Overseas Media React to Super Tuesday, McCain

While it's an American election, the foreign media have been keeping a careful watch on the comings and goings of our presidential race. And the events of the past week - the Super Tuesday results and John McCain's emergence as the Republican frontrunner and probable nominee - have generated some interesting comments.

The BBC reports on the mood of conservatives attending the McCain speech at CPAC Thursday, summing it up as as not happy with McCain as their presidential nominee but "a lack of realistic alternatives gave them little choice."

Julian Sanchez, blogging for the Guardian, picked up on this sentiment as well, finding clues to this feeling of "McCain or the Democrats" in the introduction he received from conservative Senator Tom Coburn.

"As he prepared to hand over the podium to his colleague ... Coburn announced that he would be 'happy to debate anyone who thinks staying home or supporting Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama is a better option' than backing McCain. What's telling is that here, at the Woodstock of the American right, he might find quite a few takers."

Larry Derfner, writing in the Jerusalem Post, writes that the best way for McCain to defeat either Obama or Clinton in the fall is to ask Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be his running mate.

"Rice is attractive and extremely telegenic. She's also a woman and an African-American, which by now aren't fatal flaws in a candidate for president or vice-president, but probably net advantages. This year, for the Republicans, I'd say Rice's gender and race would be nothing less than the gift of life."

But it's Ed O'Loughlin, reporting for the Sydney Morning Herald from Jerusalem, who suggests that it isn't John McCain that the Israeli political establishment is quietly rooting for.

"That unofficial honour goes to Senator Clinton, who Palestinians accuse of taking an increasingly one-sided approach to the Middle East conflict. Visiting the region in 2005 as senator for New York, Senator Clinton shunned the Palestinians completely, meeting only Israeli leaders and hearing and expressing only Israeli positions. She particularly galled Palestinians by enthusiastically backing the 700-kilometre complex of walls and fences that Israel is building inside the West Bank."

Finally, Siri Agrell writes in Canada's Globe and Mail that while every possible demographic has been offered up as the key to winning the election - women, African-Americans, Latinos, for instance the group that might really might hold the key to the White House is "the dude vote."

"If you look at the demographics state by state, you can see that, right now, Obama's being kept alive by white guys," said Richard Parker, a Harvard lecturer and co-founder of Mother Jones magazine. "It's the one group which is not voting identity politics because they don't have a candidate."

11:56 AM ET | 02- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Candidates Condemn Bhutto Assassination

Almost all of the candidates running for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations released statements today condemning the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

* Sen. Joe Biden said that "Like her father before her, Benazir Bhutto worked her whole life, and gave her life, to help Pakistan become a democratic, secular and modern Muslim country."

* John Edwards described her as a "brave and historic leader for Pakistan."

* Mike Huckabee said that while Bhutto's death was troubling, "we are reminded that while our democracy has flaws, it stands as a shining beacon of hope for nations and people around the world who seek peace and opportunity through self-government."

* Sen. Chris Dodd, who said he had been in touch with Bhutto in the past few weeks, said her death shows the "experienced leadership our country needs at a time when critical regions around the world are in turmoil."

* Mitt Romney said her death shows the "reality of global, violent radical jihadism around the world."

* Sen. Barack Obama described her as "a respected and resilient advocate for the democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people."

* Sen. John McCain said her death "deeply saddened him" and that it "underscores yet again the grave dangers we face in the world today and particularly in countries like Pakistan, where the forces of moderation are arrayed in a fierce battle against those who embrace violent Islamic extremism."

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, who noted that she had known Bhutto for many years, called her death "a tragedy for her country and a terrible reminder of the work that remains to bring peace, stability, and hope to regions of the globe too often paralyzed by fear, hatred, and violence."

* Rudy Giuiani said the assassination was a "tragic event for Pakistan" and that "Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere - whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi - is an enemy of freedom."

* Gov. Bill Richardson called Bhutto "a courageous woman," and is the only candidate so far to call for the removal of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Until that happens the U.S. "should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government. Free and fair elections must also be held as soon as possible."

* Rep. Dennis Kucinich called it a "dangerous moment for the world" and that "The United States must change its policy direction in the region. It must stop adding fuel to the fire."

* Rep. Ron Paul said in a radio interview that ""We've supported Musharraf and now it's created some civil strife."

Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle also condemned the killing, and said that Pakistani elections must go forward. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Bhutto's bravery "stands in stark contrast to the cowardice of those who remain committed only to chaos, murder and thwarting democracy in Pakistan. It is our expectation that President Musharraf and the Pakistani people will go forward with free and fair elections."

1:44 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Did Russia Play Role in Georgian Turmoil?

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appeared on national television on Thursday to announce early elections.

AFP/Getty Images

Georgia's opposition leaders called off their demonstrations against President Mikhail Saakashvili today after he announced early elections in the former Soviet republic. Saakashvili's announcement came after many in Georgia and around the world expressed shock at Wednesday's police crackdown on demonstrators in the capital of Tbilisi. They had been protesting in front of Georgia's parliament buildings for several days.

The BBC reports that early elections had been one of the opposition's main demands as it seeks to end what it considers the president's authoritarian grip on power.

One lingering question has been whether Russia played a role in the demonstrations. NPR contributor Lawrence Sheets reported that the Georgian president accused Russia of helping to coordinate them, a charge opposition leaders deny.

But Russia is "livid" with Georgia, in part because of its Western-style reforms, says Gregory Feifer, NPR's correspondent in Moscow. Saakashvili also has been openly critical of the overt political pressure that Russia exerts, unlike the leaders of other former Soviet republics.

Since he came to power in 2003, after what became known as the Rose Revolution, Saakashvili has tried to end the corrupt practices of his predecessors, including replacing the police force with a more mobile, American-style one. He also adopted a pro-Western foreign policy, saying that he wanted Georgia to ultimately join both NATO and the European Union.

But much of the rhetoric about the West in Moscow appears paranoid, Feifer says. Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, are constantly talking about how the West is trying to break up Russia.

Given Saakashvili's charges against Moscow, his decision to call elections early may seem like caving to pressure, but Feifer says it could actually save his job. By announcing elections so quickly, he looks like a leader who is unafraid to face the public and leaves the fragmented opposition little time to find a credible candidate to run against him.

4:39 PM ET | 11- 9-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Musharraf Deals Blow to Bush's Democracy Goals

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's decision during the weekend to suspend the country's constitution and postpone elections has created a new obstacle for President Bush's much-touted "freedom agenda" — his plan to promote democracy in the Middle East as a way to reduce the appeal of extremists and improve stability.

Bush mentioned Pakistan as a country that had taken steps toward a more sustainable democracy in June. But in reality, the democracy initiative has never played much of a role there, says George Perkovich, an expert on Pakistan at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The priority of the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, Perkovich says, has been cooperation in the war on terror, not supporting democracy.

Perkovich says recent coups in Pakistan (and he includes what happened this weekend in that list) always work the same way: The military says that it has to step in and save the country from fundamentalists or terrorists, but the first people detained are lawyers and judges, the educated, human rights advocates and the media. "They never seem to go after the people whose behavior is being cited as the reason for the crackdown," Perkovich says.

Continue reading "Musharraf Deals Blow to Bush's Democracy Goals" »

2:46 PM ET | 11- 5-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

London Police Guilty of 'Catastophic' Failures

You probably remember the uproar a couple of years ago when British police officers shot and killed a young Brazilian immigrant in the subway after mistaking him for a suicide bomber. Well, on Thursday, a British Criminal Court jury found the London Metropolitan Police guilty of "catastrophic" failings in the series of events that led to Jean Charles de Menezes' death in 2005.

That's right, the whole force was found guilty. Prosecutors had said earlier that no individual officer could be tried for Menezes' death, so the force was tried under health and safety laws for failing to protect the public. Nineteen failures of police procedure were identified in the case. The judge has imposed a $350,000 fine.

Vikram Dodd, crime reporter for the Guardian, told me the verdict had nothing to do with Menezes' actual death. Since they did think he was a bomber, the police were guilty of failing to protect the public by allowing Menezes to move around so easily before the fatal confrontation on a train at the Stockwell underground station in South London. For instance, the jury said the police failed to put officers in postion to stop Menezes from getting on two buses and going into the Stockwell station. During the trial, the police contested all 19 of the accusations.

Vikram says it's hard to say if the verdict will lead to changes in the way the police operate. "Some people say there are lessons to be learned, some people say who knows what we learned."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has said that the shooting was an isolated incident under extraordinary circumstances. The day before Menezes was killed, four British men had tried and failed to blow up suicide bombs on separate trains. That attempt came two weeks after four men had successfully denoted bombs on the London underground and on a bus, killing 52. Police were looking for one of the men suspected in the failed bombings, fearful that he would act again, but the operation went wrong almost from the start.

Vikram says the report that will come from London's Independent Police Complaints Commission next Thursday will deal more with the issue of "Why did you shoot the wrong guy?" It could be far more damaging to the force and to Blair, who is being condemned by both opponents and former supporters.

3:18 PM ET | 11- 2-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Pressure on Turkish PM to Invade Iraq Grows

Protesters in Istanbul today hold flags and a picture of a soldier who was killed Sunday by Kurdish rebels. About 3,000 flag-waving Turks took to the streets, chanting slogans against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

AFP/Getty Images

A clash with Kurdish rebels on Sunday that killed at least 12 Turkish soldiers may be the tipping point that sends Turkey into northern Iraq. It could be tough for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to squeeze out of it now, especially with the Kurds also claiming to have captured eight soldiers.

Last week, parliament members gave Erdogan the OK to use military force. Now, the Turkish media reports, the public is demanding it. If Erdogan doesn't invade, it will likely damage his public image severely.

I e-mailed Ivan Watson, our correspondent in Istanbul, this morning, and he told me that Turkish leaders don't think an invasion will solve the problem but have painted themselves into a corner with the vote in parliament. An expert he interviewed for Morning Edition, Hugh Pope, said the Turks "are pushed by domestic public opinion to go in, and by common sense to stay out."

Ivan wrote that if the latest attack really did start with an ambush by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, that it's "basically an invitation by the PKK for the Turks to invade northern Iraq."

Yes, the PKK seems to want a Turkish invasion, according to Pope, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. He said the PKK is launching these attacks for two reasons: to remain relevant and to try and draw Turkey into what he calls "the morass of Iraq."

So Erdogan is in a tight spot. The public is clamoring for a military response that he doesn't think will work and may play right into the PKK's strategy. But if he doesn't act in the way voters want, he could put his own political career in jeopardy.

But a peaceful settlement may still be possible. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said the rebels would declare a unilateral ceasefire today. A PKK Web site says the rebels are ready to lay down their arms if Turkey stops targeting them and drops plans for an invasion, Agence France-Presse reports.

12:11 PM ET | 10-22-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Canadian Pedophile Suspect Arrested in Thailand

Thai police arrested an alleged Canadian pedophile Friday who had been the target of a worldwide Interpol search. Teacher Christopher Paul Neil was found in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, 150 miles northeast of Bangkok.

"Bingo! We've got him," police Maj. Gen. Wimol Powintara told The Associated Press. Police tracked down Neil after they put a trace on his Thai boyfriend's cellphone.

Neil is allegedly the suspect who had been sought by Interpol for three years after about 200 pictures of a man sexually abusing young boys in Cambodia and Vietnam appeared on the Internet. But the man's face had been digitally obscured. Then earlier this month German police were able to unscramble the pictures. That's when Interpol made its worldwide appeal for help to find Neil.

Neil has been teaching in Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam since 2000. Before teaching abroad, Neil worked as a chaplain in Canada, counseling teens.

If convicted he could face up to 20 years in prison. Law enforcement officials in Cambodia, Vietnam and Canada have also indicated they want to question Neil about his activities.

6:09 AM ET | 10-19-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

After Weeks of Rumors, Sarkozys Confirm Divorce

The other shoe has dropped. The lawyer for French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Cecilia, has confirmed what had been the worst-kept secret in the country: They have gotten a divorce.

Lawyer Michele Cahen spoke on Europe-1 radio. Earlier today, Sarkozy's office put out a 15-word statement that confirmed a separation, and Sarkozy's spokesman later said that separation meant divorce.

The announcement comes along with another crisis for the president: nationwide transportation strikes over proposed pension changes that began Wednesday night and kept many French workers at home today.

Sarkozy is the first French president to get a divorce while in office. But other well-known heads of state, like former South African President Nelson Mandela and Argentine President Carlos Menem have gone through divorces or separations while in power.

11:35 AM ET | 10-18-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Bhutto Returns to Pakistan

Supporters of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto try to get a glimpse as she passes by in a procession today in Karachi, Pakistan.

John Moore/Getty Images

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan today after eight years in exile. When she arrived in Karachi, she was greeted by tens of thousands of jubilant supporters.

Bhutto described her return as a "miracle," and members of her Pakistan People's Party who accompanied her on the flight clapped and cheered when her plane touched down.

Security was high in the city following a series of assassination threats against Bhutto from Islamic militants. Authorities tried to stop her from undertaking a long procession through Karachi to the tomb of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, but she was undeterred: "I do not believe that any true Muslim will make an attack on me because Islam forbids attacks on women, and Muslims know that if they attack a woman they will burn in hell."

Bhutto is expected to seek the prime minister's office for a third time in upcoming elections, but some political observers in the country have expressed a deep skepticism about the power-sharing negotiations with President Pervez Musharraf that allowed her to return. (She fled the country in 1999 to escape corruption charges.) They say that by agreeing to support the president in return for legislation that wiped out the charges, she compromised her political independence.

In Washington, however, her election would likely be viewed positively because she and Musharraf are seen as pro-Western.

Update: The Associated Press reports that two explosions have gone off near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. An official said at least 100 people were killed. While Bhutto was not hurt, the second, larger blast went off just feet from the front of the truck carrying her. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle.

9:55 AM ET | 10-18-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Why Is U.S. Going Public with Support for Dalai Lama?

It's been pretty hard to miss the fact that the Dalai Lama has gotten a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. And if you've heard about the award, then you've probably also heard about how upset the Chinese are about it. (China views Tibet as part of its territory and sees the Dalai Lama as a threat to its sovereignty.)

In the past, U.S. presidents have always kept meetings with the Dalai Lama low-key for fear of offending the Chinese, so it begs the question: Why go public now?

The president was asked at a news conference today why he was going to the ceremony honoring the Dalai Lama, considering China's outrage. Bush cited the struggle for religious freedom around the world — an issue that has been a touchstone for his administration.

I have consistently told the Chinese that religious freedom is in their nation's interest. I've also told them that I think it's in their interest to meet with the Dalai Lama, and will say so at the ceremony today in Congress. ... Matter of fact, I don't think it ever damages relations when the American president talks about religious tolerance.

However, the White House has made concessions to China's feelings on the matter. Officials denied the media any access to Bush's private meeting with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday.

And experts say that his visit is not likely to have a long-term effect on Chinese-U.S. relations. "It seems more likely to me that (China is) going through the motions of protest more for their own domestic audience than for any outside audience," said Daniel Sneider, an Asia Pacific specialist at Stanford University.

4:25 PM ET | 10-17-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Rumors About French President's Marriage Abound

French President Nicolas Sarkozy gets ready to deliver a speech in July in Paris with his wife, Cecilia, nearby.

Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images

"The president's wife has gone missing," writes a Paris correspondent for the Los Angeles Times.

The conspicuous absence of Cecilia Sarkozy from public outings with her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, has the French abuzz with rumors that the couple is getting a divorce. Sarkozy and his wife, a former model, have long had a rocky relationship — she even left him for another man for several months in 2005 — but this time people are wondering if she's gone for good.

Eleanor Beardsley, an NPR contributor in Paris, tells me that the state of the Sarkozys' relationship is an "undercurrent" running through the French public and media this week. There were rumors that the couple had filed divorce papers at a local courthouse and that court officials would officially declare the divorce on Monday, but an announcement never came. "Everybody's waiting for it," she says.

And unlike the media roar that would ensue if rumors started that President Bush was divorcing his wife, the major news outlets in France have been low-key so far. "The French media have always been very strict about not nosing around in people's private lives. So none of this is on the front pages over here. But if they do file for divorce, then it will be everywhere," Eleanor says.

And here's an interesting sidebar: Cecilia Sarkozy cannot file for divorce from her husband because, as president of the country, he has immunity from prosecution in criminal and civil proceedings. She would have to convince him to file jointly.

5:11 PM ET | 10-16-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

China Not Happy About Dalai Lama's U.S. Honor

There are many ways to draw the ire of the Chinese government. Accuse it of not enforcing copyright laws. Treat Taiwan (which China considers part of its territory) as an independent nation.

And, of course, talk publicly to the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of another region Beijing considers part of China, Tibet.

China is pretty upset that the Dalai Lama will receive the highest honor U.S. lawmakers can bestow, the Congressional Gold Medal, Morning Edition reports. It's an unusually public acknowledgment of the Dalai Lama, who is also meeting with President Bush today.

Any public honor for the Dalai Lama, who China accuses of seeking independence for Tibet, is seen as interference in internal Chinese politics. China has warned that it will "seriously harm" the relationship between the two countries.

Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing that the trip comes at a bad time for Chinese leaders. They are trying to negotiate a leadership shuffle at the ongoing 17th Party Congress. And they are puzzled by their lack of success in placating the Tibetan people.

"I think it is a big question for China that there seems to be a continuing inability to gauge how Tibetans think, and how to win them over," said Robbie Barnett, who runs the Tibetan studies program at Columbia University in New York. "[They need] to get over the idea that you can buy people's loyalty by improving the economy and improving cities and so on. It just isn't working out for them."

3:03 PM ET | 10-16-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Indian PM Tells Bush Nuclear Deal in Trouble

When negotiations on a nuclear deal between India and the United States were completed in July, the Bush administration called the agreement historic. But in the months since, opposition has grown in India. Now, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is hinting that the deal might not happen.

Singh told President Bush that he is having "certain difficulties" finalizing the deal. Communist parties that are key to keeping Singh's government alive have been telling him that they don't want closer ties to the United States.

The deal, first developed in 2005, would give India access to key technologies that could help solve its growing demand for energy while allowing the country to keep its nuclear weapons. The U.S. sees it as a way to bring India, which has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, into the international mainstream on atomic issues.

In a meeting last week, Singh told the left-wing parties that he would continue talking with them and that he would hold off on negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the deal, which also requires an agreement with the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group. But Singh also said it would be "not the end of life" if the deal didn't go through, ending widespread speculation about early elections because of the conflict.

On Morning Edition, Somini Sengupta of The New York Times told Steve Inskeep that there is an enormous amount at stake for both the U.S. and Singh. For the Bush administration, an important foreign policy victory could be undermined, while India could see its desire to be taken seriously as a nuclear power set back. Sengupta said the problems speak to the fragile nature of India's coalition government.

9:41 AM ET | 10-16-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Myanmar Opposition Member Dies in Interrogation

An activist group says that a member of a pro-democracy opposition party in Myanmar was killed during interrogation by the military government.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says the family of Win Shwe was recently told about his death in the central region of Sagaing, The Associated Press reports. Win Shwe and five colleagues had been arrested on the first day of the government's crackdown on protesters.

He belonged to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. The activist group said his body was cremated. Although AP could not verify the report, it said in the past the group "has provided detailed, accurate information on political prisoners in Myanmar."

The reports of Win Shwe's death prompted threats of further sanctions from the White House. But some experts and leaders in the region say sanctions could be counterproductive.

Priscilla Clapp, the U.S. chief of mission in Myanmar from 1999 to 2002, writes in a working paper for the U.S. Institute of Peace that the development of multiple layers of sanctions has moved the U.S. "to a backseat position" in the effort to persuade the country's military rulers to move toward democracy. Clapp writes that it could be more constructive for the U.S. to "work in partnership with Burma's neighbors to ease the generals into reform and transition, rather than simply exhorting their governments to copy U.S. policy."

That approach was echoed recently by Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, who said "China and India are critical to any international approach."

11:51 AM ET | 10-11-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Turkey Denounces Vote on Armenian Genocide

In a "midnight statement," Turkey's president, Abdullah Gul, denounced a measure passed by a U.S. House committee that calls the mass killings of Armenians beginning in 1915 genocide.

Gul said the decision "has no validity and respectability for the Turkish people. Unfortunately, some politicians in the United States ignored appeals for common sense and once again moved to sacrifice big issues to petty games of domestic politics," according to the Turkish Daily News.

Ivan Watson reports on Morning Edition that the 27-21 vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee also has provoked a strong reaction among the Turkish people. The headline in a leading paper was "27 Dumb Americans." Watson notes that the vote comes at a time when Turkish opinion of the U.S. is at an all-time low, primarily because of the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Concerned about negative reaction to the vote, the State Department had told Americans in Turkey to be alert for possible demonstrations, even those intended to be peaceful, and to avoid large gatherings.

Passage by the House committee, or even the entire House, does not guarantee success for the measure (which does not need to be approved by President Bush). Similar resolutions were passed by the House before, in 1975 and 1984, but never made it through the Senate. There are already signs that the measure will face a tougher fight there.

Sen. Hillary Clinton told The Boston Globe's editorial board Wednesday that she cosponsored a similar measure in the Senate because it seemed "to be a statement of recognition of a horrible period in the history of the Armenian people." But she said she was concerned by Turkey's opposition to the bill, which has been stronger than many expected.

9:26 AM ET | 10-11-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Putin: No Data That Iran Is Trying to Build a Bomb

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and French President Nicolas Sarkozy review an honor guard in Moscow today.

Dmitry Astakhov/AFP/Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that his government has seen no data showing that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb and that Russia will proceed as if Iran has no plans to build one. But Putin, who was speaking at a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, did say he shares "the concern of our partners that all programs should be as transparent as possible," according to the BBC.

Sarkozy said that after meeting with Putin, their positions on Iran were closer. Sarkozy described the talks as "frank" and "passionate" and said his relationship with Putin is developing well.

Sarkozy's ebullient appraisal of his first official visit to Russia prompted Ian Traynor to note in The Guardian that Putin seems to have a style that makes other world leaders "go weak at the knees."

But Traynor notes Putin's charm doesn't work on everyone:

Seems to be a male thing, all this touchy-feely bonding at the dacha. Putin's appeal appears to be lost on the powerful female. By strange coincidence, the two most powerful women politicians in the world, Angela Merkel of Germany and Condoleezza Rice of America, are fluent Russian speakers. So maybe they see through the Russian leader's seduction strategies.

Maybe that was behind those shirtless fly-fishing photos.

12:01 PM ET | 10-10-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Turkey's Prime Minister Pressured to Invade Iraq

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under heavy pressure from the country's military to allow an invasion of northern Iraq. Over the weekend, separatist Kurdish guerrillas killed 13 Turkish soldiers in an attack — the most casualties sustained by the Turkish army in nearly a decade. Kurdish separatists frequently cross into southeastern Turkey to conduct attacks and then retreat to bases in Iraq.

The Guardian reports that Erdogan called an emergency meeting of national security chiefs, which some described as a war council. It is widely known, however, that the prime minister doesn't think an invasion will work. Turkey's military conducted several sorties into Iraq in the '90s that had little impact on guerrilla activity. The United States also strongly opposes an invasion because "it would immensely complicate the US campaign in Iraq and destabilize the only part of Iraq that functions, the Kurdish-controlled north."

Despite his own feelings and U.S. pressure, Erdogan still faces a growing call for an invasion. As Time notes, "The top-selling daily Hurriyet ran a banner headline Monday saying, 'This warrants going into [Iraq].'"

On Monday, the U.S., in an effort to help forestall an invasion, urged the Iraqi government to move against the Kurdish separatists. CNN reports that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a longtime Kurdish leader, said Sunday that the idea of a separate Kurdistan is unrealistic. "I don't think that Turkey or Iran or Syria will accept this, so, we must be realistic," Talabani said. "Now the interests of the Kurdish people are in the framework of a united, democratic, federative Iraq."

Update: The New York Times reports that Erdogan has given the go-ahead for a possible cross-border operation to hunt Kurdish separatists. The statement came after today's meeting of senior security officials.

9:46 AM ET | 10- 9-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Pakistani Court Deals Musharraf a Setback

Pakistan's election can go ahead on Saturday, the country's Supreme Court has ruled, but even if he gets the most votes, whether Gen. Pervez Musharraf can remain president is still up in the air. The BBC reports that no winner can be declared in the election until the court has ruled on the constitutionality of Musharraf standing for re-election while still head of the army. (Musharraf has promised to quit his army post if he wins.)

"The bench has unanimously resolved and directed that the election process should proceed as per the schedule announced by the chief election commissioner," chief judge Javed Iqbal said, the AFP news agency reports.

"But final notification of the returning candidate will not be issued until the decision of this petition for which the process is to begin from 17 October."

The ruling comes just as all the pieces had seemed to be falling into place for the general. He appeared to have reached a deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that would see corruption charges against her dropped and allow her to take part in a power-sharing government that would increase Musharraf's credibility.

9:30 AM ET | 10- 5-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

The Funniest Things Happen in Basra...

If you want to read something about Iraq and laugh for a change, then have I got the ticket for you.

Corey Flintoff, a longtime NPR newscaster who recently spent time reporting in Iraq and now writes foreign news for NPR.org, offers a collection of anecdotes from our contract reporter in Basra. As Corey notes, most of the time the stringer is sending reports on the normal happenings in the city ... you know, bombings, sectarian warfare, etc. But "every now and then he gets tired of reporting mayhem and sends us an e-mail about things that strike him as funny, weird or revealing about his home place."

My personal favorites: observations about a fatwa on imported chickens and the oddity of wearing seat belts in Iraq.

5:29 PM ET | 10- 3-2007 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Myanmar Shuts Down Internet Access

The government of Myanmar has cut off the public's access to the Internet. That access has played a major role in allowing us to see images of what is happening during the anti-government protests in the country.

It looks like the government is continuing to violently clamp down on the protests that have drawn thousands of people into the streets, often led by Buddhist monks.

One blog that is still getting some stuff out of Myanmar is Ko Htike's. He's a native of the country, now living in London, who has been posting photos and reports on what is happening since the crisis began.

(Warning: Some of the images on his blog are graphic depictions of the results of the violence.)

- JJ Sutherland

2:49 PM ET | 09-28-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Security Forces Start Crackdown in Myanmar

Fears that Myanmar's military rulers would retaliate against protesting monks and activists were realized today when security forces began a violent crackdown. The Associated Press reports that at least one person was shot and killed and dozens of Buddhist monks were dragged away. As many as 300 monks and activists were arrested.

There are differing reports of casualties. Agence-France Presse reports that three monks were killed — one when a gun went off as he struggled with a soldier, and two others who were beaten to death.

The military junta had banned all gatherings of more than five people and imposed a nighttime curfew following days of anti-government marches.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called today for a U.N. Security Council meeting, vowing there would be "no impunity'' for human rights violators in the country.

12:03 PM ET | 09-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Buddhist Monks Continue Protest Despite Threats

Buddhist monks and their supporters march in protest in Yangon today, despite stern warnings from Myanmar's junta.

AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of Buddhist monks continued their protests against the country's military rulers today in Myanmar, formerly Burma, despite threats of retaliation.

The monks and their civilian supporters again marched through the streets of Yangon, chanting, "We want dialogue" and "Democracy, democracy." The protests began Aug. 19 after the government sharply raised fuel prices.

Reuters reports that there were no overt signs of soldiers during the march, but police and military trucks drove into the city center after demonstrators left.

Monks have been passing out pictures of the late Aung San, an independence hero and the father of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Bush administration has entered the fray, threatening further sanctions against the Myanmar government and those who fund it, The Associated Press reports. President Bush is expected to announce the sanctions during his speech today at the United Nations. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Reuters that the U.S. also will step up pressure for U.N. Security Council action on Myanmar.

9:36 AM ET | 09-25-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Chinese Happy About Mattel's Apology

Toy maker Mattel's very public apology to China over its recent recall of millions of Chinese-made toys is getting high marks in the country. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Chinese newspapers editorialized today that the apology allows China to reclaim the "dignity" of the "made in China" brand.

A Mattel senior vice president apologized Friday. "Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, told Li Changjang, China's product safety chief.

But why would Mattel make such a public apology? Financial experts told The Associated Press that Mattel is concerned about its bottom line.

"Mattel is worried that the Chinese government is going to make it difficult for them to produce, put their costs up and hurt their stock price," said Peter Navarro, a business professor at the University of California, Irvine.

Chinese officials blame the world media for unfairly targeting China. And they may have an argument. A new report by two Canadian business professors says that of the 550 toy recalls since the 1980s, about 75 percent were caused by design flaws, not problems in the manufacturing process. In the Mattel case, the company said 17.4 million toys were recalled because of a design flaw involving loose magnets that could be swallowed and 2.2 million were recalled because of lead paint from Chinese suppliers.

4:36 PM ET | 09-24-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Canadian Dollar Matches U.S., While Euro Soars

Several years ago, when I lived in Canada and worked via the Internet for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston, the gap between my U.S. salary and what it was worth in Canadian dollars was so large, I had to pay an additional $30,000 in taxes in Canada. That's how much extra income the dollar difference generated.

Well, I wouldn't have to pay extra today. For the first time in 30 years, the Canadian and American dollars are at par. That's because this week's half-point interest cut had the effect of "weakening the dollar versus other currencies by reducing the cash yield on dollars," The Associated Press reports.

This will make Canadians heading to America on vacation very happy and Canadian auto-part makers, film people and American ball players in Toronto very unhappy.

But what's going on with the Canadian dollar is small potatoes compared to the euro. It hit $1.40 U.S. today, which is a big deal, as AP explains:

That level had long been seen as a key benchmark in terms of solidifying the euro's position on currency markets and giving it momentum toward becoming a reserve currency of choice — a position long held by the now-weakening dollar.

4:38 PM ET | 09-20-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Lawyer: Musharraf to Leave Army Post if Re-elected

Gen. Pervez Musharraf's lawyer says that if the Pakistani president is re-elected, he'll resign his post as army chief. The BBC reports that Musharraf's chief lawyer, Sharifuddin Pirzada, told the country's Supreme Court, which is debating whether Musharraf has the right to remain head of the army while seeking another term, that the general would be sworn in as a civilian.

There has been growing opposition to amendments to the Pakistani constitution that allow Musharraf to head the government and the army at the same time. Several petitions before the Supreme Court are seeking to have him disqualified as a candidate. They also dispute the general's plan to seek re-election from the outgoing parliament and provincial lawmakers, arguing that general elections should come first.

In a move that complicated the issue, the country's Election Commission has ruled that Musharraf can run while still leading the army. But a decision by the Supreme Court (which has issued several rulings recently challenging Musharraf's administration) about the petitions would override the commission's ruling.

Thus the promise to step down from the army if re-elected. It may sound good, but Musharraf has made the same promise before. In 2002, he told the country's Islamic parties that, in return for a constitutional amendment legitimizing his 1999 coup, he would step down as army chief. He got the amendment but didn't resign.

So he may not be taken at his word alone. As they say, fool me once...

9:55 AM ET | 09-18-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Is North Korea Helping Syria Build a Nuclear Facility?

North Korea and Syria might seem like odd bedfellows, but the two nations have already worked together on missile technology. Now, The Washington Post reports that their cooperation might be extending to the nuclear level.

North Korea may be cooperating with Syria on some sort of nuclear facility in Syria, according to new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, sources said. The evidence, said to come primarily from Israel, includes dramatic satellite imagery that led some U.S. officials to believe that the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.

Hmm. This might explain why Israel has spent some time in Syria's airspace recently. The idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is scary enough for Israeli officials. The thought that Syria might want to develop one likely has Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sweating bullets.

The Post reports that the new information has been restricted to a special few, and many people in the intelligence community don't know anything about it. The Israelis, the Syrians and the White House aren't saying a thing about the reports. Some analysts say they doubt the two are working together.

But former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, no fan of North Korea, told the Post that, given the country's trade in missiles with Syria, it is "legitimate to ask questions about whether that cooperation extends on the nuclear side as well."

11:41 AM ET | 09-14-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Russia Debuts 'Dad of All Bombs'

OK, this takes blowing things up to a whole new level.

Russia announced Tuesday that it tested what it called the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever. It's been nicknamed the "dad of all bombs." The nickname the "Mother Of All Bombs" is already taken — it refers to the United States' Massive Ordnance Air Blast, a large-yield, satellite-guided, air-delivered bomb. As The Associated Press reports:

[Russia's] Channel One said that while the Russian bomb contains 7.8 tons of high explosives compared to more than 8 tons of explosives in the U.S. bomb, it's four times more powerful because it uses a new, highly efficient type of explosives that the report didn't identify. While the U.S. bomb is equivalent to 11 tons of TNT, the Russian one is equivalent to 44 tons of regular explosives. The Russian weapon's blast radius is 990 feet, twice as big as that of the U.S. design, the report said.

So with bombs, size might not matter.

Anyway, now that the "mother" and "dad" nicknames are taken, what's left for other countries that want to make big bombs? Are they going to have to resort to the "great aunt of bombs"? Or maybe the "second-cousin-twice-removed of bombs"?

1:51 PM ET | 09-12-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Resigns

In a move that caught many international observers by surprise, Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, announced his resignation today. Abe, who has suffered through a series of scandals and an election defeat that sapped his government's popularity, resigned partly because he no longer has the political muscle to ensure that the Japanese naval mission in Afghanistan would continue.

As The Associated Press reports:

In such a weakened state, Abe may have feared he wouldn't have the clout to win passage of the Afghan mission, said Eiken Itagaki, a political analyst and writer.

"He has run out of political capital," Itagaki said. "So he bolted, in the hope that a more experienced successor can save the mission, and sort out the mess."

The Japan Times reports that three days ago Abe told a news conference after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that he would likely resign "if he failed to extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean to continue Japan's support for NATO-led counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan."

Since then, Abe, a member of Japan's long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party, had been unable to gain the support of Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan. Ozawa says the mission in Afghanistan goes against the Japanese constitution. Because his party now controls the upper house in Japan's parliament, it would have been able to block any attempt by Abe to extend the mission.

Kyodo News reports the party plans an election next week for party president, who will take over as prime minister because of the LDP's control of the legislature's powerful lower house.

10:08 AM ET | 09-12-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Sharif Kicked Out of Pakistan Within Hours

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves as he lands at Islamabad's airport Monday.

Richard Beeston/AFP/Getty Images

Well, that was a short trip. I hope former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a chance to pick up a few gifts for his family at the airport — because he sure didn't stay long in Pakistan today.

Sharif was deported this morning, just hours after returning to his home country from seven years in exile, intending to campaign against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Morning Edition reports that a few hours after he arrived, Sharif was separated from his entourage and whisked off on a plane to Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.

Sharif probably had an idea it would happen. Dawn, an English-language Pakistani daily, was reporting on Sunday that the government had such a plan in place.

And while political leaders all over the world probably dream about being able to stick the opposition on a plane to another country, it's a real gamble by Musharraf. Last month, the country's Supreme Court ruled that Sharif could return to Pakistan and that authorities could not stop him. Musharraf already sparred with the top court earlier this year, when he tried to oust the chief justice, setting off a round of violent clashes.

Dawn also reports that constitutional expert Abid Hasan Minto said Sunday that deporting Sharif would amount to contempt of court.

Just what everyone needs: more unrest in Pakistan.

11:30 AM ET | 09-10-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Australian Comedy Show Gets Through APEC Security

You know, this is like the story about the nuclear weapons that mistakenly hitched a ride on an Air Force bomber — it's something that's not supposed to happen ... until it actually does.

Today, a satirical Australian TV show, The Chaser's War on Everything, staged a fake motorcade through the streets of Sydney. Many world leaders, including President Bush, are in Sydney for this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. So there is a lot of security, about $250 million worth. But the fake motorcade of three cars and two motorcycles made it through two official checkpoints. The convoy was eventually pulled over about a block from Bush's hotel, apparently when the comics tried to turn around.

Here's the best part: One of the people in the motorcade was dressed to look like Osama bin Laden.

New South Wales Police Minister David Campbell said he didn't think the stunt was funny (the authorities had, in fact, warned the show not to try something like this, and 11 people have been charged with breaching APEC security), but a quick online poll by The Sydney Morning Herald found 86 percent of respondents saw the humor. Campbell denied he was embarrassed by the comedians getting through the checkpoints — and in an effort to make a souffle out of broken eggs, he said he was pleased the "multi-layered'' security had worked.

Actually, I completely understand how this happened. The Chaser team's vehicles were flying little Canadian flags. Who in their right mind would suspect Canadians of anything nefarious, eh?

1:44 PM ET | 09- 6-2007 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Gul Finally Elected President of Turkey

Newly elected Turkish President Abdullah Gul

STR/AFP/Getty Images

A new president has been elected in Turkey: Abdullah Gul, the former foreign minister and a devout Muslim with a background in political Islam. His election is a victory for the pro-Islam government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But Gul's election is not likely to sit well with Turkey's strong secularist military.

"Our nation has been watching the behavior of those separatists who can't embrace Turkey's unitary nature, and centers of evil that systematically try to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic," Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the military, said in a note on its Web site Monday. The BBC reports that although the statement on the military's Web site did not name anyone, analysts believe it was aimed at Gul. The Turkish military has ousted four governments since 1960.

The leading secularist opposition party did not take part in today's vote and has said it will not participate in any presidential ceremonies.

When Gul ran for president earlier this year, the military produced a similar warning on its Web site, part of a campaign against him that led to a constitutional crisis. After a parliamentary boycott prevented Gul from being elected, Erdogan called for general elections, and his party was returned to power with 47 percent of the vote.

The victory, combined with the way Turkey's election system works, gave him the opportunity to nominate Gul again. Gul has repeatedly said he would uphold the country's secularist constitution.

1:40 PM ET | 08-28-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Tabloid Editors Acknowledge Role in Diana's Death

British tabloid editors and reporters are a pretty tough lot, willing to do almost anything to scoop their rivals. I worked with two of them for several years in Canada, and what they would do to get a story defies the imagination.

They also hate to admit they've made a mistake. So I was totally amazed to see Tuesday's story in The Daily Telegraph in which the editors of the three largest British tabloids at the time of Princess Diana's death admitted they helped create "an atmosphere in which the paparazzi, who were chasing Diana when her car crashed in a Paris underpass, were out of control."

Phil Hall, who was editor of the News of the World, said it was a "circle of culpability": the readers who wanted the photos of Diana, the photographers who chased her everywhere she went and the papers that published the photos. A Diana scoop could mean an additional 150,000 copies sold for a single issue.

Hall's comments were echoed by Stuart Higgins, who edited The Sun in the '90s, and Piers Morgan, then editor of the Daily Mirror.

I actually have personal experience with "Diana frenzy." The first place that Diana and Prince Charles visited after their 1981 wedding was Halifax. My then-boss, one of those former Fleet Street reporters I worked with, took an off-the-record conversation that his wife (also named Diana) had with Princess Diana during a private party and turned it into a front-page exclusive: "Our Di talks to their Di." It created an international furor, and the paper was banned from all royal events for a decade.

I'll always remember that a Buckingham Palace reporter for a tabloid, who had once crawled through a half-mile of underbrush to get a picture of Diana in a bathing suit, called my boss "sleazy."

11:04 AM ET | 08-22-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Chinese Officials Only Want Happy News

When I first read that China has told its media to report only positive news, I imagined Chinese Communist Party censors putting great big smiley faces on every news story. No bad, unsettling news for the people of China. Just happy news from Big Brother!

The Guardian reports that officials are clamping down as the party prepares for its congress, held every five years. This year, the party will introduce a new generation of leaders and apparently doesn't want any nasty headlines about lead-painted toys or a bridge collapse or a mine flood to ruin the announcement.

In Beijing, where a four-day traffic-easing test is about to be begin that will take a million cars off the road, editors of local newspapers and TV have been told they can't interview disgruntled commuters or