Carter leads North Korea peace mission

Former US president visits Pyongyang with other ex-world leaders in bid to defuse tensions on the divided peninsula. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 04:39

Carter last visited North Korea in August 2010 to secure the release of imprisoned American Aijalon Gomes [EPA] Jimmy Carter, the former US president, has arrived in Pyongyang hoping to meet with North Korea's leader as part of a mission to discuss dangerous food shortages and stalled nuclear disarmament talks. Carter was joined by Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president, Gro Brundtland, former Norwegian prime minister and Mary Robinson, former Irish president, for the three-day visit to North Korea, which started on Tuesday. The former leaders were not told ahead of their trip who they would meet with, but said they hoped to see Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, and his son and heir apparent Kim Jong Un. The mission comes as diplomats struggle to find a way to restart talks meant to persuade the North to abandon its atomic weapons ambitions. Dismal ties between North and South Korea, which have ruined efforts to restart the nuclear talks, will also likely be on the agenda. Animosity has soared between the neighbours since the North allegedly torpedoed a South Korean warship in March 2010. Pyongyang shelled a South Korean island in November, killing two civilians and two marines. South Korea is demanding an apology for both incidents before allowing deeper talks, but North Korea says it was not responsible for the sinking of the warship. Period of tension Before flying from Beijing to Pyongyang, Carter told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that he did not intend to raise the case of Korean-American Jun Young Su, who is being held in North Korea, reportedly on charges of carrying out missionary activity. The US state department said last month that Carter would not be carrying any official messages. While in the country, Carter and his fellow former world leaders also plan to discuss food shortages that could threaten many North Koreans. Years of poor harvests, a lack of investment in agriculture and political isolation have left the North severely vulnerable to starvation. The average amount of food distributed by the government to each person has dropped this year from 1,400 calories per day to just 700, according the UN's World Food Program. Former Irish president Robinson said a recent UN study based on conditions throughout North Korea classified 3.5 million out of the country's 24 million people as "very vulnerable" to starvation. She also expressed concern that conditions stood to worsen with cuts in food distribution. Stalled nuclear negotiations The world leaders' trip comes amid efforts on several fronts to reinvigorate stalled six-nation nuclear negotiations. China's top nuclear envoy was due in Seoul on Tuesday for talks, while a South Korean delegation was to meet with US diplomats in Washington. Meanwhile, North Korea's top nuclear envoy reportedly travelled to Beijing earlier this month to discuss restarting the talks, which involve two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. In 1994, Carter travelled to North Korea during another period of high tension over the North's nuclear programme. He met with then-leader Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il's father and the North's founder, and helped broker a US-North Korea nuclear deal. He last visited North Korea in August to secure the release of imprisoned American Aijalon Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labour for crossing into the North from China. Carter did not meet with Kim then because the leader was on a rare visit to China, his nation's biggest ally and aid provider.

Source: Agencies

Nigeria to vote in governorship polls

Final stage of election process begins in the shadow of violence that followed the presidential poll. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 09:01

Violence erupted in the north after after Goodluck Jonathan was declared winner of the presidential election [Reuters] Nigerians are set to vote in the nation's fiercely contested state governorship elections. Tuesday's vote follows after legislative and presidential elections earlier this month, in which hundreds have been killed and at least 40,000 people forced to flee their homes. Election officials postponed the governors' races in the two northern states hardest hit by post-election violence but vowed to press ahead with voting elsewhere. Violence erupted in the north last week after Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, was declared winner by a wide margin in the April 16 presidential election. Supporters of his northern opponent Muhammadu Buhari rejected the results and took to the streets. Hundreds of people died in the ensuing violence and churches, mosques and homes were set ablaze. Those displaced are sheltering in army barracks, where they are being looked after by aid agencies. Some suggested this week's voting for state governors and state assemblies be postponed to allow tempers to cool but Jonathan said the polls would go ahead despite the violence. "This was a public declaration that he won't let anything stand in the way of completing this election cycle," Patrick Mmeme, a public policy analyst and writer, told Reuters. State polls have in the past led to unrest in the Niger Delta, the southern heartland of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, where politicians armed thugs to intimidate voters. There has already been violence in some parts of the region, including rioting in the state of Akwa Ibom and attacks on rallies in Bayelsa, and the security forces are on high alert. But this year it is the north which provides the biggest security headache. In two northern states, Kaduna and Bauchi, where some of the worst violence took place last week, voting will be delayed until Thursday. "The north has become a killing field as a consequence of growing social, ethnic and religious intolerance," Abdullahi Adamu, a former state governor elected senator for Nasarawa West in the region, told the Daily Trust newspaper. "Violence has drawn the north back several decades. We have murdered our brothers and sisters in cold blood, destroyed our property and even infrastructure and places of worship for no just cause," Adamu, a prominent member of Jonathan's party, said. Some commentators have expressed shock that rioters attacked the palaces of emirs, traditional Muslim rulers, in a part of the country where their authority was once respected. Properties of northern politicians and businessmen known to have backed Jonathan, who became president when his predecessor died, are also reported to have been attacked. Pivotal poll Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, with more than 150 million people, is split almost equally between a mainly Muslim north and a majority Christian south, although large minority groups live in both regions. The series of elections began with a parliamentary vote which was delayed by administrative chaos, followed by the presidential ballot. This week's polls will again be fiercely contested by all five main parties. Much is at stake in the finale since the 36 state governors control big budgets in the oil-producing country, are closer to the people and influence policy at state and federal level. A successful conclusion of the elections, judged so far to have been the most credible since a return to democracy in 1999, could boost Nigeria's world standing and attract investment.

Source: Agencies

Ukraine marks Chernobyl nuclear disaster

Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the worst nuclear accident on record, when a reactor blew up, killing thousands. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 03:10

Activists light candles to display a nuclear radiation warning sign during an anti-nuclear rally in Vienna [Reuters] Black-clad Orthodox priests sang solemn hymns, Ukrainians lit thin wax candles and a bell tolled 25 times for the number of years that have passed since the Chernobyl disaster as the world began marking the anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in history. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill led the nighttime service early on Tuesday near a monument to firefighters and cleanup workers who died soon after the accident from acute radiation poisoning. "The world had not known a catastrophe in peaceful times that could be compared to what happened in Chernobyl,'' said Kirill, who was accompanied by Mykola Azarov, Ukraine's prime minister, and other officials. "It's hard to say how this catastrophe would have ended if it hadn't been for the people, including those whose names we have just remembered in prayer," he said in an emotional tribute to the workers sent to the Chernobyl plant immediately after one of its reactors exploded to try to contain the contamination. The service commemorates the time of the blast on April 26, 1986. The explosion spewed a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the most heavily hit areas in Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia. The explosion released about 400 times more radiation than the US atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Hundreds of thousands were sickened and once-pristine forests and farmland still remain contaminated. The UN's World Health Organisation said at a conference in Kiev last week that among the 600,000 people most heavily exposed to the radiation, 4,000 more cancer deaths than average are expected to be eventually found. Changed lives Several hundred Ukrainians, mostly widows of plant workers and those sent in to deal with the disaster, came to Tuesday's service to pay their respects to their loved ones and colleagues. Teary-eyed, they lit candles, stood in silence and crossed themselves to the sound of Orthodox chants. "Our lives turned around 360 degrees,'' said Larisa Demchenko, 64. She and her husband both worked at the plant, and he died nine years ago from cancer linked to Chernobyl radiation. "It was a wonderful town, a wonderful job, wonderful people. It was our youth. Then it all collapsed," she said. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have cut the benefits packages for sickened cleanup workers in recent years, and many workers complained directly to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as he handed them awards for their work at a ceremony on Monday in Moscow. Officials in Bryansk, the Russian region most contaminated by the disaster, have failed to make necessary repairs at the local cancer hospital, worker Leonid Kletsov told the president. "It's the only place of rest for us," he said. "Officials promised to renovate it, but these promises are still promises."

Source: Agencies

Indonesia trial opens over attack on sect

Rights groups hope the trial will help reduce attacks on religious minorities. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 06:41 Video

Indonesia has long been proud of its diverse ethnicity, cultures and spiritual beliefs. However, recent attacks on minority groups like the Ahmadiyah sect and on Christian churches have critics claiming that religious tolerance is on the decline. Twelve people in Indonesia are set to face trial on Tuesday, accused of killing three Ahmadiyah followers in West Java, in February. The savage nature of the murders, captured on tape, shocked the nation. Human rights groups hope the trial will help reduce attacks on religious minorities [AFP] Rights groups hope the trial will help reduce attacks on religious minorities. Phil Robertson, from Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera there is a concern for the security of the witnesses. "We want to make sure that the government of Indonesia takes the necessary precautions to ensure that the witnesses are not intimidated," he said. The Ahmadiyah sect, which claims 500,000 followers in Indonesia, believes that its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the final prophet and not Mohammad, contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam. In 2008, the Indonesian government issued a joint ministerial decree that bans the Ahmadiyah from practising their faith in public or spreading the belief. Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from the scene of the killings, where the locals say a lack of leadership on the issue offers tacit approval to Islamic hardliners that is fuelling a growing intolerance.

Source: Al Jazeera

Many killed in Pakistan bus attacks

At least 19 people killed and many wounded in three separate attacks in Karachi and Baluchistan. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 04:06

At least four people were killed in two seperate bomb blasts near buses carrying navy officials in Karachi [Reuters] Two bombs have exploded near buses carrying navy officials in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, killing four people and wounding 56. Tuesday's attacks came hours after another bus was set on fire in southwestern Baluchistan province late on Monday, burning 15 people to death, including four children and two women. Police said the bombs targeting the buses in two different parts of Karachi were remote controlled. A junior naval officer and a civilian female doctor were among those killed in the twin blasts, Pakistan Navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali said. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. Analysts said that the attacks may be part of a wider campaign to hit security forces across the country. "It appears to be part of the same militant campaign but I don't see any logic in targeting the navy because unlike army and air force they are not involved in any operations against the militants," said Tasneem Noorani, a security analyst and former interior secretary. "They may have targeted navy out of desperation because the other forces (air force and army) may have become very careful and are difficult to attack." A senior government official said the attack in Baluchistan took place in Sibi town, about 160 km east of the provincial capital Quetta, when the bus was parked at a roadside restaurant. Ethnic Baluch fighters have waged a low-level insurgency for decades for more autonomy and greater control of natural resources of their region. They frequently attack government installations and security forces. The attack on the military in Karachi was the first since 2004 when gunmen ambushed a convoy escorting the Karachi army corps commander. The general narrowly escaped that attack. In 2002, 11 French engineers and technicians working on the construction of submarines for the Pakistani navy were killed, along with three Pakistanis in a suicide car bombing outside a hotel in Karachi. Karachi is Pakistan's biggest city and commercial hub. It is also the main base for the navy.

Source: Agencies

Gaddafi forces pound Libyan towns

Artillery fire continue to hit Misurata and Berber towns in the Nafusa mountain range as NATO bombs Gaddafi's compound. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 08:41 video

Muammar Gaddafi's forces have pounded Berber towns in Libya's western mountains with artillery, rebels and refugees said. Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from the Nafusa mountain range, said the rebels claim to have gained ground in their fight against Gaddafi's army after NATO air strikes. "A battle raged all day [on Monday]. There are deaths on both sides but Gadaffi's forces retreated," our correspondent said from the remote region that is largely inaccessible to journalists. "Our town is under constant bombardment by Gaddafi's troops. They are using all means. Everyone is fleeing," Imad, a refugee, said while bringing his family out of the mountains and into Tunisia. Misurata also won no respite from two months of bitter siege as Gaddafi's forces bombarded the city after pulling out of the city centre. NATO, on its part, flattened a building inside Gaddafi's Tripoli compound, in what Libyan officials said was a failed attempt on their leader's life. NATO said its attack on the building in the Gaddafi compound was on a communications headquarters used to coordinate attacks on civilians. A Libyan spokesman said Gaddafi was unharmed and state television showed pictures of him meeting people in a tent, which it said had been taken on Monday. Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said the Libyan government would not be cowed. "The bombing which targeted Muammar Gaddafi's office today ... will only scare children. It's impossible that it will make us afraid or give up or raise the white flag," he was quoted as saying by the state news agency, Jana. Libyan television, without giving details, said late on Monday, that the "crusader aggressors" bombed civilian and military sites in Bir al Ghanam, 100km south of Tripoli, and the Ayn Zara area of the capital, causing casualties. A Reuters correspondent heard explosions in Tripoli. Libyan television said foreign ships had also attacked and severed the al-Alyaf cable off Libya's coast, cutting communications to the towns of Sirte, Ras Lanuf and Brega. 'Bodies everywhere' People in Misurata emerged from homes after daybreak on Monday to scenes of devastation after Gaddafi's forces pulled back from the city under cover of blistering rocket and tank fire, said witnesses contacted by phone. Nearly 60 people had been killed in clashes in the city in the last three days, residents told Reuters by phone. Although rebels' celebrations of "victory" on Saturday turned out to be very premature, it was clear they had inflicted significant losses on government forces in Misurata. "Bodies of Gaddafi's troops are everywhere in the streets and in the buildings. We can't tell how many. Some have been there for days," Ibrahim, a rebel fighter, said. Rebel spokesman Abdelsalam, speaking late on Monday, said Gaddafi's forces were trying to re-enter the Nakl Thaqeel Road, which leads to Misurata's port, its lifeline to the outside. "Battles continue there. We can hear explosions," he said by phone. He said Gaddafi's forces positioned on the western outskirts of the city had also shelled the road from there. Another rebel spokesman, Sami, said the humanitarian situation was worsening rapidly. "It is indescribable. The hospital is very small. It is full of wounded people, most of them are in critical condition," he told Reuters by phone. US officials said relief groups were rotating doctors into Misurata and evacuating migrant workers. Mark Bartolini, director of foreign disaster assistance at the US Agency for International Development, said aid organisations were aiming to create stocks of food in the region in case Libyan supply chains break down. Italy to join bombing In another development, Italy said it would join the British and French in carrying out bombing attacks on Libya. Geographically the closest major NATO member state to Libya, Italy had until Monday only provided bases and reconnaissance and monitoring aircraft. The surprise decision immediately opened a fissure in Italy's coalition government. The African Union, meanwhile, held separate talks on Monday with Abdelati Obeidi, the Libyan foreign minister, and rebel representatives in Addis Ababa to discuss a ceasefire plan. The rebels had earlier rebuffed an AU plan because it did not entail Gaddafi's departure, while the United States, Britain and France say there can be no political solution until the Libyan leader leaves power.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Syria intensifies crackdown on protests

At least 500 pro-democracy activists arrested, rights group says, after authorities deployed troops to quell protests. Last Modified: 26 Apr 2011 07:36

Syrian security forces have arrested at least 500 pro-democracy activists, a rights group said, as the government continues a violent crackdown on anti-government protests across the country. The arrests followed the deployment of Syrian troops backed by tanks and heavy armour on the streets of two southern towns, the Syrian rights organisation Sawasiah said on Tuesday. The group said it had received reports that at least 20 people were killed in the city of Deraa in the aftermath of the raid by troops loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Monday. But communications have been cut in the city, making it difficult to confirm the information. "Witnesses managed to tell us that at least 20 civilians have been killed in Deraa, but we do not have their names and we cannot verify," a Sawasiah official told the Reuters news agency. The group said that two more civilians were confirmed dead after government forces entered Douma, a suburb of the capital, Damascus. At least 500 people were arrested elsewhere in the country, it said. Deaths and arrests Thousands of soldiers swept into Deraa in the early hours of Monday, with tanks taking up positions in the town centre and snipers deploying on rooftops, witnesses said. "Bodies are lying in the streets and we can't recover them," one activist said, explaining that they have little idea of the total number of casualties. Footage aired by an opposition news organisation on Monday, transmitted via satellite, appeared to show Syrian military firing at unseen targets with sniper rifles. Al Jazeera is unable to verify the veracity of the footage. Al Jazeera's report showing video of shooting in the southern Deraa province on Sunday Witnesses said soldiers began opening fire on civilians indiscriminately after arriving in Deraa, sparking panic in the streets. However, the government insists the army was invited in to rid the town of gunmen. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, said the troop deployment was an "unprecedented" offensive against the wave of dissent that has swept the country since the uprising began on March 15. Up until now, she said, security forces have cracked down in reaction to protests. But the flood of troops into Douma and Deraa came in the absence of any demonstrations. "We're seeing a different tactic, with security forces sweeping the towns," she said, noting reports of house-to-house searches, arrests and random shooting coming from both towns. Also for the first time, the military has become directly involved in quelling the uprising, much to the disappointment of opposition activists. "They were hoping the army would not get involved," our correspondent said. "They feel this is only the beginning of a very serious crackdown." However, one activist told Al Jazeera that some army officers have defected to fight alongside the people of Deraa against the government. Two members stepped down from the provincial council in Deraa. The resignations came a day after two legislators and a religious leader from Deraa broke with the government in disgust over the killings. Protesters gunned down Meanwhile in the coastal town of Jableh, where several protesters were gunned down on Sunday, witnesses said security forces in camouflage uniforms - some with their faces covered - and masked armed men dressed in black were roaming the town's streets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian rights group, said on Monday that at least 13 people had been killed in Jableh since Sunday's crackdown began. The country has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted access to trouble spots since the uprising began, making it nearly impossible to get independent assessments. Syria has also closed all border crossings on its southern frontier with Jordan as the crackdown intensifies, a security official told Al Jazeera. Syrian intellectuals have expressed their outrage over the violence, with a declaration on Monday signed by 102 writers and exiles from all the country's main sects. "We condemn the violent, oppressive practices of the Syrian regime against the protesters and mourn the martyrs of the uprising," they said. President Assad is also coming under increased foreign pressure to stop the deadly crackdown. France, Britain, Germany and Portugal have all urged the UN Security Council to condemn the government's violent action against demonstrators, and the United States is considering imposing new sanctions.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies