US, Japan delay Okinawa plan but hold firm (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States and Japan acknowledged Tuesday that they would miss a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a US base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition.

The future of the Futenma air base on the subtropical island has bedeviled ties between the Pacific allies for years and both governments have been eager to push ahead on a 2006 deal instead of restarting exhaustive talks.

In a joint statement after top-level talks, the Pacific allies said the relocation "will not meet the previous targeted date of 2014" but renewed their commitment to complete the project "at the earliest possible date."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meeting with their Japanese counterparts, also confirmed plans to move 8,000 Marines and some 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to the US territory of Guam.

Under the 2006 plan between previous governments, the United States planned to shut the flashpoint Futenma base in Okinawa which has long been a source of grievance as it lies in a crowded urban area.

The Japanese and US leaders on Tuesday endorsed building a replacement base with V-shaped runways at Henoko on an isolated stretch of beach elsewhere on the strategically located island.

A number of activists on Okinawa demanded that the base be removed entirely from the island, the often reluctant host to half of the 47,000 US troops based in Japan under a post-World War II treaty.

US senators recently moved to force the Pentagon to consider a new option, saying the current plan is too costly and politically unrealistic when Japan should be focusing on the rebuilding from its massive earthquake.

Gates, addressing one of his final news conferences as defense secretary, tried to put the effort led by Senators Jim Webb and Carl Levin -- members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party -- in the context of the current plan.

"The letter from Senators Webb and Levin about the realignment is really a manifestation of growing congressional impatience about the lack of progress," Gates said at a four-way news conference with Clinton.

"We both reaffirmed the US government's commitment to the 2006 realignment plan, but at the same time emphasized the importance of concrete progress over the course of the next year," Gates said.

One prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, resigned last year after failing to fulfill campaign promises to renegotiate Futenma, with the Obama administration insisting the crux of the deal was not open to debate.

His successor, Prime Minister Naoto Kan, has sought to move ahead with the base plan without tying his fate to the issue as he focuses instead on the earthquake aftermath and his government's survival in parliament.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa played down criticism that the center-left Democratic Party of Japan has held up progress since taking power in 2009, saying: "This is the cost that is entailed in democracy when we have a change of government."

"The purpose of the US realignment is to maintain deterrence and to reduce the local burden, so we will be making maximum efforts with the United States to achieve both objectives."

Under an alternative plan drafted by Webb, a former Marine who represents Virginia, Futenma would be closed and its air assets largely shifted to Okinawa's existing Kadena Air Base.

Webb also proposed shifting some of the existing air assets from Kadena to elsewhere in Japan and Guam, a solution he said would ease both congestion and costs in Okinawa.

The Senate Armed Services Committee last week agreed to cut off funding for the 2014 shift until the Marine Corps comes up with a new study on Guam -- where opposition is also building -- and considers the alternative on Futenma.

Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the committee, has supported the effort, telling a forum Monday: "As new realities and cost overruns call our current plans into question, Congress must ask the hard questions."

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Mirza in new knee injury agony (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

LONDON (AFP) – India's Sania Mirza was battling agonising pain as a nasty knee injury left her bid to win Wimbledon doubles glory resting on an ultrasound scan.

Mirza was already carrying a niggling left knee problem but tweaked it within minutes of starting her Wimbledon singles first round match against France's Virginie Razzano on Tuesday.

The world number 60 battled on and even won the second set despite being unable to change direction in her 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-3 first round defeat.

The 24-year-old has been playing a "ridiculous" non-stop schedule and whatever the doctors say, she plans a break after Wimbledon regardless.

"I've had the same injury since just before the French Open. I've been playing a lot on it," Mirza said.

"It will get worse if I keep playing on it. At 3-0 I tweaked it in the first set. I served and fell on the leg, tried to change direction and jerked it. I was already on painkillers but immediately the pain level went up 10 times.

"I have to see the doctor and get an ultrasound scan.

"It is very, very painful. I can still serve but I can't move and change direction. I'm hurting to go up and down stairs and even to walk."

Mirza did not blame the injury directly on her schedule but admitted the punishing round of singles, doubles and qualifiers takes its toll.

"Tennis takes a lot out of you physically and emotionally," she said.

"I've been playing for 12 months continuously. It's not easy on the body.

"From the French Open until Birmingham, I had 21 days of no day off. That's ridiculous on the body. Anyone's body's going to collapse. But that's the way the season is.

"I was going to take a little off season after Wimbledon but depending on what my knee says I'll decide what to do."

Razzano will now face Danish top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.

Mirza feels she would have struggled to give a good account of herself given how bad her knee feels.

"Maybe it's better because going into the next match I would play the number one in the world. That's hard enough and to play with one leg isn't very easy," she said.

Mirza has formed a fruitful partnership with Russia's Elena Vesnina and they are seeded fourth here, while she is also eyeing a shot at the mixed doubles.

The right-hander says she could still cover the right side of the court with a left knee injury.

"I could play with solid taping but it's a decision I have to make after I get the ultrasound as to how bad it could get if I do play on it," she said.

"I don't want to do something silly and be out for six months. That's the last thing you need."

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Tata Group overtakes Reliance as India's wealthiest (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

MUMBAI (AFP) – India's leading conglomerate Tata Group has become the country's wealthiest in terms of market capitalisation, beating the combined wealth of the two Ambani brothers, stock exchange data showed Tuesday.

The salt-to-steel Tata Group, led by chairman Ratan Tata, was worth 4.32 trillion rupees ($96 billion) -- the highest for any Indian corporate group. The combined value of the two Reliance groups was 3.46 trillion rupees.

Tata and Reliance officials declined to comment on or confirm the data, which is based on an analysis of volume and prices of shares in both the groups' listed companies on Indian exchanges.

Tata Group subsidiaries have reported improved earnings in recent years, which has seen the companies value increase, analysts said.

They include Tata Motors and its British luxury car brands Jaguar Land Rover, the world's seventh largest steel maker Tata Steel and its unit Corus, which have all turned profitable after the global slowdown.

Other units that have added market wealth in the past year include India's largest outsourcer TCS. Group firms Titan Industries, which makes watches, Tata Coffee, Tata Chemicals and agri-business outfit Rallis have also grown.

In contrast, Reliance Industries -- the highest weighted stock on the benchmark Sensex index at the Bombay Stock Exchange -- has been sluggish for over a year, mainly on concerns over output at its main gas fields.

"Investors are jittery over negative news linked to Reliance stocks, which has pulled stocks down," said a dealer with a securities firm from a development bank, who asked to remain anonymous.

Mukesh and younger brother Anil Ambani, who runs the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, last year ended a bitter and public feud over the spoils of their late father's vast business empire.

The elder Ambani, who handles oil and gas and petrochemicals, is India's richest man, with a fortune estimated at $27 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

The younger Ambani, who deals with telecoms, financial services and utilities, is the eighth richest, with a wealth of $8.8 billion.

The reclusive Ratan Tata is not on the Forbes billionaire list but is listed 61st amongst the world's most powerful people.

Anil Ambani has seen fortunes of his firms dip since he and other group officials met investigators probing a multi-billion-dollar telecom licence fraud that has badly shaken India's government.

Some local brokerages have downgraded the Reliance Industries stock, fearing that gas output from the KG D6 basin off India's east coast may not rise sharply in coming months.

Two of Anil Ambani's firms, flagship Reliance Communications and subsidiary Reliance Infrastructure have slipped after news last week that these stocks would be removed from the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange.

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India postpones parliament amid fight on graft bill (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India's government announced Tuesday that it would postpone the planned start of parliament next month, giving it more time to finalise a thorny new anti-corruption bill.

Pawan Kumar Bansal, the minister for parliamentary affairs, told reporters in the capital New Delhi that the new session would commence on August 1 instead of mid-July and "is likely to go up to 8th of September."

He declined to comment on the reasons behind the delay but dismissed speculation that the government was buying time to formulate a tricky new bill.

The government has struggled to draft the new anti-graft bill, known as the Lokpal bill, in consultation with civil society activists who are pushing for tougher provisions on an issue which has stirred widespread public anger.

The two sides have clashed over several areas, including proposals by the activists to make the prime minister, senior judges, and the country's top police agency accountable under the bill.

A string of corruption scandals has badly dented the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is expected to announce a cabinet reshuffle before the new parliament, Indian news reports said Tuesday.

In April, famous veteran anti-graft campaigner Anna Hazare forced the government to allow him and other activists to sit on the drafting committee for the new law after he went hunger strike for 98 hours.

India has a dismal record of bringing corrupt senior public officials to justice, with current laws requiring the government's approval before any sitting bureaucrat or minister can be prosecuted.

In six decades only one senior politician, Rao Shiv Bahadur Singh, has been convicted of graft and served a jail term -- for taking a bribe of 25,000 rupees ($557) back in 1949.

Other bills up for consideration in the next parliament include one aimed at preventing the bribery of foreign public officials, as well as the country's first legislation against child sex abuse.

Recent parliamentary business has been severely disrupted by arguments between parties in the ruling coalition and the opposition, leading to repeated adjournments.

In the final session of 2010, no legislation was passed after the opposition forced parliament to adjourn for 32 business days in a row.

The most recent session in February was devoted to clearing the national budget, but after the budget was passed, lawmakers disrupted parliament regularly.

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Exclusive: Solutions sought for lengthy Chinese stock halts (Reuters)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. securities industry is studying ways to avoid lengthy trading halts of U.S.-listed Chinese securities that have been suspected of accounting problems, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) said.

SIFMA, U.S. securities regulators and exchanges all held talks, according to a separate source, to deal with halts of shares that have stretched for several months while exchanges wait for delayed regulatory filings or resolutions to audit probes.

"I can confirm for you that SIFMA is exploring this issue and studying possible solutions," said SIFMA spokeswoman Katrina Cavali said.

Numerous U.S.-listed Chinese companies, many of which first listed on U.S. exchanges through reverse takeovers, have been hit with charges of accounting fraud. When companies respond to allegations, shares are often halted for weeks.

But the trading halts created a skid row of sorts of Chinese companies languishing on exchanges without trading for several months. There are currently more than a dozen such companies.

Investors in companies that have been halted have been unable to close out positions because trade halts have stretched for months. One Chinese company, NIVS IntelliMedia Technology Group, has been halted since March 24.

A source familiar with the discussions said some of the possible solutions discussed include matching outstanding long and short positions in the halted securities.

Normally, an individual company can have shares halted for a few hours so a company can disseminate news or the exchange can resolve a trading-related issue.

It was unclear whether a final decision had been made.

Shares of Chinese companies have been hit hard, with some losing most of their value, as a result of the allegations. The Canadian-listed Chinese forestry company Sino-Forest, which is down more than 90 percent since allegations were raised by a short-selling research firm.

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; editing by Gunna Dickson)

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660 reservoirs at risk of overflowing in China (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

BEIJING – Heavy rains in eastern China have put more than 660 reservoirs at risk of overflowing, an official said Tuesday.

Rain-triggered floods have swept parts of eastern and southern China this month, leaving at least 175 dead and 86 missing and causing 35 billion yuan ($5 billion) in direct economic losses, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

An official at the media department of the Anhui Water Resource Department said water levels at more than 660 reservoirs in the province were above the warning level. Like most Chinese officials, she would give only her surname, Zhao.

The official Xinhua News Agency also said in a Chinese-language report that the reservoirs were in danger of overflowing. The Anhui flood control headquarters said most of the reservoirs — more than 620 — were small, and that only three were large.

Such flooding is common every year during China's rainy season, with reservoirs and rivers overflowing.

Zhao referred further queries to the provincial Communist Party Propaganda Department, but calls were not answered there.

Xinhua said the water levels of the Shuiyang and Qingyi rivers, both tributaries of the Yangtze River running through Anhui, had risen above the warning safety mark.

It said many of the reservoirs in Anhui had started discharging water on orders from the state flood-control headquarters.

In neighboring Zhejiang province, the operator of eastern China's largest reservoir opened three of its nine floodgates Tuesday because of the risk of overflowing.

It was the first time the Xin'anjiang Reservoir has been forced to discharge water since 1999, Zhejiang's flood control headquarters said.

Xinhua quoted officials as saying the release of water into the Lanjiang river wouldn't cause havoc downstream because water there had receded below the danger level.

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3 Indonesian militants get prison for terror plot (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Three Indonesians radicalized by the teachings of a firebrand Muslim cleric were sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for involvement in a terror plot.

A Jakarta court found Muhammad Iqbal, Helmi Wardani and Kurnia Widodo guilty of violating anti-terrorism laws by making bombs and exploding them in trial runs for a terrorist attack. It said they gleaned their bomb-making knowledge from the Internet.

Presiding Judge Mustofa said the men were influenced by the preaching of Aman Abdurrahman, a radical cleric who was sentenced to nine years in prison in December for involvement in a militant training camp in westernmost Aceh province.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has battled militants with links to al-Qaida since 2002, when extremists bombed a nightclub district on Bali island, killing 202 people, most of them foreigners. A security crackdown since then has seen hundreds of militants killed or captured and convicted.

Mustofa said the three men, all in their thirties, were highly educated with no history of militancy until becoming radicalized through their participation in Islamic study at a mosque in West Java that was a base for Abdurrahman.

He said they planned to target police and local officials whom they considered their main enemy because of the government's support for the U.S.-led fight against terrorism.

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Pakistan army officer held on extremism suspicions (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

ISLAMABAD – A senior officer serving at Pakistan's army headquarters has been detained on suspicion of ties to a banned Islamist group that has called for the military to overthrow the country's U.S.-allied government, the army spokesman said Tuesday.

The announcement could be an attempt by the Pakistani military to counter Western suspicions that it tolerates within its ranks soldiers who sympathize with militant groups such as the Taliban or al-Qaida. Those suspicions have spiked in the wake of last month's U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in an army town not far from the Pakistani capital.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Brig. Ali Khan was detained recently for suspected links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organization that wants to re-establish the caliphate, the administrative structure that once governed a large section of the Muslim world.

The army spokesman labeled the group a "proscribed militant organization." But Hizb-ut-Tahrir insists it rejects violence, although observers say the group nonetheless promotes an intolerant mindset that can ultimately lead some followers to embrace militancy.

On what appears to be its Pakistan website, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which means "Party of Liberation," calls for officers in the Pakistan army to oust the country's government because of its alliance with the United States and to help establish an Islamic caliphate.

Abbas said the detention shows the army is determined to weed out bad actors, but also stressed that Khan was not linked to the Taliban, which is seen as much more of a threat by the West than Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

"We follow a zero percent tolerance for any breach of discipline or indulgence in any illegal activity," Abbas told The Associated Press.

Khan's wife insisted her husban was "totally innocent."

"These allegations are totally rubbish," she told the AP. She declined to give her first name because of cultural traditions among her Pashtun clan.

She said her husband went missing May 5, and she has been searching for information about his whereabouts since then. Authorities had assured her that he would soon return, she said.

She said her father-in-law served in the army as a junior commissioned officer, while her son and son-in-law were currently serving in the army.

"Our three generations have served the army, and none of our family members have any links with the militants," she said.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Although it is banned in some countries, including Pakistan and parts of Central Asia, the group is active in Western countries such as the United States, where it finds protection under free speech and association laws.

Western officials have long worried about Islamist extremism within Pakistan's security forces given their historical ties to militant groups that have fought in Afghanistan and Indian-held Kashmir.

Many U.S. officials questioned how bin Laden could have hidden in the Pakistani army town of Abbottabad for up to five years without officials knowing, although they say they have not found any evidence that senior members of the government or military knew of his whereabouts.

U.S. attempts to rebuild the relationship with Pakistan have not gone well.

American officials say they have shared intelligence on four bomb-making factories in Pakistan's tribal areas, but militants were intentionally or inadvertently tipped off before they were raided by Pakistani forces. Pakistani military officials have denied they tipped off the militants.

Analysts say the Pakistani army is better than the country's police at rooting out extremists, but current and former military officers have participated in attacks in recent years.

Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American who tried to bomb New York City's Times Square last year, allegedly was in contact with a major in the Pakistani military. In 2009, Pakistani army headquarters in Rawalpindi was attacked by 10 men in military uniforms reportedly led by a former army soldier. And the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, are alleged to have been carried out with the guidance of a Pakistani spy known only as "Major Iqbal."

One constant fear is that extremists in the military could somehow infiltrate Pakistan's nuclear program to steal materials for a terrorist weapon, but that program is governed by a multilayered security system that involves scrutiny of individuals' backgrounds and beliefs.

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Death for Chinese man in case that fueled protests (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

BEIJING – Chinese state media say a man has been sentenced to death in a case that fueled the biggest ethnic protests in Inner Mongolia in two decades.

The Xinhua News Agency says Sun Shuning was sentenced Tuesday after being convicted of killing Yan Wenlong on May 15 during a dispute between coal mine operators and local residents protesting pollution.

The swiftness and severity of the sentence demonstrate the government's desire to soothe anger among Mongols, who took to the streets over that and another case. The protesters demanded justice and greater protection for Mongol culture and the traditional herding lifestyle.

Earlier, a Chinese truck driver was sentenced to death for killing an ethnic Mongol herder by dragging him under his truck on May 10.

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West Indies 119-5 at lunch (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) – West Indies were 119 for five, in response to India's first innings total of 246 on the first day of the first Test on Tuesday at Sabina Park.

Score summary

India 246 (S. Raina 82, H. Singh 70, R. Dravid 40; F. Edwards 4-56, R. Rampaul 3-59, D. Bishoo 3-75)

West Indies 119 for five (A. Barath 64; P. Kumar 3-24, I. Sharma 2-17)

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US, Japan delay Okinawa base plan (AFP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States and Japan acknowledged Tuesday that they would miss a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a US base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition.

In a joint statement after top-level talks, the Pacific allies said that the relocation "will not meet the previous targeted date of 2014" but renewed their commitment to complete the project "at the earliest possible date."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meeting with their Japanese counterparts, also reconfirmed plans to move 8,000 Marines and some 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to the US territory of Guam.

Under the 2006 plan between the two governments, the United States planned to shut the flashpoint Futenma base in Okinawa which has long been a source of grievance as it lies in a crowded urban area.

But a number of activists on Okinawa demanded that the base be removed entirely from the island, the often reluctant host to half of the 47,000 US troops based in Japan under a post-World War II treaty.

Three US senators recently moved to force the Pentagon to consider a new option, saying that the current plan is too costly and politically unrealistic as Japan grapples with the aftermath of its massive earthquake.

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Report: China plans aircraft carrier test in July (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

BEIJING – China is planning an initial sea trial of its first aircraft carrier next month, a Hong Kong newspaper said Tuesday, a move likely to further worry neighbors amid heightened tensions over territorial disputes.

Some form of limited testing of the ship is planned to coincide with celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1, the Hong Kong Commercial Daily said.

The newspaper reported earlier this month that a top general, Chen Bingde, told it that the carrier was being outfitted, the highest-level confirmation by the secretive military that work is under way. Chen refused to give a timetable for its completion.

China has spent the best part of a decade refurbishing the former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag after it was towed from Ukraine in 1998, and the carrier program has been widely known for several years.

Activity aboard the ship, docked in the northern port of Dalian, has picked up in recent days, with photos on military enthusiast websites showing workers removing heavy equipment from its sloped flight deck.

The newspaper said the ship will be formally launched next year on Oct. 1, China's national day, after workers complete the installation of weapons systems and other equipment.

The still-unnamed ship was bought as an empty shell without engines, weapons systems, or other crucial equipment and isn't believed to have traveled before under its own propulsion. Years of sea trials and flight training are needed before it will be fully operational.

Once launched, it is expected to primarily serve as a training vessel for the navy and for naval pilots, while China moves swiftly to build its own carriers.

The carrier's move toward operability raises the stakes for Washington, long the pre-eminent naval power in Asia, and jangles the already edgy nerves of China's neighbors upset with what they see as Beijing's more assertive posture in enforcing claims to disputed territories.

Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in territorial spats with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam and seen its relations strained with South Korea — all of which have turned to Washington for support.

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Bangladesh moves to retain Islam as state religion (AP)

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Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Bangladesh will retain Islam as the state religion in amendments the government is proposing to its constitution, a government minister said Tuesday.

A former military ruler declared Islam the state religion in 1988 by amending the charter, but it barely affected Bangladesh's secular legal system mainly based on British common law.

The government says the proposed changes won't affect the legal system. Inheritance and other family laws already are based on religion.

The decision was made late Monday at a Cabinet meeting, the minister told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A special government committee prepared proposals for the amendment, and the government will send those proposals to the parliament for passing as a law.

Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971 with help from India through a bloody nine-month war.

The original constitution was installed by independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After Rahman's assasination in a military coup in 1975, military rulers made a series of amendments to the charter.

Some see the government's latest action as a compromise by Hasina, who during her election campaign before December 2008 polls said she would restore the 1972 constitution if voted to power.

The original charter did not recognize any faith as a state religion, promised elimination of communalism and disfavored discrimination or persecution because of a person's faith.

The new proposals want to restore those provisions of secularism but keep Islam as state religion.

Monday's Cabinet meeting chaired by Hasina also endorsed equal status and equal rights for practicing other religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, the minister said.

The Cabinet decided to keep the provision of state religion considering the national reality, the minister told AP.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has campaigned that Hasina's Awami League party is anti-Islamic. The country's main Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami and its hardline allies also brand Hasina's party as anti-Islamic.

Bangladesh has thousands of Islamic schools that advocate installation of Sharia laws, and a violent hardline group years ago bombed government buildings and courts demanding Sharia law. The government claims the group, Jumatul Mujahedin Bangladesh, was broken after its top leaders were hanged.

The government also proposed an amendment to cancel a constitutional provision that requires the government to hand over power at the end of its term to a nonpartisan administration. A former chief justice is usually chosen to head the three-month caretaker administration that conducts new elections.

The Supreme Court has ruled the provision in the 1996 constitution is undemocratic.

The next general elections is due in 2014, and opponents of Hasina say amending the consitution to remove that provision could lead to vote-rigging.

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Obama set to give Afghan speech Wednesday evening (Reuters)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will deliver a speech on Wednesday evening on his plan to pull back U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the White House said on Tuesday.

"At 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 22nd, the President will address the nation from the White House to lay out his plan for implementing his strategy -- first unveiled in December 2009 -- to draw down American troops from Afghanistan," the White House said in a statement.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Editing by Will Dunham)

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Australian military hit by 1,000 abuse claims (AFP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

SYDNEY (AFP) – More than 1,000 people have made allegations of sexual and other abuse against the Australian Defence Force, lawyers assessing the complaints for the government said Tuesday.

The review was ordered in the wake of a scandal at the elite Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in which a teenage female cadet alleged that she was unwittingly broadcast having sex with another cadet to classmates.

DLA Piper, the law firm conducting the review on behalf of Defence Minister Stephen Smith, said more than 1,000 people had since come forward with allegations, including complaints made in the media and direct to the minister.

"The allegations range from relatively minor matters to very serious matters," DLA Piper said in a statement.

"Some of the allegations are made by victims or parents or partners of victims, some are made by witnesses and some are made by people who have no direct knowledge of the incident which they allege/report."

"We need to proceed with care because the issues involved are serious and sensitive. We are taking advice on our processes from an expert in dealing with victims of sexual abuse," the firm added.

DLA Piper said there was a surge in complaints after fresh allegations were broadcast by the media last week, and extra lawyers were drafted in to take calls.

The firm said it was now carefully considering how best to gather more detailed information, responding to criticism that the process was too formal or that the review was a "cover-up" exercise.

"The Minister expects the Review to provide our own honest assessment and recommendations, regardless of whether or not doing so may involve criticism of aspects of Defence's response to allegations," DLA said.

"The Review members would not be participating in the Review if we thought it was a sham."

The Australian Defence Force has been stung by a string of allegations, some decades old, of abusive and sexist behaviour in its ranks.

Cases aired in the media involve the hushing up of gang rape and the brutal bashing and bullying of military cadets.

Minister Smith has called the allegations "very concerning" and promised they would be "methodically and exhaustively" assessed.

Australia's top military brass have stressed that such practices are completely unacceptable, and that the defence force has improved and reformed over the years.

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Indonesian MPs demand protection for Gulf workers (AFP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

JAKARTA (AFP) – Indonesian lawmakers on Tuesday urged the government to stop sending migrant workers to the Middle East, and especially Saudi Arabia, after the beheading of a maid who murdered her Saudi employer.

Parliamentarians said the oil-rich kingdom and other Gulf states should not benefit from cheap Indonesian labour until they agreed to protect workers' basic rights.

"We have asked the government to temporarily suspend sending Indonesian workers overseas, especially countries which refuse to sign an agreement which protects our workers' rights," deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said.

Several lawmakers called on Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and other key members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet to resign over the treatment of migrant workers abroad.

The uproar came after Riyadh beheaded an Indonesian maid on Saturday for murdering her Saudi employer.

Ruyati binti Sapubi had been convicted of murdering Khairiya bint Hamid Mijlid with a meat cleaver after being denied permission to leave the kingdom, according to Indonesian officials.

Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia for consultations on Monday and lodged a strong protest with the government in Riyadh, saying the Saudi authorities had ignored normal consular protocols.

Another 23 Indonesian migrant workers are on death row in Saudi Arabia, according to parliamentary labour commission member Rieke Dyah Pitaloka.

"The suspension (of migrant labour to the Middle East) must be applied soon, especially to Saudi Arabia," she told AFP.

Dozens of protesters including Sapubi's daughter protested outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta to condemn the execution, carrying banners reading "Saudi is cruel and murderous".

Around 70 percent of the 1.2 million Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia are domestic helpers, according to officials.

Sapubi's case is the latest in a string of incidents involving Indonesian menial labourers in the Middle East.

Indonesians were outraged in April when a Saudi court overturned the conviction of a Saudi woman who had been jailed for three years for allegedly torturing her Indonesian maid with scissors and a hot iron.

London-based Amnesty International said the maid's treatment, which Yudhoyono described as "extraordinary torture," was all too characteristic of the plight of foreign workers in the region.

It said workers from countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka underpin the Gulf states' economies but face extreme forms of exploitation.

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West Indies 119-5 at lunch (AFP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) – West Indies were 119 for five, in response to India's first innings total of 246 on the first day of the first Test on Tuesday at Sabina Park.

Score summary

India 246 (S. Raina 82, H. Singh 70, R. Dravid 40; F. Edwards 4-56, R. Rampaul 3-59, D. Bishoo 3-75)

West Indies 119 for five (A. Barath 64; P. Kumar 3-24, I. Sharma 2-17)

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US, Japan delay Okinawa base plan (AFP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States and Japan acknowledged Tuesday that they would miss a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a US base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition.

In a joint statement after top-level talks, the Pacific allies said that the relocation "will not meet the previous targeted date of 2014" but renewed their commitment to complete the project "at the earliest possible date."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meeting with their Japanese counterparts, also reconfirmed plans to move 8,000 Marines and some 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to the US territory of Guam.

Under the 2006 plan between the two governments, the United States planned to shut the flashpoint Futenma base in Okinawa which has long been a source of grievance as it lies in a crowded urban area.

But a number of activists on Okinawa demanded that the base be removed entirely from the island, the often reluctant host to half of the 47,000 US troops based in Japan under a post-World War II treaty.

Three US senators recently moved to force the Pentagon to consider a new option, saying that the current plan is too costly and politically unrealistic as Japan grapples with the aftermath of its massive earthquake.

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Philippine massacre trial to be on live webcast (AP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a live video webcast of the trial of members of a political clan accused in the massacre of 57 people, including 31 journalists.

It is the first time the tribunal has allowed real-time coverage of court proceedings via the Internet, and the trial to be broadcast involves the November 2009 massacre that is the worst act of political violence in a country inured to bloodshed.

Chief Justice Renato Corona's order comes after the court last week gave permission for live radio and television broadcast of the trial.

"With this, the Maguindanao massacre trial will be accessible to viewers worldwide, continuously and without interruption," a court statement said.

The powerful Ampatuan clan patriarch and former southern Maguindanao provincial Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several of his sons are among the 196 people accused of killing members of a rival clan and journalists traveling in a convoy in November 2009.

Of the total, 92 suspects are in custody and 58 have been arraigned. The principal suspect, former town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., is accused of leading about 150 gunmen with his father's approval in mowing down the victims. Andal Jr. and his father have pleaded not guilty.

The trial is held twice weekly in a maximum-security detention facility inside a police camp where video, pictures and taping have been previously banned. The prosecution has been presenting evidence and witnesses.

One witness, Ampatuan's servant, Lakmudin Saliao, has testified that six days before the killings, the patriarch asked his family over dinner how they could stop rival Esmael Mangudadatu from running for governor.

According to Saliao, Andal Jr. said "If they come here, just kill them all." His father allegedly agreed.

On the day of the killings, Andal Jr. told his father by cellphone that he had blocked the convoy, Saliao testified. The father ordered him to gun down everybody but spare the journalists, to which Andal Jr. replied, "No ... somebody could talk if we won't wipe out everybody," the servant said.

Radio and TV networks had petitioned the court for live coverage, and President Benigno Aquino III supported their petition, writing to the court that live coverage would let Filipinos learn lessons from the violence so that it won't be repeated.

The broadcasters welcomed the earlier court decision but complained about the strict conditions like continuous broadcast without commercials.

"Hopefully, with the live webcast, the objections regarding no commercial breaks or gaps, and continuous broadcast of entire proceedings will be addressed," court spokesman Midas Marquez said.

The live streaming will be hosted by the Supreme Court's website.

Romel Bagares, a lawyer for relatives of some of the victims, said he "supports any move on the part of the court to broaden the public's right to information and media's right to gather news and report or issue fair comment on issues of the day."

However, he said the order needs to be clarified in case there are conflicts in the guidelines for implementing the webcast and conditions for the live radio and television broadcasts.

"We hope the court listens to media and appreciates the logistical, financial and above all, constitutional issues involved in both traditional and new media broadcasts because they are now interfaced and intertwined," Bagares said.

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(AP)

Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.
Could not find default endpoint element that references contract 'TranslatorService.LanguageService' in the ServiceModel client configuration section. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no endpoint element matching this contract could be found in the client element.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan army: Senior officer detained for suspected links with banned militant group.

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