VOA News: Africa: African Union Suspends Guinea-Bissau

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

African Union Suspends Guinea-Bissau Apr 17th 2012, 12:26 The African Union has suspended Guinea-Bissau, following last week's coup by the military. The AU Peace and Security Council said Tuesday that Guinea-Bissau is suspended from all AU activities until the return of constitutional order in the West African country. In a statement, AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping rejected efforts by coup leaders to set up a transitional national council. He said the coup leaders are violating the constitution, and urged Guinea-Bissau politicians to avoid involvement in what he called "window dressing" for the takeover. He also said the coup leaders are trying to arbitrarily halt an ongoing election process. A runoff election was planned at the end of this month to replace the late president, Malam Bacai Sanha, who died in January after a long illness. Earlier Tuesday, the regional bloc ECOWAS said the coup leaders have accepted its demand to restore constitutional order, following talks between the two sides.  There has been no comment from the junta. ECOWAS Commission President Desire Kadre Ouedraogo said the bloc also demanded the release of prisoners. Soldiers detained interim President Raimundo Pereira and former prime minister Carlos Gomes Junior as the military seized power last Thursday. Gomes was the frontrunning candidate in the presidential run-off that was scheduled for April 29.  His opponent, Kumba Yala, is a former president who has had close ties to the military. Gomes won the first-round vote but fell short of the majority required for outright victory. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed "grave concern" over the crisis in Guinea-Bissau. The country has endured decades of instability marked by numerous coups and coup attempts and the assassination of President Joao Bernardo Vieria in 2009 by renegade soldiers.  Guinea-Bissau has also become a transit point for international drug traffickers. Media files: AFP AU Commissioner Jean Ping 17Apr12 480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) AFP AU Commissioner Jean Ping 17Apr12 230.jpg

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Asia: India Cuts Interest Rate for First Time in 3 Years

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

India Cuts Interest Rate for First Time in 3 Years Apr 17th 2012, 11:51 India's Central Bank has cut interest rates for the first time in three years to give fresh momentum to a slowing economy. The government hopes it will revive confidence in an economy that many fear is losing its sheen.   The Central Bank announced Tuesday it will cut interest rates by half a percentage point from 8.5 percent to 8 percent. The reduction was larger than expected. The Central Bank says it has lowered interest rates because economic growth has slowed to less than what it believes is its long-term trend rate. Economic growth slipped to less than 7 percent last year. Many believe that 13 successive rate hikes since March 2010 contributed to the slowdown in an economy that had been racing ahead at almost 9 percent. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee hopes the Reserve Bank's measure will help the economy to rebound. "The growth outlook, which had weakened in these past months, should now improve. The monetary policy announcement should help in investment revival and contribute to strengthening business sentiment," he stated. Business leaders have welcomed the cut in interest rates and expressed confidence that it will encourage more aggressive investment. More expensive credit had slowed domestic demand for homes and cars. But worries remain. The Central Bank has warned it may not be able to cut interest rates any further if the government does not take steps to control a high budget deficit.   A higher bill for food and fuel subsidies, and higher spending on rural welfare programs, have put the government' finances under strain.    N. R. Bhanumurthy, at the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi, says it is critical for the government to shore up its finances. "The biggest downturn risk is the seriousness of the government in containing the deficit, particularly the subsidy bill. They are expected to bring it down sharply, he said. "If that does not realize, I think the scope for monetary policy to play as a growth measure is going to be very limited." The government is hoping that growth will improve this year to over 7 percent. India is Asia's third largest economy, and was widely seen as one of the engines that could help a global economic revival. But the recent slowdown has dented some of that that optimism. Media files: Reut_IndiaEconomy2_17apr12-300.jpg

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Economy: India Cuts Interest Rate for First Time in 3 Years

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

India Cuts Interest Rate for First Time in 3 Years Apr 17th 2012, 11:51 India's Central Bank has cut interest rates for the first time in three years to give fresh momentum to a slowing economy. The government hopes it will revive confidence in an economy that many fear is losing its sheen.   The Central Bank announced Tuesday it will cut interest rates by half a percentage point from 8.5 percent to 8 percent. The reduction was larger than expected. The Central Bank says it has lowered interest rates because economic growth has slowed to less than what it believes is its long-term trend rate. Economic growth slipped to less than 7 percent last year. Many believe that 13 successive rate hikes since March 2010 contributed to the slowdown in an economy that had been racing ahead at almost 9 percent. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee hopes the Reserve Bank's measure will help the economy to rebound. "The growth outlook, which had weakened in these past months, should now improve. The monetary policy announcement should help in investment revival and contribute to strengthening business sentiment," he stated. Business leaders have welcomed the cut in interest rates and expressed confidence that it will encourage more aggressive investment. More expensive credit had slowed domestic demand for homes and cars. But worries remain. The Central Bank has warned it may not be able to cut interest rates any further if the government does not take steps to control a high budget deficit.   A higher bill for food and fuel subsidies, and higher spending on rural welfare programs, have put the government' finances under strain.    N. R. Bhanumurthy, at the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi, says it is critical for the government to shore up its finances. "The biggest downturn risk is the seriousness of the government in containing the deficit, particularly the subsidy bill. They are expected to bring it down sharply, he said. "If that does not realize, I think the scope for monetary policy to play as a growth measure is going to be very limited." The government is hoping that growth will improve this year to over 7 percent. India is Asia's third largest economy, and was widely seen as one of the engines that could help a global economic revival. But the recent slowdown has dented some of that that optimism. Media files: Reut_IndiaEconomy2_17apr12-300.jpg

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Asia: Karzai: Taliban Attacks 'Prolong Foreign Presence'

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Karzai: Taliban Attacks 'Prolong Foreign Presence' Apr 17th 2012, 12:29 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has appealed to the Taliban to stop their attacks, saying renewed violence is only serving to prolong foreign presence in Afghanistan. President Karzai's comments on Tuesday came a day after an 18-hour insurgent offensive across Afghanistan claimed the lives of four civilians, 11 Afghan security personnel and 36 militants. Addressing an audience of college students in Kabul, Karzai said violence by the Taliban does not benefit Islam, Muslims or the Afghan people. "You did nothing for Islam, you did not work for Afghanistan's independence and you did not work for its people, freedom and development. You worked to prolong a foreign presence," he said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the coordinated assaults on embassies, government buildings and NATO military bases, which ended Monday. But Afghan and U.S. officials blame the Pakistan-based Haqqani network. The violence comes as NATO foreign and defense ministers prepare to meet Wednesday in Brussels, where they are expected to discuss the planned withdrawal of all of the nearly 130,000 foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.  Ministers will lay the groundwork for next month's NATO summit in Chicago. That plan seemed to take a hit on Tuesday, when Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that her country's troops would begin pulling out of Afghanistan one year earlier than planned. Gillard said said most of her country's 1,550 troops would return home by the end of 2013, thanks in part to security improvements and the death of Osama bin Laden. Australia is not the first country to begin accelerating its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Earlier this year, France said its combat forces would also leave the country by the end of 2013, also a year ahead of schedule. Many observers fear that other countries could follow suit, leading to a dangerous "race to the exits" as the over decade-long war winds down. But others are taking a more optimistic stance, praising the quick response of the Afghan security forces for limiting the damage of the most recent insurgent attacks. On Monday, President Karzai said the attacks were an "intelligence failure for us and especially for NATO" and demanded a full investigation.    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks in the strongest possible terms. He noted the Afghan forces' efforts in responding to the attack and called on all parties to do everything possible to protect civilians. The U.N. Security Council also condemned the attacks, which came at a time of increased tension between coalition and Afghan forces over several incidents, including the accidental burning of Qurans and a deadly attack by a U.S. soldier that killed 17 Afghan villagers. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Media files: reuters_afghanistan_karzai_17april2012_eng2_480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) reuters_afghanistan_karzai_17april2012_eng2_230.jpg

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Middle East: Syrian Forces Widen Attacks as Cease-Fire Unravels

VOA News: Middle East Middle East Voice of America

Syrian Forces Widen Attacks as Cease-Fire Unravels Apr 17th 2012, 11:44 Activists say Syrian government forces widened their attacks on opposition strongholds Tuesday, killing two civilians and wounding dozens more as a U.N.-brokered cease-fire continued to unravel despite the presence of foreign observers. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the casualties occurred when army tanks shelled the town of Busra al-Harir, a stronghold of the rebel Free Syrian Army in southern Daraa province. <!--IMAGE-RIGHT--> The activist group said troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also continued to shell the Khaldiyeh neighborhood in the central city of Homs, a center of the anti-government revolt. Homs has been under continuous attack, with only a short break on the first day of the cease-fire. The casualties could not be independently verified. In Damascus, the head of an advance team of six unarmed United Nations observers said it would take time for monitors to reach the hardest hit areas. Col. Ahmed Himmiche said Tuesday the group's mission "is a difficult process [that] requires coordination and planning...we should move step by step." An additional 25 monitors are expected to arrive within days. Kofi Annan's Six-Point Peace Plan A Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. A U.N. supervised end to armed violence by all parties in Syria. Timely humanitarian assistance in all areas affected by fighting. Increasing the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained people. Ensuring freedom of movement for journalists. Respecting freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully. The shaky cease-fire is part of international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan to launch talks between Assad's government and opposition forces attempting to oust him. Annan travels to Doha, Qatar Tuesday to brief the Arab League on the situation in Syria. Diplomats and finance ministry officials from the Arab world, the West and elsewhere also are meeting Tuesday in Paris to coordinate sanctions against Damascus. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused unspecified external forces of seeking to undermine Annan's efforts to end more than a year of bloodshed in Syria, saying support for government foes is threatening the fragile cease-fire. In televised remarks Tuesday, Lavrov said such actors "are doing this by delivering arms to the Syrian opposition and stimulating the activity of rebels who continue to attack both government and civilian facilities." Russia has provided Syria with weapons and - along with China - shielded Assad by blocking U.N. Security Council resolutions condemning his government for a crackdown in which the U.N. says its forces have killed more than 9,000 people since March 2011. Moscow has pledged its full support for Annan's peace plan and last week called on the Syrian government to step up implementation, but Russia has also put much of the blame for the bloodshed on opposition forces. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Damascus has a "responsibility" to ensure that observers on the ground in Syria can move freely to monitor the truce, which took effect last Thursday. Ban also urged Syrian security forces to exercise restraint and called on rebels to fully cooperate with the cease-fire, which he acknowledged is "very fragile." Annan has called for the monitoring team to be expanded to 250 personnel, but a second Council resolution is required for such a step. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said Monday that if Syria's violence persists despite the cease-fire, "it will call into question the wisdom ... of sending in the full monitoring presence." U.N. human rights investigators said Monday they have gathered evidence of Syrian government attacks on civilian areas since the truce began. The panel also said it continued to receive reports of human rights abuses committed by anti-government groups. Media files: AFP Syria attacks 17Apr12 480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) AFP Syria attacks 17Apr12 230.jpg syriadeath300-april14.png

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: USA: Trial Opens for Alleged New York Bomb Plotter

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

Trial Opens for Alleged New York Bomb Plotter Apr 17th 2012, 10:28 A Bosnian immigrant accused in a subway bombing terrorism plot has gone on trial in federal court in New York City. He faces life in prison if convicted on all nine counts, including conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. A federal jury in Brooklyn is hearing the terrorism case against 27-year-old Bosnian-born Adis Medunjanin, who allegedly conspired with two former high school friends to bomb New York subways in 2009. Medunjanin is accused of nine counts of terrorism, including receiving bomb-making training in Pakistan with Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, both of whom have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with federal prosecutors. The case opened Monday with a day of testimony from Ahmedzay, who described traveling to Pakistan with Medunjanin and Zazi intending to fight with the Taliban against American forces in Afghanistan. Once there, he said, they were taken instead to an al-Qaida training camp in northwestern Pakistan and urged to carry out a suicide mission in the United States. The men agreed, and after returning to the U.S., Zazi began assembling ingredients for the bombs, including nail polish remover and peroxide from beauty supply stores. Ahmedzay testified they discussed potential targets with their al-Qaida handlers in Pakistan, including Times Square, the New York Stock Exchange, Grand Central Station and Pennsylvania Station, but did not settle on a definite one. The goal, he said, was to strike a crowded subway station during rush hour, to maximize civilian casualties. Karen Greenberg, a terrorism expert with Fordham University Law School, said the case is different because it was not a sting operation set in motion by the government. "You know, we've seen FBI sting after FBI sting, in a number of courtrooms, as opposed to plots that were interrupted or plots that actually happened or something that didn't involve the FBI, and that therefore did pose a danger to the United States," she said. "As you know, in the FBI sting cases, the FBI has control of the case, they often provide the weapons, so there's not really a worry of somebody getting hurt." Medunjanin, whose family fled Bosnia-Herzegovina for the New York borough of Queens in the 1990s, was a devout Muslim, according to his former friend. His lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, said Medunjanin never intended to hurt anyone when he crashed his car into another vehicle on a New York City bridge just after calling a police emergency line to say that he "loved death more than you love your life." Prosecutors termed that a jihadist slogan, but Gottlieb told the jury that Medunjanin meant only to kill himself, rather than be falsely branded as a Muslim terrorist. Medunjanin's other confessed co-conspirator, Najibullah Zazi, is expected to take the stand Tuesday to testify against his former friend. Media files: ap_new_york_terror_Medunjanin_trial_300_eng_16apr12.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Asia: US Military: Official's Statement 'Mischaracterized' By S. Korean Media

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

US Military: Official's Statement 'Mischaracterized' By S. Korean Media Apr 17th 2012, 10:24 U.S. military officials say South Korean media took out of context a comment made Tuesday at a Seoul news conference by the new head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear III. "Numerous reports following the event have mischaracterized his comments regarding U.S. response to possible future provocation of a nuclear test by North Korea, speculating that the U.S. is considering specific responses," according to a release issued by the U.S. military in South Korea. During a news conference with South Korean reporters from the Ministry of National Defense press corps, Locklear was asked whether the United States would again consider "surgical strikes" against North Korea if it is evident the country is preparing to conduct a third nuclear test. Such strikes reportedly were considered at the time of a nuclear test in 1994. The release quotes Locklear as saying, "I don't think it would be appropriate to comment on how we would pursue any further military operations, but I can tell you that, with the alliance, that we are continually looking at all options." Shortly after the briefing, South Korean media - including the widely viewed cable network YTN, the semi-official Yonhap news agency and newspaper web sites - quoted the four-star admiral differently. "If North Korea tries a third nuclear test, we'll consider all possible measures, including precision strikes on North Korea's nuclear test site," was how MBN television reported what Locklear said. Other South Korean media also said the head of the U.S. Pacific Command had indicated surgical or precision strikes are an option. Senior analyst Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group expresses concern such misquotes give North Korea a pretext for military strikes. The misquotes "play right into their narrative," he said. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea, which typically takes two or more days to react to comments about the country by South Korean or U.S. officials. Pinkston, based in Seoul, predicts Pyongyang, through its official news agency, will certainly react and likely blast Locklear as a "warmonger" or use similar belligerent language typical of its frequent verbal attacks on the United States and South Korea. Locklear is making his first visit to South Korea since assuming command of USPACOM on March 9. His comment about North Korea comes four days after that country's defiance of U.N. resolutions with a failed space launch. USPACOM is one of six unified combatant commands of the United States armed forces and its area of responsibility encompasses about half of the Earth's surface. International news organizations had requested to attend the admiral's briefing at the Combined Forces Command at the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison, but received no response from USPACOM explaining why they were excluded. The Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, which represents more than 100 international news organizations, had also requested that a representative pool of international reporters attend the news conference, coming as it did at a critical time on the Korean peninsula. The U.S. military-affiliated American Forces Network and Stars and Strips newspaper did have reporters present at the briefing, but made no reference to the controversial quote. Monday, the United Nations Security Council "strongly condemned" the launch and ordered tightened sanctions on the reclusive and impoverished country. The council said the launch of the rocket, which disintegrated over the Yellow Sea shortly after blast off, was a "serious violation" of U.N. resolutions 1718 and 1874. South Korea and the United States contend North Korea was attempting to test fire a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile. Locklear called North Korea's launch "a fairly catastrophic failure" that caused him to "question their competency in advanced missile technology," according to Stars and Stripes. It was the third failed launch by North Korea and particularly embarrassing because the reclusive country had allowed foreign reporters to tour the new Sohae launch site just days before the launch. North Korea's two previous attempted launches were soon followed by nuclear tests, which led to sanctions being imposed on Pyongyang. Japanese media quote diplomatic sources saying North Korea has rescinded an invitation for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities. The reports say the action was taken in retaliation for a U.S. decision to withhold food aid because of the attempted rocket launch. South Korean government sources last week distributed to international news organizations satellite imagery taken April 1 indicating fresh tunnels being dug near the town of Punngye-ri, where North Korea carried out its two previous nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Additional reporting by Youmi Kim in Seoul. Media files: ap_us_locklear_south_korea_kim_17apr12_480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: USA: US Military: Official's Statement 'Mischaracterized' By South Korean Media

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

US Military: Official's Statement 'Mischaracterized' By South Korean Media Apr 17th 2012, 10:24 U.S. military officials say South Korean media took out of context a comment made Tuesday at a Seoul news conference by the new head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear III. "Numerous reports following the event have mischaracterized his comments regarding U.S. response to possible future provocation of a nuclear test by North Korea, speculating that the U.S. is considering specific responses," according to a release issued by the U.S. military in South Korea. During a news conference with South Korean reporters from the Ministry of National Defense press corps, Locklear was asked whether the United States would again consider "surgical strikes" against North Korea if it is evident the country is preparing to conduct a third nuclear test. Such strikes reportedly were considered at the time of a nuclear test in 1994. The release quotes Locklear as saying, "I don't think it would be appropriate to comment on how we would pursue any further military operations, but I can tell you that, with the alliance, that we are continually looking at all options." Shortly after the briefing, South Korean media - including the widely viewed cable network YTN, the semi-official Yonhap news agency and newspaper web sites - quoted the four-star admiral differently. "If North Korea tries a third nuclear test, we'll consider all possible measures, including precision strikes on North Korea's nuclear test site," was how MBN television reported what Locklear said. Other South Korean media also said the head of the U.S. Pacific Command had indicated surgical or precision strikes are an option. Senior analyst Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group expresses concern such misquotes give North Korea a pretext for military strikes. The misquotes "play right into their narrative," he said. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea, which typically takes two or more days to react to comments about the country by South Korean or U.S. officials. Pinkston, based in Seoul, predicts Pyongyang, through its official news agency, will certainly react and likely blast Locklear as a "warmonger" or use similar belligerent language typical of its frequent verbal attacks on the United States and South Korea. Locklear is making his first visit to South Korea since assuming command of USPACOM on March 9. His comment about North Korea comes four days after that country's defiance of U.N. resolutions with a failed space launch. USPACOM is one of six unified combatant commands of the United States armed forces and its area of responsibility encompasses about half of the Earth's surface. International news organizations had requested to attend the admiral's briefing at the Combined Forces Command at the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison, but received no response from USPACOM explaining why they were excluded. The Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, which represents more than 100 international news organizations, had also requested that a representative pool of international reporters attend the news conference, coming as it did at a critical time on the Korean peninsula. The U.S. military-affiliated American Forces Network and Stars and Strips newspaper did have reporters present at the briefing, but made no reference to the controversial quote. Monday, the United Nations Security Council "strongly condemned" the launch and ordered tightened sanctions on the reclusive and impoverished country. The council said the launch of the rocket, which disintegrated over the Yellow Sea shortly after blast off, was a "serious violation" of U.N. resolutions 1718 and 1874. South Korea and the United States contend North Korea was attempting to test fire a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile. Locklear called North Korea's launch "a fairly catastrophic failure" that caused him to "question their competency in advanced missile technology," according to Stars and Stripes. It was the third failed launch by North Korea and particularly embarrassing because the reclusive country had allowed foreign reporters to tour the new Sohae launch site just days before the launch. North Korea's two previous attempted launches were soon followed by nuclear tests, which led to sanctions being imposed on Pyongyang. Japanese media quote diplomatic sources saying North Korea has rescinded an invitation for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities. The reports say the action was taken in retaliation for a U.S. decision to withhold food aid because of the attempted rocket launch. South Korean government sources last week distributed to international news organizations satellite imagery taken April 1 indicating fresh tunnels being dug near the town of Punngye-ri, where North Korea carried out its two previous nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Additional reporting by Youmi Kim in Seoul. Media files: ap_us_locklear_south_korea_kim_17apr12_480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Asia: China Joins World Powers in Strong Warning to North Korea

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

China Joins World Powers in Strong Warning to North Korea Apr 17th 2012, 09:07 China has joined other world powers in warning North Korea that they will not tolerate any more provocations after the isolated nation's failed rocket launch last week. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said late Monday in Brasilia that the U.N. Security Council members, including China, are agreed there will be "further consequences" in the event of another provocative act by North Korea. Recent satellite photographs show Pyongyang may be preparing for an underground nuclear test. China's state-controlled media are also showing signs of frustration with Pyongyang, noting that China took "a clear attitude in condemning" its longtime ally when it backed a U.N. Security Council statement criticizing the rocket launch. China's Communist Party-controlled Global Times newspaper said Tuesday that Pyongyang should not be misled into thinking it can ignore Beijing's wishes with impunity. The paper said North Korea will "pay the price if it tries to abduct China's North Korea policy." In its unanimous statement Monday, the Security Council condemned Friday's rocket launch as a "serious violation" of existing U.N. resolutions, and ordered its sanctions committee to tighten measures aimed at preventing North Korea from developing and exporting nuclear and missile technology. The statement said the council will respond accordingly to any further provocations. Pyongyang had announced the failed launch as an effort to put a weather satellite into orbit, but the United States and other countries condemned it as a covert attempt to test a ballistic missile that could later be used to fire a nuclear warhead. Existing U.N. resolutions bar it from any use of ballistic missile technology. Japanese media reported Tuesday that Pyongyang has also withdrawn an invitation for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its facilities in retaliation for the U.S. cancelation of a food aid package. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, who heads the Security Council this month, said in New York Monday that the failed space shot had caused "grave security concerns" across much of East Asia. "The swift and unanimous adoption of this strong presidential statement shows that the international community is united in sending a clear message to North Korea that such provocations are serious and totally unacceptable.  Critically, the Security Council made clear there will be consequences for any further North Korean launch or nuclear test," she said. "If North Korea chooses again to defy the international community, then the Council has expressed its determination to take action accordingly." Hours later in Brasilia, Clinton stressed China's commitment to punishing any further provocations. China has long been North Korea's most reliable ally and is believed to have more influence over its behavior than any other country. Several analysts have noted that two previous failed North Korean missile launches were shortly followed by underground nuclear tests. South Korean officials last week made available satellite photos of new activity at North Korea's nuclear test site. However, Global Times quotes the dean of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at Tongji University in Shanghai as saying Pyongyang knows the consequences of another nuclear test would be much graver than in the past. "The rocket launch has already cost the state roughly $850 million, enough to buy 2.5 million tons of corn," Cui Zhiying told the paper. "Does it have enough money to carry out another nuclear test? I seriously doubt it." Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP. Media files: AP120327112591 230_edited-1.jpg

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

VOA News: Africa: Former Zambian Vice President George Kunda Dies

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Former Zambian Vice President George Kunda Dies Apr 17th 2012, 06:43 Former Zambian Vice President George Kunda died Monday at the University Teaching Hospital in the capital, Lusaka. Kunda served as vice president in former President Rupiah Banda's administration before his party lost to current President Michael Sata's Patriotic Front Party in last September's election. Gift Chanda, a journalist with the Zambia Post newspaper, said there has been no official government announcement on the exact cause of Kunda's death. "Mr. Kunda passed away in the capital city around 15 hours (Monday) in the University Teaching Hospital, which is the biggest hospital in the country. Both the National Assembly and the University Teaching Hospital managing director confirmed his death," he said. Chanda quotes hospital officials as saying the 56-year old Kunda died from anemia-related causes. He said Kunda campaigned alongside Banda during the 2011 presidential campaign, although it was rumored he was not well at the time. "During the campaign, yes, he was rumored to have been sick at some point.  But, he managed to campaign with the former president, Mr. Rupiah Banda," Chanda said. Chanda said, before his death, Kunda was critical of the Sata government's campaign against corruption, which the late vice president likened to a political witch hunt of former Banda officials. "One thing to also note is that Mr. Kunda was a strong critic of the government's strong fight against corruption.  He thought that the persecution of former top officials in his party was just a witch hunt and harassment," Chanda said. Media files: Zambia Curious Map.jpg butty-zambia-former-vp-dies-chanda-17april12.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions