundreds have been evacuated in remote eastern Romania as torrential rains caused flash flooding, officials reported Thursday.

Authorities said some 700 houses were flooded after 12 villages were hit by a six-hour downfall that began Wednesday evening and equaled the region's average rainfall for two months. Six people drowned, one is missing and two others had fatal heart attacks amid the deluge, local official Nicolae Bacalbasa said Thursday. Authorities were still searching flooded homes for more possible victims in the region, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of Bucharest near the country's border with Moldova.

Forty-five people were rescued from the floodwaters and 330 people were evacuated from their homes, the Interior Ministry reported. Roads in the area were impassable Thursday. The worst-hit village was Cudalbi, where 500 houses were flooded, 200 people were evacuated and one person died, Bacalbasa said. Two people died in the village of Cuca, and two others died in Costache Negri, where 100 houses were flooded.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta sent a deputy to view the area and called an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the situation. More rain is forecast for the coming days.

100,000 Poles in anti-govt march, threaten strike

September 14, 2013

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Threatening a general strike, throwing smoke grenades and blowing whistles, around 100,000 Polish union members marched through Warsaw on Saturday to vent their anger against the government's labor and wage policies.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government is rapidly losing popularity after recently raising the retirement age, announcing a reform of the pension system and relaxing some labor code provisions that allow for longer daily and weekly working hours.

The demonstrators marched to the historic Castle Square with flags and balloons in national white-and-red colors and with banners saying "Tusk's government Must Go," and with individual plaques reading: "I am Tusk's Slave."

They converged on Warsaw from all over Poland on the last of four days of major protests in the city that also included meetings with politicians and debates with labor market experts. Some of them have camped in front of parliament since their first march Wednesday.

The organizers — Poland's largest union, OPZZ, Solidarity and groups representing various professions — said about 120,000 participated in the march Saturday. City authorities said there were some 100,000.

The unionists said that the policies of Tusk's pro-market government hurt the interests of workers and of their families. Tusk is in his sixth year in office and is Poland's longest-serving premier since the fall of communism in 1989.

A nurse interviewed on TVN24 said that after 31 years in her job her monthly earnings are 2,000 zlotys ($630.) OPZZ leader Jan Guz said the march was a warning and if the government does not change its policies "we will block the whole country, we will block every highway, every road" to demand better work conditions.

"We don't accept a policy that leads to poverty," Guz said amid the noise of whistles and horns. Poland has experienced big strikes in the past. In the 1980s, the Solidarity freedom movement organized nationwide strikes that eventually led to democratic reforms.

The marchers complained of large-scale layoffs after economic growth slowed down to 1.9 percent of gross domestic product last year from 4.5 percent in 2011. They want job security and contracts that guarantee health care and retirement benefits at a time when unemployment is at 13 percent and many companies offer short-term contracts without social security.

Workers say average monthly wages of about 3,700 zlotys ($1,150) before tax are among Europe's lowest. They also want the reversal of a recent raise in the retirement age to 67 years from the previous 60 years for women and 65 years for men.

The ruling coalition of Tusk's center-liberal Civic Platform and a peasant party has been losing popularity to the nationalist opposition Law and Justice party of former prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and its parliament majority has shrunk precariously to 232 votes in the 460-member lower house.

Italian government sees hope of survival

September 30, 2013

ROME (AP) — The Italian government's chances of survival rose on Monday as some of former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's longtime loyalists vowed they would not support his attempt to bring down the fragile coalition.

Berlusconi demanded last weekend that the five ministers from his political party quit Premier Enrico Letta's government. He asked them to resign in a show of solidarity ahead of a Senate vote to strip him of his seat because of his tax-fraud conviction.

The ministers, some of them reluctantly, bowed to Berlusconi's demand, plunging the country into political uncertainty. Letta called a confidence vote in Parliament for Wednesday to determine the five-month-old administration's future.

The prospect of the government collapsing worried investors, who sold off the country's stocks and bonds early Monday. There are fears the country would suffer weeks or months of political uncertainty that could derail its attempts to get the economy back on track. Memories are still fresh of this year's inconclusive elections, which left politicians squabbling for two months before Letta's unusual left-right coalition was cobbled together in April.

Letta wants to press ahead with reforms needed to bring the economy, the eurozone's third-largest, out of recession and reduce public debt, which is forecast to near 130 percent of GDP this year. An unstable Italian economy could, some argued, revive the European financial crisis, which had lain dormant for months.

But such fears eased somewhat as a split emerged in Berlusconi's party over whether to pull the plug on the government. At least four of the ministers who quit have said they are considering giving their support to Letta in Parliament. There were also signs of a challenge to Berlusconi's leadership from his political heir, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. Alfano was reportedly worried about the political repercussions — for himself and the Freedom People party — of bringing down the government in the middle of a recession for no better reason than to defend Berlusconi in his personal judicial woes.

Dissent among Berlusconi's aides also was fueled by a decision by many senators in Berlusconi's party to quit in protest if a Senate committee later this week votes to strip him of his seat because of his conviction.

"I have expressed strong opposition to our lawmakers' decision to resign," said just-resigned Reforms Minister Gaetano Quagliariello, a longtime Berlusconi stalwart who appeared to be shaping up to be the leader of an influential, disenchanted faction in the media mogul's leadership ranks.

In an interview with one of Berlusconi's networks, Quagliariello urged his center-right colleagues to avoid "the risk of a crisis that would explode for the country and not be understood by our electorate." He said it would be "folly" if his own party brings down Letta's government.

A late-day strategy huddle with Berlusconi and his key lawmakers only yielded confused signals and no immediate way out of the political crisis, said Fabrizio Cicchitto, a former parliamentary whip who has blasted the conservative leader's strategy to make the ministers quit and provoke the parliamentary showdown.

"I asked for a debate, but (the request) was politely blown off," Chicchitto said after emerging from the hours-long meeting. Participants said Berlusconi did all the talking and quoted him as offering to back Letta for "seven days," in other words, just enough limited support to pass the stability bill, as well as reverse a sales-tax hike and abolish a property tax, both promises to his electorate.

But Cicchitto indicated that Berlusconi's hardliner tactics had essentially left him with no room to maneuver. "Either we freeze the ministers' resignations, and in doing so, eliminate the reasons for a confidence vote, or (Berlusconi's) party must vote in favor" of Letta in order to keep the government afloat, so the tax relief can be passed, Cicchitto said.

Further easing concerns about a government collapse, a top leader in Letta's center-left Democratic Party said the government might avoid a make-or-break confidence vote. Instead, it might seek Parliament's approval on specific motions, likely tied to key economic measures and electoral reform that could serve to calm jittery markets.

"It's very likely that what will happen is that individual motions will be voted on" in confidence votes not formally tied to the government' survival, said Dario Franceschini, minister of parliamentary relations.

Should Letta's government fall, the president has said he will make dissolving Parliament his last resort. That means several weeks could go by while the president sees if another coalition can be cobbled together, possibly with moderates defecting from Berlusconi's ranks. That should earn the government enough time to pass a key budget law by mid-October. The law is needed to bring the deficit back within EU limits and avoid sanctions by the European Union.

By the end of the day, the Milan stock index was down 1.2 percent, half as much as it had dropped earlier. The 10-year bond yield — a measure of investor wariness — was unchanged, having been sharply higher in the morning.

Analysts say that even in the event of a government collapse, financial markets are unlikely to panic. That's mainly thanks to the European Central Bank's promise made 13 months ago to buy the government bonds of heavily indebted countries, if they agree to cut their deficits and debt levels. That means Italy has a backstop from the central bank's theoretically unlimited financial power — even if bond investors were to lose faith and start selling Italy's government bonds, the ECB could step in.

Still, while financial markets are "accustomed to dysfunctional and unstable Italian politics, the latest bout of renewed tensions is unwelcome at a time when Italy remains entrenched in a severe and prolonged economic turndown," said Raj Badiani, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Letta's office said the premier received a call in the afternoon from German Chancellor Angela Merket, wishing him "political stability for Italy and continuity in the government's work." The Italian uncertainty is unlikely to seriously threaten the eurozone, for now. The continent's debt crisis has been subdued since the ECB made its promise last year to do "whatever it takes" to save the euro.

The eurozone economy is also "less fragile than it was six months ago," economist Christian Schulz from Berenberg Bank wrote in a note to investors. "That reduces the risk that contagion could again spread like wildfire across the eurozone."

That holds, however, only so long as the political turmoil does not prevent Italy from being able to agree to the deficit reductions that would be required to get the ECB's help in the bond markets.

McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany

Golden Dawn lawmakers to appear in court

October 01, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Four lawmakers from the extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party are to appear in court for a preliminary hearing into charges of participating in a criminal organization.

Ilias Kassidiaris, who is also party spokesman, Ilias Panagiotaros, Yiannis Lagos and Nikos Mihos were to appear in court Tuesday afternoon for a deposition. Another three party members were to head to court earlier in the day.

The party's top leadership, including its leader, are among 22 people arrested in a crackdown on the Nazi-inspired party sparked by the fatal stabbing of a Greek rap singer. Arrest warrants have been issued for another 10 people.

Golden Dawn rose from a fringe group to become Greece's third most popular party in recent years, riding on a wave of anger over the country's deep financial crisis.

Greek PM vows to eradicate far-right Golden Dawn

September 30, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) — Greece's prime minister said Monday his government will do "whatever it takes" to completely eradicate the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, whose neo-Nazi leaders have just been arrested.

Antonis Samaras said the Greek people "are very smart" and are now seeing the party for what it really is. "I believe that they will realize that they should not follow the party that has such extreme ideological positions and ideas," he told a meeting in New York of AJC, the American Jewish Committee, which advocates globally on Jewish issues.

Samaras, in New York to attend the U.N. annual meeting of world leaders, added that he does not believe the party will return with greater popularity because its leaders will be viewed as victims or martyrs. Golden Dawn's approach and thinking about politics is "so negative" and "so hideous ... (and) so catastrophic to Greeks and Greece that I do not believe they might come back," he said.

Golden Dawn, a formerly fringe nationalist group with neo-Nazi roots that started in the late 1980s, enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity during Greece's financial crisis which began about six years ago. They won 18 seats in the 300-member Parliament in the 2012 election.

Since the election, Golden Dawn has been blamed for numerous violent attacks, mostly against dark-skinned immigrants but also against gays and left-wing activists. The party has been increasingly on the defensive since the Sept. 17 fatal stabbing of a left-wing Greek activist rapper, blamed on a Golden Dawn supporter. Though the party has vehemently denied any role in the killing, it has appeared to dent its appeal among Greeks and apparently sparked the current government crackdown.

Several of the 100 invited guests at Samaras' speech expressed concern at Golden Dawn's anti-Semitic and fierce anti-immigrant stance, and the crowd loudly applauded his pledge to crack down on the party.

"We are dedicated (to) completely eradicating such a shame," he said. "There is no room for the neo-Nazis in any part of the democratic world, and there is no tolerance for the neo-Nazis, or for any kind of extremism, undermining democratic institutions."

On Saturday, police counterterrorism units started arresting key Golden Dawn leaders and by Monday, six lawmakers — including the party's top two officials — 14 other members and two police officers with alleged sympathies had been arrested. Warrants have been issued for 10 more people.

The crackdown marks the first time since the 1974 restoration of democracy after a military dictatorship that sitting members of a Greek parliament have been arrested. On several occasions in his speech and the questions that followed, Samaras used the word "deracinate" — meaning uproot or eradicate — to describe his government's goal. He said Greek authorities reacted decisively in "identifying the culprits" of alleged crimes by Golden Dawn leaders and those "who possibly stand behind them."

The judicial system is now in charge — not the government and it will "take care of them" and it "will deracinate this phenomenon from Greece," he said. As for the government, Samaras said: "We are going to do everything we can for the justice system to do exactly what it has to do, and I think they started correctly and will finish in the best way."

The Greek leader stressed the link between New Dawn's rise and Greece's depression, which has erased about 25 percent of Greece's gross domestic product and sent unemployment as high as 27 percent. Youth unemployment skyrocketed to more than 60 percent.

Despite the standard of living dropping by about 40 percent, which hasn't happened anywhere in the post-World War II era, Samaras said, "the Greek people showed maturity, resilience and determination and we now have started to ascend, getting up step-by-step out of the worst part of the crisis."

He stressed that the people who voted for Golden Dawn were not neo-Nazis. "The heads of the group are neo-Nazis," he said. But their supporters were reacting to the terrible times that Greece went through.

"I would never call the people who voted for them neo-Nazis," he said. Samaras stressed that the arrest of the Golden Dawn supporters was a first in Europe, but he said other countries in the region are facing people with similar ideologies.

"What to me is important is to deracinate totally this group, and the only way you can do it is when unemployment will start falling," he said. "That's what we're planning to do, and hopefully this will be done, and this will establish a precedent ... for the rest of Europe."

With 18 lawmakers in the 300-member Parliament, the Golden Dawn is slated to receive more than 873,000 euros ($1.18 million) in 2013. The Greek government submitted draft legislation to Parliament late Monday aimed at cutting state funding to the party. The proposed legislation would suspend state funding for a party if any members of its leadership or lawmakers are being prosecuted for felonies.

"Democracy cannot fund its rivals," said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos. "When you have a criminal organization which is operating inside a political party, there must be sanctions regarding funding."

Associated Press writers Nicholas Paphitis and Elena Becatoros contributed to this report from Athens.

Wanted Greek lawmaker gives himself up

September 29, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek lawmaker sought by police surrendered on Sunday, bringing to six the number of legislators from the extreme-right Golden Dawn party now in custody and accused of being members of a criminal organization with intent to commit crimes.

The government crackdown on the fiercely anti-immigrant party marks the first time since 1974 that sitting members of a Greek Parliament have been arrested. The arrests underline the government's efforts to stifle Golden Dawn, which has been increasingly on the defensive since the Sept. 17 fatal stabbing of a Greek man blamed on a Golden Dawn supporter.

Thirteen Golden Dawn members and two police officers also have been taken into custody, and arrest warrants issued for 11 other suspects who remain at large, officials said. As he turned himself in at police headquarters in Athens on Sunday, Christos Pappas — a lawmaker described by prosecutors as the Golden Dawn's No. 2 official — condemned the crackdown on his party and the painful austerity measures that have been imposed during the bailout of Greece's battered economy.

Several Greek TV channels broadcast his arrival live, showing him leaving a taxi, ducking under the cordon surrounding the building, and turning to the cameras. "I present myself voluntarily. I have nothing to hide, nothing to fear. The occupation government of the bailout deals has begun unprecedented political persecutions, using so-called independent justice. Nationalism will prevail. Golden Dawn will survive," he said.

Pappas then shouted, "Hail Golden Dawn!" and waved as he entered the building. Five other legislators from the party, which has neo-Nazi roots, have been in custody there since Saturday, including Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos. They were charged with membership in a criminal organization with intent to commit crimes, as Pappas will be.

Court hearings before a magistrate are scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday. Given the seriousness of the charge they face, the arrested Golden Dawn suspects are expected to be transferred to a prison as they await trial. However, the jailed lawmakers will remain members of parliament and only lose their seats if they are convicted or resign.

The government said it plans to introduce legislation Monday aimed at cutting all state funding to Golden Dawn, which is slated to receive more than €873,000 ($1.18 million) in 2013. On Sunday, the Brussels-based European Jewish Congress welcomed the crackdown on Golden Dawn, calling it "a long overdue move which will hopefully send a very strong message to neo-Nazis in Greece and across Europe."

In a statement, congress President Moshe Kantor, said: "We congratulate Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on the crackdown ... and hope that the Greek leadership will make this a central part of the European Union presidency, which they will assume in January 2014."

A formerly marginal organization, Golden Dawn won only 0.29 percent of the vote in a 2009 national election in Greece, but saw its popularity explode by capitalizing on public resentment over an influx of illegal immigrants.

Downplaying its extremist roots and presenting itself as a "patriotic" force, the party won public support by patrolling streets, doing the shopping for elderly residents, and collecting back rents for apartment owners with migrant tenants.

During the heyday of Greece's anti-austerity protests in 2011, Golden Dawn members carried Greek flags and loudly blamed migrants and foreign "predators." Last year's election put 18 Golden Dawn lawmakers in the 300-member parliament, and party members have frequently been suspected of physically attacking immigrants.

Austria's governing coalition slips in elections

September 29, 2013

VIENNA (AP) — Austria's two government coalition parties appeared to have lost some support in parliamentary elections Sunday but seemed likely to keep the absolute majority they need to stay in power for the next five years.

Meanwhile, a right-wing, anti-immigrant party made gains. With more than 60 percent of the vote counted, the Socialist Party had 26.5 percent backing and its centrist People's Party partner was at 23.7 percent. That was a loss of more than 2 percentage points each for both parties.

A final official tally was expected later in the day. The right-wing Freedom Party had 22 percent, a gain of nearly 4 percentage points, after a campaign strong on anti-immigrant and European Union-skeptic sentiment.

The Greens gained only slightly from the last elections five years ago, with 11.5 percent. Also clearing the 4-percent hurdle needed to get into parliament were the liberal NEOS at 4.6 percent and the populist Team Stronach of Austro-Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach with 5.9 percent.

The partial results reflected some erosion of support for the mainstream Socialists and People's Party and their pro-EU stance, particularly in the context of the gains by the Freedom Party and Team Stronach's relatively strong showing in its first federal election.

Many Austrians are opposed to their government's financial and moral backing for the bailouts of Greece and other economically struggling eurozone countries during the protracted crisis that has gripped some of the 17 nations using the EU's common currency.

Unmanned cargo ship docks with orbiting Space Station

Washington (AFP)
Sept 29, 2013

An unmanned cargo ship successfully berthed with the orbiting International Space Station on Sunday following a one-week delay due to a technical glitch, NASA said.

ISS astronauts "successfully captured the Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo spacecraft with the station's robotic arm" at 1100 GMT, NASA said.

"Following its capture, the spacecraft is being maneuvered by Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Karen Nyberg of NASA for installation onto the Earth-facing port of the station's Harmony module," the space agency said on its website.

The Cygnus capsule, built by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences, launched on September 18 on a demonstration mission meant to show it can successfully deliver cargo to the space station.

Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA that requires the company to deliver freight to the ISS over the course of eight flights by the beginning of 2016.

However a software problem delayed the Cygnus spacecraft's planned approach to the research outpost. The capsule manufacturers eventually figured out how to fix what they called a data format mismatch.

Orbital Sciences is one of just two private US firms enlisted by NASA to carry payloads to the ISS.

California-based SpaceX already showed it could send its reusable Dragon capsule to the ISS bearing cargo in May 2012.

Cygnus's delay however allowed time for three new ISS crew members -- Michael Hopkins of NASA and Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian space agency -- to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz.

Their Soyuz-TMA-10M capsule blasted off from Kazakhstan and docked successfully with the ISS just six hours later, in a new shortcut route now used by the Russian space agency.

The capsule orbited the Earth just four times on its way to the ISS as opposed to the usual 30, under a technique originally devised in the Soviet era but only adopted on a regular basis in the past year.

The orbiting space lab is typically staffed by six international astronauts -- traveling in overlapping groups of three -- who live on board for missions that last six months.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Unmanned_cargo_ship_docks_with_orbiting_Space_Station_999.html.

Russian court jails 6 more Greenpeace activists

September 29, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in the northern Russian city of Murmansk on Sunday sent six more Greenpeace activists to jail for two months and showed no sign that the remaining two activists would be treated any differently for a protest at a drilling platform in Arctic waters.

Twenty other activists and two journalists were ordered jailed for two months during a marathon court session on Thursday that stretched late into night, but the court ruled to hold the remaining eight only until new hearings could be held on Sunday.

No charges have been brought against any of the activists, who are citizens of 18 countries, including Russia. Russian prosecutors are considering whether to charge them with piracy, among other offenses, and the activists are being held pending the investigation.

The Russian Coast Guard disrupted an attempt on Sept. 18 by two of the activists to scale a platform owned by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to call attention to the environmental risks of drilling in Arctic waters. The next day, the Coast Guard seized Greenpeace's ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and towed it to Murmansk with the crew and activists aboard.

Greenpeace Russia campaign director Ivan Blokov has described the seizure of the ship as "the most aggressive and hostile act" against the environmental organization since French government agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior ship in 1985, killing one man.

Peter Wilcox, an American who captained the Rainbow Warrior, also is the captain of the Arctic Sunrise. He was ordered held in custody during Thursday's court session. Those ordered jailed on Sunday include Dima Litvinov, Greenpeace International spokesman, who has dual U.S. and Swedish citizenship; Finnish activist Sini Saarela, who was one of the two who tried to scale the platform; a British activist; two Dutch citizens and a Ukrainian cook.

The platform, which belongs to Gazprom's oil subsidiary, is the first offshore rig in the Arctic. It was deployed to the vast Prirazlomnoye oil field in the Pechora Sea in 2011, but its launch has been delayed by technological challenges. Gazprom said this month it was to start pumping oil this year, but no precise date has been set.

Jailed Russian tycoon is honored by Lech Walesa

September 29, 2013

GDANSK, Poland (AP) — A son of Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky received a $100,000 human rights award on behalf of his imprisoned father on Sunday during a ceremony in Poland conducted by Solidarity founder Lech Walesa.

The award, announced on Thursday, was bestowed in recognition of the tycoon's efforts to build a free economy and a civil society in Russia. In the ornate 14th-century Artus Court in Gdansk, Walesa gave the award to 28-year-old Pavel, Khodorkovsky's eldest child, who read his father's letter of thanks in English.

In a speech he said the award is a great encouragement to his father, at a time when he needs it, and a sign that "Poland and Europe are right behind" him . Pavel Khodorkovsky lives in New York, where he heads the Institute of Modern Russia think tank.

Walesa said he hopes that "our recognition for suffering and struggle will bring effects." Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has been convicted in two separate trials in his country of evading taxes, stealing oil from his own company and laundering the proceeds. He has spent nearly 10 years in prison and is due for release in 2014.

At the time of his arrest in 2003 most Russians were pleased to see Putin reining in the oligarchs, who had gained fantastic wealth and political influence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But Khodorkovsky's demeanor during his trials and his writings from prison have earned him much respect.

His case is seen as Putin's punishment for Khodorkovsky's political ambitions and support for the opposition. Amnesty International has declared Khodorkovsky a prisoner of conscience. As a Gdansk shipyard electrician, Walesa received the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for founding Solidarity, the Polish freedom movement that grew out of worker discontent. In 1989 it peacefully ousted communism from Poland and the following year Walesa became Poland's first popularly elected president.

He has since withdrawn from active politics but continues to support pro-democracy efforts around the world, including the Lech Walesa human rights award that he founded in 2008. Walesa turned 70 on Sunday, and the award-giving ceremony began with presents, flowers and good wishes for him.

Afterward, a birthday party was held for Walesa at the Abbots' Palace in Gdansk, attended by hundreds of people, including government officials, public figures and Pavel Khodorkovsky.

Cambodian opposition boycotts parliament over vote

September 23, 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The Cambodian opposition boycotted the opening of parliament Monday over alleged widespread cheating in the July elections, putting the country's political crisis at a critical juncture.

Empty seats dotted the National Assembly as 55 lawmakers elected from the opposition were absent, while 68 ruling party lawmakers attended the session. Heavy security surrounded the parliament Authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen was poised to continue his 28 years in power during a re-election vote scheduled for Tuesday's session, which was largely a formality. The 61-year-old leader took his seat beside other lawmakers and made no comment about the boycott.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party says it was cheated out of a victory because of electoral fraud. It had vowed for weeks to boycott parliament unless the government agreed to an independent probe of the July 28 election results.

The government rejected the demand of an independent probe, and King Norodom Sihamoni had urged the opposition to take its seats at the assembly, pointing to a constitutional stipulation that the assembly must be convened within 60 days of the election.

"The Cambodian nation must stand united," Sihamoni told the half-empty assembly as he convened parliament. He did not mention the boycott but called for an "active and vigorous implementation" of legal and judicial reforms — among the many reforms called for by the opposition.

As the ruling Cambodian People's Party swore in its lawmakers, the opposition held its own symbolic ceremony far from the capital at the sacred temple of Angkor Wat, in Siem Reap. The opposition lawmakers took an oath not to participate in government until justice is delivered, said Son Chhay, an opposition lawmaker.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called the convening of parliament without the opposition a violation of the constitution. "What the (ruling party) did this morning is a step backward for Cambodia," Sam Rainsy said. "It violates the constitution which calls for pluralism, not one-party rule."

Talks last week between Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy failed to break the deadlock. Both sides agreed to seek a non-violent solution to the political crisis, following clashes and a shooting during an earlier demonstration that left one protester dead. They also pledged to work toward electoral reforms in the future.

Analysts say the question now is whether Hun Sen will cede ground to the opposition, and how the opposition will use its new clout — which includes an increase of 26 seats in the assembly. Analysts are divided over the boycott strategy but say the election's outcome shows a significant desire for change among voters.

Although Hun Sen is in a position to impose his will, a compromise would be in his interests to give his regime legitimacy, especially among foreign powers who have questioned the fairness of the polls.

S. Korea to parade North-focused cruise missile

Seoul (AFP)
Sept 11, 2013

South Korea will show off a cruise missile capable of surgical strikes on the North Korean leadership when it stages a military parade in Seoul next month, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The parade on October 1 marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of South Korea's armed forces and is held every five years.

Around 11,000 troops will take part along with picks from the South's military arsenal, including tanks, artillery and rockets and a fly-over involving air force helicopters and jet fighters, a ministry official said.

Also on display will be the Hyeonmu 3, an indigenously developed cruise missile that was first deployed on naval destroyers in November last year.

Two days after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test on February 12, the South's defense ministry called in the media for a video presentation of the Hyeonmu's capabilities.

"It is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the office window of the North's command headquarters," ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters at the time.

The North's nuclear test triggered two months of heightened military tensions on the Korean peninsula that witnessed almost daily threats of strikes and counter-strikes.

The tensions have since eased and the two Koreas are currently making progress on resuming a series of suspended cross-border projects and programs.

Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said South Korea should be wary of antagonizing the North at such a sensitive time.

"In light of the current situation, a low-key event is more desirable than a large scale parade which is likely to irritate the North," Yang said.

But the event in Seoul will be nowhere near the scale of the mass display of military might the North put on in July to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/S_Korea_to_parade_North-focused_cruise_missile_999.html.