China backs Myanmar's development path based on its own conditions
Visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo said Monday China always supports Myanmar to walk on a development path chosen in line with its own national conditions.
During his talks with Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Dai said the Chinese government adheres to a friendly policy toward Myanmar and the time-tested good neighborliness between the two nations has become an outstanding example for conducting state-to-state relations based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence.
He hopes the two sides could properly handle the problems in their cooperation by developing and expanding their cooperative ties so as to achieve better progress in all areas of cooperation.
Dai lauded the efforts the Myanmar government has made to push forward domestic political reconciliation and improve foreign relations. He believed the Myanmar government has the wisdom and ability to address the problems and challenges in the way forward.
A peaceful, stable, independent and prosperous Myanmar is in the common interests of the two nations, he added.
U Thein Sein said Myanmar highly values bilateral relations with China and will not allow any damage to the ties. The government is willing to push forward bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture and major projects to boost their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.
They made the remarks during Dai's attendance at the 4th Summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)-Economic Cooperation Program in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar's administrative capital.
Dai said China is an active participant, staunch supporter and one of the beneficiaries of the GMS cooperation. China will continue to be a part of the cooperation, increasing investment and making more contributions.
Amnesty Says UN Failed to Prevent Exodus From Southern Sudan
An international rights group says United Nations peacekeepers failed to stop Sudanese troops from driving more than 100,000 people from their homes in the country's southern border region last May.
Amnesty International says the U.N. troops took no meaningful action to prevent Sudanese forces and allied militia from attacking people's homes in the town of Abyei.
In a report Tuesday on the events of last May, the group said virtually the entire population of Abyei was forced to flee and anything of value in the town was looted.
The London-based group said Sudan's army blew up the bridge linking Abyei to South Sudan to prevent people from returning home and said U.N. peacekeepers did nothing to stop the action.
Amnesty said former U.N. peacekeepers told the group that a decision was made not to militarily engage with Sudanese troops because they were better equipped.
U.N. officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.
Amnesty said there is no clear picture of how many people died or were injured in Abyei last May, and it called on the U.N. to ensure there is a proper investigation.
Abyei is in Sudan's southern region next to the new country of South Sudan, which became independent in July.
There was to be a referendum on the future of Abyei, but it never happened because Sudan and South Sudan could not agree on who was qualified to vote.
US asks Iran to free man who 'confessed' to CIA plot
The US has asked Iran to free "without delay" a US man of Iranian descent described by Tehran as a CIA spy.
Amir Mirzai Hekmati confessed he had been sent to infiltrate Iranian intelligence services on state TV.
A spokeswoman for the State Department told the BBC the US had requested access to Mr Hekmati through the embassy of Switzerland, which serves as an intermediary between the countries.
His family denied their son was involved in espionage.
son is no spy. He is innocent. He's a good fellow, a good citizen, a good man," Ali Hekmat told ABC News. "These are all unfounded allegations and a bunch of lie s."
A state department spokeswoman told the BBC: "The Iranian regime has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies, of eliciting forced confessions, and of holding innocent foreigners for political reasons."
On Sunday, the Iranian TV report on Sunday said Mr Hekmati had come to the attention of Iranian agents at Bagram air base in Afghanistan, before he went to Iran.
He was shown speaking Farsi and English, describing his alleged mission to infiltrate Iran's intelligence ministry.
The report said Mr Hekmati joined the US Army in 2001 and received special training before being sent to Iran.
According to the Ali Hekmati, his son did join the US military in 2001, but served in the Marines, where he was an Arabic translator.
Iran's government has repeatedly accused the United States of carrying out covert intelligence operations in order to undermine it.
In May, Tehran claimed it had detained a network of 30 CIA operatives, saying they had been involved in espionage and sabotage.
Last week, Iran indicted 15 people on charges of spying for America and Israel but gave few other details.
Arrest Warrant Issued for Iraq’s Vice President on Terrorism Charges
The Shi'ite-led government in Iraq has issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, a move that is seen as evidence of a deepening political crisis in the wake of the U.S. military withdrawal from that country.
A spokesman for Iraq's Interior Ministry said Hashemi is accused of terrorism. The accusation is based on what were described as confessions by three of his bodyguards who said they planted bombs targeting Iraqi government and security officials.
A Hashemi aide, while acknowledging the three men work for the vice president, denied the terrorism allegations.
Hashemi is reported to be in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region for talks with Kurdish officials. He could not be reached for comment.
The Obama administration has expressed concern over the development. A White House spokesman said the United States urges “all sides to work to resolve differences peacefully through dialogue in a manner consistent with the rule of law.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier called for a no-confidence vote in parliament against another leading Sunni politician, Deputy Prime Minister Salem al-Mutlaq. In an interview with VOA's Kurdish service, Mutlaq called Mr. Maliki a dictator and urged the United States to revisit its policy on Iraq.
Both Hashemi and Mutlaq are leaders of Iraq's mostly Sunni Iraqiya political bloc, part of the country's coalition government. But its members walked out of parliament on Saturday, accusing Mr. Maliki of seizing power.
On Sunday, the last convoy of U.S. troops departed Iraq for neighboring Kuwait, leaving behind a few hundred soldiers to guard the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. President Barack Obama said the end of the U.S. occupation means the future of Iraq is “in the hands of its own people.”
Canada to revoke citizenship
In the wake of what has been described as heightened fraudulent claims for asylum in Canada by Vincentians and other Caribbean nationals, the Canadian government says that it intends to revoke the citizenship of at least 1,800 immigrants who allegedly used fraudulent means to become Canadians.
Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said most of the targeted individuals were counselled by three or four “crooked immigration consultants” on how to concoct fake proof of residency in Canada.
Under Canada’s immigration laws, a person must live in the country for three out of four years in order to become a citizen.
“Sadly, there is an industry of what we call unscrupulous agents operating around the world who sell advice on how to take advantage of Canada to break our laws,” said Kenney in addressing the Economic Club of Toronto.
“And there are some people – thankfully, I think a small minority – who are prepared to pay big money in order to falsely obtain Canadian citizenship,” he added, stating that the vast majority of the 1,800 allegedly fraudulent citizenships were facilitated by three or four immigration consultants. He did not identify the nationalities of the immigrants or the alleged fraudsters.
“What they did was hire crooked citizenship consultants to create fake proof of residency in Canada so that they can get citizenship and access to our health care and subsidized tuition rates,” continued the Canadian immigration minister. “But, at the same time, [they] stayed overseas without contributing to the Canadian tax base.”
By launching this enforcement action, Kenney said Ottawa is “sending the message that Canadian citizenship is not for sale.”
In a recent exposé, The Toronto Star, under the caption, “SVG - Is this Caribbean Idyll the Worst Place in the World to be a Woman,” said that the majority of Vincentians flocking to Canada, seeking refugee status, are women, who, it appears, are “fleeing domestic violence.”
The paper said that while Hungary, China, Namibia, Colombia and Mexico are among the top 10 countries from which refugee claims to Canada are made, “one of the world’s tiniest nations has started appearing on the list, a place many Canadians couldn’t find on a map: St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
The Star said that, last year, 710 Vincentians sought asylum in Canada, up from only 179 in 2001, and that, over the past decade, it adds up to more than 4,500 refugee claimants — “or 4.3 per cent of the tiny Caribbean archipelago’s population.
“Proportionally, it’s as if the entire populations of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador were to flee Canada,” the paper said.
“Last year, this ‘Jewel of the Caribbean’ ranked 8th in the world for refugee claims to Canada, surpassing India (population 1.2 billion) and Pakistan (population 187 million). The population of St. Vincent and the Grenadines? An estimated 104,000,” it added.
“There is something very wrong in the relationship between men and women in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the Star quoted Canadian Federal Court Justice Sean Harrington in a 2009 ruling.
“Year after year, woman after woman washes up on our shores seeking protection from abusive, violent husbands or boyfriends,” he added.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Legal Affairs, has cautioned that increasing claims for asylum in Canada could result in that country revisiting its immigration policy with Kingstown.
“What will change is that if Vincentians continue to make these false claims, the whole country will suffer, because Canada will require visas, which they don’t require at the moment,” he told local radio listeners.
T&T Aviation chief calls on Caricom states: Adhere to revised Chag treaty
Director general of the T&T Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) Ramesh Lutchmedial has called on his Caricom counterparts to follow in T&T’s footsteps and fully comply with the aviation requirements of the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. He said T&T was the only country whose aviation laws and regulations met the necessary requirements. He noted that the revised treaty required removal of all barriers and restrictions in the area of air transportation and harmonisation of standards for the licensing of pilots and air carriers. Lutchmedial was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 20 licensed aircraft maintenance engineers of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Engineering School in Guyana on Friday, at the Ogle International Airport.
Lutchmedial, chairman of the Caribbean Safety and Oversight System, was the guest speaker. Newly-installed Guyana president Donald Ramoutar delivered the feature address. Lutchmedial called on his regional aviation colleagues to collaborate to establish a world class aviation training product to develop the next generation of aviation leaders in the Caribbean. He boasted of T&T’s lead in the industry, offering three master’s degree programmes in aviation, in partnership with the City University of London which are expected to commence next year. The programmes will be facilitated at the TTCAA’s new aviation complex at Caroni North Bank Road, Piarco. Lutchmedial said the complex would be officially opened early next year.
He said any Caricom citizen could obtain a T&T commerical pilot’s licence or an air operators’ certificate which was necessary for operating an airline. He added that because of provisions in T&T’s aviation laws, Jamaicans were able to obtain their licences to fly aircraft operated by Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL). He said, however, that a T&T citizen could not do the same, since those seeking to obtain a licence out of Jamaican could only fly a registered Jamaican aircraft on the basis of a validation granted at the discretion of that country’s aviation authorities. Ramoutar said Ogle International Airport would soon be able to accommodate the ATR-72 aircraft now being operated by CAL. He also outlined plans for building a modern passenger jet terminal at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport which will be complemented by a four-lane highway from the airport to Georgetown.
UK keeps increased APD tax, Region claims discrimination
The British Government has reneged on its promise to suspend an increase in the Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax, and has given no assurance for a review. The 8.5 per cent increase effective April 1, 2012, has met with strong opposition from Caribbean tourism industry stakeholders and their UK counterparts, according to Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Tourism and Transportation Secretary Oswald Williams. Williams reiterated at a post-Executive Council media briefing that the tax was a deterrent to travel and had negatively affected travel to Caribbean destinations from the UK. He further told reporters that the tax was discriminatory against Caribbean countries. “What is happening is that we have been placed in the third bag where the rates are currently 75 per cent for the economy passengers and premium and first class adult passengers pay £150 per ticket.
Compare that with anywhere in the United States of America where the tax is £60 or £120. They have been placed in a lower bag.” he said. The controversial tax criterion dictates that the tax charged for a destination is based on the distance of that destination from London. However, passengers travelling to US cities further away than Caribbean destinations still pay less in taxes. Top UK-based airline officials are reported to have said that consultations with the Government on the tax was a “sham.” They said the tax has already cost 25,000 jobs and is causing further damage to the economy. Representatives from Caribbean governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and other agencies also held discussions with the British Government. The UK Government had announced its plans for the increase two weeks ago but only published its conclusions on December 6.
CHTA raps Brit stance on APD
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has strongly condemned the British government’s decision not to change its air passenger duty (APD) banding structure.
This followed the announcement a week ago that rates to the Caribbean would increase by eight per cent from April 2012 and that the British would continue to penalize aspirational travellers flying in premium economy, who would remain in the same category as first class.
“This decision demonstrates [Britain’s] complete disregard for the future economic prosperity of the Caribbean and the role of tourism in [its] development.
“The decision taken by the [British] treasury is in total contrast to the stated policy of [Britain’s] desire to improve its relations with the independent Caribbean and Britain’s Overseas Territories in the Caribbean,” the CHTA said in a statement.
The regional tourism body said that since the British chancellor drew attention to the discrimination of the APD band structure vis-à-vis the rates for the Caribbean and United States in his 2011 Budget statement, it was “incomprehensible that he has subsequently chosen to continue this economic discrimination against the Caribbean”.
The CHTA said: “The discrimination of the APD band structure is demonstrated by the fact that the APD economy class tax from London to Barbados, a distance of 4 190 miles, is US$130 compared to an APD tax of US$104 for London to Honolulu, a distance of 7 220 miles.
“For flying 72 per cent more miles to Honolulu, the APD charge to Honolulu is 20 per cent less than flying a shorter distance to Barbados.
“The APD charge to Barbados on a per-mile basis is 114.7 per cent more expensive when compared to the per-mile charge to Barbados.”
The CHTA said the Caribbean was the most tourism-dependent region in the world.
“The failure to amend the APD banding also demonstrates a complete disregard for the impact of APD on the Caribbean community living in [Britain] which maintains strong links with the Caribbean.
“Data suggests that they have already been forced to decrease their visits by 20 per cent since the four-band system was introduced. Increased ticket cost is given as the reason for this.”
Jagged Edge Flakes on Fan’s Wedding Day: Fan is Suing
A Jagged Edge fan is disappointed with the band since the group deserted him at the altar.
According to the fan, Victor Diaz, he forked out $10k to have the band perform at his wedding as a surprise for his wife on Nov. 19.
He claimed that he reached an agreement with the band’s reps and gave up the deposit and other costs, but the band never showed up.
But the band is denying even being aware of the booking, telling TMZ that the fan must have been dealing with someone who was pretending to be a representative of the band.
Diaz ain’t with that argument and believes the band flaked on him for a higher paying gig on the same weekend.
So the newly married fan is ready to sue Jagged Edge and the record label as well as the group’s management company.
“They humiliated me and cost my wife her dream,” Diaz told TMZ.
A rep for Jagged Edge says, “They are very heartbroken and sad that [Victor's] wedding got destroyed due someone using our name without permission.”
The rep adds, “As far as court goes … if the guy does decide to sue, good luck, because we didn’t agree to anything and he will see he had a forgery contract.”
Packers' perfect season ends with 19-14 loss to KC
Mike McCarthy never put a whole lot of stock in a perfect season, except as a means of gaining home-field advantage and setting the Green Bay Packers up for another Super Bowl run.
Well, they still have a chance to earn home-field advantage.
The perfect season? That's history.
Kyle Orton threw for 299 yards to outduel Aaron Rodgers , and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied behind interim coach Romeo Crennel for a shocking 19-14 victory on Sunday that ended the Packers' 19-game winning streak. It was their first loss since Dec. 19, 2010, at New England.
"I personally always viewed the undefeated season as, really, just gravy," McCarthy said. "The goal was to get home-field advantage and win the Super Bowl. That's what we discussed.
"We were fortunate enough to be in the position to possibly achieve the undefeated season," he added, "but we still have the primary goal in front of us, and that's to get home-field advantage."
Green Bay, playing without leading receiver Greg Jennings and top rusher James Starks because of injuries, can wrap up the No. 1 seed in their final two games against Chicago and Detroit. But the Packers no longer have the pressure of becoming the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with a perfect record, or extending the second-longest winning streak in league history.
"I think our goal ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. The next step is getting that number one seed in the playoffs," Rodgers said. "We've got a home playoff game - we've got a bye secured."
Rodgers was 17 of 35 for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he also scampered 8 yards for another touchdown with 2:12 left in the game. But the Packers (13-1) were unable to recover the onside kick, and Kansas City picked up a couple of first downs to secure the victory.
"They had a good game plan," Rodgers said. "You have to give them credit."
Ryan Succop kicked four field goals for Kansas City (6-8), which had lost five of its last six games and fired coach Todd Haley last Monday. Jackie Battle added a short touchdown plunge with 4:53 left in the game, points that came in handy when Rodgers led one last scoring drive.
"Everybody had marked it off as a win for the Packers, but those guys in the locker room, they're football players," Crennel said. "They decided they were not going to lay down, they were not going to give up, so they went out and played a tremendous game."
Neither team looked all that tremendous in the first half.
Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson was hit twice with offensive pass interference, Rodgers was harassed by the Chiefs' weak pass rush, and Green Bay wound up making five first downs.
One of them came when Kansas City's Jeremy Horne ran into Packers punter Tim Masthay , giving them 15 free yards. The Chiefs tried to give Green Bay another gift later on the drive when Mason Crosby missed a 59-yard field goal attempt but Kansas City had 12 men on the field.
With another chance from 54 yards, the normally reliable Crosby still pushed the kick right.
Rodgers finished the half 6 of 17 for 59 yards, with a handful of drops between wide receiver Donald Driver and tight end Jermichael Finley . In fact, things were going so badly for Green Bay that at one point it ran out of the wildcat despite having one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
The Chiefs were still clinging to a 6-0 lead when Rodgers finally hit down field, finding Finley over top the coverage for a 41-yard gain. Three plays later, the Packers' star quarterback hit Driver in the corner of the end zone for a 7-6 lead with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
Kansas City answered when Orton hit his own tight end, Leonard Pope , for a career-long 38-yard catch. Jon Baldwin added a 17-yard grab to set up Succop's 46-yard, go-ahead field goal.
The Packers moved into field-goal range on their ensuing drive, but rather than have Crosby attempt a 56-yard kick in the same direction he had already missed, McCarthy elected to go for it on fourth-and-9. Rodgers' pass fell incomplete and the Chiefs took over.
They needed seven plays to cover 59 yards, but had to settle for another field goal and a 12-7 lead. It was the third time the Chiefs drove inside the 5 and had six total points to show for it.
They got seven on their next trip, though.
With first-and-goal at the 5, Thomas Jones managed to gain a yard and Le'Ron McClain bulled ahead for three more, setting up third down from just outside the goal line. Battle took the carry over the right side and powered into the end zone, giving the woeful Kansas City offense its highest-scoring game since the Chiefs beat San Diego in overtime in late October.
The Packers marched down field in the closing minutes, and Rodgers showed his moxie by scampering around the end for a touchdown that made it 19-14, but that was as close as they got.
Green Bay came into the game averaging nearly 36 points, but was held to its lowest total since beating the Chicago Bears 10-3 in Week 17 last year. The Packers needed to win that game to make the playoffs, and wound up riding the momentum to a Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers .
All that momentum finally came to an end against the most unlikely of scenarios.
"We set the tone on both sides of the ball," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "This is the great thing about football. You can't always look at the records, because you've got grown men out there who are all getting paid. You don't have to be better on paper.
"If you're better on that given Sunday, you'll get the win."